Category: Corona Virus

A human genetic mechanism hijacked by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic, to help it spread also makes it vulnerable to a new class of drug candidates, a new study finds.

Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, a team showed that coronavirus reproduction in infected human cells requires chemical changes made by the human protein METTL3 to RNA, a key form of genetic material. Additional human proteins involved in the recognition of modified RNA, YTHDF1 and YTHDF3, were also found to be important to the process.

Published online in Genes and Development on June 24, the study showed for the first time that a molecular inhibitor of METTL3, designed by STORM Therapeutics Ltd and called STM2457, dramatically reduced in cell cultures the replication of both pandemic SARS-CoV-2 and, a less severe, seasonal coronavirus, HCoV-OC43, one cause of the common cold.

Our results represent the first time a chemical inhibitor of METTL3 has been shown to have an antiviral effect for coronaviruses, or any virus, says senior study author Ian J. Mohr, PhD, professor in the Department of Microbiology at NYU Langone Health. This represents a necessary step in drug development, identifies new targets, and reveals an unexpected strategy to halt the coronavirus lifecycle.

The current study builds on a growing understanding of gene regulation. It has long been established that sequences of As, Gs, Cs, and Ts, the molecular letters in the DNA code of genes, are copied into messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules that carry the information to the machinery that determines which proteins are made. Only recently has the importance of chemical modification to mRNAs become apparent in the control of protein production. In some instances, this process is controlled by the attachment of a methyl group (one carbon and three hydrogens) to an RNA chain, which turns that genetic message off.

Crucially, coronaviruses that replicate inside human cells are known to encode the complete set of their genetic instructions (their genomes) in RNA chains, raising the question of whether human RNA modification enzymes, including those that attach methyl groups, could impact the production of viral proteins that enable them to multiply.

Past work in Mohrs lab had revealed the enzymes that determine whether an A (adenosine), one of the chemical letters making up mRNA, is methylated at the N6 position (m6A) is important for replication of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), with regulation by human m6A enzymes of mRNAs shaping the immune response to that virus.

In the current study, the research team showed for the first time that the reproduction of SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-OC43 requires the action, not only of the human enzyme that installs the m6A methylation on RNA, METTL3, but human proteins that bind to this unusual arrangement of methylated RNA, YTHDF1 and YTHDF3. Remarkably, the researchers also found that the RNA genomes of both study coronaviruses contained this m6A modification.

For the next step, the NYU Langone team partnered with UK-based STORM Therapeutics, which had run a medicinal chemistry program to develop a compound that best inhibited the action of METTL3. The current study compared the effects of the METTL3 inhibitor STM2457 and an inactive control compound, STM2120, on cultures of human lung cells infected with the seasonal coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2. The researchers then used an imaging technology to track viral infection in thousands of cells treated with different doses of STM2457.

Compared with the same concentration of the inactive control compound, the highest dose of STM2457 reduced the number of HCoV-OC43infected cells in culture by more than 80 percent, while the same dose of STM2457 reduced SARS-CoV-2 reproduction by more than 90 percent. Further experiments revealed that STM2457 reduced viral RNA and protein levels, but not by affecting the same human immune response mRNAs previously found to be important for HCMV.

The inhibition of coronaviruses by this molecule is really encouraging, but understanding exactly why coronaviruses need m6A RNA modification is important and might enable the design of compounds that work even better, says study first author Hannah Burgess, PhD, an assistant research scientist in the Department of Microbiology.

Moving forward, the research team plans to further investigate precisely how m6A modification influences virus and host gene expression in cells infected with pandemic or seasonal coronaviruses and whether STM2457 can interfere with coronavirus replication and prevent severe disease outcomes in non-human animals.

We went into it hoping to learn about the differences between the biology of innocuous and pandemic coronavirus infections, says co-corresponding author Angus C. Wilson, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Microbiology. If anything, we found that both share a dependence upon the m6A methylation machinery. That creates the hope that inhibiting METTL3 may also be useful against future pandemic coronaviruses.

Along with Dr. Mohr, Dr. Burgess, and Dr. Wilson, study authors at NYU Langone Health were Letitia Thompson, Puthankalam Srinivas Kalanghad, Rebecca Grande, Elizabeth Vink, and Kenneth Stapleford in the Department of Microbiology; along with Daniel Depledge and Jonathan Abebe in the Department of Medicine. Other authors were Wesley Blackaby, Alan Hendrick, and Mark Albertella at STORM Therapeutics Ltd, of Cambridge, United Kingdom, and Tony Kouzarides at The Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, in Cambridge.

