The Latest: China sees growing outbreak south of Beijing
BEIJING — More than 360 people have tested positive in a growing
coronavirus outbreak south of Beijing in neighboring Hebei province.
© Provided by Associated Press
Israeli Prime Minister Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the media
before receiving second Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Sheba
Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021.
(Miriam Elster /Pool Photo via AP)
China’s National Health Commission reported Sunday that 69 new cases
had been confirmed in the latest 24-hour period, including 46 in Hebei.
The
outbreak has raised particular concern because of Hebei’s proximity to
the nation’s capital. Travel between the two has been restricted, with
workers from Hebei having to show proof of employment in Beijing to
enter the city.
© Provided by Associated Press
Israeli Prime Minister Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ready to receive
the second COVID-19 vaccine at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan,
Israel, on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. (Miriam Elster /Pool Photo via AP)
Hebei has recorded 183 confirmed cases and an additional 181
asymptomatic cases over the last eight days. China does not include
those who test positive but do not show symptoms in its official case
count.
Almost all of the cases are in Shijuazhuang, the provincial
capital, which is about 260 kilometers (160 miles) southwest of
Beijing. A handful have also been found in Xingtai city, 110 kilometers
(68 miles) farther south.
© Provided by Associated Press
A Turkish mother and her son wearing masks with the signatures of
Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk to help protect against the
spread of coronavirus, sit in a deserted public garden during a
lockdown, in Ankara, Turkey, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. Turkey impose a
two-day lockdown on the weekend, in a bid to stem the spread of
COVID-19.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
Both cities have conducted mass testing of millions of residents,
suspended public transportation and restricted residents to their
communities or villages for one week.
___
THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— California reports record one-day total of 695 coronavirus deaths
— Boris Johnson under fire as UK again faces onslaught of COVID-19
— Israelis protest Netanyahu amid third virus lockdown
— Nightly curfew for pandemic takes effect across Quebec
___
Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
___
HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
MEXICO
CITY — Mexico has posted another daily record for newly confirmed
coronavirus cases, with 16,105 new infections reported Saturday, and a
near-record of 1,135 deaths related to COVID-19 in the latest 24-hour
period.
The country has now topped 1.5 million total infections
and over 133,000 deaths so far in the pandemic. Given Mexico’s extremely
low level of testing, official estimates suggest the real death toll is
over 180,000.
Health authorities said 6,722 shots of coronavirus
vaccine were administered Friday, for a total so far of about 75,000.
In Mexico City, the current center of the pandemic in Mexico, 90%
percent of hospital beds are full.
___
MONTREAL — A curfew meant to curb a rising tide of COVID-19 cases took effect across Quebec on Saturday evening.
Premier
Francois Legault says the measure is needed to prevent gatherings that
have fueled the rampant spread of the virus, The French-speaking
Canadian province has a population of more than 8.4 million
Gallery: From Wuhan to the White House: A timeline of COVID-19’s spread (Stacker)
The rules will see most residents face police questions or
fines of up to $6,000 Canadian (U.S. $4,728) if they’re out between 8
p.m. and 5 a.m. for the next four weeks. There are exceptions for
essential workers, people walking dogs, and those who have medical
reasons to be out, such as a doctor’s appointment.
___
TOKYO
— Japanese opposition lawmakers slammed the government’s emergency
declaration Sunday, as too little too late to stem the surging
coronavirus case.
They also pushed for more testing, which have lagged in Japan, being expensive and hard to get unless severely ill.
“It’s
essential to consider the worst possible scenario, but the response has
always been based on an overly optimistic outlook,” Yukio Edano, a
former economy minister, said on public broadcaster NHK TV.
Opposition
lawmakers Toranosuke Katayama and Kazuo Shii also criticized the state
of emergency as too limited in scope, area and duration.
The
declaration, which kicked in Friday, centers around asking restaurants
to close at 8 p.m., lasts a month and focuses on the Tokyo area.
Prime
Minister Yoshihide Suga defended the focus of the declaration as needed
for it to be effective. He stressed the rising curve in the infection’s
spread will get flattened in a month.
