Category: Corona Virus

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The federal government is investing in the development of antivirals designed to treat COVID-19, and Japan is easing some coronavirus restrictions ahead of next months Summer Olympics.

Cleveland.com is rounding up some of the most notable coronavirus news making headlines online. Heres what you need to know for Monday, June 21.

U.S. investing $3.2 billion in antiviral pill designed to combat COVID-19

The U.S. government announced Thursday that it will invest $3.2 billion in the development of an antiviral pill designed to treat COVID-19 in the early stages of infection.

The Department of Health and Human Services said it will use the money to help speed up clinical trials for a few promising drug candidates, with the goal of having a drug approved later this year, according to The New York Times.

The effort, known as the Antiviral Program for Pandemics, will also focus on researching drugs for other viruses.

The effort is similar to the U.S. governments backing of Operation Warp Speed, which focused on the development of COVID-19 vaccines. That effort helped three vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson obtain emergency use authorization in record time.

Japan easing coronavirus restrictions ahead of Olympics

Japan said Thursday that it will ease some COVID-19 restrictions before the Summer Olympics begin July 23.

Japan will keep some restrictions in place, including limiting spectators at large events like the Olympics. Japanese media has reported that the countrys government is considering a maximum of 10,000 spectators at stadiums, according to Reuters.

While the country is easing some restrictions, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga urged the Japanese public to watch the games on TV to avoid spreading the virus.

The Olympics were schedule to begin last summer, but they were postponed due to the pandemic. However, many experts have expressed concern over holding the games because Japan has vaccinated just 5% of its population.

Study links higher mortality of Black patients to unequal hospital quality

A new study estimates the COVID-19 death rate for Black patients would be 10% lower if they had access to the same hospitals as white patients.

Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and OptumLabs based on the findings on data from 44,000 patients at 1,188 hospitals across the U.S. Roughly three-fourths of those patients were white.

The researchers found Black patients had a mortality rate of 13.5%, compared to 12.9% for white patients.

However, the researchers ran simulations to determine what would happen if the Black patients were admitted to the same hospitals as the white patients. That dropped the mortality rate for Black patients to 12.2%, the study found.

Eight infections delay one of first U.S. cruises since start of pandemic

A Royal Caribbean cruise scheduled to depart from Florida has been postponed nearly one month after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19.

The Odyssey of the Seas was set to be one of the first cruise ships to depart from the U.S. since the start of the pandemic. It will now leave July 31 instead of July 3, according to ABC News.

Royal Caribbeans CEO said all 1,400 crew members on the Odyssey of the Seas were vaccinated June 4. Eight were infected before another two weeks had passed; experts have said it takes up to two weeks for the body to build immunity to the virus.

Cruise ships were docked for nearly 15 months during the pandemic. Another Royal Caribbean cruise scheduled to depart June 26 will be the first to sail from the U.S. since the shutdown.

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U.S. investing $3.2 billion to help develop COVID-19 antiviral; Japan easing restrictions ahead of Olympics: - cleveland.com

7.06pm EDT 19:06

This blog is closed. Follow the latest updates on the pandemic from around the world:

4.48pm EDT 16:48

The number of black fungus cases in India has shot up to more than 30,000 in the past three weeks.

According to the New York Times, while the federal health ministry has not published figures on fatalities related to the disease, states have brought the death toll to 2,100.

Black fungus cases started emerging last month as India was hit by a third wave of Covid-19.

The fungal disease, called mucormycosis, has a 50% mortality rate.

It affects patients initially in the nose but the fungus can then spread into the brain, and can often only be treated by major surgery removing the eye or part of skull and jaw.

Mucormycosis will tail off and go back to baseline as the Covid cases subside, Dr Dileep Mavalankar, an epidemiologist, was quoted saying by the US news outlet.

But it may come back in the third wave unless we find out why it is happening.

The rise in black fungus infections, mostly in patients who had severe cases of Covid-19, has been linked to an overuse of steroids in the treatment of the coronavirus, which can acutely compromise the immune system if taken over a prolonged period.

The high incidence of diabetes in India has also been blamed, with high blood sugar levels linked to susceptibility. India has the second-highest rate of diabetes in the world.

It has also been reported in Covid patients who were on ventilators in intensive care units, due to their airways being exposed to humidity and moisture.

But it is also feared that overcrowding in hospitals where oxygen was scarce may have given the fungus a chance to spread.

Updated at 4.59pm EDT

3.16pm EDT 15:16

France has reported 1,815 new Covid-19 cases on the same day it announced measures to ease lockdown, Reuters reports.