The study was supported by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases grants AI152543, AI073898, and AI151358; National Institute of General Medical Sciences grant GM056927; National Institutes of Health grants T32 AI100853 and T32 AI007180; and Perlmutter Cancer Center Support Grant P30CA016087.

Greg WilliamsPhone: 212-404-3500gregory.williams@nyulangone.org

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New Class of Compounds Found to Block Coronavirus Reproduction - NYU Langone Health

Oregon health officials announced 233 new coronavirus cases Wednesday and two new deaths.

The Oregon Health Authority reported just under 1,700 cases during the week ending Sunday, the agency said, the lowest number in nine months and a 4.7% drop from the previous week.

About 38,143 adults need to get at least one shot for Oregon to reach the 70% threshold Gov. Kate Brown set for removing all COVID-19 restrictions, the agency said.

As of Wednesday, 68.9% of Oregonians 18 and over have received at least one shot, compared to 65.6% of all Americans in that age group, according to federal health data. While exceeding the national rate, Oregons vaccination rate falls behind Washington and California. At least 73% of adults in both states have received at least one shot, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SEE STATE AND COUNTY COVID-19 TRENDS

Vaccines: Oregon reported 8,306 newly administered doses, which includes 4,465 Tuesday and the remainder from previous days.

Where the new cases are by county: Baker (7), Benton (4), Clackamas (14), Columbia (3), Coos (8), Crook (3), Curry (5), Deschutes (14), Douglas (11), Grant (1), Harney (2), Hood River (1), Jackson (18), Jefferson (4), Josephine (6), Lane (13), Lincoln (3), Linn (14), Malheur (2), Marion (29), Morrow (2), Multnomah (27), Polk (8), Umatilla (7), Union (1), Wasco (10), Washington (12) and Yamhill (4).

Who died: Oregons 2,758th death connected to the coronavirus is a 27-year-old Lane County woman who tested positive June 20 and died June 21 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend.

The 2759th death is a 67-year-old Marion County man who tested positive May 30 and died June 20 at Salem Hospital.

Both had underlying medical conditions.

Hospitalizations: 155 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are hospitalized, up nine from Tuesday. That includes 34 people in intensive care, down one from Tuesday.

Since it began: Oregon has reported 207,333 confirmed or presumed infections and 2,759 deaths, among the lowest per capita numbers in the nation. To date, the state has reported 4,326,249 vaccine doses administered, fully vaccinating 2,115,776 people and partially vaccinating 244,961 people.

-- Fedor Zarkhin

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Coronavirus in Oregon: 2 new deaths and 233 cases as weekly cases drop - OregonLive

Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. now are in people who werent vaccinated, a staggering demonstration of how effective the shots have been and an indication that deaths per day now down to under 300 could be practically zero if everyone eligible got the vaccine.

An Associated Press analysis of available government data from May shows that breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 853,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. Thats about 0.1%.

And only about 150 of the more than 18,000 COVID-19 deaths in May were in fully vaccinated people. That translates to about 0.8%, or five deaths per day on average.

The AP analyzed figures provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC itself has not estimated what percentage of hospitalizations and deaths are in fully vaccinated people, citing limitations in the data.

Among them: Only about 45 states report breakthrough infections, and some are more aggressive than others in looking for such cases. So the data probably understates such infections, CDC officials said.

Still, the overall trend that emerges from the data echoes what many health care authorities are seeing around the country and what top experts are saying.

Earlier this month, Andy Slavitt, a former adviser to the Biden administration on COVID-19, suggested that 98% to 99% of the Americans dying of the coronavirus are unvaccinated.

And CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Tuesday that the vaccine is so effective that nearly every death, especially among adults, due to COVID-19, is, at this point, entirely preventable. She called such deaths particularly tragic.

Deaths in the U.S. have plummeted from a peak of more than 3,400 day on average in mid-January, one month into the vaccination drive.

About 63% of all vaccine-eligible Americans those 12 and older have received at least one dose, and 53% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. While vaccine remains scarce in much of the world, the U.S. supply is so abundant and demand has slumped so dramatically that shots sit unused.

