As more countries approve a coronavirus vaccine, the urgent need for inoculation continues to grow with COVID-19 cases and deaths spiking to record highs in several countries. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Sunday that South Korea recorded a record daily increase in coronavirus cases for a second straight day with 1,030 new infections. In the U.S. last week, California recorded more than 25,000 new infections in one day. “Lives will be lost unless we do more than we’ve ever done,” Governor Gavin Newsom said.
Overall, more than 16 million people in the U.S. have contracted the disease, while nearly 300,000 have died.
A New York Times investigation found that coronavirus deaths have risen faster than the rest of the country in U.S. college town communities where students make up at least 10% of the population. Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 10 MB480p | 14 MB540p | 17 MB720p | 33 MB1080p | 71 MBOriginal | 545 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioItaly is poised to overtake Britian as the European country with the most COVID-19 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
Early Sunday, Italy was just 87 deaths behind Britain, but Italy has 6 million fewer people than Britain.
Italy has suffered 25,418 deaths in the weeks since November 1, which is more than it did from April 2 to October 31, when it reported 25,463.
According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been more than 71 million global COVID infections and 1.6 million deaths. Public health officials say actual numbers are likely higher since not everyone is tested for the disease and some people who are infected do not display any symptoms. Pharmacy supervisor Kevin Weissman wears a thick glove as he opens the door of a special freezer that will hold the Pfizer vaccine at LAC USC Medical Center, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, in Los Angeles, California, Dec. 10. 2020.In U.S. states, the first coronavirus vaccine will begin arriving early Monday after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine made by U.S. drug maker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech for emergency use.
Mexico also approved the emergency use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine late Friday, bringing to six the number of countries that are using or plan to use it. Britain, Bahrain, Canada and Saudi Arabia have also approved the vaccine. Mexico City said Saturday that shops in the capital’s center and other busy areas would temporarily close at 5 p.m. to reduce the risk spreading the virus as authorities battle a surge in cases. Brazil is steadily approaching 7 million COVID-19 cases and has recorded more than 181,000 deaths. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been skeptical about the seriousness of the disease, even though he is a coronavirus survivor. The South American country’s Supreme Court gave Brazil’s government a deadline to come up with a plan to fight the spread of the disease. A Health Ministry document sent to Brazil’s Supreme Court said 108 million doses of the vaccine would be set aside for priority groups, such as health care workers, the elderly and members of indigenous communities, Reuters reports. The plan, however, did not provide a date for starting inoculations for priority groups or the rest of the population. Last week, Brazil’s health minister vowed to vaccinate the entire country during the course of next year.
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Day: December 13, 2020
As more countries approve a coronavirus vaccine, the urgent need for inoculation continues to grow with COVID-19 cases and deaths spiking to record highs in several countries.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Sunday that South Korea recorded a record daily increase in coronavirus cases for a second straight day with 1,030 new infections.In the U.S. last week, California recorded more than 25,000 new infections in one day. “Lives will be lost unless we do more than we’ve ever done,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said.Overall, more than 16 million people in the U.S. have contracted the disease, while nearly 300,000 have died.A New York Times investigation found that coronavirus deaths have risen faster than the rest of the country in U.S. college town communities where students make up at least 10% of the population.Italy is poised to overtake Britian as the European country with the most COVID-19 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.Early Sunday, Italy was just 87 deaths behind Britain, but Italy has 6 million fewer people than Britain.Italy has suffered 25,418 deaths in the weeks since Nov. 1, which is more than it did from April 2 to Oct. 31, when it reported 25,463.According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been more than 71 million global COVID infections and 1.6 million deaths.Public health officials say actual numbers are likely higher since not everyone is tested for the disease and some people who are infected do not display any symptoms.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 10 MB480p | 14 MB540p | 17 MB720p | 33 MB1080p | 71 MBOriginal | 545 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioIn U.S. states, the first coronavirus vaccine will begin arriving early Monday after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine made by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech for emergency use.Mexico also approved the emergency use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine late Friday, bringing to six the number of countries that are using or plan to use it.Britain, Bahrain, Canada and Saudi Arabia have also approved the vaccine.Mexico City said Saturday that shops in the capital’s center and other busy areas would temporarily close at 5 p.m. to reduce the risk spreading the virus as authorities battle a surge in cases.Brazil is steadily approaching 7 million COVID-19 cases and has recorded more than 181,000 deaths.Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been skeptical about the seriousness of the disease, even though he is a coronavirus survivor.The South American country’s Supreme Court gave Brazil’s government a deadline to come up with a plan to fight the spread of the disease.A health ministry document sent to Brazil’s Supreme Court said 108 million doses of the vaccine would be set aside for priority groups, such as health care workers, the elderly and members of indigenous communities, Reuters reports. The plan, however, did not provide a date for starting inoculations for priority groups or the rest of the population.Last week, Brazil’s health minister vowed to vaccinate the entire country during the course of next year.
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A Chinese space capsule bringing back the first moon rocks in more than four decades started its three-day return to Earth on Sunday.The Chang’e 5 lunar probe, which had been orbiting the moon for about a week, fired up four engines for about 22 minutes to move out of the moon’s orbit, the China National Space Administration said in a social media post.The craft’s lander touched down on the moon earlier this month close to a formation called the Mons Rumker, an area believed to have been the site of ancient volcanic activity. It collected about 2 kilograms of samples.The return capsule is expected to land in northern China in the Inner Mongolia region after separating from the rest of the spacecraft and floating down on parachutes. The material would be the first brought back since the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 probe in 1976.The rocks and other debris were obtained both by drilling into the moon’s crust and scooping directly off the surface. They may be billions of years younger than those brought back by earlier U.S. and Soviet missions, possibly offering insights into the moon’s history and that of other bodies in the solar system.China has set up labs to analyze the samples for age and composition and is also expected to share some of them with other countries, as was done with the hundreds of kilograms brought back by the U.S. and former Soviet Union.China’s space program has a series of ambitious missions underway, including a probe en route to Mars. The Chang’e lunar program, named after the ancient Chinese moon goddess, has been operating the Chang’e 4 probe on the moon’s less explored far side for the past two years.Future plans call for returning a human to the moon and perhaps a permanent moon base. China is also building a space station to begin operating as early as 2022.
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The U.S. has approved emergency use of the Pfizer–BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for Americans to start getting vaccinated within days. But public skepticism about the safety of the vaccine remains, with polls showing many adults say they won’t get the shot or are unsure about getting it. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has the latest.
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Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced Saturday that his country would have no new coal-fired power generation as part of its contribution in global efforts against climate change.Khan gave details of the substantial undertaking while addressing the international Climate Ambition Summit 2020, held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic.The United Nations, United Kingdom, France, Chile and Italy hosted the event, bringing world leaders together to press for greater efforts in curbing global warming.“We have decided we will not have any more power based on coal,” Khan told the summit. “We have already scrapped two coal power projects, which were supposed to produce 2,600 megawatts of energy, and replaced it by hydroelectricity.”By 2030, Khan said, 60% of all energy produced in Pakistan will be clean and obtained through renewable resources, while 30% of all vehicles will run on electricity.The prime minister said that while Pakistan accounts for less than 1% of global carbon emissions, it is the “fifth most vulnerable” to effects of climate change, citing data from the 2019 Global Climate Risk Index report.“I assure you that Pakistan will be doing its best to make its contribution to mitigate the effects of climate change,” Khan said.FILE – Cargo trains carrying shipping containers and coal dust cross under a bridge with the backdrop of City Station, built in the British Raj era, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sept. 24, 2018.Pakistan had just one coal-fired power plant until 2016. China has since invested billions of dollars in the South Asian nation, installing at least nine coal-based power plants with more under construction.Official data show Pakistan’s coal-based power generation surged to 57% through fiscal 2020, which ended in June, thanks to Beijing’s investments under its Belt and Road Initiative. The collaboration helped Islamabad overcome years of power shortages in the country.Khan’s government, which took power more than two years ago, has also undertaken a countrywide reforestation campaign to plant more than 3 billion trees by mid-2023 to mitigate the effects of climate change. The massive program, dubbed the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami, went into effect last year, and officials say it has planted more than 500 million saplings across Pakistan.Addressing the summit, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres urged world leaders to declare a “state of climate emergency” in their respective countries. “If we don’t change course, we may be headed for a catastrophic temperature rise of more than 3.0 degrees this century,” he warned.The summit marked five years since the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change, which seeks to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared with pre-industrial levels.
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