The number remains unchanged from the previous day, while deaths have risen by 14.

The total number of deaths in the country has now reached 110,900, according to latest figures from the John Hopkins university.

It comes as mask-wearing outdoors is being lifted and an eight-month nightly coronavirus curfew comes to an end today.

Le Monde reports, however, that vigilance is still being called for, as health protocols for public places and events will remain in place until 30 June.

Updated at 3.32pm EDT

3.00pm EDT 15:00

Reports of menstrual disorders following a Covid-19 vaccination are being closely monitored by the UKs vaccines watchdog.

According to figures obtained by The Sunday Times, the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) received almost 4,000 reports of period issues linked to the vaccines up to 17 May.

A total of 2,734 reports related to the AstraZeneca vaccine, while 1,158 to the Pfizer jab and 66 to Moderna.

A range of different disorders were reported by women, including heavier or delayed periods and unexpected vaginal bleeding.

The MHRA said in the latest weekly report of Covid vaccine reactions that current evidence does not suggest an increased risk of either menstrual disorders or unexpected vaginal bleeding following the vaccines.

It went on to say that the number of reports remains low compared with the number of women who have had the vaccine and how common menstrual disorders are.

The MHRA will continue to closely monitor reports of menstrual disorders and vaginal bleeding with Covid-19 vaccines, the report reads.

Updated at 4.01pm EDT

1.03pm EDT 13:03

The organiser of Download Festival said it is 100% evidence of how large-scale music events can go ahead amid the pandemic.

Melvin Benn, who is behind the UKs largest rock show, said this weekends 10,000-strong event in Donington Park, Leicestershire, is a very clear demonstration you can do it, PA reports.

The festival takes place annually in June and usually hosts up to 80,000 rock and heavy metal fans.

But the three-day festival has been downscaled this year as it runs as part of a government live events pilot, meaning fans do not have to wear masks or socially distance.

Mr Benn said: Its extraordinary really. Its really fantastic. I am very heartwarmed by it all. The level of compliance around the testing and requirements we have is absolutely extraordinary.

Asked about the idea it remains impossible for such mass events to be Covid-secure, he said: It is evidence that this is not true. It is 100% evidence that it is not true. This is a very clear demonstration that you can do it.

Updated at 1.05pm EDT

12.34pm EDT 12:34

A total of 62,415,897 people in England have had one or two doses of a Covid-19 vaccination, according to NHS England data, a rise of 451,039 on the previous day.

Those receiving a first dose increased by 255,393 since Saturday to 35,959,555, according to PA.

While 26,456,342 people have now had both doses, a rise of 195,646.

Updated at 1.08pm EDT

12.04pm EDT 12:04

The UK has recorded 9,284 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, compared to 10,321 on Saturday, bringing the total number to 4,630,040.

A further six deaths were recorded, down from 14 on Saturday and bringing the total to 127,976.

Updated at 12.34pm EDT

11.48am EDT 11:48

Portuguese authorities have confirmed the Delta variant is behind the spike in new Covid-19 cases recently recorded in the Lisbon region.

Portugals National Health Institute said on Sunday that the highly infectious variant accounts for 60% of new cases in the city, the Associated Press reports.

The recent surge in infections prompted the Portuguese government to ban all weekend travel in and out of Lisbon.

The measures for the metropolitan area of the capital, which has about 2.8 million inhabitants, took effect on Friday.

Updated at 11.53am EDT

10.43am EDT 10:43

With Covid vaccination penetration in the US likely to fall short of Joe Bidens 70% by Fourth of July target, pandemic analysts are warning that vaccine incentives are losing traction and that two Americas may emerge as the aggressive Delta variant becomes the dominant US strain.

Efforts to boost vaccination rates have come through a variety of incentives, from free hamburgers to free beer, college scholarships and even million-dollar lottery prizes. But many of the efforts to entice people to get their shots have lost their initial impact, or failed to land effectively at all.

Its just not working, Irwin Redlener at the Pandemic Resource and Response Initiative at Columbia University, told Politico. People arent buying it. The incentives dont seem to be working whether its a doughnut, a car or a million dollars.

In Ohio, a programme offering five adults the chance to win $1m boosted vaccination rates by 40% for more a week. A month later, the rate had dropped to below what it had been before the incentive was introduced, Politico found.

Oregon followed Ohios cash-prize lead but reported a less dramatic uptick. Preliminary data from a similar lottery in North Carolina, launched last week, suggests the incentive is also not boosting vaccination rates there.

Updated at 10.59am EDT

10.33am EDT 10:33

Jonathan Watts

Inspired by a group set up in Britain during the pandemic, several of the worlds leading scientists plan to launch an independent expert group this week to advise, warn and criticise global policymakers about the climate and nature crises.

The body has been inspired by Independent Sage the cluster of British scientists who have held UK ministers and civil servants to account for their lack of transparency and mishandling of the Covid pandemic.

The Climate Crisis Advisory Group, comprising 14 experts from 10 nations and every continent, aims to have more of an international reach and provide the global public with regular analysis about efforts to tackle the global heating and biodiversity crises.

Headed by the former UK chief scientific adviser Sir David King, the group will issue monthly updates about the state of the global environment at meetings that will be open to the media and the public. These online gatherings will be chaired by the BBC presenter Ade Adepitan.

Updated at 11.00am EDT

10.13am EDT 10:13

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has accused the devolved government of Scotland of hypocrisy over its travel ban to the north-west of England.

Scotlands first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced on Friday all non-essential travel to Manchester and Salford would be banned from Monday, but Burnham, a Labour politician, said he or his administration were not contacted before the announcement.

Sturgeon, who leads the Scottish National party (SNP), pinpointed the areas as Covid-19 hotspots, despite figures in the cities matching case rates in parts of Scotland.

Anyone travelling elsewhere in the Greater Manchester or Lancashire area, Id ask to think carefully about whether your journey is really necessary, because we do see cases rising across that region, she said on Friday in a coronavirus briefing.

Speaking on the BBCs Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Burnham said: I was really disappointed on Friday that the first minister of Scotland just announced out of the blue, as far as we were concerned, a travel ban saying that people couldnt travel from Scotland to Manchester and Salford and people couldnt go the other way.

That is exactly what the SNP always accuse the Westminster government of doing, riding roughshod over people.

The SNP are treating the north of England with the same contempt in bringing that in without any consultation with us.

Updated at 11.07am EDT

9.50am EDT 09:50

Over half the new Covid-19 cases being reported in the Lisbon region are of the more infectious Delta coronavirus variant, preliminary data showed on Sunday as Portuguese authorities scramble to curb a worrying spike in infections.

Ricardo Jorge, the national health institute, said the Delta variant represented more than 60% of cases in the Lisbon area though still less than 15% in the northern half of Portugal.

The Alpha variant, which was previously dominant in Britain, is more prevalent across Portugals north, representing 80% of infections there and only 30% in and around Lisbon, according to the institute.

Portugal posted over 1,000 new Covid-19 cases for the fourth straight day on Saturday and the number of people testing newly positive every 24 hours is back to late February levels, when the country was still under lockdown.

However, about 2.5 million of Portugals 10 million population has now been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. While there has been a slight increase in hospitalisations in recent days, there has been no noticeable rise in deaths given that most older, more vulnerable people have been vaccinated.

The recent jump in infections comes around a month after Portugal opened to visitors from the rest of the EU as well as Britain.

Updated at 10.05am EDT

9.38am EDT 09:38

Tobi Thomas

The number of children and young adults in the UK entering treatment for gaming addictions and disorders tripled over the last year, with experts believing that the pandemic and lockdowns play a key role in the increase.

The clinic, part of the National Centre for Behavioural Addictions, opened in 2019 as a specialist clinic to treat children and young adults who are addicted to playing video games. The clinic opened a year after the World Health Organization recognised gaming disorder as a medical condition.

The figures, obtained by the Guardian via freedom of information requests, show that 17 people entered treatment between January and May 2020, but over the same period in 2021 the number rose to 56.

The Nightingale hospital, a private hospital that specialises in treating mental health disorders, also saw a rise in referrals and individuals seeking treatment for gaming and technology addictions.

The hospital said that between March to June and July to September 2020, the number of inquiries received regarding technology addiction doubled, with the majority of them regarding parents seeking support for their children. In 2021, the hospital has seen a fourfold increase in inquiries.

Updated at 9.43am EDT

9.17am EDT 09:17

Mandatory mask-wearing outdoors is being lifted and and an eight-month nightly coronavirus curfew is ending in France today.

Le Monde reports, however, that vigilance is still being called for, as health protocols for public places and event will remain in place until 30 June.

The lifting comes as France is voting in the first round of regional elections that could see Marine Le Pens far-right party make gains and step further into the political mainstream.

The Financial Times cites forecasting by polling group Ipsos that turnout would reach only about 41%.