Ross Bagne, a 68-year-old small-business owner in Cheyenne, Wyoming, was eligible for the vaccine in early February but didnt get it. He died June 4, infected and unvaccinated, after spending more than three weeks in the hospital, his lungs filling with fluid. He was unable to swallow because of a stroke.

He never went out, so he didnt think he would catch it, said his grieving sister, Karen McKnight. She wondered: Why take the risk of not getting vaccinated?

The preventable deaths will continue, experts predict, with unvaccinated pockets of the nation experiencing outbreaks in the fall and winter. Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle, said modeling suggests the nation will hit 1,000 deaths per day again next year.

In Arkansas, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation, with only about 33% of the population fully protected, cases, hospitalizations and deaths are rising.

It is sad to see someone go to the hospital or die when it can be prevented, Gov. Asa Hutchinson tweeted as he urged people to get their shots.

In Seattles King County, the public health department found only three deaths during a recent 60-day period in people who were fully vaccinated. The rest, some 95% of 62 deaths, had had no vaccine or just one shot.

Those are all somebodys parents, grandparents, siblings and friends, said Dr. Mark Del Beccaro, who helps lead a vaccination outreach program in King County. Its still a lot of deaths, and theyre preventable deaths.

In the St. Louis area, more than 90% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 have not been vaccinated, said Dr. Alex Garza, a hospital administrator who directs a metropolitan-area task force on the outbreak.

The majority of them express some regret for not being vaccinated, Garza said. Thats a pretty common refrain that were hearing from patients with COVID.

The stories of unvaccinated people dying may convince some people they should get the shots, but young adults the group least likely to be vaccinated may be motivated more by a desire to protect their loved ones, said David Michaels, an epidemiologist at George Washington Universitys school of public health in the nations capital.

Others need paid time off to get the shots and deal with any side effects, Michaels said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration this month began requiring health care employers, including hospitals and nursing homes, to provide such time off. But Michaels, who headed OSHA under President Barack Obama, said the agency should have gone further and applied the rule to meat and poultry plants and other food operations as well as other places with workers at risk.

Bagne, who lived alone, ran a business helping people incorporate their companies in Wyoming for the tax advantages. He was winding down the business, planning to retire, when he got sick, emailing his sister in April about an illness that had left him dizzy and disoriented.

Whatever it was. That bug took a LOT out of me, he wrote.

As his health deteriorated, a neighbor finally persuaded him to go to the hospital.

Why was the messaging in his state so unclear that he didnt understand the importance of the vaccine? He was a very bright guy, his sister said. I wish hed gotten the vaccine, and Im sad he didnt understand how it could prevent him from getting COVID.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Nearly all COVID deaths in US are now among unvaccinated - The Associated Press

The latest:

Ontario's soon-to-be top doctor says he's hopeful the COVID-19 pandemic will move to "an endemic state, where we can try to get back to normal," this fall.

Dr. Kieran Moore said Thursday the government is planningto restore basic public health functionsthat were cast aside during the pandemic, while continuing to trace contacts of new cases of the virus, identify emerging variants and respond to outbreaks in schools, jails, long-term care homes and other congregate settings.

"It's very important that all Canadians realize it's only 10 per cent of the globe that's going to have access to vaccines as we speak," said the province's incoming chief medical officer of health.

"We're so fortunate in Ontario and Canada to be leaders in being immunized. But 90 per cent of the globe is not immunized, and that's where the virus continues to circulate, where mutations will develop, and any returning traveller could bring the virus back into Canada at any given time."

Moore answered questions alongside Dr. David Williams, who will passhim the chief medical officer of health torchSaturday.

The pair celebrated Ontario's vaccination rate while cautioning that people shouldn't let their guarddown too quickly. More than 76 per cent of adults have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and about 29 per cent have both doses, they said.

Those rates are higher than the thresholds the government said Ontario would need to meetto move into Stage 3 of its reopening plan. But the province will start with Stage 2 on June 30, just two days earlier than planned.

"We'd rather be taking slow strides forward than trip going out the door," Williams said.

Ontarioofficialsreported six deaths and 296 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.

-From CBC News, last updated at 7:25p.m. ET

WATCH | Cross-Canada push for vaccines:

As of 8:25p.m.Thursday,Canada had reported 1,411,652 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 9,349 considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths stood at 26,192. More than 34million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far across the country, according toCBC's vaccine tracker.