Deaths related to COVID-19
have totaled about 4,000 nationwide so far. Worries are growing about
hospitals getting stretched thin. Tokyo’s cases have surged recently to
more than 2,000 a day. Other urban areas have asked the central
government for emergency declarations.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode
Island Lt. Gov. Daniel McKee is quarantining at home after coming into
close contact with someone who later tested positive for COVID-19,
officials said Saturday.
The lieutenant governor learned of the
close contact Saturday morning, has since tested negative and is showing
no symptoms, officials said. He will continue to be tested and will
remained quarantined until midnight on Jan. 12, officials said.
McKee
is poised to serve the remaining two years of Gov. Gina Raimondo’s term
after Raimondo was named Democrat Joe Biden’s Biden’s pick for commerce
secretary.
McKee said in a statement that “no one is above the rules of quarantine.”
“As
a state official, I am committed to modeling the kind of response to
this virus that I hope all Rhode Islanders would have. I will continue
to meet with public health leaders and receive other critical briefings
remotely,” he said.
___
LAS VEGAS — Nevada is reporting one
of the state’s highest daily increases in coronavirus deaths since the
pandemic began, and its worst week yet.
The state on Saturday
reported 2,648 additional known COVID-19 cases and 56 additional deaths.
That’s close to the record of 60 deaths reported only on Wednesday. The
Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the state’s one-week total of
299 COVID-19 deaths was the worst yet.
Nevada has now had 246,309 known COVID-19 cases and 3,450 deaths since the pandemic began.
The
seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Nevada increased from
2,115.3 on Dec. 25 to 2,373.6 on Friday while the rolling average of
daily deaths rose from 33.6 to 35.4, according to data from Johns
Hopkins University and The COVID Tracking Project.
Officials anticipate a spike in cases and deaths in coming weeks, following Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s gatherings.
___
LOS
ANGELES — California health authorities on Saturday reported a record
high of 695 coronavirus deaths as many hospitals strained under
unprecedented caseloads.
The state Department of Public Health said the number raises the state’s death toll since the start of the pandemic to 29,233.
A
surge of cases following Halloween and Thanksgiving produced record
hospitalizations in California, and now the most seriously ill of those
patients are dying in unprecedented numbers.
Already, many
hospitals in Los Angeles and other hard-hit areas are struggling to keep
up and warned they may need to ration care as intensive care beds
dwindle.
___
OKLAHOMA CITY -- An Oklahoma judge has extended
a temporary restraining order allowing bars and restaurants across
Oklahoma to stay open past an 11 p.m. curfew issued in November by Gov.
Kevin Stitt in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
District
Judge Susan Stallings heard arguments in the case Friday and extended
the Dec. 29 order while she considers ruling in the lawsuit by bar
owners who argue the governor doesn’t have legal authority to impose the
curfew, according to court records.
Attorneys for the governor say state law gives Stitt “broad and flexible authority needed” to combat the spread of the virus.
On
Saturday, Oklahoma has the sixth most new cases per capita in the
nation with 1,218.16 per 100,000 residents, according to data from Johns
Hopkins University. The state health department on Saturday reported
324,875 total cases and 2,738 deaths since the pandemic began.
___
JERUSALEM
— Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday received the
second dose of the coronavirus vaccine after becoming the first Israeli
to be inoculated last month.
Israel is in the midst of a third
nationwide lockdown after seeing a surge in cases despite unleashing one
of the world’s fastest vaccination campaigns. The country has given the
first of two vaccine doses to nearly 20% of its population, and
Netanyahu said Saturday that it has secured enough vaccines to inoculate
the whole adult population by the end of March.
Netanyahu has
placed the vaccination drive at the center of his campaign for
reelection that month, when Israel will hold its fourth nationwide vote
in less than two years. In the meantime, he has called on Israelis to
make “one last big effort” to halt transmission by adhering to the
tightened restrictions.
Most schools and businesses were closed
starting Friday, with people required to remain within 1,000 meters
(yards) from home except for essential needs. Public gatherings are
heavily restricted and public transportation is limited. The
restrictions are to last for at least two weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment