Protesters in France denounce Covid health pass rules – latest updates

Saturday, August 14:

Protesters in France denounce Covid health pass rules for fifth weekend

Protesters have marched in cities across France for a fifth consecutive weekend in what could the biggest demonstration yet against rules compelling them to show a Covid-19 health pass for daily activities.

They rallied through the streets of Paris, Marseille, Nice, Montpellier and other towns waving placards reading "Pass=Apartheid" and chanting "Freedom, freedom".

Since last Monday, citizens have been required to show the pass in public places, proving that they have been vaccinated or have recently been tested negative for the coronavirus.

After a week of leniency from the police, the government has vowed to get tougher on health pass checks. And testing, unless prescribed by a doctor, will no longer be free from October.

The number of protesters has more than doubled between the first and the fourth Saturday of protest, from 114,000 on July 17 to 237,000 on Aug 7.

Authorities estimate the 200+ rallies ongoing in the country will total around 250,000 demonstrators.

The protests have united a disparate group against President Emmanuel Macron's legislation, which is meant to help contain a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections spreading across France and help safeguard the country's economic recovery.

The number of people treated for Covid-19 in intensive care units has more than doubled in less than a month, standing at 1,831 as of Friday, a figure more than three times lower than the third lockdown peak of 6,001, but high enough to trigger new restrictive measures in certain areas.

Turkey registers 19,949 new cases

Turkey has recorded 19,949 new infections and 145 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry.

The country administered over 83.14 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January.

The country continues its intensive vaccination campaign to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as everyone 16 and over is eligible for vaccine shots.

According to the Health Ministry, over 43.88 million people have gotten their first doses, while more than 33.7 million are now fully vaccinated.

Turkey is also administering third Covid-19 vaccine booster shots, and over 6.55 million such doses have been given.

Italy reports 34 deaths, 7,188 new cases

Italy has reported 34 coronavirus-related deaths against 45 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections declined to 7,188 from 7,409.

Italy has registered 128,413 deaths linked to Covid-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the eighth-highest in the world. The country has reported 4.435 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with Covid-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 3,101 on Saturday, up from 3,033 a day earlier.

There were 37 new admissions to intensive care units, up from 35 on Friday. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 372 from a previous 369.

Some 254,006 tests for Covid-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 225,486, the health ministry said. 

Britain records 29,520 new infections, 93 deaths

Britain has recorded 29,520 new Covid-19 infections and 93 deaths within 28 days of a positive test for the virus, according to government data.

That compares with 32,700 new cases and 100 deaths on Friday.

The data also showed that 47.3 million people have had a first dose of a vaccine and 40.4 million have had two.

Iran tightens curbs as cases, deaths surge

Iran has announced new curbs to combat the spread of Covid-19 as deaths and infections surge and as the country tries to speed up its vaccination campaign.

The Islamic republic is struggling to contain what officials have called a "fifth wave" of the virus caused by the highly infectious Delta variant.

Hit by the Middle East's deadliest outbreak, Iran has officially recorded more than 97,000 deaths and over 4.38 million infections, with numbers breaking daily records several times this month.

Health authorities acknowledge that the official figures underestimate the country's real toll.

Iran's national coronavirus taskforce announced on Saturday that government offices, banks and non-essential businesses must close their doors countrywide from Monday until the end of next Saturday.

A ban on car travel between provinces will be in force from noon on Sunday (0730 GMT) until August 27, taskforce spokesman Alireza Raisi told IRNA state news agency.

Libya lifts partial curfew

The Libyan government is set to lift a partial curfew aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus effective on Saturday.

In a statement, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, Adel Gomaa, said precautionary measures as wearing masks and maintaining social distance will remain in place.

On July 26, the Libyan government imposed a night-time curfew in several regions across the country in an attempt to stem the spread of Covid-19.

Latest official estimates put the number of total coronavirus infections in the oil-rich country at 279,999, including 3,869 deaths.

