COVID-19 cases in the United States have more than doubled in two weeks as the delta variant spreads rapidly, and WHO warns “the pandemic is far from over”



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The number of new COVID-19 cases in the United States has more than doubled in the past two weeks, as the delta variant continues to run across the country, infecting both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, who account for over 99% of recent deaths.

The average number of cases on Wednesday was 26,513, according to a New York Times tracker, up 111% from two weeks ago. Hospitalizations rose 22% and deaths rose 5% over the same period, although they remain at levels well below the peak of the crisis in spring 2020. Overall, 47 states new cases are up 10% from a week ago, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Experts increasingly describe two Americas, divided between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, the latter group putting itself and others at risk for infection as the vaccination program comes to a halt.

See also: Delta variant increased COVID-19 cases around the world last week, including in the United States


“Despite national, regional and global efforts, the pandemic is far from over. The pandemic continues to evolve with four worrying variants that dominate the global epidemiology. The Committee recognized the high likelihood of the emergence and global spread of new, potentially more dangerous, variants that may be even more difficult to control. ”


– Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Infection Vaccine Tracking shows that 160 million Americans are fully immunized, or 48.2% of the total population. This means that they had two injections of the vaccines developed by Pfizer PFE,
+ 0.18%
and German partner BioNTech BNTX,
+ 3.92%
and Moderna mRNA,
+ 5.03%,
or a photo of Johnson & Johnson’s JNJ,
-0.77%
single dose regimen. AstraZeneca AZN,
-4.18%

AZN,
-3.73%
the vaccine has not received emergency use authorization in the United States

Among adults 18 years and older, 59.1% are fully immunized, while 67.8% have received at least one dose, still below President Joe Biden’s goal of ensuring that 70% of the adult population will receive at least one injection by July 4. vacation. The numbers are barely moving day by day, despite concerns voiced by health experts.

“We are wasting time here. The delta variant is spreading, people are dying, we can’t wait for things to get more rational, ”Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told CNN on Wednesday.

The World Health Organization emergency committee has warned that with delta and three other worrying variants still circulating, the “pandemic is far from over.”

Instead, there is “a high likelihood of the emergence and global spread of new worrying and possibly more dangerous variants that could be even more difficult to control,” the committee said in a statement.

Elsewhere, Indonesia set another daily case record of 54,517 and overtook India as the Asian epicenter of the pandemic, CNN reported. At least 991 deaths were recorded on Wednesday in a country of around 170 million people, bringing the total to 69,210.

Russia on Thursday recorded 25,293 new cases and a record 791 death toll, according to the Moscow Times, bringing the total death toll to 146,069, the highest official number in Europe.

In China, local governments are acting aggressively to push residents into getting vaccinated and some plan to deny them access to public places if they refuse, the Wall Street Journal reported. About a dozen counties and cities in the eastern provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi have set deadlines in late August for people 18 years of age or older to complete a two-shot vaccination schedule, according to online statements from the same. way.

Many of them also set dates at the end of July to ban unvaccinated people from entering schools, libraries, prisons, nursing homes and inpatient facilities in hospitals without valid medical exemptions, the newspaper reported. So far, China has fully immunized more than 40% of its population of 1.4 billion.

Organizers of the Olympics have created an archipelago of controlled areas across Japan for around 60,000 foreign visitors, including athletes and staff. Alastair Gale of the WSJ visits the Olympic Village to see the challenges of preventing a superspreader event. Photos: AFP via Getty, Bloomberg News / Zuma Press / AP

A cluster of COVID cases at a hotel hosting Olympic athletes is raising concerns just over a week before the opening ceremony, Reuters reported. To add to the gloom, Tokyo has just recorded its highest number of new COVID cases in six months.

Singapore reported its highest number of cases in 10 months, after discovering a cluster among hostesses and patrons of karaoke bars, Reuters reported. Singapore has yet to reopen KTV lounges and clubs, and authorities have said places where the virus has spread are functioning as food and drink outlets.

Meanwhile, the United Nations agency and the World Health Organization said about 23 million children had not received other basic vaccines during the pandemic and warned of the potential outbreaks of diseases such as polio, measles and meningitis.

“Multiple disease outbreaks would devastate communities and health systems already struggling with COVID-19, making it more urgent than ever to invest in childhood immunizations and ensure every child is reached WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

“This is a wake-up call – we cannot allow a legacy of COVID-19 to be the resurgence of measles, polio and other killers,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi , the Vaccine Alliance. “We must all work together to help countries defeat COVID-19, ensuring global and equitable access to vaccines, and get routine immunization programs back on track. ”

Don’t miss: Pfizer advocates for COVID-19 boosters. Health officials say we don’t need a third dose just yet. Who is right ?

See also: WHO chief slams countries for ordering millions of COVID boosters, when much of the world has failed to immunize even the most vulnerable

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The global coronavirus-borne disease tally topped 188.5 million on Thursday, while the death toll again exceeded 4.06 million, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University.

The United States leads the world with a total of 33.9 million cases and deaths with 608,135.

India moves closer to the United States with 30.9 million cases but is third in deaths with 411,989, while Brazil is second in deaths with 537,394 but third in cases with 19.2 million.

Mexico has the fourth highest death toll with 235,507, but has recorded just 2.6 million cases, according to its official figures.

In Europe, the UK has 128,797 deaths, the second highest in Europe after Russia.

China, where the virus was first discovered in late 2019, has recorded 104,157 confirmed cases and 4,848 deaths, according to its official figures, which are widely considered massively underreported.

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