Total Doses Distributed = 854,087,395. Total Doses Administered = 619,765,972. Number of People Receiving 1 or More Doses = 264,112,767. Number of People Fully Vaccinated = 225,284,115.
COVID-19 Vaccination Data Updates
WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando
The United Arab Emirates, home to global business and travel hub Dubai, will ease masking requirements imposed over the coronavirus pandemic, authorities said Monday.
As of Wednesday, the wearing of face masks will no longer be required in public places, except for medical facilities, mosques and public transportation, the official WAM news agency reported.
Masks will also be optional in schools. But food service workers and anyone confirmed or suspected of being infected with COVID-19 are still required to wear one.
The changes were announced by Dr. Saif al-Dhaheri, spokesman for the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority.
He said the agency would also cease providing daily updates on COVID-19 cases while still providing updated data on the pandemic.
Dubai, home to the world’s busiest airport for international travel, was forced to ground all passenger flights and close its airports for eight weeks at the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Unlike the UAE’s capital of Abu Dhabi, though, Dubai quickly reopened its doors to travelers.
Dubai has not required proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter and does not require a negative virus test to enter most places. This approach has not come without a cost. The UAE was red-listed as a “do not travel” country by the U.K., U.S. and other nations for much of last year.
More than 29.1 million passengers still crisscrossed through Dubai International Airport, or DXB, last year. That’s nowhere near the pre-pandemic milestone of 86.4 million in annual traffic logged by the airport in 2019.
WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando
Pfizer asked U.S. regulators Monday to expand use of its updated COVID-19 booster shot to children ages 5 to 11.
Elementary school-aged children already received kid-sized doses of Pfizer’s original vaccine, a third of the dose given to everyone 12 and older — two primary shots plus a booster.
If the Food and Drug Administration agrees, they would start getting a kid-sized dose of the new omicron-targeted formula when it was time for their booster.
FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks said last week he expected a decision on boosters for that age group soon.
Pfizer and its partner BioNTech also announced a new study of the omicron-focused booster in even younger children, those ages 6 months through 4 years, to test different doses.
Updated boosters made by both Pfizer and rival Moderna rolled out earlier this month for everyone 12 and older. They’re a tweak to vaccines that already have saved millions of lives — a combination or “bivalent” shot that contains half the original recipe and half protection against the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron relatives responsible for most of today’s COVID-19 cases.
The hope is that the modified boosters will help tamp down continuing COVID-19 cases and blunt another winter surge. As of last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 4.4 million Americans had gotten an updated booster so far.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando
In four days of fiery speeches over war, climate change and the threat of nuclear weapons, one issue felt like an afterthought during this year’s U.N. General Assembly: the coronavirus pandemic.
Masks were often pulled below chins — or not worn at all — and any mention of COVID-19 by world leaders typically came at the tail-end of a long list of grievances.
But on the sidelines of the annual meeting, the pandemic was still very much part of the conversation.
On Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gathered with World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell and others to discuss equitable access to COVID vaccines, tests and treatments.
And earlier that day, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield joined leaders from around the globe to mark the progress that has been made to fight COVID-19 — including the more than 620 million vaccine doses to 116 countries and economies that the United States has provided. But she emphasized there is still much work to do.
Tedros noted that the number of deaths around the globe is near its lowest since the pandemic began, and two-thirds of the world’s population is vaccinated. But the encouraging signs mask a deep disparity between wealthy and poor countries.
For instance, only 19% of people living in low-income countries are fully vaccinated compared with 75% in high-income countries. And only 35% of health care workers and 31% of older populations in lower-income countries are fully vaccinated and boosted.
Key to closing those gaps, according to Guterres, is countering misinformation about vaccines and overcoming hesitancy while also increasing testing to snuff out the potential for more variants. The world also needs early warning systems for pandemics and must ensure a well-paid and well-supplied workforce in the health care sector.
“Let’s get it done,” Guterres said. “Let’s end this pandemic once and for all.”
Thomas-Greenfield said that COVID-19 care needs to be shifted from being offered primarily in emergency facilities to integrating it in routine services.
She outlined three new initiatives: a pilot program to be launched in 10 countries to help people get screened for COVID-19 and receive antiviral medications; a $50 million commitment from the U.S to improve access to medical oxygen critical for treating patients with severe cases; and a global clearinghouse to make medical supply chains more resilient, efficient and equitable.
While few would argue that the situation has not improved — and indeed U.S. President Joe Biden recently remarked that the pandemic was over before walking back his comments — no one on Thursday was ready to call it quits.
“A marathon runner does not stop when the finish line comes into view,” Tedros said, and instead runs harder to get to the end.
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For more coverage of the U.N. General Assembly, visit https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations-general-assembly
WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando
Thailand’s government will lift an emergency decree it imposed in March 2020 to battle the coronavirus, officials said Friday, as it relaxes most pandemic restrictions.
From Oct. 1, foreign visitors will no longer be required to show proof of being vaccinated, and people found to be infected will no longer need to quarantine.
The emergency decree, which has been renewed repeatedly despite opposition, will not be extended at the end of this month, officials said. The decree, which allowed the government to take actions such as curtail movements, limit crowd sizes and close private establishments, was also used against anti-government protesters.
“The overall trend globally of the COVID situation is improving. The number of new cases is in decline and the number of deaths is falling,” said Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesperson for the government’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration. He said the center will also halt operations and be dissolved.
“At present, the public and businesses can live and move forward with economic activities,” Taweesin said.
He said the changes result from the Public Health Ministry’s downgrading the status of COVID-19 from a dangerous communicable disease to an infectious disease under surveillance.
The center reported 752 new COVID-19 cases on Friday and nine deaths. It said the percentage of hospital beds allocated for coronavirus patients that are occupied has fallen to 8.3% from 15.8% in July.
“We may have small waves after this. And we will ask the public to continue practicing general preventive measures, including continuing to wear masks in public,” although they will not be mandatory, Taweesin said.
Thailand’s huge, lucrative tourism industry was devastated by local and worldwide measures to contain the pandemic. So far this year, it has seen arrivals rebound with 5.2 million visitors to date.
Total Doses Distributed = 843,692,095. Total Doses Administered = 616,172,308. Number of People Receiving 1 or More Doses = 263,812,108. Number of People Fully Vaccinated = 224,980,931.
COVID-19 Vaccination Data Updates