The number of Libyans who have taken vaccine doses stands at 801,568, according to the National Center for Disease Control, without specifying whether they received the first or second dose.

Guatemala declares state of emergency over Delta surge

Guatemala has declared a new state of emergency and will impose an overnight curfew from Sunday to contain a surge in Covid infections due to the Delta variant, President Alejandro Giammattei said.

The 30-day state of emergency is being implemented due to a rebound in cases attributed to the "more aggressive" Delta variant, Giammattei said in a televised address on Friday.

"The Delta variant is highly contagious. It is causing new outbreaks and many governments have had to impose new restrictions on their populations as a mitigation measure. Guatemala cannot be the exception, " he said.

Australia clamps down on 'most concerning day of the pandemic'

Australia's biggest city has announced tighter Covid restrictions including heavier fines and tighter policing as authorities battled to contain a Delta outbreak and said they were seeing the "most concerning day of the pandemic" so far.

After months of pursuing a "Covid zero" strategy, Australia has been struggling to bring a resurgence of virus cases under control, with more than 10 million people under lockdown in its two largest cities and the capital Canberra.

Residents of Sydney, going into an eighth week under stay-at-home orders, will now face heftier fines for flouting rules or lying to contact tracers, with current restrictions proving insufficient to stop the spread.

Virus has killed 300 journalists in Brazil

A total of 300 journalists have died from the virus in Brazil between January 2020, when the first virus case was confirmed in the country, and July 2021, according to a trade union organisation.

The head of the National Federation of Journalists (FENAJ) Maria Jose Braga said the ongoing national vaccination campaign has reduced the danger to journalists contracting the virus.

In Brazil, where the highest number of coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded after the US, nearly 566,900 people have died, while more than 20.28 million infections have been registered.

More US cities requiring proof of vaccination to go places

A rapidly growing number of places across the US are requiring people to show proof they have been inoculated against the virus to teach school, work at a hospital, see a concert or eat inside a restaurant.

Following New York City's lead, New Orleans and San Francisco will impose such rules at many businesses starting next week, while Los Angeles is looking into the idea.

The new measures are an attempt to stem the rising tide of the virus cases that has pushed hospitals to the breaking point, including in the Dallas area, where top officials warned they are running out of beds in their pediatric intensive care units.

Tokyo daily cases hit 5,094 

Tokyo's new daily virus cases has hit 5,094, a day after marking a record of 5,773, the Tokyo government said. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday urged people to refrain from travelling as virus cases spiked to record highs in Tokyo and nationwide, heaping pressure on the medical system.

Russia releases worst pandemic death numbers to date

Russia's daily deaths have hit a new record of 819, a day after Moscow's health department reported the highest number of monthly deaths in the city since the start of the pandemic.

Russia's daily virus deaths are on the rise after infections peaked in July. Authorities blame the infectious Delta variant and a slow vaccination rate.

Moscow said late on Friday that the mortality rate in the city in July was 70 percent higher than before the pandemic in 2019 and 60 percent higher than in the same month last year.

Philippines reports second-biggest daily rise in infections

The Philippine health ministry has recorded 14,249 new virus cases, the new second-largest daily increase in infections.

In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed infections in the Philippines have increased to 1.727 million, while deaths have reached 30,070, after reporting 233 additional casualties.

Active cases, at 98,847, was at a near four-month high, government data showed.

India reports 38,667 cases

India has  reported 38,667 new infections in the last 24 hours, a government statement said.

Daily deaths in the country rose by 478, health ministry data showed. Total cases rose to 32.12 million.

Germany's cases rise by 5,644 - RKI

The number of confirmed virus cases in Germany has increased by 5,644 to 3,816,285, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed. The reported death toll rose by 11 to 91,864, the tally showed.

Canada to mandate vaccine for government workers

The Canadian government has announced that it will require all federal workers to get vaccinated, amid a surge in virus cases due to the Delta variant.

"We know that vaccines are the best way to end this pandemic," said Dominic LeBlanc, a government minister in charge of Canada's federal bureaucracy.

