October 19th & 20th 2021:
Romania continues to have the sad distinction of first place globally in the number of deaths per million residents. Workers have described the situation in many hospitals as a “war zone” with ICU patients being ventilated manually. Today all three records were broken by a wide margin.
The reported number of Covid cases in the U.K. increased steadily through October and reached 49,156 on Monday, the highest reported since 17 July and a 16% rise in new cases over the past week.
Around the the world, people and businesses are facing shortages of everything from coffee to coal. Disruption caused by the Covid pandemic is mostly to blame. A global shortage of computer chips has aggravated the crisis. No short-term solutions are in view.
Israel’s Minister of Regional Cooperation Issawi Frej said in an interview with Emirati website Erem News published Monday that Qatar, Tunisia, Oman and Malaysia may join the Abraham Accords. Israel is also in talks to normalize relations with Comoros, a Muslim-majority island country off the coast of eastern Africa, the Jerusalem Post reports, citing a senior diplomatic source.
October 18th 2021:
In Romania the rate of positive tests has soared to nearly 30% and records continue to be set daily on numbers in ICU. No ICU beds are available and new patients are either flown to Hungary or treated in less than optimal conditions in hallways, etc.
Cases of psychosis have soared over the past two years in England amid the stresses of the Covid-19 pandemic. There was a 75% increase in the number of people referred to mental health services for their first suspected episode of psychosis between April 2019 and April 2021, NHS data shows.
As announced by the White House on Sunday, the new travel policy requiring foreign nationals traveling to the United States to demonstrate proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 will take effect November 8.
October 16th & 17th 2021:
In Romania there were nearly 100,000 new cases in the past seven days. The dramatic increase has been fueled by a rate of 16.1 per thousand in the capital Bucuresti representing more than 20% of all new cases. Any number more than 4.0 is considered in the “Red Zone.” Nearly one-fourth of patients in ICU are children.
Outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday unanimously recommended the agency authorize a second shot of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine for all recipients of the one-dose inoculation.
Data from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that cases among children peaked in September, as many schools opened for in-person classes amid the country’s delta variant Covid surge. More than 1.1 million new cases have been recorded from Sept. 3 to Sept. 30.
Russia’s daily tolls of coronavirus infections and deaths surged to another record on Friday, a quickly mounting figure that has put a severe strain on the country’s health care system. The government’s coronavirus task force reported 32,196 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 999 deaths in the past 24 hours.
On October 9, 2021, an animated children’s video depicting a Quranic story about Jews being transformed into apes was uploaded to the Saudi Ibtikar Media channel on YouTube, MEMRI reports.
Romania has the sad distinction of having the highest deaths per million Globally in the past 7 days.
October 15th 2021:
There are no ICU beds available in Romania. As many as 50 seriously ill patients will be flown to hospitals in neighboring Hungary. In a recent poll nearly 60% of Romanians stated they have no intention of being vaccinated. Currently less than 30% of Romanians have received at least one dose.
Sighet, Romania has entered a two-week quarantine after the 14-day average of new cases reached a rate of 8.46 per thousand residents on Thursday. Traffic in and out of the city will be strictly controlled during that time. A night-time curfew will also be in force. During the day-time hours residents must carry a signed declaration with a valid reason for leaving their homes. Restrictions are less severe for those who can present proof of vaccination.
An Israeli aid group, officials of the UAE and a Jewish financier (an unusual mix of people) have worked together and pulled off a rescue mission that helped 125 vulnerable Afghans flee the Taliban rule.
Energy security has shot to the top of government agendas in Asia and Europe as shortages of coal and rocketing gas prices have triggered power outages and choked up factories supplying big name brands.
October 14th 2021:
The dismissed Prime Minister of Romania, Florin Cîțu, declared on Thursday after the Government meeting, that he is considering the introduction of immunization certificates for SARS-CoV-2 in all economic activities, in order to keep the economy open. Cîțu also says that this certificate may be needed in stores. Deaths due to COVID-19 in Romania are now more than 40,000.
Israel on Wednesday recorded the lowest percentage (1.7%) of positive coronavirus tests since late July, according to a morning update from the Health Ministry. By contrast, the 14-day average percentage in Romania is more than 24% and the Wednesday 24-hour period was a staggering 58.9% (15,733 positive out of 26,700 tests).
India currently has no plans to issue booster doses, the government’s chief Covid advisor said on Wednesday. The number of Covid vaccines administered in India is set to hit one billion in the coming days.
Gas prices have been soaring in countries across Europe, and there have been accusations that Russia may be seeking to exploit the situation for its own advantage. Russia supplies about 50% of Europe’s natural gas.
Social Security benefits will rise by 5.9% in 2022, the largest increase in 39 years. The latest inflation reading shows that prices rose by 5.4 percent on an annualized basis in September as supply chain bottlenecks, worker shortages and high demand kept prices rising, according to data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
October 13th 2021:
Experts are again warning we could see what they are calling a “twindemic” of COVID-19 and flu this coming winter. The underlying cause cited is the easing of restrictions.
Millions of Americans have left their jobs during the health crisis, a phenomenon dubbed “The Great Resignation.” Nearly 4.3 million people quit in August 2021 alone, the highest level on record dating back to December 2000, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Tuesday.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts, released an updated draft recommendation Tuesday that recommends that most adults, especially those over 60, not take aspirin to prevent first heart attacks or strokes.
Nearly one-third of respondents in Austria, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Poland and Romania said Jews will never be able to fully integrate into society. In addition, nearly one-third agreed that there is a secret Jewish network that influences political and economic affairs in the world. In Latvia, 34% said Jews exploit Holocaust victimhood for their own purposes; 23% agreed in Germany; and 22% agreed in Belgium.
October 11th & 12th 2021:
Hopes were dashed today in Romania that the peak had been reached (after declines in recent days) as records were broken in every category. Deaths were more than double the number reported yesterday. Serious illness and death follow new cases by 10 days or more, so those numbers will doubtless continue to climb.
Sydney hairdressers, gyms, cafés and bars reopened to fully vaccinated customers on Monday for the first time in more than 100 days after Australia’s largest city achieved a vaccination benchmark.
Immigration to Israel Increased by 31% in 2021.
October 9th to 10th 2021:
In COVID-19 survivors, important components of the body’s immune response called memory B cells continue to evolve and get stronger for at least several months, producing highly potent antibodies that can neutralize new variants of the virus, a new study has found. By comparison, vaccine-induced memory B cells are less robust, evolving for only a few weeks and never “learning” to protect against variants, researchers reported in a paper published on Thursday in Nature.
The pandemic-induced shortage of emergency medical technicians and paramedics in the U.S. is so dire that ambulance service providers warn of sharp cuts to services and longer waits for 911 calls — even when it’s a matter of life or death.
The World Mortality Dataset, which forms the basis of estimates of Covid mortality as published by the Economist, the Financial Times and others, proves the inaccuracy of the official global death toll of 4.8 million. The Economist, for example, puts the real number closer to 16 million.
Energy shortages are sweeping the world even before winter’s cruelest months freeze the Northern Hemisphere, and officials and experts point out that the multiple issues behind the crunch will make solutions harder to come by. An energy crisis is looming over India as coal supplies grow perilously low. China has experienced severe coal shortages as well.
Jewish heritage sites in Judea and Samaria are being systematically vandalized and destroyed by local Arabs, according to a watchdog group which monitors archeological sites in the area. A recent survey of 365 major archeological sites across Judea and Samaria found that some 80% had suffered either moderate or serious damage at the hands of vandals.
October 8th 2021:
The rate of infection in Sighet, Romania has exceeded six per thousand, requiring additional restrictions. A total of 74 cities and 334 villages have a rate greater than 6. Where the rate is greater than 8, a night time curfew is enforced. There are currently no ICU beds available anywhere in Romania. Oxygen is being rationed due to a lack of supplies.
Evidence is growing that contracting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is generally as effective as vaccination at stimulating your immune system to prevent the disease. Yet U.S. federal officials have been reluctant to recognize any equivalency.
After adjusting for age, lifestyle, dietary habits and other risk factors, people with higher levels of dairy fat intake biomarkers had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who ate less dairy fat. The authors looked at the findings from 17 comparable studies involving almost 43,000 people in the U.S., U.K. and Denmark, and found the combined evidence showed similar results. The analysis was published last month in PLOS Medicine.
On the heels of a ruling by an Israeli court, which essentially permits silent Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, terror group Hamas released a statement calling the decision a “declaration of war.” The Jordanian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday also condemned the ruling.
Former White House advisor Jared Kushner, and his wife Ivanka, are due to visit the Knesset on Monday, where Kushner will convene the inaugural meeting of the Abraham Accords Caucus. The group plans to promote the formulation of “future agreements with other countries,” according to a spokesperson for Wasserman Lande.
October 7th 2021:
Coronavirus is “still running rampant” worldwide and the failure to ensure poorer countries can access vaccines risks more deaths and the emergence of potentially dangerous new variants, the creator of the Oxford vaccine has warned.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s popularity among everyday Americans is taking a beating, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. The poll found that Biden’s approval rating has dropped to 38%, down from a high of 50% in mid-February.
October 6th 2021:
The fourth wave of the pandemic has brought unique challenges for front-line health care workers in the U.S., many of whom were already nearing their breaking points. Exhausted amid hospital staff shortages and emotionally depleted, health care workers also face growing skepticism and rage from patients, leaving workers frustrated and fearful.
Russia is once again grappling with a surge in coronavirus cases. The rate of new daily infections is currently three times higher than what the country was seeing a year ago, despite vaccines now being widely available in the country. On Tuesday, Russia reported 895 fatalities and 25,110 new COVID-19 infections.
October 5th 2021:
Romania set all-time records for new cases at 15,037 and deaths at 252. Numbers in ICU are approaching record levels. The rate of positive test results was also a record at 56.6%
The number of daily coronavirus-related deaths in Ukraine topped 300 for the first time since mid-May, health ministry data showed on Tuesday. Last week, the daily tally of infections jumped to almost 12,000, the highest number since April.
In Israel, according to an update from the Health Ministry released Monday morning, the positivity rate stands at a declining rate of 2.8%. By contrast the positivity rate in Romania is climbing and reached 26% on October 4th.
The national guard has been deployed to hospitals in rural north and central California, where short-staffed hospitals have been overwhelmed with coronavirus patients.
The United States has seen a dramatic drop in the number of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks, a trend that epidemiologists see as an encouraging sign that the Delta wave of the virus has peaked nationally.
AstraZeneca has requested the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to grant emergency use authorisation for its new treatment to prevent COVID-19. The treatment, an antibody therapy called AZD7442, could help protect people who may not have a strong enough immune response to COVID-19 vaccines.
Australia will buy 300,000 courses of Merck & Co’s experimental antiviral pill Molnupiravir, as Victoria logged the highest number of daily COVID-19 infections of any state in the country since the pandemic began. The first oral antiviral medication for COVID-19, if it gets regulatory approval, could halve the chances of dying or being hospitalised for people most at risk of contracting severe COVID-19, according to experts.
Johnson & Johnson is planning to ask U.S. federal regulators this week to authorize a booster shot of its COVID-19 vaccine, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing officials familiar with the company’s plans.
October 4th 2021:
The French Catholic Church has had an estimated 3,000 paedophiles in its ranks over the past 70 years, the head of an independent commission investigating the abuse scandal said in an interview published on Sunday. The figure represents about 3% of all priests and religious officials in France since 1950.
October 2nd & 3rd 2021:
Worldwide deaths related to COVID-19 surpassed 5 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, with unvaccinated people particularly exposed to the virulent Delta strain.
The United States surpassed 700,000 coronavirus-related deaths on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, as officials roll out booster doses of vaccines to protect the elderly and people working in high-risk professions. The current level of new cases is 117,625 per day, based on a seven-day rolling average.
October 1st 2021:
In Romania there is anger, grief and chaos after a fire at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Constanţa killed 7 patients in the ICU unit there. Many patients in nearby sections had to be transferred to other hospitals that were already near capacity.
The Capital of Romania, Bucharest, has entered into quarantine after a sharp rise in new cases. All non-COVID patients from two hospitals there had to be relocated to make room for the increasing number of new cases.
Laboratory studies show that Merck & Company’s experimental oral COVID-19 antiviral drug, molnupiravir, is likely to be effective against known variants of the coronavirus, including the dominant, highly transmissible Delta, the company said on Wednesday.
September 30th 2021:
Romania set another all-time record of new cases today. Even before the recent record-breaking surge, Romania ranked 12th in the World for new COVID-19 cases on a 7-day average, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Recent research on Covid-19 transmission on flights suggests that airlines could adopt new policies to better protect their passengers. Scientists have found a sharp increase in possible spread during in-flight meal service when everyone has masks off. They’ve also learned more about the importance of precautions during boarding.
Los Angeles officials on Wednesday signaled they would vote next week to prohibit unvaccinated people from entering most businesses in the United States’ second-largest city, one of the nation’s most severe crackdowns so far of the COVID-19 pandemic.
YouTube announced a total ban Wednesday on “vaccine misinformation” and the termination of the accounts of several prominent anti-vaccine influencers, including Joseph Mercola and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., citing “the need to remove egregious harmful content.”
September 28th & 29th 2021:
Romania set a new all-time record of new cases at 11,049 reported on Tuesday. The previous record was 10,269 new cases on November 18th, 2020.
India reported 179 Covid deaths on Tuesday, the smallest daily toll since the middle of March, taking the total to 447,373. Infections rose by 18,795, the smallest increase since early March.
In Australia, the unvaccinated face a “difficult life indefinitely” the state Premier of New South Wales has warned. The biggest city in the state, Sydney is beginning to open up post-lockdown – but only to those who are fully vaccinated.
Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton slammed President Biden’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan on Sunday and warned about the possibility of the Taliban acquiring nuclear weapons in the future.
September 27th 2021:
Nearly 20% of those tested in Romania on Sunday for COVID-19 were positive. Almost half of all new cases (2,559) were in the capital Bucharest.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry is warning potential travelers that unlike most Western countries, Poland does not offer a hotel quarantine option to visitors who test positive. Rather, they are placed into isolation in correctional facilities typically used for criminals.
The Covid pandemic has caused the biggest decrease in life expectancy in western Europe since the second world war, according to a study. The biggest declines in life expectancy globally were among males in the U.S., with a decline of 2.2 years relative to 2019 levels, followed by Lithuanian males (1.7 years).
The American supply chain has so far failed to adapt to the crush of imports as businesses rush to restock pandemic-depleted inventories. Tens of thousands of containers are stuck at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, the two West Coast gateways that move more than a quarter of all American imports. More than 60 ships are lined up to dock, with waiting times stretching to three weeks.
September 25th & 26th 2021:
Romania continues to see an alarming increase in the 7-day average of new cases, deaths and those in ICU. Maramures county (Sighet, Baia Mare) has a 14-day rate per thousand of 3.39 compared to 1.26 two weeks ago.
Face-mask requirements in schools drastically reduce the spread of Covid-19 among children, two studies published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest.
The pandemic means that many countries are facing supply chain problems, as manufacturing centers in Asia are hit by continuing cases and restrictions. The British government said on Friday it may draft in the army to help deliver gas after shortages caused by a scarcity of truck drivers forced the closure of stations across the country.
At a rally in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, Sunni leaders and former generals of the Iraqi army called for the country to join the Abraham Accords between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
September 24th 2021:
The Romanian county of Maramures (Sighet, Baia Mare) joined the Covid “red zone” today with a rate of 3.11, joining Cluj and 5 other counties. This will result in further restrictions.
Australia is grappling with a third wave of infections from the highly infectious Delta variant that has led to lockdowns in its two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, and the capital, Canberra, affecting nearly half the country’s 25 million people.
The number of new Covid-19 cases in the United States seems to have peaked, with cases in states hit hard by the delta variant earlier edging downward over the last week, according to an analysis by NBC News. It’s the longest sustained decline in cases in nearly three months, giving hope to some leading pandemic forecasters.
Moderna Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel said on Thursday he thinks the coronavirus pandemic could be over in a year. He said: “Enough doses should be available by the middle of next year so that everyone on this earth can be vaccinated.”
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 420 to nine in favor of sending $1 billion in funding for Israel’s Iron Dome defense system. The separate bill was necessary after a group of progressive (antisemitic) lawmakers threatened to block the debt ceiling hike bill unless the Iron Dome funding was removed.
The Palestinian Authority is desperately trying to stave off an open internal conflict that could devolve into a civil war. One place that could be the flashpoint for any internal violence is Hebron, where the locals are complaining about what they say is the incompetence and neglect of their city on the part of a corrupt PA leadership.
September 21 – 23 2021:
U.S. public health workers are leaving ‘in droves’ amid pandemic burnout. Many workers feel stonewalled by elected officials and scapegoated for the high U.S. Covid death toll.
A new study presents evidence that a “cosmic airburst” destroyed the Middle Bronze Age city of Tall el-Hammam, located in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea. The 21 co-authors of the study, published Monday in the journal Nature, speculate that the 3,600-year-old cataclysmic event could have inspired the biblical account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
House Democratic leadership stripped funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system from its government spending and debt ceiling hike bill on Tuesday, after a group of progressive members threatened to block the legislation unless the aid was withdrawn. The system is estimated to have saved thousands of Israeli civilian lives from terrorist rocket attacks.
COVID-19 has now killed more Americans (679,000) than the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic did (approximately 675,000). The 1918-19 influenza pandemic killed 50 million victims globally. The current global death toll is 4.6 million.
In the last five weeks the U.S. has reported more than 1.1 million pediatric cases, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. “The weekly figure is now about 26 times higher than it was in June, when just 8,400 pediatric cases were reported over the span of a week,” the organizations wrote in their report.
September 19th & 20th 2021:
The positive rate in Romania has risen to 16%. The number in ICU is a new record for the fourth wave at 952. Other numbers were very high for a Sunday reporting period.
A new study released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday is the latest to suggest the Moderna Covid vaccine confers better long-term protection against hospitalization than Pfizer.
The Biden administration is preventing the rescue of persecuted Christian minorities from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, where they face certain and likely gruesome death.
September 18th 2021:
Doctor Valeriu Gheorghiță, the coordinator of the Romanian national vaccination campaign, declared on Friday evening on B1 TV that around October 15 the number of Covid-19 cases registered by Romania could reach 20,000 per day. That would be nearly double the previous record set in November of 2020.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday signed an executive order adding measles to a list of communicable diseases that could require quarantine. This begs the question as to what other communicable diseases might be added to the list in the future.
Montana, Alaska, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Kentucky experienced the biggest rises in new COVID-19 hospitalizations during the week ending Sept. 10 compared with the previous week, with Montana’s new hospitalizations rising by 26%, according to the latest report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sept. 14.
In the U.S., more and more hospital workers have become so overwhelmed by the fresh wave of COVID-19 cases – a year and half after the pandemic first reached the United States – that they have left for jobs at retailing and other non-medical fields.
On Sept. 16, 1,855 Americans died of COVID-19 and 144,844 new cases were reported, according to a Reuters analysis of state and county data. Both trendlines have been increasing in the United States overall since hitting their lows this summer in July and June, respectively.
A debate is heating up over whether President Biden’s sweeping vaccine mandate should be extended to cover those who travel domestically by plane and train. Vaccines are already required for air and train travel in Canada and between many countries in Europe, Asia and elsewhere.
Scientific advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have voted not to recommend a third shot of the Pfizer vaccine for most Americans. Sixteen of 18 advisers opposed the broad proposal for boosters for those older than 16.
Coronavirus infection levels have risen in schoolchildren in England, data has revealed, with more than one in 37 of those in years 7 to 11 estimated to have had Covid last week. Experts say the findings could be linked to the return to school after the summer break.
After weeks of denial, a U.S. Central Command investigation admitted that an innocent aid worker and nine members of his family, including seven children, died in the 29 August drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan. “Potential explosives” in the victim’s car turned out to be containers of water.
September 17th 2021:
The European Commission launched on Thursday a health crisis body that will coordinate EU spending of almost 30 billion euros ($35.3 billion) to prepare for a future pandemic.
A new Israeli study published in the The New England Journal of Medicine Wednesday says a third Pfizer booster shot lowers the likelihood of developing a serious coronavirus case by almost 20 times. The study looked at 1.1 million Israelis.
Two dozen state attorneys general are threatening legal action against the federal government over President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private businesses.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi hosted Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sept. 13th in a special meeting. A “new alignment of interests” between Israel and Egypt is based on concerns over a possible downgrade in relations between Cairo and Washington, as the Biden administration withholds military aid from Cairo over human-rights criticisms.
September 16th 2021:
America has passed another grim Covid-19 milestone, as data shows that one in 500 people living in the U.S. have died from the virus since the pandemic began. Almost 664,000 people had died of the virus in the U.S. by Tuesday evening, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Israel’s Health Ministry reports that 11 percent of children and teens who recovered from COVID showed signs of “Long-COVID” six months later. This included further damage to the brain, liver and blood vessels and deterioration of cognitive abilities.
Australia’s Victoria state (Melbourne) reported its biggest one-day rise in COVID-19 cases of the year on Thursday as a surge in vaccinations nationwide raised hope for easing restrictions with almost 70% of the adult population having had a first dose.
A serological study conducted in an Israeli hospital found that antibody levels after a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine were ten times higher than those detected after a second dose.
September 13th 2021:
The Romanian county of Maramures (Sighet, Baia Mare) had the 5th highest number of new COVID infections Saturday out of 44 jurisdictions, with more than 100 cases in a 24-hour period. Less than 400 ICU beds remain available in Romania.
The vast majority (90%) of Israeli patients most seriously affected by Covid-19 are unvaccinated, Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, the head of public health services at the Health Ministry, said over the weekend.
September 11th & 12th 2021:
Healthy boys may be more likely to be admitted to hospital with a rare side-effect of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine that causes inflammation of the heart than with Covid itself, US researchers claim. Their analysis of medical data suggests that boys aged 12 to 15, with no underlying medical conditions, are four to six times more likely to be diagnosed with vaccine-related myocarditis than ending up in hospital with Covid over a four-month period.
Three U.S. studies suggest COVID-19 vaccines offer strong protection against hospitalization and death. According to the report unvaccinated people are 11 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those who are fully vaccinated. However, the studies — which analyzed data from 600,000 Americans between April 4 and July 17 — suggest that the effectiveness of the vaccines dropped as the delta variant became dominant.
In Israael, for the first time since the beginning of June, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) coefficient of infection fell below 1, meaning that the fourth wave of infections in the country may be dying out. The R coefficient on Thursday morning was recorded at 0.8.
Australia’s third most populous state (Queensland) said on Saturday it may order a snap lockdown after a cluster of COVID-19 cases, as the country posted a record one-day rise in daily infections.
France announced on Thursday it will bar unvaccinated Israelis and Americans from entering the country. Entry will only be permitted to those who have received both doses of the vaccine.
September 10th 2021:
All U.S. employers with 100 or more employees would have to require that their workers be vaccinated or undergo at least weekly Covid-19 testing under a new plan announced by President Biden to curb the spread of the pandemic. President Biden told the unvaccinated in a nationally televised address: “Our patience is wearing thin.”
Idaho public health leaders announced Tuesday that they activated “crisis standards of care” allowing health care rationing for the state’s northern hospitals because there are more coronavirus patients than the institutions can handle.
Australia’s COVID-19 daily cases topped 1,900 for the first time in the pandemic on Friday as an outbreak fueled by the highly infectious Delta variant continued to gain ground in locked-down Sydney and Melbourne, its largest cities.
September 8th & 9th 2021:
Airborne viruses recycled through a low-grade ventilation system likely created Germany’s first super-spreader event of the Covid-19 pandemic, a CSI-style analysis of a carnival celebration in Germany has found. Individuals who sat close to the air outlets had the highest risk of infection.
The μ-coronavirus variant (mu) has been detected in 49 states and 42 countries, according to estimates, as health officials keep an eye on the strain to see if it becomes dominant.
Britain on Tuesday reported COVID-19 209 deaths, the highest daily total since March 9, government statistics showed. Cases have been rising steadily since the start of August. There were 37,489 new cases reported on Tuesday, compared to 41,192 reported on Monday. Scientists warned that restrictions could again be necessary in the coming months.
Over the past several months, a series of studies has found that some people mount an extraordinarily powerful immune response against COVID-19. Their bodies produce very high levels of antibodies capable of fighting off the coronavirus variants circulating in the world and also likely effective against variants that may emerge in the future.
September 6th & 7th 2021:
An explosive increase in Romania both in new cases and deaths from COVID-19: Both numbers were nearly double compared to yesterday. Numbers in ICU also continue to increase.
The U.S. health care system is again buckling under the weight of a COVID-19 surge that has filled more than 100,000 hospital beds nationwide and forced some states to consider enacting “crisis standards of care” — a last resort plan for rationing medical care during a catastrophic event.
With the surge of delta variant infections around the world and the revelation that the strain can cause fully vaccinated people to experience infections and transmit the virus, health scientists say it’s time to recalibrate our expectations. The coronavirus might very well be around forever.
Israel logged over 11,000 new virus cases over the past 24 hours, according to an update to the Health Ministry’s website, the fourth straight day which has seen similar morbidity rates.
Rolling Stone magazine was forced to issue a retraction to their viral story about Oklahoma hospitals being overwhelmed by patients who overdosed on the drug ivermectin after the doctor they cited was contradicted by the hospitals he referenced. The hospital mentioned in the report issued an official statement: “NHS Sequoyah has not treated any patients due to complications related to taking ivermectin. This includes not treating any patients for ivermectin overdose,” the statement reads. The story was picked up by all the major news outlets, who so far have issued no retractions.
The Delta variant is driving hospitalizations nationwide in the U.S. to levels not seen since January: There were 89,916 patients on September 2, and 89,657 patients on January 30. Daily deaths jumped 131% just over the last month, per CDC data.
SpaceX Starlink is now providing internet service to Louisiana St. Charles Parish Emergency Operations team after Hurricane Ida destroyed local communication systems. The Starlink internet service is unaffected by terrestrial disasters because it is a satellite broadband system that mainly operates from space. Such emergency internet has been provided by them in other disasters around the world.
September 4th & 5th 2021:
The U.S. has passed the grim milestone of 40 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 650,000 deaths.
Italy’s prime minister has announced his government could make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory, sparking a row in the country that has seen a recent rise in protests and violence from anti-vaxxers.
Australia, struggling to quell its worst wave of COVID-19, reported 1,756 infections on Saturday, another record high, and officials warned that worse is yet to come, urging people to get vaccinated.
September 3rd 2021:
A study involving more than 340,000 people in Bangladesh offers some of the strongest real-world evidence yet that mask use can help communities slow the spread of Covid-19.
United States child COVID-19 cases are up, with about 204,000 cases added last week. For the week ending August 26, children accounted for 22.4% of reported weekly COVID-19 cases, according to the American Academy of Pediactrics.
Embattled Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo on Thursday, on the heels of an unprecedented meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz earlier this week. According to a statement from Palestinian news agency Wafa, Abbas said he was ready to embrace “confidence-building steps” with Israel aimed at “achieving comprehensive calm in Palestinian lands.”
The US withdrawal from Afghanistan will “catalyse” the EU to establish its own permanent military force, the union’s foreign policy chief has said. “The moment had come to establish an active EU expeditionary force”, described by some senior European politicians as an army.
September 2nd 2021:
Updated Israeli Health Ministry figures show that over 10,000 new Covid-19 cases were registered on Tuesday for the second consecutive day.
Ida may no longer be a hurricane, but the storm’s remnants caused record-breaking rain in the Northeast U.S., including New York City which declared a state of emergency.
September 1st 2021:
In Romania, of the COVID cases in ICU, more than 25% are children. Today’s new cases are another new record for the fourth wave.
The death toll in Israel from COVID-19 surpassed the 7,000-mark Monday, with an all-time record number of new daily cases – 10,946. The positivity rates are also the highest they’ve been in months. On Sunday, 7.8% of those tested were infected. Just one month ago the rate was 2.84%.
The World Health Organization said it is keeping tabs on a new coronavirus variant “mu” (μ), calling it a “variant of interest” on Tuesday. The variant was first discovered in Colombia in January, and is known by its scientific name as B.1.521. The strain has mutations that may be resistant to vaccines.
August 31st 2021:
Romania new cases of COVID-19 were nearly double the number recorded yesterday, and are the highest so far in the fourth wave.
A new variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which cause COVID-19, (C.1.2) has been detected in South Africa and many other countries globally which could be more transmissible and evade protection provided by vaccines, according to studies.
A series of new studies suggests that mRNA vaccines like those from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna trigger the immune system to establish long-term protection against severe COVID-19 — protection that likely will last several years or even longer.
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have reacted angrily to the news that Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, slamming the meeting as “a betrayal” of the Palestinian people.
August 30th 2021:
The European Union is set to recommend halting nonessential travel from the U.S. because of COVID-19, diplomats said on Sunday. Officials have been considering the move for much of the last month with the average U.S. infection rate now above that of the E.U.
Britain recorded a further 61 COVID deaths and 33,196 more cases on Sunday, official data showed. Infections in the last seven days rose by 5.8% on the week before, and weekly deaths jumped by 16%.
More than 1,000 Americans are dying from COVID per day. The U.S. is averaging 156,000 new COVID cases daily. Meanwhile, the South is battling the worst of the Delta surge, with ICU beds rapidly running out.
August 27th to 29th 2021:
Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, reported a record 1,218 locally acquired COVID-19 infections on Sunday, exceeding the previous day’s record of 1,035.
Coronavirus infections in England are now 26 times the levels that were experienced this time last year, according to the Office for National Statistics. Scientists described the figures as “sobering”.
The number of coronavirus patients in U.S. hospitals breached 100,000 on Thursday, the highest level in eight months, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations have more than doubled in the past month.
An intense surge in Covid cases is pushing Oregon’s healthcare system to the brink as patients fill up hospitals and nearly all available ICU beds in the state are occupied. Oregon has more people hospitalized than at any other point in the pandemic.
The chances of developing dangerous blood clots after being infected with the virus that causes Covid-19 are more than ten times the risk from receiving the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines, according to the largest study of its kind.
The ongoing military/civil unrest in Myanmar continues to worsen. Our Brethren there are deeply affected by the crisis. It is no longer possible to send funds there as rioting and violence at ATM locations prohibits it.
August 26th 2021:
Protection against COVID-19 offered by two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines begins to fade within six months, underscoring the need for booster shots, according to researchers in Britain.
Delta Air Lines told unvaccinated employees on Wednesday they will have to pay an additional $200 per month for their company-sponsored healthcare plan.
Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday that a second dose of its Covid-19 vaccine was found in a study to generate a strong immune response (a ninefold increase in spike-binding antibodies compared with 28 days after the first dose), justifying a booster shot, administered six months after the first shot.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are preparing for another possible military operation in Gaza after continued attacks. At the same time, preparations are being made to strike Iranain nuclear facilities.
A second crop of dates from palm trees grown from 2,000 year old seeds has been harvested, much to the delight of researchers at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies at Kibbutz Ketura. The dates are the fruit of a decades-long project to germinate ancient seeds from the Second Temple era discovered beneath the rubble during excavations of Masada by renowned Israeli archaeologist Yigal Yadin during the 1960s.
August 25th 2021:
Formal U.S approval of the Pfizer Inc. COVID-19 vaccine will make it nearly impossible to successfully challenge mandates by employers, legal experts said. The Defense Department, for example, has already announced that all service members will be required to get the vaccine now that the FDA has approved the Pfizer vaccine.
Greece’s health minister announced plans on Tuesday to impose new testing requirements and attendance restrictions on people who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19. The measures include requiring weekly or twice-weekly testing for unvaccinated workers.
Israel reached the dubious milestone of 1 million recorded cases of the coronavirus and a significant spike in the number of daily positive tests. Over 9,800 Israelis were found to be positive for the coronavirus on Monday, marking the highest number of recorded cases in a day since January 2021.
While the Taliban recently captured U.S. military equipment valued at billions of dollars, it’s unlikely that the Taliban got their hands on the Israeli-made systems that hunted them for so long.
August 24th 2021:
ALERT: New cases nearly doubled in Romania compared to yesterday. Officials have declared that the country is now in the fourth wave of COVID-19.
Another country, Australia, has joined the list of those saying that we must learn to live with COVID-19. Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the statement on Monday, despite concerns in some states about the impact of a surge in cases in Sydney.
A total of 6,467 new cases of the coronavirus were diagnosed across Israel Sunday, according to data released by the Health Ministry Monday morning, up from 5,386 new cases reported Saturday.
A Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) study released Monday shows that the drug Tricor, usually used to reduce cholesterol, utilizes the same lipid-lowering effects to successfully treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Clinical results show Tricor can facilitate hospitalized patients’ removal from oxygen within 5-7 days.
Saudi Arabia said it signed a military cooperation agreement with Russia on Monday, according to a tweet by Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman.
All current vaccines in the U.S. are still being used under an emergency authorization. Full approval of the Pfizer vaccine may happen as early as this week.
August 23rd 2021:
U.S. hospitals in the South and Midwest say they are treating more children with Covid-19 than ever and are preparing for worse surges to come.
Volunteers who received a high dose of the BriLife coronavirus vaccine in clinical trials have been notified that they do not yet need a third dose, indicating that Israel’s homegrown vaccine may be more effective than that of Pfizer, N12 News reported Saturday. Unlike Pfizer, apparently there is no decline in the effectiveness against infection with the Israeli vaccine. And even though this vaccine is still experimental, this is definitely good news.
August 21st & 22nd 2021:
An Israeli health care provider reported on Wednesday that a third dose of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine administered to people 60 and older was 86 percent effective. Maccabi compared the results of 149,144 people who received their third shot at least one week ago against 676,630 people who had received only two doses in January and February.
Britain reported 37,314 new cases of COVID-19, government data showed on Friday, and a further 114 people were recorded as having died within 28 days of a positive test.
Australian police clashed with hundreds of anti-lockdown protesters in Melbourne and Sydney on Saturday as officials reported the country’s highest ever single-day rise in COVID-19 cases.
Israel was the first country on Earth to fully vaccinate a majority of its citizens against COVID-19. Now it has one of the world’s highest daily infection rates — an average of nearly 7,500 confirmed cases a day, double what it was two weeks ago.
AstraZeneca released Phase 3 data showing promising results for a combination antibody therapy that prevents COVID-19. The PROVENT pre-exposure prophylaxis trial showed AZD7442 reduced the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 by up to 77% compared to a placebo.
Between 2002 and 2017, the United States gave the Afghan military tens of billions of dollars in weaponry, including Blackhawk helicopters, more than 2,000 armored vehicles, sophisticated aircraft, guns, rockets, night-vision goggles and small drones for intelligence gathering. Most of that equipment is now in the hands of the Taliban.
Pakistan has nuclear weapons and 200 million people, many of whom celebrate the Taliban victory.
In a recent study of more than 5,000 foods, researchers concluded that eating a beef hotdog on a bun resulted in a loss of 35 minutes off the average lifespan “largely due to the detrimental effect of processed meat,” study authors wrote. However, healthier foods can add minutes to that average.
August 20th 2021:
Nearly three-quarters of U.S. breakthrough infections that led to hospitalization or death were among people age 65 or older, according to federal data. Health officials in the UK and Israel, two other nations with high vaccination rates and a spike in Delta infections, have reported similar trends.
Breakthrough infections continue to hit U.S. Capitol Hill, with three Senators the latest fully vaccinated members of Congress to announce positive coronavirus cases.
Hospitalizations of people under the age of 50 with Covid-19 are now at the highest levels seen in the U.S. since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the latest government data shows.
August 19th 2021:
A new therapeutic approach developed by Israel’s Weizmann Institute scientists could spell new hope in the battle against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The researchers generated a molecular “super cork” that physically jams the “entry port” of the cell, thus preventing the virus from attaching itself and entering it.
Fully vaccinated adults can harbor virus levels as high as unvaccinated people if infected with the Delta variant, according to a sweeping analysis of UK data, which supports the idea that hitting the threshold for herd immunity is unlikely.
Almost 60% of hospitalized patients with Covid in Israel are fully vaccinated – Science Mag reports, despite 78% of those 12 and older in Israel being fully jabbed. The experience of Israel thus makes clear that so-called “breakthrough” cases are not such rare events as implied by the term.
According to a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers found that, “consistently meeting physical activity guidelines was strongly associated with a reduced risk for severe Covid-19 outcomes among infected adults.”
August 18th 2021:
The United States reported more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, equating to around 42 fatalities an hour, according to a Reuters tally, as the Delta variant continues to ravage parts of the country.
Sydney’s Delta outbreak has not peaked and residents must brace for more deaths, authorities said on Wednesday, as Australia’s largest city continued to break records for new daily infections despite a nearly two-month lockdown.
August 17th 2021:
The battle against Covid-19 is shifting into long-term, low-intensity mode in Europe, as countries including Germany, Italy and France go from seeking to end the pandemic to preparing to live with it.
Australia, once a world leader in curtailing COVID-19, is struggling to suppress a third wave of infections driven by the highly infectious Delta variant despite locking down more than half its population.
August 16th 2021:
Australia’s biggest city of Sydney recorded its deadliest day of the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday, while residents in Melbourne face a nightly curfew and a further two weeks of lockdown amid a surge in infections.
In what was the second major wildfire in the Judean Hills this month, six communities west of Jerusalem were evacuated Sunday afternoon, and several roads were closed to traffic. More than 10,000 residents were evacuated. Firefighters say that the cause was arson.
Trade between Israel and the UAE has reached nearly $600 million; it’s expected to reach $1 billion by the end of the year. For many observers, the Abraham accords are an example of leaders in the Middle East establishing a new reality based on peace and prosperity.
The Taliban declared the war in Afghanistan was over after insurgents took control of the presidential palace in Kabul as U.S.-led forces departed and Western nations scrambled on Monday to evacuate their citizens. President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday as the Islamist militants entered the capital virtually unopposed.
August 15th 2021:
U.S. hospitalizations of Covid-19 patients in their 30s have hit a new record, U.S. government data show, a sign of the toll that the highly contagious Delta variant is taking on those who had largely avoided hospital stays for Covid-19 during earlier phases of the pandemic because of their relative good health.
Workers who have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19 could soon be paying as much as $50 more per paycheck for health insurance as companies across the U.S. try to protect their employees — and themselves — from outbreaks of the disease.
Russia’s daily COVID-19 deaths hit a new record of 819 on Saturday, a day after Moscow’s health department reported the highest number of monthly deaths in the city since the start of the pandemic.
During the first wave of the pandemic, more than one in ten COVID-19 patients in the U.K. caught the virus while they were in the hospital for other reasons, researchers reported on Thursday in The Lancet. The study was based on data from 314 hospitals.
August 14th 2021:
U.S. Classrooms that have reopened for the fall are seeing a growing number of Covid-19 outbreaks just days into the semester, causing some schools to temporarily shut down buildings or send students home to quarantine.
As the Delta variant continued to rip through regions of the U.S., Oregon’s governor said she would send up to 1,500 national guard troops to help hospital workers pushed to the brink by a surge of cases.
August 13th 2021:
After becoming one of the first countries to open up thanks to a widespread Covid-19 vaccination campaign, Israel is again on guard, this time against the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. Mask mandates are back, including requirements to mask up for large outdoor gatherings. Many venues require people to show proof of vaccination, a negative Covid-19 test or proof of recovery from the virus.
U.S. Prices at the wholesale level over the past 12 months are up a record 7.8%. Inflation at the wholesale level jumped a higher-than-expected 1% in July, matching the rise from the previous month, and dimming hopes that the upward trajectory of prices would begin to slow.
August 12th 2021:
India recorded 41,195 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking its tally to 32.08 million infections, data from the health ministry showed on Thursday.
Extra Australian military personnel may be called in to ensure compliance with lockdown rules in Sydney, the New South Wales state government said on Thursday, as the highly infectious Delta coronavirus variant spreads into regional areas.
Israel’s Coronavirus Cabinet approved a plan to intensify coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday, including limitation on gatherings from August 16, 2021. The move comes as thousands of new cases in Israel are reported every day. Israel’s government is trying to halt the rising numbers ahead of the Jewish high holidays, which begin on September 6 with Rosh Hashanah.
Although extremely rare, a blood clot syndrome after the first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine carries a high risk of death and can occur in otherwise young and healthy people, UK researchers have found. In those aged under 50, blood clots occur in around one in 50,000 people who have received the vaccine, data suggests.
Consumer prices rose 5.4% in July from a year earlier, the same pace as in June, the highest 12-month rate since 2008, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.
August 11th 2021:
Israel on Tuesday registered 6,275 new daily COVID-19 infections, marking the highest number since the peak of the pandemic in February, according to Health Ministry data.
Reaching herd immunity is “not a possibility” with the current Delta variant, the head of the Oxford Vaccine Group has said. Giving evidence to MPs on Tuesday, Prof. Sir Andrew Pollard said the fact that vaccines did not stop the spread of Covid meant reaching the threshold for overall immunity in the population was “mythical”.
August 9th 2021:
Weeks of rising Covid-19 cases have hardened divisions within families, communities and friend groups over which members have been vaccinated and which have chosen not to do so.
The more aggressive Delta variant of Covid-19, detected in the Philippines in mid-July, has spread across much of the country, reaching 13 of 17 regions, health officials have said. The national capital region of Manila, home to almost 14 million people, was placed under lockdown last week in an attempt to slow the spread of the Delta variant.
The Florida Department of Health took to Twitter on Monday to ask the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to update its COVID-19 case tracker for the state because it incorrectly combined “MULTIPLE days into one,” which made the Sunday daily case count explode to the state’s worst ever.
Public health experts and state officials are raising alarms about a surge in COVID hospitalizations among children, now at their steepest and seeing the most significant increase since the onset of the pandemic. In a newly released weekly report, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) found that nearly 94,000 new child COVID-19 cases were reported last week.
Increasing numbers of Lebanese civilians and public figures are openly saying that they are fed up with Hezbollah‘s presence in their country. This sentiment was reflected by comments made Sunday by a dominant Christian leader, Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, who argued that Hezbollah’s operations not only endanger Israel’s safety, but the safety of Lebanon as well, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).
August 8th 2021:
COVID-19 increases patients’ risks for heart attack and stroke, suggests a study from Sweden that compared 86,742 individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 in 2020 and 348,481 people without the virus. In the week following a COVID-19 diagnosis, the risk of a first heart attack went up three- to eight-fold, and the risk of a first stroke due to a blood-vessel blockage rose three- to six-fold, the researchers found.
A record-breaking 23,903 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Florida on Friday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This marks the third time this week that Florida has surpassed its record of new daily Covid-19 cases. Florida has a larger percentage of its population vaccinated than Illinois or Texas, and is comparable to other large states like California and Pennsylvania.
India has approved Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, the health minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, said. India has reported an average of 30,000 to 40,000 new coronavirus cases every day since July.
August 7th 2021:
Public Health England (PHE) said that of confirmed Delta cases that had ended up hospitalized since July 19, 55.1% were unvaccinated, while 34.9% had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Also, there are early signs that people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 may be able to transmit the Delta variant of the virus as easily as those who have not, scientists at (PHE) said on Friday.
Arutz 7: Coronavirus patients who recovered from the virus were far less likely to become infected during the latest wave of the pandemic than people who were vaccinated against COVID, according to numbers presented to the Israeli Health Ministry. Less than 1% of new cases recently involved people who had been previously infected, while 40% in the study of 7,700 cases were individuals who had already been vaccinated. A recent study at the Cleveland Clinic showed similar results. The U.S. Government’s CDC came to nearly opposite conclusions. Who’s right?
COVID-19 is an extremely dangerous disease, and most experts agree that the risks associated with the current vaccines are less than the disease itself. It’s a case of choosing the lesser of two evils for most people. For many there will soon be no choice as mandatory vaccination rules are becoming more prevalent around the world.
As the United States grapples with rising infections, hospitalizations and deaths amid a surge of the virus’ Delta variant, exhausted and desperate health care workers are turning to social media to describe the grim reality they face. Increasing numbers of healthcare workers are choosing to leave their jobs.
Daily Covid-19 cases in the US moved above 100,000 a day for the first time since February, higher than the levels of last summer when vaccines were not available.
Israel on Friday recorded 3,843 new daily COVID-19 cases with the positive test rate at 3.79 percent out of 102,749 people tested for the virus, according to Health Ministry data.
August 6th 2021:
Daily new COVID-19 cases have climbed to a six-month high in the United States, with more than 100,000 infections reported nationwide. The seven-day average of new reported cases reached nearly 95,000, a five-fold increase in less than a month, Reuters data through Wednesday showed.
Did you know? In most States in the U.S. “breakthrough” cases are not counted unless a vaccinated person is hospitalized or dies from COVID-19.
Natural immunity to the coronavirus after recovering from the disease can last for years, maybe even decades, according to a new study reported in the New York Times.
The Tel Aviv gay Pride Parade is the largest of its kind held in the Middle East, and Hebrew language media reported that some 100,000 revellers took to the streets during the event. Pictures of the parade show tens of thousands tightly packed together, with almost no masks in sight. MK Bezalel Smotrich was roundly denounced by the Israeli Health Minister for stating his concerns publicly.
Israel’s northern frontier is coming under increasing attacks from Hezbollah forces. Friday morning more than 10 rockets were fired into Israel. Three rockets were fired into Israel on Wednesday.
August 5th 2021:
Coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 200 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as the more-infectious delta variant threatens areas with low vaccination rates and strains healthcare systems.
Israel on Wednesday registered more than 3,000 COVID-19 cases for the second consecutive day with 3.34 percent of tests returning a positive result out of 98,854 people tested for the virus, according to Health Ministry data.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a halt to Covid-19 booster shots until at least the end of September, stating that these doses are needed to address a shortfall in poorer countries, thus adding to the global confusion on vaccination policies.
From the Jerusalem Post: “Ivermectin, a drug used to fight parasites in third-world countries, could help reduce the length of infection for people who contract coronavirus for less than a $1 a day, according to recent research by Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer.” Though not a cure-all, the effectiveness of the drug in treating COVID-19 was significant compared to the control group. “Another recent review found that ivermectin reduced deaths by 75%…” Last month, Oxford University announced a large trial on ivermectin effectiveness.
Sydney reported its worst day of the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday with five deaths and a record rise in locally acquired infections as a weeks-long hard lockdown is struggling to contain the highly contagious Delta strain of the coronavirus. One of the five deaths was a vaccinated individual. Authorities suspect the outbreak began with a beach party.
Future travelers to the US will have to be fully vaccinated a White House official has said. The new requirement is being discussed as part of a phased approach to easing restrictions for vaccinated travelers.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid held on Wednesday a security briefing with ambassadors from UNSC member-states and exposed the identity of the person behind the attack of the Israeli-managed oil tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf of Oman. “Ara Jani is the primary operator of the UAV array of Iran’s IRCG air force, which targeted the Mercer Street. He is the one who provides the equipment, training, the operative plans and is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in the region,” Gantz added.
August 4th 2021:
New verified COVID-19 cases in Israel soared Monday to over 3,800, with seriously ill patients numbering at 221. It was the highest number recorded since mid-June when new cases were down to single digits. Officials say the surge in cases is due to the Delta variant.
As the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus continues to strike communities nationwide, dozens of major U.S. companies are stepping up their vaccine requirements, mandating that some or all employees get vaccinated or provide proof of vaccination.
Iranian-backed forces are believed to have temporarily seized an oil tanker in the Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, three maritime security sources said, after Britain’s maritime trade agency reported a “potential hijack” in the area on Tuesday. Tensions have simmered in the region after an attack last week on an Israeli-managed tanker off the Omani coast killed two crew members and was blamed on Iran by the United States, Israel and Britain.
August 3rd 2021:
The U.S. states of Florida and Louisiana were at or near their highest hospitalization numbers of the coronavirus pandemic on Monday, driven by the still-spreading Delta variant, as one doctor warned of the “darkest days” yet. Hospitalizations in Arkansas are also soaring and could eventually break records.
Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham revealed on Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated, has flu-like symptoms and will be self-quarantining for 10 days.
People at considerable risk of developing severe Covid-19, including millions of Americans with compromised immune systems, now have the option of receiving a preventive monoclonal antibody treatment [Regeneron] if they have been or are at risk of being exposed to the coronavirus. Test participants lived in the United States, Romania and Moldova.
Israel’s cabinet is set to convene Tuesday to discuss reinstating additional corona restrictions, as the number of daily infections surpassed 3,000 for the first time since March.
Hundreds of critical health workers in the Australian state of Queensland have gone into isolation as the country battles a growing Delta outbreak. Queensland’s chief health officer said health workers in quarantine included all the cardiac surgeons at the Queensland Children’s hospital, leading to delays in surgery and outpatient work.
Teacher Julia Perry cited “the fear and intimidation I and many of my fellow teachers have felt in the face of the political activists calling us racists and saying they wish we were dead. Even though one of my grandparents was Jewish, I was called a Nazi just because I don’t agree with the far-left agenda invading our schools.”
The U.S., Russia and Britain have given Israel tacit approval to retaliate against Iran for a deadly drone strike on an Israeli-operated ship on Thursday. The “green light” from Russia was particularly surprising. The Romanian captain and a British security guard were killed in the attack.
August 2nd 2021:
Florida reported 21,683 new cases of Covid-19, the state’s highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic, according to federal health data released Saturday.
Comparing apples to oranges in the U.S.: “Health experts” are calculating breakthrough percentages on the total number ever vaccinated since the Pandemic started, an erroneous and misleading comparison. Nationwide in the U.S., there were more than 35,000 “breakthrough” cases last week alone (people already vaccinated getting infected). In Los Angeles county, 26% of all new infections were among those already vaccinated.
The number of U.S. Covid-19 cases has surpassed 35 million as California became the first state to pass 4 million, according to an NBC News tally late Sunday. Almost 616,800 people have died from the disease in the U.S., according to the calculations.
Australia’s Queensland state on Monday extended a COVID-19 lockdown in Brisbane, while soldiers began patrolling Sydney to enforce stay-at-home rules as Australia struggles to stop the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus spreading.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Friday there will be no nationwide mandate for Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine, but plans are under consideration for mandatory vaccinations of Federal workers.
Chinese cities have rolled out mass testing of millions of people and imposed fresh travel restrictions as health authorities battle to contain the country’s most widespread coronavirus outbreak in months.
Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday warned that the country’s latest COVID-19 surge is “going to get worse.” The White House chief medical adviser acknowledged that the US has yet to turn the corner in the recent outbreak driven by the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.
Iran’s outgoing president, Hassan Rouhani, acknowledged on Sunday that his nation at times “did not tell part of the truth” to its people during his eight-year tenure, “Because I did not find it useful and I was afraid it would harm national unity.”
August 1st 2021:
Of the variants detected in Canada, the Delta increased more than five-fold in June. Rising case counts suggest “we are at the start of the Delta-driven fourth wave,” Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam told reporters.
The protection that vaccines give against coronavirus infection, and potentially severe disease, is highly likely to wane over time so vaccine campaigns will continue for years to come, scientists told the British government’s advisory group.
Israel logged 2,435 new coronavirus infections over the last 24 hours, according to an update to the Health Ministry’s website on Saturday evening. This represents the fifth straight day that Israel saw upward of 2,000 new cases of the virus.
Worldwide, coronavirus infections are once again on the upswing, with the World Health Organization announcing an 80 percent average increase over the past four weeks in five of the health agency’s six regions, a jump largely fueled by the Delta variant.
July 31st 2021:
Three-quarters of the hundreds of people infected with COVID-19 at July public events in a town on Cape Cod in Massachusetts were fully vaccinated, a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed.
July 29th & 30th 2021:
An internal slide presentation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dated Thursday gives new details on how dangerous the delta variant really is. It spreads more easily than the common cold. In addition to being more contagious, the delta variant likely increases the risk of severe disease and hospitalization, compared to the original strain.
Israel launched its mass vaccination campaign promoting a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Friday. Israel is the first country in the world to offer a third dose of the COVID vaccine, with the government urging Israelis over the age of 60 to receive a third jab to combat the spread of the Delta variant.
Britain’s U.N. ambassador warned on Thursday that half of Myanmar’s 54 million people could be infected with COVID-19 in the next two weeks. “The coup has resulted in a near total collapse of the healthcare system, and health care workers are being attacked and arrested,” British U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward told an informal Security Council discussion on Myanmar.
India reported 44,230 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, the most in three weeks, the latest evidence of a worrying trend of rising cases that has forced one state to lock down amid fears of another wave of infections.
President Joe Biden on Thursday urged local governments to pay people $100 to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and set new rules requiring federal workers to provide proof of vaccination or face regular testing, mask mandates and travel restrictions.
A Covid outbreak first discovered in the Chinese city of Nanjing has spread to five provinces and Beijing, with state media calling it the “most extensive contagion after Wuhan”. Officials believe the current outbreak is linked to the highly infectious Delta variant.
Australia has deployed hundreds of soldiers to Sydney to help enforce a Covid lockdown. A Delta outbreak which began in June has produced nearly 3,000 infections and led to nine deaths. Australian Defense Force soldiers will undergo training on the weekend before beginning unarmed patrols on Monday.
July 28th 2021:
Israel’s Health Ministry announced that on Monday, 2,112 people tested positive for the coronavirus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday raised its COVID-19 travel health notice for Israel to “Level 3: High,” one notch below the CDC’s most severe travel rating. In the U.S., daily new cases have risen by 142% in the last two weeks.
An Israeli search and rescue team played an outsized role in recovering the remains of victims of last month’s catastrophic apartment building collapse in southern Florida. Out of 98 victims remains recovered, 81 were found by with the help of the IDF team, which worked alongside American rescue workers.
July 27th 2021:
The Swedish company Iconovo is collaborating with an immunology research start-up in Stockholm, ISR, on a dry-powder vaccine against Covid-19 which can be inhaled. It uses more traditional manufactured Covid-19 virus proteins (unlike Pfizer, Moderna and Astra Zeneca which use RNA or DNA that code for these proteins), and can withstand temperatures of up to 40C.
Delta Plus, as it is referred to, is a mutation of the Delta Variant. It first came to the attention of medical professionals in England in March. It isn’t clear how the Delta Plus mutation compares to the Delta Variant in terms of infectiousness, deadliness, or ability to resist vaccines. It has since been detected in North America, Europe, India and Japan.
New South Wales (Sydney) reported a record high number of covid cases on Tuesday despite more than four weeks of lockdown for the region, with signs tough measures could extend until September. More than half of Australia’s population of nearly 26 million is in lockdown.
The number of Covid-19 cases across the U.S. may have been undercounted by as much as 60%, researchers at the University of Washington have found.
The American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association have joined up with over 50 other health care organizations to call for mandatory vaccinations in their industry, citing rising COVID cases and their trust in the vaccine.
July 26th 2021:
The Delta variant is the fastest, fittest and most formidable version of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 the world has encountered, and it is upending assumptions about the disease. Israeli health officials have said 60% of current hospitalized COVID cases are in vaccinated people.
The latest update from Israel shows that the current vaccines are only 39% effective against the Delta variant in that country. Focus has now shifted to reducing the number of those with serious disease rather than total prevention. Other countries reporting higher effectiveness rates have far less reliable information on which to base their numbers.
King Abdullah II of Jordan said that he expects additional Arab states to normalize relations with Israel in the future, in an interview with CNN. Declining to speculate which country would likely be the next to join the Abraham Accords, the monarch said that several Middle Eastern states “see having a relationship with Israel as in their vested interests” due to security concerns about Iran.
Anger at the Hamas terrorist group bubbled over as Palestinian factions called for the cessation of weapons storage in residential areas. The demand came following a large explosion Thursday morning in which one person was killed and at least 14 wounded, including six children. Initial reports suggested that it might have been a gas leak, but footage showed that the detonation of weapons caused the explosion.
July 24th 2021:
Vaccinated individuals accounted for 75% of Singapore’s COVID-19 infections in the last four weeks, but they were not falling seriously ill, government data showed. Even though COVID-19 vaccines are more than 90% effective at preventing serious illness, millions of vaccinated people will likely have a breakthrough infection, which can be passed on to others, according to the CDC.
An oral vaccine against the coronavirus is on the verge of clinical trials in Israel, and it could be used in particular in countries that do not yet have access to conventional vaccines.
A new worldwide wave of COVID-19, natural disasters in China and Germany and a cyber-attack targeting key South African ports have conspired to drive global supply chains towards the breaking point, threatening the fragile flow of raw materials, parts and consumer goods, according to companies, economists and shipping specialists.
A U.S. Senate committee has approved legislation that would, if enacted, require young women to register for Selective Service alongside men, and in the rare event of a war or other national emergency, be drafted for the first time in the nation’s history.
July 23rd 2021:
Russia is enduring a devastating third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, registering record numbers of daily virus deaths many days for the past month as the virus rages in the country where there are few quarantine restrictions in place and much of the population is reluctant to get vaccinated.
Israel’s Health Ministry reported Thursday that the Pfizer vaccine’s efficacy in preventing Delta variant infections has dropped to 39 percent, while the vaccination was still 91 percent effective in preventing serious illness among those fully inoculated.
The current COVID-19 surge in the U.S. — fueled by the highly contagious delta variant — will steadily accelerate through the summer and fall, peaking in mid-October, with daily deaths more than triple what they are now. That’s according to new projections released Wednesday from the COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub, a consortium of researchers working in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help the agency track the course of the pandemic.
Australia’s New South Wales state on Friday reported its biggest daily rise in new COVID-19 cases this year, prompting state officials to tighten lockdown measures in Sydney in what they called a “national emergency.”
Just over a month after the Golden state dropped all its coronavirus safety restrictions, numerous parts of California are seeing a dramatic increases in Covid-19 infections. In Los Angeles, county figures show that Covid-19 infections have increased twentyfold in a month. In San Francisco, they’ve almost tripled in two weeks.
July 22nd 2021:
Members of Israel’s coronavirus cabinet scrambled to schedule a meeting on Thursday after the Health Ministry announced that 1,400 new cases of Covid were diagnosed on Tuesday. It’s the highest one-day spike since March.
From Wednesday, showing either a health pass, or proof of a negative PCR test dated to within 48 hours, is obligatory in France for anyone wishing to access any cultural or leisure facilities with a capacity of more than 50 people. This includes cinemas, art galleries, libraries, museums, sports centres and work-related events.
In Australia, New South Wales (Sydney) authorities are hopeful that tougher stay-at home-orders will produce results by the weekend or early next week, after cases surged again on Wednesday and three local government areas in western NSW were put into a seven-day snap lockdown.
The UK has recorded 44,104 new coronavirus cases, and 73 further deaths, according to the latest update to the government’s dashboard. The total number of new cases over the past week is up 35.8% on the total for the previous seven days, and deaths are up 59.8% week on week.
Coronavirus infections in Rome have increased 500% over the past nine days, a boom believed to have been triggered by the European football championship celebrations.
UF Health Jacksonville, in Florida’s most populous city, has seen an “exponential” rise in the number of COVID-19 patients admitted in recent weeks, Chad Neilsen, director of infection prevention at the hospital, told ABC News.
Israel has become the first country in the world to okay Covid booster shots for immunocompromised adults. Israel’s four health providers have been informed by the Israel Health Ministry that they can administer a third booster shot to adults with underlying immune problems.
July 21st 2021:
Food fight: Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream is at odds with it’s parent company: Unilever Corp., which has banned future sales of the product in Judea and Samaria. The decision could be illegal under anti-BDS laws in 33 States in the U.S. and could jeopardize future contracts. The Israeli government has threatened “serious consequences” for the action.
The analysis, from the Center for Global Development, a think tank in Washington, D.C., looks at the number of “excess deaths” that occurred in India between January 2020 and June 2021 – in other words, how many more people died during that period than during a similar period of time in 2019 or other recent years. The conclusion is that between 3.4 and 4.7 million more people died in that pandemic period than would have been predicted. That’s up to 10 times higher than the Indian government’s official death toll of 414,482.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem studies published in a pair of medical journals suggest that already-existing drugs can be repurposed to fight Covid, Hebrew-language news sites reported Monday. One is darapladib, which is used to treat atherosclerosis, a build up of fatty cholesterol in the artery walls. A second is Flumatinib, which is used to treat bone marrow cancer. The third was an unspecified HIV medication.
July 20th 2021:
The average number of new Covid-19 cases per day has tripled in the past 30 days in the United States, according to an analysis of Reuters data. In the month from June 18 to Sunday, it climbed from 12,004 to 32,136.
A top scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday that the world is shifting further away from the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, owing to factors like viral variants, social mixing, the flouting of public health measures and vaccine inequities. Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, epidemiologist and WHO COVID-19 technical lead, noted an 11.5% increase in global cases over the last week.
A third Australian state announced lockdown rules on Tuesday to combat the COVID-19 Delta variant spread, with South Australia entering week-long restrictions, joining an extended lockdown in Victoria (Melbourne) and a five-week shutdown in NSW (Sydney).
More Colleges are mandating Covid-19 vaccines. A federal judge has ruled that Indiana University may require its students to submit proof of Covid-19 vaccination before returning to campus this fall, dealing a setback to a brewing legal effort against vaccination requirements in higher education.
War and social unrest severely impact efforts to curb the coronavirus spread. This has been demonstrated recently in places like Mayanmar, and the regions in China that border that country, where new cases have spiralled out of control.
The long-feared possibility that the Covid-19 pandemic could disrupt the Tokyo Olympics is rapidly emerging as a reality, as Games organizers scramble to deal with a rising load of athletes and officials who are testing positive upon arrival in Japan. Since July 2, Tokyo 2020 organizers have reported 58 positive cases among athletes, officials and journalists.
July 19th 2021:
England is preparing to “reopen” despite skyrocketing Covid cases. Almost all lockdown restrictions are set to end in England on Monday. Nightclubs and sporting events will be free to function at full capacity in England and the government will no longer advise people to work from home.
Los Angeles is the first county in the U.S. to require masks again. The mandate is for indoors, and it’s indefinite. The masks came back Sunday, one month after California dropped restrictions.
The Biden administration paid $135 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on Saturday after an agreement was signed last week, which for the first time, condemns anti-Israel hatred, i24NEWS reports. In April, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning UNRWA for teaching hate and violence in Palestinian Authority (PA) schools.
U.S. President Biden ratcheted up the rhetoric recently with this comment: “The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and they’re killing people.” Ironically, five fully vaccinated members of the Texas House Democrat delegation in Washington, D.C., have now tested positive for Covid-19, the state’s House Democratic Caucus said Saturday.
July 18th 2021:
After declining steeply for six months, coronavirus cases are once again on the rise, thanks to the delta variant. And the increase is not only among the “unvaccinated” but includes places like LA and NYC. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday that new cases are up by nearly 70% in just a week. Hospitalizations are up by nearly 36%.
For the first time in over four months Israel recorded more than 1,000 new cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours. On Friday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett acknowledged that the protection afforded by the Pfizer vaccine against the delta variant is weaker than medical professionals were hoping for.
Over 1,000 people contracted coronavirus at a Netherlands outdoor music festival billed as a coronavirus-safe event, CNBC reported. Attendance at the Verknipt Outdoor Festival was dependent on the presentation of a QR code which showed that the individual had recently tested negative for the virus, been vaccinated, or recovered from a COVID-19 infection.
French President Macron this week announced sweeping measures to fight a rapid surge in coronavirus infections, including forced vaccination of health workers and COVID-19-free certificates to enter places such as bars, restaurants and cinemas.
Week of July 11th to July 17th, 2021:
Romania: The week ending 17-Jul-2021 is the first time in many weeks that both New Cases and Deaths increased.
Update Saturday, July 17th: All the German Brethren in the flooded area have confirmed that they are safe, and had no significant damage. If additional news becomes available, it will be posted here.
Covid cases are rising in all 50 U.S. states as the Delta variant spreads coast to coast, news outlets reported on Friday, and with less than half the U.S. population fully vaccinated, public health chiefs warned of an “extraordinary surge”.
Israel on Friday recorded 855 new daily COVID-19 cases, according to Health Ministry data, marking the fourth consecutive day where the number of new infections has exceeded 750 as the country struggles to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious delta variant despite its record-setting vaccine rollout.
The Australian state of Victoria (Melbourne) was ordered into a five-day lockdown on Thursday following a spike in COVID-19 infections, joining New South Wales (Sydney) as the country’s two main population hubs battle an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant.
As the coronavirus pandemic evolves and new variants emerge that are more transmissible or can cause more severe disease, human behavior remains one of the biggest pieces of the equation, potentially creating a perfect storm, increasing the odds that new transmissions spiral out of control.
Los Angeles County will reimpose its mask mandate this weekend in the latest sign that public health officials are struggling with an alarming rise in coronavirus cases tied to the highly contagious Delta variant.
The World Health Organization warned Thursday that the surging COVID-19 pandemic in many parts of the world increases the likelihood that new, potentially dangerous variants may emerge in the future.
The U.S. is averaging more than 23,000 new coronavirus cases a day, double the seven-day average of around 11,300 cases three weeks ago, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.
Israel’s coronavirus cabinet convened Tuesday night and discussed possible strategies that will allow the country to combat the spike in new cases, while preventing a potentially economically devastating fourth wave lockdown. The new strategy is being called “soft suppression” and will be similar to what is currently being used in the U.K.
Amid a megadrought, federal water shortage limits loom for the Colorado River. A prolonged warming and drying trend is pushing the two largest reservoirs in the U.S. to record lows. For the first time, a shortage is expected to be declared by the federal government, this summer. Restrictions would affect more than 40 million people.
Consumer prices jumped 5.4% in the 12 months to the end of June, up from 5% the previous month. It marks the biggest 12-month increase since August 2008, according to the US Labor Department.
The World Health Organization’s chief scientist on Monday advised against people mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines from different manufacturers, calling it a “dangerous trend” since there was little data available about the health impact.
Coronavirus patients who recovered from the virus were far less likely to become infected during the latest wave of the pandemic than people who were vaccinated against COVID, according to numbers presented to the Israeli Health Ministry. Israelis who were vaccinated were 6.72 times more likely to get infected after the shot than after natural infection.
After adjusting for factors like race, age, sex and other factors like physical activity, BMI level and history of certain medical conditions, researchers found “habitual consumption of 1 or more cups of coffee per day was associated with about a 10% decrease in risk of COVID-19 compared to less than 1 cup/day.” Further findings suggested daily consumption of at least 0.67 servings of vegetables also reduced risk of coronavirus infection.
Archaeologists excavating in southern Israel uncovered a piece of inked pottery bearing the name Jerubbaal, the Israeli Antiquities Authority announced on Monday. Jerubbaal was the lesser-used name of the judge Gideon. It was the first time an inscription from the time of the biblical Judges and relating to the Book of Judges has been recovered, the IAA said.
U.S. households should be prepared for several years of higher inflation than the country has seen in several decades, The Wall Street Journal reported, quoting economists. Economists surveyed by WSJ suggested that inflation would go higher and last for longer than appeared likely twelve months earlier.
The prospect of an extended lockdown in Sydney loomed on Monday as Australian health officials reported yet another record daily rise in COVID-19 cases for the year, fuelled by the highly infectious Delta variant.
Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said that Israel is shifting its strategy in fighting the coronavirus, focusing on mitigating the risks from returning travelers and disrupting daily life and the economy as little as possible. “Coronavirus will be with us for a long time, and we have to create a routine so that we can live alongside it,” Horowitz said.
Pro-Western Moldovan President Maya Sandu’s PAS party won the country’s snap parliamentary elections, data from the central election commission showed on Monday, on a platform of fighting corruption and carrying out reforms.
In what may be a sign of serious trouble for Israel’s month-old governing coalition, an MK from the Islamist Ra’am party announced that the faction will immediately boycott all meetings and Knesset votes. With a razor-thin majority of just 61 seats [out of 120], a boycott by the party means that the governing coalition has lost its upper hand and will need members of the opposition to either abstain or break party discipline in order to pass legislation.
CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner suggested on Friday that it was “time to mandate vaccines” and encouraged private industry to do so. Hundreds of U.S. private businesses and organizations have already mandated vaccination as a requirement for continued employment.
Moldovans were voting in a snap parliamentary election on Sunday in which pro-Western President Maya Sandu hopes to win a majority to fight corruption and carry out reforms she says were blocked by allies of her pro-Russian predecessor, Igor Dodon.
Week of July 4th to July 10th, 2021:
The world has crossed the “tragic” threshold of 4 million deaths from Covid-19, the World Health Organization announced on Wednesday.
Australia’s state of New South Wales (NSW, including Sydney) on Thursday reported its biggest daily rise in locally acquired cases of COVID-19 this year as officials struggle to stamp out a growing cluster of the highly infectious Delta variant. The numbers are still relatively low, but the rate of increase is significant.
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command chief Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin warned on Wednesday of a likely fourth wave of Covid outbreaks with “1,000 infections a day by the end of the week.” The Delta variant, which originated in India, is responsible for a surge of new cases in Israel and around the world. According to Ministry of Health figures, the Delta variant makes up 90 percent of Israel’s new cases.
The Abraham Fund, after getting off to a running start, approving more than 10 projects in such fields as energy and fin-tech and reviewing hundreds more, has come to a sudden stop as a result of Joe Biden winning the presidential elections. The Fund’s head, appointed by former president Trump, left, and a successor has yet to be chosen.
In a historic first, the UN condemned for the first time anti-Semitic terrorism and recognized its existence. The World body adopted a Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy that unequivocally condemns the terrorist organizations’ use of civilians as human shields.
Week of June 27th to July 3rd, 2021:
Russia on Saturday reported 697 coronavirus-related deaths, the most confirmed in a single day since the pandemic began and the fifth day in a row it has set that record. The government coronavirus taskforce also confirmed 24,439 new coronavirus cases nationwide, the most it has reported since early January.
A Tel Aviv University (TAU) team has created a revolutionary method to deliver drugs to diseased cells while leaving the healthy ones alone. Not only did it equal or surpass current medications, but there were no side effects that occur when a drug is indiscriminately introduced into the body.
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) issued a fervent apology on Sunday to Muslim and Palestinian members over a recent condemnation of anti-Semitism because “it did not discuss Islamophobia”, and announced the resignation of the diversity officer who had posted the message.
The U.K. recorded 18,270 new coronavirus infections – the highest daily rise since 5 February – and 23 deaths. Cases have been rising in Britain for the last month.
The U.S. State Department has denied that the Biden administration is planning to change its policy regarding the Golan Heights following recognition of Israel’s sovereignty of the area under the Trump administration. Former U.S. officials and Republican congressmen, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, expressed concern that the United States could rescind its recognition.
Week of June 20th to June 26th, 2021:
A letter signed by 73 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives calls on U.S. President Joe Biden to “reverse” the Trump administration’s pro-Israel policies, including his peace plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Europe is “on thin ice” in its battle against the coronavirus, as the highly contagious delta variant threatens to undo progress made in reducing infections.
Honduras has become the fourth country to open an embassy in Israel’s capital, Jerusalem. Serbia, Malawi and the Dominican Republic have previously announced their intentions to open embassies in the Israeli capital. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration is quietly walking back the U.S. recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
Dr. Robert Malone, the inventor of the mRNA technology that went into some of the current COVID-19 vaccines told Fox News on Wednesday that Google-owned YouTube deleted a posting of a podcast during which he discussed his concerns and negative findings.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday it plans to move quickly to add a warning about rare cases of heart inflammation in adolescents and young adults to fact sheets for the Pfizer/BioNTech (PFE.N), and Moderna (MRNA.O) COVID-19 vaccines.
Between 2018 and 2020, average life expectancy at birth in the U.S. decreased by 1.9 years — 8.5 times the average decrease in 16 comparable countries. The U.S. birth rate fell 4 percent last year, the largest single-year decrease in nearly 50 years.
Outgoing Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s chief of staff said Wednesday that as part of the ongoing nuclear deal talks taking place in Vienna, Washington has agreed to lift more than 1,000 sanctions from the Trump era. Iran has consistently failed to comply with requirements outlined in the current international agreement, which failure resulted in the sanctions.
After being vilified in the mainstream press, and banned in a number of countries, the University of Oxford said on Wednesday it was testing anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin as a possible treatment for COVID-19, as part of a British government-backed study that aims to aid recoveries in non-hospital settings. Informal studies have shown that the drug is one of the most effective treatments against the coronavirus.
After the Palestinian Authority rejected the transfer of some 1.4 million coronavirus vaccines from Israel, complaining that the doses were too close to their expiration date, the Jewish state is using those same vaccines on its adolescent citizens.
While cases are declining in many countries across the world, they are surging in Russia, South Africa and Colombia.
Researchers at the Institute of Hematology at Tel Aviv’s Yitzhak Shamir Medical Center said they found a “chronological connection” between the Pfizer vaccine and TTP, an autoimmune disease that causes blood clots, which interfere with the flow of oxygen to crucial organs.
Israel is negotiating with three countries that have expressed interest in acquiring around one million doses of the Covid vaccine rejected by the Palestinian Authority. The three countries interested in the vaccines were not disclosed.
The Israeli Health Ministry on Saturday categorically rejected Palestinian Authority (PA) claims that the Covid-19 vaccines it had sent to Ramallah on Friday were not up to proper health standards. “The Palestinian Health Ministry received Pfizer vaccines that were valid, with expiration dates that were known, agreed on and that matched the agreement between the two sides,” the ministry said in a statement.
Uganda’s president Yowreri Museveni on Friday introduced sweeping new anti-coronavirus measures including a ban on all vehicular movement except for essential workers to help curb a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic gripping the nation.
Vitamin-D, which is produced naturally in the human body after exposure to sunlight, could be key in preventing complications from the coronavirus, according to an Israeli study published this week. The study, conducted at the Galilee Medical Center, has revealed that one out of every four people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the Jewish state was Vitamin-D deficient.
Week of June 13th to June 19th, 2021:
U.S. wholesale prices, driven by rising food costs, increased by an unprecedented amount over the past year. Food prices jumped a sizable 2.6% for the month of May alone. Over the past 12 months, wholesale prices are up 6.6%, the largest 12-month increase on records going back to 2010.
Uganda: Both private and public medical facilities in the capital, Kampala and in towns across the country – including regional hubs in Entebbe, Jinja, Soroti, Gulu and Masaka – have reported running out or having acute shortages of AstraZeneca vaccines and oxygen. Hospitals report they are no longer able to admit patients to intensive care.
The first results from a large efficacy study of a new COVID-19 vaccine are now out, and they are very good. According to Novavax, the vaccine’s manufacturer, it had a 100% efficacy against the original strain of the coronavirus and 93% efficacy against more worrisome variants that have subsequently appeared. The Novavax vaccine is what’s known as a protein subunit vaccine, which does not invade healthy cells like mRNA vaccines.
A Covid-19 strain known as Delta is in at least 60 countries including the U.S. and is likely to spread world-wide.
Europe’s drug regulator on Friday identified another very rare blood condition as a potential side effect of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine and said it was looking into cases of heart inflammation after inoculation with all coronavirus shots. Researchers determined that the incidence of myocarditis in vaccinated young men was fully 25 times the usual rate. Results of this research were initially banned by YouTube, but are now being reviewed by the CDC.
Israel is concerned by reports that Russia will provide Iran with a modern satellite for intelligence and collection purposes. Security sources in Israel stressed that the move would be an improvement in Iranian capabilities and provide it with an unprecedented ability to track Israeli bases, strategic targets and other targets in the Middle East. Russian President Vladimir Putin denied the reports.
In a decision that appalled and angered Syrian opposition groups and international medical organizations, on May 28 Syria was appointed to the [WHO] World Health Organization’s Executive Board, made up of 34 member states. The latest incident occurred on Saturday when a hospital was hit by Syrian-backed forces in rebel-held Afrin, killing 18 people.
U.S. consumer prices (CPI) continued to climb strongly in May, surging 5% from a year ago to reach the highest annual inflation rate in nearly 13 years, well above the prior month’s 4.2% rate and the 4.6% expected. Some categories increased more than others. Used-car prices soared 29.7% over last year. Average home values have gone up 13.2% compared to last year. Gasoline rose 9.1% in May alone. Food costs have risen sharply in June, a change not reflected in the most recent CPI.
Hundreds of thousands of medical workers across the U.S. are being told they must get vaccinated against COVID-19 to stay employed, with New York-Presbyterian — one of the country’s largest hospital systems — the latest to announce the move. Currently more than 25% of medical workers are not vaccinated.
Week of June 6th to June 12th, 2021:
Houston Methodist Hospital is sidelining almost 200 workers for two weeks without pay for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The suspensions come a day after dozens protested the policy outside one of its medical centers in Baytown, Texas.
Scientists are concerned that measures to combat Covid-19 have weakened the immune systems of young children who have not been able to build up resistance to common bugs, leaving them vulnerable when mask-wearing and social distancing eventually end.
Indian authorities have lifted COVID-19 restrictions in 72 of the 75 districts across the state. What’s behind this turnaround is controversial in that a population-wide public health scheme included ivermectin-based home medicine kits. The World Health Organization noted that “aggressive population-wide health schemes, including home testing and ‘medicine kits,’ made this turnaround possible” but did not mention that ivermectin was included in those kits.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide detailed statistics on their official government website, including death rates related to vaccines. Based on the number of people fully vaccinated, the death rate from flu vaccines is 0.173 per million, and the death rate from COVID vaccines is 22.6 per million or 130 times higher.
A new Protein subunit COVID-19 vaccine could be available as soon as this summer. This kind of vaccine has been around for a while. For example: there are vaccines on the market for hepatitis B and pertussis based on this technology. Proteins in the vaccine evoke an immune response without entering healthy cells. The first protein subunit COVID-19 vaccine to become available will likely come from the biotech company, Novavax.
India reported 114,460 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, the lowest in two months, as parts of the country prepared to ease movement restrictions.
The Biden State Department discourages employees from referring to the peace agreements signed by Israel and its Arab neighbors by its official name, the Abraham Accords, the Washington Free Beacon reported on Friday. According to the report, the name has also been erased from a wide array of official State Department communications.
Israeli health expert Prof. Yehuda Adler says that Israel achieved herd immunity with only 60% of the population vaccinated against the coronavirus.
29-May-2021 Latest from Romania: [WAITING] The number of new infections was 265 compared to 321 yesterday; deaths were 73 compared to 43 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 452 compared to 459 yesterday.
29-May-2021 SUMMARY: No news is good news? COVID articles on the Home Page of major news sites were primarily about the lifting of restrictions.
28-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 321 compared to 307 yesterday; deaths were 43 compared to 39 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 459 compared to 485 yesterday.
28-May-2021 SUMMARY: India continues to be the worst affected country while most other countries have the virus largely under control. Consequently, most COVID news is either repetitious or not relevant for purposes of this blog. One exception is Ukraine where a large number of Bible Students were infected when attending a recent funeral.
27-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 307 compared to 379 yesterday; deaths were 39 compared to 53 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 485 compared to 493 yesterday.
26-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 379 compared to 381 yesterday; deaths were 53 compared to 63 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 493 compared to 545 yesterday.
25-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 381 compared to 230 yesterday; deaths were 63 compared to 36 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 545 compared to 580 yesterday.
25-May-2021 What’s next for coronavirus vaccine development? Latest research focuses on (1) creating distinct protein molecules common to all coronaviruses that could attract virus-killing antibodies and (2) custom-made nanoparticles studded with viral fragments from a number of different varieties.
25-May-2021 Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar, who helped found the Iran-backed terror group in Gaza, said that while he thinks the recent ceasefire will hold, his organization remains totally committed to replacing Israel with a Palestinian state, Sky News reported Monday.
24-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 230 compared to 307 yesterday; deaths were 36 compared to 56 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 580 compared to 590 yesterday.
24-May-2021 “Israel is going back to normal,” Israeli Health Minister Yuli Edelstein declared. “Less than half a year ago we started the vaccination campaign. Thanks to the excellent work of the health system…and thanks to the amazing mobilization of Israeli citizens, we have carried out the best vaccination campaign in the world.” All restrictions on gatherings will be lifted next Tuesday.
24-May-2021 Three researchers from China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology became sick enough in November 2019 that they sought hospital care, according to a previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report that could add weight to growing calls for a fuller probe of whether the Covid-19 virus may have escaped from the laboratory.
24-May-2021 The number of deaths linked to Covid-19 in India has moved past the 300,000 mark as the country continues to grapple with the pandemic. Experts warn that the real number of fatalities might be much higher, as many deaths are not officially recorded. India has recorded 26 million cases – second only to the US – and is now the epicentre of the global pandemic.
23-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 307 compared to 455 yesterday; deaths were 56 compared to 59 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 590 compared to 623 yesterday.
23-May-2021 A double dose of COVID-19 vaccines is almost as effective against the fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus first identified in India as it is against Britain’s dominant strain, English health officials said on Saturday.
23-May-2021 More than 125,000 school teachers in Myanmar have been suspended by the military authorities for joining a civil disobedience movement to oppose the military coup in February, an official of the Myanmar Teachers’ Federation said. The suspensions have come days before the start of a new school year
22-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 455 compared to 484 yesterday; deaths were 59 compared to 49 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 623 compared to 636 yesterday.
22-May-2021 India on Saturday reported 257,299 new coronavirus infections over the last 24 hours, while deaths rose by 4,194. Total infections in the country stood at 26.3 million while the country’s total death toll was at 295,525, according to data from the health ministry.
22-May-2021 Covid infection levels are showing early signs of an increase in England, data has revealed, as experts continue to warn the variant of concern first detected in India could grow exponentially in the UK.
22-May-2021 Israel and the Iran-backed terror groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad entered into another Egyptian-brokered “ceasefire” early Friday morning, but U.S. President Joe Biden appeared to falsely claim that his administration was responsible. In Jerusalem, Netanyahu noted that it was not Washington, but Cairo that had brokered the arrangement.
21-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 484 compared to 618 yesterday; deaths were 49 compared to 61 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 636 compared to 663 yesterday.
21-May-2021 Dogs are better at detecting Covid-19 in humans than many fast lateral flow tests (LFTs), according to a French study which could see canines more widely deployed for mass virus screening in crowded places including airports.
21-May-2021 Israel’s security cabinet unanimously approved a ceasefire late Thursday evening, after 11 days of fighting the Hamas terror organization in Gaza. The understandings were reached through mediation with the Egyptians. A Hamas official says it still has its “hands on the trigger.”
21-May-2021 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed Thursday that the drone which was shot down over Emek HaMaayanot earlier this week was an Iranian drone which crossed into Israeli territory from Jordan. According to Netanyahu, the drone was launched either from Syria or Iraq.
21-May-2021 In this fourth war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers, the Islamic militant group has fired more than 4,000 rockets at Israel, some hitting deeper in Israeli territory and with greater accuracy than ever before. Hamas, a U.S. designated terrorist organization, has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 and acquires weapons and other assistance from Iran.
20-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 618 compared to 707 yesterday; deaths were 61 compared to 54 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 663 compared to 718 yesterday.
20-May-2021 Ambassadors from the 27 European Union countries agreed on Wednesday that restrictions for travelers from outside the E.U. should be eased, in particular for those vaccinated against Covid-19, a spokesperson for the European Commission said. Up to now, a “safe list” consisted of only seven nations — Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.
19-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 707 compared to 681 yesterday; deaths were 54 compared to 91 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 718 compared to 716 yesterday. The nightly curfew has now been lifted nationwide, as well as the requirement to wear masks in open areas.
19-May-2021 India has suffered a world record one-day death toll, surpassing the previous highest toll, recorded in the U.S., of 4,475. According to the health ministry, 4,529 people were confirmed dead in the last 24 hours. It is the highest daily toll of any country on earth over the course of the pandemic and the first time India has seen a figure over 4,500.
19-May-2021 France is taking steps to ease the lockdown measures allowing cafes and restaurant terraces to open to 50% capacity, rolling back the nightly curfew to 9pm and reopening non-essential shops and cultural venues.
19-May-2021 India’s total COVID-19 caseload surged past 25 million on Tuesday as a powerful cyclone complicated the health crisis in the western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, already among the hardest hit by a second wave of the pandemic.
19-May-2021 In the U.S. COVID-19 deaths are falling as 16 states reported no deaths on Monday. This is the third week in a row when new cases decreased globally. Nevertheless, the second year of the pandemic is projected to be more deadly than the first.
19-May-2021 The Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s biggest vaccine maker producing the AstraZeneca (AZN.L) vaccine, is unlikely to resume major exports of COVID-19 vaccines until at least October.
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19-May-2021 ISRAEL GAZA CONFLICT:
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After stating publicly that he “had not seen any information” to support the Israeli strike on a high-rise building in Gaza, Secretary of State Blinken now says that Israel had, in fact, given information proving the claim that the building was used by Hamas. It also housed the Associated Press and Al Jazeera news agencies.
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International rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky tweeted: “Right now, they [Hamas] are repeatedly bombing Kerem Shalom, which is [the] main commercial crossing from Israel into Gaza. Even as Israel [is] trying to bring in critical humanitarian aid into the Strip, Hamas are bombing it.
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The Israel Police and Shin Bet intelligence agency announced on Monday the arrest of an Arab-Israeli man in his 20s on suspicion of hurling a firebomb that seriously injured an Arab-Israeli child in Jaffa last Friday. The attack was initially reported in the international press to have been carried out by Jewish Israelis. The police investigation led to an Arab-Israeli suspect, who apparently believed he was targeting a Jewish home.
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Approximately 20% of rockets fired from Gaza toward Israel land in the Gaza Strip itself. In addition, Israel’s Iron Dome does not try to destroy rockets that are headed toward unpopulated areas.
18-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 681 compared to 392 yesterday; deaths were 91 compared to 48 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 716 compared to 753 yesterday.
18-May-2021 A new vaccine, under development by Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, two of the world’s largest vaccine makers before the pandemic, is based on a proven technology, unlike the other leading vaccine candidates. In a press release issued early Monday morning in Paris, the two companies said that a 722-subject Phase 2 study of an updated version of their vaccine elicited what it called “strong” levels of neutralizing antibodies after two doses across all age groups.
18-May-2021 Hamas militants continue to fire rockets into southern Israel. Israel says the concentration of rocket fire in the past week has been the highest ever. Heavy barrages of rocket fire by the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups sped toward the southern cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon and the surrounding towns and farming communities. [Israel at the U.N.]
18-May-2021 Independent observers have rejected claims of voter fraud in Myanmar’s 2020 election, three months after the military took power in a coup. The Asian Network for Free Elections said the outcome of the vote was “by and large, representative of the will of the people of Myanmar”. The military has justified its February coup by alleging massive voter fraud, but provided no evidence. The election observers’ report described the military’s decision to ignore the election results as “indefensible.”
17-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 392 compared to 565 yesterday; deaths were 48 compared to 38 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 753 compared to 777 yesterday.
17-May-2021 India reported a further decline in new coronavirus cases, but daily deaths remained above 4,000. World Health Organization chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan pointed to the “very high” national positivity rate of about 20% as a sign that there could be worse to come. It is widely accepted that the official figures grossly underestimate the real impact of the epidemic, with some experts saying actual infections and deaths could be five to 10 times higher.
17-May-2021 The United Arab Emirates is demanding “complete calm” from the Hamas terror organization in order for UAE investments in Gaza to move forward. “We are still ready and willing to promote civil projects in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority and under UN management [in Gaza], but our necessary condition is calm,” said an unnamed UAE official. “If Hamas does not commit to complete calm, it is dooming the residents of the Strip to a life of suffering. Its leaders must understand that their policies are first and foremost hurting the people of Gaza,” the official said.
16-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 565 compared to 729 yesterday; deaths were 38 compared to 72 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 777 compared to 784 yesterday.
16-May-2021 India reported a smaller rise in daily COVID-19 cases for the third straight day on Sunday, but the number of deaths in 24 hours was higher than 4,000, taking the country’s death toll to 270,000. Deaths grew by 4,077, while infections rose by 311,170 – the smallest rise in daily cases in over three weeks, health ministry data showed on Sunday.
16-May-2021 COVID-19 vaccine developers are making ever bolder assertions that the world will need yearly booster shots, or new vaccines to tackle concerning coronavirus variants, but some scientists question when, or whether, such shots will be needed. In interviews with Reuters, more than a dozen influential infectious disease and vaccine development experts said there is growing evidence that a first round of global vaccinations may offer enduring protection against the coronavirus and its most worrisome variants discovered to date.
15-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 729 compared to 809 yesterday; deaths were 72 compared to 105 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 784 compared to 809 yesterday.
15-May-2021 India reported on Saturday 326,098 new coronavirus infections over the prior 24 hours, taking its tally to 24.37 million, while deaths showed a slight fall, to 3,890. Over the past week, the south Asian nation has added about 1.7 million new cases and more than 20,000 deaths. Its death toll stands at 266,207, health ministry data shows.
15-May-2021 More than 350 of the rockets fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel fell into their own territory. A number of deaths and casualties suffered in the Palestinian controlled area were from their own armaments.
14-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 809 compared to 953 yesterday; deaths were 105 compared to 75 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 809 compared to 829 yesterday.
14-May-2021 More than 150 million infections have been reported worldwide, and the death toll is above 3 million, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. The United States has far more COVID cases and deaths than any other country. India and Brazil have the second and third highest tally of cases respectively.
14-May-2021 Andreas Greinacher, a blood expert, and his team at the University of Greifswald believe so-called viral vector vaccines, which use modified harmless cold viruses, known as adenoviruses, to convey genetic material into vaccine recipients to fight the coronavirus, could cause an autoimmune response that leads to blood clots.
14-May-2021 Fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear a mask or physically distance during outdoor or indoor activities, large or small, U.S. federal health officials said, the broadest easing of pandemic recommendations so far.
14-May-2021 Amid constant rocket fire from Gaza, Israel’s military said it has begun ground operations against Hamas in Gaza, escalating its offensive against the militant group. Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said ground and air forces are striking targets in Gaza from the Israeli side of the border, including tanks and artillery.
14-May-2021 Colonial Pipeline Co. paid a ransom to the criminal hackers who caused the company to shut down the country’s largest conduit of fuel, according to people familiar with the matter, a payment that allowed the firm to obtain decryption tools to try to unlock its computer systems. The ransom, paid in cryptocurrency, was approximately $5 million at the time of the transaction, one of the people familiar with the matter said.
13-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 953 compared to 930 yesterday; deaths were 75 compared to 98 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 829 compared to 874 yesterday.
13-May-2021 India recorded more than 4,000 COVID-19 deaths for a second straight day on Thursday, while infections stayed below 400,000 for a fourth day, though the virus has become rampant in rural areas where cases can go unreported due to a lack of testing.
13-May-2021 Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. have tumbled to an average of around 600 per day — the lowest level in 10 months — with the number of lives lost dropping to single digits in well over half the states and hitting zero on some days. Confirmed infections, meanwhile, have fallen to about 38,000 a day on average, their lowest mark since mid-September, down 85 percent from a peak of more than a quarter-million cases per day in early January.
13-May-2021 The Covid pandemic was a preventable disaster that need not have cost millions of lives if the world had reacted more quickly, according to an independent high-level panel, which castigates global leaders and calls for major changes to bring it to an end and ensure it cannot happen again. The report of the panel, chaired by the former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a former president of Liberia, found “weak links at every point in the chain”.
13-May-2021 ISRAEL: Rocket attacks from Gaza continue unabated with additional civilian deaths and injuries reported. Thousands of rockets have been launched against Israel in recent days, many being intercepted by Iron Dome defense missiles, but some have landed on homes. An oil facility in Ashkelon continues to burn after a direct hit. The main airport in Tel Aviv has been closed periodically. Combat troops along the Gaza border are in “various stages of preparing ground operations”, a military spokesman said. Two members of an Arab family in Israel were killed by a Palestinian rocket fired from Gaza.
13-May-2021 U.S.: The major artery I-40 has been closed, and barge traffic has been suspended, at the Mississippi River near Memphis after a “major fracture” in a main supporting steel girder was discovered. The potentially catastrophic situation could take weeks to resolve. The biggest impact economically will come as a result of the suspension of river traffic.
12-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 930 compared to 1,156 yesterday; deaths were 98 compared to 101 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 874 compared to 919 yesterday.
12-May-2021 Sad news from India, as additional reports have been received of deaths and serious illness due to COVID among Bible Students there. India officials said on Wednesday that a record number of people were killed by the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, pushing its overall death toll to more than a quarter million. Experts believe the official numbers grossly underestimate the real scale of the epidemic’s impact, and actual deaths and infections could be five to ten times higher.
12-May-2021 As the coronavirus outbreak recedes in many parts of the U.S., a “fourth wave” has filled hospitals in the metro areas around Seattle and Portland. In recent weeks, the governors of OR and WA have hit the brakes on reopening plans in hopes of countering the rapid spread of the more contagious U.K. variant of the coronavirus. In Washington state, new hospital admissions for COVID-19 have been higher during this current surge than at any other time, except for this past winter.
12-May-2021 The Canadian provinces of Alberta and Ontario said on Tuesday they would stop offering first doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, with Ontario citing evidence that the risk of rare blood clots is somewhat higher than previously estimated.
12-May-2021 Explosions shook central Israel Tuesday night as scores of Iron Dome rockets launched to intercept a barrage of 130 rockets fired by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza at the most heavily populated part of the country. The rockets were fired at Tel Aviv and surrounding area, with direct hits in two cities. Deaths and injuries have been reported. This follows the more than 200 rockets fired at civilian areas on Monday. Arab rioters in Israel have fired on Israeli forces with automatic weapons.
12-May-2021 Israeli-based political experts believe that the Biden Administration’s policy reversals on Israel have essentially sent a “green light” to Palestinian terrorists to escalate rocket attacks and rioting. They cite recent communications between Biden and PA leader Abbas; restoration of hundreds of millions of dollars in US funding to the PA; reopening of the PLO mission in Washington, D.C.; etc.
11-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,156 compared to 620 yesterday; deaths were 101 compared to 68 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 919 compared to 962 yesterday.
11-May-2021 India’s coronavirus crisis showed scant sign of easing on Tuesday, with a seven-day average of new cases at a record high and international health authorities warning the country’s variant of the virus poses a global concern.
11-May-2021 US regulators on Monday authorized Pfizer and its partner BioNTech’s Covid vaccine for use in children as young as 12, widening the country’s inoculation program even as vaccination rates have slowed significantly.
11-May-2021 Terrorists in Gaza fired over 200 rockets at civilian areas of Israel overnight with at least two rockets evading the missile defense system and exploding in two residential buildings early Tuesday in the coastal city of Ashkelon, injuring seven Israelis. Rocket fire from Gaza continues on Tuesday. Palestinians escalated their rioting on the Temple Mount, while the U.S. and Arab governments blame Israel for the violence. Rioters set a huge fire on the Temple Mount on Monday night. The Western Wall Plaza had to be evacuated.
11-May-2021 The biggest U.S. gasoline pipeline will not resume full operations for several more days due to a ransomware cyberattack blamed on a shadowy criminal network called DarkSide. The attack on the Colonial Pipeline, which carries nearly half the fuel consumed along the U.S. East Coast, is one of the most disruptive digital ransom schemes ever reported.
10-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 620 compared to 857 yesterday; deaths were 68 compared to 63 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 962 compared to 984 yesterday.
10-May-2021 India has put vaccine distribution to other countries on hold as the country battles the world’s fastest-growing Covid-19 surge. The delay in distribution is hampering the global vaccination effort. The crisis there highlights how one country’s surge could have ripple effects in the global battle against the pandemic.
10-May-2021 The US is approaching a turning point where Covid vaccinations are sharply reducing infection and hospitalization rates, key figures in the fight against the disease said on Sunday. The daily load of new Covid cases has plummeted with the advent of vaccines in the US, from a seven-day average of more than 250,000 per day in January to the current average of about 43,000.
10-May-2021 Calls grew for India to impose a nationwide lockdown as new coronavirus cases and deaths held close to record highs on Monday, increasing pressure on the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 366,161 new infections and 3,754 deaths reported by the health ministry were lower than recent peaks, taking India’s tally to 22.66 million with 246,116 deaths.
10-May-2021 Myanmar poet Khet Thi, whose works declare resistance to the ruling junta, has died in detention and his body was returned with the organs removed, his family said. “He died at the hospital after being tortured in the interrogation centre,” the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group said in a bulletin that put the toll of civilians killed since the coup at 780.
10-May-2021 The US government declared a state of emergency on Sunday after the largest fuel pipeline in the US was hit by a ransomware cyber-attack that forced the company to shut a critical fuel network supplying populous eastern states. Retail fuel experts including the American Automobile Association said an outage lasting several days could have significant impacts on regional fuel supplies, particularly in the southeastern United States.
09-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 857 compared to 1,305 yesterday; deaths were 63 compared to 104 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 984 compared to 1,026 yesterday.
09-May-2021 India’s COVID-19 deaths rose by more than 4,000 for a second consecutive day on Sunday as calls for a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the virus mounted. India’s health ministry reported 4,092 fatalities over the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 242,362. New cases rose by 403,738, just shy of the record and increasing the total since the start of the pandemic to 22.3 million.
09-May-2021 Even as a deadly second wave of Covid-19 ravages India, doctors are now reporting a rash of cases involving a rare infection (also called the “black fungus”) among recovering and recovered Covid-19 patients. Doctors believe mucormycosis, which has an overall mortality rate of 50%, may be triggered by the use of steroids, a life-saving treatment for severe and critically ill Covid-19 patients.
09-May-2021 Myanmar’s military rulers have branded a rival National Unity Government a terrorist group and blamed it for bombings, arson and killings, state-controlled media said on Saturday.
09-May-2021 President Joe Biden issued a proclamation for America’s annual National Day of Prayer, but the word “God” did not appear at all. Biden’s proclamation this week only talked about the “many religions and belief systems” of Americans and the “power of prayer.”
09-May-2021 The IDF launches today, Sunday, the largest exercise in its history and, ahead of it, the terrorist organization Hezbollah has significantly increased its alertness. During the exercise, the forces will simulate a “month of war” for the first time since the Israeli army was founded in order to increase the IDF’s readiness and fitness for war.
08-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,305 compared to 1,422 yesterday; deaths were 104 compared to 89 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,026 compared to 1,041 yesterday. After many weeks of record deaths, numbers are beginning to fall (see the graphic).
08-May-2021 India on Saturday reported its highest ever single-day COVID-19 death toll, as cases continued to rise and states imposed stricter lockdowns. India’s health ministry reported 4,187 fatalities over the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to just under 240,000. Cases rose by 401,078, increasing the total since the start of the pandemic to 21.9 million.
07-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,422 compared to 1,632 yesterday; deaths were 89 compared to 94 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,041 compared to 1,100 yesterday.
07-May-2021 If your brain feels foggy and you’re tired all the time, you’re not alone. The pandemic has had an immense impact on everyone, in too many ways to count. Our bodies are responding with feelings of fatigue and lack of focus, experts say.
07-May-2021 A new study estimates that the number of people who have died of COVID-19 in the U.S. is more than 900,000, a number 57% higher than official figures. Worldwide, the study’s authors say, the COVID-19 death count is nearing 7 million, more than double the reported number of 3.24 million. The analysis comes from researchers at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
07-May-2021 England’s chief medical officer, Prof. Chris Whitty has added his voice those experts saying that Covid-19 is unlikely ever to be eradicated. He added that the outlook for the pandemic remains “pretty bleak” in the medium term, at a Royal Society online event.
07-May-2021 Three Covid medicines with the potential to “change the course” of the pandemic will be authorized for mass production and use in the EU by October under a European Commission plan. Five drugs will be selected for investment, which will be chosen from a long list of 57 candidates drawn up by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and will be wholly produced within EU member states.
07-May-2021 Israeli defense officials speculate that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei may be seriously ill after the leader posted on social media asking his followers to pray for his health. Security sources estimate that Khamenei’s special request for medical prayers is genuine and indicates that his health condition is not good, a factor that might affect both the upcoming Iranian elections and have an overall impact on Iranian affairs.
06-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,632 compared to 1,564 yesterday; deaths were 94 compared to 142 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,100 compared to 1,121 yesterday.
06-May-2021 The situation in India continues to grow worse, based on local reports from Brethren there. Hopes that India’s deadly second wave of COVID-19 was about to peak were swept away on Thursday as it posted record daily infections and deaths and as the virus spread from cities to villages across the world’s second-most populous nation.