A low turnout with polling showing voters are more concerned about crime, immigration and unemployment than Covid-19 is tipped to assist Le Pen.

Updated at 10.08am EDT

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UK records 9,284 new cases as it happened - The Guardian

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But virus variants, particularly the Delta variant, have been a top concern for many experts when it comes to those who remain unvaccinated against the coronavirus.

The Midwest and South lag in vaccination rates compared to coastal states, with Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Wyoming among the slowest to vaccinate.

In Missouri, where 43.4% of the total population is at least partially vaccinated, the Delta variant is on the rise.

"We have seen a five-fold increase in hospitalized patients in less than four weeks. Our doctors are describing them as younger, sicker. They're often coming to us later in the disease process so we have less therapy options for them," Steve Edwards, the CEO of the CoxHealth, a system of hospitals and clinics based in Missouri, told CNN on Friday.

About four weeks ago, Edwards' health system was seeing nearly one death per week, he said. Currently, however, he said one or two people are dying daily.

"We can't tell why one patient is doing poorly and one is doing well. There's just something different about how this variant is affecting the immune system of our patients," Edwards said.

He added that doctors are also struggling with determining patients' health trajectories compared to January.

Edwards explained that while the low vaccination rate in Southwest Missouri, where his hospitals operate, is a contributing factor to the rise in cases, the Delta variant is also playing a big role in the surge.

"I think the Delta variant is what's fueling this," he said. "Much of the South, Midwest, much of the places that have low vaccination rates -- if confronted with the Delta variant, will see a similar kind of surge of patients as we're beginning to see right now."

The good news is that the virus is almost "rare" in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner said.

"But in other parts of the country, like Missouri, it's not that way at all," Reiner said. "We have to really pick up the pace in the South, or we're going to see a lot of people die who just simply don't need to die."

There are other variants, too

The dangers of the Delta variant cannot be overstated.

But other variants have emerged in parts of the US.

Gamma, which the CDC has also classified as a variant of concern, has been detected in every state where the CDC has variant information. The most recent tracking data shows that Gamma's prevalence is greater than 15% in multiple regions, including the West and Northeast.

"We've seen it across the state of course, but we're seeing it in some outbreaks in Eastern Washington, we're seeing it in counties with low vaccination rates, and I'm very concerned the role that this P.1 is going to take. It has increased its percentage in this state."

So far, none of the most common variants show much ability to evade the effects of full vaccination. But several have shown the ability, both in laboratories and in real life, to re-infect people who recovered from natural coronavirus infection and to infect people who have been only partially vaccinated.

Fully vaccinated people had a strong and broad immune response that should take care of the variants, vaccine experts have agreed.

The Gamma variant has become common in Rhode Island, where it comprises 20% of all variants, according to Dr. Philip Chan, consultant medical director with the state's Department of Health.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Health and Human Services halted the distribution of two monoclonal antibody treatments from Eli Lilly in nine states, citing reduced effectiveness against both the Gamma and Delta variants. Those states are Rhode Island, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington.

According to the CDC, the Gamma variant exhibits "significantly reduced susceptibility" to the Lilly treatment and reduced neutralization from post-infection and post-vaccine immunity.

That antibody resistance presents a key issue in this variant, Dr. Peter Hotez told CNN.

"If you're not vaccinated or if you've only got a single dose of vaccine, you have vulnerability," said Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Covid-19's potential effects on the brain

The researchers, who are from the University of Oxford and the Imperial College, compared brain scans of 782 people who have been volunteering as part of a larger study and who had MRIs three years apart -- before and after the pandemic.

Those who had Covid-19 had evidence of a loss of brain cells compared to similar people who had not been infected, the study found.

It's not yet clear what the findings mean because the researchers didn't provide details about the subjects. The study has not peer-reviewed, and it's a pre-print posted online.

The researchers noted that it was hard to tease out whether the impact on smell and taste were a symptom of the virus' infection or because of the potential pathway of infection.

CNN's Virginia Langmaid and Nadia Kounang contributed to this report.

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The US marks a vaccine milestone, but one expert warns that the coronavirus Delta variant has a worrying impact on patients - CNN

Barbara and Christine Colucci long to remove their masks and kiss their 102-year-old mother, who has dementia and is in a nursing home in Rochester, New York. They would love to have more than two people in her room at a time so that relatives can be there too.

We dont know how much longer shes going to be alive, Christine Colucci said, so its like, please, give us this last chance with her in her final months on this earth to have that interaction.