Nova Scotiareported five new cases Thursday, as New Brunswickreported two new cases, while no new cases were reported inNewfoundland and Labrador. P.E.I. did not report any cases as of late Thursday.

Nova Scotia's top doctor on Thursday alsodefended his decision to keep the border with New Brunswick closed, one that prompted protesters to blockade the main border crossing for almost 24 hours. Dr. Robert Strang said New Brunswick is taking a risk by opening to travellers from the rest of Canada, one that he isn't willing to take in Nova Scotia.

InQuebec, where a coroner's inquest into COVID-19 deaths in long-term care is ongoing, health officials reported 96 new casesThursday and four more deaths, though they said none of the deaths happened in the previous 24 hours.

In the Prairie provinces,Manitobareported two deaths and 106 new cases Thursday.

Saskatchewanreported 52 new cases Thursday, as itopened second dose eligibility to anyone who got a first dose at least 28 days ago.

InAlberta, health officials reported 73 new cases and one additional death, as British Columbia reported 75 new COVID-19 cases and three additional deaths.

Across the North, there were no new cases reported inNunavutor theNorthwest Territories, asYukon reported 18 new cases on Thursday.

-From The Canadian Press and CBC News, last updated at 9:05 p.m. ET

As of late afternoon Thursday, more than 179.7 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to data published on the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracking tool. The reportedglobal death toll stood at more than 3.8 million.

InEurope, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the continent is"on thin ice" in its battle againstCOVID-19,as EUleaders agreed that vaccinations should be sped up to fight thehighly contagious delta variant.

Also Thursday, Britain added 17 countries and territories, including Malta, the Balearic Islands and Madeira, to its "green" list of safe travel destinations amid pressure from airlines and travel companies to relaxrestrictions. People traveling to those destinations will no longer have to self-isolate for 10 days upon return.

Coronavirus infections continue to soar in Russia, with authorities reporting 20,182 new cases Thursday and 568 further deaths. Both tallies are the highest since late January.

Danish health officials are urging soccer fans who attended the Euro 2020 game between Denmark and Belgium in Copenhagen on June 17 to be tested after they found at least three people who afterward tested positive with the delta variant.

In Africa,officials said Thursday that the continent was facing adevastating resurgence of COVID-19 infections whose peak will surpass that of earlier waves.

"The third wave is picking up speed, spreading faster, hitting harder," said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa.

The delta variant"may have played a very significant role" in the third wavein at least 20 countries across Africa, said the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong.

More and more health centres are saying they are overwhelmed, and African countries urgently need vaccines to help battle the disease, he said.

In theMiddle East,Israel's government has postponed the planned reopening of the country to vaccinated tourists over concerns about the spread of the infectious delta variant of the coronavirus. Israel was set to reopen its borders to vaccinated visitors on July 1, after having largely closed the country during the pandemic.But after a rise in infections, the government willbe pushing that date until Aug. 1.

In theAmericas,Mexico will donate over 400,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses on Thursday to the so-called Northern Triangle Central American nations of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, the Mexican foreign ministry said.

Officials offered new promises Thursday that Haiti would soon receive its first vaccine doses, as the country of more than 11 million people reels from a spike in coronavirus cases and COVID-19 deaths that have saturated hospitals.

In theAsia-Pacificregion,Australia's most-populous state, New South Wales, reported a double-digit rise in new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 for the third straight day as officials fight to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious delta variant.

Indonesia recorded its biggest daily increase in cases Thursday with 20,574 new infections.

-From Reuters and The Associated Press, last updated at 9:05p.m. ET

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Thursday - CBC.ca

The UK has reported 16,703 new COVID-19 cases and another 21 coronavirus-related deaths in the latest 24-hour period, according to government data.

The figures compare with 16,135 infections and 19 deaths announced yesterday, and 11,007 cases and 19 deaths this time last week.

Meanwhile, another 207,647 people received their first dose of a COVID vaccine yesterday, while 167,988 got a second.

This means a total of 43,656,327 first jabs have been administered in the UK, while 31,908,103 people have been fully vaccinated.

Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world

It comes as government minister George Eustice told Sky News there will be no "legal compulsion" to wear a face mask once England's coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

The deadline for the next easing of restrictions was moved back from 21 June to 19 July, following the rise in cases of the Delta variant, first detected in India.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this month-long delay would allow for more people to be offered the COVID vaccine.

He has indicated that there is a "real opportunity" to "open up travel through the jab".