06-May-2021 Two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have proved more than 95% effective against infection, hospitalization and death from Covid-19 in Israel, the country with the highest proportion of its population vaccinated in the world, research has found.
06-May-2021 In a surpise move, Israel’s president has handed centrist politician Yair Lapid a shot at forming a government after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to do so, stirring anticipation that Israel’s longest-serving leader could soon be out of power after 15 years in office.
06-May-2021 Russia has kept a heightened military presence near the Ukrainian border despite announcing the withdrawal of the troops it deployed last month, the U.S. and its NATO allies said, leading to concerns in Washington about Moscow’s intentions.
05-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,564 compared to 994 yesterday; deaths were 142 compared to 94 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,121 compared to 1,190 yesterday.
05-May-2021 India accounted for nearly half of all COVID-19 cases worldwide last week, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, as the country’s coronavirus deaths rose by a record 3,780 during the last 24 hours. The WHO said in its weekly epidemiological report that India accounted for 46% of global cases and 25% of global deaths reported in the past week. A top expert warned that the coming weeks in the country of nearly 1.4 billion people will be “horrible.”
05-May-2021 India’s entire delegation to the G7 (Group of Seven) summit in London is self-isolating after two of its members tested positive for COVID-19, the British government said on Wednesday. The delegation will be attempting to meet virtually. India is not a G7 member but was invited by Britain to this week’s summit, along with Australia, South Africa and South Korea.
05-May-2021 Ali Mokdad from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington told the Guardian: “We’re not going to reach herd immunity, simply, we’re not going to reach it. It [COVID-19] is going to be seasonal, and it’s going to be like the flu, and we’re going to need to be ready for it.”
05-May-2021 A study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the rate of births per woman fell to 1.6 last year, which is well below the 2.1 required for a generation to replace itself. The rate has been trending downwards for more than 10 years but it is thought that anxiety about the economic impact of Covid has contributed to the biggest fall in the birth rate since the early 1960s.
05-May-2021 Myanmar’s National Unity Government, set up by opponents of army rule, said on Wednesday it had formed a “people’s defence force” to protect its supporters from military attacks and violence instigated by the junta. This another step toward full-blown civil war. Meanwhile, the military junta has banned satellite dishes, furthering tightening control over internet access.
04-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 994 compared to 682 yesterday; deaths were 94 compared to 98 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,190 compared to 1,214 yesterday.
04-May-2021 The next generation of Covid-19 vaccines in development could come as a pill, a patch, or a nasal spray and be easier to store and transport. These newer vaccines, from U.S. government labs and companies including Sanofi SA, Altimmune Inc. and Gritstone Oncology Inc., also have the potential to provide longer-lasting immune responses and be more potent against newer and multiple viral variants. Early trials of the vaccine rely on a “spike ferritin nanoparticle” which contains a triplet of coronavirus spike proteins.
04-May-2021 India, with the world’s biggest vaccine making capacity, is experiencing severe shortages, and has suspended all exports. Only 12% of its population has been immunized. Adar Poonawalla, the chief executive of the Serum Institute, told the Financial Times on Sunday that the crisis would continue “for months”, probably until July.
04-May-2021 New cases of COVID-19 in the United States fell for a third week in a row, dropping 15% last week to 347,000, the lowest weekly total since October, according to a Reuters analysis of state and county data. Nearly a third of the country’s population has been fully vaccinated as of Sunday.
04-May-2021 The number of children contracting COVID-19 in the U.S. now accounts for more than a fifth of new coronavirus cases, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. One year ago, child COVID-19 cases made up only around 3% of the U.S. total.
04-May-2021 There is a growing belief among scientists that the U.S. will not achieve “herd immunity” when it comes to the coronavirus and there will be new flare-ups for the foreseeable future. Rustom Antia, an evolutionary biologist at Emory University, stated that the virus is “unlikely to go away.” The virus is mutating at a faster rate than vaccine jabs are being given.
04-May-2021 Geographic locations with warm temperatures and long hours of sunlight — such as countries close to the equator and those experiencing summer — had a lower rate of COVID-19 cases, compared with countries farther away from the equator and those experiencing colder weather. This suggests that the virus may have a seasonal cycle.
04-May-2021 Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has until the end of the day today to form a coalition government or the matter will, for the first time ever, be handed over to the Knesset for resolution. Any member of the Knesset could be selected as Prime Minster, with Benny Begin expected to gain broad support.
03-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 682 compared to 1,083 yesterday; deaths were 98 compared to 88 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,214 compared to 1,253 yesterday.
03-May-2021 India on Monday reported more than 300,000 new coronavirus cases for a 12th straight day, taking its overall caseload to just shy of 20 million, while deaths from COVID-19 rose by 3,417. Medical experts say real numbers across the country of 1.35 billion may be five to 10 times higher than the official tally.
03-May-2021 At a time when about 100 million Americans have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the U.S. continues to rely on a patchwork network of vaccine monitoring systems that fail to monitor a large enough swath of the population, resulting in “gaps” experts say. The current U.S. network includes VAERS, which is believed to miss many potential side effects.
02-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,083 compared to 1,307 yesterday; deaths were 88 compared to 85 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,253 compared to 1,277 yesterday.
02-May-2021 The World Health Organization has given the go-ahead for emergency use of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine. The mRNA vaccine from the US manufacturer joins vaccines from Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson in receiving the WHO’s emergency use listing.
02-May-2021 The Myanmar state-run broadcaster in its main Saturday evening news bulletin gave details of at least 11 explosions over the previous 36 hours, most in the main city of Yangon, where a majority of Bible Students live. It reported some damage but no casualties.
01-May-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,307 compared to 1,636 yesterday; deaths were 85 compared to 138 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,277 compared to 1,284 yesterday.
01-May-2021 India posted yet another world record daily rise of 401,993 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, while deaths from COVID-19 jumped by 3,523 over the past 24 hours, according to health ministry data.
01-May-2021 Myanmar, which is home to about 35 Bible Students, is edging closer to civil war. So far Brethren have not experienced any of the violence personally, but in addition to coronavirus restrictions, they now face added limitations to personal freedom, inability to have online meetings due to internet blackouts, economic hardships, etc.
01-May-2021 Daily new cases continue to drop in Germany, with the latest figure of 18,935 representing a substantial decrease from the previous day’s total of 24,329.
01-May-2021 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked AstraZeneca for a large amount of extra data related to its Covid-19 vaccine, further delaying the company’s application for an emergency use authorization, or EUA, in the United States, according to a letter from the company obtained by NBC News.
30-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,636 compared to 1,850 yesterday; deaths were 138 compared to 138 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,284 compared to 1,295 yesterday.
30-Apr-2021 A growing number of U.S. colleges will require students to get Covid-19 vaccinations before returning to campus. The policies are igniting a debate over whether businesses and institutions like schools can make vaccines a condition of attendance.
30-Apr-2021 Updated reports from India indicate that a growing number of Brethren have been infected with the coronavirus, and at least two have died. Several Indian states have run out of COVID-19 vaccines a day before a planned widening of a nationwide inoculation drive. India reported 386,452 news cases in the past 24 hours, while deaths from COVID-19 jumped by 3,498 over the last 24 hours.
30-Apr-2021 On Friday, the German disease control agency reported 24,329 new cases of Covid-19 infections, a week-on-week drop of 12%. The crucial indicator of infections per 100,000 over seven days has sunk to its lowest value since mid-April.
30-Apr-2021 The World Health Organization has warned European governments that relaxing Covid restrictions too soon could cause cases to spiral again, potentially triggering a wave of new infections as seen in India.
30-Apr-2021 At least 44 people have been killed and about 150 injured in a crowd crush at a Jewish religious gathering in northern Israel attended by tens of thousands of people, in one of the country’s worst peacetime disasters.
29-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,850 compared to 2,240 yesterday; deaths were 138 compared to 150 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,295 compared to 1,325 yesterday.
29-Apr-2021 India reported on Thursday another record rise in coronavirus cases and deaths over the last 24 hours, with its overall caseload rising above 18 million. Deaths surpassed the 200,000 mark on Wednesday.
29-Apr-2021 With global confirmed cases approaching 150 million, this amounts to two percent of the world’s population. Current daily infections are roughly 800,000 every 24 hours.
29-Apr-2021 Pfizer announced an experimental at-home pill which will treat COVID-19 at first signs of illness – and it could be available by the end of the year.
28-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,240 compared to 2,019 yesterday; deaths were 150 compared to 172 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,325 compared to 1,336 yesterday.
28-Apr-2021 More reports have been received of Brethren in India who have contracted the coronavirus. India’s toll from the coronavirus surged past 200,000 on Wednesday, the country’s deadliest day, as shortages of oxygen, medical supplies and hospital staff compounded a record number of new infections.
28-Apr-2021 A total of only 86 new cases of the coronavirus were diagnosed across Israel Tuesday, according to data released by the Health Ministry Wednesday morning. There are now just 1,651 known active cases of the virus in Israel, of which 200 are being treated in hospitals.
28-Apr-2021 Millions of Americans have missed their second Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine dose appointments. According to a report in the New York Times, the reasons people are skipping second doses include issues with second dose appointments, people already feeling protected with just one shot, or having felt sick after the first dose.
27-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,019 compared to 1,256 yesterday; deaths were 172 compared to 117 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,336 compared to 1,354 yesterday.
27-Apr-2021 New cases of COVID-19 in the United States fell 16% last week to about 409,000, the biggest percentage drop in weekly new cases since February, according to a Reuters analysis of state and county data.
27-Apr-2021 International aid has been arriving in India and a number of countries have pledged to join in the fight against Covid, as the country’s healthcare system is pushed to the brink of collapse by a deadly second wave.
26-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,256 compared to 1,542 yesterday; deaths were 117 compared to 127 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,354 compared to 1,358 yesterday.
26-Apr-2021 Israel’s Health Ministry said on Sunday it is examining a small number of cases of heart inflammation in people who had received Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, though it has not yet drawn any conclusions.
26-Apr-2021 France reported on Sunday a rise in the number of patients with COVID-19 in hospital intensive care units (ICUs) as President Emmanuel Macron’s government seeks signs of an end to the nation’s third wave of infections.
26-Apr-2021 The Russian ambassador to Bucharest threatened publicly that: “Romania should be concerned if it is involved in some way in a military adventure designed by the ‘hot heads’ at NATO headquarters.”
25-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The most recent weekly total of 1,195 deaths is the highest since the start of the Pandemic. At the same time, weekly new cases have declined rapidly. The number of new infections was 1,542 compared to 2,201 yesterday; deaths were 127 compared to 154 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,358 compared to 1,377 yesterday.
25-Apr-2021 India on Sunday reported the fourth consecutive record daily rise of 349,691 new coronavirus infections, taking its overall tally to 17 million infections. The U.S. has deployed healthcare assistance to the beleaguered country.
25-Apr-2021 More than a billion Covid-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide, even as global cases hit a new daily record – due mainly to surging infections in India.
25-Apr-2021 On Friday, thirty-six rockets were fired from Gaza towards southern Israel. IDF soldiers manning the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted six rockets aimed at populated areas. The international community has failed to condemn such attacks.
24-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,201 compared to 2,523 yesterday; deaths were 154 compared to 170 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,377 compared to 1,391 yesterday.
24-Apr-2021 India’s coronavirus infections rose by 346,786 overnight, the health ministry said on Saturday, setting a new world record for the third consecutive day, as overwhelmed hospitals in the densely-populated country begged for oxygen supplies. Daily deaths were also a new record.
24-Apr-2021 Israel has recorded no new daily Covid-19 deaths for the first time in 10 months, as the country pushes ahead with its speedy vaccination drive. The last time Israel reported zero Covid-19 deaths was at the end of June last year, after lockdown measures curbed a first wave of infections.
23-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,523 compared to 2,989 yesterday; deaths were 170 compared to 150 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,391 compared to 1,405 yesterday.
23-Apr-2021 Six hospitals in the Indian capital Delhi have completely run out of oxygen and doctors say other hospitals have just a few hours’ worth of supply left. A number of people have died while waiting for oxygen, and more than 99% of all intensive care beds are full. India is in the grips of a second wave of Covid infections and on Thursday recorded the highest one-day tally of new cases anywhere in the world.
23-Apr-2021 Russia’s Defense Ministry ordered “some” of its troops to begin withdrawing from the Ukrainian border in a move that could help de-escalate tensions with Kyiv and the West, but its continuing military presence in the volatile region appears likely to keep nerves on edge.
23-Apr-2021 Ukraine has asked Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to act as intermediary with Russia. With tensions high at the Russian-Ukrainian border, Yevgen Korniychuk, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel, says the Israeli prime minister would be a good intermediary due to his good relationship with both the Russian and the Ukrainian presidents
22-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,989 compared to 3,006 yesterday; deaths were 150 compared to 175 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,405 compared to 1,436 yesterday.
22-Apr-2021 India reported 314,835 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said, the world’s biggest one-day jump in new infections. The South Asian nation now has 15.9 million Covid-19 cases in total since the start of the pandemic, second only to the U.S. with nearly 31.9 million cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The world’s fastest-growing surge of infections has been straining the healthcare system in India’s hardest-hit cities, with hospitals running short on oxygen, beds and medical supplies.
22-Apr-2021 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Romania due to COVID-19, indicating a very high level of COVID-19 in the country.
22-Apr-2021 Food insecurity is rising sharply in Myanmar in the wake of the military coup and deepening financial crisis with millions more people expected to go hungry in coming months, the United Nations said on Thursday.
21-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,006 compared to 2,931 yesterday; deaths were 175 compared to 237 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,436 compared to 1,432 yesterday.
21-Apr-2021 India reported more than 200,000 new cases for the 7th straigh day, and more than 2,000 deaths from COVID-19 over the last 24 hours, the highest single-day tally for the country so far. Authorities scrambled to shore up supplies of medical oxygen to hospitals in the capital, Delhi, on Wednesday as a fast-spreading second wave of coronavirus stretched medical infrastructure to the breaking point.
21-Apr-2021 Europe’s drug regulator has found a possible link between Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose Covid-19 vaccine and rare blood clotting issues in adults who received the shot in the United States, the watchdog agency said Tuesday.
21-Apr-2021 Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has signed a law allowing reservists to be called up for military service without announcing mobilization, his office said on Wednesday.
21-Apr-2021 Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday called for restricting the use of U.S. military aid to pressure Israel in order to save the “two-state solution.”
21-Apr-2021 The mandate for forming a new Israeli government is running out of time. Should Netanyahu fail to build a new government by the end of the 28-day time limit, President Reuven Rivlin is expected to hand over the mandate directly to the Knesset, an unprecedented move.
20-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,931 compared to 1,768 yesterday; deaths were an all-time record of 237 compared to 149 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,432 compared to 1,448 yesterday.
19-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,768 compared to 2,265 yesterday; deaths were 149 compared to 160 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,448 compared to 1,475 yesterday.
18-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,265 compared to 3,474 yesterday; deaths were 160 compared to 135 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,475 compared to 1,505 yesterday.
18-Apr-2021 U.S. coronavirus cases rose 8% in two weeks as more states eased restrictions. Michigan, which had some of the nation’s strongest health regulations, saw its second highest single-day case total on Friday.
18-Apr-2021 The number of deaths due to COVID-19 has topped 3 million worldwide, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. More than 566,000 of those deaths have been in the United States, which is now seeing a rise in coronavirus cases despite efforts to get people vaccinated.
17-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,474 compared to 3,264 yesterday; deaths were 135 compared to 137 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,505 compared to 1,493 yesterday.
17-Apr-2021 Due to the success of its vaccination campaign, Israelis will no longer be required to wear face masks in open spaces, the Health Ministry announced. Health Minister Yuli Edelstein instructed the director general of his office to sign an order that would allow the removal of face masks beginning Sunday.
17-Apr-2021 Johnson & Johnson privately reached out to Covid-19 vaccine rivals to ask them to join an effort to study the risks of blood clots and speak with one voice about safety, but Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. declined.
17-Apr-2021 In a letter on Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine, J&J scientists refuted a case report published earlier this week by Kate Lynn-Muir and colleagues at the University of Nebraska, who asserted that the rare blood clots “could be related to adenoviral vector vaccines.” In an interview with Reuters on Thursday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert and an adviser to the White House, said the fact that they [AstraZeneca and J&J] are both adenovirus vector vaccines is a “pretty obvious clue” that the cases could be linked to the vector.
17-Apr-2021 The United States has administered 202,282,923 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Friday morning and distributed 258,502,815 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.
17-Apr-2021 Ontario has announced sweeping new police powers to enforce an extended stay-at-home order, in the latest sign that officials in Canada’s most populous province have lost control of the rapidly spreading coronavirus. With a record number of new cases, there is growing worry among experts that the already-strained healthcare system is being further pushed to the brink.
17-Apr-2021 More than 70% of Americans are at least slightly concerned about returning to normal, according to a survey from Safety.com. A fifth of those who are worried specifically cited concerns about returning to the workplace, according to CBS News.
17-Apr-2021 Germany’s Catholic bishops are taking steps that could rattle the foundations of the world’s largest church. They are moving to tear down the Catholic Church’s teaching on human sexuality, priestly celibacy and other morally and politically charged issues. Without direct and immediate intervention by Pope Francis, the church could be headed for another schism.
16-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,264 compared to 3,852 yesterday; deaths were 137 compared to 195 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,493 compared to 1,518 yesterday.
16-Apr-2021 Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people will “likely” need a third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine within 12 months of getting fully vaccinated, CNBC reported. It is also possible they will require an annual vaccination, he said. His remarks were made over two weeks ago but were made public only on Thursday.
16-Apr-2021 A study by the University of Oxford found the risk of rare but sometimes-deadly blood clotting is roughly eight to ten times greater in those infected with COVID-19 than among those who have received any of the three Western-developed vaccines widely available.
16-Apr-2021 As COVID-related deaths in Poland surpass 800 a day and the country hits a European record for excess deaths, epidemiologists have pointed to a major medical personnel shortage as one of the culprits. Across Poland, doctors have complained about long lines of ambulances at hospitals or rescheduled non-COVID surgeries for life-threatening illnesses.
16-Apr-2021 India is battling a massive second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, with new restrictions imposed in Mumbai, New Delhi and other cities. There are also growing calls for officials to speed up the country’s vaccination programme as hospitals are swamped with patients. The 217,353 new cases reported by the health ministry on Friday marked the eighth record daily increase in the last nine days.
15-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,852 compared to 4,076 yesterday; deaths were 195 compared to 164 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,518 compared to 1,521 yesterday.
15-Apr-2021 Poland has extended its lockdown rules until 25 April, after the country reported its second highest ever death toll on Wednesday, with 803 people. There were also 21,283 new cases, a 43% increase from the previous week.
15-Apr-2021 India reported a record 200,000 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday and the financial hub of Mumbai entered a lockdown, as many hospitals treating coronavirus patients reported severe shortages of beds and oxygen supplies.
15-Apr-2021 The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany jumped on Thursday by 29,426 to 3.073 million, the biggest increase since Jan. 8 as the government seeks to push through tougher nationwide curbs to try to contain a third wave of the virus.
14-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,076 compared to 3,883 yesterday; deaths were 164 compared to 193 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,521 compared to 1,530 yesterday.
14-Apr-2021 So far, more than 74 million people have gotten fully vaccinated in the United States. It’s unclear how many have later gotten infected with the coronavirus anyway. But Michigan, Washington and other states have reported hundreds of cases.
14-Apr-2021 The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was just about to break through. The one-shot vaccine could reach the homeless and even be distributed door to door. But on Tuesday morning, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine became the focus of international scrutiny after federal health authorities recommended pausing its use after six women ages 18 to 48 developed a very rare type of blood clot in the brain after they got the shots.
14-Apr-2021 Sweden has reported Europe’s highest number of new coronavirus infections per head over the past week and has more patients in intensive care than at any time since the pandemic’s first wave.
14-Apr-2021 India has confirmed a national one-day record of 184,000 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours, according to government ministry figures. A Covid second wave is battering the country. Doctors speak of a new variant of the virus that appears to be spreading faster than ever before, affecting young people and even children, pushing India’s healthcare system to the brink of collapse.
14-Apr-2021 Dr Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, has said that herd immunity is an “elusive concept” and there is no definitive percentage of the population that needs to be vaccinated to achieve it. He told BBC Radio 4 Today that a return to normality would be gradual, and is “not going to be like a light switch going on and off.”
14-Apr-2021 A leading Israeli doctor believes the country may be close to reaching “herd immunity”. Roughly 68% of the population are likely to have antibodies in their blood which can fight off the virus. Cases are falling in all age groups including children, even though under-16s are not generally being vaccinated.
14-Apr-2021 Concern is growing in Brazil about the rising number of young people who are critically ill in hospital with Covid-19. Research suggests more than half of patients being treated in intensive care last month were under 40, as new cases continue to explode.
13-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,883 compared to 2,323 yesterday; deaths were 193 compared to 113 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,530 compared to 1,529 yesterday.
13-Apr-2021 India reported 161,736 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, hitting the world’s highest daily tally once again, for a total of 13.69 million cases, health ministry data showed. The largest bathing day of the Hindu religious festival Kumbh Mela (two million participants) highlighted the immense challenge facing officials in trying to implement social distancing.
13-Apr-2021 The global coronavirus pandemic is still growing exponentially, the World Health Organization said on Monday, as it reported 4.4 million cases in the last week, the seventh straight week of rising numbers.
13-Apr-2021 The U.S. Federal Government deficit was $3.1 trillion for fiscal year 2020. So far in fiscal year 2021 the deficit is more than $1.7 trillion. The total debt at the end of March was $28 trillion.
12-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,323 compared to 3,302 yesterday; deaths were 113 compared to 129 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,529 compared to 1,531 yesterday. Only four ICU beds are available in all of Romania.
12-Apr-2021 The massive drop in Israel’s coronavirus infection rate as a result of almost 60% of Israel being vaccinated, with both doses, appears to have given the country herd immunity, Channel 12 reported Saturday. The decline in morbidity data is continuing despite the widespread opening of the economy and holiday gatherings over Purim and Passover with a 97% drop in the number of daily infections, the report said.
12-Apr-2021 An antibody drug from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. reduced the risk of developing symptomatic Covid-19 infection by 81% compared with a placebo in people living with someone infected by the new coronavirus, a study found.
12-Apr-2021 Australia has abandoned a goal to vaccinate nearly all of its 26 million population by the end of 2021 following advice that people under the age of 50 take Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine rather than AstraZeneca’s shot.
12-Apr-2021 More frequent and intense global challenges — in the form of disease outbreaks, financial crises, or the negative effects of climate change or new technologies — are likely to stress already brittle systems of government and international organizations over the next two decades, according to a comprehensive forecast compiled by U.S. intelligence officials and released on Thursday.
11-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,302 compared to 4,310 yesterday; deaths were 129 compared to 139 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,531 compared to 1,492 yesterday. This is another all-time record.
11-Apr-2021 Canada’s seven-day average of new, confirmed Covid-19 cases per million people now exceeds the United States. Data as of Friday and collected by the University of Oxford’s Our World in Data portal show the rolling seven-day average in Canada sits at 205.7, eclipsing the U.S., which is at 205.1, while both numbers are dramatically higher than a month ago.
11-Apr-2021 There are ominous signs of a new wave of coronavirus infections building in the US midwest, even as vaccinations continue to gather pace across the country. In Michigan, hospitalizations have soared and intensive care beds are being rapidly filled.
11-Apr-2021 Global confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed the 135 million mark. India has the highest number of new cases, nearly double that of the U.S. which is in second place. Brazil has the highest daily death toll, nearly triple that of the U.S. which is in second place.
11-Apr-2021 Myanmar security forces fired rifle grenades at protesters in a town near Yangon on Friday, killing more than 80 people, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) monitoring group and a domestic news outlet said. Doctors report they were routinely targeted with violence by the military, and prevented from treating the victims of its bloody attacks.
10-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The total confirmed infections has now exceeded one million. The number of new infections was 4,310 compared to 4,942 yesterday; deaths were 139 compared to 134 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,492 compared to 1,496 yesterday.
10-Apr-2021 A family member of Brethren in the Sighet, Romania area died from a reaction to the Astra-Zeneca vaccine. He was not aware of having COVID and after testing positive was given the vaccine. He developed a cerebral edema and internal hemorrhaging which were the reported cause of death.
10-Apr-2021 Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urged high-school classes to go remote for two weeks and called for a halt to both youth sports and indoor dining, to combat a steep surge in Covid-19 cases in the state.
10-Apr-2021 India’s daily coronavirus cases on Saturday rose by a record for the fifth time this week and deaths surged to the highest in more than five months, with hospitals and crematoriums overflowing in parts of the country.
10-Apr-2021 Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine is facing a double dose of problems. Georgia is the third state to temporarily shut down a vaccine site after eight people suffered adverse reactions to the shot.
10-Apr-2021 An oral vaccine being developed in California could offer protection from COVID-19 without the need for an injection, CBS Los Angeles reports. Researchers at the Chan Soon-Shiong Research Institute in El Segundo are testing whether a series of capsules might work as well as, or even better than, existing COVID vaccines.
10-Apr-2021 Russia has warned of full-scale war in Eastern Ukraine, blaming Kyiv. The recent deployment of Russian troops along Ukraine’s border and Moscow’s indication that it could intervene in the event of a full-scale war in eastern Ukraine are dimming hopes for a peaceful resolution of the conflict that has festered for seven years and cost thousands of lives.
09-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,942 compared to 4,989 yesterday; deaths were 134 compared to 172 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,496 compared to 1,495 yesterday. This is another daily record high.
09-Apr-2021 The race to vaccinate hit more roadblocks on Thursday, as several patients at a mass vaccination site in North Carolina suffered immediate reactions to the Johnson & Johnson shot. A day earlier, 11 people had adverse reactions in Denver, ranging from dizziness to nausea. Both sites temporarily shut down.
09-Apr-2021 One in three COVID-19 survivors suffer from a neurological or mental disorder within six months of infection, according to a University of Oxford-led study looking mostly at American patients.
09-Apr-2021 Nations around the world are setting new records for COVID-19 deaths and new coronavirus infections, and the disease is surging even in some countries that have kept the virus in check.
09-Apr-2021 The new administration in Washington has made several major policy changes recently that affect Israel: (1) Funding of hundreds of millions of dollars has been restored to the Palestinian Authority. (2) Judea and Samaria are now officially considered “occupied territory” by the State Department. (3) Funding of the anti-semitic UNRWA has been renewed. (4) Intentions to lift sanctions against Iran without any preconditions has been announced.
08-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,989 compared to 5,407 yesterday; deaths were 172 compared to 175 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,495 compared to 1,487 yesterday. This is another daily record high.
08-Apr-2021 India reported a record 126,789 COVID-19 cases on Thursday as several states struggle to contain a second surge in infections, complaining of vaccine shortages and demanding inoculations be expanded to younger people.
08-Apr-2021 Myanmar is edging closer to civil war as demonstrators in the northwest part of the country fought back against the military with hunting rifles and firebombs. Eleven of the protesters were killed and dozens were injured. In the U.K., the military ousted the Myanmar ambassador for criticizing the military coup. In a similar action recently, the Myanmar ambassador to the U.N. was officially removed by the military junta after speaking out publicly against the coup. Such actions could be replicated in other countries around the world.
07-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 5,407 compared to 5,231 yesterday; deaths were 175 compared to 196 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,487 compared to 1,466 yesterday. This is another daily record high.
07-Apr-2021 Worldwide deaths from COVID-19 have officially surpassed the three million mark. Confirmed infections are more than 132 million. Brazil is the new hotspot with soaring rates of daily deaths and new infections.
07-Apr-2021 There is a possible link between AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine and very rare blood clots in the brain but the causes are still unknown, a senior official for the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said in an interview published on Tuesday. The University of Oxford said on Tuesday it had paused a small UK trial testing the COVID-19 vaccine it developed with AstraZeneca PLC in children and teenagers, as it waits for more data on rare blood clotting issues in adults who received the shot.
07-Apr-2021 Confusion in Europe as the Block’s chief drug regulator contradicted a statement by a senior official from the agency saying it has not established a causal connection between the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and a rare blood clotting syndrome.
07-Apr-2021 Researchers are racing to develop the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines, utilizing a variety of innovative technologies to produce more convenient and more potent options. Some of the new vaccines are already being tested in volunteers and could even be available for distribution in the next year or so. Potential self-administered options include tablets and nasal-sprays.
07-Apr-2021 Nearly 40,000 minor children in the United States have lost at least one parent to COVID-19, according to a sobering new report published in the JAMA Network Monday.
07-Apr-2021 Yangon, Myanmar, has been one of the major cities severely affected by the military coup. Brethren there have been able to maintain sporadic contact and reported recently that in spite of the recent military aggression they are all safe, but the harvest work has come to a halt as well as online meetings since the Internet has largely been shut down. The possibility of a deepening civil war in Myanmar is “high,” opposition Gen. Yawd Serk said from his administrative base in Chiang Mai province.
07-Apr-2021 Ukraine’s president has called on NATO and key member states to hasten his country’s membership of the western military alliance in response to a growing buildup of Russian forces on his country’s borders.
07-Apr-2021 China has created its own digital currency, controlled by its central bank, which will issue the new electronic money. It is expected to give China’s government vast new tools to monitor both its economy and its people. By design, the digital yuan will negate one of bitcoin’s major draws: anonymity for the user.
06-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 5,231 compared to 3,611 yesterday; deaths were 196 compared to 120 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,466 compared to 1,478 yesterday.
05-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,611 compared to 4,151 yesterday; deaths were 120 compared to 97 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,478 compared to 1,456 yesterday. This is another daily record high.This is another daily record high.This is another daily record high.This is another daily record high.This is another daily record high.
05-Apr-2021 India’s daily COVID-19 cases soared by 103,558 on Monday, the biggest daily increase since the start of the Pandemic, data from the health ministry showed, taking the total to 12.6 million.
05-Apr-2021 Officials in Manatee county, Florida, extended an evacuation zone overnight and warned that up to 340m gallons of toxic waste could engulf the area in “a 20ft wall of water” if they could not repair the breach at the Piney Point reservoir in the Tampa Bay area, north of Bradenton. Work crews continue pumping millions of gallons of contaminated wastewater into Tampa Bay to relieve pressure on the reservoir walls.
04-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,151 compared to 5,498 yesterday; deaths were 97 compared to 154 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,456 compared to 1,448 yesterday. This is another daily record high.
04-Apr-2021 Total confirmed infections globally have surpassed 130 million. Deaths are rapidly approaching the three million mark.
04-Apr-2021 In another blow to AstraZeneca, the United States has put Johnson and Johnson in charge of a plant that ruined 15 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine and has stopped British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc from using the facility, a senior health official said on Saturday.
04-Apr-2021 The vicious crackdown by Myanmar’s military following its toppling of the civilian government in a February 1 coup is taking a devastating toll on the country’s children. Since the junta seized control, at least 43 children have been killed by the armed forces, according to humanitarian organization Save the Children.
03-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 5,498 compared to 5,808 yesterday; deaths were 154 compared to 145 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,448 compared to 1,454 yesterday.
03-Apr-2021 People who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus can travel without putting themselves at serious risk as long as they wear masks and take other precautions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, moderating its blanket stance against travel even while continuing to discourage it.
03-Apr-2021 The number of Israelis newly infected with the coronavirus has dropped to the lowest level since June 2020. In an update Friday by the Ministry of Health, 331 new infections were diagnosed, with more than 35,000 tests performed, equating to an infection rate of less than one percent. This compares to more than 10,000 new infections per day at the peak.
03-Apr-2021 France reported on Friday that 5,254 people were in intensive care units with COVID-19, an increase of 145 people in one day and the highest daily increase in five months. New confirmed cases also jumped by the highest week-on-week rate since the end of November, when France was in its second nationwide lockdown. The ministry reported 46,677 new cases, 6.2% more than a week ago, taking the total to 4.74 million cases.
03-Apr-2021 After more than two months of steep declines, coronavirus infections are on the rise again in the U.S. — along with COVID-19 hospitalizations in many states. In the past seven days, the U.S. reported slightly more than 65,000 new cases per day on average, a jump of 20% from two weeks earlier. Many states have seen even more dramatic growth, as high as 125% in Michigan, according to an analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.
03-Apr-2021 Scientists have discovered that the immune system can find bacteria residing within cancer cells and use them to provoke an immune reaction against a tumor, according to a study published in Nature. An international research team, led by researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, says this discovery may explain why the gut microbiome is known to affect the success of immunotherapy treatments for cancer.
03-Apr-2021 U.S. President Joe Biden used a first official phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday to offer staunch support in Ukraine’s standoff over Russian troops near its border. Western nations and transatlantic military alliance NATO voiced concern over Russian troop movements near the eastern Donbass region where Ukrainian troops are in conflict with Russian-backed forces.
03-Apr-2021 Israel’s state-owned water company Mekorot has inked a $3 million deal to provide Bahrain’s Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) with consulting services on water projects and to share knowledge on technologies, in what marks the first “significant” agreement between the Jewish state and the Gulf emirate since the Abraham Accords.
02-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 5,808 compared to 6,115 yesterday; deaths were 145 compared to 136 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,454 compared to 1,434 yesterday – another daily all-time record.
[NOTE: Other news items were not posted for April 2nd due to an all-day road trip.]
01-Apr-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 6,115 compared to 6,156 yesterday; deaths were 136 compared to 129 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,434 compared to 1,412 yesterday – another daily all-time record.
01-Apr-2021 An estimated 10% to 30% of people who get COVID-19 suffer from lingering symptoms of the disease, or what’s known as “long COVID.” As the U.S. pushes to get people vaccinated, a curious benefit is emerging for those with this post-illness syndrome: Their symptoms are easing and, in some cases, fully resolving after they get vaccinated.
01-Apr-2021 President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday ordered France into its third national lockdown and said schools would close for three weeks as he sought to push back a third wave of COVID-19 infections that threatens to overwhelm hospitals.
01-Apr-2021 Fewer than a quarter of people in the UK with Covid symptoms are requesting a test, while only half say they are fully self-isolating after symptoms develop, researchers have found.
01-Apr-2021 COVID-19 was the third underlying cause of death in the U.S. in 2020 (345,323) after heart disease (690,882) and cancer (598,932), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Wednesday.
01-Apr-2021 Pfizer says its Covid-19 vaccine is safe and 100 percent effective in preventing the illness in teenagers ages 12 to 15. The vaccine, given in two doses three weeks apart, is already cleared for emergency use in people ages 16 and up. The company plans to request emergency use authorization for 12 to 15-year-olds in the coming weeks.
01-Apr-2021 According to a study which focused on staff members at Sheba Medical Center in Tel HaShomer, Ramat Gan in central Israel, serum antibody levels appeared to drop off roughly two months after the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. But some experts say the study is not necessarily cause for alarm, noting that similar declines are observed with antibodies for other viruses, and that antibodies make up only part of the body’s immune system.
01-Apr-2021 Regional leaders of two German states badly hit by a third wave of coronavirus have urged the rest of the country to reimpose a tough lockdown to flatten infection rates, as a leading virologist said Germany was in a “serious and complicated” stage of the pandemic.
01-Apr-2021 The U.S. State Department has begun calling Judea and Samaria “occupied territory” in it’s official documents. The previous administration referred to the area as the West Bank. In the same report it was announced that the Biden administration gave $75 million to the Palestinian Authority.
01-Apr-2021 There is no recent word from Brethren in Yagon, one of the major cities in Myanmar where large protests have taken place in recent days. A U.N. special envoy warned of the risk of a bloodbath because of an intensified crackdown on anti-coup protesters. Thailand’s foreign ministry on Thursday said it was “gravely troubled” by casualties during weekend unrest in Myanmar and called for utmost restraint and an end to the violence.
31-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 6,156 compared to 6,204 yesterday; deaths were 129 compared to 175 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,412 compared to 1,405 yesterday – another daily all-time record.
31-Mar-2021 A critical component of the immune system known as T cells that respond to fight infection from the original version of the novel coronavirus appear to also protect against three of the most concerning new virus variants, according to a U.S. laboratory study released on Tuesday.
31-Mar-2021 Israeli elections have resulted in a deadlock (again). By law, President Reuven Rivlin must appoint the party leader he thinks has the best chance of forming a government. If this should ultimately fail, a majority of the Knesset members can then nominate a person who is not necessarily a party leader. Veteran Knesset member Benny Begin, son of the late Menachem Begin, is the leading contender.
31-Mar-2021 Egypt’s embarrassing escapade with the huge container ship that ran aground on March 23, could end up as a “major catalyst” for Israel to pursue “Suez Canal bypass” projects, which have been on the back burner due to their high cost. One recently in the news is the project to transport oil from the United Arab Emirates to Europe, via an old pipeline that runs through Israel from Eilat to Ashkelon.
31-Mar-2021 The United States has ordered the departure of non-essential diplomats from Myanmar, amid growing violence following the military coup to oust civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. In an unrelated incident, at least nine people have tested positive for Covid-19 in a Chinese city on the border with Myanmar.
31-Mar-2021 There is a “concerning” buildup of Russian forces near the border with Ukraine, according to a U.S. defense official. Ukrainian Commander-In-Chief Ruslan Khomchack told parliament Tuesday that Russian troops from different regions have been assembling near the Russia-Ukraine border.
30-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 6,204 compared to 3,825 yesterday; deaths were 175 compared to 120 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,405 compared to 1,398 yesterday. This is a yet another all-time record.
30-Mar-2021 COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc. with BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc. reduced the risk of infection by 90% two weeks or more after the first of two shots, according to data from a real-world U.S. study released on Monday. A study from Israel recently found the Pfizer vaccine to be 97 percent effective in preventing Covid-19, including severe disease and death.
30-Mar-2021 The planet could have a year or less before first-generation Covid-19 vaccines are ineffective and modified formulations are needed, according to a survey of epidemiologists, virologists and infectious disease specialists. This is due to the threat of variations of the virus – some more transmissible, deadly and less susceptible to vaccines – that are emerging and percolating.
30-Mar-2021 The US faces “impending doom” from a resurgent coronavirus pandemic, the head of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned on Monday. “Right now I’m scared,” Rochelle Walensky said in an emotional and unscripted moment during a White House briefing. Despite more than 2.5m vaccinations being administered per day and a shrinking death toll, Walensky believes a fourth wave is imminent.
30-Mar-2021 Canada on Monday suspended the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for people under 55 following concerns it might be linked to rare blood clots. Most of the patients in Europe who developed a rare blood clot after vaccination with AstraZeneca were women under age 55, and the fatality rate among those who develop clots is as high as 40%.
30-Mar-2021 London has recorded zero daily deaths from Covid-19 in a single day for the first time in over six months, official data indicates.
Public Health England (PHE) statistics from Sunday showed no fatalities within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test in the UK capital, while the country as a whole recorded 19 deaths.
30-Mar-2021 Dozens of doctors from the Paris public hospital group warned on Sunday they were preparing to have to triage patients in the next two weeks, amid fears of surging Covid-19 cases in the French capital. “We will be forced to select which patients get access to the ICUs and which do not in order to save as many lives as possible. This triage will involve all patients, Covid and non-Covid, especially regarding access to critical care for adult patients,” the op-ed read.
29-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,825 compared to 4,439 yesterday; deaths were 120 compared to 117 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,398 compared to 1,386 yesterday. All-time records have been set nearly every day for the past week.
29-Mar-2021 New restrictions in Bucuresti, Romania were largely ignored on Sunday. Public transport was crowded. Shopping malls were packed. The 14-day infection rate in the capital city is nearly 7.5 per thousand, which is more than the double the “code red” threshold.
29-Mar-2021 The coordinator of the anti-Covid vaccination campaign in Romania, Doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă, stated that immunity after the anti-Covid vaccination could last at least 12 months. He does not believe that a seasonal vaccination like the flu will be necessary.
29-Mar-2021 Researchers working on nearly 100 projects related to Covid-19 around the globe have had free access to some of the world’s most powerful computers in the past year, courtesy of a consortium led in part by the U.S. government and technology companies. Collectively, the group helped researchers world-wide gain access to more than 600 petaflops of computing capacity.
29-Mar-2021 Myanmar security forces opened fire at a funeral on Sunday, witnesses said, as people across the country gathered to mourn 114 people killed the previous day in the worst crackdown on protests since last month’s military coup. In a separate incident, troops burned alive a snacks vendor in Mandalay.
28-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,439 compared to 5,869 yesterday; deaths were 117 compared to 162 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,386 compared to 1,373 yesterday. This is yet another all-time record.
28-Mar-2021 The number of patients with coronavirus in French intensive care units rose on Saturday to a new high for this year, increasing the pressure to impose new restrictions that President Emmanuel Macron says will probably be needed.
28-Mar-2021 Angela Merkel’s chief of staff Helge Braun told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper: “The next few weeks will determine whether we can foreseeably get the pandemic under control. If the number of infections rises rapidly again there is a growing danger that the next virus mutation will become resistant to the vaccine.” Braun said. “Then we would need new vaccines, then we would have to start vaccinating all over again.”
28-Mar-2021 Brazil is in the throes of a battle against the new Covid-19 variant from the Amazon that threatens to send shock waves across the globe. Home to less than 3% of the world’s population, Brazil currently accounts for almost a third of the daily global deaths from Covid-19, driven by the new variant. The so-called P.1 strain is already present in more than 20 countries.
28-Mar-2021 The pandemic upended the lives of millions of families who suddenly found themselves without one or both sources of income. Many have gone from enjoying the cultural markers of the middle class — job stability, homeownership and some disposable income — to teetering on the edge of poverty. Some experts fear the effects could be long-lasting. [See Volume 4, page 372.]
28-Mar-2021 On a day when Myanmar’s commander in chief vowed in a speech “to protect people from all dangers,” soldiers and police he controls gunned down dozens of men, women and children (as young as 5 years old) across the country. The U.N.’s Human Rights office said Saturday it had received reports of at least 114 people killed and hundreds injured across 40 locations in the country. Myanmar army fighter jets launched air strikes on Saturday on a village near the Thai border.
28-Mar-2021 The Suez Canal is still blocked, and hopes are fading for a quick solution to the problem. More than 12% of all the world’s trade passes through the canal, a trip which saves on average 2 to 4 weeks travel time and 7,000 km / 4300 miles. If ships are forced to take the longer trip, it will increase shipping costs dramatically for a wide range of consumer goods.
27-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 5,869 compared to 6,516 yesterday; deaths were 162 compared to 116 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,373 compared to 1,364 yesterday. This is another all-time record.
27-Mar-2021 In Germany, the president of the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases has warned that there could be as many as 100,000 new coronavirus infections a day in Germany if the spread of the coronavirus is not curbed, Reuters reports.
27-Mar-2021 Poland has reported a new daily record of 35,143 coronavirus cases, a record number of infections for the third consecutive day. On Thursday, the Polish government said that new coronavirus restrictions would be imposed on Saturday, and were expected to last for two weeks, until 9 April.
27-Mar-2021 After several weeks at a plateau, Covid-19 cases in the United States are rising again, the clearest warning sign yet that the country could face another “avoidable” surge, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
26-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 6,516 compared to 6,651 yesterday; deaths were 116 compared to 140 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,364 compared to 1,348 yesterday.
26-Mar-2021 Romania has extended its night time curfew in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus infections. Officials say that the movement of people will be restricted from 8pm onwards, and shops will be shut from 6pm Friday until Sunday in towns with more than 4 cases per 1,000 people. Cluj is affected, but Sighet is not.
26-Mar-2021 In England, more than 40,600 people have been likely infected with coronavirus while being treated in hospital for another reason, raising concerns about the NHS’s inability to protect them.
26-Mar-2021 The U.S. will provide $15 billion for Palestinians “in the West Bank and Gaza Strip,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the UN Security Council Briefing on the situation in the Middle East on Thursday. The previous administration withheld funds to the Palestinians due to their continued use of such funds for terrorism and “pay-for-slay” support to terrorists and their families.
25-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 6,651 compared to 6,136 yesterday; deaths were 140 compared to 137 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,348 compared to 1,351 yesterday.
25-Mar-2021 Israel has administered two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to more than half its population, the country’s health minister has said, Reuters reports. The health minister, Yuli Edelstein, said that 50.07% of the overall population had received both vaccine doses. The country has seen an 85% drop in daily deaths, a 72% decrease in the critically ill and 86% fewer daily coronavirus cases. Israel has administered nearly 10 million shots, more than 110 doses of the coronavirus vaccine per 100 people in the population, a higher proportion than any other country in the world.
25-Mar-2021 Brazil topped 300,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, becoming the second country to do so amid a spike in infections that has seen the South American country report record death tolls in recent days. The U.S. has recorded more than half a million deaths.
25-Mar-2021 Another stalemate in Israel as an unprecedented fourth national election in less than two years resulted in no clearcut winner. A coalition government will be more complicated than ever, as one cannot be formed by either of the two main blocks without the inclusion of the Arab Ra’am party. Final results will be available on Friday.
25-Mar-2021 The fragile nature of global supply lines has been underscored in recent days when a dust storm blew a container ship sideways and blocked the Suez Canal. The resulting interruption of traffic through the canal will result in delays in global shipments, cause higher gas prices, and aggravate shortages already being experienced in many manufacturing sectors worldwide. Freeing the ship could take “weeks” as unloading the containers may become necessary.
24-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 6,136 compared to 6,149 yesterday; deaths were 137 compared to 174 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,351 compared to 1,367 yesterday. New restrictions on a national level are under consideration, including a weekend curfew from 8pm, with all stores closing at 4pm. The 14-day “incident rate” currently stands at 6.15 nationally with 3.0 being the “code red” threshold.
24-Mar-2021 Ukraine has reported a record daily number of coronavirus deaths for the second consecutive day, Reuters reports. Maksyn Stepanov, the health minister, said that there were 342 deaths in the last day, up from 333 deaths recorded the previous day. On Tuesday, Ukraine tightened border controls in an attempt to slow infections, and now requires visitors to provide a negative test.
24-Mar-2021 Early results from Israel’s fourth snap election suggested yet another stalemate, with Benjamin Netanyahu looking to cobble together a coalition by partnering with extreme nationalist, hardline religious and far-right parties. This seems unlikely, suggesting a potential extension of the two-year deadlock, and even an unwanted fifth election. In a surprise development, an Arab party which is projected to win five seats could hold the balance of power.
24-Mar-2021 A seven-year-old girl has been shot dead in Myanmar, becoming the youngest known victim in the crackdown following last month’s military coup. Khin Myo Chit’s family told the BBC she was killed by police while she ran towards her father, during a raid inside their home in the city of Mandalay.
24-Mar-2021 The U.S. Mexico border crisis is escalating. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, shared photos this week from inside a packed detention facility for boys that depicted conditions not much different from those that led progressives to hammer Trump for keeping “kids in cages.”
23-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: Alarming increases in all categories. The number of new infections was 6,149 compared to 3,743 yesterday; deaths were 174 – nearly triple compared to 60 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,367 compared to 1,339 yesterday. This is the fifth daily new record for ICU.
23-Mar-2021 The virus that causes the common cold can effectively boot the Covid virus out of the body’s cells, say researchers. Some viruses are known to compete in order to be the one that causes an infection. University of Glasgow scientists say it appears cold-causing rhinovirus trumps coronavirus. NOTE: the common cold does not provide any lasting protection against Covid.
23-Mar-2021 More troubles for AstraZeneca PLC, who may have provided an incomplete view of efficacy data on its COVID-19 vaccine from a large scale U.S. trial, a U.S. health agency said Tuesday in yet another setback for the shot. The shot has been dogged by doubts over its efficacy, dosing regimen and possible side effects.
23-Mar-2021 New cases of COVID-19 in the United States rose 5% to more than 394,000 last week, the first increase after declining for nine straight weeks, according to a Reuters analysis of state, county and CDC data. Total confirmed cases have reached 30 million in the U.S.
23-Mar-2021 Several European countries are extending or reintroducing lockdown measures as a third wave of the pandemic sweeps the continent fuelled by more contagious new variants of coronavirus such as the B117 mutation first detected in the UK. Germany is “in a new pandemic” in which the British Covid variant is dominant, Angela Merkel has said, as she announced a strict shutdown over Easter to halt soaring infection rates.
23-Mar-2021 Dexamethasone – the inexpensive steroid that quickly emerged as a highly effective Covid therapy thanks to a large drug testing programme pioneered by UK scientists – has so far saved the lives of an estimated million people globally, including 22,000 in the UK, according to NHS England.
23-Mar-2021 Ukraine, a republic of 41 million people has been hit by a sharp increase in coronavirus cases in recent weeks that prime minister Denys Shmygal has said is the third wave of the pandemic. The country registered a record daily high of 333 coronavirus-related deaths over the past 24 hours.
23-Mar-2021 A top World Health Organization expert on the coronavirus pandemic said Monday the weekly global count of deaths from Covid is rising again, a “worrying sign” after about six weeks of declines.
22-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,743 compared to 4,267 yesterday; deaths were 60 compared to 76 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,339 compared to 1,334 yesterday. This is the fourth daily new record for ICU. Other numbers are very high for a Sunday.
22-Mar-2021 In Poland Covid cases have risen 27% compared with a week ago, and most are attributed to the highly contagious British variant. A partial three-week lockdown has been imposed, keeping schools, shops, restaurants and many other facilities closed.
22-Mar-2021 Internet is unstable throughout Myanmar. Br. Naing and several others were able to attend part of the Vellore, India Convention. Sr. Mary in Yagon related that the brethren in Myanmar are okay, but some are confined to their dwellings due to unrest on the streets. Myanmar activists plan fresh protests on Monday despite reports of security forces killing more people at the weekend.
22-Mar-2021 Mexico is under pressure to slow the flow of migrants north as the U.S. government wrestles with growing numbers, especially of families and unaccompanied minors. The U.S. government is deeply worried by the rapid increase in illegal entries since last fall.
22-Mar-2021 A shortage in chips, the “brain” within every electronic device in the world, has been steadily worsening since last year. Initially the problem was only a temporary delay in supplies as factories shut down when the coronavirus pandemic first hit. However, although production is back to normal, a new surge in demand driven by changing habits fuelled by the pandemic means that it is now reaching crisis point.
21-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,267 compared to 6,096 yesterday; deaths were 76 compared to 112 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,334 compared to 1,324 yesterday. This is the third day in a row with a record number in ICU. Additional restrictions and a longer curfew are under consideration.
21-Mar-2021 A recent study in Israel showed that a single dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is up to 85% effective. The scheduled second dose makes the vaccine even more effective, but at a time where vaccine supplies are limited, there’s a lot to be said about prioritizing the first dose for the most people.
20-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 6,096 compared to 5,593 yesterday; deaths were 112 compared to 143 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,324 compared to 1,313 yesterday. This is another all-time record.
20-Mar-2021 Scientists are exploring several possibilities that might explain at least 18 reports of extremely rare blood clots in the brain that occurred in individuals in the days and weeks after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. European investigators have put forward one theory that the vaccine triggers an unusual antibody in some rare cases affecting younger women taking birth control pills.
20-Mar-2021 India reported 40,953 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, the biggest daily jump in nearly four months, with its richest state and economic backbone Maharashtra accounting for more than half the infections. Doctors have blamed the fresh infection wave on people’s relaxed attitude to mask-wearing and other social distancing measures.
20-Mar-2021 China’s first local coronavirus case since February was a staff worker at a hospital who had received two shots of a vaccine between late January and early February, state media has reported. Chinese vaccines have had a much lower effectiveness rate compared to those developed and approved in the West.
20-Mar-2021 Taking low-dose aspirin may reduce ICU admissions and in-hospital deaths of COVID-19 patients, according to a new study. Researchers found low-dose aspirin use led to a 44% reduction in the use of ventilators, a 43% reduction in ICU admission and a 47% reduction in in-hospital mortality.
20-Mar-2021 France and Poland have reintroduced partial lockdowns as both countries battle a sharp rise in Covid infections in recent weeks. Coronavirus cases are also rising exponentially in Germany, with Chancellor Angela Merkel warning it is likely that the country will now need to apply an “emergency brake” and re-impose lockdown measures.
20-Mar-2021 Israel will hold an unprecedented fourth election in two years on Tuesday after the current coalition government was dissolved in December. The last national poll, published Friday evening, showed the pro-Netanyahu block with 50 seats. Two Center parties are projected to win a total of 15 seats, and would therefore determine who forms the next government.
20-Mar-2021 Opponents of Myanmar’s coup protested again on Saturday and international pressure on the military junta to halt its repression of democracy supporters increased, with Asian neighbours joining Western countries in condemning lethal force. Asian neighbours, who have for years abided by a code of not criticising each other’s problems, have also begun speaking out, including Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
19-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 5,593 compared to 6,174 yesterday; deaths were 143 compared to 90 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,313 compared to 1,286 yesterday. This is a new all-time record.
19-Mar-2021 Residents of the Gaza Strip are avoiding coronavirus vaccinations due to rumors being circulated on social media, Reuters reported Thursday. Although the Hamas terror organization that controls Gaza has received 83,300 doses of vaccine, only 8,500 people have gone to clinics so far to get vaccinated, a health official said.
19-Mar-2021 The European Union’s health agency said AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine was “safe and effective” and didn’t increase the risk of blood clots. France, Germany, Italy and others said they would start vaccinating residents again.
19-Mar-2021 Whether working from home or not, many people are feeling burned out during the coronavirus pandemic. A new survey found that nearly 90% of respondents in more than 40 countries felt that their work lives were getting worse during the pandemic. And more than 60% felt that they were experiencing burnout often or very often. Burnout has three components: Exhaustion (physical and emotional), cynicism about work, and self-blame. Potential remedies: establish a daily routine, take hourly 5-minute breaks and take daily walks, maintain clear boundaries between work and life, and try to identify and avoid “triggers” that create stress.
19-Mar-2021 A cohort of scientists and more than 350 individual clinicians from across the world believe that there is a growing body of evidence that Covid-19 can cause diabetes in some patients. Some doctors are considering the possibility that the virus ‒ by disrupting sugar metabolism ‒ could be inducing an entirely new form of diabetes.
19-Mar-2021 Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Friday called for bloodshed to be halted in military-ruled Myanmar and for Southeast Asian leaders to hold a high-level meeting to try to find a way out of the country’s escalating crisis. These are some of the strongest comments yet by a regional leader on Myanmar’s violent crackdown on anti-coup demonstrations.
18-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 6,174 compared to 6,186 yesterday; deaths were 90 compared to 89 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,286 compared to 1,266 yesterday.
18-Mar-2021 Older people who have recovered from Covid cannot assume they are immune from a second attack, according to a new study that shows the over-65s are much more susceptible to reinfection.
18-Mar-2021 The Ukrainian capital Kyiv will go into a strict lockdown for three weeks from 20 March to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
17-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 6,186 (another record high for 2021) compared to 6,118 yesterday; deaths were 89 compared to 133 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,266 compared to 1,226 yesterday.
17-Mar-2021 Moderna, the maker of one of three COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized for use in the U.S., announced Tuesday it will start testing its vaccine on children as young as 6 months old. The move makes Moderna the first U.S. vaccine maker to test its vaccine on infants.
17-Mar-2021 Coronavirus infections are rising exponentially in Germany, an expert at the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases said on Tuesday, putting at risk plans to lift the lockdown and revive the economy. The number of cases per 100,000 reported on Tuesday was 83.7, up from 68 a week ago, and the RKI has said that metric could reach 200 by the middle of next month.
17-Mar-2021 India’s daily coronavirus infections jumped by 28,903 on Wednesday, data from the health ministry showed, for the highest increase since Dec. 13 and taking the nationwide tally to 11.44 million.
17-Mar-2021 The Pandemic has caused Aliyah to Israel from South America to trend upward “Israel is an attractive country,” Alejandro Mellincovsky, the head of Aliyah Promotion in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Even before the pandemic it was a very attractive country, but now even more, when you see the performance of the vaccination process and the beginning of the recovery.” (The positive test rate in Israel currently stands at 2.1% – the lowest since early December.)
17-Mar-2021 On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised four more countries will join the Abraham Accords in the near future.
17-Mar-2021 Israeli archaeologists on Tuesday announced the discovery of dozens of Dead Sea Scroll fragments bearing a biblical text found in a desert cave and believed hidden during a Jewish revolt against Rome nearly 1,900 years ago.
17-Mar-2021 Myanmar’s most powerful Buddhist monks’ association called on the junta to end violence against protesters and accused an “armed minority” of torture and killing innocent civilians since last month’s coup, media said on Wednesday. The government-appointed organisation also said in a draft statement its members intended to halt activities in an apparent protest.
16-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 6,118 (the highest in three months) compared to 2,972 yesterday; deaths were 133 compared to 82 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,226 compared to 1,225 yesterday. Only 38 beds are available in ICU nationwide. No beds are available in the Capital Bucuresti.
16-Mar-2021 Germany, Italy, France and Spain joined the ranks of many European countries that have temporarily halted use of the Covid-19 shot made by AstraZeneca PLC over blood-clot concerns, dealing another blow to the continent’s sluggish vaccination rollout and threatening the credibility of the vaccine itself. The World Health Organization has insisted countries should keep using the vaccine.
16-Mar-2021 Moderna Inc said on Monday it had dosed the first participant in an early-stage study of a new COVID-19 vaccine candidate that could potentially be stored and shipped in refrigerators instead of freezers. The company said its new candidate could make it easier for distribution, especially in developing countries where supply chain issues could hamper vaccination drives.
16-Mar-2021 Emmanuel Macron has warned tough new measures may be needed to contain a new wave of coronavirus in areas of France where infections and deaths continue to rise. Parisians have been warned that the French capital, one of a number of areas of concern, is facing a new lockdown if the situation continues to worsen.
16-Mar-2021 Myanmar’s ruling junta has declared martial law in a wide area of the country’s largest city, as security forces killed dozens of protesters over the weekend in an increasingly lethal crackdown on resistance to last month’s military coup.
15-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,972 compared to 4,383 yesterday; deaths were 82 compared to 44 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,225 compared to 1,232 yesterday. These figures are from yesterday, and are very high for a Sunday.
15-Mar-2021 Total confirmed infections worldwide of COVID-19 have climbed to 120 million, with deaths at 2.8 million. Brazil has overtaken the U.S. to hold the top spot globally in daily new cases and daily deaths. The U.S. still leads the world in total confirmed cases at nearly 30 million with more than half a milllion deaths.
15-Mar-2021 AstraZeneca PLC said on Sunday a review of safety data of people vaccinated with its COVID-19 vaccine has shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots. However, several countries that suspended use of the vaccine when reports surfaced of blood clots in a number of those inoculated, have not yet resumed its use. In the latest incident, a teacher in Italy died following his vaccination with the AstraZeneca product on Saturday.
15-Mar-2021 Publicly, the European Union has dismissed Russia’s global coronavirus vaccine supply campaign as a propaganda stunt by an undesirable regime. Behind the scenes, the bloc is turning to Moscow’s Sputnik V shot as it tries to get its stuttering efforts to vaccinate its 450 million people back on track, EU diplomatic and official sources told Reuters.
15-Mar-2021 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed on Thursday that the United Arab Emirates, with which Israel signed a peace deal in September, plans to invest $10 billion in the country. Earlier on Thursday, the Czech Republic opened a branch of its Israel embassy in Jerusalem, joining Hungary as the second European country to open an embassy in Jerusalem. The ceremony was attended by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.
15-Mar-2021 In Myanmar, supporters of detained democtratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi marched again on Monday. The protesters took to the streets in defiance of the authorities’ escalating use of violence, with more than 50 killed on Sunday in the bloodiest day since the Feb. 1 coup.
15-Mar-2021 India will propose a law banning cryptocurrencies, fining anyone trading in the country or even holding such digital assets, a senior government official told Reuters in a potential blow to millions of investors piling into the red-hot asset class.
14-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,383 compared to 4,964 yesterday; deaths were 44 compared to 79 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,232 compared to 1,203 yesterday.
14-Mar-2021 The World Health Organization in Europe announced on March 4 that after six weeks of decline, cases in the continent rose by a staggering 9% compared to the previous week — putting the continent again over 1 million cases weekly.
14-Mar-2021 The United States has reported a record daily number (more than 4.5 million) of vaccine doses administered. This has far surpassed the previous highest daily figure, which stood at 2.9 million doses.
13-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,964 compared to 5,010 yesterday; deaths were 79 compared to 108 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,203 compared to 1,166 yesterday.
13-Mar-2021 The Israeli Defense Force has announced that it’s the first army in the world to reach herd immunity thanks to its vaccination campaign. Major General Itzik Turgeman, head of the IDF’s Technology and Logistics Directorate, said that 81% of Israel’s military has received the coronavirus vaccine, caught the virus and built up antibodies as a result or both contracted the virus and received an injection.
13-Mar-2021 Shops, restaurants and schools will be closed across most of Italy on Monday, with PM Mario Draghi warning of a “new wave” of the coronavirus outbreak. For three days over Easter, 3-5 April, there will be a total shutdown.
12-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 5,010 compared to 5,236 yesterday; deaths were 108 compared to 96 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,166 compared to 1,171 yesterday.
12-Mar-2021 The Maryland-based biotech company Novavax reported Thursday that its experimental Covid-19 vaccine is more than 96 percent effective in preventing mild and severe illness. The results are from the company’s Phase 3 clinical trial.
12-Mar-2021 Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE said Wednesday that real-world data from Israel suggests that their Covid-19 vaccine is 94 percent effective in preventing asymptomatic infections, meaning the vaccine could significantly reduce transmission.The number of new infections was 5,236 compared to 4,564 yesterday; deaths were 96 compared to 100 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,171 compared to 1,140 yesterday.
12-Mar-2021 In general, available vaccines have outperformed expectations — even when it comes to what are known as the “variants of concern.”
12-Mar-2021 Joe Biden has directed states to make all American adults eligible for coronavirus vaccines by 1 May and set an audacious goal of 4 July for gatherings to celebrate “independence” from the deadly pandemic.
12-Mar-2021 Public health experts are saying that COVID-19 is never going to end. It now seems poised to become an endemic disease — one that is always a part of our environment, no matter what we do. There’s simply no track record of infectious diseases being completely eradicated.
12-Mar-2021 Delaying the second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine must be urgently reviewed for cancer patients after a single shot was found to offer inadequate protection, researchers have said. Three weeks after the first jab antibody responses were found in 39% of people with solid cancers and 13% of people with blood cancer.
12-Mar-2021 The Covid-19 situation in greater Paris is “especially worrying” and the government will take extra restrictive measures there if the pandemic continues at its current pace, France’s health minister said on Thursday. While new infections are not growing exponentially, the numbers taken into intensive care have reached a new 3-1/2-months high nationally, close to 4,000, as France faces more dangerous variants.
12-Mar-2021 The governor of Brazil’s most populous state, São Paulo, declared a two-week emergency shutdown as the South American country’s coronavirus outbreak continues to spiral out of control. Brazil reported 2,233 Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, the second consecutive day that fatalities have exceeded 2,000.
12-Mar-2021 MYANMAR IN DEPTH
12-Mar-2021 Transportation Minister Miri Regev announced that the 3.5-billion shekel ($1 billion) project is moving to the planning stage for a rail link from Israel to the Persian Gulf. “The Gulf to Gulf project is a mega-project that will change the face of the regional economy in the Middle East and connect Israel to many countries in the region by rail and will be a gateway to the Mediterranean for them,” Regev said in her announcement last week.
11-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The third wave continues to grow in intensity. The number of new infections was 5,236 compared to 4,564 yesterday; deaths were 96 compared to 100 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,171 compared to 1,140 yesterday.
11-Mar-2021 It was one year ago today, on March 11th, 2020 that the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a Pandemic.
11-Mar-2021 According to new peer-reviewed study results published in the medical journal JCI Insight last month, high-antibody plasma was shown to be safe and increase survival chances in newly symptomatic coronavirus patients. This specialized treatment proved most effective when given early in the course of an infection.
11-Mar-2021 Israel’s campaign to vaccinate Palestinians who come to work daily from Judea and Samaria is gaining steam after a pilot program ran successfully last week, with the first 21,000 workers starting to stream into inoculation centers set up Tuesday at various points in the country. Under the Oslo Accords, the health of the Palestinian people is the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority, not Israel.
11-Mar-2021 A new antibody drug “reduces hospital admission or death from Covid-19 by 85%”, the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced. The drug, called VIR-7831, is a new treatment for people with mild to moderate illness, and the study has been so successful that it has been stopped early. GSK and its partner, Vir Biotechnology, plan to immediately seek an emergency use authorisation in the United States and approval in other countries, including potentially in the UK.
11-Mar-2021 Austria’s national medicines regulator has suspended use of a batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine after four patients were diagnosed with dangerous blood clotting conditions after receiving the jab, PA reports.
11-Mar-2021 Israel, Cyprus and Greece signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday regarding a project to link their power grids via the construction of the world’s longest and deepest undersea power cable. The project, called the “Euro-Asia Interconnector,” will help Israel build on more options for renewable energy, contribute to energy security and reduce energy prices, said Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz at the signing ceremony in Nicosia.
10-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,564 compared to 4,989 yesterday; deaths were 100 compared to 93 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,140 compared to 1,126 yesterday.
10-Mar-2021 Israel has officially vaccinated more than 5 million of its population against the COVID-19 virus. Israel leads the world, with more than half its population having received the vaccine.
10-Mar-2021 Total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. are near the 30 million mark.
10-Mar-2021 The change in relations between Israel and the Biden White House, and especially the change in White House posture towards Iran, has prompted some Arab countries to consider strategic-security ties with Israel.
09-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: Huge increases today as the “third wave” continues to grow. The number of new infections was 4,989 compared to 2,280 yesterday; deaths were 93 compared to 63 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,126 compared to 1,098 yesterday.
09-Mar-2021 Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh threatened that if the International Criminal Court (ICC) indicts Israel for war crimes, the Palestinians will then go after American corporations and organizations that support Israel, the MEMRI media watchdog organization reported Monday.
09-Mar-2021 Myanmar’s military junta has revoked the licences of five media outlets as it seeks to clampdown on independent coverage of anti-coup protests, a major blow to press freedom in the country. Soldiers and police raided the headquarters of Myanmar Now, a news outlet that has scrutinized the military, seizing computers, part of the newsroom’s data server and other equipment.
08-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,280 compared to 3,288 yesterday; deaths were 63 compared to 46 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,098 compared to 1,093 yesterday.
08-Mar-2021 Russian intelligence agencies have mounted a campaign to undermine confidence in Western vaccines, using online publications that in recent months have questioned the vaccines’ development and safety, U.S. officials said. At the same time, a senior European Medicines Agency official has urged European Union members to refrain from granting national approvals for the Russian Covid-19 vaccine for the same reasons.
08-Mar-2021 The race to find vaccines for COVID-19 has dominated the headlines, but there’s been less news about how to keep people with COVID out of the hospital. A possible treatment is called fluvoxamine. The generic drug was developed 40 years ago as an antidepressant and has been primarily used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder. Now, a small clinical trial has led scientists to look closely at fluvoxamine as a possible tool to keep newly diagnosed COVID-19 patients from becoming severely ill.
08-Mar-2021 Police in Myanmar have occupied hospitals and universities and reportedly arrested hundreds of people involved in protesting last month’s military coup, while a coalition of labour unions called a nationwide strike for Monday.
08-Mar-2021 While eBay was removing books like Dr. Seuss’ 1937 And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, anti-Semitic children’s books like Nazi propagandist Ernst Hiemer’s 1938 The Poisonous Mushroom (Der Giftpilz), The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and Hitler’s Mein Kampf were still available for sale. The Offensive Material Policy supposedly removes listings that promote or glorify hatred, violence, or discrimination.
07-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,288 compared to 4,064 yesterday; deaths were 46 compared to 69 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,093 compared to 1,070 yesterday. Deaths generally follow a curve that is two weeks later than new cases and the number in ICU. Additionally, a large proportion of new cases are among the young who have a lower mortality rate.
06-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,064 compared to 4,342 yesterday; deaths were 69 compared to 101 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,070 compared to 1,067 yesterday.
06-Mar-2021 An experimental Covid-19 drug (molnupiravir) that promises to be a kind of Tamiflu for the pandemic had positive results in a preliminary study, one of the drug’s developers said. The pill, which is being developed by Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP and Merck & Co., significantly reduced infectious virus in subjects in a mid-stage study after five days of treatment.
06-Mar-2021 As the U.S. continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 29 million confirmed caes, it could soon have a new source of hope: a fourth vaccine. An executive at AstraZeneca told CBS News on Friday that the company plans to file for emergency use authorization of its vaccine in the coming weeks, pending the results of a clinical trial. Three other vaccines have already been approved for use in the U.S.: Moderna’s and Pfizer’s, which are both two doses, and Johnson & Johnson’s, which requires only one dose.
05-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,342 compared to 4,271 yesterday; deaths were 101 compared to 98 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,067 compared to 1,071 yesterday. Authorities are calling the current increase as a “third wave” of the virus. More counties have entered into “code red” status.
05-Mar-2021 Japanese supercomputer simulations showed that wearing two masks gave limited benefit (89%) in blocking viral spread compared with one properly fitted mask (85%). The findings in part contradict recent recommendations from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that two masks were better than one at reducing a person’s exposure to the coronavirus.
05-Mar-2021 There’s more evidence the B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant first noticed in the UK poses little threat to the efficacy of vaccines. Research published Thursday shows while that variant can hide a little bit from the immune system, it’s not enough to decrease the value of vaccines significantly – and it doesn’t threaten to re-infect people who have recovered from the previous dominant variant of the virus.
05-Mar-2021 Leaders of Israel, Austria and Denmark have announced plans to launch a joint research and development fund towards the possible future production of coronavirus vaccines. The move by the two European countries to partner with Israel follows dissatisfaction at the pace of vaccine distribution in the European Union.Ivermectin, a drug normally used to treat parasites including lice and rabies, did not seem to have a significant impact and improve the symptoms of patients with Covid-19, according to new research published Thursday, in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
05-Mar-2021 Ivermectin, a drug normally used to treat parasites including lice and rabies, did not seem to have a significant impact and improve the symptoms of patients with Covid-19, according to new research published Thursday, in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
04-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,271 compared to 4,278 yesterday; deaths were 98 compared to 77 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,071 compared to 1,032 yesterday.
04-Mar-2021 Anthony Fauci recently drew attention to the fact that some of the people who were infected with COVID-19 may have symptoms for up to nine months. Specifically, researchers at the University of Washington found that 30 percent of patients reported such long-term effects during which time they experienced fatigue, shortness of breath, sleep disturbances, and other symptoms.
04-Mar-2021 About 80.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the United States, according to data published Wednesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s a seven-day average of more than 2 million doses per day for the first time. More than 8% of the population – about 27 million people — have been fully vaccinated with both shots, CDC data shows.
04-Mar-2021 India’s Covaxin vaccine is 81% effective against coronavirus, according to early data released Wednesday by Bharat Biotech, the company that developed the drug jointly with the government-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Data indicates the vaccine can also effectively combat the coronavirus variant first spotted in the UK, according to an analysis by the National Institute of Virology.
03-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: More than one million persons have been vaccinated against COVID-19 as of today. The number of new infections was 4,278 compared to 3,950 yesterday; deaths were 77 compared to 106 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,032 compared to 1,044 yesterday. Maramures continues under “code red” status.
03-Mar-2021 The British COVID variant, which became dominant in several countries recently, is much more contagious, relative to the previous strains, and studies have shown that it increases the chance of serious infections and of hospitalizations by 60-70% more than the original strain.
03-Mar-2021 The coronavirus variant originally found in Manaus in Brazil and detected in six cases in the UK was able to infect as many as 60% of the people in the Amazonian city who might have expected to be immune after a first bout of Covid, researchers say. The new variant has spread rapidly and is currently implicated in 87% of cases in the principle city of Manaus.
02-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,950 compared to 2,096 yesterday; deaths were 106 compared to 53 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,044 compared to 1,022 yesterday. This continues an alarming increase in recent days.
02-Mar-2021 A senior World Health Organization official said Monday it was “premature” and “unrealistic” to think the pandemic might be stopped by the end of the year, but that the recent arrival of effective vaccines could at least help dramatically reduce hospitalizations and death.
02-Mar-2021 The number of new coronavirus infections globally rose last week for the first time in seven weeks. Numbers rose in Europe, the Americas, southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean. Brazil is steaming into the darkest days of its coronavirus catastrophe, as fatalities soared to new heights.
02-Mar-2021 The spread of highly contagious coronavirus variants is threatening to fuel a “potential fourth surge of cases” in the US, a top health official has warned. The head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said she was concerned by recent Covid-19 data.
01-Mar-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,096 compared to 2,830 yesterday; deaths were 53 compared to 63 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,022 compared to 1,006 yesterday. Maramures remains under “code red” with a rate of 3.12 which is the 3rd highest in Romania. Cluj with a rate of 3.15 is 2nd.
01-Mar-2021 At least 18 people were killed in Myanmar over the weekend, the United Nations said, as security forces began their toughest crackdown yet against protesters who have taken to the streets for more than three weeks to oppose this month’s coup, signaling the military’s growing willingness to use lethal force despite international condemnation.
28-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,830 compared to 3,432 yesterday; deaths were 63 compared to 54 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,006 compared to 997 yesterday.
28-Feb-2021 The first single-dose Covid-19 vaccine, a shot from Johnson & Johnson , was authorized for use, a big boost for a mass-vaccination campaign rushing to end the deadliest pandemic in more than a century. The vaccine’s authorization on Saturday, the third issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will give health authorities a desperately needed new source of doses as they scramble to ramp up inoculations ahead of elusive emerging strains.
28-Feb-2021 An epidemiologist with La Trobe University, Associate Prof Hassan Vally, said just over one year later it has become clear surface transmission is not as significant a factor in Covid-19 spread as once feared. “The threat surface transmission poses is relatively small.” Close contact aerosol spread is the driving factor in Covid-19 transmission, primarily when an infected person is in close contact with another person.
28-Feb-2021 On Friday night Myanmar’s ambassador to the UN, Kyaw Moe Tun, gave an emotional address calling for international action to restore democracy and protect the people. By Saturday evening, MRTV, a Myanmar state-run television channel, announced he had been dismissed from his post.
27-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,432 compared to 3,761 yesterday; deaths were 54 compared to 66 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 997 compared to 968 yesterday.
27-Feb-2021 Israel has received scathing criticism in the mainstream press for “failing to vaccinate the palestinians.” The Palestinian Authority (PA) vetoed an Israeli offer last week to set up a vaccination clinic on the Temple Mount even though weekly prayers attract thousands of Arabs in potential super-spreader events and against health regulations.
27-Feb-2021 In the US: The third Covid-19 spike may be leveling off at a high level, a worrying shift in the trajectory of the pandemic, a top government health official warned Friday. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gave a sobering update about the latest data.
27-Feb-2021 At the White House COVID response team briefing Friday, top U.S. health officials warned that recent progress in declining case numbers appears to have stalled and that restrictions shouldn’t be eased until the U.S. baseline is much lower.
27-Feb-2021 One of the strongest weapons against the troubling number of new coronavirus variants in the United States and worldwide may be one vaccine the FDA hasn’t approved yet. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization gave the go ahead for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to be used internationally, and it is already being distributed in countries around the world to help fight COVID-19. The vaccine is unique in that it is relatively easy to update against new variants.
27-Feb-2021 Israel is currently in talks with the kingdoms of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in establishing a defense alliance against the Iranian threat.
26-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,761 compared to 3,923 yesterday; deaths were 66 compared to 81 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 968 compared to 985 yesterday. Numbers in all categories have increased in recent days.
26-Feb-2021 German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that her country could be caught in a third wave of Covid-19 if it lifts its lockdown too quickly. Much of Europe is recording cases of newer Covid-19 variants, particularly ones that first emerged in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Both are believed to spread more rapidly than previous variants.
26-Feb-2021 Sinan Aral, a professor at MIT: “If the eventual outcome of [internet content restrictions] is that we have social media platforms in every major country or market that are separate, then what we will have is an information ecosystem that is completely bifurcated or splintered across the globe. … What that portends is a citizenry that has completely different sets of information about local events, about world events, and perhaps a very splintered worldview of reality.”
25-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,923 compared to 3,337 yesterday; deaths were 81 compared to 73 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 985 compared to 969 yesterday. Numbers in all categories have increased in recent days.
25-Feb-2021 Ukraine has registered an almost 40% jump in new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, Reuters reports. A total of 8,147 cases were registered on Wednesday, the highest figure since mid-January when the number of new cases stood at 8,199.
25-Feb-2021 India reported 16,738 new coronavirus infections, health ministry data showed on Thursday, for the highest daily jump since January 29, according to a Reuters tally.
25-Feb-2021 Covid-19 has killed nearly 51,000 people in California, which on Wednesday became the first state to pass 50,000 deaths related to the coronavirus, according to an NBC News count of reports. The state has seen more than 3.5 million infections, a statistic that also leads the nation based on raw numbers.
25-Feb-2021 The drugmaker Moderna is set to begin testing a new version of its Covid-19 vaccine that was specifically designed to target an emerging variant of the coronavirus that was first reported in South Africa. The company announced Wednesday that it has shipped doses of its variant-specific booster shot to the National Institutes of Health for clinical trials.
24-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,337 compared to 3,382 yesterday; deaths were 73 compared to 119 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 969 compared to 978 yesterday.
24-Feb-2021 Novavax is nearing approval for its COVID-19 vaccine. Unlike shots from Pfizer and Moderna, Novavax’s vaccine doesn’t need to be kept at freezing temperatures. That’s an advantage for hospitals, clinics and pharmacies lacking freezer capacity. Additionally, its vaccine approach is similar to those of proven vaccines, such as those for shingles and hepatitis B, one reason why some scientists are fans.
24-Feb-2021 The World Health Organization said global deaths from coronavirus-related complications have declined by 20% in the last week, with cases dropping for the sixth consecutive week worldwide. Deaths have been falling for three consecutive weeks.
24-Feb-2021 AstraZeneca has told the European Union it expects to deliver less than half the Covid vaccines it was contracted to supply in the second quarter, an EU official told Reuters on Tuesday.
24-Feb-2021 Johnson & Johnson expects to fall far short of its commitment to deliver 10 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine by the end of February, with under 4 million to be ready to ship after a hoped-for emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. As a single-dose vaccine that can be stored at standard refrigerator temperatures for three months, Johnson & Johnson’s candidate had been heralded as a key advance in the U.S. vaccine effort.
23-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,382 compared to 1,634 yesterday; deaths were 119 compared to 47 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 978 compared to 972 yesterday.
23-Feb-2021 The U.S. will observe five days of mourning in honor of the half million Americans who have died as a result of COVID-19. Flags will be flown at half-mast during that time.
22-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,634 compared to 2,419 yesterday; deaths were 47 compared to 52 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 972 compared to 968 yesterday.
22-Feb-2021 As numbers continue to decrease worldwide, news stories are decreasing as well. However, experts warn that the current trend could be temporary due to several factors. As numbers decrease for the initial strain of COVID, the rate of mutations will increase. Also, a sense of complacency becomes a danger prompting people to ignore safety regulations.
22-Feb-2021 The official death toll in the U.S. has now surpassed the half million mark. Second place is held by Brazil with less than half that number. The U.S. is responsible for more than one-fourth of global infections, and more than one-fifth of all deaths.
22-Feb-2021 More than 4,000 SpaceX workers volunteered for monthly blood tests in a COVID-19 study held last year. This week the group of doctors and academic researchers published its findings, which suggest that a certain threshold of antibodies might provide people lasting protection against the virus. Elon Musk is listed as a co-author of the peer-reviewed study, which appears in the journal Nature Communications.
21-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,419 compared to 2,721 yesterday; deaths were 52 compared to 57 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 968 compared to 963 yesterday.
21-Feb-2021 Israel reopened swathes of its economy on Sunday in what it called the start of a return to routine enabled by a COVID-19 vaccination drive that has reached almost half the population. Coming exactly a year after Israel’s first documented coronavirus case, Sunday’s easing of curbs is part of a government plan to open the economy more widely next month.
20-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,721 compared to 2,712 yesterday; deaths were 57 compared to 79 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 963 compared to 949 yesterday.
There are no other news items at this time.
19-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,712 compared to 3,058 yesterday; deaths were 79 compared to 71 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 949 compared to 936 yesterday.
19-Feb-2021 Confirmed cases worldwide of COVID-19 have now exceeded 110 million, though the daily totals continue a downward trend. Daily deaths also continue to decrease with the global total standing at 2.5 million. U.S. cases still represent more than one-fourth of the total at 28 million, while deaths are nearing half a million.
19-Feb-2021 The first dose of Pfizer Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine is 85% effective, a study of healthcare workers at an Israeli hospital has found, potentially fuelling a debate over the recommended two-dose schedule as governments try to stretch out supplies.
19-Feb-2021 According to a U.K. epidemiologist at Edinburgh University who sits on the government’s SPI-M committee, the chance of a super-spreader event among the crowds that turned up at public beaches was minimal in theory – and nonexistent in practice. Another British expert stated: “We have known for some time that only about 10% of transmission events are linked to outdoor activities…”
18-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,058 compared to 2,815 yesterday; deaths were 71 compared to 62 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 936 compared to 935 yesterday.
17-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,815 compared to 2,676 yesterday; deaths were 62 compared to 81 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 935 compared to 943 yesterday.
17-Feb-2021 Beatrice Mahler, the manager of the “Marius Nasta” Institute in Bucharest, stated that the producers of anti-Covid vaccines expect immunity after vaccination to last up to two years, and an answer in this regard is expected later this year.
17-Feb-2021 The number of new cases of Covid-19 reported worldwide fell by 16% last week to 2.7 million, the World Health Organization said. The number of new deaths reported also fell 10% week-on-week, to 81,000.
16-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,676 compared to 1,381 yesterday; deaths were 81 compared to 79 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 943 compared to 941 yesterday.
16-Feb-2021 Another coronavirus variant with a potentially worrying set of mutations has been detected in the UK. The variant, known as B1525, is the subject of a report by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, who say it has been detected through genome sequencing in 10 countries.
16-Feb-2021 Australia’s medical regulator granted provisional approval for AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, bolstering a national inoculation programme it plans to begin rolling out next week. The federal government says it has ordered enough of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which will mostly be manufactured in Australia, to cover the country’s population of 25 million people.
16-Feb-2021 Vaccine distribution in states and cities across the US are slowing down because of winter storms that have left more than a third of the continental US with below-zero temperatures Monday.
15-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,381 compared to 1,872 yesterday; deaths were 79 compared to 41 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 941 compared to 964 yesterday.
15-Feb-2021 There are the 130 countries that “are yet to administer a single dose,” according to UNICEF. That’s 2.5 billion people who so far have been completely shut out of the global vaccine campaign.
15-Feb-2021 South Korea became the latest country to exclude people aged 65 years and older from inoculation with AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine because of a lack of data proving its efficacy in the elderly, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Monday.
15-Feb-2021 Average daily new coronavirus cases in the US have dipped below 100,000 for the first time in months. It stayed below 100,000 on Saturday. The seven-day rolling average of new infections was well above 200,000 for much of December and went to roughly 250,000 in January, according to Johns Hopkins University.
15-Feb-2021 Myanmar’s internet has been cut overnight on Sunday, hours after armoured vehicles rolled into three major cities. Additionally, the military released thousands of criminals from prison to carry out nighttime violence and stir up panic. Hundreds of thousands of protesters rallied against the military for the ninth day in a row.
14-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,872 compared to 2,415 yesterday; deaths were 41 compared to 48 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 964 compared to 969 yesterday.
14-Feb-2021 The European Union will fast track approvals of coronavirus vaccines adapted to combat mutations, the bloc’s Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said in a newspaper interview on Sunday. “We have now decided that a vaccine that has been improved by the manufacturer on the basis of the previous vaccine to combat new mutations no longer has to go through the entire approval process,” she told Bavaria’s Augsburger Allgemeine.
14-Feb-2021 The White House on Saturday called on China to make available data from the earliest days of the COVID-19 outbreak, saying it has “deep concerns” about the way the findings of the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 report were communicated.
13-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,415 compared to 2,550 yesterday; deaths were 48 compared to 77 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 969 compared to 973 yesterday.
13-Feb-2021 Infections worldwide are approaching 108 million, with deaths near 2.5 million. However, daily numbers in both categories are trending downward.
13-Feb-2021 How long does natural protection from a first infection last? According to one study from Public Health England (PHE) released in January, which looked at hospital staff, the median interval between the first infection and reinfection was more than 160 days – about five months. Meanwhile, a study from Qatar suggests protection by natural immunity of about 95% efficacy lasts about seven months.
12-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,550 compared to 2,644 yesterday; deaths were 77 compared to 65 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 973 compared to 958 yesterday.
12-Feb-2021 The County of Maramures has entered “Code Red” with the 2nd highest infection rate in Romania. The cities of Baia Mare and Sighet are included in cities under quarantine. Restrictions include limited travel in and out of each locality.
12-Feb-2021 People who have received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been found to have strong T-cell responses against the Kent and South African variants of Covid, suggesting that the vaccine will continue to protect against serious disease in the coming months.
12-Feb-2021 As vaccine demand continues to far outpace supply, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert made a stunning prediction. “By the time we get to April…virtually everybody and anybody in any category can start to get vaccinated,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said.
11-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,644 compared to 3,048 yesterday; deaths were 65 compared to 79 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 958 compared to 955 yesterday.
11-Feb-2021 Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Wednesday that five of the city’s COVID-19 vaccine sites — including Dodger Stadium — will close due to a lack of supplies, CBS Los Angeles reports. By Thursday, the city will have exhausted its supply of Moderna vaccines for first doses.
11-Feb-2021 Making sure a mask fits snugly on the face and use of two masks is likely to significantly reduce a person’s exposure to the coronavirus, laboratory experiments described by U.S. health officials on Wednesday showed. They found coronavirus exposure was reduced by 82.2% when double-masking.
11-Feb-2021 Merck & Co Inc said on Wednesday it was in talks with governments and companies to potentially help with manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines that have been already authorized. The drugmaker said it also planned to focus on the accelerated scale up of production of its investigational therapeutic candidates, MK-4482 and MK-7110, which it now calls molnupiravir.
11-Feb-2021 A cheap and widely available asthma drug appears to significantly reduce the risk of people getting seriously ill with Covid-19, if it is taken within the first week of developing symptoms, research suggests. Inhaled budesonide – which both stops people from getting worse and shortens the length of their illness – could become the first treatment in the early stages of infection.
11-Feb-2021 It has been three weeks since Joe Biden’s inauguration and Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to receive a call from the White House. The Israeli prime minister has let it be known he is not happy but he is waiting by the phone.
11-Feb-2021 The Palestinian Authority is using stones from Joshua’s Altar located on Mount Ebal to help build a road connecting an Arab village to the city of Nablus, or Shechem, website N12 reports on Wednesday. In a video obtained by N12, Arab workers can be heard saying they are destroying part of the site and using it for gravel to make the road.
10-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,048 compared to 2,797 yesterday; deaths were 79 compared to 95 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 955 compared to 937 yesterday.
10-Feb-2021 Eli Lilly’s combination antibody therapy to fight COVID-19 has been granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Lilly said on Tuesday. Lilly’s combination therapy of two antibodies, bamlanivimab and etesevimab, helped cut the risk of hospitalization and death in COVID-19 patients by 70%, data from a late-stage trial showed in January.
10-Feb-2021 California surpassed New York on Tuesday as the U.S. state with the most coronavirus deaths, a grim reminder of the pandemic’s toll even as the vaccine rollout and a sharp drop in new cases buoyed hopes of life eventually returning to normal.
10-Feb-2021 People may need to get vaccinated against Covid-19 annually for the next several years, Johnson & Johnson chief executive Alex Gorsky told CNBC on Tuesday, due to mutations to the virus.
09-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,797 compared to 1,319 yesterday; deaths were 95 compared to 80 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 937 compared to 958 yesterday.
09-Feb-2021 The United States reported a 25% drop in new cases of COVID-19 to about 825,000 last week, the biggest fall since the pandemic started, although health officials said they were worried new variants of the virus could slow or reverse this progress.
09-Feb-2021 The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine offers as little as 10% protection against the Covid variant first seen in South Africa, researchers have suggested. South Africa has halted the rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab. The news has caused concern that the vaccines now available will prove insufficient to end the crisis on their own and manufacturers are already working on new versions that will offer protection against variants.
08-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,319 compared to 1,975 yesterday; deaths were 80 compared to 72 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 958 compared to 966 yesterday.
08-Feb-2021 The United States reported 96,003 new coronavirus cases Sunday, the first day the U.S. has seen under 100,000 new cases since Nov. 2, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
08-Feb-2021 Vaccination drives hold out the promise of curbing Covid-19, but governments and businesses are increasingly accepting what epidemiologists have long warned: The pathogen will circulate for years, or even decades, leaving society to coexist with Covid-19 much as it does with other endemic diseases like flu, measles, and HIV.
08-Feb-2021 France reported a fall in new COVID-19 infections on Sunday for the fourth successive day. Health ministry data showed there had been 19,175 new confirmed COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours compared with 20,586 the previous day. However, in an ominous trend, the proportion of Covid-19 infections accounted for by the so-called UK variant is increasing exponentially in France – by 50% a week.
08-Feb-2021 Tens of thousands of people rallied across Myanmar on Sunday to denounce last week’s coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in the biggest protests since the 2007 Saffron Revolution that helped lead to democratic reforms.
08-Feb-2021 As millions of Americans struggle to recover from Covid-19 and millions more scramble for the protection offered by vaccines, U.S. health officials are being accused of overlooking an unsettling subgroup of survivors: those who get infected more than once. Fewer than 50 cases have been confirmed worldwide, but in the State of Washington alone, more than 700 cases that meet the criteria for reinfection have been documented, but genetic material to confirm a diagnosis is not available due to procedural issues.
08-Feb-2021 Leading vaccine scientists are calling for a rethink of the goals of vaccination programs, saying that herd immunity through vaccination is unlikely to be possible because of the emergence of variants like that in South Africa. The comments came as the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca acknowledged that their vaccine will not protect people against mild to moderate Covid illness caused by the South African variant.
07-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,975 compared to 2,611 yesterday; deaths were 72 compared to 61 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 966 compared to 963 yesterday.
07-Feb-2021 Confirmed cases in the U.S. surged to 27 million over the weekend, with deaths nearing the half million mark. Meanwhile, more COVID-19 vaccination megasites opened this week across the country, including at a casino in Missouri and at Yankee Stadium in New York — where a long line formed as it opened on Friday to local residents.
07-Feb-2021 Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Myanmar’s cities on Saturday, and again today, to denounce this week’s coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi despite a blockade on the internet by the junta. Monitoring group NetBlocks Internet Observatory reported a “national-scale internet blackout”, saying on Twitter that connectivity had fallen to 16% of usual levels.
06-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,611 compared to 2,580 yesterday; deaths were 61 compared to 73 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 963 compared to 954 yesterday.
06-Feb-2021 The number of confirmed cases worldwide has now exceeded 105 million. The U.S. still accounts for more than one-fourth of the total, with more than one million new infections each week. Another record, 5,078 deaths from COVID-19, was registered in the U.S. on Thursday
06-Feb-2021 Researchers at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital have discovered that a new cancer drug has been successfully used to treat patients seriously ill with the coronavirus, Kan News reported Friday. 29 of 30 patients treated with the new cancer drug recovered after being seriously ill with coronavirus.
06-Feb-2021 In a landslide vote (97-3) Thursday, the Senate approved a budget resolution amendment making the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem permanent, so that it could not be moved out of Israel’s capital in the future. The three objectors were Democratic Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Tom Carper.
05-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,580 compared to 2,668 yesterday; deaths were 73 compared to 75 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 954 compared to 984 yesterday.
05-Feb-2021 A panel of South Korean advisers has urged caution over the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for people older than 65. The advice comes in the wake of news that several European nations plan to restrict the vaccine to younger people, or are considering doing so, because of insufficient data on its efficacy in the elderly.
05-Feb-2021 A cheap drug, colchicine, normally used to treat gout, has been found to have the potential to significantly reduce hospital stays among Covid-19 patients and the need for extra oxygen.
05-Feb-2021 Johnson and Johnson is seeking FDA approval for a coronavirus vaccine known as JNJ-78436735 or Ad26.COV2.S which differs significantly from other current vaccines which are mRNA-based. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is double-stranded DNA-based, a step further in genetic manipulation.
04-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,668 compared to 2,752 yesterday; deaths were 75 compared to 87 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 984 compared to 1,006 yesterday.
03-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,752 compared to 2,676 yesterday; deaths were 87 compared to 111 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,006 compared to 967 yesterday.
03-Feb-2021 Results show the Oxford-AstraZenenca vaccine may reduce the spread of coronavirus. Matt Hancock said the study shows “vaccines are the way out of this pandemic”. It is the first time a vaccine has been shown to reduce transmission of the virus.
03-Feb-2021 Russia’s homegrown Sputnik V vaccine showed high levels of efficacy and safety in a peer-reviewed study, handing Moscow a geopolitical coup and a potential slice of the multibillion-dollar vaccine market as it seeks to promote the Covid-19 shot abroad and curb the pandemic at home. A large-scale clinical trial published in the British medical journal the Lancet, demonstrated that the two-shot vaccine was 91.6% effective in preventing symptomatic Covid-19 and offered complete protection against severe cases.
03-Feb-2021 Almost all people previously infected with COVID-19 have high levels of antibodies for at least six months that are likely to protect them from reinfection with the disease, results of a major U.K. study showed on Wednesday.
03-Feb-2021 Staff at 70 hospitals and medical departments in 30 towns across Myanmar stopped work on Wednesday to protest against the coup that ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the newly formed Myanmar Civil Disobedience Movement said.
03-Feb-2021 Two COVID-19 vaccines from Chinese companies including Sinopharm triggered immunity against a highly transmissible coronavirus variant first found in South Africa, but their effect appeared weaker, a small-sample lab study released on Tuesday showed.
03-Feb-2021 The great hope for drug treatments against Covid-19 – the monoclonal antibodies – are failing against variants of the virus, such as those that have emerged in South Africa and Brazil, scientists have found.
02-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,676 compared to 1,313 yesterday; deaths were 111 compared to 67 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 967 compared to 971 yesterday.
02-Feb-2021 Multiple studies have shown that even asymptomatic patients can have irregular lung scans. A couple of small studies have found cardiac issues in student athletes, including those with asymptomatic infections. And a study looking at asymptomatic and mild cases of Covid in children found signs of possible small blood vessel damage.
02-Feb-2021 Last September, India was confirming nearly 100,000 new coronavirus cases a day. But four months later, India’s coronavirus numbers have plummeted. Late last month, on Jan. 26, the country’s Health Ministry confirmed a record low of about 9,100 new daily cases. Scientists say the cause is a mystery. They’re trying to figure out what Indians may be doing right and how to mimic that in other countries that are still suffering.
02-Feb-2021 Israel’s vaccination programme is showing signs of working to drive down infections and illness in the over-60s. The fall appears to be most pronounced in older people and areas furthest ahead in their immunization efforts. This suggests it is the vaccine, and not just the country’s current lockdown, taking effect.
01-Feb-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,313 compared to 1,825 yesterday; deaths were 67 compared to 71 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 971 compared to 997 yesterday.
01-Feb-2021 Timetables for vaccinating enough people to effectively curb Covid-19 are slipping in many countries, raising fears that a large portion of the world will still be battling the pandemic and its economic effects well into 2022 or beyond. Places from Germany to Mexico are running into serious problems sourcing sufficient vaccines. At the current rates of vaccination, only about 10% of the world would be inoculated by the end of the year and 21% by the close of 2022.
01-Feb-2021 A leading infectious disease expert, Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, predicted on Sunday that the deadlier British variant of Covid-19 will become the dominant strain of the virus in the U.S. and could hit the country like a hurricane. The new U.K. variant may be 30% more deadly than the original virus.
01-Feb-2021 Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup against the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. She and other members of her party were detained in a Monday morning raid. Tensions have been rising for days over the results of a November election that Ms. Suu Kyi’s party won by a landslide.
31-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,825 compared to 2,668 yesterday; deaths were 71 compared to 68 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 997 compared to 1,018 yesterday.
31-Jan-2021 Lebanon ambulance driver: “Hospitals can’t take our Covid patients.” First it was an economic collapse, then the Beirut blast, and now coronavirus. Lebanon has seen a record number of infections and deaths in recent weeks after the authorities relaxed restrictions over the festive period. Now they’re enforcing one of the world’s strictest curfews as the country’s hospitals reach the breaking point.
31-Jan-2021 Johnson and Johnson has released its “one-shot” COVID-19 vaccine, but reported that it is not as effective as those released by Pfizer or Moderna, however the vaccine is 100% effective where it matters most: preventing hospitalizations and deaths.
31-Jan-2021 Top non-COVID news:
Palestinian Islamic leaders issued a religious edict banning Muslims from supporting the Abraham Accords that established peace between Israel and Arab countries. “Only Palestinians are the true sons of Abraham.”
The entire Trump legal defense team walked away from the impeachment trial only days before it is scheduled to begin.
GameStop day traders have thrown Walk Street into chaos in an unprecedented “insurgency” against the “super rich”, but ironically, the world’s richest man – Elon Musk – is a Twitter sympathizer of the movement.
Russian police issued stern warnings against participating in anti-Putin protests planned for today. The Metro (subway system) is closed and other restrictions are in place. Moscow police have reportedly been struggling to find space in jail for supporters of the opposition leader.
30-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,668 compared to 2,737 yesterday; deaths were 68 compared to 91 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,018 compared to 996 yesterday.
30-Jan-2021 Confirmed cases in the U.S. are now more than 26 million, more than one-fourth of all cases worldwide.
30-Jan-2021 French PM Jean Castex has announced tough new Covid-19 border restrictions, but has again resisted imposing a new nationwide lockdown. From Sunday all but essential travel from outside of the EU will be banned. Testing requirements from inside the EU will also be tightened.
30-Jan-2021 Johnson & Johnson has released the results of its phase three COVID-19 vaccine trial and plans to seek emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration. Results demonstrated 85% protection against severe coronavirus disease in adults of all ages and racial groups 28 days after vaccination.
30-Jan-2021 Kosovo’s Foreign Minister on Friday said a formal ceremony will be held next week to establish diplomatic ties with Israel, The Associated Press reports. Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla, said she and her Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi would hold a virtual ceremony on February 1.
30-Jan-2021 Some recent studies confirm that SARS-CoV-2 is one of the viruses, along with other types of coronaviruses, that can be killed by ultraviolet light rays. However, although it’s been proven that ultraviolet-C light can kill the coronavirus in controlled research environments using specific doses, there’s no guarantee that a lamp will, and ultraviolet light lamps could hurt your eyes.
29-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,737 compared to 2,901 yesterday; deaths were 91 compared to 90 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 996 compared to 989 yesterday.
29-Jan-2021 Moldova, Europe’s poorest country, has not been able to deliver a single jab yet because it can’t afford to buy the vaccine. Most western European governments have already vaccinated frontline workers and are moving into the second phase of their rollout, even if production problems are now undermining supplies.
29-Jan-2021 France’s health ministry has announced supplies of the Moderna vaccine expected during February will be reduced by 25%. Elsewhere, a shortage of vaccines has forced Paris and two other regions – that together account for a third of the French population – to postpone giving out some first doses.
29-Jan-2021 Germany is likely to face a shortage of coronavirus vaccines until at least April, the country’s health minister has warned. “We will still have at least 10 tough weeks with a shortage,” Jens Spahn wrote on Twitter.
29-Jan-2021 AstraZeneca PLC Chief Executive Pascal Soriot promised to churn out more Covid-19 vaccines, at a lower price, than any of his big pharma competitors. Now, a production problem at a single factory in Belgium has delayed tens of millions of doses destined for Europe, endangering the continent’s already-slow inoculation drive and representing the greatest threat so far to Dr. Soriot’s extraordinary pledge last year to vaccinate the world—and do so for no profit.
29-Jan-2021 Novavax Inc said on Thursday its coronavirus vaccine was 89.3% effective in preventing COVID-19 in a trial conducted in the United Kingdom, and was nearly as effective in protecting against the more highly contagious variant first discovered in the UK, according to a preliminary analysis. However, the vaccine was only 60% effective against the South African variant.