Pandemic restrictions are falling away almost everywhere except inside many of Americas nursing homes. Rules designed to protect the nations most vulnerable from COVID-19 are still being enforced even though 75% of nursing home residents are now vaccinated and infections and deaths have plummeted.

Frustration has set in as families around the country visit their moms and, this Fathers Day weekend, their dads. Hugs and kisses are still discouraged or banned in some nursing homes. Residents are dining in relative isolation and playing bingo and doing crafts at a distance. Visits are limited and must be kept short, and are cut off entirely if someone tests positive for the coronavirus.

Family members and advocates question the need for such restrictions at this stage of the pandemic, when the risk is comparatively low. They say the measures are now just prolonging older peoples isolation and accelerating their mental and physical decline.

They have protected them to death, said Denise Gracely, whose 80-year-old mother, Marian Rauenzahn, lives in a nursing home in Topton, Pennsylvania.

Rauenzahn had COVID-19 and then lost part of a leg to gangrene, but Graceley said what she struggled with the most was enforced solitude, going from six-day-a-week visits to none at all.

Rauenzahns daughters eventually won the right to see her once a week, and the nursing home now says it plans to relax the rules on visits for all residents in late June. But it has not been not enough, as far as Graceley is concerned.

I believe its progressed her dementia, Graceley said. Shes very lonely. She wants out of there so bad.

Pennsylvanias long-term care ombudsman has received hundreds of complaints about visiting rules this year. Kim Shetler, a data specialist in the ombudmans office, said some nursing homes COVID-19 restrictions go beyond what state and federal guidelines require. Administrators have been doing what they feel is necessary to keep people safe, she said, but families are understandably upset.

Weve done our darndest to advocate for folks to get those visitation rights, she said. Its their home. They should have that right to come and go and have the visitors that they choose.

A recent survey by National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, an advocacy group, found time limits on visits remain commonplace, ranging from 15 minutes to two hours. Some facilities limit visiting hours to weekdays, making it difficult for people who work during the day, or restrict visits to once or twice a week.

Rauenzahns Pennsylvania nursing home has been limiting most residents to a single, 30-minute visit every two weeks.

Advocates also take issue with federal guidance on how nursing homes deal with new COVID-19 cases. The guidance says most visits should be suspended for at least 14 days. Some family members, administrators and advocates complain that the recommendation has led to frequent lockdowns because of one or two cases.

Weve never had a real long, lengthy period of time where were able to have visitors, said Jason Santiago, chief operating officer at The Manor at Seneca Hill in Oswego, New York. He said continued isolation is inflicting a heavy toll. Weve got to do things that make more sense for these residents, make more sense for these families.

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Protected them to death: Elder-care coronavirus rules under fire - Boston Herald

Some of New York states mass vaccination sites will begin downscaling and will shift their resources to localized vaccination efforts, according to a news release from Gov. Andrew Cuomos office.

The decision to downscale the mass vaccination sites was made given overall statewide progress on vaccinations, the governors office said.

On Tuesday, Cuomo announced that 70% of New Yorkers had received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose and that most state-mandated restrictions would be lifted immediately.

The state now plans to shift resources to communities where the vaccination rate is below the state average.

On Thursday, Cuomo announced that 12 new pop-up vaccination sites would be opening in such areas, including in the Bronx and Brooklyn.

The state sites designated for downscaling are chosen based on demand, proximity to other vaccination sites, and other local vaccination efforts, Cuomos office said.

The downscaling will begin on Monday, with the closing of mass vaccination sites in Corning, Oneonta, Potsdam and York College, the release stated.

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The latest on the Covid-19 pandemic in the US: Live updates - CNN

The global tally for the coronavirus-borne illness headed above 177.4 million on Friday, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University, while deaths climbed above 3.8 million. The U.S. continues to lead the world in total cases at 33.5 million, while deaths total 600,934. The number of fully vaccinated Americans rose to 147.8 million, or 44.5% of the total population, up from 44% on Thursday, according to the latest data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the number of U.S. adults receiving at least one dose increasing to 65%. The U.S. is devoting $3.2 billion to speed development of antiviral pills to treat COVID-19 and other dangerous viruses that could turn into pandemics, the Associated Press reported.The new program will invest in "accelerating things that are already in progress" for COVID-19 but also would work to come up with treatments for other viruses, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert. He announced the investment Thursday at a White House briefing.On a global basis, India is second in total cases at 29.8 million and third by fatalities at 383,490, although those numbers are expected to be undercounted given a shortage of tests. Brazil has the third-highest caseload at 17.7 million, according to JHU data, and is second in deaths at 496,004. Mexico has fourth-highest death toll at 230,792 and 2.5 million cases. The U.K. has 128,209 fatalities and 4.6 million cases, the highest number of deaths in Europe and fifth-highest in the world.

