Spain to keep register of people who refuse coronavirus vaccine

The coronavirus pandemic continues to rage around the world, with more than 81 million cases recorded worldwide, and 1.7 million dead, according to Johns Hopkins University.

So far about 2.1 million doses of vaccine have been administered in the United States and over 11.4 million doses were distributed as early as Monday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Another 4.7 million will be distributed by the end of the week, said Assistant Secretary of Health for the US Department of Health and Human Services, Admiral Brett Giroir.

But the number of hospitalized patients with Covid-19 is the highest on record in the United States, which reported 121,235 people hospitalized Monday, the biggest figure since the start of the pandemic, according to the Covid monitoring project.

Coronavirus patients in intensive care fell from 16% in September to 40% last week, and health experts predict that vacation travel could mean a “flare on top of a flare.”

Here are the latest news from around the world:

Wuhan Covid-19 reality check: Nearly half a million people in the Chinese city where the new coronavirus first appeared may have been infected with Covid-19 – nearly 10 times the official number of confirmed cases, according to a Chinese Center study disease control and prevention.

Kamala Harris will receive the vaccine: Vice President-elect Harris is expected to receive the first dose of a Covid-19 gunshot on Tuesday, live on camera in Washington DC, according to Biden’s transition team.

Historical death toll in the Netherlands: The increase in the death toll in the Netherlands in 2020 was the worst seen in the country since World War II, according to the government’s statistical agency. “In 2020, up to and including week 51, around 162,000 people died, 13,000 more than expected,” Statistics Netherlands said in a statement.

UK cases on the rise again The UK’s National Health Service is “back in the eye of the storm,” NHS England chief Simon Stevens said on Monday. His comments come a day after official figures revealed that at least 20,426 hospital beds were now occupied by confirmed coronavirus patients – more than during the country’s first pandemic peak in April.

The British Army supports mass tests in schools: Some 1,500 members of the armed forces are expected to help high schools in England, as part of plans to implement a mass coronavirus screening program in schools ahead of the new term.

US Forces Korea begins distribution of vaccines: U.S. Forces Korea on Tuesday began immunizing military and civilian health workers, first responders and the USFK command team at three of its medical facilities.

The Philippines and Indonesia impose travel bans: The Philippines has banned inbound foreign travelers from 18 countries and Hong Kong, extending a current ban on travelers from the UK put in place to prevent the introduction of new coronavirus variants into the country. Meanwhile, Indonesia will close its borders to foreign travelers for two weeks, starting January 1, to prevent the spread of the new variant.