29-Jan-2021 Mexico on Thursday surpassed India in confirmed Covid-19 deaths, giving the Latin American country the third-highest toll worldwide, according to a Reuters tally of official data. Mexico’s health ministry reported 18,670 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and 1,506 additional fatalities, bringing the total to 1,825,519 cases and 155,145 deaths.
28-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,901 compared to 3,174 yesterday; deaths were 90 compared to 77 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 989 compared to 1,025 yesterday.
27-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,174 compared to 2,877 yesterday; deaths were 77 compared to 97 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,025 compared to 1,002 yesterday.
27-Jan-2021 Israeli healthcare fund Maccabi announced Monday evening that just 0.01% of people vaccinated with both doses of the Pfizer vaccine develop symptoms of COVID-19. Out of 128,000 Israelis who received both jabs of the vaccine from Maccabi, just 20 became sick with the coronavirus.
27-Jan-2021 Only about one in 10 companies expect all employees to return to their pre-pandemic work arrangements, according to a new survey. The National Association for Business Economics found that just 11 percent of survey respondents expect all staff at their firms to eventually return. Around 65 percent of companies have already allowed “most” or “all” of their staff to work from home.
27-Jan-2021 The world’s biggest pharmaceutical firms are little prepared for the next pandemic despite a mounting response to the Covid-19 outbreak, an independent report has warned. Netherlands-based Access to Medicine Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation funded by the UK and Dutch governments and others, highlighted an outbreak of the Nipah virus in China, with a fatality rate of up to 75%, as potentially the next big pandemic risk. “Nipah could blow any moment. The next pandemic could be a drug-resistant infection.”
27-Jan-2021 The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine may be authorised only for younger people in Europe, because there is insufficient data on how well it works in the over-65s, the head of the regulatory body has suggested. There are published claims in German newspapers that the efficacy of the vaccine may only be 8% in the over-65 age group.
26-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,877 compared to 1,551 yesterday; deaths were 97 compared to 65 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,002 compared to 1,017 yesterday.
26-Jan-2021 The official count worldwide has now passed 100 million confirmed cases.
26-Jan-2021 Delays in Covid-19 vaccine deliveries and uncertainties about the prospects of yet-to-be-approved shots mean Europe is unlikely to have inoculated a substantial portion of its population by the summer, raising the specter of many more months of lockdowns and other restrictions.
26-Jan-2021 The United States reported a 21% drop in new cases of COVID-19 last week, as all but one state reported declines in new infections, and the number of coronavirus patients in hospitals also fell.
26-Jan-2021 Moderna is tweaking its coronavirus vaccine to make it more effective against emerging variants of the virus, the company announced Monday. The upgrades will be designed to better protect against the different strains and could be used as a booster shot.
26-Jan-2021 One in eight people who have had Covid-19 are diagnosed with their first psychiatric or neurological illness within six months of testing positive for the virus, a new analysis suggests. Some studies show the proportion to be even larger.
25-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,551 compared to 1,816 yesterday; deaths were 65 compared to 54 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,017 compared to 1,020 yesterday.
25-Jan-2021 The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has passed 99 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, as the total moves rapidly towards 100 million people infected with Covid-19 in just over a year.
25-Jan-2021 The ongoing coronavirus crisis has made getting a good night’s rest significantly harder. Some experts even have a term for it: ‘coronasomnia’ or ‘Covid-somnia’. This is the phenomenon that’s hit people all over the world as they experience insomnia linked to the stress of life during Covid-19. Daily routines and environments have been disrupted, making it hard to keep the circadian rhythm intact.
25-Jan-2021 In a bit of good news: Eleven workers trapped for two weeks inside a Chinese gold mine were brought safely to the surface on Sunday, two weeks earlier than originally projected.
25-Jan-2021 President Joe Biden on Monday will reinstate the Covid-19 travel restrictions on non-US citizens who have been in Brazil, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and much of Europe, a White House official confirmed Sunday. Biden will also extend the restrictions to travelers who have recently been to South Africa, the official said.
25-Jan-2021 The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus mutations detected in the UK, South Africa and Brazil is equivalent to the beginning of a new epidemic, this “diabolical” virus being able to find ways to circumvent new treatment methods, says the chief scientific adviser of the Government of Paris, Jean-François Delfraissy.
25-Jan-2021 France needs to enter into a third lockdown because of the spread of new coronavirus variants in the country, the government’s top medical adviser on Covid-19 policy stated.
24-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,816 compared to 2,719 yesterday; deaths were 54 compared to 94 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,020 compared to 1,016 yesterday.
24-Jan-2021 Global confirmed infections of COVID-19 surpassed the 98 million mark, and will exceed 100 million cases within the next few days. The U.S. continues to lead worldwide statistics with more than triple the daily number reported by 2nd place Brazil, and more than 25 million confirmed cases.
24-Jan-2021 A small group of rich countries — comprising just 16 percent of the world’s population — have locked up 60 percent of the global vaccine supply, according to Duke University’s Global Health Institute. Such ‘vaccine nationalism’ could actually prolong the Covid-19 pandemic.
24-Jan-2021 Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Saturday night held discussions on the issue of whether to close Ben Gurion International Airport and will submit a proposal to the government on Sunday. Under the proposal, flights to and from Israel will be halted for two weeks in order to prevent additional mutations of the novel coronavirus from entering Israel.
23-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,719 compared to 2,699 yesterday; deaths were 94 compared to 74 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,016 compared to 997 yesterday. The infection rate was 10.2%
23-Jan-2021 Data released by Israel’s Health Ministry on Friday showed that coronavirus infection numbers are starting to drop as the number of Israelis vaccinated against the disease continues to rise. As of Friday morning, 2.4 million of Israel’s 9.3 million citizens have received the vaccination, with 851,000 already inoculated with the two doses required.
23-Jan-2021 AstraZeneca Plc has informed European Union officials on Friday it would cut deliveries of its COVID-19 vaccine to the bloc by 60% to 31 million doses in the first quarter of the year due to production problems, a senior official told Reuters. Similar production shortfalls have been experienced in other countries, most notably the U.S.
23-Jan-2021 Los Angeles County had some good news Friday. New coronavirus cases decreased this week by 30 percent and the test positivity rate dropped to 12.7 percent from nearly 21 percent earlier in the month, public health officials said.
23-Jan-2021 Germany has passed 50,000 Covid deaths, France was told it may soon need a third national lockdown and Belgium and Ireland warned that it was too early to think about easing restrictions as the pandemic continues to hold Europe in its grip.
23-Jan-2021 The new UK coronavirus variant may be 30% more deadly. In findings that dampened hopes of the increasingly prevalent B117 variant becoming less lethal over time, researchers on the government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) concluded that it may increase the death rate by 30%-40%.
23-Jan-2021 The United States could see additional Covid-19 vaccines by the end of March, if not sooner. Johnson & Johnson is the most likely to next seek emergency use authorization from the FDA. Another candidate from Novavax expects to have results by early first quarter of this year.
23-Jan-2021 Bee species around the world are facing devastating declines, and researchers are warning that we are running out of time to save them. According to new research, up to 25% of known bee species haven’t been reported in global records since the 1990s. Bees are necessary to the yield of about 85% of all cultivated crops.
22-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,699 compared to 2,878 yesterday; deaths were 74 compared to 69 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 997 compared to 1,005 yesterday. The infection rate was 9.1%
22-Jan-2021 The devastating fall and winter wave of coronavirus infections that is causing so much misery across the U.S. appears to have finally peaked, according to several researchers who are closely tracking the virus. The number of new daily infections in the current wave appears to have hit a high in the past week or two and has been steadily declining in most states since, the researchers say.
22-Jan-2021 In the U.K., Boris Johnson raised fears that tough Covid restrictions could continue well into the spring and beyond. Johnson’s spokesperson declined to rule out the lockdown remaining in place until summer.
22-Jan-2021 Anthony Fauci, who is serving as President Biden’s chief medical adviser for the Covid-19 pandemic, is reprising a role he has played in previous U.S. administrations over four decades, on issues including AIDS and the Ebola virus. Dr. Fauci’s once-frequent appearances at White House briefings last year essentially ended in the final months of the Trump administration.
22-Jan-2021 The U.S. is moving to assert a leading role in the global effort to end the coronavirus pandemic, restoring its ties with the World Health Organization and pledging to contribute to a world-wide vaccination drive.
22-Jan-2021 The European Commission proposed to EU leaders on Thursday identifying “dark red” coronavirus hot spots from which all but essential travel would be discouraged after a meeting to discuss the mounting challenge from more infectious virus variants. “Persons travelling from dark red areas could be required to do a test before departure, as well as to undergo quarantine after arrival. We can’t rule out border closures.”
22-Jan-2021 Besides fighting COVID-19, Croats learned last year how nature could show its brutal face as two devastating earthquakes left them struggling to repair their homes and living in fear of further shakes. About 90% of Croats live in the property they own, but less than 25% have earthquake insurance.
22-Jan-2021 Mask up or you won’t be allowed to board a plane, train or bus. President Biden signed an executive order Thursday, requiring passengers to wear face coverings during interstate travel. It’s one of 10 executive orders signed by the president today aimed at addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
22-Jan-2021 The former head of the Vatican bank, Angelo Caloia, has been sentenced to nearly nine years in prison for money laundering and aggravated embezzlement. The 81-year-old was handed an eight year, 11 month jail term on Thursday, making him the highest-ranking Vatican official to be convicted of a financial crime.
21-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,878 compared to 3,000 yesterday; deaths were 69 compared to 116 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,005 compared to 1,054 yesterday. The infection rate was 9.6%
21-Jan-2021 Some British hospitals look like war zones with doctors struggling to cope with an influx of patients infected with COVID-19, the government’s top scientific adviser said, as the death toll rose by a record daily amount towards 100,000.
21-Jan-2021 Innovative Israeli genome editing treatment destroys cancer cells: [LINK]
21-Jan-2021 One year ago, the first coronavirus case in the United States was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Jan. 20, 2020, a man in Washington state tested positive for the virus after returning from Wuhan, China, the then-epicenter of the outbreak.
20-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: Total cases have now exceeded 700,000. The number of new infections was 3,000 compared to 2,745 yesterday; deaths were 116 compared to 98 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,054 compared to 1,050 yesterday. The infection rate was 9.1%
20-Jan-2021 Israel’s coronavirus tsar has warned that a single dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may be providing less protection than originally hoped. By contrast, those who had received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine had a six- to 12-fold increase in antibodies, according to data released by Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer on Monday. Israel’s daily corona count spiked to 10,022 cases on Monday despite a lockdown that has gone on nearly two weeks. Israel’s government is deciding on Tuesday whether to extend the lockdown.
20-Jan-2021 More than 211,000 children were reported to have Covid-19 between Jan. 7 and Jan. 14, in the largest weekly increase since the pandemic began in the U.S., according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. More than 2.5 million U.S. children have tested positive for Covid-19 since the pandemic started.
20-Jan-2021 Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday that Germany is extending its pandemic restrictions, including the closure of schools and stores, until mid-February amid concerns that new mutations of the coronavirus could trigger a fresh surge in cases.
20-Jan-2021 The UK has reported the highest number of daily deaths since the pandemic started, as new data showed one in eight people are likely to have had the virus in England, PA Media reports.
20-Jan-2021 New Zealand’s director general of health has warned that Covid-19 is unlikely to ever die out, even with vaccination efforts, but it could become more transmissible and less deadly, similar to the seasonal flu.
19-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,745 compared to 1,509 yesterday; deaths were 98 compared to 50 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,050 compared to 1,084 yesterday. The infection rate was 9.6%
19-Jan-2021 France’s average daily new COVID-19 infections hit a six-and-a-half week high of 18,270 on Monday, while the number of people being treated in intensive care units for the disease rose above 2,800 for the first time in a month.
19-Jan-2021 As the COVID-19 vaccine rolls out, three big questions loom. First, can someone who has been vaccinated still spread the disease? Second, will the vaccine remain effective as the virus itself evolves? And third, how long will the vaccine’s protection last? The answer from experts to all three questions: “We don’t know yet.”
19-Jan-2021 Nearly a third of people who were discharged from hospitals in England after being treated for Covid-19 were readmitted within five months – and almost one in eight died, a study suggests. The research also found a higher risk of problems developing in a range of organs after hospital discharge in those younger than 70 and ethnic minority individuals. The UK had the highest Covid death toll in the world in the week ending January 17th.
19-Jan-2021 California’s state epidemiologist is urging a halt to more than 300,000 coronavirus vaccine doses by Moderna because some people who received it needed medical treatment for possible severe allergic reactions. Dr. Erica S. Pan said that fewer than 10 people who were inoculated at a single vaccination site needed medical attention.
19-Jan-2021 Also from California: The lack of storage space for those who have died of the coronavirus forced the agency which regulates air quality across the Southland to issue an emergency order Sunday night lifting the limit on the number of cremations allowed.
18-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,509 compared to 2,156 yesterday; deaths were 50 compared to 57 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,084 compared to 1,076 yesterday. The infection rate was 17.0%
18-Jan-2021 President-elect Joe Biden’s goal of delivering 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine within the first 100 days of his presidency “is absolutely a doable thing,” Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Sunday.
18-Jan-2021 Russia reported 22,857 new coronavirus cases on Monday, including 3,679 in Moscow, taking the national tally – the world’s fourth highest – to 3,591,066. Authorities said 471 people had died from the virus in the last 24 hours, pushing Russia’s official death toll to 66,037.
18-Jan-2021 The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. has surpassed 24 million. The total worldwide is now 95 million, with more than 700,000 new cases being added every day. More than a third of new cases are in the U.S.
17-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,156 compared to 3,218 yesterday; deaths were 57 compared to 66 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,076 compared to 1,089 yesterday. The infection rate was 14.5%
17-Jan-2021 Los Angeles on Saturday became the first county in the nation to record 1 million coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic. The state of California is also reporting staggering numbers with more than 2.9 million confirmed cases. Texas, with 2 million cases, and Florida, with 1.5 million, are the next two states with the most infections.
16-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,218 compared to 3,353 yesterday; deaths were 66 compared to 63 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,089 compared to 1,091 yesterday. The infection rate was 14.3%
16-Jan-2021 The worldwide coronavirus death toll surpassed 2 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, as nations around the world are trying to procure multiple vaccines and detect new COVID-19 variants. Total infections stand at 93.5 million.
16-Jan-2021 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the “world’s largest” vaccination campaign on Saturday as the populous nation tries to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control starting with two locally-manufactured shots.
16-Jan-2021 U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming chief of staff Ron Klain said on Friday he expects the United States to hit 500,000 COVID-19 deaths next month. The current death toll in the U.S. is over 400,000 with more than 23 million confirmed cases.
16-Jan-2021 The coronavirus pandemic appears to have shortened the average life expectancy in the United States, according to new research. The deaths caused by COVID-19 have reduced overall life expectancy by 1.13 years, according to the analysis by researchers at the University of Southern California and Princeton University. That would be the largest single-year decline in life expectancy in the past 40 years.
16-Jan-2021 The U.K. is to close all travel corridors from Monday, to protect against the risk of new strains of coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a news conference Friday.
15-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,353 compared to 3,525 yesterday; deaths were 63 compared to 66 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,091 compared to 1,101 yesterday. The infection rate was 10.7% This is the lowest percentage since the beginning of October.
15-Jan-2021 The number of coronavirus infections in Germany rose above 2 million, and the number of deaths reached almost 45,000, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Friday.
15-Jan-2021 As coronavirus continues to tear across the U.S. without any sign of slowing down, officials have warned there is a “full resurgence” in most major population centers – and that the country could see an additional 92,000 deaths in less than a month.
15-Jan-2021 More than 90% of participants in an early safety study of Johnson and Johnson’s one-shot coronavirus vaccine made immune proteins within 29 days of receiving the vaccine, Time reported. All formed antibodies within 57 days, according to the report, and the immune response lasted for the full 71 days of the trial.
15-Jan-2021 The recorded death count from the Covid-19 pandemic as of Thursday is nearing 2 million. The true extent is far worse. More than 2.8 million people have lost their lives due to the pandemic, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from 59 countries and jurisdictions. This tally offers the most comprehensive view yet of the pandemic’s global impact. Deaths in these places last year surged more than 12% above average levels.
15-Jan-2021 Israel has been praised around the world for the fast rollout of its vaccine. In three weeks’ time, it has vaccinated some 22% of its population. It expects to vaccinate the entire population by March. However, the new variants of the disease, of which the U.K. version is responsible for 2,000 daily cases in Israel and is expected to become the dominant strain soon, have forced Israel to reimpose a stiff lockdown on its citizens, reduce public transportation and close businesses.
15-Jan-2021 Included on the New York Times list of “52 places to love in 2021” is a country they described as “beautiful and innocent” — Iran. This is not a typographical error as the publisher also listed Iran in 2019’s “52 places to go” (pre-pandemic), but ironically deemed it “too dangerous” at the time for their staff to actually go there. Israel is not on the list.
14-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,525 compared to 4,424 yesterday; deaths were 66 compared to 88 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,101 compared to 1,081 yesterday. The infection rate was 10.8%
14-Jan-2021 The second year of the COVID-19 pandemic may be tougher than the first given how the new coronavirus is spreading, especially in the northern hemisphere as more infectious variants circulate, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
14-Jan-2021 U.K. Scientists are sending the U.S. a warning: What’s happening right now in the United Kingdom with the new coronavirus variant could likely happen in the U.S., and the country has a short window to prepare. Studies suggest the new variant increases the transmissibility by about 50%.
14-Jan-2021 The EU has warned that the highly contagious coronavirus variant first found in Britain is now having “a significant impact” in other European countries, and said its spread “must be stopped at all costs”. Stella Kyriakides, the bloc’s health commissioner, said on Wednesday: “We cannot let it get out of hand.
14-Jan-2021 Total cases in the U.S. are now over 23 million. The coronavirus claimed more than 4,300 lives on Tuesday, another one-day high, amid further signs that pandemic fatigue is likely to lead to further spread of the virus. Against this background there are signs that compliance with quarantine rules is collapsing in some states.
13-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,424 compared to 3,697 yesterday; deaths were 88 compared to 156 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,081 compared to 1,073 yesterday. The infection rate was 15.6%
13-Jan-2021 Nearly all air travelers will need to present a negative coronavirus test to enter the United States under expanded test testing requirements announced on Tuesday. Under the rules taking effect Jan. 26, nearly all travelers including U.S. citizens must show a negative test within three days of departure or documentation of recovery from COVID-19, under an order signed by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield.
13-Jan-2021 Trust in governments, business chiefs and media is crumbling amid a perceived mis-handling by leaders of the coronavirus pandemic and a widespread feeling among ordinary citizens that they are being misled, a global survey has found. The Edelman Trust Barometer, which for two decades has polled thousands of people on their trust in core institutions, found 57% of people believe government leaders, business chiefs and journalists are spreading falsehoods or exaggerations.
13-Jan-2021 The Italian health ministry has been criticised after a draft of the country’s new pandemic plan revealed medics would be permitted to choose which patients receive life-saving care. Page 25 of the plan reads: “The imbalance between needs and available resources may make it necessary to adopt criteria for triage in access to therapies,” and therefore “scarce resources could be allocated in order to provide necessary preferential treatment to those patients who are most likely to benefit”.
13-Jan-2021 A coronavirus vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac company has been found to be only 50.4% effective in Brazilian clinical trials, according to the latest results released by researchers – barely over the 50% needed for regulatory approval.
12-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,697 compared to 1,987 yesterday; deaths were 156 compared to 71 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,073 compared to 1,083 yesterday. The infection rate was 15.6%
12-Jan-2021 America has reported its deadliest week yet in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. More than 22,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 just last week — setting the record for the second week in a row. California is the nation’s hot spot with more than 10,000 deaths in the past month.
12-Jan-2021 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel would push the pace of coronavirus vaccination shots to about one million a week and would have Israel’s adult population inoculated by March.
12-Jan-2021 At least two members of congress have tested positive for COVID-19 after sheltering in place with fellow lawmakers during the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week. It is believed they were exposed while sheltering in place alongside colleagues, including some who refused to wear masks.
11-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,987 compared to 3,082 yesterday; deaths were 71 compared to 62 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,083 compared to 1,065 yesterday. The infection rate was 28.4%
11-Jan-2021 Confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally will surpass 90 million today, with deaths rapidly approaching the 2 million mark. The U.S. is adding, on average, more than 271,000 new cases per day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Over the past 24 hours, 3,700 new deaths were recorded.
10-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,082 compared to 4,403 yesterday; deaths were 62 compared to 86 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,065 compared to 1,100 yesterday. The infection rate was 19.5%
10-Jan-2021 For the second straight day, the U.S. reported a record number of coronavirus cases, according to NBC News’ tally of national data. The nation reported 278,920 new Covid-19 cases Saturday, surpassing Friday’s one-day record of 269,420.
09-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,403 compared to 4,841 yesterday; deaths were 86 compared to 96 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,100 compared to 1,100 yesterday. The infection rate was 15.6%
09-Jan-2021 A further 68,053 confirmed cases were announced by the U.K. Government on Friday — the highest single day figure so far — making it the eleventh day in a row that more than 50,000 new cases had been reported.
09-Jan-2021 The spread of Covid in London is “out of control” according to Sadiq Khan, who has declared a “major incident”. A major incident is defined as an event or situation with a range of serious consequences which requires special arrangements to be implemented by one or more emergency responder agencies.
09-Jan-2021 The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine can still target a key mutation that has emerged in two new variants of coronavirus, laboratory studies show. However, this is only one of many mutations that are found in the new forms of the virus. So while the study has been welcomed, it is not being seen as definitive scientific evidence about how the vaccine will perform.
09-Jan-2021 More than 4,000 people died in the US on Thursday, Johns Hopkins University data shows – a world record daily toll, and the first time it has passed 4,000. In 24 hours, 4,085 Americans died, according to the data, while nearly 275,000 cases were confirmed.
08-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,841 compared to 4,951 yesterday; deaths were 96 compared to 111 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,100 compared to 1,106 yesterday. The infection rate was 15.3%
08-Jan-2021 Britain’s National Health Service will from next week employ a little-used field hospital specially built at a huge exhibition center in east London in the early days of the pandemic last spring. NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens said Thursday that the pressures facing hospitals in London and the southeast of England are so acute that the Nightingale hospital at the ExCel London will be opened next week to inpatients.
08-Jan-2021 Europe is at a tipping point in the course of the pandemic, the World Health Organization has said, warning that the coronavirus is spreading very fast across the continent and the arrival of a new variant has created an “alarming situation”.
08-Jan-2021 Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said supply agreements with Pfizer meant that all Israelis over the age of 16 would be able to be vaccinated by the end of March, or perhaps even earlier.
07-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,951 compared to 5,719 yesterday; deaths were 111 compared to 121 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,106 compared to 1,070 yesterday. The infection rate was 15.8%
07-Jan-2021 There were a record 3,865 new deaths from COVID-19 registered in the United States on Wednesday, marking the deadliest day since the start of the pandemic, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University. It’s the second straight day that the country has logged a record number of fatalities from the disease within a 24-hour reporting period.
07-Jan-2021 Head lice drug ivermectin is being explored as a potential treatment for the coronavirus following a promising new study that showed an 80% reduction in hospitalized COVID-19 patient deaths. Just 8 out of 573 patients who received ivermectin passed away, compared to the 44 individuals out of 510 who died after being given a placebo. An earlier study of the antiparasitic prescription drug, which costs between $17 and $43 for a course of treatment, according to GoodRx, revealed promising results in April — by removing all viral RNA within 48 hours of a single dose.
07-Jan-2021 Public-health agencies and health-care organizations from Iowa to Florida are using some of the hundreds of closed Sears department stores to help with the nationwide effort to administer Covid-19 vaccines to millions of people. Other facilities that have been closed due to the Pandemic are being put to similar use.
07-Jan-2021 Sudan on Wednesday said it signed the “Abraham Accords” formulated by the U.S., paving the way for the African country to normalize ties with Israel. Other countries that have signed the accords include United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman.
06-Jan-2021
Armed supporters of President Trump storm the Capitol building, disrupting Congress.
It was about an hour after Trump addressed thousands on the National Mall, promising to “never concede” that he had lost, when chaos was unleashed.
The DC National Guard has already been deployed and Mayor Muriel Bowser called on neighbouring states Virginia and Maryland to send in their troops for additional backup. New York State has also sent troops to the Capitol.
Rioters smashed windows and clashed with police. Seeking to disrupt the proceedings in Congress, a large group of pro-Trump supporters breached barricades, scaled walls and forced lawmakers to evacuate the premises. The violence continued several hours and halted debate in the House and Senate over Joe Biden’s election win.
Today’s attack was the first time the US Capitol was broken into since the War of 1812, according to US Capitol Historical Society experts.
06-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 5,719 compared to 4,729 yesterday; deaths were 121 compared to 121 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,070 compared to 1,086 yesterday. The infection rate was 16.7%
06-Jan-2021 The U.S. registered nearly 4,000 deaths in a single day on Tuesday, for another world record. Daily new cases continue at record levels of more than a quarter of a million per day.
06-Jan-2021 Arizona currently has the highest per-capita rate of new Covid-19 infections, with 785 cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days. That rate not only leads the U.S., but is the highest in the world, according to NBC News data. For comparison, the Czech Republic, the country with the highest per-capita rate of infection, has reported 653 cases per 100,000 over the past seven days.
06-Jan-2021 Members of a World Health Organization (WHO) team due to investigate the origins of the coronavirus in Wuhan have been denied entry to China. The probe had been agreed with Beijing after months of negotiations, but the team was denied entry due to a lack of visa clearances, the WHO added.
05-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,729 compared to 3,130 yesterday; deaths were 121 compared to 78 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,086 compared to 1,100 yesterday. The infection rate was 15.2%
05-Jan-2021 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday ordered England into a new national lockdown to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases that threatens to overwhelm parts of the health system before a vaccine programme reaches a critical mass. The new measures are likely to remain in place until March.
05-Jan-2021 December was the deadliest month of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States with nearly 78,000 deaths, and health officials warned that even more people will likely die in January despite the rollout of vaccines.
05-Jan-2021 Scientists in South Africa say there is a “reasonable concern” the new variant of Covid-19 sweeping across the country might prove to be more resistant to current vaccines being rolled out in the UK and elsewhere, and warn it makes the need for a global rollout of vaccines “even more critical”.
05-Jan-2021 The German government and most of the country’s 16 states have reportedly agreed to extend lockdown measures until the end of the month. Restrictions which keep shops, schools and services closed were due to end on January 10th.
05-Jan-2021 The Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency has told ambulance crews not to transport coronavirus patients who are unlikely to survive – in order to conserve oxygen supplies and ICU beds.
05-Jan-2021 A group representing major US airlines on Monday backed a proposal by public health officials to implement a global testing program requiring negative tests before most international air passengers return to the US, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
05-Jan-2021 More than two-thirds of the 15 million coronavirus vaccines shipped within the United States have gone unused, US health officials said on Monday. In New York State, less than 20% of vaccines shipped had been used as of Monday.
04-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,130 compared to 3,034 yesterday; deaths were 78 compared to 60 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,100 compared to 1,119 yesterday. The infection rate was 32.8%
04-Jan-2021 Germany is likely to extend a national lockdown beyond Jan. 10 to curb coronavirus infection rates that are still running high and putting huge strains on hospitals and health workers, politicians said at the weekend.
04-Jan-2021 Boris Johnson says he cannot rule out extending restrictions further in England in the coming weeks and months. His statement came as 57,725 new cases were reported in the UK on Saturday – the latest in a string of daily records.
04-Jan-2021 Saturday’s total of 299,087 new cases marks a new single-day high for the U.S., accounting for more than 40% of the worldwide count. The global total is nearing 85 million.
03-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,034 compared to 1,194 yesterday; deaths were 60 compared to 78 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,119 compared to 1,117 yesterday. The infection rate was 30.9%
03-Jan-2021 The new more contagious variant of COVID-19 has been discovered in many countries, including Romania which registered its first such case today.
03-Jan-2021 An Indian government minister announced that the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine had been given the green light on Friday, paving the way for a huge immunisation campaign in the world’s second most populous country. A second approved vaccine, known as COVAXIN, has been developed locally by Bharat Biotech and the government-run Indian Council of Medical Research.
03-Jan-2021 The U.S. has hit another devastating milestone: COVID-19 has killed more than 350,000 people in the country, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker. The grim number comes as a new variant of the coronavirus is spreading across dozens of countries.
03-Jan-2021 A key factor in the spread of Covid-19 is symptomless cases in schools. “…for boys and girls in primary school, around 70% may not be displaying symptoms even though they have picked up the virus,” says Professor Michael Hibberd of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
02-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,194 compared to 3,938 yesterday; deaths were 78 compared to 74 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,117 compared to 1,111 yesterday. The infection rate was 26.9%
01-Jan-2021 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,938 compared to 4,322 yesterday; deaths were 74 compared to 171 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,111 compared to 1,130 yesterday. The infection rate was 24.7%
01-Jan-2021 Israel has passed the one million mark of people vaccinated against COVID-19. Israel continues to lead the world with 10% of its population having received one of the approved vaccines by year’s end.
01-Jan-2021 By nearly every measure, December was the worst month on record since the pandemic took hold in the U.S. New Covid-19 cases stayed above 100,000 a day throughout the month, and more often than not were closer to 200,000. Over 6.1 million new cases were recorded in December—far more than in any other month. Confirmed cases have now surpassed 20 million or roughly one-fourth of the global total.
01-Jan-2021 Only about 2.8 million Americans had received a COVID-19 vaccine going into the last day of December, putting the United States far short of the government’s target to vaccinate 20 million people by the end of the year.
01-Jan-2021 Florida is the third U.S. state to announce it has a case of the more contagious coronavirus strain that first emerged in the United Kingdom. A man in his 20s, with no history of travel, tested positive for the mutated coronavirus.
31-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,322 compared to 4,875 yesterday; deaths were 171 compared to 127 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,130 compared to 1,149 yesterday. The infection rate was 20%
31-Dec-2020 COVID-19 infections worldwide have exceeded 82 million. Deaths are 1.8 million. The U.S. has seen a slight decline in daily cases with the latest figure at 180,362 which still represents about 30% of the global daily total.
31-Dec-2020 Governments worldwide are looking at Israel, which is roaring ahead with an ambitious inoculation drive. By the end of this week, the country of 9 million is expected to have injected more than 10% of its population with vaccines, a far higher fraction than other states including the UK, which began vaccinating almost two weeks earlier.
31-Dec-2020 In sharp contrast with Israel and other nations, the U.S. COVID-19 vaccine rollout moved slower than expected this month, stoking fears that the federal government was mishandling the effort and that people would have to wait months longer than expected to get their shot.
31-Dec-2020 California set a new record for COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, and got more bad news when it joined Colorado in reporting a case of the new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus. The new variant was first reported in the United Kingdom and has since been identified in a number of countries.
30-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,875 compared to 4,637 yesterday; deaths were 127 compared to 135 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,149 compared to 1,162 yesterday. The infection rate was 19.6%
30-Dec-2020 The US has reported its first case of the highly infectious Covid-19 variant that emerged in the UK. The case was detected in the state of Colorado. The patient, a man in his 20s with no recent travel history, is currently in isolation.
30-Dec-2020 The British drugmaker AstraZeneca’s vaccine candidate has received regulatory approval in the United Kingdom. The vaccine is considered vital for vaccination efforts in developing countries because it is cheaper to make and easier to store for long periods of time as it only requires normal refrigeration temperature to remain viable.
30-Dec-2020 Thew U. S. is rapdily approaching the 20 million mark of confirmed cases. Cases in California continue to surge, and stay-at-home orders have been extended. Some hospitals in the state are facing shortages of oxygen.
30-Dec-2020 A 45-year-old nurse in California tested positive for COVID-19 more than a week after receiving Pfizer Inc’s coronavirus vaccine, an ABC News affiliate reported on Tuesday.
29-Dec-2020 A strong 6.4 earthquake has struck Croatia. Brother Miro reports extensive damage in his area. The two earthquakes yesterday were evidently preliminary, with today’s tremor being the main one.
29-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,637 compared to 2,620 yesterday; deaths were 135 compared to 104 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,162 compared to 1,197 yesterday. The infection rate was 18.9%
29-Dec-2020 Russia said on Monday that its coronavirus death toll was more than three times higher than it had previously reported, making it the country with the third-largest number of fatalities.
29-Dec-2020 The director general of Israel’s Health Ministry said Monday that an elderly man who suffered from a background illness died a few hours after receiving a coronavirus vaccination and the ministry is investigating to see if there is a connection to receiving the vaccine.
29-Dec-2020 Novavax has begun a large late-stage study of its experimental Covid-19 vaccine in the United States, the drug developer said on Monday, after delaying the trial twice due to issues in scaling up the manufacturing process. If it proves effective, Novavax’s formula would have an advantage because it doesn’t require specialized freezers.
29-Dec-2020 World Health Organization experts have warned that even though the coronavirus pandemic has been very severe, it is (1) “not necessarily the big one”, and (2) that the world will have to learn to live with Covid-19 as it will likely become endemic, like the seasonal flu.
29-Dec-2020 Nearly half a million residents in the Chinese city where the novel coronavirus first emerged may have been infected with Covid-19 — almost 10 times its official number of confirmed cases, according to a study by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
29-Dec-2020 On Monday, a record 41,385 Covid cases and 357 deaths were reported in the UK. Monday’s figure for new cases is the highest daily number reported by the UK government, and the first time the daily total has surpassed 40,000.
29-Dec-2020 India has become the latest country to detect the new, more transmissible virus variant first indentified in the UK.
28-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,620 compared to 2,049 yesterday; deaths were 104 compared to 111 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,197 compared to 1,206 yesterday. The infection rate was 32.8%
28-Dec-2020 Two 5.2 earthquakes hit central Croatia near Sisak (home of our Brother Miro) early Monday, within an hour of each other, triggering panic and damaging some buildings. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
28-Dec-2020 Vaccination against the COVID-19 virus in Israel has vastly exceeded program targets. Since beginning vaccinations a week before Sunday’s European Union roll-out, Israel’s centralised health system has administered 280,000 shots, the world’s fastest rate. More than 50% of the total population could be vaccinated by the end of January.
28-Dec-2020 Germany’s coronavirus vaccination campaign faced delays in several cities on Sunday after temperature trackers showed that about 1,000 of the shots made by BioNTech and Pfizer may not have been kept cold enough during transit.
27-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,049 compared to 1,387 yesterday; deaths were 111 compared to 85 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,206 compared to 1,210 yesterday. The infection rate was 26.3%
27-Dec-2020 Cases of the more contagious variant of Covid-19 identified in the UK have been confirmed in several other European countries as a vaccine is being rolled out across the continent. The infections, linked to people who had come from the UK, were reported in France, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
26-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 1,387 compared to 3,812 yesterday; deaths were 85 compared to 111 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,210 compared to 1,233 yesterday. The infection rate was 31.9% which is very high. The lower number of new cases was due to far fewer tests.
26-Dec-2020 Scientists are eyeing a potential culprit causing the allergic reactions to Covid-19 vaccines: the compound polyethylene glycol, also known as PEG. Several severe allergic reactions to the vaccine have been reported in the U.S. and at least two cases of anaphylaxis have also occurred in the U.K.
26-Dec-2020 Global confirmed cases of the coronavirus have exceeded 80 million, with nearly 700,00 new cases in the past 24 hours. The U.S. continues to be responsible for nearly one-third of the daily total.
25-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,812 compared to 4,310 yesterday; deaths were 111 compared to 146 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,233 compared to 1,234 yesterday. The infection rate was 22.6%
25-Dec-2020 More than one million people have been vaccinated in the U.S. against COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci has estimated that it will be toward the end of next summer before a “return to some form of normality”
25-Dec-2020 A new variant of the coronavirus, which appears to be more transmissible, has been discovered in South Africa and is being blamed for a new surge in COVID-19 cases there.
25-Dec-2020 Another new variant of the coronavirus appears to have emerged in Nigeria, Africa’s top public health official said Thursday, but he added that further investigation was needed. “It’s a separate lineage from the U.K. and South Africa,” the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong, told reporters.
24-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,310 compared to 5,459 yesterday; deaths were 146 compared to 130 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,234 compared to 1,251 yesterday. The infection rate was 15.6%, which is the lowest since October 31st.
24-Dec-2020 Israel’s government on Wednesday ordered a third national lockdown as coronavirus infections continued to surge and hospital wards filled with patients. The closure will start this coming Sunday at 5:00 p.m. and continue for at least 25 days, said a joint statement by the Prime Minister’s office and the Health Ministry.
24-Dec-2020 An outbreak of the virus among Brethren in Uganda is under control, with no serious cases at this time. However, some scheduled events may need to be cancelled or postponed.
24-Dec-2020 The British government on Wednesday said huge swathes of England would be placed under its strictest COVID-19 restrictions as a highly infectious virus variant sweeps the country, pushing the number of cases to a record level of nearly 40,000 in a 24-hour period. Another new strain of Covid-19 has been detected in the U.K., originating from travellers from South Africa. The development is “highly concerning” because the new variant is more transmissible and appears to have mutated further.
24-Dec-2020 France has reopened its borders to travelers and truck drivers from the United Kingdom who show proof of a negative coronavirus test taken within the previous 72 hours.
24-Dec-2020 Canada’s health regulator has approved Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, making it the second country to give the drug the green light. Because Moderna’s vaccine requires less intensive cold storage, it is seen as an ideal candidate for use in remote indigenous communities and Canada’s sparsely-populated northern territories.
24-Dec-2020 California has seen more than 2 million Covid-19 cases, becoming the first state to do so late Wednesday. More than 2,015,960 cases have been confirmed and more than 23,600 people have died across the state since the pandemic began this year. California currently has the fasting growing Covid-19 case count in the nation, according to that count.
23-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 5,459 compared to 5,009 yesterday; deaths were 130 compared to 155 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,251 compared to 1,252 yesterday. The infection rate was 21%.
23-Dec-2020 The number of confirmed cases globally has surpassed 77 million, and continues to grow at more than half a million a day. The U.S. is responsible for more than one-third of the current daily total, and more than 18 million overall.
23-Dec-2020 For the fourth time in two years, Israel will be going to general elections as the fragile coalition government collapsed. The 23rd Knesset was dissolved after a failure to approve the 2020 budget. The law mandates new elections within 90 days.
23-Dec-2020 A new strain of the coronavirus that’s been spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom may already be in the United States, doctors are warning. The variant in the U.K. has spurred at least 40 countries to close their borders to the island nation.
22-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 5,009 compared to 2,489 yesterday; deaths were 155 compared to 87 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,252 compared to 1,255 yesterday. The infection rate was 21%.
22-Dec-2020 Antarctica, once the only continent not to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic, has reportedly recorded its first cases. The 36 new infections are among people stationed at a Chilean research base and include 26 members of the Chilean army and 10 maintenance workers.
22-Dec-2020 The United Kingdom is engaged in urgent talks to unblock its international isolation after more than 40 countries suspended travel links, alarmed by a new coronavirus variant. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the new strain of the virus is reported to be more infectious, but there’s no evidence it is more deadly.
22-Dec-2020 This is the deadliest year in U.S. history, with deaths expected to top 3 million for the first time — due mainly to the coronavirus pandemic.
21-Dec-2020 A growing list of countries have either closed their borders or have stepped up restrictions on travel to and from the UK after it reported a more infectious coronavirus variant. Boris Johnson is schedule to hold a press conference on the crisis.
21-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 2,489 compared to 3,350 yesterday; deaths were 87 compared to 98 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,255 compared to 1,267 yesterday. The infection rate was 35%. The total who have recovered is now more than half a million.
21-Dec-2020 U.S. congressional leaders reached agreement on Sunday on a $900 billion package to provide the first new aid in months to an economy and individuals battered by the surging coronavirus pandemic, with votes likely on Monday.
21-Dec-2020 A hospital north of Chicago says it plans to resume coronavirus vaccinations for its staff Sunday, following a temporary pause after four employees experienced adverse reactions to the Pfizer treatment. The employees’ symptoms included tingling and elevated heart rates, FOX 32 of Chicago reported Friday after the shots were administered a day earlier.
20-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,350 compared to 5,158 yesterday; deaths were 98 compared to 139 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,267 compared to 1,274 yesterday. The infection rate was 27.4% Today is the first time since November 8th that the number of deaths was less than 100.
20-Dec-2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed an effective lockdown on over 16 million people in England and reversed plans to ease curbs over Christmas, saying Britain was dealing with a new coronavirus strain up to 70% more transmissible than the original.
20-Dec-2020 Newly disclosed data reveal that nearly 900 out of 938 metropolitan areas and more than 2,000 out of 3,270 counties qualify as “sustained hotspots,” meaning they have “potentially higher risk for experiencing healthcare resource limitations.” It also showed that more than a dozen metro areas and nearly 50 counties saw a 500% or greater increase in deaths from the previous week.
20-Dec-2020 Los Angeles County has recorded more than 100,000 Covid-19 cases since Dec. 11, public health officials announced on Saturday. New cases are accelerating at a faster rate than at any previous point during the pandemic.
20-Dec-2020 High vaccine rates, in combination with face masks, social distancing, school closures, stay-at-home orders and a lack of international travel, have led to a record low number of seasonal flu cases in the U. S.
19-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 5,158 compared to 5,340 yesterday; deaths were 139 compared to 188 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,274 compared to 1,270 yesterday.
19-Dec-2020 Global COVID_19 cases have surpassed the 75 million mark. Daily totals are now more than 700,000 new cases every 24 hours, with nearly a third of those in the United States.
19-Dec-2020 Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine on Friday became the second to receive emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, welcome news to a nation with a staggering COVID-19 death toll of over 307,000 lives lost.
19-Dec-2020 India exceeded 10 million infections of the new coronavirus on Saturday, much later than predicted only a month ago as the pace of infections slows.
19-Dec-2020 Here is an interesting in-depth personal article that left most readers scratching their heads, especially the author. It highlights the confusion and uncertainty connected with both the virus and the tests intended to detect it.
19-Dec-2020 Italy has ordered a nationwide lockdown over much of the Christmas and New Year period in an effort to combat a rise in coronavirus cases. The country will be under “red-zone” restrictions over the public holidays, with non-essential shops, restaurants and bars closed, and Italians only allowed to travel for work, health and emergency reasons.
18-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 5,340; deaths were 188 compared to 107 yesterday; and the number in ICU is 1,270 compared to 1,297 yesterday.
18-Dec-2020 Roughly a year into the Pandemic it is clear the new coronavirus is worse than seasonal flu, and a study released on Friday outlined just how much worse, showing a death rate almost three times higher among COVID-19 patients.
18-Dec-2020 Federal advisers in the U.S. voted overwhelmingly Thursday to recommend the Moderna vaccine for people over the age of 18, clearing a path for government authorization on what would become the nation’s second vaccine to prevent COVID-19. Moderna has never had a product win FDA approval. And it only has one factory registered with the FDA — and the registration occurred just this week.
18-Dec-2020 The United States on Thursday surpassed a total of 17 million coronavirus cases, with infections rising by more than a million a week during the early winter surge – while at the start of the year it took three months for the U.S. to accumulate its first million cases. Records for deaths and new cases are being broken almost every day.
18-Dec-2020 Millions of people throughout the U.K. face living under the strictest coronavirus restrictions until at least February as ministers scramble to contain the latest surge in cases, and as a growing number of hospitals run short of beds. The crisis was highlighted as the country recorded its highest number of daily infections of the virus so far – 35,383 on Thursday.
18-Dec-2020 France will probably not return to a “normal” post COVID-19 life before autumn 2021, a senior government scientific adviser said on Friday.
18-Dec-2020 The head of the World Health Organization’s regional office for Europe has appealed to people to stay at home over Christmas, insisting it is “not worth the risk” or catching COVID-19.
18-Dec-2020 The “positivity rate” is the percentage of people tested who are confirmed to have the virus. Israel has a rate of 3.6% while Romania has been over 20% every day since the beginning of November, going as high as 43.8% at the peak.
17-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 5,697 deaths were 107 and the number in ICU is 1,297 compared to 1,267 yesterday.
17-Dec-2020 French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for COVID-19 the Élysée Palace has announced. It said the president took a test “as soon as the first symptoms appeared”. The brief statement did not say what symptoms Macron experienced.
17-Dec-2020 The U.S. on Wednesday reported the highest number of new cases of the coronavirus and the most COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began. The total number of confirmed cases have surpassed 17 million.
17-Dec-2020 Health officials in Alaska reported a health care worker had a severe allergic reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine within 10 minutes of receiving a shot. U.S. health authorities warned doctors to be on the lookout for rare allergic reactions when they rolled out the first vaccine, made by Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech. Unlike several British cases, the Alaska woman had no history of allergic reactions.
16-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 5,991; deaths were 164 and the number in ICU is 1,267 compared to 1,255 yesterday.
16-Dec-2020 The U. S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. was “highly effective,” setting the stage for an emergency authorization later this week that would add a second vaccine to the arsenal against the pandemic.
16-Dec-2020 An adviser to Italy’s health ministry has called for coronavirus restrictions to be drastically tightened to avoid a “national tragedy” after the national statistics bureau ISTAT said deaths this year would be the highest since World War Two.
16-Dec-2020 Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s senior official for infectious diseases, predicts the United States could begin to achieve early stages of herd immunity against the deadly coronavirus by late spring or summer.
16-Dec-2020 California has purchased thousands of body bags and has dozens of refrigerated storage units on standby as it prepares to deal with a growing death toll from Covid-19.
15-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 6,171; deaths were almost double yesterday’s figure at 208 and the number in ICU is 1,255 compared to 1,289 yesterday. The decrease in ICU is due in part to the high number of deaths.
15-Dec-2020 India reported 22,065 new coronavirus infections, taking its total to 9.9 million, data from the health ministry showed on Tuesday, making it the lowest daily rise since July 4. India has recorded the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, after the United States, but daily infections have declined since hitting a peak in September.
14-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,252; deaths were 109 and the number in ICU is 1,289 compared to 1,289 yesterday.
14-Dec-2020 Chancellor Angela Merkel said she and the governors of Germany’s 16 states agreed Sunday to step up the country’s lockdown measures beginning Wednesday and lasting until January 10 to stop the country’s exponential rise of COVID-19 cases.
14-Dec-2020 The COVID virus continues “out of control” in the U. S. where the death toll will surpass 300,000 later today.
14-Dec-2020 During the Bubonic Plague of the 17th century, Sir Isaac Newton fled to the family estate for safety. It was while sitting in the large garden there, with many fruit trees, that a single apple falling from a tree led him to his theory of Gravity. If he had stayed in his cramped Cambridge apartment, the timing of that discovery would have been much different.
13-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 4,435; deaths were 121 and the number in ICU is 1,289 compared to 1,288 yesterday.
13-Dec-2020 The U.S. surpassed 16 million cases of Covid-19, according to data released Saturday by Johns Hopkins University, just four days after reaching 15 million cases. More than 231,700 new coronavirus cases were reported for Friday, topping a previous record set earlier this month.
13-Dec-2020 Israel and Bhutan announced Saturday the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two countries. The agreement will “open the path to greater cooperation and further strengthen relations” between Israel and the South Asian kingdom, according to a joint statement.
12-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 6,333; deaths were 148 and the number in ICU is 1,288 compared to 1,299 yesterday.
12-Dec-2020 Global COVID-19 cases surpassed the 70 million mark on Saturday. Daily totals are nearly 700,000. The United States continues to have the highest numbers, representing more than a quarter of the worldwide total.
12-Dec-2020 The U. S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency use, kicking off a massive effort to initially deliver nearly 3 million doses of the vaccine to more than 600 sites nationwide. As many as 20 million health-care professionals and long-term care residents could receive the vaccine by the end of the year.
12-Dec-2020 Germany is facing calls for a second lockdown before Christmas after recording 585 deaths and 29,875 new infections in one day – the highest numbers since the pandemic began. “We have to act urgently. We have to do more than was previously planned,” warned Economy Minister Peter Altmaier.
12-Dec-2020 Stockholm’s intensive care units hit 99% capacity as Sweden proposed a spring “pandemic law” to potentially force closures of certain public spaces. France said its lockdown would not be eased as planned after daily case numbers rose on Thursday compared with last week. Russia and Ukraine reported record numbers of fatalities on Friday. The latest excess death statistics in Russia have cast doubt on the numbers announced in official government updates.
12-Dec-2020 Why some people with coronavirus have no symptoms and others get extremely ill is one of the pandemic’s biggest puzzles. A study in Nature Research Journal of more than 2,200 intensive care patients has identified five genes involving two molecular processes. They make some people more susceptible to severe Covid-19 symptoms.
12-Dec-2020 Nursing homes accounted for as much as 40% of the more than 290,000 U.S. deaths during the pandemic. Nearly 4,000 residents of long-term care facilities around the U.S. died of coronavirus-related causes during the week of Nov. 29.
12-Dec-2020 The World Health Organization has been accused of conspiring with the Italian health ministry to remove a report revealing the country’s mismanagement at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic – the publication of which was intended to prevent future deaths.
11-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 6,460; deaths were 168 and the number in ICU is a new record of 1,299 compared to 1,288 yesterday.
11-Dec-2020 Jewish and pro-Israel groups reacted positively to Morocco’s announcement on Thursday of its intention to normalize ties with Israel. It’s the fourth normalization deal in the past four months between Israel and Arab countries, after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. These nations follow in the wake of Egypt and Jordan, which made peace with Israel in 1979 and 1994, respectively.
11-Dec-2020 A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended approval of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, clearing the way for the FDA to grant emergency authorization of the vaccine as early as Friday.
11-Dec-2020 The Australian government has terminated its agreement with Australian biotech company CSL Limited to supply 51 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine being developed by the University of Queensland after vaccine trial participants returned false positive test results for HIV.
10-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 7,067; deaths were 127 and the number in ICU is 1,288 compared to 1,271 yesterday. Romania is at a plateau.
10-Dec-2020 The coronavirus pandemic pushed the U.S. past another dire milestone Wednesday, the highest daily death toll to date. The Covid Tracking Project, which tracks state-level coronavirus data, reported 3,054 COVID-19 related deaths. In the past week, the U.S. has averaged 205,601 cases per day and 2,260 deaths per day. That’s up from 158,396 cases and 1,176 deaths per day four weeks ago.