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Coronavirus tally: Global cases of COVID-19 total above 177.4 million and U.S. to spend $3.2 billion on anti-virals - MarketWatch

6.55pm EDT 18:55

US NFL player Cole Beasley leaned into the sharp backlash from statements he has made critical of the coronavirus vaccine on Friday, disclosing that he is not vaccinated and pledging to live my one life like I want to regardless.

I will be outside doing what I do, he wrote in a statement posted to social media.

Ill be out in the public. If your (sic) scared of me then steer clear, or get vaccinated. Point. Blank. Period. I may die of covid, but Id rather die actually living.

6.26pm EDT 18:26

Almost two-thirds of workers in England seeking grants to help them self-isolate are being refused help, sparking warnings from trade unions that a key policy to limit Covid-19 is failing in the face of rising infections.

Councils are continuing to refuse more than six out of 10 applications despite the government increasing funding for the vital anti-Covid system in March to 20m a month, freedom of information requests by the Trades Union Congress found.

6.07pm EDT 18:07

Workers in the UK must be given a right to do their jobs from home, Labour has demanded as it piled pressure on the UKs government not to let its consultation on flexible working be kicked into the long grass.

In the first major announcement made by Angela Rayner since gaining the portfolio of shadow cabinet minister for the future of work, she said employers should not be able to dictate terms to staff when the guidance urging people to work from home is expected to be lifted next month.

A right to disconnect, meaning workers would have a reasonable expectation of not having to work or check calls and emails outside their normal hours, is also being supported by Labour, to ensure homes do not become round-the-clock offices.

The announcement comes as attention turns to how to hold on to some of the positive benefits experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic, which for some have included home working saving time and money on commuting and being able to spend longer with their families.

5.12pm EDT 17:12

Brazil had 98,832 new cases of coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours and 2,495 deaths, the health ministry said on Friday, Reuters reports.

The South American country has now registered 17,801,462 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 498,499, according to ministry data.

4.54pm EDT 16:54

Canada extending a ban on non-essential travel with the US and the rest of the world until July 21 has triggered frustration from businesses and US legislators. The inability of the U.S. and Canadian governments to reach an agreement on alleviating border restrictions ... is simply unacceptable, said U.S. Representatives Brian Higgins and Bill Huizenga, co-chairs of the Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group.

Harley Finkelstein, president of Canadian e-commerce company Shopify Inc, tweeted the extended border closure was the wrong decision.

We need to open the border for fully vaccinated travellers immediately, Reuters reports.

4.35pm EDT 16:35

US president Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris have urged Americans to get Covid-19 vaccines on Friday, as the country looks likely to miss the White Houses goals for vaccination next month. At the current pace, the US seems unlikely to hit Bidens goal of 70 percent of adults receiving at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by July 4, the Independence Day holiday. As of Friday, around 65.1 percent of people had gotten at least one jab and that mark has increased by less than one percentage point over the past two weeks, Reuters reports.

3.46pm EDT 15:46

Ugandas president Yowreri Museveni has introduced sweeping new anti-coronavirus measures including a ban on all vehicular movement except for essential workers to help curb a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Reuters reports. The country has seen a more aggressive and sustained growth of the Covid-19 pandemic, Museveni said. He said the daily number of people testing positive has jumped to over 1,700 from less than 100 just three weeks ago. We are experiencing very high hospitalization rates and deaths for COVID-19 patients among all age categories. In new measures to curb the pandemic, he banned movement of both public and private vehicles except those transporting patients and those used by essential workers like health workers. An existing curfew that began at 9 p.m. was brought forward to 7 p.m. while venues like busy shopping centers, churches and sports arenas were closed. The new restrictions will last 42 days, Museveni said. To date, Uganda has registered a total of 68,778 Covid-19 cases and 542 deaths.

Updated at 5.35pm EDT

3.33pm EDT 15:33

Bolivia striker Marcelo Martins has been banned for one game and fined $20,000 by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) after criticising the organisation for hosting the Copa America in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic.

Martins was one of three Bolivia players who tested positive for COVID-19 on the eve of their 3-1 opening loss to Paraguay, Reuters reports.

He missed the game and posted some sharp words on social media about CONMEBOL*s last-minute decision to host the tournament in Brazil, a nation that has seen almost 500,000 people die from the virus.

