Month: August 2021

The Epsilon and Lambda variants of COVID-19 are “variants of interest,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and early studies show they have developed a resistance to vaccines. Japanese researchers found the Lambda variant, which was initially discovered in Peru and is now spreading throughout South America, is highly transmissible and more resistant to vaccines than the initial COVID-19 strain. The researchers warned in a paper posted July 28 that has yet to be peer reviewed that Lambda’s label as a “variant of interest” instead of a “variant of concern” might downplay the growing threat of the strain. Meanwhile, the Epsilon variant that was initially discovered in California in 2020 is spreading in Pakistan and is proving to be resistant to vaccines, ...

Nearly 72,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 last week, a “substantial” increase that troubles public health advocates amid the growing wave of infections linked to the highly transmissible delta variant of the virus. The American Academy of Pediatrics released the figures on Tuesday, noting they were a nearly 85% increase from a week earlier. Children — defined by individual states as those aged 17 or 18 and under ― now account for 19% of the nation’s weekly COVID-19 cases. More than 4.2 million children have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began. The data is troubling as many children are not yet eligible for a coronavirus vaccine. Those used in the United States are only authorized for people aged 12 and over, but many schools are preparing to hold...

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is taking the first steps toward requiring nearly all international visitors to the U.S. to be vaccinated for the coronavirus. That’s according to a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the policy under development. The requirement would come as part of the administration’s phased approach to easing restrictions for foreign travelers to the country. No timeline has yet been determined. Interagency working groups are studying how and when to safely move toward resuming normal travel. Eventually all international citizens entering the country, with some limited exceptions, are expected to need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the U.S. — By Zeke Miller ___ MORE ON THE PANDEMIC: — Delta variant challenges Chin...

Personnel from the Australian Defence Force and New South Wales Police Force patrol a street in the Bankstown suburb during an extended lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sydney, Australia, August 3, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott Sydney records biggest daily number of cases, five deaths Victoria state to enter seven-day lockdown Australia facing second recession in as many years SYDNEY, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Sydney reported a record daily number of new coronavirus cases on Thursday and the state of Victoria announced a one-week lockdown as Australia tried to contain the highly infectious Delta variant. With around 35,200 COVID-19 cases and 932 deaths, Australia has avoided the high caseloads of other developed countries but its vaccination figures are amo...

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Four of the five people that died were unvaccinated while one had one dose, New South Wales state health authorities said, as they implored residents to get inoculated as early as possible. Authorities also announced a one-week lockdown from Thursday in the region surrounding the state's second-largest city of Newcastle, 140 kilometers (87 miles) north of Sydney, after six cases were reported there. That will place an additional 615,000 people under lockdown, raising the total in New South Wales under strict stay-home restrictions to 6 million people out of 8 million in the state, or about a quarter of Australia's population. The authorities suspect the outbreak began with a beach party near Newcastle after people traveled from Sydney, an apparent violation of the city's lockdown. "Our...