10-Dec-2020 Regulators in the United Kingdom are warning people with a history of severe allergies not to get the new coronavirus vaccine. The advisory comes after two National Health Services employees, both with a history of severe allergies, had bad reactions after receiving the new Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine Tuesday, the first day of the U.K.’s nationwide immunization campaign.
10-Dec-2020 Canadian health officials have authorized use of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech. Health Canada announced the move Wednesday, saying a “thorough, independent review of the evidence” determined that the vaccine meets the “stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements for use in Canada.”
10-Dec-2020 Civil rights were found to have deteriorated in almost every country in the world during Covid-19. A number of governments have used the pandemic as an excuse to curtail rights such as free speech, peaceful assembly and freedom of association, according to Civicus Monitor, an alliance of civil society groups which assessed 196 countries.
09-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 7,365; deaths were 161 and the number in ICU is 1,271 compared to 1,276 yesterday.
09-Dec-2020 According to a report in Israel Hayom, Jordan has relayed messages to Israel stating its desire to restart the Dead Sea renewal project in which the Red Sea would be connected to the salt-water basin.
09-Dec-2020 Nine out of 10 people in 70 low-income countries are unlikely to be vaccinated against Covid-19 next year because the majority of the most promising vaccines coming on-stream have been bought up by the west.
09-Dec-2020 Moldova’s Prime Minister Ion Chicu has contracted the novel coronavirus, his adviser Boris Harea wrote on Facebook late on Tuesday.
09-Dec-2020 Record cases in at least three states – Arizona, Alabama and Ohio – pushed the cumulative case load to over 15 million, according to a Reuters tally of state and county data.
08-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 7,439; deaths were a record at 213 and the number in ICU is 1,276 compared to 1,280 yesterday.
08-Dec-2020 The UK will begin mass vaccination today of more than 800,000 beginning with the elderly, health workers, and carers. More than 70 hospital “hubs” are being used in the program.
08-Dec-2020 More than 85% of California’s 40 million residents are under a strict new lockdown, as COVID-19 cases surge across the State. The new rules will last for at least three weeks, covering the Christmas holiday period.
08-Dec-2020 Russia launched a mass-vaccination program against COVID-19 over the weekend, a risky procedure using a Russian-made vaccine before final human trial data is available.
07-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 3,660; deaths were 127 and the number in ICU is 1,280 compared to 1,289 yesterday.
07-Dec-2020 Sweden’s Covid-19 experiment is over. After a late autumn surge in infections led to rising hospitalizations and deaths, the government has abandoned its attempt — unique among Western nations — to combat the pandemic through voluntary measures.
07-Dec-2020 Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), warned Sunday it’s likely the pandemic will continue to worsen in the coming weeks and predicted the U.S. could reach nearly 4,000 deaths per day in January.
07-Dec-2020 In a surprise development in Romanian national elections, the far-right AUR party went from practically zero to nearly 9% of the vote. For the first time they will enter Parliament.
06-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 5,231; deaths were 134 and the number in ICU is 1,289, another new record, compared to 1,280 yesterday.
06-Dec-2020 Pfizer Inc. has applied for emergency use authorisation of its coronavirus vaccine in India, media said on Sunday, the first to do so in a country with the world’s second-highest number of infections.
06-Dec-2020 On all fronts — cases, hospitalizations and deaths — the U.S. toppled records this week. “What we’re seeing now is less of a curve and more of a vertical climb,” says Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “It’s really an extraordinary acceleration.”
05-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 8,072; deaths were 134 and the number in ICU is 1,280, another new record, compared to 1,275 yesterday.
05-Dec-2020 Winter offers perfect conditions for Covid-19 to Spread, studies show. Research provides strong evidence that coronavirus survives longer in cold weather and inside dry, heated homes.
05-Dec-2020 Many scientists and global health experts are warning that vaccines, with limited initial supplies and roll-out to selected groups, although protecting vulnerable groups and front-line health workers, are unlikely to transport us back to our old way of living anytime soon.
05-Dec-2020 As COVID-19 infections continue to surge, coronavirus was ranked as the leading cause of death in the U.S. this week, with 11,820, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. That’s more than the number of Americans who died from ischemic heart disease (10,724), tracheal, bronchus and lung cancer (3,965), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (3,766). More than 213,830 new cases of Covid-19 and 2,861 deaths were reported overnight. The figures set a new single-day record.
05-Dec-2020 Biotech company Moderna has shared findings that its coronavirus vaccine offered trial participants immunity up to three months after the second injection.
05-Dec-2020 A breakthrough in the three-and-a-half-year dispute between Qatar and its neighbouring Gulf states appears to have been achieved following what were described as “fruitful” talks to resolve the conflict. The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, said “significant progress” had been reached in the last few days and he was optimistic all countries were close to finalising a resolution.
05-Dec-2020 Bats in the frontier regions of south and south-west China harbour other coronaviruses that already have the capacity to cross over to humans, a prominent Chinese scientist has said. Dr Shi Zhengli of the Wuhan Institute of Virology said these viruses, including close relatives of Sars-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, were likely to be circulating in nature beyond China.
05-Dec-2020 Political pressures are thinning the ranks of local public health officials across the U.S. Many are leaving because they’ve been physically threatened or “politically scapegoated” for doing their jobs, Lori Freeman, chief executive of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, told NPR.
05-Dec-2020 The U.K. will administer its first doses of COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, government and health officials say, raising hopes that the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech could help them tame the coronavirus.
04-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: A grim milestone today as Romania exceeded half a million confirmed cases. The number of new infections was 8,062; deaths were 175 and the number in ICU is 1,275, another new record, compared to 1,252 yesterday.
04-Dec-2020 Pfizer and Germany-based partner BioNTech SE had hoped to roll out 100 million vaccines world-wide by the end of this year, a plan that has now been reduced to 50 million.
04-Dec-2020 Covid-19-related deaths reported in a single day hit a record in the U.S. as hospitalizations surpassed 100,000 for the first time, leaving hospitals in some regions of the country without enough beds in intensive-care units to meet their patients’ needs. New cases and deaths also hit new records on Thursday. All numbers in the U. S. have been steadily rising for several weeks.
04-Dec-2020 Covid-19 vaccines awaiting regulatory approval will require ultracold temperatures for shipping and storage, and makers of dry ice are bracing for a surge in demand. Demand for dry ice has already soared during the pandemic as consumers order more goods online requiring refrigeration and producers introduce or expand home delivery, executives said.
03-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections was 7,661; deaths were a new record of 211 and the number in ICU is 1,252 compared to 1,260 yesterday. In context, the trend of new infections is downward, but the positive test percentage (23.9%) remains very high. As long as ICU occupancy remains at near-record levels, the number of deaths will also be at near-record levels.
03-Dec-2020 Record-high Covid infections and hospitalisations have been reported in the US. The number of people in hospital passed 100,000 for the first time, a figure that has doubled since early November. New cases rose by 200,007 on Wednesday, and the daily death toll of 3,157 was a new high.
03-Dec-2020 Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Wednesday that Germany will extend its coronavirus lockdown into 2021. The partial lockdown, which has been in effect since November 2, will now be in effect until January 10.
03-Dec-2020 President Vladimir Putin ordered a large-scale voluntary vaccination programme against COVID-19 to begin next week across Russia, saying teachers and doctors should be first in line to get the country’s flagship Sputnik V vaccine. Russia recorded a record 28,145 new cases today.
03-Dec-2020 The global death toll is approaching 1.5 million, with over 64 million confirmed cases. There are currently more than half a million new cases per day, and more than 8,000 deaths per day.
02-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections continues a downward trend, with 4,916 new cases reported today. Deaths were 135 and the number in ICU is 1,260, another new record, compared to 1,259 yesterday. Due to the perceived improvement in virus numbers, the markets that were closed for several weeks will be allowed to reopen on Friday. However, the lower number of cases is likely due to fewer tests being performed during the recent holiday.
02-Dec-2020 In a letter sent to the Department of Health and Human Services, the American Ambulance Association said “the 911 emergency medical system throughout the United States is at a breaking point. Without additional relief, it seems likely to break, even as we enter the third surge of the virus in the Mid-West and the West.”
02-Dec-2020 Florida on Tuesday became the third U.S. state to surpass 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases.
02-Dec-2020 India has the second highest number of Covid cases in the world. November was the deadliest month for the capital Delhi, which has been struggling to contain the virus, with more than 100 deaths on some days. Cases are starting to fall, but doctors warn that if people don’t take care, the situation could get worse again.
02-Dec-2020 Six Israeli products were included on TIME magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2020: 100 Innovations Changing How We Live” and were cited as inventions “making the world better, smarter and even a bit more fun.”
01-Dec-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections continues a downward trend, with 4,272 new cases reported today. Deaths were higher at 199 and the number in ICU is 1,259, another new record, compared to 1,251 yesterday.
01-Dec-2020 Moderna is seeking approval for its Covid-19 vaccine after it was shown to be 94% effective, keeping the shot on track for use in the U.S. by year’s end, alongside Pfizer and BioNTech. A major difference with other vaccines is the ability to be stored in a normal refrigerator, and even at room temperature for extended periods.
01-Dec-2020 The head of the Israel Biological Institute told the Knesset’s Science and Technology Committee on Monday that the coronavirus vaccine being developed in Israel is expected to be ready during the summer of 2021. “We have the intention and ability to produce 15 million vaccines for the benefit of the citizens of the State of Israel and also for the benefit of neighbors close to us,” said Prof. Shmuel Shapira.
01-Dec-2020 Israeli and Emirati business people took part in a series of roundtable discussions on various ways to cooperate. Participants from the biggest investment companies in Dubai that are interested in investments and in cooperating with Israeli companies also joined the talks.
01-Dec-2020 COVID-19 infected people in the U.S. already in mid-December 2019, a few weeks before it was officially identified in China and about a month earlier than public health authorities found the first U.S. case, according to a new CDC analysis of blood donations. The findings significantly strengthen evidence suggesting the virus was spreading around the world well before public health authorities and researchers became aware.
30-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections continues lower on the weekend, with 3,826 new cases reported today. However, deaths at 138 and the number in ICU is 1,251, another new record, compared to 1,250 yesterday. New cases in Maramures for the month of November were 4,149 compared to 2,384 in October.
30-Nov-2020 The first batch of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on a United Airlines flight from Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday.
30-Nov-2020 Covid infections in England have fallen by 30% as a result of the recent lockdown, according to a major study.
30-Nov-2020 The United States passed 13 million total cases, and four million cases in November as of Saturday, more than double the record 1.9 million cases set in October. Now experts have warned Americans to expect that sharp rise in cases to continue, due in part to the Thanksgiving holiday – potentially worsening heading into the December holiday season.
29-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections is always much lower on the weekend, with 5,554 new cases today. However, deaths remain high at 148 and the number in ICU is 1,250, another new record, compared to 1,249 yesterday.
28-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections continues going down slowly, with 8,134 new cases today. However, deaths remain high at 161 and the number in ICU is now 1,249 which is another record compared to 1,226 yesterday.
27-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: The number of new infections is going down, with less than 8,500 new cases today. However, deaths remain high at 172 and the number in ICU has stayed at 1,226 which is equal to the record high of yesterday.
27-Nov-2020 Russia has reported another record high of 27,543 new coronavirus infections, including 7,918 in the capital Moscow, bringing the national tally to 2,215,533.
27-Nov-2020 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is predicting the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus could hit 321,000 by mid-December. By then, hospitals could be overflowing with patients in many parts of the country — and some are already preparing.
27-Nov-2020 Germany hit another grim milestone in the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, being the latest country to have more than 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19.
27-Nov-2020 AstraZeneca and Oxford University on Wednesday acknowledged a manufacturing error that is raising questions about preliminary results of their experimental COVID-19 vaccine that some experts say could hinder its chances of getting speedy U.S. and E.U. regulatory approval.
26-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 9,005 new cases for a total of 449,349; 171 deaths for a total of 10,712; 1,226 in ICU compared to 1,205 yesterday. There are currently only 1,306 ICU beds in the entire country. Maramures had 114 new cases for a total of 8,133 and Cluj had 551 new cases for a total of 20,520.
26-Nov-2020 Scientists from around the world have warned that relaxation of coronavirus restrictions over Christmas and New Year could lead to a third wave of the pandemic, with increased transmission and unnecessary deaths.
26-Nov-2020 As Americans enter a period of peak travel among their states starting with Thanksgiving, new discoveries about how Europe’s second coronavirus wave spread provide an object lesson. Many European regions had made such gains against Covid-19 as to be cited as models. Those gains proved fragile.
26-Nov-2020 Global totals of confirmed COVID-19 infections surpassed 60 million. More than half a million new cases are being added every day. Deaths are nearing 1.5 million.
26-Nov-2020 A severe cyclone slammed into India’s southern coast early on Thursday, killing at least five people and uprooting trees and power lines. Many of the Brethren in India live in this region. So far there are no reports of serious injury or propery damage amongst the Brethren.
26-Nov-2020 People trying to kill the coronavirus with ultraviolet UVC germicidal lamps may risk painful eye injuries if they aren’t careful, a recent study finds. The clear part of the surface of the eye happens to be very susceptible to the wavelength of the light from these lamps.
25-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 9,739 new cases for a total of 440,344; 168 deaths for a total of 10,541; 1,205 in ICU compared to 1,204 yesterday. There are currently only 1,306 ICU beds in the entire country. Maramures had 219 new cases for a total of 8,019 and Cluj had 495 new cases for a total of 19,969.
25-Nov-2020 France is to begin easing restrictions from this weekend after President Emmanuel Macron said the peak of the second wave of virus infections had passed.
25-Nov-2020 The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the body representing airlines globally, announced Monday that a digital health pass, which could include passengers’ COVID-19 testing and vaccine information, is in its final development phase and it is set to be available in early 2021.
25-Nov-2020 A new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says more than 1,000 hospitals across the country are now critically short on staff. More than 85,000 Americans are hospitalized with the coronavirus, setting a new record for the 14th consecutive day. Deaths in the U. S. increased 27% from a week ago.
25-Nov-2020 Hospitalizations in California due to confirmed or suspected cases of the coronavirus have risen more than 81% in the last two weeks.
25-Nov-2020 The CDC is finalizing a recommendation to shorten COVID-19 quarantines from 14 days down to 7 days. An official spokesman stated that: “The probability of going on and developing an infection after that is pretty low.”
25-Nov-2020 Colorado could see the number of Covid-19 deaths more than double by the end of the year if nothing changes with the measures people take to prevent transmission of the virus, the state epidemiologist warned Tuesday.
25-Nov-2020 A network of 13 African countries has joined forces with global researchers to launch the largest clinical trial of potential Covid-19 treatments on the continent. Uganda is on the list of participating countries.
25-Nov-2020 Russia’s deputy prime minister, Tatiana Golikova, said on Tuesday the country’s coronavirus situation was becoming “more complicated” with the onset of autumn and winter. Russia recorded a record 25,173 new daily infections on Monday.
24-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 7,753 new cases for a total of 430,605; 196 deaths for a total of 10,373; 1,204 in ICU compared to 1,160 yesterday. Maramures had 94 new cases for a total of 7,800 and Cluj had 393 new cases for a total of 19,474.
24-Nov-2020 Every year Oxford Languages chooses a “word of the year” that attracted special attention. In 2019 it was the phrase: “climate emergency”, and “toxic” was the word of the year for 2018. But 2020 was “unprecedented”, and the committee did not consider it appropriate to choose a single word or phrase. A detailed 38-page report released on Monday contains dozens of words and phrases that warranted special consideration.
24-Nov-2020 Italy, the first European country to be hit by the coronavirus pandemic, on Monday passed the threshold of 50,000 deaths from Covid-19. Around 15,000 of those deaths have been reported since the beginning of September.
24-Nov-2020 The Coronavirus has spiralled out of control in Palestinian-controlled areas in Judea and Samaria, forcing a 2-week lockdown.
24-Nov-2020 The US suffered more than 10,000 deaths in the last seven days, according to Johns Hopkins. The death toll was 10,575.
23-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 4,207 new cases for a total of 422,852; 130 deaths for a total of 10,177; 1,160 in ICU compared to 1,174 yesterday. Maramures had 75 new cases for a total of 7,706 and Cluj had 165 new cases for a total of 19,081.
23-Nov-2020 The vaccine developed by the University of Oxford stops 70% of people developing Covid symptoms, a large scale trial shows. It is both a triumph and a disappointment after vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna showed 95% protection.
23-Nov-2020 The situation at the Bible Students retirement center in Poland is under control. Sadly, 12 died from COVID-19, of which 6 were Brethren, and 2 other deaths were not related to the virus.
23-Nov-2020 As many as 50 million people are expected to travel by various means this week to celebrate Thanksgiving, potentially producing a new surge in infections that will manifest a couple of weeks later and threaten the Christmas holidays, too, leading expert Dr. Anthony Fauci warned.
23-Nov-2020 U.S. healthcare workers and others recommended for the nation’s first COVID-19 inoculations could start getting shots within a day or two of regulatory consent next month, a top official of the government’s vaccine development effort said on Sunday.
23-Nov-2020 Hyperbaric oxygen treatments can stop the aging of blood cells and even reverse the aging process in healthy aging adults, according to a recently published study from scientists at Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Shamir Medical Center. [Such conditions would have existed before the Flood, possibly explaining longer lifespans then. (ed.)]
22-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 5,837 new cases for a total of 418,645; 131 deaths for a total of 10,047; 1,174 in ICU compared to 1,132 yesterday. Maramures had 87 new cases for a total of 7,631 and Cluj had 283 new cases for a total of 18,916.
22-Nov-2020 The official total in the U. S. is now over 12 million. Records are being set every day, with more than 200,000 new cases recorded in the latest tally.
22-Nov-2020 Canada will place its largest city, Toronto, under ‘lockdown’ for at least 28 days amid coronavirus spikes.
22-Nov-2020 In October, more than 1 in 4 U. S. workers were either unemployed or working for poverty-level wages, according to an analysis of government data.
22-Nov-2020 Texas National Guard troops have been deployed to El Paso, Texas, to help with morgue operations as the city and county grapple with a COVID-19 surge.
21-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 9,685 new cases for a total of 412,808; 160 deaths for a total of 9,916; 1,132 in ICU compared to 1,139 yesterday. Maramures had 113 new cases for a total of 7,544 and Cluj had 424 new cases for a total of 18,633.
21-Nov-2020 Governments and central banks have spent more than $12 trillion and promised to shell out another $7.5 trillion since the coronavirus erupted to “put a floor under the world economy,” according to the International Monetary Fund.
21-Nov-2020 The U. S. recorded another all-time high, and another new world record, with more than 195,000 cases in a 24-hour period. Deaths surged to nearly 2,000. The U. S. has nearly 12 million cases, followed by India with 9 million and Brazil at 6 million cases.
21-Nov-2020 More than 1,000 hospitals across the United States are “critically” short on staff, according to numbers released this week by the Department of Health and Human Services.
21-Nov-2020 Due to huge expenses in the fight against COVID-19 to-date, many poorer countries have little or no money left to pay for a potential vaccine, once one becomes available.
21-Nov-2020 A number of European governments, including Austria, are launching programs to test entire populations of countries or regions for Covid-19, in an effort to tamp down contagion ahead of Christmas and ease economically damaging restrictions and lockdowns.
20-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 9,272 new cases for a total of 403,123; 160 deaths for a total of 9,756; 1,139 in ICU compared to 1,131 yesterday. Maramures had 148 new cases for a total of 7,431 and Cluj had 520 new cases for a total of 18,209.
20-Nov-2020 The need to store the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at at least -70C(-94F), with its required cold-chain infrastructure, puts it out of the reach of up to two-thirds of the world’s population.
20-Nov-2020 Russia reported its worst day for new infections with more than 24,000 confirmed cases. India now has more than 9 million cases. Mexico has become the 4th country to surpass 100,000 deaths. Global cases are nearly 57 million.
20-Nov-2020 The U. S. recorded an all-time high, and a new world record, with more than 187,000 cases in a 24-hour period. California and Ohio will be under statewide curfews beginning Saturday. The country is approaching 12 million total cases.
19-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 10,108 new cases for a total of 393,851; 167 deaths for a total of 9,596; 1,131 in ICU compared to 1,174 yesterday. Maramures had 132 new cases for a total of 7,283 and Cluj had a record of 734 new cases for a total of 17,689.
19-Nov-2020 Europe made up almost half of the world’s 4 million new coronavirus cases last week but recorded a nearly 10% fall in infections compared to the week before, thanks in part to strict government lockdown measures, the World Health Organization reported Wednesday.
19-Nov-2020 Pfizer and BioNTech could secure emergency U.S. and European authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine next month after final trial results showed it had a 95% success rate and no serious side effects, the drugmakers said on Wednesday. The vaccine’s efficacy was found to be consistent across different ages and ethnicities.
19-Nov-2020 The official COVID-19 death toll in the U. S. has now surpassed 250,000. Total confirmed infections stand at 11.5 million. India is in second place with nearly 9 million cases.
18-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 10,269 new cases for a new record and a total of 383,743; 168 deaths for a total of 9,429; 1,174 in ICU compared to 1,174 yesterday. Maramures had 172 new cases for a total of 7,151 and Cluj had 501 new cases for a total of 16,955.
18-Nov-2020 More cases are being reported in Europe and the U. S. amongst Bible Students.
18-Nov-2020 Confirmed cases worldwide surpassed 55 million, with over 600,000 new cases in the past 24 hours. Total deaths are more than 1.3 million.
18-Nov-2020 Italy and Spain have both recorded their highest daily coronavirus death tolls of the second wave, reporting 731 and 435 deaths respectively over the past 24 hours.
18-Nov-2020 Canadians celebrated their Thanksgiving last month, and if the day can teach anything to Americans, it’s that gathering for the holidays can lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
18-Nov-2020 Doctors on the White House Coronavirus Task Force stressed to Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic situation is dire and only getting worse. One by one, leaders in cities and states are also sounding the alarm. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced a new curfew as the state faces a COVID-19 surge.
18-Nov-2020 France on Tuesday became the first European country to surpass 2 million coronavirus cases despite an Oct. 30 nationwide lockdown that has led to a sharp decline in new infections, according to a Reuters tally.
17-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 8,262 new cases for a total of 373,474; 186 deaths for a total of 9,261; 1,174 in ICU compared to 1,187 yesterday. Maramures had 45 new cases for a total of 6,979 and Cluj had 606 new cases for a total of 16,454.
17-Nov-2020 France has passed the peak in the latest wave of infections. India’s daily cases fell to their lowest level since mid-July. Total cases in Russia are approaching the 2 million mark. The U. S. added more than one million new cases in the past week alone.
17-Nov-2020 As California’s “unprecedented” coronavirus surge worsens, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that he’s pulling “the emergency brake” and implementing the state’s most restrictive safety measures across most counties, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. The number of daily new coronavirus cases doubled in the past 10 days in California.
17-Nov-2020 Moderna Inc. said its experimental coronavirus vaccine was 94.5% effective at protecting people from Covid-19 in an early look at pivotal study results, the second vaccine to hit a key milestone in U.S. testing. The vaccine will be easy to distribute, particularly to rural areas, because it can be stored for one month at standard refrigerator temperatures.
16-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 4,931 new cases for a total of 365,212; 149 deaths for a total of 9,075; a record of 1,187 in ICU compared to 1,169 yesterday. The percentage of positive cases is a new record of 43.8% out of 11,266 tests conducted. Maramures had a weekend record of 258 new cases for a total of 6,934 and Cluj had 105 new cases for a total of 15,848.
16-Nov-2020 Around the World: The State of Southern Australia has gone on high alert after a new outbreak. The Indian capital of Delhi has seen increasing numbers of new cases, aggravated by dangerous levels of air pollution. Russia set another daily record for new cases.
16-Nov-2020 The U. S. has surpassed 11 million confirmed cases, and deaths are approaching 250,000. More States have imposed new restrictions. There are scattered reports of more Bible Students who have become infected, but no severe cases are known at this time.
15-Nov-2020 Germans should brace for another 4-5 months of severe measures to halt the rise in coronavirus infections and should not expect the current rules to be eased quickly, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told weekly Bild am Sonntag.
15-Nov-2020 Global cases of COVID-19 are now more than 54 million. The U.S. continues to be the biggest contributor to the increase, outpacing second place India by more than 3-to-1.
15-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 7,096 new cases for a total of 360,281; 113 deaths for a total of 8,926; 1,169 in ICU compared to 1,172 yesterday. The percentage of positive cases is 32.9% out of 21,571 tests conducted.
15-Nov-2020 Starting Tuesday, Austria will impose a limited curfew, banning people from leaving their homes except to go to work, get essential supplies, to exercise or to help people who need assistance.
15-Nov-2020 New cases in the U.S. continue to surge with more than 184,000 reported yesterday. Cases continue to rise in all 50 States. Daily cases have gone up more than 70% nationwide, since the beginning of November.
14-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 9,460 new cases for a total of 353,185; 129 deaths for a total of 8,813; a record of 1,172 in ICU compared to 1,149 yesterday. Maramures had 108 new cases for a total of 6,674 and Cluj had 601 new cases for a total of 15,468.
14-Nov-2020 More than a hundred U. S. Secret Service Uniformed Division officers are in isolation or quarantine due to testing positive for COVID-19 or having close contact with someone who is, a source familiar with the matter said Friday.
14-Nov-2020 Italy has added more regions to its coronavirus high-risk “red zones” as cases across the country hit a new daily record. Authorities in Campania, which includes Naples, have warned that the health system there is close to collapse. Friday’s announcement came as Italy confirmed 40,902 new infections – its highest ever daily total.
14-Nov-2020 A new coronavirus strain could potentially leap to other animals, such as rats, mice, ferrets and voles, an expert has warned. The virus could then “come back in future years into the human population”, said Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust.
14-Nov-2020 U.S. daily coronavirus cases set another record (more than 150,000) as several states reported all-time highs, while California became the second state in the country to top one million total infections. Three U.S. West Coast states jointly called for a halt in non-essential travel. For the first time, all 50 states are seeing a rise in daily COVID-19 cases.
13-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 9,489 new cases for a total of 343,725; 174 deaths for a total of 8,684; 1,149 in ICU compared to 1,152 yesterday. Maramures had 191 new cases for a total of 6,566 and Cluj had 586 new cases for a total of 14,867.
13-Nov-2020 New infections and hospital admissions have surged in Sweden as the country battles a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic that officials had hoped its light-touch, anti-lockdown approach would mitigate.
13-Nov-2020 Lockdowns and other restrictions are starting to stem the spread of Covid-19 in some, but not all, European countries, authorities have said, and the continent’s hospitals remain under heavy pressure that is unlikely to ease for some time yet.
13-Nov-2020 The governors of North Dakota, Ohio and Utah all delivered the same message this week: hospital resources normally used for patients with heart attacks, strokes or emergency trauma will soon be overrun by patients with COVID-19.
13-Nov-2020 In India, Delhi’s COVID-19 deaths rose by a record high on Thursday and it also reported the most number of infections in India, an increase attributed to the city’s toxic air and a lack of physical distancing in public places around a major festival. Hospitals are swamped.
13-Nov-2020 Chicago’s mayor issued a month-long stay-at-home advisory on Thursday, and Detroit’s public schools called a halt to in-person instruction to curb the spread of the coronavirus as more than a dozen U.S. states reported a doubling of new COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks.
13-Nov-2020 U. S. cases topped 100,000 for the 9th day in a row with more than 144,000 new cases. At least nine states from North Carolina to New Mexico reported record numbers of new cases. Illinois has recorded six days of more than 10,000 new infections. These records are likely to be swiftly surpassed as cases soar nationally.
12-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 10,142 new cases for a total of 334,236; 121 deaths for a total of 8,510; a record of 1,152 in ICU compared to 1,092 yesterday. Maramures had 143 new cases for a total of 6,375 and Cluj had 413 new cases for a total of 14,281.
12-Nov-2020 Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced an imposition of an even stricter set of nationwide regulations is likely. Baia Mare is the latest city to be put under quarantine. In addition to the nationwide restrictions and curfew already in place, additional restrictions are imposed under a local quarantine.
12-Nov-2020 Italy, one of the European countries hit hardest by COVID-19, surpassed the one-million infections mark on Wednesday, leap-frogging Mexico to become one of the top 10 worst-affected countries globally, according to a Reuters tally.
12-Nov-2020 Bible Students in Northern Moldova continue to battle with the coronavirus. The latest round of infections are in the small Ecclesia in Drochia. One Sister from there has been admitted to the hospital. At least one Brother from Ruseni, Moldova, is struggling with the lasting effects of “long COVID” which have left him weak and unable to perform his usual duties.
11-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 9,799 new cases for a total of 324,094; a record of 203 deaths for a total of 8,389; 1,092 in ICU compared to 1,093 yesterday. Maramures had 234 new cases for a total of 6,232 and Cluj had 707 new cases for a total of 13,868.
11-Nov-2020 Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday said much of the state is seeing the worst surge of the coronavirus since the pandemic started earlier this year.
11-Nov-2020 Wearing a mask not only protects others from the spread of Covid-19, but it protects the wearer as well, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday in its strongest messaging yet on face coverings.
11-Nov-2020 More than 300,000 people have died of COVID-19 across Europe, according to a Reuters tally on Tuesday, and authorities fear that fatalities and infections will continue to rise as the region heads into winter despite hopes for a new vaccine.
11-Nov-2020 The U.S. government could begin vaccinating Americans as early as December if Pfizer Inc. moves quickly in gaining approval of a vaccine it developed with German partner BioNTech SE, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said on Tuesday. However, the vaccine needs to be stored at a temperature of minus 70 Celsius, meaning in practice that it can only be transported packed in “dry ice,” making the logistics of a mass global distribution extremely problematic.
11-Nov-2020 The United States reported a record number of new COVID-19 cases for the seventh day in a row on Tuesday, while the number of deaths surged to their highest daily count since August.
10-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 7,304 new cases for a total of 314,295; a record of 177 deaths for a total of 8,186; a record of 1,093 in ICU compared to 1,076 yesterday. Maramures had 82 new cases for a total of 5,998 and Cluj had 423 new cases for a total of 13,161.
10-Nov-2020 In Timisoara, one of Romania’s largest cities, ICU units are full. Six patients died while waiting for an ICU bed to become available. This scenario is, sadly, becoming more common across the country.
10-Nov-2020 The coronavirus pandemic raged across the United States last week with the daily number of new infections hitting record highs for four straight days. More than 770,000 new cases were diagnosed in the week ended Nov. 10, up 34% over the previous seven days. The nation’s top health officials are warning we could be entering the darkest days of the coronavirus pandemic.
10-Nov-2020 The Food and Drug Administration on Monday cleared the experimental drug Bamlanivimab from Eli Lilly for people 12 and older with mild or moderate COVID-19 not requiring hospitalization. It may help clear the coronavirus sooner and possibly cut hospitalizations in people with mild to moderate COVID-19.
10-Nov-2020 Pfizer Inc. said on Monday its experimental COVID-19 vaccine was more than 90% effective, a major victory in the fight against a pandemic that has killed more than a million people, battered the world’s economy and upended daily life.
10-Nov-2020 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has tested positive for coronavirus, the presidential office said on Monday. “The head of state is feeling well and will continue to perform his duties remotely in self-isolation,” the office said in a statement.
09-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 3,240 new cases for a total of 306,991; 130 deaths for a total of 8,009; a record of 1,076 in ICU compared to 1,056 yesterday. Maramures had 179 new cases for a total of 5,916 and Cluj had 121 new cases for a total of 12,738.
09-Nov-2020 The French Health Ministry reported a total of 1,787,324 confirmed COVID-19 cases, up 38,619 from Saturday when the total increased by a new record of 86,852.
09-Nov-2020 Global coronavirus infections exceeded 50 million on Sunday, according to a Reuters tally, with a second wave of the virus in the past 30 days accounting for a quarter of the total.
09-Nov-2020 Extensive social restrictions announced last week and imposed across Germany from Monday – including shutting restaurants, gyms and theatres – have yet to have a decisive impact. The curve is still heading upwards.
09-Nov-2020 There continue to be scattered reports of infections amongst the Bible Students. At this point there are no severe cases known. The most recent death was last week in Romania.
08-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 6,752 new cases for a total of 303,751; 86 deaths for a total of 7,879; a record of 1,056 in ICU compared to 1,048 yesterday. The number of new cases is a record for a weekend day. Maramures had 49 new cases for a total of 5,737 and Cluj had 392 new cases for a total of 12,617.
08-Nov-2020 Once again, the United States general election has taken over the top spot in world news, consequently coronavirus stories are fewer.
08-Nov-2020 Germany followed several European countries by reporting a record number of daily coronavirus cases on Saturday, as a second wave of infections sweeps through the continent as winter approaches.
08-Nov-2020 The United States on Saturday reported a record increase in coronavirus cases for a fourth consecutive day with at least 131,420 new infections, bringing the country’s total caseload to nearly 10 million. Seventeen states reported a record one-day increase on Saturday while 14 states reported record daily numbers of hospitalized patients.
07-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: There were 9,937 new cases for a total of 296,999; 130 deaths for a total of 7,793; a record of 1,048 in ICU compared to 1,001 yesterday. Maramures had 165 new cases for a total of 5,688 and Cluj had 485 new cases for a total of 12,225.
07-Nov-2020 France broke a daily record for new cases with more than 60,000 confirmed on Friday. Italy reported 35,505 new cases and 445 deaths Thursday. Austria and Poland also both reported record case rises Thursday. Germany recorded nearly 20,000 new cases on Friday.
07-Nov-2020 The State of Texas has exceeded one million cases of COVID-19, taking over first place from California with 960,000 cases.
07-Nov-2020 U.S. coronavirus infections surged by at least 129,606 on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, the third consecutive daily rise of more than 100,000 cases as a third wave of COVID-19 sweeps the United States.
06-Nov-2020 Latest from Romania: As of Monday a nationwide curfew will be imposed between 11pm-5am. All stores must close by 9pm. Masks will be required at all times outside the home. More than 10,000 new cases for the first time at 10,260 for a total of 287,062; 123 deaths for a total of 7,663; 1,001 ICU beds in use compared to 1,014 yesterday. Daily cases in Maramures were a new record of 290 for a total of 5,523. Cluj had a new record of 722 cases for a total of 11,740 and the highest in Romania for the past 24 hours.
06-Nov-2020 Scientists have found the strongest evidence yet that people who recover from Covid may mount a much faster and more effective defence against the infection if they encounter the virus again. Researchers at Rockefeller University in New York found that the immune system not only remembered the virus but improved the quality of protective antibodies after an infection had passed, equipping the body to unleash a swift and potent attack if the virus invaded a second time.
06-Nov-2020 Globally, the world suffered the highest total one-day death toll of the pandemic so far, with 11,447 people lost in the last day. It also recorded more cases than ever before, more than 700,000 in a 24-hour period.
06-Nov-2020 The World Health Organization in Europe on Thursday said it was seeing an “explosion” of coronavirus cases in the region and warned of a “tough time” ahead as mortality rates rose.
06-Nov-2020 There were more than 120,000 new cases of coronavirus in the US on Thursday – another record one-day increase, exceeding the previous day record by more than 20,000.
05-Nov-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: More records with 9,714 new cases for a total of 276,802; 121 deaths for a total of 7,540; 1,014 ICU beds in use compared to 1,001 yesterday. Although more ICU beds have been added recently, Romania is near maximum capacity. A lack of ICU personnel is an even more serious problem. New daily cases in Maramures were 170 for a total of 5,233. Cluj had a record of 534 new cases for a total of 11,018.
05-Nov-2020 AstraZeneca PLC said late-stage trials for the Covid-19 vaccine it is developing with the University of Oxford are on track to produce results “later this year,” with a potential rollout soon after, subject to regulatory approval.
05-Nov-2020 India is reporting 50,209 new coronavirus cases for the previous 24 hours amid a surge in the capital of New Delhi, which officials now say is in its third wave of infections.
05-Nov-2020 At least seven European nations have seen record case rises in the last 24 hours. Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia and Switzerland each confirmed their highest new infections to date.
05-Nov-2020 Americans went to the polls Tuesday under the shadow of a resurging pandemic, with an alarming increase in cases nationwide and the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 reaching record highs in a growing number of states. Daily infections were rising in all but three states. Total cases are approaching the 10 million mark. There were more than 100,000 new cases of coronavirus in the US on Wednesday – a record one-day increase.
05-Nov-2020 Denmark plans to cull its entire population of roughly 15 million minks in farms after the animals spread a mutation of the coronavirus to humans. The country’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said at a press conference Wednesday that the mutated virus could spread to other countries and it “may pose a risk to the effectiveness of a future vaccine.”
05-Nov-2020 France registered 40,558 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, compared with 36,330 on Tuesday and a record of 52,518 on Monday, health ministry data showed. The total number of cases increased to 1,543,321.
05-Nov-2020 Italy’s latest restrictions to try to rein in the coronavirus include a partial lockdown of its richest and most populous region Lombardy around the financial capital Milan, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Wednesday.
04-Nov-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: Another tsunami of records: 8,651 new cases for a total of 267,088; 146 deaths for a total of 7,419; 1,001 ICU beds in use compared to 974 yesterday. New daily cases in Maramures were 205 for a total of 5,063. Cluj had 293 new cases for a total of 10,484.
04-Nov-2020 As the eyes of the world are focused on the US election results, Pandemic news is taking a less prominent place.
03-Nov-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: an “explosion” of new cases. RECORDS in every category. There were 7,733 new cases for a total of 258,437; 120 deaths for a total of 7,187; 974 ICU beds in use compared to 916 yesterday. President Klaus Iohannis will make an emergency declaration later today. New daily cases in Maramures were a RECORD 254 for a total of 4,858. Cluj had 355 new cases for a total of 10,191.
03-Nov-2020 Across the US, there are growing concerns that the bitterness and animosity over the presidential election will not end when the polls close Tuesday night. From coast to coast, cities are preparing for possible protests, civil unrest and violence, regardless of the election’s outcome.
03-Nov-2020 The number of new COVID-19 cases in the United States hit another record high last week, rising 18% to more than 575,000, while deaths increased by 3%, according to a Reuters analysis of state and county reports.
03-Nov-2020 France reported a record 52,518 new COVID-19 on Monday and the number of people hospitalised with the disease rose by more than a 1,000 for the fourth time in eight days, as the pandemic showed no signs of abating despite a new lockdown.
02-Nov-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 4,041 new cases for a total of 250,704; 86 deaths for a total of 7,153; 916 ICU beds in use compared to 910 yesterday. The rate of 38.2% positive tests is a new record, compared to 32.7% which was the previous record. The 4,041 new cases is a record high for a Sunday, compared to the previous record of 2,844. (Monday’s figures reflect tests performed on Sunday.) New daily cases in Maramures were 74 for a total of 4,604. Cluj had 159 new cases for a total of 9,836.
02-Nov-2020 Five more localities in Maramures County, Romania, entered into quarantine after the infection rate soared to more than 8.0 compared to 4.98 in Cluj and 3.91 in Bucuresti. Sighet is not currently under quarantine, but Baia Mare has been for some time. Any area with a rate higher than 3.0 is subject to quarantine. More than a third of all Bible Students in Romania reside in the County of Maramures.
01-Nov-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 5,324 new cases for a total of 246,663; 99 deaths for a total of 7,067; 910 ICU beds in use compared to 923 yesterday. New daily cases in Maramures were 74 for a total of 4,530. Cluj had 344 new cases for a total of 9,677.
01-Nov-2020 Low levels of vitamin D, which our bodies produce in response to strong sunlight, may lead to a greater risk of catching the coronavirus or suffering more severe effects of infection, according to some studies. Last week, researchers in Spain found that 82% of coronavirus patients out of 216 admitted to hospital had low vitamin D levels.
01-Nov-2020 Russia’s daily tally of coronavirus cases hit a record high of 18,665 on Sunday, including 5,261 in Moscow, taking the national tally to 1,636,781. Authorities also reported 245 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 28,235.
01-Nov-2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered England back into a national lockdown after the United Kingdom passed the milestone of one million COVID-19 cases and a second wave of infections threatened to overwhelm the health service.
01-Nov-2020 A Brother from Tirgu Mures, Romania, died from COVID-19 this morning. There are additional Brethren with the coronavirus in Romania and in Moldova, but no other severe cases have been reported at this time.
31-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 5,753 new cases for a total of 241,339; 101 deaths for a total of 6,968; 923 ICU beds in use compared to 917 yesterday. New daily cases in Maramures were 54 for a total of 4,456 of which 2,384 (more than half) were in October. Cluj had 328 new cases for a total of 9,333.
31-Oct-2020 Europe has surpassed the 10 million mark of COVID-19 cases to-date, with the continent’s death toll at about 275,000.
31-Oct-2020 As coronavirus cases continue to spike and working from home seems permanent, many Americans are planning to set off to live in new places. An astonishing 14 million to 23 million Americans intend to relocate to a different city or region as a result of telework, according to a new study released by Upwork.
31-Oct-2020 Regeneron has paused its trials on the sickest patients following safety concerns. According to reports on Friday, the pharmaceutical company decided to stop giving its antibody-drug to coronavirus patients on ventilators or those receiving high amounts of oxygen.
31-Oct-2020 A surge of coronavirus cases in the United States pushed hospitals closer to the brink of capacity and drove the number of infections reported on Friday to an ominous new daily world record of over 100,000.
31-Oct-2020 Germany has set a new record for daily coronavirus cases, reporting 19,059 infections. The country’s previous highest daily increase was 18,681, reported only 24 hours earlier.
31-Oct-2020 Ukraine registered a record 8,752 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the national security council said on Saturday, up from 8,312 cases on Friday. Total infections stood at 387,481.
31-Oct-2020 India’s coronavirus caseload stood at 8.1 million on Saturday, with 48,268 new cases being recorded in the last 24 hours, data from the health ministry showed. India has the world’s second-highest caseload, behind only the United States, but new infections have seen a dip since September.
30-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: MORE RECORDS with 6,546 new cases for a total of 235,586; 103 deaths for a total of 6,867; 917 ICU beds in use compared to 868 yesterday. New daily cases in Maramures were a RECORD 261 for a total of 4,402. Cluj had 385 new cases for a total of 9,005.
30-Oct-2020 The World Health Organization’s Europe director expressed deep concern on Thursday after the region again recorded the highest-ever weekly incidence of cases, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of a “difficult winter” as residents in France braced for life under a new month-long lockdown and Spain’s parliament voted to extend a state of emergency.
30-Oct-2020 The U.S. recorded its highest number of coronavirus cases in a day so far (over 90,000), and approached nine million in total, as the pandemic’s spread intensified across nearly all states.
29-Oct-2020 RECORD AFTER RECORD. Latest Romanian statistics: 6,481 new cases for a total of 229,040; 83 deaths for a total of 6,764; 868 ICU beds in use compared to 861 yesterday. New daily cases in Maramures were 161 for a total of 4,184. Cluj had 371 new cases for a total of 8,620.
29-Oct-2020 India has now become the second country to surpass 8 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, after the US which has 8.8 million cases. Globally, the daily rate is now more than half a million per day.
29-Oct-2020 Avi Berkowitz, US Special Representative for International Negotiations, stated this morning that the United States is currently holding normalization discussions with between five and ten countries in the Arab world.
29-Oct-2020 The handful of drugmakers dominating the global coronavirus vaccine race are pushing the boundaries of vaccine technology. The next crop under development feature more conventional, proven designs, but will require much more time to produce a viable result.
29-Oct-2020 French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel ordered their countries back into lockdown, as a massive second wave of coronavirus infections threatened to overwhelm Europe before the winter. Daily cases hit a new record in many other European countries, including Italy, Poland and Romania. Nearly 100,000 are catching the virus daily in England, and that figure is doubling every nine days.
29-Oct-2020 The latest figures from the World Health Organization on Tuesday showed Europe reported 1.3 million new cases in the past seven days, nearly half the 2.9 million reported worldwide, with over 11,700 deaths, a 37% jump over the previous week.
29-Oct-2020 As cold weather envelops Illinois, the state is experiencing a massive upsurge in coronavirus cases, part of a trend across Midwest states. On Tuesday Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced the closing of all indoor dining and bar service in the state’s largest city, Chicago, effective this Friday. On Wednesday, Illinois reported 6,110 cases and 51 deaths.
29-Oct-2020 A Mount Sinai study published Wednesday in the journal “Science” found that most people who experienced mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms have “a robust antibody response” that kills the virus and is “relatively stable for at least five months.” The study included data from 30,082 people.
28-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics RECORDS IN EVERY CATEGORY: 5,343 new cases for a total of 222,559; 107 deaths for a total of 6,681; 861 ICU beds in use compared to 824 yesterday. New daily cases in Maramures were 100 for a total of 4,023. Cluj had 356 new cases for a total of 8,249.
28-Oct-2020 Russia has seen another spike in new cases. The government has mandated a nationwide requirement of masks in all public places. The country also recorded a record number of deaths.
28-Oct-2020 The U. S. has seen an increase of new cases in 38 States, with a one-week record high of new cases nationwide. Deaths are also on the increase.
28-Oct-2020 Ukraine recorded a record number of deaths. Germany recorded a record number of new cases.
27-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 4,724 new cases for a total of 217,216; a RECORD of 104 deaths for a total of 6,574; 824 ICU beds in use compared to 823 yesterday. New daily cases in Maramures continue to be very high at 155 for a total of 3,923. Cluj had 264 new cases for a total of 7,893.
27-Oct-2020 Some countries in Europe are faced with the difficult decision of selecting which patients will receive care, where no more ICU beds are available. Romania is adding another 200 ICU beds in the coming days as very few remain available nationwide.
27-Oct-2020 Global records continue to be set every day as nearly half a million new cases are being added every 24 hours.
27-Oct-2020 The United States, Russia, France and many other countries are setting records for coronavirus infections as a tidal wave of cases washes over parts of the Northern Hemisphere, forcing some countries to impose new curbs.
26-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 2,844 new cases for a total of 212,492; 79 deaths for a total of 6,470; 823 ICU beds in use compared to 828 yesterday. The infection rate of those tested was a new RECORD of 32.7% Maramures was in 4th place nationally with a RECORD of 181 new cases for a total of 3,768 (the previous record was 128). Cluj had 199 new cases for a total of 7,629.
26-Oct-2020 Angry groups of protesters clashed with riot police in Naples, Prague, Paris, Berlin and Warsaw over the weekend.
26-Oct-2020 Chevron CEO Michael Wirth believes that the Middle East is entering an era of reconciliation that will make it ideal for tapping natural gas, as demand for the cheaper and cleaner fuel is forecast to outstrip oil. The new strategy has seen the company close multi-billion dollar gas deals in Egypt, Israel and Qatar.
26-Oct-2020 France may be experiencing 100,000 new COVID-19 cases per day (twice the latest official figure) Professor Jean-François Delfraissy, who heads the scientific council that advises the government on the pandemic, told RTL radio on Monday.
26-Oct-2020 The United States has seen its highest ever number of new COVID-19 cases in the past two days. Europe reported more than 1.3 million new cases this past week, its highest single week count yet. New cases in India declined slightly during the past two weeks. Global cases are well over 42 million.
26-Oct-2020 The COVID-19 vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford produces an immune response in both elderly and young people and adverse reactions were lower among the elderly, British drug maker AstraZeneca on Monday.
26-Oct-2020 Israeli scientists say improperly treated wastewater poses a threat of a renewed outbreak. It can affect not only sewage plant workers but also people or animals who come into contact with the water, and could affect crops if treated water is used for agriculture.
26-Oct-2020 The state-run Israel Institute for Biological Research announced Sunday that researchers will begin human testing on its coronavirus vaccine next week. Another Israeli firm: Taffix, has invented a powder-based nasal spray that creates a gel in the nose that serves as a “protective layer” stopping the coronavirus from infecting people.
25-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 3,855 new cases for a total of 209,648; 73 deaths for a total of 6,391; a huge increase, and a new RECORD of 828 ICU beds in use compared to 787 yesterday. Maramures had 65 new cases for a total of 3,587. Cluj had 164 new cases for a total of 7,430.
25-Oct-2020 Russia confirmed a record 17,340 new coronavirus cases on Friday. One Sister in Tulun has contracted the virus, and is being treated at home due to overloaded healthcare facilities there.
25-Oct-2020 Italy reported another daily record for COVID-19 cases on Saturday as the government planned further restrictions to contain a resurgence of the pandemic, despite a second night of street protests against curfews ordered this week.
25-Oct-2020 Europe became the second region after Latin America to surpass 250,000 deaths on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally, with record numbers of daily COVID-19 infections reported in the past two weeks.
24-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 4,761 new cases for a total of 205,722; 73 deaths for a total of 6,318; a RECORD of 787 ICU beds in use compared to 782 yesterday. Maramures had 57 new cases for a total of 3,522. Cluj had 340 new cases for a total of 7,266.
24-Oct-2020 Asia surpassed 10 million infections of the new coronavirus on Saturday, the second-heaviest regional toll in the world, according to a Reuters tally, as cases continue to mount in India despite a slowdown and sharp declines elsewhere.
24-Oct-2020 Polish President Andrzej Duda has tested positive for coronavirus but is feeling good, presidential minister Blazej Spychalski announced on Twitter on Saturday.
24-Oct-2020 Israel and Sudan agreed on Friday to take steps to normalize relations in a deal brokered with the help of the United States, making Khartoum the third Arab government to set aside hostilities with Israel in the last two months.
24-Oct-2020 On Friday, both AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson announced that their coronavirus vaccine trials are set to resume in the U.S. after hitting pause when volunteers became sick. The Food and Drug Administration gave the green light after investigations found no link between those cases and the vaccine.
24-Oct-2020 French President Emmanuel Macron says his country will be fighting the virus until at least the middle of next year as cases there surged past a million.
24-Oct-2020 US coronavirus cases have hit a record daily high as states grapple with a renewed wave of infections. Citing data from local state health authorities, the Covid Tracking Project reported 83,010 new cases on Friday.