Thanks for this CONMEBOL, Martins wrote on Instagram. All the blame is totally yours. If someone died what are you going to do??? The only thing that*s important to you is MONEY. Is a player*s life worth nothing?

He took down the comments and apologised but CONMEBOL banned the 34-year old from Bolivias next game against Chile on Friday.

Since Martins made the comments two more Bolivia players have tested positive for Covid-19.

Brazils health ministry said 27 players and officials have tested positive for coronavirus so far.

Updated at 3.46pm EDT

3.13pm EDT 15:13

German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron have urged caution in allowing fans to crowd Euro 2020 stadiums while the coronavirus pandemic still posts major risks, AFP reports.

We cant act as if corona were over despite dropping infection rates in much of Europe, Merkel told reporters when asked about plans for the upcoming matches.

You can see based on the example of Lisbon how quickly things can change, referring to a recent resurgence of Covid-19 cases in the Portuguese capital.

She noted that fully vaccinated people were still in the minority in most European countries which is why caution is still necessary.

Merkel said that applied in particular to big events.

In Munich for example you had 14,000 fans (for the Germany-France match on Tuesday) under strict hygiene rules, she said.

But when I see fully packed stadiums in other European countries, I am a little sceptical whether that is the right thing in the current situation.

Updated at 3.18pm EDT

2.59pm EDT 14:59

Prime minister Mario Draghi has urged Italians to get fully vaccinated against coronavirus, acknowledging that a government decision to ban AstraZeneca doses for people aged over 60 had created confusion.

The government unexpectedly restricted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine last week following the death of a teenager who had developed blood clots after receiving a first dose, Reuters reports.

Italys medicine agency AIFA said on Monday that those aged under 60 who had received a first dose of AstraZeneca could be given a different vaccine when they got their second dose.

However, officials have said the vaccination campaign saw a drop off in numbers over the past week, with many people apparently worried about mixing shots.

Draghi said he himself would be getting a different type of vaccine next week after tests showed that he had developed few antibodies after receiving an initial AstraZeneca shot in March.

2.44pm EDT 14:44

Face masks will mostly no longer be required across the Netherlands and other restrictions will ease from next week, after a drop in Covid-19 cases, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. Most limits on group sizes will also be lifted from June 26, as long as people can keep at least 1.5 metres (5 ft) apart, he told a news conference. Reuters reports. No new limits will be set on the number of guests allowed in stores, bars and restaurants, Rutte said, as long as they keep their distance, or show that they have been vaccinated or have a negative test. People will still need to wear masks on public transport and in airports, where distancing is not possible.

2.29pm EDT 14:29

The Palestinian Authority (PA) cancelled a deal on Friday to receive soon-to-expire Covid-19 vaccines from Israel after an initial Israeli shipment showed an expiration date sooner than had been agreed, the PA health minister said.

Israel and the PA announced a vaccine swap deal earlier on Friday that would have seen Israel send up to 1.4 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses to the PA, in exchange for receiving a reciprocal number of doses from the PA later this year, Reuters reports.

The doses were due to expire soon, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennetts office said in a statement announcing the deal. The PA said they had been approved in order to speed up the vaccination process in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

They told us the expiration date was in July or August, which would allow lots of time for use, PA Health Minister Mai Alkaila said.

But (the expiration) turned out to be in June. Thats not enough time to use them, so we rejected them, she said.

The PA cancelled the deal over the date issue, a PA spokesman said, and sent the initial shipment of around 90,000 doses back to Israel.

Read more:

Uganda introduces sweeping new coronavirus rules, Netherlands to ease restrictions from next week as it happened - The Guardian

The UK has reported 10,321 new coronavirus cases and 14 more deaths, according to official daily figures.

Cases have now been above 10,000 for three consecutive days.

Today's figures compare with 10,476 infections and 11 deaths yesterday, and 7,738 cases and 12 deaths last Saturday.

Another 218,636 people also had a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine and 188,858 had a second dose.

It means 42,679,268 (81% of adults) have had a first jab, while 31,087,325 (59%) are fully vaccinated.

Total UK deaths since the start of the pandemic - within 28 days of a positive test - stand at 127,970.

Latest average daily deaths are 10.6 and have remained flat over the past few months - much lower than the winter peak in mid-January when the figure was more than 1,200.

Meanwhile, there are 1,316 people in hospital with COVID-19, according to latest figures from 17 June.

Hospitalisations have increased as the more transmissible Delta variant has established dominance in the UK.