An update to the government's travel guidance was announced also announced, with Malta and the Balearic Islands - including Ibiza, Mallorca, Minorca and Formentera - added to the quarantine-free green list.

Earlier on Thursday, Public Health England said that cases of COVID continue to rise in all parts of the country.

The North West has the highest rate, with 238.9 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to 20 June.

This is the highest rate in the region since the week ending 31 January.

The next highest figure was found in the North East, with 173.6 cases per 100,000 people.

Case rates continue to be highest in the younger parts of the population, while the elder generations - who were offered a vaccine earlier - remain at a lower level.

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In people aged 20 to 29, there were 267.9 cases per 100,000 in the week to 20 June, up from 200.4 the week before, while those in the 10 to 19 age bracket saw their rate increase from 146.1 to 217.4.

For people aged 60 and over, the rate is 17 people per 100,000, up from 14,8.

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COVID-19: UK reports 16,703 new coronavirus cases and another 21 deaths - Sky News

A woman reacts as she receives the Johnson & Johnson vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as part of a government plan to inoculate Mexican border residents on its shared frontier with the United States, in Tijuana, Mexico June 17, 2021.

Jorge Duenes | Reuters

Some countries, like the U.S. and U.K., have already signaled that they could roll out Covid-19 booster shots within a year. Now, pressure is building on governments to mobilize booster shot programs no easy task given the ongoing uncertainties surrounding the pandemic, vaccines and variants.

However, concrete plans for Covid-19 booster shots are lacking. Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, last month said it was, "just something we're gonna have to figure out as we go."

As talk of booster shots grow, here's what we know so far:

First of all, there are question marks over whether we actually need a third dose of any Covid-19 vaccine given that we don't know how long immunity currently lasts.

In the U.S. and U.K. the shots being used are those from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, with the U.K. also relying heavily on the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine.

There are also unknowns regarding whether people should get a booster shot that's the same as the vaccines they originally had. And also whether the shots need to be tweaked to deal with variants, much like the flu vaccine, or whether they can remain as they are.

Experts argue that there needs to be extensive planning in place for any booster program in order to help health services cope. This is particularly important given that they are under pressure not just from delivering the current vaccination programs, but also tending to the health needs of those patients whose procedures and treatments were delayed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the U.K., the chair of Royal College of General Practitioners, Martin Marshall,told the BBC's "Today" radio show that Britain's National Health Service needed to know what it would be expected to do come the fall.

"We do need to know, first of all, whether a booster vaccination program is needed ... who will need it, like more vulnerable and older people. We need to know where they will be given them [the booster shots] and by whom," he said Monday.

"Our GPs and nurses are extremely busy, so is it possible that a booster campaign can be given by non-clinical trained vaccination staff?," he asked, arguing in favor of giving a booster alongside the winter flu vaccination.

On the same radio show, Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (which advises the U.K. government on its vaccination policy) cautioned that who is targeted by any booster campaign should be carefully considered.

He said priority needs would be "data driven," although he recognized the need for the NHS to plan ahead.

There is a moral argument over whether booster vaccination programs are the right thing to do when many less developed countries are lagging in their vaccination programs.

The World Health Organization has urged richer countries to donate vaccines to poorer ones before they consider booster shots. Indeed, the jury is out at the WHO over whether a booster shot is even needed.

"We do not have the information that's necessary to make the recommendation on whether or not a booster will be needed," theWorld Health Organization's Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said in Zoom call on Friday, Bloomberg reported, adding that the "science is still evolving."

WHO officials also said last week that there were reports the delta variant caused more severe symptoms, but that additional research was needed to confirm those conclusions. Still,there are signsthat the delta strain could provoke different symptoms than other variants.

So far, the vaccines have proved resilient to new variants, remaining largely effective in preventing serious Covid-19 for fully-vaccinated people. An analysis fromPublic Health Englandreleased last Monday found two doses of thePfizer-BioNTechor theAstraZenecaCovid-19 vaccines were highly effective against hospitalization from the delta variant.

On Friday, the WHO's Swaminathan said that scientists still needed more data on the variant, including its impact on the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines.

"How many are getting infected and of those how many are getting hospitalized and seriously ill?" Swaminathan said Friday. "This is something we're watching very carefully."

- CNBC's Berkeley Lovelace Jr. contributed reporting to this story.