23-Oct-2020 Another day of records in Romania, with more than 5,000 new cases for the first time (5,028). Total cases are now over 200,000 at 201,032. There were 82 deaths for a total of 6,245. A new record of 782 in ICU compared to 778 yesterday. New cases in the counties of Maramures and Cluj were 106 and 273 respectively.
23-Oct-2020 Western intelligence sources say the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas has secret cyberwarfare headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey.
23-Oct-2020 Germany saw a “very serious” rise in new cases, and other nations across Europe are on the brink of an “out-of-control” resurgence of the disease.
23-Oct-2020 The number of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. rose Wednesday for a third straight day, with more than 62,000 new cases reported. The total there is nearing 8.5 million confirmed cases.
23-Oct-2020 US regulators have given full approval for the antiviral drug Remdesivir to treat Covid-19 patients in hospitals. Many studies have found the drug to be effective at shortening the time for recovery. This conflicts with the World Heatlh Organization which concluded from its own limited study that the drug had little effect.
23-Oct-2020 French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Thursday a vast extension of the nightly curfew that is intended to curb the spiraling spread of the coronavirus, saying “the second wave is here.”
22-Oct-2020 A day of records in Romania in every category: 4,902 new cases for a total of 196,004; 98 deaths for a total of 6,163; 778 in ICU compared to 766 yesterday; 128 new cases in Maramures compared to the previous record of 116. Other Counties also set records.
22-Oct-2020 Hospitals around the United States are starting to buckle from a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, with several states setting records for the number of people hospitalized and leaders scrambling to find extra beds and staff.
22-Oct-2020 In spite of having a heavily touted vaccine against COVID-19, Russia continues to set daily records of new cases of the virus.
22-Oct-2020 Tens of thousands of deaths are now inevitable in a second wave of coronavirus infections sweeping across England. Germany surpassed 10,000 daily cases for the first time. France is nearing one million cases, a figure recently surpassed by Spain. Italy continues to set new daily case records. Croatia also saw a record daily high.
22-Oct-2020 Israel and the UAE have signed a 700 million deal to extend an oil pipeline through Israel, from the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf, opening up direct oil shipments from Arab countries to Europe in 2021. Relations between Israel and Qatar are also “warming”. Normalization of ties between Israel and Sudan could come as early as this weekend.
21-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: a RECORD of 4,848 new cases for a total of 191,102; 69 deaths for a total of 6,065; 766 ICU beds in use compared to 768 yesterday. Maramures had 63 new cases for a total of 3,231. Cluj had 343 new cases for a total of 6,315.
21-Oct-2020 Romania ranks 2nd in Europe for the death rate from COVID-19. The latest report shows that 22 municipalities (large cities) 15 cities and 255 towns have an infection rate of more than 3 per thousand, which is considered a “red line”.
21-Oct-2020 Regions in Spain and Italy have returned to lockdown and Ireland will do so from Wednesday as countries across Europe continue to report new Covid infection highs and governments struggle to contain the second wave of the pandemic.
21-Oct-2020 Two new peer-reviewed studies are showing a sharp drop in mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. (The rate dropped from 25.6% down to 7.6% which is still many times higher than seasonal Flu.) The drop is seen in all groups, including older patients and those with underlying conditions, suggesting that physicians are getting better at helping patients survive their illness.
21-Oct-2020 A senior delegation of United Arab Emirate officials visited Israel on Tuesday and signed various agreements that included the establishment of the Abraham Fund, which seeks to raise $3 billion in private investments for regional development.
21-Oct-2020 Daily confirmed cases in Poland have more than doubled in the past week, and the most recent 24-hour period saw nearly 10,000 new cases, a figure more than 16 times higher than the initial peak experienced last Spring.
20-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 3,400 new cases for a total of 186,254; 65 deaths for a total of 5,996; a RECORD of 768 ICU beds in use compared to 757 yesterday. Maramures had 79 new cases for a total of 3,168. Cluj had 228 new cases for a total of 5,972.
20-Oct-2020 The district of Bavaria in Germany has entered lockdown. This is the first such action since last Spring.
20-Oct-2020 Argentina became the fifth country in the world to surpass one million confirmed cases of COVID-19.
20-Oct-2020 President Trump will remove Sudan from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism. Sudan has promised to pay 335 million dollars to victims of terrorist attacks. The U.S. move could be a precursor to ties between the African nation and Israel.
19-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 2,466 new cases for a total of 182,854 (30.7% of those tested came back positive for a new RECORD); 59 deaths for a total of 5,931; a RECORD of 757 ICU beds in use compared to 749 yesterday. Maramures had 86 new cases for a total of 3,089.
19-Oct-2020 New cases of the coronavirus have risen in 48 of the 50 U. S. States. Only Vermont and Missouri reported falls in the average number of reported coronavirus cases over the past week.
19-Oct-2020 Bahraini Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, on Sunday evening signed a joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic, peaceful and friendly relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Israel. “We started the day as friends and we end it as members of one family – members of the family of Abraham,” Ben-Shabbat said at the signing ceremony.
19-Oct-2020 The Global case count has now surpassed 40 million, rising at an accelerated rate, with 10 million new cases being added in the last month alone.
19-Oct-2020 As daily cases in Italy hit a new record of 11,705 on Sunday, Prime Minister Conte said the situation had become critical, but his government is determined to avoid a repeat of the lockdown imposed at the start of the crisis in March.
19-Oct-2020 A Japanese research team published the results of a new study showing the coronavirus can survive on human skin for up to nine hours, reinforcing the importance of hand-washing to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
18-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 3,920 new cases (the highest ever on a weekend) for a total of 180,388; 60 deaths for a total of 5,872; a RECORD of 749 ICU beds in use compared to 745 yesterday. Maramures had 59 new cases for a total of 3,003.
18-Oct-2020 The U. S. recorded its highest daily total since July on Saturday. Globally, a new record was set with more than 400,000 cases in a single day.
17-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 3,952 new cases for a total of 176,468; 63 deaths for a total of 5,812; a RECORD of 745 ICU beds in use compared to 726 yesterday. Maramures had 51 new cases for a total of 2,944.
17-Oct-2020 An Arab pollster in the U. S. published a survey this week in which roughly 70% of the Arab respondents believe it is likely that Arab states will develop normalized ties with Israel even without a peace agreement with the Palestinians. Sudan has accelerated its moves to normalize ties with Israel. The Saudi-Arabian government has openly criticized the Palestinians in recent weeks.
17-Oct-2020 Europe’s second coronavirus wave took a dramatic turn for the worse this week, with the continent teetering “on the brink of disaster”, forcing governments across the continent to make tough choices as more than a dozen countries reported their highest ever number of new infections.
17-Oct-2020 The CEO of Geneva University Hospitals says that Europe faces a “turning point” at a time when many European countries are facing a second wave of coronavirus cases that grew in large part out of a summertime lull in which people let down their guard about the highly infectious pandemic.
17-Oct-2020 Italy set a daily record of new cases for the third day in a row. The situation has escalated rapidly going from 7,332 cases on Wednesday, to 8,804 on Thursday, and exceeding 10,000 new cases on Friday. Croatia also set a record for the third day in a row.
16-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: a RECORD of 4,026 new cases for a total of 172,516; 75 deaths for a total of 5,749; a RECORD of 726 ICU beds in use compared to 721 yesterday. Maramures had a RECORD of 116 new cases for a total of 2,893.
16-Oct-2020 Germany has set another record for daily cases. France reported more than 30,000 cases in 24 hours. The World Health Organization issued a warning that the surge of new cases in Europe could be five times as high as the April peak.
16-Oct-2020 U.S. cases of the novel coronavirus crossed 8 million on Thursday, rising by one million in less than a month, as another surge in cases hits the nation at the onset of cooler weather.
16-Oct-2020 After months of keeping the virus under control, Italy has set another record of 8,804 new cases, beating the previous record of 7,332 set only the day before.
15-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 4,013 new cases (just short of the record of 4,016), for a total of 168,490; 73 deaths for a total of 5,674; a new RECORD of 721 ICU beds in use compared to 686 yesterday. Maramures had 76 new cases for a total of 2,777.
15-Oct-2020 London will be placed on “high alert” Friday night, with tougher restrictions to be put in place. Eight million residents are affected.
15-Oct-2020 Europe has overtaken the U. S. in new cases of COVID-19. Germany set a daily case record, as did Italy. France has declared a “health state of emergency” and has placed major cities under curfew. However, new cases continue to surge in the U. S. in 37 out of the 50 States.
15-Oct-2020 Leading experts in the U. K. have warned not to expect anything like “normal” before 2022. This is a growing consensus worldwide.
15-Oct-2020 Yesterday Poland had a record high of new infections at 6,526. The previous record was 5,300. Croatia also had a record high of 748 new cases.
14-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: a new RECORD of 4,016 new cases, for a total of 164,477; 66 deaths for a total of 5,601; a new RECORD of 686 ICU beds in use compared to 651 yesterday. Maramures had 69 new cases for a total of 2,701.
14-Oct-2020 Germany recorded its highest number of infections since April with more than 5,000 new cases.
14-Oct-2020 Europe is seeing record numbers of new coronavirus cases, reporting over 700,000 new cases last week — its highest weekly total yet, according to the World Health Organization. This represents a 36% increase from the prior week.
14-Oct-2020 Nearly nine out of 10 workers want to be able to choose whether to work from home or the office once COVID-19 workplace restrictions ease, and have greater autonomy over their hours, according to research from Cisco Systems.
14-Oct-2020 Russia continues to have record high infections rates due to the general population not following safety guidelines. Most students will be moved to online learning. There are more than 1.3 million cases in Russia, ranking fourth in the world.
13-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 3,109 new cases, for a total of 160,461; 68 deaths for a total of 5,535; a RECORD of 651 ICU beds in use compared to 628 yesterday. Maramures had 55 new cases for a total of 2,632.
13-Oct-2020 A man in the United States caught Covid twice, with the second infection taking place less than 2 months after the first, and becoming far more dangerous. The 25-year-old needed hospital treatment after his lungs could not get enough oxygen into his body. He has since recovered.
13-Oct-2020 The world is adding new cases at a staggering pace and is already approaching 38 million cases.
13-Oct-2020 Dr. Anthony Fauci, an expert in infectious diseases for the last four decades, said in an interview Monday evening that it was more critical than ever to: wear a mask, social distance, avoid crowded spaces, do things outdoors where possible, and wash your hands frequently. He also said: “This is an outbreak of historic proportions, the likes of which we have not seen in 102 years…”
13-Oct-2020 Johnson & Johnson said it has paused further dosing in all clinical trials of its experimental Covid-19 vaccine because a study volunteer had an unexplained illness. The Phase 3 trial began in September and aimed to enroll as many as 60,000 people in the U. S.
12-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 2,069 new cases, for a total of 157,352; 56 deaths for a total of 5,467; 628 ICU beds in use compared to 628 yesterday. Maramures had 59 new cases for a total of 2,577.
12-Oct-2020 Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, warned that there is going to be “a lot of death and disease” from now until the end of 2020. Gottlieb also predicted that the U.S. is “going to face a difficult fall and winter.”
12-Oct-2020 There are currently 207 COVID-19 vaccines under development. Of those, 142 have not entered human trials yet, 35 are in small-scale (phase 1) human trials, 19 are in expanded safety trials (phase 2), and 11 are in large-scale efficacy trials (phase 3). None have been approved for general use.
12-Oct-2020 The U.S. reported more than 54,000 new cases of the coronavirus, marking a fourth straight day with daily infections above 50,000.
12-Oct-2020 The lockdown in Israel has proven effective as the percentage of positive results has dropped dramatically, to the lowest point in a month.
12-Oct-2020 A new corona test designed by a joint Israeli and Indian team produces results in under a minute. This could pave the way for a reopening of air travel among many other applications.
12-Oct-2020 An outbreak of COVID-19 in Poland, at the Bible Student Retirement Center there, has infected more than half the residents, and took the life of one Brother over the weekend.
11-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 2,880 new cases, for a total of 155,283; 53 deaths for a total of 5,411; 628 ICU beds in use compared to 629 yesterday. Maramures had 36 new cases for a total of 2,518.
11-Oct-2020 The Global total of COVID-19 cases has now exceeded 37 million, the most recent one million cases taking less than 3 days to accumulate.
11-Oct-2020 India has surpassed 7 million cases and continues on track to overtake the U. S. with the most cases in the world.
11-Oct-2020 The U. S. had a two month high for daily new cases. There were record numbers of new cases in 10 States.
10-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: RECORD of 3,517 new cases, for a total of 152,403; 59 deaths for a total of 5,358 a RECORD 629 ICU beds in use compared to 613 yesterday. Maramures had 49 new cases for a total of 2,482.
10-Oct-2020 Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to a ceasefire that was brokered by Russia. There is one young Brother who lives in Armenia, as reported recently via OldRon. He has reported that he is “OK” for the moment.
10-Oct-2020 Total cases globally have surpassed 37 million. Yet another daily record was set on Friday with more than 350,000 new cases of COVID-19 worldwide. Another record was set in Europe with more than 109,000 new cases.
10-Oct-2020 New cases in Israel have gone down dramatically in recent days as lockdowns seem to be having a positive effect.
10-Oct-2020 Poland has seen a huge spike in daily cases, which have more than doubled in the past week, and set new records three days in a row. France set a new daily record with more than 20,000 cases in a 24-hour period.
10-Oct-2020 Berlin has emerged as a new virus hotspot. German chancellor, Angela Merkel, announced that some areas would be given 10 days to improve the situation or face tougher action.
10-Oct-2020 Russia recorded a daily high number of new cases. Infections have been on the rise since early September.
10-Oct-2020 A recent study in Israel discovered that the Coronavirus may cause sterility in males who suffered a severe infection. An interaction with the male hormone is the underlying cause, and may explain why males on average are twice as sick as females, and have a higher mortality rate.
09-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: RECORD of 3,186 new cases, for a total of 148,886; 52 deaths for a total of 5,299; a RECORD 613 ICU beds in use compared to 607 yesterday. Maramures had 32 new cases for a total of 2,433.
09-Oct-2020 Europe recorded more new cases than any other region of the world with nearly 100,000 cases in the past 24 hours.
09-Oct-2020 Italy recorded its highest number of new cases since mid-April. Some restrictions are being reimposed nationwide.
09-Oct-2020 Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has often disagreed with the White House, stated his opinion that the experimental antibody therapy Regeneron probably “made a significant difference” in President Trump’s recovery from COVID-19.
09-Oct-2020 New cases in the U. S. exceeded 50,000 again after trending downward for several weeks. Canada is seeing a rise in new cases going into the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Daily new cases there have been near 2,000 or above.
09-Oct-2020 Moldova had a 30% rate of positive test results, which is among the highest worldwide. This tiny country registered 1,121 new cases yesterday. Bible Students in the Northern part of the country continue to struggle with recovery from infections.
09-Oct-2020 The global total of COVID-19 cases has surpassed 36 million. Yesterday saw a record-setting 338,779 new cases worldwide.
08-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: RECORD of 3,130 new cases, for a total of 145,700; 44 deaths for a total of 5,247; 607 ICU beds in use compared to 612 yesterday. Maramures had a RECORD of 85 new cases for a total of 2,401.
08-Oct-2020 Germany registered its largest daily increase since the start of April (4,058). The leading health official there has warned the country could see 10,000 new infections per day unless people stick to hygiene and social distancing rules.
08-Oct-2020 Brazil now has more than 5 million cases, behind India at nearly 7 million and the U. S. at more than 7.5 million.
08-Oct-2020 The number of people connected to the White House that have been infected by COVID-19 has risen to 34.
08-Oct-2020 The World Bank has stated that extreme poverty is set to rise for the first time in more than 20 years. Another 115 million people are expected to enter into that category.
08-Oct-2020 Face masks are now obligatory in Italy, even in open spaces, as of Wednesday. The country registered its highest daily number of new cases since mid-April, and the growth rate is now faster than at the peak of the epidemic.
08-Oct-2020 Paris is now in a state of “maximum alert”, but is rapidly approaching an official “state of emergency” as the percentage of ICU beds in use continues to soar.
07-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics – all new records: 2,958 new cases, for a total of 142,570; 82 deaths for a total of 5,203; 612 ICU beds in use compared to 608 yesterday. Maramures had 50 new cases for a total of 2,316.
07-Oct-2020 According to a recent report, the difference between Sweden’s success and much of the rest of the world boils down to the level of trust between the authorities and the general populace.
07-Oct-2020 Several European countries saw record new cases, including Poland and Ukraine. France is seeing an “exponential rise” in new cases, and Paris has seen a spike in ICU patients.
07-Oct-2020 The virus that causes COVID-19 can relieve pain, according to a new study by University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers. If the underlying mechanism can be better understood it could revolutionize pain-management therapy and reduce the need for opiates.
07-Oct-2020 In a recent interview, one of Saudi Arabia’s top diplomats presented a highly critical view of Arab, and especially Palestinian, leadership failures throughout the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
06-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 2,121 new cases, for a total of 139,612; A RECORD 73 deaths for a total of 5,121; A RECORD 608 ICU beds in use compared to 592 yesterday. Maramures had 51 new cases for a total of 2,266. Authorities fear the situation in Romania is becoming “uncontrollable”.
06-Oct-2020 About 10% of the global population may have been infected by the coronavirus, according to a senior World Health Organization official. This means that 90% of the world’s population is still vulnerable.
06-Oct-2020 President Trump has been released from Walter Reed Medical Center and returned to the White House just three days after being admitted. The number of those infected in his “inner-circle” continues to grow.
06-Oct-2020 Another flip-flop by the CDC: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said tiny particles that linger in the air can spread the coronavirus, revising its guidelines on the matter just a few weeks after the health agency had acknowledged a role for the particles and then abruptly removed it.
06-Oct-2020 Europe’s second coronavirus wave is spreading, and rising hospitalizations and deaths are prompting governments to impose more restrictions. Confirmed cases in France, Spain, and the U.K. are now higher on an average day than at the peak of this spring’s emergency. Only four European countries are below the “critical” level, and one of those, Germany, is seeing increased infections recently.
05-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,591 new cases, for a total of 137,491; 45 deaths for a total of 5,048; 592 ICU beds in use compared to 598 yesterday. Maramures had 23 new cases for a total of 2,215.
05-Oct-2020 India’s death toll from the novel coronavirus surpassed 100,000 on Saturday, only the third country in the world to reach that bleak milestone, after the United States and Brazil — while its epidemic shows no sign of abating.
05-Oct-2020 COVID-19 cases continue to grow at a rapid pace, with more than 35 Million cases globally. The U. S. has nearly 7.5 million, India 6.7 million and Brazil nearly 5 million.
05-Oct-2020 Italy’s most densely populated region, and one of its poorest, registered the largest daily tally of new infections in the country on Saturday. New cases in Italy jumped to over 2,800, the highest in five months.
04-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,835 new cases, for a total of 135,900; 56 deaths for a total of 5,003; another new RECORD of 598 ICU beds in use compared to 583 yesterday. Maramures had 30 new cases for a total of 2,192.
04-Oct-2020 Turkish President Erdogan declared publicly on Thursday that “Jerusalem is our city” alluding to the control of the region by the Ottoman Empire pre-WWI.
04-Oct-2020 Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie said on Saturday that he was checking himself into a hospital as a precautionary measure after testing positive for coronavirus.
04-Oct-2020 Britain reported 12,872 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, a record daily figure for the country.
04-Oct-2020 People close to President Trump offered conflicting messages, as his physician said Trump’s symptoms were improving and a person familiar with his health warned his vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning.
03-Oct-2020 Poland registered a new record for daily cases at 2,239. There have been less than 100,000 cases and about 2,600 deaths in Poland since the beginning of the Pandemic.
03-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 2,064 new cases, for a total of 134,065; 32 deaths for a total of 4,947; 583 ICU beds in use [another record] compared to 571 yesterday. Maramures had 23 new cases for a total of 2,162.
03-Oct-2020 India suffered its worst month on record with more than 1,000 deaths per day. The total there is now more than 100,000 which is third behind the U. S. and Brazil, but India ranks second in the total number of cases.
03-Oct-2020 Latin America is no longer the epicenter of COVID-19 as new cases have begun to fall. Brazil has had a 40% decrease since July.
03-Oct-2020 A growing number of individuals close to President Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus.
03-Oct-2020 U. S. President Trump was moved to Walter Reed Medical Center for observation and treatment. He is taking Vitamin-D, Zinc; an experimental drug Regeneron; anti-viral medication Remdesivir, and has mild symptoms. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife have tested negative in their latest daily test for the virus.
02-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 2,343 new cases, for a total of 132,001; 53 deaths for a total of 4,915; 571 ICU beds in use compared to 557 yesterday. Maramures had 32 new cases for a total of 2,139.
02-Oct-2020 U. S. President Donald Trump, and his First Lady, both tested positive for COVID-19 after a close aide to the President came down with the virus. It is unknown at this time how many others in the White House Staff may have been infected.
02-Oct-2020 Total COVID-19 cases worldwide are now more than 34 million. New cases rose in 27 States in the U. S. in September compared to August.
02-Oct-2020 New cases in Israel hit a new record high (nearly 9,000) in spite of a strict nationwide lockdown.
02-Oct-2020 Cases continue to rise in Poland and Turkey which were added to the “quarantine list” in the U. K., which now contains several dozen countries. Poland has seen a doubling of new cases in recent days. Paris is on the verge of a new lockdown as virus cases surge there.
02-Oct-2020 “Life won’t return to normal by Spring” is the conclusion of a report by a group of leading scientists. Even if an effective vaccine is developed, it will take at least six months, and more likely a year, for everyone to be vaccinated.
01-Oct-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 2,086 new cases, for a total of 129,658; 37 deaths for a total of 4,862; 557 ICU beds in use compared to 550 yesterday which equals the record high. Maramures had 35 new cases for a total of 2,107.
01-Oct-2020 A new study by the University of Princeton shows that a person can be infected in as little as 30 seconds in a casual conversation with another infected person, if neither one is wearing a face mask.
01-Oct-2020 British health experts have admitted Covid-19 is out of control in the country as case numbers and hospital admissions rise despite a slew of new restrictions on social gatherings.
01-Oct-2020 Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said Wednesday that his company’s coronavirus vaccine won’t be ready for widespread public distribution until spring of next year, according to a report. The timeline is a setback for Moderna, which said earlier this month that it could seek emergency authorization for a vaccine as soon as November 1.
01-Oct-2020 In a surprise development, a widespread belief has emerged recently in diplomatic corridors about the presence of secret negotiations between Israel and Syria, the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported Sunday.
30-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 2,158 new cases, a new record, and a huge jump, for a total of 127,572; 33 deaths for a total of 4,825; 550 ICU beds in use compared to 551 yesterday. Maramures had 54 new cases for a total of 2,072.
30-Sep-2020 A worrying situation is unfolding in the Romanian capital of Bucuresti where COVID-19 hospitals no longer have places available for new cases. Newly infected patients must be transported to other hospitals in the region.
30-Sep-2020 Professor Alexandru Rafila, a member of the Executive Committee of the World Health Organization, stated that many countries in the European Union are experiencing a second wave of COVID-19, and that this week Romania could see more than 2,000 new cases a day.
30-Sep-2020 Ukraine has registered another daily record high for new COVID-19 cases. Other European countries are also seeing a sharp increase in new cases.
30-Sep-2020 Results from an early safety study of Moderna Inc’s coronavirus vaccine candidate in older adults showed that it produced virus-neutralizing antibodies at levels similar to those seen in younger adults, with side effects roughly on par with high-dose flu shots, researchers said on Tuesday.
29-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,470 new cases, for a total of 125,414; 44 deaths for a total of 4,792; 551 ICU beds in use compared to 557 yesterday. Maramures had 37 new cases for a total of 2,018.
29-Sep-2020 Heading into the usual Flu season, many countries will face a triple threat of rising Covid-19 cases, major backlogs in treatment and reduced capacity at hospitals.
29-Sep-2020 Though the U. S. has the most coronavirus cases worldwide as a country, Latin America and Europe have more cases when totalled by geographic region.
29-Sep-2020 A French study of 1,300 patients shows that loss of smell is a symptom most often associated with a less serious infection of COVID-19.
29-Sep-2020 Israel and Lebanon are set to sign a border agreement delineating the maritime frontier between the two countries, Arab media outlets have reported.
29-Sep-2020 Cases of coronavirus are now surging in 29 different US states according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The number of cases in these states increased by at least 10% in the last week, compared to the week before.
29-Sep-2020 Global COVID-19 deaths have surpassed one million. New cases are rising faster in India than anywhere else in the world. Currently in second place, the country will surpass the U. S. for first place in the near future. Cases are also rising quickly in a number of other countries, including Argentina, Indonesia, Ukraine and Russia, as well as across Europe. Rising cases in Germany are “deeply concerning”.
29-Sep-2020 The concept of “herd immunity” is not materializing, even in localized places where more than two-thirds of the population have been infected.
28-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,271 new cases, for a total of 123,944; 30 deaths for a total of 4,748; 557 ICU beds in use compared to 535 yesterday. This is the second day in a row for a record high in ICU. The rate of infections was a record high of 20.6% which is more than three times the previous average. Maramures had 23 new cases for a total of 1,981.
28-Sep-2020 global COVID-19 Vaccine tracker: 142 pre-clinical; 29 phase I; 18 phase II; 9 phase III; 0 approved.
28-Sep-2020 India now has more than 6 million COVID-19 cases. The global total will surpass 33 million later today, and is growing at a rate of about one million every three days. Global deaths are set to surpass one million.
28-Sep-2020 New statistics published by the IDF’s Coronavirus Task Force finds that Israel’s daily confirmed cases are now the highest in the world relative to the population.
28-Sep-2020 Doctors at a hospital in Ocala, Florida say they’ve come up with a treatment for the coronavirus that has a 96.4% success rate. AdventHealth Ocala is using existing drugs in combination in a treatment called ICAM, an acronym: “I” – Immunosupport (Vitamin C and Zinc), “C” – Corticosteroids (anti-inflammatory); “A” – Anticoagulants; “M” – Macrolides (to fight infection).
27-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,438 new cases, for a total of 122,673; 31 deaths for a total of 4,718; there are 535 ICU beds in use compared to 512 yesterday. This is a new record high for ICU. Another 12 cases were recorded in Maramures for a total of 1,958.
27-Sep-2020 As new cases around the world rise at an alarming rate, resistance to restrictions is growing even faster. Demonstrations were held across the globe in defiance of local regulations.
27-Sep-2020 A second surge of Covid-19 this fall and winter could be catastrophic for the U.S., but it’s not just more sick people that doctors worry about, it’s the financial impact. The very hospitals that treat lower-income patients could be forced to shut down or cut crucial services.
27-Sep-2020 Brazil continues to have the most cases in Latin America, with nearly 5 million, but the next five countries in the region have a combined total of 4.5 million cases, with Argentina having one of the highest rates globally in recent days.
27-Sep-2020 The State of New York topped 1,000 new virus cases for the first time since June. The single-day figure — in a state that has recently kept cases at low levels — comes as part of a nationwide uptick. In the last week, seven mostly Midwest states have reported record one-day rises in new infections.
26-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,552 new cases, for a total of 121,235; 54 deaths for a total of 4,687; there are 512 ICU beds in use compared to 508 yesterday. Another 40 cases were recorded in Maramures for a total of 1,946.
26-Sep-2020 A trial of a new vaccine that appears to train the immune system to fight coronavirus has begun in the UK. Early tests showed the jab, developed by US biotechnology company Novavax, leads to high levels of virus-fighting antibodies being produced.
26-Sep-2020 Covid-19 cases in Israel have continued to rise despite the latest lockdown. A new record of more than 8,000 infections for a single day were recorded on Thursday in Israel, which has one of the highest rates of infections per capita in the world.
26-Sep-2020 The deaths of two million people with Covid-19 is “very likely” unless the world takes comprehensive action to curb the spread of the disease, a senior World Health Organization (WHO) expert has warned.
26-Sep-2020 This week’s report on coronavirus hotspots from Public Health England has a new analysis. It shows that the most common activity people recall doing before their coronavirus symptoms began is eating out. This has been true in other countries as well.
26-Sep-2020 Two of Canada’s most populous provinces have moved to impose further restrictions on social gatherings, as they seek to stem rising coronavirus infections.
26-Sep-2020 The rate at which the Covid-19 virus is spreading appears to be speeding up in the UK, with cases in England up 60% in the last week. Estimates of the “R” factor have increased to as high as 1.5 in recent days.
25-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,629 new cases, for a total of 119,683; 42 deaths for a total of 4,633; there are 508 ICU beds in use compared to 504 yesterday. Another 25 cases were recorded in Maramures for a total of 1,906.
25-Sep-2020 The Covid-19 virus is continuing to mutate throughout the course of the pandemic, with experts believing it is becoming more contagious, though less lethal. A recent rise in new cases, coupled with a decrease in deaths seems to support this conclusion.
25-Sep-2020 Russia has seen a sharp increase in cases. Brazil had nearly 33,000 new cases yesterday. Israel continues to struggle as hospitals are reaching the breaking point. India is approaching 6 million cases.
25-Sep-2020 Unconfirmed news reports Thursday said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will fly to Uganda in the coming days to meet the Sudanese leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to discuss the establishment of diplomatic relations.
25-Sep-2020 Global numbers of new cases of COVID-19 are nearly 300,000 daily at a rate which is the highest since the beginning of the Pandemic. Total cases will surpass 32 million today, and total deaths are nearing the one million mark.
25-Sep-2020 The Helsinki airport is using sniffer dogs to detect Covid with “close to 100% accuracy” in only 10 seconds. The entire procedure takes less than one minute.
25-Sep-2020 Poland was hit by a record daily rise in coronavirus cases on Thursday attributable to increased direct contact between people after a lifting of restrictions, the health ministry said.
25-Sep-2020 Many countries in Europe are on the brink of national lockdowns as new cases continue to rise. France registered a daily record for new cases. The U. K. also registered a new record of daily cases with 6,634 compared to the previous record of 6,201 on May 1st.
24-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,639 new cases, for a total of 118,054; 41 deaths for a total of 4,591; there are 504 ICU beds in use compared to 498 yesterday. Another 30 cases were recorded in Maramures for a total of 1,881.
24-Sep-2020 A large percentage of Brethren in northern Moldova have contracted what is most likely the coronavirus. One Brother there died this morning, and an older Sister is in the same hospital. Please keep these Brethren in your prayers.
24-Sep-2020 Assessing the situation in the U. S. — “Colder weather is likely to drive millions back indoors where the virus can spread more easily. There is simply no chance of containing the contagion when new cases are still running at about 35,000 a day.” The Guardian
24-Sep-2020 The weekly number of new recorded coronavirus infections worldwide was last week at its highest level to date, the World Health Organization has announced, as deaths from Covid-19 in Europe increased by more than a quarter week on week.
24-Sep-2020 Another Arab country will sign a peace deal with Israel in the “next day or two,” US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft told Al Arabiya in an interview on Wednesday. “I know others are going to be following,” Craft added.
24-Sep-2020 Johnson & Johnson has entered the phase three clinical trial of its potential COVID-19 vaccine. According to the company, 60,000 volunteers will participate in the trial at 215 locations in the U.S. and around the world.
24-Sep-2020 U.S. President Donald Trump declined on Wednesday to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the Nov. 3 election to Democratic rival Joe Biden and said he expected the election battle to end up before the Supreme Court.
24-Sep-2020 The Israeli Cabinet has agreed to a total lockdown of the country, beginning this Friday, as a result of soaring numbers of new cases and hospitalizations. The new restrictions will be even harsher than the first lockdown in April.
24-Sep-2020 New case are rising at an alarming rate in the U. K. with 6,178 yesterday compared to 4,926 the day before. This latest figure is close to the record high of 6,201 recorded on May 1st.
23-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,767 new cases which is a new record high, for a total of 116,415; 47 deaths for a total of 4,550; there are 498 ICU beds in use compared to 496 yesterday. Total new cases in Maramures were 45 for a new total of 1,851.
23-Sep-2020 Israel recorded 6,861 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday – another record high in the country.
23-Sep-2020 France continues to see large numbers of new cases, registering more than 10,000 in the past 24 hours.
23-Sep-2020 “Food insecurity” has doubled in the U. S. since 2018, as one in three families with children do not have enough food.
23-Sep-2020 The U. S. has now surpassed 7 million cases of COVID-19, and continues to have more cases than any other country in the world.
22-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,059 new cases for a total of 114,648; 45 deaths for a total of 4,503; there are 496 ICU beds in use compared to 464 yesterday. There were 27 new cases in Maramures for a new total of 1,806.
22-Sep-2020 The situation in the U. K. continues to grow more severe and the threat level has been increased to 4, meaning that transmission of the virus is “high or rising exponentially”. The “R” factor is now close to 1.4 and officials are warning of more than 50,000 cases a day if additional measures are not taken. At this point there are no Brethren we know of that currently have the virus in the U. K.
22-Sep-2020 The CDC published, and then removed updated guidance saying the virus is airborne, and that it can spread “through respiratory droplets or small particles, such as those in aerosols”. These are produced even when people breathe.
22-Sep-2020 The full economic impact of COVID-19 is yet to be felt. Among other factors, a large proportion of pensions in the Western World are tied to investments in the stock market. Additonally, the World Economy is currently being artificially maintained by various government programs which are temporary in nature.
22-Sep-2020 Respiratory diseases such as the seasonal flu are historically more prevalent in the Fall and Winter. Scientists are warning of a “six month problem” that will involve a combination of COVID-19 with these other seasonal viruses.
22-Sep-2020 There are reports of “mass outbreaks” at schools in various countries as attempts are made to reopen. Many schools have had to either close or quarantine entire classrooms of students.
22-Sep-2020 Investors are trying to figure out what’s ahead for the stock market, much of which will depend on who’s elected U. S. President. But it could be weeks or even months before one of the candidates concedes, according to new research.
IN-DEPTH ARTICLES:
Jerusalem ICU doctor: “We are now in a battle for survival.”
Arab leaders express growing anger at Palestinians.
21-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 808 new cases for a total of 113,589; 23 deaths for a total of 4,458; there are 464 ICU beds in use compared to 470 yesterday. There were 30 new cases in Maramures for a new total of 1,779.
21-Sep-2020 Research published by the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows coronavirus can spread easily among passengers on long-haul flights.
21-Sep-2020 The global total of COVID-19 cases has now surpassed 31 million.
21-Sep-2020 Honduras is the latest country to announce that it will move its embassy to Jerusalem.
20-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,231 new cases for a total of 112,781; 33 deaths for a total of 4,435; there are 470 ICU beds in use compared to 461 yesterday. These are very high numbers for a weekend when less than half the usual tests are conducted. There were 11 new cases in Maramures for a new total of 1,749.
20-Sep-2020 France saw another daily record of new cases. The U. K. continues to see an “out of control” situation being described as a “perfect storm” scenario. Poland also saw a record daily rise. India continues to be the epicentre of the disease.
20-Sep-2020 The U. S. has surpassed 200,000 COVID-19 deaths. Total infections are approaching 7 million.
20-Sep-2020 AstraZeneca said on Saturday that its COVID-19 vaccine trial in the United States is on hold.
19-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,333 new cases for a total of 111,550; 42 deaths for a total of 4,402; 461 ICU beds in use compared to 447 yesterday. Maramures had a record high of new cases at 71 for a total of 1,738.
18-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,527 new cases for a total of 110,217; 48 deaths for a total of 4,360; 447 ICU beds in use compared to 460 yesterday.
18-Sep-2020 Ther are serious problems in the U. K. as cases surge, the testing system is not functioning well, and a nationwide lockdown is being considered.
18-Sep-2020 Almost two-thirds of young American adults do not know that 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, and more than one in 10 believe Jews caused the Holocaust, a new survey has found. Almost a quarter of respondents (23%) said they believed the Holocaust was a myth, or had been exaggerated.
18-Sep-2020 The World Health Organization warned on Thursday that weekly coronavirus case numbers are rising in Europe at a higher rate than during the pandemic’s peak in March. More than 54,000 new cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, and more than 300,000 in the past week.
17-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,679 new cases for a total of 108,690; 27 deaths for a total of 4,312; 460 ICU beds in use compared to 471 yesterday. Another 28 cases were confirmed in Maramures for a new total of 1,668.
17-Sep-2020 Indian continues to see record numbers of new cases, nearly 100,000 per day. A senior cabinet minister tested positive today for the virus, joining 17 others who tested positive on Monday.
17-Sep-2020 The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has told a Senate panel that he thinks it will take one year before a coronavirus vaccine will be “generally available to the American public”.
17-Sep-2020 Global infections are expected to exceed 30 million later today as new cases continue to rise.
17-Sep-2020 An additional 1,422 coronavirus-related fatalities were recorded in the United States on Tuesday, a more than threefold increase from the previous day, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
17-Sep-2020 New infections continues to soar as Israel recorded its highest single-day increase ever in COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, with 5,523 new diagnoses, according to the country’s health ministry.
17-Sep-2020 The U. K. had its highest number of new cases since May, with nearly 4,000 in a 24-hour period. Germany recorded its second highest daily figure since April with 2,194 new cases. Ukraine set a new record with 2,139 new cases.
16-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,713 new cases for an all-time high record and a total of 107,011; 49 deaths for a total of 4,285; 471 ICU beds in use compared to 460 yesterday. Another 53 cases were confirmed in Maramures for a new total of 1,640.
16-Sep-2020 More than 80 schools in France have been closed due to reported cases of the coronavirus. This problem is occuring in many countries.
16-Sep-2020 A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center of more than 13,000 adults in 13 advanced economies between 10 June and 3 August shows international confidence in the U. S. and its president sharply down across the board, reaching historical lows in several countries.
16-Sep-2020 The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed agreements on Tuesday to normalize ties with Israel, becoming the first Arab states in a quarter century to break a longstanding taboo, in a strategic realignment of Middle East countries against Iran. There are predictions that 7 or 8 additional Arab countries will join the list in the near future.
16-Sep-2020 Israel’s coronavirus infection rate appeared to be soaring out of control Tuesday as the Health Ministry announced that infections in the past day had skyrocketed to almost 5,000 cases. Meanwhile, a three-week national lockdown is set to begin Friday, when the country marks the Rosh Hashana Jewish new year holiday.
16-Sep-2020 Total confirmed cases in India passed the 5 million mark on Tuesday as the virus continues to spread rapidly. Expectations are that India will take over the top spot from the U. S. where cases are still increasing, but at a slower rate. The total worldwide is rapidly approaching 30 million.
16-Sep-2020 Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed across the U. S. challenging COVID-19 based restrictions. The Courts have ruled such restrictions to be unconstitituional in several cases already, complicating the efforts to restrain the virus at a time when a second wave is becoming more likely.
15-Sep-2020 Due to a soaring number of new cases, India is now facing a medical oxygen shortage. Numbers have been over 90,000 several days in a row.
15-Sep-2020 Bill Gates (Microsoft) claims that the Pandemic has “pushed back global development more than two decades” in his annual Foundation report.
15-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,111 new cases for a total of 105,298; 51 deaths for a total of 4,236; 460 ICU beds in use compared to 456 yesterday. Another 35 cases were confirmed in Maramures for a total of 1,587.
15-Sep-2020 Between 25 and 30 MPs in the Indian Parliament have tested positive for COVID-19.
15-Sep-2020 The UAE has approved a China developed vaccine for healthcare workers.
15-Sep-2020 Many European countries are seeing a second rise in coronavirus infections, including France, Italy, Spain, the U. K. and Ukraine.
15-Sep-2020 A recent CDC study finds that children without symptoms can transmit COVID-19 to adults.
14-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 692 new cases for a total of 104,187; 22 deaths for a total of 4,185; ICU beds in use at 456 compared to 465 yesterday. Another 28 cases were confirmed in Maramures for a total of 1,552. These mumbers are lower, but the number of tests were only one-fourth the normal amount. The percentage was high at 9.4% which is nearly double the normal rate.
14-Sep-2020 The World Health Organization expects Europe to see a rise in the daily number of Covid-19 deaths in October and November, the head of the body’s European branch has told AFP.
14-Sep-2020 Almost 86% of doctors in England say they expect a second peak of coronavirus in the next six months, according to a new survey, as concern continues to grow over a recent rise in cases. The “R” number for England is now 1.7 with infections doubling every week.
14-Sep-2020 The World Health Organization reported a record one-day increase in global coronavirus cases on Sunday, with the total rising by 307,930 in 24 hours. The biggest increases were from India, the United States and Brazil.
14-Sep-2020 The total number of COVID-19 cases globally has surpassed 29 million.
14-Sep-2020 Israel on Friday is to become the first developed country to impose a second nationwide lockdown, as its government struggles to contain a fresh coronavirus outbreak that has hammered the economy and divided the nation.
13-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics are very high for a weekend: 1,109 new cases for a total of 103,495; 36 deaths for a total of 4,163; ICU beds in use at 465 compared to 467 yesterday. Another 19 cases were confirmed in Maramures for a total of 1,524.
13-Sep-2020 Trials of a Covid-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University will resume after being paused due to a reported side effect in a patient in the UK. On Saturday, the university said it had been deemed safe to continue.
12-Sep-2020 Latest Romanian statistics: 1,311 new cases for a total of 102,386; 27 deaths for a total of 4,127; ICU beds in use at 467 compared to 478 yesterday. Another 41 cases were confirmed in Maramures for a total of 1,505.
12-Sep-2020 The White House coronavirus taskforce’s most senior public health expert, Doctor Anthony Fauci, said on Friday that it would probably take another year or more before life returns to a sense of “normality” in the US, even if a successful Covid-19 vaccine is approved in the next few months.
12-Sep-2020 The U. S. Federal deficit is projected to be at least 3.3 trillion USD for 2020. This is more than double the previous record set in 2009. At the same time, the U. S. economy shrank at an annual rate of more than 30%, and the number receiving some kind of unemployment benefits is 30 million, or about 20% of the total workforce.
12-Sep-2020 As flames push closer to the city of Portland, OR, the mayor has declared a state of emergency and state officials say they’re now preparing for a “mass fatality incident.” Dozens are missing.
12-Sep-2020 Israel had more than 4,000 new cases for the 2nd day in a row. An emergency cabinet meeting considered a one month national lockdown.
11-Sep-2020 Cases are climbing again in Austria and new face mask requirements have been put in place. In the U. K. new cases are now doubling every week.
11-Sep-2020 Coronavirus cases in Romania are now over 100,000. Latest statistics: 1,391 new cases for a total of 101,075; 35 deaths for a total of 4,100; ICU beds in use at 478 compared to 459 yesterday. Another 48 cases were confirmed in Maramures for a total of 1,464.
11-Sep-2020 The daily coronavirus death toll in the U. S. has climbed to over 1,000 again after a brief period of declining numbers.
11-Sep-2020 More than 500,000 people in Oregon have been forced to evacuate as unprecedented wildfires rage across the state, amounting to more than 10% of the population, authorities said Thursday.
11-Sep-2020 As the United States heads into flu season, Americans can’t let up in the fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday. “We need to hunker down and get through this fall and winter, because it’s not going to be easy,” Fauci said during a panel of doctors from Harvard Medical School.
11-Sep-2020 The global total of coronavirus infections has now surpassed 28 million.
11-Sep-2020 France reported nearly 10,000 new cases on Thursday. This is the highest number since the start of the Pandemic.
10-Sep-2020 England saw its highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the week ending September 2nd, with a 43% increase compared to the previous week.
10-Sep-2020 Israel posted another record high with nearly 4,000 new cases, and the “Coronavirus Czar” there has been put in quarantine after a colleague tested positive.
10-Sep-2020 Coronavirus cases in Romania are nearing 100,000. Latest statistics: 1,380 new cases for a total of 99,684; 47 deaths for a total of 4,065; ICU beds in use at 459 compared to 459 yesterday. Another 25 cases were confirmed in Maramures for a total of 1,416.
10-Sep-2020 Reports have been received of Brethren in Oregon that had to flee the fires raging there. Initial reports are that at least one family of Brethren may have lost their home.
10-Sep-2020 Once a COVID-19 vaccine is available, it will be the “transport challenge of the century” to distribute it worldwide, requiring the capacity of more than 8,000 cargo-class 747 aircraft. In addition, the cargo space must be refrigerated to protect the vaccine.
10-Sep-2020 India continues to set records with new cases nearing 100,000 in the past 24 hours. Total infections there now number nearly 4.5 million.
10-Sep-2020 The “R” factor has risen above 1.0 in Canada, indicating that the virus is spreading. Prior to this, the situation in Canada has been very stable.
10-Sep-2020 Pfizer and BioNTech are confident they can have a vaccine against the novel coronavirus ready for regulatory approval by the middle of October or early November, BioNTech CEO and co-founder Ugur Sahin told CNN on Tuesday.
10-Sep-2020 The coronavirus death toll in the U. S. has topped 190,000 and infections are over 6.5 million as the country continues to be the epicenter of the disease. The worldwide total is approaching 28 million infections with more than 900,000 deaths after a surge in India.
10-Sep-2020 The Palestinian Authority is accusing Israel of a “war crime” for their plans to make the Cave of the Patriarchs accessible by wheelchair.
10-Sep-2020 Another new term has been invented: “twindemic” to describe the combined effects of COVID-19 with the seasonal Flu, expected to begin impacting the Northern Hemisphere in a few weeks.
09-Sep-2020 Romania statistics: 1,271 new cases for a total of 98,304; 51 deaths for a total of 4,018; ICU beds in use at 459 compared to 460 yesterday. New cases in Maramures were 26 for a total of 1,391.
09-Sep-2020 AstraZeneca on Tuesday said it has paused global trials, including large late-stage trials, of its experimental coronavirus vaccine because of an unexplained illness in a study participant. The vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford, has been widely seen as one of the leading global candidates against the coronavirus.
09-Sep-2020 As the number of Covid-19 cases rises sharply in parts of Europe, health authorities from the UK to Spain are calling on young people to do more to halt the spread of the virus. Young people have hit back against the suggestion that they might be responsible for increases in coronavirus cases.
09-Sep-2020 As new cases continue to rise at an alarming rate, the U. K. has imposed new restrictions including a ban on gatherings of more than six people.
09-Sep-2020 The Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership has watered down its criticism of the normalization deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates before an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Wednesday at which the accord will be debated, Reuters reports.
09-Sep-2020 More than 500,000 children in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported Tuesday, and the rate of new cases among kids continues to rise.
09-Sep-2020 “In a matter of a few weeks life as we know it will become drastically worse if we don’t act now. This means focusing on stopping the spread of the coronavirus while also using all of our preventative measures to prevent the spread of other respiratory illnesses. The combination of COVID-19, influenza and a panoply of acute and chronic illnesses such as heart attacks, strokes, cancer and accidents may, and likely will, paralyze the existing health care system.” (NBC)
09-Sep-2020 The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally held in South Dakota last month may have caused more than 250,000 new coronavirus cases, according to an economic study focused on the public health costs of “superspreading” events.
08-Sep-2020 Chad is the latest country to enter into talks with Israel to normalize relations.
08-Sep-2020 The recent rise in coronavirus cases in the U. K. has been laid firmly at the door of young people. Around half of new cases in recent weeks have been diagnosed in people in their 20s and 30s. This same trend is being seen in other countries as well.
08-Sep-2020 Romania statistics: 1,136 new cases for a total of 97,033; 41 deaths for a total of 3,967; ICU beds in use at 460 compared to 465 yesterday. There were another 25 cases in Maramures for a total of 1,365 to-date.
08-Sep-2020 New cases in the U. K. have taken a sharp turn upward in recent days with the “R” factor going above 1.0, while in France the “R” factor has risen to 1.2, and daily cases have increased to more than 4,000. Any “R” number larger than 1.0 is dangerous. New cases in Brazil have dropped.
08-Sep-2020 India has moved into 2nd place in the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 4.2 million, compared to Brazil which is now in 3rd place at 4.1 million.
08-Sep-2020 Malawi announced plans to open an embassy in Jerusalem. The African country does not currently have an embassy in Israel.
07-Sep-2020 Romania statistics: 883 new cases for a total of 95,897; 33 deaths for a total of 3,926; ICU beds in use at 465 compared to 474 yesterday. These are very high numbers for a weekend. There were another 21 cases in Maramures for a total of 1,340 to-date.
07-Sep-2020 It’s been a 100 nights of protests in Portland, Oregon. Violence erupted over the weekend, as Molotov cocktails were used against police.
07-Sep-2020 Infectious disease experts warn a cold weather surge in new coronavirus cases — the long-feared “second wave” — may be just weeks away.
07-Sep-2020 The global coronavirus total has passed 27 million. New infections continue to rise in 22 of the 50 States in the U. S. and there are fears that new cases will increase in more States due to the Labor Day holiday weekend. The UK has recorded a massive rise in the number of people testing positive for coronavirus, amid concerns the government has lost control of the epidemic.
07-Sep-2020 The Imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi-Arabia, Abdul Rahman al-Sudais, called for Muslims to practice religious tolerance, especially toward Jews. Similarly, in the UAE this week, Al Bayan had an article by Ahmed Mohammed Al Shehhi where he uses the Koran to support making peace with Israel.
06-Sep-2020 India has recorded another world record for new cases in a single day: more than 90,000. The country will pass Brazil on Monday as the second most affected country by total infections.
06-Sep-2020 Romania statistics: 1,150 new cases for a total of 95,014; 43 deaths for a total of 3,893; ICU beds in use at 474 compared to 476 yesterday. These are very high numbers for a weekend. There were another 20 cases in Maramures for a total of 1,319 to-date.
06-Sep-2020 “As the U. S. enters its first coronavirus winter, economists and epidemiologists see a pivotal moment – a hinge whose swing will determine the direction of the economy and the course of the disease into 2021 and for years – potentially generations – to come.” [The Guardian]
06-Sep-2020 Restrictions in Melbourne, Australia, have been extended another two weeks as efforts to get the latest outbreak under control require more time.
06-Sep-2020 Bahrain has opened its airspace to Israeli commercial flights, joining Saudi-Arabia which made a similar announcement yesterday.
05-Sep-2020 Romania statistics: 1,269 new cases for a total of 93,864; 38 deaths for a total of 3,850; ICU beds in use at 476 compared to 485 yesterday. Maramures had 15 new cases for a total of 1,299.