At the start of June the figure was 928, but health officials say patients are now much younger than previous waves and that most are unvaccinated.

It comes as ministers are considering allowing fully vaccinated people to avoid self-isolation and instead take daily tests.

Experts say the government may allow them to avoid the 10 days' isolation even if they've had contact with an infected person.

With all over-18s now able to book a vaccine, large "pop-up" clinics have opened in London at Chelsea Football Club, West Ham United's ground - the former Olympic Stadium - as well as at Tottenham and Charlton's stadiums.

Chelsea said it had 6,000 Pfizer vaccines to administer on Saturday.

Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccines minister, tweeted: "This is an incredible effort by the whole London team.

"Happening across the City at Spurs, Arsenal, Charlton and West Ham too. Come on London let's get vaccinated!"

See the rest here:

COVID-19: UK reports another 10,321 coronavirus cases and 14 deaths - Sky News

In the United States, there is a growing feeling that we are reaching the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 50 percent of all Americans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

States such as New York, where vaccination rates have reached 70 percent, have now lifted virtually all their pandemic restrictions. Likewise, in California.

But worldwide, the picture is quite different.

There have already been more COVID-19 deaths in 2021 than in all of 2020. And many countries, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, have less than 5 percent of their populations fully vaccinated.

That could spell trouble for containing COVID-19 and putting the pandemic in the rearview mirror.

The reality is as long as it is raging elsewhere, COVID-19 is still a threat to people in the U.S., said Elizabeth Beatriz, PhD, an epidemiologist at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Community Health and Prevention as well as public health and COVID-19 adviser at Parenting Pod.

The most obvious reason is that not all people in the U.S. have been vaccinated, and some of the unvaccinated people are not able to be vaccinated because of preexisting medical conditions, Beatriz told Healthline. As people travel in and out of these areas, the virus can spread rapidly, particularly among unvaccinated people and/or people who are not taking protective measures.

In other words, even in places with high vaccination rates, COVID-19 could still pose a threat, and in areas of low vaccination within the United States, that risk is even more so.

The other issue, experts say, is the potential for dangerous and contagious COVID-19 variants to emerge while the novel coronavirus is spreading unchecked in much of the world.

As long as COVID-19 is circulating in any country, it has the opportunity to mutate into a variant that is more transmissible, causes more severe disease, fails to respond to treatment, evades immune response, or fails to be diagnosed by standard tests, Aimee Ferraro, PhD, MPH, a faculty member for Walden Universitys PhD in Public Health and Master of Public Health program in Minnesota, told Healthline. Brazil, India, South Africa, and the United Kingdom have experienced higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and mortality due to more virulent and deadly variants of COVID-19.

And while India or Brazil might seem far away, without strict lockdowns, theyre closer than you think.

With global travel and commerce what it is today, the virus truly has few, if any, geographical boundaries, said Dr. Jonathan Leizman, the chief medical officer at Premise Health. Ultimately, COVID-19 is a global pandemic, and we need to overcome it globally in order to truly move forward.

Mass global vaccination provides a potential way out of this scenario, but it will require a concerted effort to produce and distribute vaccines to places where theyre needed most.

Fewer than 20 countries have more than 30 percent of their populations fully vaccinated, with the vast majority of countries having a small percentage of their populations vaccinated, Beatriz noted.

Ferraro notes that countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Canada, Australia, and China produced and used most of the early batches of vaccines.

In addition, many low- and middle-income countries were blocked out of buying the most effective vaccines, such as Pfizer and Moderna, and ended up making deals for unapproved vaccines with lower than 50 percent efficacy, she said. That means less than half of the vaccinated population in these countries are protected against COVID-19. Once low- and middle-income countries receive enough vaccines, the biggest hurdle is poor public health infrastructure that significantly slows distribution, especially to the most rural parts of each country.

Beatriz agreed.

Vaccine access has been very inequitable worldwide and we are currently feeling and will continue to feel the repercussions of that lack of vaccine access in many parts of the world, she said.

Some countries are taking steps to combat this. The Biden administration recently announced that it would buy and donate a half-billion doses of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine as part of a global effort to contain the pandemic.

Morally speaking, we should all care about the continued loss of human life due to COVID-19, Ferraro said. Its a miracle that an effective vaccine was developed so quickly. Its a tragedy that vaccines are sitting unused because of vaccine hesitancy and refusal in high-income countries while people are dying as they desperately wait for vaccines to arrive in middle- and low-income countries.

More:

COVID-19 Is Still Raging in Much of the World: Why that Matters to the U.S. - Healthline