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that just over 55% of adults in the U.S. are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

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Covid boosters in the fall? As calls grow for third shots, here's what you need to know - CNBC

Coronavirus: CDC panel says 'likely association' between heart inflammation and mRNA vaccines - as it happened  Financial Times

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Coronavirus: CDC panel says 'likely association' between heart inflammation and mRNA vaccines - as it happened - Financial Times

A woman walks into a newly set up coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination center which will be opened to the public the day after, in Singapore January 26, 2021. REUTERS/Edgar Su

SINGAPORE, June 24 (Reuters) - Singapore said on Thursday it expects to almost double the number of doses of coronavirus vaccines it administers each day to 80,000 from this weekend and might later ease restrictions on gatherings and travel for those inoculated.

Around 3 million people, or just over 50% of Singapore's population, have received the first dose of a vaccine. About 2 million of those have received the second dose also.

The health ministry said it hopes that by Aug. 9, two thirds of people eligible for vaccines will have received two doses and authorities plan to ease restrictions further when more are vaccinated.

"We could allow gatherings, involving just vaccinated persons to have larger group sizes, and also relax the social distancing rules in such settings," Lawrence Wong, co-chair of Singapore's coronavirus taskforce told a media briefing.

"Potentially we are working on some new guidelines for people in Singapore to be able to travel abroad."

Depending on the virus situation in destination countries, the quarantine may be reduced upon return, or waived in place of COVID-19 tests on arrival.

Singapore is drawing up a plan on returning to normalcy on expectation the virus will become endemic like influenza and as vaccination rates pick up, said ministers leading the task force. read more

Authorities said they will allow more migrant workers and migrant domestic workers to enter Singapore.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said Singapore is working closely with Novavax Inc (NVAX.O) and awaiting its application for regulatory approval and they hope to receive its vaccine by the end of the year.

Singapore's government currently uses Pfizer-BioNTech (PFE.N), (22UAy.DE) and Moderna (MRNA.O) vaccines, with Sinovac (SVA.O) vaccines available privately.

Reporting by Chen Lin; Editing by Martin Petty

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Singapore accelerating COVID-19 vaccinations, aims to ease curbs - Reuters

Majorities across much of Western Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region have a favorable view of the European Union, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey of 17 advanced economies. But perceptions of the EUs response to the coronavirus outbreak are mixed, and while many in Europe say economic relief from the Brussels-based institution has been sufficient, substantial shares in most countries feel it has not gone far enough.

A median of 63% across the 17 publics surveyed rate the EU positively. Among the eight member states surveyed, opinions are most favorable in Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands, where at least 70% have a positive view of the EU.

These three countries also have the most positive evaluation in the region of the EUs response to the pandemic; roughly six-in-ten or more say the organization has done a good job handling the coronavirus outbreak. By comparison, a median of only 48% across all 17 publics approve of the EUs response.

This analysis focuses on public opinion of the European Union, including views of the EUs response to the coronavirus outbreak. For non-U.S. data, the report draws on nationally representative surveys of 16,254 adults from March 12 to May 26, 2021, in 16 publics. All surveys were conducted over the phone with adults in Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the UK, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.

In the United States, we surveyed 2,596 U.S. adults from Feb. 1 to 7, 2021. Everyone who took part in the U.S. survey is a member of the Centers American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATPs methodology.

To account for the fact that some publics refer to the coronavirus differently, in South Korea, the survey asked about the Corona19 outbreak. In Japan, the survey asked about the novel coronavirus outbreak. In Greece, the survey asked about the coronavirus pandemic. In Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Taiwan, the survey asked about the COVID-19 outbreak. All other surveys used the term the coronavirus outbreak.

Here are the questions used for the report, along with responses. See our methodology database for more information about the survey methods outside the U.S. For respondents in the U.S., see our U.S. survey methodology. Information on populist party categorization can be found here.

Although majorities in Germany, France and Belgium have a positive assessment of the EU overall, only about half or fewer think it has handled the outbreak well. Greeks are the least likely among those surveyed to view the EU favorably overall, though a majority of Greeks say the EU did well in its response to the pandemic.

The EUs economic response to the pandemic generally receives mixed reviews from the European countries polled. When thinking about the economic consequences of the coronavirus, a median of 48% say the EUs relief efforts have been about right, compared with 40% who say they have not gone far enough and just 6% who think they have gone too far. Here again, people in Sweden and the Netherlands have some of the most positive assessments of the EU, while those in Greece say the EUs economic efforts are insufficient.

