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NEW DELHI – India has tested its COVID-19 vaccine delivery system with a nationwide trial as it prepares to roll out an inoculation program to stem the coronavirus pandemic.
Saturday’s exercise included entering data into an online platform for tracking vaccine administration, as well as cold storage testing and transport arrangements for the vaccine.
The massive exercise came a day after a government-appointed panel of experts held a meeting to review applications from potential vaccine candidates, including leader Covishield, developed by the University of Oxford and the maker of British drugs AstraZeneca.
The government plans to immunize 300 million people during the first phase of the immunization program, which will include health and frontline workers, police and military, and those with underlying health conditions aged from over 50 years.
India has confirmed more than 10.3 million cases of the coronavirus, second in the world after the United States. More than 149,000 people have died in India, third behind the United States (347,000) and Brazil (195,000).
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THE VIRUS EPIDEMIC:
India, which plans to vaccinate 300 million people in its first phase, has tested its coronavirus vaccine delivery system with a nationwide trial storage and delivery. Meanwhile, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is calling on the national government to declare a “state of emergency” to reduce the coronavirus outbreak “in the name of the value of life.” Tokyo reported a daily record of 1,337 cases on New Years Eve and concerns are growing ahead of hosting the Olympics in July. In Italy, older people challenge stereotypes that they need care and protection in the midst of the pandemic and that many of them are key workers.
California started the new year by reporting a record 585 coronavirus deaths in a single day as infections rise and hospitals are reaching their capacity. Texas reported a record for hospitalizations for the fifth consecutive day. There were 12,481 COVID-19 patients on New Years Day, an increase of more than 1,750 from a week ago.
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Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE HAPPENS:
TOKYO – Officials in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures have called on the national government to declare a state of emergency to curb the growing spread of the coronavirus.
“In the name of the value of life, we have made this plea together,” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said after meeting with the minister responsible for coronavirus measures on Saturday, as well as the governors of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa .
Japan has seen a recent increase in reported cases of the coronavirus, especially in urban areas. Tokyo had a daily record of 1,337 cases on New Years Eve.
The staging of the Olympics in July is worrying, with 11,000 Olympians expected to enter Japan, as well as tens of thousands of officials and media.
“Corona doesn’t know a timeline,” says Koike. “Hospitals are overcrowded, which affects medical care for everyone.”
Japan has never had a lockdown, trying to juggle the need to keep the economy running and health risks. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has been criticized for what some see as his mismanagement of the pandemic. Japan has more than 3,500 confirmed deaths linked to the coronavirus.
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BERLIN – The CEO of Germany-based travel operator TUI predicts a “largely normal summer” in 2021 as more people are vaccinated against the coronavirus.
TUI chief Fritz Joussen reportedly told Saturday’s Rheinische Post daily that the company’s market research shows that “people have a huge desire to be able to take great trips again after the difficult times. corona ”.
He said “we are expecting a largely normal summer”. However, he added that the company would only offer about 80% of the flights it performed in the pre-pandemic years “to achieve optimal occupancy.”
The resurgence of coronavirus infections in the fall and winter has resulted in national and regional restrictions on travel and hotel stays, as well as quarantine requirements, largely shutting down tourism in Europe after some sort of rebirth last summer.
Vaccinations started in Europe last month but will take time to have a significant impact on the situation.
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SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea extends strict distancing rules by two weeks as authorities seek to suppress a viral resurgence, while confirming its first case of a seemingly more contagious coronavirus variant detected in South Africa .
Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said on Saturday that the second-highest level of distancing rules will remain in place for the Seoul area until January 17.
The restrictions include a ban on social gatherings of more than five people and in-person religious services. The government will require foreigners entering South Korea to submit negative viral test results from January 8.
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LONDON – The UK government faces growing calls for all schools in England to remain closed for at least two weeks due to the surge in coronavirus cases following another sudden shift in policy.
The call from the National Education Union, which represents more than 450,000 members working in schools, came after Education Secretary Gavin Williamson changed course and said all schools for young students in London should remain closed next week as the capital battles high levels of infections.
Mary Bousted, the union’s co-leader, said the move was “completely necessary” but criticized the government for initially planning to allow some schools to reopen in areas with high new infections.
The UK is in the midst of a sharp rise in new coronavirus cases that many have blamed on a new variant of the virus that is believed to be up to 70% more infectious.
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LOS ANGELES – California has started the new year by reporting a record 585 coronavirus deaths in a single day.
The State Department of Public Health said on Friday that more than 47,000 new confirmed cases had been reported, bringing the total to more than 2.29 million.
State hospitals ended the year on the brink of disaster, a health official said as the pandemic pushed death and disease to frightening levels and some medical centers scrambled to provide care. oxygen to seriously ill people.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced on Friday that California will begin working with the US Army Corps of Engineers to assess and upgrade outdated oxygen delivery systems at six Los Angeles-area hospitals.
The collaboration comes as older hospitals struggle to maintain oxygen pressure in aging infrastructure, and some scramble to locate additional oxygen reservoirs that released patients can take home.
California this week became the third state to surpass 25,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
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AUSTIN, Texas – Texas hit a new record for hospital patients with COVID-19 for the fifth day in a row Friday, in a continuing outbreak of illness caused by the coronavirus following vacation and travel gatherings.
Texas reported 12,481 COVID-19 patients in public hospitals on New Years Day, an increase of more than 1,750 from a week ago.
State health officials on Friday reported 12,369 new confirmed cases of the virus and 3,658 other probable cases.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, intensive care units in several areas of Texas were full or nearly full.
The grim number continued to rise as some Texans gathered to celebrate the New Year, despite warnings from health officials that the congregation is likely to further spread the virus.
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CARSON CITY, Nevada – Nevada on Friday reported 2,315 additional known COVID-19 cases along with 21 more deaths from the coronavirus.
State totals since the start of the pandemic have increased to 227,046 cases and 3,146 deaths.
The seven-day moving averages of new daily cases and daily deaths in Nevada have fallen over the past two weeks. That’s according to data from Johns Hopkins University and the COVID Tracking Project.
The number of infections is believed to be much higher than what has been reported because many people have not been tested and studies suggest that people can get infected with the virus without feeling bad.
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LONDON – British medical authorities are warning hospitals across the country face a perilous few weeks amid the spike in new coronavirus infections attributed to a new variant of the virus.
Concerns are growing over the ability of the already-stressed National Health Service to manage the expected increase in the number of people seeking treatment for COVID-19.
Field hospitals that were built in the early days of the pandemic but were subsequently put on hold are being reactivated.
The head of the Royal College of Nursing in England says the UK is “in the eye of the storm”.
More than 55,280 new infections and 613 other deaths were recorded on Friday, putting the UK on track to once again overtake Italy as Europe’s worst-hit country by the pandemic.
The spike in new cases is believed to be due to a new, more contagious variant of the virus first identified around London and in south-east England.
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