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LAHORE, Pakistan – A provincial minister of education in Pakistan on Tuesday asked teachers working in private and public schools in the eastern province of Punjab to be vaccinated against the coronavirus by August 22 to avoid school closures.
Punjab Education Minister Murad Rass said if teachers were found unvaccinated after that date, authorities would close the school where they teach.
The warning comes amid a steady rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths in Pakistan.
Pakistan reported 3,884 new daily cases and 86 deaths on Tuesday. The country has reported 1,075,504 confirmed cases and 24,004 deaths since the start of the pandemic last year.
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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:
– Bangladesh vaccinating Rohingya refugees in the middle of a virus wave
– COVID-19 vaccines will be mandatory for the military as part of the new American plan
– Governor of Texas calls for help from outside the state against COVID-19
– Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS:
BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s 16 state governors are set to meet to decide how to handle pandemic measures amid a discussion over whether people who have been fully vaccinated or who have recovered from COVID-19 should have more freedoms than those who are. not vaccinated.
While Germany has a relatively low number of cases of the virus compared to other European countries, cases are on the rise again and authorities fear that, in particular, young people who are not yet vaccinated could contract and spread the virus. virus in the weeks and months to come.
On Monday, the country’s disease control agency recorded 2,480 new cases, about 700 more than a week ago. Some 45.6 million people, or nearly 55% of the population, are fully immunized.
In response to a drop in vaccinations, authorities have started pushing for more vaccination clinics in megastores and city centers, or offering other incentives to get people to show up for vaccines.
Merkel and state governors are also expected to decide on Tuesday whether the free antigen tests which are available everywhere and can be used to access restaurants or cultural venues should be paid again.
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FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Kentucky Supreme Court has issued an order encouraging anyone entering a judicial facility to wear a mask in response to the increase in COVID-19 cases caused by the highly contagious delta variant.
The order issued on Monday applies to court centers, courthouses or other court facilities. This is in line with the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, court officials said.
The order says the use of masks or other facial coverings is strongly encouraged for anyone entering a court facility.
The order also specifies that a circuit chief judge can order masks for a judicial establishment.
The Courts Administration Office – the operational arm of the state judiciary system – supports the activities of nearly 3,300 judicial system employees and more than 400 elected judges, judges and clerks of circuit courts.
The delta variant has caused an increase in coronavirus cases in Kentucky, leading to increased hospitalizations and fears the death toll could skyrocket.
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SYDNEY – Australia’s most populous state reports a new daily record of 356 coronavirus infections.
The NSW government also reported four more deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday. The death toll since the last outbreak was detected in Sydney in mid-June is now 32. One of the latest deaths is an 80-year-old man who was infected overseas, while the others have caught the virus locally.
More than 80% of the state’s 8.2 million people are confined, including the greater Sydney area. The Sydney lockdown began on June 26 and hopes are fading that restrictions will be relaxed as planned on August 28.
Only 22% of Australian adults had been fully vaccinated as of Monday. Officials hope that by getting a number above 70%, the restrictions will be relaxed even if the virus continues to spread.
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DALLAS – Texas is seeking out-of-state health workers to help fight its third wave of coronavirus infections.
Governor Greg Abbott’s decision on Monday came as a Houston County hospital erected tents to accommodate its COVID-19 spillover.
Abbott has asked the state Department of Health Services to use recruiting agencies to find additional medical staff outside of Texas. He also urges the Texas Hospital Association to ask hospitals to postpone all elective medical procedures.
The governor also ordered an expansion of the availability of the coronavirus vaccine in underserved communities.
Abbott is not lifting its emergency order banning local governments from requiring masks and social distancing. He says people are able to make their own decisions about protecting their health.
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ATLANTA – Hospitals in Georgia are sounding the alarm over being overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients as coronavirus infections rise rapidly statewide.
Clinical officials at four Georgia coastal hospitals told a news conference on Monday that their institutions were rapidly running out of beds and called for more people to get vaccinated and wear masks.
Donna Cochrane is the head nurse at Liberty Regional Medical Center in Hinesville and says her 25-bed hospital had 33 patients as of Monday morning, holding eight more patients in the emergency room. Many are sick with COVID-19.
Georgia’s seven-day average for new coronavirus cases rose to nearly 5,700 on Monday, the highest level since February 1. The number of COVID-19 patients in state hospitals has dropped to nearly 3,500, eight times the lowest level earlier this summer.
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SEATTLE – Most employees in Washington state, as well as private healthcare and long-term care workers, will need to show proof of coronavirus vaccination by October 18 or lose their use.
Gov. Jay Inslee said on Monday that weekly testing for the virus rather than vaccination would not be an option. The only exception to this requirement is a medical or religious exemption.
The ordinance applies to approximately 60,000 employees of the 24 state agencies that are part of the governor’s executive office. These include the departments of Corrections, Health and Social Services, and Transportation, as well as the Washington State Patrol.
Private sector employees who are covered under the ordinance include those working in health and long-term care and other collective establishments, including nursing homes, assisted living facilities and treatment establishments.
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JACKSON, Mississippi – Mississippi’s top public health official said that while COVID-19 cases continue to rise with the highly contagious delta variant, no intensive care beds are available in 35 of the hospitals high level of the state.
Dr Thomas Dobbs also said on Monday that more than 200 people were waiting in hospital emergency rooms to be admitted. Wait times not only affect people with COVID-19, but those with other health conditions as well.
The state health department said Monday that more than 6,900 new cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in Mississippi from Friday to Sunday.
Dobbs said intensive care units were full in level 1, 2 and 3 hospitals in the state’s acute care systems. These include the University of Mississippi Medical Center at Jackson; North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo; Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg; Memorial Hospital in Gulfport and Singing River Health System in Pascagoula.
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MEXICO CITY – Mexico to ask United States to send at least 3.5 million additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine as country faces third wave of infections
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said on Monday he planned to discuss a vaccine transfer with US Vice President Kamala Harris in a call scheduled for later today.
López Obrador said the US government initially offered the Moderna vaccine, but Mexican health officials were unable to get the necessary approvals in time, so they are now considering Pfizer or another approved vaccine.
Mexico has vaccinated more than 50 million people with at least one dose, which is about 56% of the adult population. He received 91.1 million doses of five different vaccines.
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