Outside the EU, many express a positive opinion of the institution, while Canadians and Americans also rate the EUs response to the outbreak positively. Roughly six-in-ten Americans have a positive view of the EU and say it did a good job in response to the pandemic. But relatively few in the Asia-Pacific region approve of how the EU has handled the outbreak. Only 39% in Australia, 31% in South Korea and 21% in Taiwan think the EU did well in its response.

The sense that the EU has handled the pandemic well is related to positive assessment of the EU in every public surveyed. In France, for example, 83% of those who think the EU handled the outbreak well view the institution favorably, compared with only 38% who think the EU did a bad job dealing with the outbreak. Differences in EU favorability based on how people view its pandemic response tend to be larger in most EU countries surveyed, compared with publics in the Asia-Pacific region.

Similarly, people in the eight EU countries surveyed who rate the EUs economic response to the outbreak positively are much more likely to express a positive opinion of the organization than those who think economic relief efforts did not go far enough.

Despite more mixed ratings of the EUs coronavirus response, overall opinion of the EU has been at its highest in recent years in several countries. Favorable views of the EU in Italy and Sweden saw significant increases since last year, with two-thirds or more in each country now viewing the EU positively. Japan and South Korea also saw similar increases, with Japan going from an all-time low of 47% in 2020 to 61% this year.

On the other hand, there were also notable decreases in public approval of the EU. Belgium and Germany both saw significant decreases in approval of the EU, with Germany dropping from a high of 73% in 2020 to 63% this year. There was a similar drop in the UK, where ratings of the institution were at a historic high in 2020 after the country officially left the EU, though roughly half still have a positive opinion.

Within the publics surveyed, there are considerable divides in approval of the EU across age, education and political groups. Adults ages 18 to 29 are significantly more likely to approve of the EU than those 65 and older in 10 publics, including the UK, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. In France, for example, 80% of younger adults approve of the EU, while just 57% of older adults say the same a 23 percentage point difference.

Similar divides can be seen across education levels in 11 of the publics surveyed. Those who have a postsecondary degree are more likely to approve of the EU. In the UK, for example, 65% of those with higher levels of education are warm to the EU, compared with 46% of those with a secondary degree or less.

Ideology and party backing are often tied to assessment of the EU within the member countries surveyed. In general, supporters of right-wing populist parties are notably less supportive of the EU. This pattern can be seen in Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany. For example, while 68% of those who do not support Alternative for Germany (AfD) approve of the EU, only 41% of AfD supporters say the same. The opposite pattern can be seen among the center and left-wing populist parties in Europe, where supporters of these parties are more likely to have a positive assessment of the EU.

Ideology is related to views of the EU outside the bloc as well. People who place themselves on the left of the political spectrum are significantly more likely than those who place themselves on the right to evaluate the EU positively in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. In the U.S., Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents have more positive opinions of the EU (78%) than Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (46%).

Note: Here are the questions used for the report, along with responses, and its U.S. methodology.

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How 17 advanced economies view the EU and its COVID-19 response - Pew Research Center

(Washington, DC) The Districts reported data for Tuesday, June 22, 2021 includes 9 new positive coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, bringing the Districts overall positive case total to 49,284.

The District reported no additional COVID-19 related deaths.

Tragically, 1,141 District residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19.

Visit coronavirus.dc.gov/data for interactive data dashboards or to download COVID-19 data.

Below is a summary of the Districts current ReOpening Metrics.

Below is the Districts aggregated total of positive COVID-19 cases, sorted by age and gender.

Patient Gender

Total Positive Cases

%

Female

%

Male

%

Unknown

%

All

49,284*

100

25,687

100

23,433

100

164

100

Unknown

64

<1

20

<1

39

<1

5

3

0-18

6,392

13

3,174

12

3,195

14

23

14

19-30

13,266

27

7,286

28

5,927

25

53

32

31-40

9,759

20

5,020

20

4,702

20

37

23

41-50

6,302

13

3,178

12

3,111

13

13

8

51-60

5,823

12

2,871

11

2,938

13

14

9

61-70

4,203

9

2,116

8

2,081

9

6

4

71-80

2,108

4

1,141

5

962

4

5

3

81+

More:

Coronavirus Data for June 22, 2021 | mayormb - Executive Office of the Mayor