"We expect federal public servants to want to comply with this mandatory requirement," he added.

A deadline for inoculations for some 300,000 public servants will be announced in the coming weeks.

The federal government is Canada’s largest employer and LeBlanc said the vaccine mandate is "aimed at helping Canada reach a minimum level of coverage needed to fully reopen the economy, and keep it open as well as to protect thousands of workers."

Australia's Victoria reports 21 new local cases

Australia's Victoria state has reported 21 locally acquired cases, up from 15 a day earlier, while Melbourne, the state capital, is in its second week of an extended lockdown.

Of the new cases, 10 have spent time outside while infectious, the state's health department said. All cases were linked to a current outbreak.

Victoria, Australia's second most populous state and home to nearly 7 million people, entered into its sixth lockdown since the pandemic began on August 5, weeks after a brief exit to the last one.

Mexico records 22,758 more cases, 603 deaths

Mexico has reported 22,758 more confirmed cases and 603 additional fatalities, according to health ministry data, bringing the total number of cases to 3,068,329 and the overall death toll to 247,414. 

Brazil registers 966 deaths

Brazil has registered 966 deaths and 33,933 additional cases, according to data released by the nation's Health Ministry.

The South American country has now registered a total of 567,862 coronavirus deaths and 20,319,000 total confirmed cases.

Canada enters supply deal with Moderna for vaccine beyond 2021

The Canadian government has said it had signed an agreement with Moderna Inc for additional supply of its vaccine for 2022 and 2023, with an option to extend into 2024.

Canada will receive 40 million doses, as per the deal, with an option for an additional 65 million doses. The agreement will allow access to new vaccine adaptations.

The partnership "will help to bridge Canada's capacity to maintain a reliable and rapidly available supply of vaccines into 2022 and 2023 ahead of Moderna's Canadian vaccine facility becoming operational," Procurement Minister Anita Anand said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Moderna signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Canadian government, under which the vaccine maker will set up an mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Canada and also give access to its mRNA development engine. 

US administers 354.8 mln doses of vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 354,777,950 doses of vaccines in the country as of Friday morning and distributed 414,376,925 doses, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Those figures are up from the 353,859,894 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by August 12 out of 411,253,925 doses delivered.

The agency said 197,081,471 people had received at least one dose while 167,699,170 people are fully vaccinated as of Friday.

The CDC tally includes two-dose vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech , as well as Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine as of 6:00 am ET on Friday. 

Zambia receives 119,200 AstraZeneca doses

Zambia has received an additional 119,200 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine under the COVAX facility, assuring those due for a second dose of the jab in coming weeks that it was readily available.

Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Technical Services Kennedy Malama said 300,572 AstraZeneca jabs have been administered, along with 105,156 of the second dose.

“We assure the public that key to our response is ensuring that there is continuity in the provision of essential health services in our country and we can only build on this,” Malama told reporters in the capital of Lusaka.

He reported 97 new infections from 2,529 tests – the first time the daily infection rate was below 100 in nearly three months.

But those numbers could be put to an immediate test because of the number of public gatherings as Zambia held a general election Thursday.

The number of confirmed cases recorded now stands at 201,867.

Hawaii bracing for more cases amid surge

Hawaii officials are bracing for more confirmed cases and hospitalisations as the delta variant takes hold in the islands.

"We continue trend in the wrong direction. Our hospitals are filling up," Governor David Ige said during a briefing on Friday.

Hawaii has reinstated restrictions on social gatherings amid a surge of new coronavirus cases.

Governor Ige imposed the new restrictions on Tuesday in a bid to help hospitals maintain care for a record number of patients and to curb widespread community transmission of the virus.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports the executive order took effect immediately and limits social gatherings to no more than 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors. Bars, restaurants, gyms, churches and other establishments must reduce their capacity to 50 percent.

Hawaii is now averaging more than 500 new cases a day, double what it was in August 2020 at the then height of the pandemic.