05-Sep-2020 India now has more than 4 million confirmed cases and is set to overtake Brazil in the number two spot. The U. S. continues in first place with more than 6 million cases.
05-Sep-2020 Kosovo (which has a Muslim majority) has agreed to recognize Israel, and Serbia will move its embassy to Jerusalem. Both moves were announced today and are tied to a peace agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.
05-Sep-2020 Global projections, by the University of Washington, for coronavirus deaths by the end of the year, vary from 2 million in a best-case scenario, to 4 million in a worst-case scenario. Current deaths stand at more than 900,000.
05-Sep-2020 After great success in conquering the first wave earlier this year, Israel now has the highest coronavirus infection rate in the world, as the pandemic there “spirals out of control”, prompting lockdowns in 31 cities.
05-Sep-2020 Daily COVID-19 deaths in the U. S. continue to be above one thousand. A study by the University of Washington projects a dramatic rise in deaths, to more than double the current figure, by the end of the year. More than half of all States have increasing numbers of infections.
05-Sep-2020 A vaccine created in Russia shows some promising early results, but the test group was very small (40 people), and was restricted to healthy individuals between the ages of 18 and 60.
05-Sep-2020 France continues to see an alarming number of new cases, setting an all-time daily record on Friday with nearly 9,000 reported. The U. K. has also seen a large and steady increase in new cases.
04-Sep-2020 Romania statistics: 1,339 new cases for a total of 92,595; 47 deaths for a total of 3,812; ICU beds in use at 485 compared to 503 yesterday. Maramures had a near-record high of new cases at 48.
04-Sep-2020 Major Jewish and pro-Israel groups welcomed Saudi Arabia’s decision on Wednesday to open its airspace to flights between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates. “A major breakthrough for regional prosperity and progress,” the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) tweeted.
04-Sep-2020 In Israel: After a record high of more than 2,000 new cases on Wednesday, that record was shattered with a massive spike to more than 3,000 new cases in the past 24 hours. The Government has approved harsh new restrictions.
Sunday August 30th through Thursday September 3rd:
There are reports of several Brethren in Romania being infected with COVID-19 who fully recovered without serious problems. Romania has the highest rate of deaths per 100,000 population in the E. U. due to COVID-19. Romania now has more confirmed cases of COVID-19 than China.
Infections across Europe have risen back to March levels. France has suffered an “exponential” increase in Covid-19 cases. The number of new cases has been growing steadily throughout August, but jumped dramatically this past week. Germany has seen an alarming increase in new cases as well. The U. K. is experiencing its highest number of new cases since mid-May.
Total cases worldwide continue to rise by one million every four days, surpassing the 26 million mark on Thursday, and are continuing this pace at present. Total cases in the U. S. are more than 6 million, Brazil has over 4 million, India more than 3.8 million and Russia more than one million cases.
India set another single-day global record of new cases on September 3rd with more than 83,000 newly confirmed infections, and has become the new epicenter of the pandemic. The country reported nearly two million Covid-19 cases in August, the highest monthly tally in the world since the pandemic began.
A new study shows that children can carry the virus “in their noses and throats for weeks” even if they do not show symptoms. Dr. Roberta DeBiasi, chief of the paediatric diseases division at the Children’s National Hospital in Washington DC, believes that while the “vast majority of infected children have mild or unrecognised disease,” they may play an “important” role in enabling the spread of infection through communities.
Israel had its deadliest week ever as new cases topped 2,000 on multiple days, and deaths for the previous week reached a record high. However, scientists at Ben Gurion University estimate that Israel will have herd immunity in two weeks. If so, they would be the first country to reach this important milestone.
The long-term economic fallout from the pandemic will be felt for years to come. A growing number of companies are telling furloughed workers they will not be coming back to work. More than 40 million people in the U. S. are in danger of being evicted from their homes. The U. S. federal government’s accumulated debt burden is projected to be larger than the overall economy next year for the first time since 1946.
The impending expiration of an international weapons ban on Iran threatens to flood the Middle East with high-tech Russian and Chinese military equipment that will then be available to the Islamic Republic’s terror proxy groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Stephen Hahn, the FDA commissioner, told the Financial Times in an interview published on Sunday that he was prepared to issue emergency use authorization for a Covid-19 vaccine before the end of Phase 3 human trials that put the drug through stringent testing for safety and efficacy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked states to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine as soon as late October, according to a series of planning documents sent to public health officials last week.
Coronavirus has disrupted health systems in almost all countries, according to a survey by the World Health Organization. Middle and lower-income countries reported the most severe difficulties.
The charity Save The Children is warning that nearly 70,000 children in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk of dying from extreme hunger before the end of this year. It says the Covid-19 pandemic is adding to the pressures some families and communities face in accessing food.
Antibody levels against the novel coronavirus rose and then held steady for up to four months in more than 90% of recovered COVID-19 patients in Iceland, according to a study published on Tuesday that measured antibody levels in more than 30,000 participants. This is a hopeful sign for the long-term effectiveness of an eventual vaccine.
Week ending 29-Aug-2020:
A Brother in Negresti (30 miles from Sighet) died from COVID-19 this past week. This is the first virus death we know of in Romania amongst the Brethren.
Turkey has discovered natural gas reserves in the Black Sea very close to an area where maritime borders of Bulgaria and Romania converge, not far from Romania’s Neptun block gas field. Growing tensions between Turkey and the rest of Europe are certain to increase as a result. A formal complaint with the EU has been filed by Romania against Turkey. Turkey is already in a dispute with Greece and Cyprus over competing claims for the Eastern Mediterranean.
India surpassed 3 million cases on August 22nd and continues to set records for new cases almost every day. Australia is seeing new virus clusters outside the strictly quarantined State of Victoria. Authorities are seeking to extend the current State of Emergency by another year. The lower numbers of new cases in Africa are veing viewed with caution, as the underlying reason is probably due to decreased testing.
France, Italy, Germany and Spain continue to see alarming numbers of new cases, and other countries across Europe are seeing similar spikes. New border restrictions have been put in place. However, in a conflicting report, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that fatality and infection rates were easing in most regions, notably in the hard-hit Americas, except Southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkey’s President Erdogan gave Turkish citizenship and passports to a dozen senior Hamas terrorists in recent days. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and EU and two Hamas officials hosted by President Erdogan this week are Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
More than 40 schools in the Berlin area alone have reported coronavirus cases among students since sessions resumed two weeks ago. The number of younger children infected in the U. S. rose by 21% in the past two weeks to more than 400,000 cases. More than 500 College students at the University of Alabama have tested positive since classes resumed a week ago. Other colleges with similar outbreaks include Notre Dame, the University of Southern California, Ohio State University, the University of Connecticut and the University of North Carolina.
Boeing Company said last week that it is developing a hand-held wand that emits ultraviolet light to neutralize bacteria and viruses, part of a suite of methods to disinfect flight deck surfaces and controls, as well as surfaces throughout the cabin.
A former U. K. chief scientist says: “COVID-19 will be around forever” like the seasonal flu, and will require regular repeat vaccinations. Hong Kong scientists have reported a confirmed case of a patient who recovered from COVID-19 four months ago who was reinfected. Two similar cases were reported in Europe.
There are hopes that the Oxford vaccine will be approved before the end of the year. More than 50,000 people worldwide are involved in clinical trials, including 30,000 in the U. S.
A study of coronavirus cases in the U.K. and Italy showed that one-eighth of those treated were infected while in the hospital. The vast majority of such cases had pre-existing conditions.
A surprisingly small number of people in the Southern Hemisphere have gotten the seasonal flu this year, probably because the public health measures put in place to fight COVID-19 have also limited the spread of influenza. This bodes well for low numbers in the Northern Hemisphere as well.
Add Sudan to the growing list of Arab countries considering normalizing relations with Israel.
Week ending August 22nd:
Add Poland to the list of countries seeing a surge in new cases of COVID-19. Friday’s report contained the highest numbers since the start of the pandemic.
More Arab countries have shown signs of making official ties to Israel. Sudan is close to a peace agreement. U.S. and Israeli officials have said that they expect the U.A.E.-Israel deal will be followed by several others in the coming weeks and months, including Bahrain, Morocco and Oman. The UAE are considering military cooperation in addition to their recent normalization of relations. Suadi-Arabia is also a likely candidate.
Daily new cases in the U. S. are slowly falling, but continue above 50,000 on a rolling 7-day average. However, the number of tests conducted has dropped dramatically. Daily deaths are still over 1,000. Florida has become the fifth state to surpass 10,000 deaths from the virus. Texas recently crossed that threshold. Three other States have more than 10,000 deaths. Public health experts are saying that another round of lockdowns may be the only way to keep an already dire situation from spiraling out of control.
The CDC has made a dire prediction for virus deaths in the U. S. due to the reopening of schools with in-person sessions. New cases are already on the rise at Colleges that reopened recently.
Italy has made it compulsory to wear a mask outdoors in some areas between 6pm and 6am. It’s the first reintroduction of restrictions in Italy as cases rise to the highest levels in months, particularly among young people. Italy is at a crossroads as fears grow of a second wave.
Nineteen European countries have crossed a key threshold of new coronavirus infections for the past month, with Spain’s figures particularly worrying at 115.7 cases per 100,000 population. Romania also has one of the highest numbers with a rating of 88.9 compared to 37.8 in Sweden and 20.7 in the United Kingdom. Croatia has seen a spike in new cases, setting an all-time record on August 19th.
Global virus hotspots include India with all-time daily new cases and Germany with its highest number since April. South Korea, which controlled the virus early on, now fears a nationwide epidemic. France is seeing a rapid rise in new cases with the highest figures since May.
Easy to remember acronym – F.I.G.S.: France, Italy, Germany and Spain. These are the four European countries with the most severe resurgence of coronavirus cases.
Week ending August 15th:
Public anger at Hezbollah, Lebanon’s most powerful group, has been unleashed as a result of the catastrophic explosion that occurred recently. The Iranian ally has become a target of public resistance, particularly from a new generation of Lebanese less concerned with the conflicts of the past than the deep-rooted problems of the present.
Dr. Anthony Fauci told “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir that if mask and social distancing guidelines aren’t followed, the U.S. could be dealing with dual outbreaks of the flu and COVID-19 come fall and winter. The Director of the CDC added his concerns that “this Fall could be the worst ever for public health”.
U.S. unemployment claims fell below one million last week for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. in March.
Scientists worry about Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine. A rising chorus of concern over the Sputnik-V vaccine stems from the secrecy of its development and lack of mass-testing.
Most employers plan to have only 5 to 15 percent of their workforce return before the end of 2020, said Bhushan Sethi, global people and organization co-leader at the PwC consulting agency. Even then, that number would be limited to employees who require physical site access, such as some technical and operational roles.
Study results from several countries show that teenagers are just as contagious as adults, but those in younger age groups do not transmit COVID-19 to the same extent.
Financial and enrollment problems aggravated by the pandemic have forced the permanent closure of more than 140 Catholic schools in the U. S., according to officials who oversee Catholic education in the country.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said internal border closures were unlikely to lift before Christmas. The sparsely populated Northern Territory has extended its border restrictions for another 18 months.
The number of new COVID-19 cases among children in the United States rose 40% in the last two weeks of July, according to a report released just weeks before tens of millions of American students are scheduled to begin the new school year.
Public Health Specialists in Romania have given dire warnings for the future if the general public continues to ignore coronavirus precautions: LINK in Romanian
The fragile nature of restraining COVID-19 has been manifested across the globe as places like New Zealand, which brought new cases down to zero for an extended period, are suddenly fighting fast-growing fresh outbreaks.
08-Aug-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 60,623; new infections, 1,350. Total deaths, 2,659; deaths today, 43. The number in ICU is 448.
08-Aug-2020 California has surpassed 10,000 deaths due to COVID-19. The death toll in Brazil is nearing 100,000. Victoria State in Australia has seen a leveling off of new cases in its struggle to contain the virus.
07-Aug-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 59,273; new infections, 1,378. Total deaths, 2,616; deaths today, 50. The number in ICU is 446. These are record highs for new cases and deaths.
07-Aug-2020 Lebanon may see a rise in coronavirus infections, as the fallout from a deadly explosion in Beirut further stretches medical resources, the country’s health minister says. On Wednesday evening, Lebanon-based newspaper The Daily Star reported that coronavirus testing had been halted in Beirut following the explosion.
07-Aug-2020 Global cases are rapidly approaching 20 million with many countries continuing to see a rise in cases. More than half of all cases are in just three countries: The U. S., Brazil and India. The number of coronavirus cases in India recently passed two million. The U. S. death toll has risen for the 5th straight week, while total cases are near the five million mark. Africa now has more than one million cases.
06-Aug-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 57,895; new infections, 1,345. Total deaths, 2,566; deaths today, 45. The number in ICU is 458.
06-Aug-2020 Sweeping lockdown restrictions on non-essential businesses in Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, have come into effect, as authorities scramble to bring coronavirus infections under control. Many state borders in Australia are closing down to curb the spread of Covid-19.
06-Aug-2020 Coronavirus cases increased markedly in Europe on Wednesday. France recorded its highest number of cases for more than two months, while Spain also saw its biggest post-lockdown rise. Greece also saw a surge in new cases.
06-Aug-2020 The coronavirus is highly transmissible, so it is unlikely the world will be able to eradicate the disease entirely, says the top infectious diseases expert in the U. S., Dr Anthony Fauci.
06-Aug-2020 The entire County of Cluj has been added to the list of areas in Romania that require the use of masks in open areas. There are now 16 counties included in the mandate.
06-Aug-2020 The World added another million cases of coronavirus only three days ago, but the next million is already in sight as cases are nearing 19 million. COVID-19 deaths rose by 24% in the U. S. in the past week.
05-Aug-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 56,550; new infections, 1,309. Total deaths, 2,521; deaths today, 41. The number in ICU is 464 which is another record high.
05-Aug-2020 COVID-19 deaths globally have surpassed 700,000 with more than 150,000 of those deaths in the United States.
05-Aug-2020 Australia’s Victoria state (Melbourne) reported a record rise in new COVID-19 cases and deaths on Wednesday, as it prepared to close much of its economy to control a second wave of infection that threatens to spread across the country.
05-Aug-2020 Latin America surpassed Europe on Tuesday to become the region with the highest coronavirus death toll worldwide, according to a Reuters tally. The region has now recorded more than 206,000 deaths, approximately 30% of the global total. The spread of the pandemic has accelerated in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Argentina and Bolivia.
05-Aug-2020 Young people who are hitting nightclubs and beaches are leading a rise in fresh coronavirus cases across the world, with the proportion of those aged 15 to 24 who are infected rising three-fold in about five months, the World Health Organization said.
05-Aug-2020 More than 200 days since coronavirus was first detected, public health authorities say the number of infections is accelerating and the peak still lies ahead. In early August, the world finds itself at a nebulous stage: past the shock of the pandemic but without a clear end in sight.
04-Aug-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 55,241; new infections, 1,232. Total deaths, 2,480; deaths today, 48, eclipsing the previous record of 39 set a few days ago. The number in ICU is 436 which is also a new record.
04-Aug-2020 France’s top scientific body said a second wave of the coronavirus was “highly likely” this autumn or winter as the country grapples with a marked increase of new cases of the disease over the past two weeks. Other countries’ experts have expressed similar concerns.
04-Aug-2020 As coronavirus continues to spread across the United States, companies are coming to terms with a future of work that doesn’t look anything like it did before, and many are revisiting their plans to go back to the office. Many employees will never return to their offices, but will continue to work remotely.
04-Aug-2020 Data sent to the BBC by an anonymous source shows that Iranian Government internal records give actual figures that are much higher than the reported figures: 42,000 deaths (compared to 14,405) and 451,000 cases (compared to 278,000).
04-Aug-2020 India recorded the highest daily death toll globally in the past 24 hours. New cases continue to soar as well.
03-Aug-2020 Masks are now mandatory in open spaces as well as inside for those in the Romanian capital of Bucuresti. The new rule will be enforced by authorities.
03-Aug-2020 There might never be a “silver bullet” for Covid-19 in the form of a perfect vaccine, and the road to normality could be long, the World Health Organization has said.
03-Aug-2020 Singapore researchers have developed “electronic skin” capable of recreating a sense of touch, an innovation they hope will allow people with prosthetic limbs to detect objects, as well as feel texture, or even temperature and pain.
03-Aug-2020 Young people are letting loose across Europe, fueling a surge in coronavirus infections that is imperiling the Continent’s hard-won gains against the pathogen.
03-Aug-2020 Where is 47,000 new cases good news? In the U. S. where that number represents a significant drop.
03-Aug-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 54,009; new infections, 823. Total deaths, 2,432; deaths today, 19. The number in ICU is 419 which is another new record. As always, the number of tests on the weekend is much lower than normal, only about one-third normal.
03-Aug-2020 The Australian State of Victoria (Melbourne) reported a surge of new cases as efforts to curb the virus have so far been ineffective.
03-Aug-2020 The U. S. continues to see a dangerous increase in new cases and deaths. The head of the White House Virus Task Force warned that the pandemic has entered a new phase, affecting rural areas as well as more heavily populated regions.
03-Aug-2020 Total COVID-19 cases globally added another million at the fastest rate ever, now exceeding 18 million. Total deaths are approaching 700,000.
02-Aug-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 53,186; new infections, 1,075. Total deaths, 2,413; deaths today, 34. The number in ICU is 412 which is a new record. As always, the number of tests on the weekend is much lower than normal. Maramures County saw its highest count of new cases ever with 30.
02-Aug-2020 Global coronavirus cases are already nearing 18 million as the spread of the virus continues to accelerate. Hardest hit areas include the Americas, South Africa and India.
02-Aug-2020 Australia’s Victoria State (Melbourne) has declared a State of Disaster in addition to the State of Emergency already in effect as daily new cases continue to remain high.
01-Aug-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 52,111; new infections, 1,225. Total deaths, 2,379; deaths today, 36. The number in ICU is 401.
01-Aug-2020 The World Health Organization reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases on Friday, with the total rising by 292,527. The biggest increases were from the United States, Brazil, India and South Africa. Nearly 40 countries have reported record single-day increases in coronavirus infections over the last week.
31-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 50,886; new infections, 1,295. Total deaths, 2,343; deaths today, 39 for another daily record. The number in ICU is 409, also an all-time high.
31-Jul-2020 Florida reported 253 new COVID-19 related deaths on Thursday. The fatalities mark the third day in a row that the Sunshine State has reported its highest single-day death toll during the pandemic, with 186 on Tuesday, followed by 216 on Wednesday.
31-Jul-2020 Economic data released on Thursday by the U. S. Government revealed that during April, May and June, the economy experienced the most severe shrinkage in its history, declining by 32.9%. This is by far the worst among all major world economies, with Germany declining around 10% by comparison.
31-Jul-2020 Australia’s Victoria state recorded its second-highest day of new coronavirus infections on Friday, one day after logging record deaths, as the state’s leader flagged the prospect of more rigorous steps to contain the spread of the disease.
31-Jul-2020 The Philippines this month has recorded Southeast Asia’s biggest daily jump in coronavirus deaths and biggest single-day increase in confirmed infections.
30-Jul-2020 President Donald Trump has called for November’s presidential election to be postponed, saying increased postal voting could lead to fraud and inaccurate results.
30-Jul-2020 Poland has recorded its highest daily rise in infections since the start of the pandemic.
30-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 49,591; new infections, 1,356 for another daily record. Total deaths, 2,304; deaths today, 35. The number in ICU is 402, also an all-time high.
30-Jul-2020 India has set another daily record for new cases with more than 52,000 testing positive. India has the third highest number of total cases after the U. S. and Brazil.
30-Jul-2020 The Australian State of Victoria (Melbourne) continues to set daily records of deaths and new cases in spite of a strict lockdown in place.
30-Jul-2020 Another million cases of COVID-19 were added to the global total in the past four days as the total is now over 17 million.
30-Jul-2020 The Association of American Medical Colleges warns that “if the nation does not change its course — and soon — deaths in the United States could be well into the multiple hundreds of thousands.”
30-Jul-2020 Both California and Florida — the two states with the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country — set new records for single-day coronavirus deaths on Wednesday. The heartbreaking milestones come as the U.S. surpasses 150,000 deaths from the virus.
29-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 48,235; new infections, 1,182; total deaths, 2,269; deaths today, 30. The number in ICU is 377. Romania’s recent surge in new cases has made international headlines. [BBC] The foregoing figures are at near-record levels, with the ICU number the highest ever.
SPECIAL NOTE: The 9th of Av begins at sunset today (Wednesday). The destruction of the first and second Temples and several other important events took place on this day in the past.
29-Jul-2020 Face masks can also protect the wearer. Using animal experiments and observations during the pandemic, a group of scientists says people wearing face coverings take in fewer coronavirus particles, making it easier for their immune systems to combat any viral spread. The report was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
29-Jul-2020 The term “second wave” has been used in many recent news reports. However, this term is not really accurate for COVID-19. The various ups and downs are related to public compliance with restrictions. Such fluctuations will continue until a reliable vaccine is available globally. A larger and more imminent threat is the combined effect of coronavirus with the seasonal flu as we approach the end of the year.
29-Jul-2020 Why do we grow numb to staggering statistics? Elke Weber, a professor of psychology and of energy and the environment at Princeton University says: “When you live in a war zone, after a while, everyday risk becomes just baseline. Our neurons are wired in such a way that we only respond to change. And any state that’s constant basically sort of gets washed out.”
29-Jul-2020 Tech companies and medical researchers are hard at work figuring out if wearable devices can spot Covid-19, the flu and other illnesses. Results from Fitbit’s Covid-19 study are already showing fluctuations in key metrics, such as heart rate and respiration, days before symptoms appear.
29-Jul-2020 The U. S. broke more daily records on Tuesday with nearly 1,600 deaths and numbers of new daily cases in six States: California, Arkansas, Florida, Montana, Oregon, and Texas. Only one State is “doing well” – Vermont. There are nearly 150,000 deaths now recorded out of 4.3 million reported cases. Florida recorded a daily high over night with 191 deaths.
28-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 47,053; new infections, 1,151; total deaths, 2,239; deaths today, 33. The number in ICU is 357.
27-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 45,902; new infections, 1,104; total deaths, 2,206; deaths today, 19. The number in ICU is 353, another all-time record. Today is the sixth day in a row with more than 1,000 new cases. The number of tests was only a third of normal. Six zones have been put under quarantine.
27-Jul-2020 Today’s news is mostly repetitious: Global cases continue to rise fast. The vast majority of countries now have rising numbers of new cases, or have a growth curve that is flat. Restrictions either remain in place or are being reinstituted. Records continue to be broken around the world. The future remains highly uncertain until an effective vaccine becomes available.
27-Jul-2020 An Israeli company expects its new fabric to be found 99 percent effective against coronavirus in upcoming EU-authorized laboratory tests. Microspectrum lab in Shanghai previously confirmed that Sonovia’s fabric neutralized more than 90 percent of the coronavirus in its tests.
26-Jul-2020 Low plasma 25(OH) vitamin D level is associated with increased risk of COVID-19 infection, an Israeli study has verified. Maintaining normal vitamin D levels enhances immune system response. On the other hand, taking too much vitamin D in the form of supplements is dangerous.
26-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 44,798; new infections, 1,120; total deaths, 2,187; deaths today, 22. The number in ICU is 351. The new cases number is by far the highest ever recorded on a weekend. And the number in ICU surpasses the previous record set only yesterday by 36.
26-Jul-2020 Total COVID-19 infections worldwide have risen rapidly to beyond 16 million. Many nations grapple between staving off fresh outbreaks and reopening their economies. Cases are rising again in France and Germany. The Australian State of Victoria continues to break new records. Brazil has more than 2.3 million infections. The U. S. has more than four million cases.
25-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 43,678; new infections, 1,284; total deaths, 2,165; deaths today, 15. The number in ICU is 315. This is the fifth day in a row with a record of new cases. The number in ICU is also a record.
25-Jul-2020 Spanish health officials have warned the country could already be experiencing a “second wave” of coronavirus, as France, Germany and Belgium all reported steep rises in their number of cases.
25-Jul-2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases, with the total rising by 284,196 in 24 hours, Reuters reports. Deaths rose by 9,753, the biggest one-day increase since a record high of 9,797 deaths on April 30.
25-Jul-2020 A growing number of researchers think until there’s an effective vaccine, the coronavirus will simply persist in the population, causing illness indefinitely.
25-Jul-2020 The United States recorded more than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19 for the fourth straight day on Friday. The daily total of more than 73,000 on Friday was also a record. Florida now has more than 400,000 cases.
25-Jul-2020 Australia’s Victoria State (Melbourne) recorded an increase in new coronavirus cases on Saturday as officials laid out new directives to protect people in retirement homes and help contain a second wave of infections.
25-Jul-2020 Almost 40 countries have reported record single-day increases in coronavirus infections over the past week, around double the number that did so the previous week, according to a Reuters tally showing a pick-up in the pandemic in every region of the world.
24-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 42,394; new infections, 1,119; total deaths, 2,150; deaths today, 24. The number in ICU is 301. This is the fourth day in a row with a record of new cases. The number on ICU is also a new record.
24-Jul-2020 The Health Minister of Romania has warned that if the COVID-19 situation does not improve in the next two or three weeks a State of Emergency will be reinstated.
24-Jul-2020 The U. S. now has more than four million recorded infections, the highest in the world. It required only 15 days to add the latest one million cases. The global total is rising faster than ever, with more than 15.5 million cases.
23-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 41,275; new infections, 1,112; total deaths, 2,126; deaths today, 25. The number in ICU is 285. This is the third day running with a record of new daily cases.
23-Jul-2020 Twitter has deemed the Star of David, a symbol of Judaism and Jewish pride, to be ‘hateful imagery,’ and is locking the accounts of users who display it.
23-Jul-2020 Covid-19 measures have all but wiped out the Flu in the Southern Hemisphere. From Chile to South Africa to New Zealand, countries report far lower numbers of influenza cases, which could be good news for the U.S. and Europe.
23-Jul-2020 An Israeli company claiming to have created a tiny micro-pancreas that can “cure” diabetes for millions of people has said it will submit a request next month for human clinical trials in the UK.
23-Jul-2020 Several States in the U. S. recorded a record number of deaths, including California, Alabama, Nevada and Texas. California now has the highest number of infections in the U. S. after posting a record 12,000 new cases in the past 24 hours.
23-Jul-2020 Record daily cases were recorded in Brazil. Record deaths were recorded in South Africa. India infections have surpassed 1.2 million. Spain has seen a rebound in new cases. New cases in Australia have begun to decrease after record numbers there.
22-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 40,163; new infections, 1,030; total deaths, 2,101; deaths today, 27. The number in ICU is 293. This is the first time daily infections have exceeded one thousand.
22-Jul-2020 U.S. deaths from COVID-19 rose by more than 1,000 on Tuesday, the biggest single-day increase since early June, according to a Reuters tally.
22-Jul-2020 Global Coronavirus cases have now surpassed 15 million according to a Reuters tally.
22-Jul-2020 Federal agents and Portland (OR) protesters are in a standoff as chaos envelops parts of the city. Recently, demonstrations have become increasingly heated after federal forces arrived without the consent of local leaders.
22-Jul-2020 U. K. Health experts and leading scientists warn that COVID-19 will “be with us for decades” in an official statement made to British politicians.
22-Jul-2020 The Australian State of Victoria (Melbourne) set another record for new cases in the past 24 hours. Research indicates that the virus has been spreading due to a failure by infected individuals to heed the rules. Nearly 90% of reported cases did not self-isolate between the time of first feeling symptoms and being tested for the virus.
22-Jul-2020 The pandemic shows no signs of slowing in the Americas. Cases continue to surge in many countries in North, South and Central America.
21-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 39,133; new infections, 994; total deaths, 2,074; deaths today, 36. The number in ICU is 297. These are all record highs.
21-Jul-2020 The University of Oxford vaccine that proved effective in limited trials in the U. K. will undergo extensive human trials in India as soon as licensing is obtained.
21-Jul-2020 The World Health Organization says it is seeing “an acceleration” of the outbreak in Africa, warning that the surge in South Africa could be a precursor for more outbreaks across the continent
21-Jul-2020 A coronavirus vaccine under development by CanSinoBiologics Inc. and China’s military research unit showed that it appears to be safe and induced an immune response in most of the 508 healthy volunteers who got one dose of the vaccine, researchers reported.
21-Jul-2020 The coronavirus pandemic raged in Florida on Monday as the state reported more than 10,000 new infections for a sixth day in a row. California recorded a daily record of nearly 12,000 new cases.
20-Jul-2020 A University of Oxford vaccine has finished its first human trials on 1,077 participants. The results are “hugely promising”, showing that the injection led to antibody and white blood cell creation. No serious side-effects were noted.
20-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 38,139; new infections, 681; total deaths, 2,038; deaths today, 12. The number in ICU is 293. This is the highest in ICU since the beginning of the pandemia. The new cases figure is based on only half the usual number of tests.
20-Jul-2020 A new protein treatment, which can be inhaled, has proven effective 79% of the time in preventing serious disease in patients with COVID-19.
20-Jul-2020 India recorded the highest number of daily cases yet, with more than 40,000 new infections on Sunday.
20-Jul-2020 Romania has entered into a “super-exponential” increase in coronavirus cases. If this rate continues, conditions for reimposing a State of Emergency will be reached by the beginning of August. The independent study conducted by the firm Avantera also predicts that all 4,000 ICU beds in Romania will be occupied in August if conditions do not improve.
20-Jul-2020 A surge in COVID-19 cases in Australia’s second-biggest city (Melbourne) could take weeks to subside despite a lockdown and orders to wear masks, Australia’s acting chief medical officer said on Monday. The neighboring State of New South Wales (Sydney) has recorded its two biggest days of new infections since April.
20-Jul-2020 Operation Warp Speed has diverted funding away from other vaccine candidates that are slower to develop. Experts worry that focusing on fast-track solutions may result in no successful candidates in the near term. The vaccine for tuberculosis took 13 years, rotavirus 15 years, and chickenpox 28 years.
20-Jul-2020 The States of California, Florida and Texas continue to break records almost daily on both the number of new virus infections and the number of daily deaths. ICU beds are full in many hospitals, and emergency rooms are overwhelmed.
19-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 37,458; new infections, 767; total deaths, 2,026; deaths today, 17. The number in ICU is 286. As always, the number of tests is much lower on the weekend.
19-Jul-2020 The Oregon Department of Justice is suing several federal agencies for civil rights abuses after camouflaged federal agents detained protesters in Portland using unmarked vehicles.
19-Jul-2020 Nearly 260,000 new cases of infections have been reported over the past 24 hours, according to data from the World Health Organization. This is another world record, and on a pace to add another million cases in less than four days. The global death toll has surpassed the 600,000 mark.
19-Jul-2020 U.S. deaths from COVID-19 exceeded 140,000 on Saturday as cases continued to rise in 43 out of 50 states over the past two weeks, according to a Reuters tally. New cases nationally are up 50% over the last two weeks and the daily death toll is up 42% over the same period.
19-Jul-2020 Face masks are emerging as one of the most powerful weapons to fight the coronavirus, with growing evidence that facial coverings help prevent transmission—even if an infected wearer is in close contact with others. It’s not common to contract Covid-19 from a contaminated surface, scientists say. And fleeting encounters with people outdoors are unlikely to spread the coronavirus.
18-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 36,691; new infections, 889; total deaths, 2,009; deaths today, 21. The number in ICU is 280. The numbers continue to climb rapidly, with new records being set daily in all categories. Today the first death was recorded in Maramures.
18-Jul-2020 The total number of cases worldwide has surpassed 14 million. One million new cases were registered in less than 100 hours, with nearly 250,000 cases in the past day. The U. S. recorded another record number of new cases for 24 hours.
17-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 35,802; new infections, 799; total deaths, 1,988; deaths today, 17. The number in ICU is 273. This is yet another daily record. The number in ICU is the highest since mid-April.
17-Jul-2020 Global totals are nearing 14 million. The U. S. has passed 3.5 million, Brazil has passed 2 miilon, and India has passed 1 million total cases. Countries like France and Italy, which had largely brought the virus under control, are joining the list of those seeing a jump in new cases.
17-Jul-2020 The Australian State of Victoria (Melbourne) set a daily record for the second time in a row. The “second wave” has been largely confined to the metropolitan area which has put 5 million residents under stay-at-home orders.
17-Jul-2020 The world record set only yesterday was shattered by the U.S. when more than 77,000 new cases were reported. Sadly, this is in line with predictions by Doctor Anthony Fauci who warned that daily figures could top 100,000. New cases are rising in 41 States.
17-Jul-2020 Israel continues to see a rise in new cases, with nearly 2,000 in the past 24 hours. Weekend lockdowns will take place nationwide.
16-Jul-2020 Only 10 days ago, the number of new daily cases in Romania had decreased to 250. Now it is more than triple that amount. Based on the current rate of infections, the government predicts that daily numbers will more than double again in the next two weeks. The number in ICU has also increased in the same period from 215 to 261. If this trend continues, ICU units will be full in mid-August. The majority in ICU do not recover.
16-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 35,003; new infections, 777; total deaths, 1,971; deaths today, 19. The number in ICU is 261. The 777 new cases far exceeds the previous daily record of 698 set only five days ago.
16-Jul-2020 Australia continues to see rising numbers of new cases. About one fourth of all coronavirus cases for the entire country have occurred in just the city of Melbourne in the last two weeks alone.
16-Jul-2020 For the fourth time in eight days, the U. S. has broken the world record for new virus cases, registering more than 69,000 in the past 24 hours.
16-Jul-2020 A research team at Hebrew University of Jerusalem says early research looks promising for cholesterol-lowering drug Fenofibrate, first used in the mid-1970s, as an effective treatment against coronavirus.
15-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 34,266; new infections, 641; total deaths, 1,952; deaths today, 21. The number in ICU is 248.
15-Jul-2020 Daily new cases continue to rise in Israel, with more than 1,500 reported in the past 24 hours.
15-Jul-2020 Top US public health expert Doctor Anthony Fauci warned on Tuesday that the global coronavirus outbreak could be as bad as the 1918 flu pandemic, calling that catastrophe “the mother of all pandemics”, which killed more than 50 million people worldwide.
15-Jul-2020 The U. S. is appraching 3.5 million cases; Brazil nearly 2 million; and India will pass the one million mark in the next few days. Many countries are experiencing 2nd and 3rd “waves” of the virus.
15-Jul-2020 Moderna Biotech (USA) announced results of its phase 2 human trials of a COVID-19 vaccine. All 45 participants developed antibodies at a rate up to four times that of patients who recovered from the virus. Phase 3 trials will start soon with a planned enrollment of 30,000 adults.
15-Jul-2020 The coronavirus is spreading across the United States faster than at any point in the pandemic, and the number of new cases has accelerated in July. The top three States account for nearly 20% of all new cases worldwide.
14-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 33,585; new infections, 637; total deaths, 1,931; deaths today, 30. The number in ICU is 234.
14-Jul-2020 Austria and Belgium are the latest in a long list of countries imposing restrictions on travelers coming from Romania.
14-Jul-2020 India continues to reimpose lockdowns as new cases climb. Latest restrictions include the city of Bangalore.
14-Jul-2020 Another million cases of coronavirus have been added to the world total, and at the fastest rate yet.
13-Jul-2020 A new study of those who have recovered from COVID-19 shows that immunity may only last for a few months. Those included in the study had antibodies in their blood after recovery, but the levels dropped significantly over a relatively short period of time.
13-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 32,948; new infections, 413; total deaths, 1,901; deaths today, 17. The number in ICU is 235. The number of new cases is based on less than half the usual number of tests, which are always lower on the weekend. The number in ICU is still very high, as are the number of deaths.
13-Jul-2020 If Florida were a country, it would rank fourth in the world for the most new cases of coronavirus in a day.
13-Jul-2020 The CEO of Pfizer has announced that the drug company can have a COVID-19 vaccine ready by this Fall.
13-Jul-2020 A total of 20 European countries have now placed travel restrictions on travellers from Romania due to the rising number of cases there.
13-Jul-2020 New cases of COVID-19 worldwide continue to rise, and another daily record was set on Sunday with more 230,000 reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). Total infections are rapidly approaching 13 million.
12-Jul-2020 India continues to see a rapid rise in new infections. The current total of more than 850,000 cases is third behind the U. S. and Brazil.
12-Jul-2020 The State of Florida has broken another coronavirus record, reporting 15,300 new cases with 45 additional deaths in the past day. The figures, released by the state’s health department, surpass the previous record rise of 11,458 new infections on 4 July.
12-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 32,535; new infections, 456; total deaths, 1,884; deaths today, 13. The number in ICU is 243. The number of new cases is based on only two-thirds the usual number of tests, which are always lower on the weekend. The number in ICU is the highest since May 9th.
12-Jul-2020 The U. S. set another daily record on Saturday, for new cases, for the fourth day in a row. Deaths there have surpassed 135,000 which is by far the highest number in the world.
11-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 32,079; new infections, 698; total deaths, 1,871; deaths today, 24. The number in ICU is 239. The record number of new cases is much higher than the previous record of 614 set on Thursday.
11-Jul-2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a record daily number of new coronavirus cases on Friday. In its latest figures, the WHO said there were 228,102 new cases across the world, according to Yahoo News. The WHO says countries may have to return to “total lockdown,” after cases doubled worldwide in only six weeks.
11-Jul-2020 Victoria (Melbourne), Australia’s second most-populous state, on Saturday reported one of its highest daily increases in new coronavirus infections and warned the numbers would get worse before they got better as it began its first weekend under a six-week lockdown.
11-Jul-2020 New cases of COVID-19 rose by more than 66,000 across the United States on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, setting a record for the third consecutive day. A total of eight U.S. states – Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, Ohio, Utah and Wisconsin – also reached records for single-day infections.
10-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 31,381; new infections, 592; total deaths, 1,847; deaths today, 13. The number in ICU is 236.
10-Jul-2020 The State of Victoria (Melbourne) set another daily record for new cases as lockdown efforts continue, including a limit on the number of citizens currently abroad returning each week.
10-Jul-2020 Florida has 207 Intensive Care units. At present 45 are at full capacity, and almost half are at 90% capacity. Other states are facing similar problems as hospitalizations increase nationwide.
10-Jul-2020 Another world record by the U. S. as total new cases soared to more than 65,000 in a 24-hour period. This is the 6th time in the past 10 days that a record high has been reached. Total deaths are also increasing.
09-Jul-2020 Another grim record set in Romania. Today’s statistics: Total infections, 30,789; new infections, 614; total deaths, 1,834; deaths today, 17. The number in ICU increased to 240.
09-Jul-2020 Restrictions are being put back in place in the State of Mississippi after 36 people at the state capitol building tested positive for the virus. A total of 26 lawmakers out of 174 were infected. The number of U. S. States seeing a rise in infections is now 42.
09-Jul-2020 The global charity Oxfam has warned that more people could die of hunger, especially in Africa and other poor countries, than die of the coronavirus.
09-Jul-2020 Australia has placed a “ring of steel” around the city of Melbourne, with no allowed in or out of the area for at least six weeks. This came in response to record high new cases in the area.
09-Jul-2020 A total of ten E. U. countries have banned travel from Romania after new cases reported on Wednesday exceeded those from any other European country except Great Britain.
09-Jul-2020 The rate of increase is accelerating globally with another million cases being added in only five days. The total has now surpassed 12 million worldwide.
08-Jul-2020 The number of Jews from the U. S. who filed for Aliyah soared to more than 25,000 in the month of June.
08-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 30,175; new infections, 555; total deaths, 1,817; deaths today, 18. The number in ICU is 237. This is the highest daily number ever. Romania is considering reimposing the State of Emergency as the situation escalates. The “R” factor has risen to 1.4 from 0.6 a month ago. Both Romania and Moldova have been put on a “blacklist” by Austria.
08-Jul-2020 California and Texas both registered more than 10,000 new cases in a 24-hour period as the total number of cases surpassed three million. The seven day average increased in 37 States in the U.S.
08-Jul-2020 Intensive Care Units at 57 Florida hospitals have reached full capacity. New cases of COVID-19 in the State surged to record levels three times in the past week.
08-Jul-2020 Doctor Anthony Fauci stated on Tuesday that the average age of U.S. coronavirus cases has dropped 15 years compared to the early stages of the pandemic.
08-Jul-2020 Outspoken critic of the dangers of COVID-19, Brazilian President Bolsonaro, has tested positive for the virus.
08-Jul-2020 Israel’s Director of Public Health has resigned, citing disagreements on the lifting of the lockdown. After reducing daily infections to the low 20s, new cases have skyrocketed to more than 1,000 a day since reopening.
07-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 29,620; new infections, 397; total deaths, 1,799; deaths today, 31. The number in ICU is 231. This is the highest number of deaths since May 6th.
07-Jul-2020 Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S., said Monday the status of the coronavirus pandemic there is “really not good” as new cases surge across the country. “We are still knee-deep in the first wave of this.” At least 32 states reported higher rates of new cases this week compared to the last.
07-Jul-2020 The world is treating the health and economic symptoms of the coronavirus pandemic but not the environmental cause, according to the authors of a UN report. As a result, a steady stream of diseases can be expected to jump from animals to humans in coming years, they say.
07-Jul-2020 New coronavirus cases soared in California over the July Fourth weekend, stressing some hospital systems as admissions jumped 50%.
07-Jul-2020 Countries in which the virus continues to increase include many in Africa, especially Egypt and South Africa.
07-Jul-2020 The U.S. death toll from the virus has moved past 130,000 which is nearly double that of Brazil which has the 2nd highest count in the world. The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. is nearly three million.
07-Jul-2020 Australia has extended its lockdown in the State of Victoria from an area of 300,000 inhabitants to one of more than five million in and around Melbourne.
07-Jul-2020 Israel successfully launched its Ofek-16 (or, “Horizon-16”) satellite at 4:00 a.m. on Monday. It joins a collection of satellites Israel has deployed recently. Israel is one of only a dozen countries in the world capable of launching into space.
07-Jul-2020 Experts in several countries are warning that an effective vaccine is not likely to be available by the end of the year. The FDA in the U.S. as well as scientists in India are the most recent to raise their concerns.
07-Jul-2020 Based on weekly totals, Romania has seen five consecutive weeks of rising numbers of new coronavirus cases. This followed five weeks when the numbers declined.
06-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 29,223; new infections, 250; total deaths, 1,768; deaths today, 18. The number in ICU is 227. Total tests of 4,614 is less than half of normal, as is usual for a Sunday. The increasing number in ICU is significant.
06-Jul-2020 Another method for ranking coronavirus is cases per million inhabitants. Currently, the U.S. has the highest number of cases, but ranks 13th by cases per million. India is not even in the top 100, due to its huge population. Romania is 73rd on the list, while Moldova is 30th; Ukraine is 83rd; Poland is 92nd; etc.
06-Jul-2020 Another major company, Fujitsu, has announced that “work from home” will now be permanent. They are reducing their office space by half. This trend continues worldwide.
06-Jul-2020 In Australia, the State border between New South Wales and Victoria has been closed for the first time in recent history.
06-Jul-2020 Experts around the world are warning of a “second wave” of COVID-19 in the Fall that will be worse than the initial outbreak. Combined with the regular Flu season, the dangers will increase in the Winter. The virus has not yet peaked in the Americas, India, places in Africa and the Middle-East.
06-Jul-2020 In an open letter soon to be published, a group of 239 scientists from 32 countries claim that the potential for Covid-19 to spread through aerosol transmission, by lingering in the air for long periods of time, is being underplayed by the World Health Organization.
06-Jul-2020 India continues to set daily records of new cases, with just under 25,000 on Sunday. A 29 year-old Deacon from the Ooty Ecclesia in India has become the first known case of a Bible Student contracting the coronavirus there. He was hospitalized over the weekend.
06-Jul-2020 The virus death toll in the U.S. is approaching 130,000 with 2.8 million confirmed cases. Florida has surpassed 200,000 cases. In Houston, Texas, the percentage of those who are testing positive has jumped from 10% to 25%, and hospitalizations have increased exponentially. The mayors of Houston and Austin warned that hospitals there will be “overwhelmed” in less than two weeks.
06-Jul-2020 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a cabinet meeting on Sunday that “Israel is in a State of Emergency” due to the recent surge of COVID-19 cases there.
05-Jul-2020 The coronavirus crisis has caused a dramatic deterioration in the European public perception of the US, extensive new polling reveals. More than 60% of respondents in Germany, France, Spain, Denmark and Portugal said they had lost trust in the United States as a global leader.
05-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 28,973; new infections, 391; total deaths, 1,750; deaths today, 19. The number in ICU is 215.
05-Jul-2020 Florida and Texas continue to report daily records of new cases. Saturday’s totals were 11,458 and 7,890 respectively. Seven other States registered new daily highs. Florida’s daily totals now exceed that of any European country during the height of the coronavirus outbreak there.
05-Jul-2020 The World Health Organization report for Saturday showed a record 24-hour increase in cases worldwide. The total of 212,326 is considerably higher than the previous record of 189,077 recorded on June 28th.
04-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 28,582; new infections, 416; total deaths, 1,731; deaths today, 23. The number in ICU is 223.
04-Jul-2020 India reported more than 20,000 new cases in a single day for the first time, and could soon surpass Russia as the 3rd most infected country.
04-Jul-2020 New COVID-19 cases continued near record levels in the U.S. with more than 53,000 reported on Friday. [The BBC reported 57,000.] Many States saw new daily highs, while Florida’s 9,488 came in just below the prior day’s record. Experts worry that the July 4th weekend will be a “perfect storm” scenario for further spread of the virus.
04-Jul-2020 The U.S. and Romania have something in common: both are excluded from the U.K. “safe travel list” for arriving air passengers.
04-Jul-2020 A fire and an explosion early Thursday morning that struck a building above Iran’s underground Natanz uranium enrichment facility was caused by an Israeli cyber attack, according to the Kuwaiti al-Jarida newspaper. However, the report, published Friday, quotes a “senior security source” as saying the explosion was the result of an airstrike conducted by the IDF’s F-35 stealth jet.
04-Jul-2020 The number of infections worldwide has surpassed 11 million, adding another million in the last week alone.
03-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 28,166; new infections, 420; total deaths, 1,708; deaths today, 21. The number in ICU is 224. In Bucuresti all but six ICU beds are in use at this time. Some patients are being transferred to other hospitals.
03-Jul-2020 Many countries where restrictions were removed have seen a resurgence of the coronavirus. Austria is the most recent to join that list.
03-Jul-2020 New Coronavirus cases are rising in 37 States in the U.S., NPR analysis shows. The State of Florida set a daily record with more than 10,000 new cases on Thursday.
03-Jul-2020 The U.S. reported another daily record Thursday of more than 55,000 new cases, which is also a global record for the highest number in a 24-hour period.
03-Jul-2020 A fire and an explosion struck a building above Iran’s underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, a site that U.S.-based analysts identified as a new centrifuge production plant. This is the second explosion at a nuclear facility in Iran in less than a week. Experts suspect a cyber attack by Israel in both cases.
03-Jul-2020 The Palestinian Authority (PA) is deeply anxious regarding the number of coronavirus patients in the areas under its control that continue to spike, and as it is forced to contend with the situation on its own after cutting all ties with Israel.
03-Jul-2020 Closures were imposed on neighborhoods in several cities across Israel Thursday as the government tried to stop an explosion of new coronavirus infections. Nearly one thousand new cases were registered in the past 24 hours. Hospitalizations have doubled in the past two weeks.
02-Jul-2020 Another alarming increase in today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 27,746; new infections, 450; total deaths, 1,687; deaths today, 20. The number in ICU is 237.
02-Jul-2020 The World Health Organization recently announced that 17 potential vaccines are in human trials with 132 in preclinical phases.
02-Jul-2020 The U.S. reported another daily record Wednesday of 52,000 new cases, far surpassing the previous record. Hospitalizations are also rising rapidly, demonstrating that higher numbers are not merely the result of increased testing.
01-Jul-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 27,296; new infections, 326; total deaths, 1,667; deaths today, 16. The number in ICU is 222.
01-Jul-2020 Cornering the market on Remdesivir by the U.S. Government has raised ethical questions in the minds of international experts. Some claim that it violates the spirit of fair access to critical drugs. However, several companies are working on generic equivalents of the drug.
01-Jul-2020 The effects of COVID-19 on the human brain, in those more seriously infected, include stroke, delirium, anxiety, confusion, memory loss, and other neurological problems.
01-Jul-2020 Hong Kong woke up to a new reality on Wednesday, after China’s central government imposed a sweeping national security law late the night before that critics say has stripped the city of its autonomy and precious civil and social freedoms, and cements Beijing’s authoritarian rule over the territory.
01-Jul-2020 The U.S. continues to set daily records, with more than 47,000 confirmed new cases on Tuesday. Doctor Anthony Fauci warned that this number could soon double to more than 100,000 cases a day. Coronavirus cases in June more than doubled in 14 U.S. states, including California, Florida and Texas, a Reuters analysis on Tuesday showed.
01-Jul-2020 The highest number of COVID-19 deaths globally are currently in the U.S., followed by Brazil, and the U.K., with these three countries accounting for nearly half of the total.
01-Jul-2020 India recorded its worst month ever in the coronavirus outbreak, with more than 70% of all confirmed new cases and deaths occurring in June.
01-Jul-2020 Australia has reimposed a lockdown on the city of Melbourne which affects 300,000 residents. This comes after the worst outbreak of the coronavirus in three months,
01-Jul-2020 The U.S. Government has purchased 100% of the World’s July production of Remdesivir, and 90% of August and September production from the sole maker of the drug. Remdesivir is the only approved treatment for the COVID-19 virus based on clinical trials, and is used worldwide.
30-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 26,970; new infections, 388; total deaths, 1,651; deaths today, 17. The number in ICU is 205.
30-Jun-2020 Local lockdowns (instead of country-wide restrictions) are becoming more commonplace in many countries including Australia, Germany, India and the U.K., a procedure which has also been suggested for Romania.
30-Jun-2020 India has begun human trials on a potential COVID-19 vaccine. There are more than 120 vaccine programs around the world, with six of them in India.
30-Jun-2020 A new strain of flu that has the potential to become a pandemic has been identified in China by scientists. It emerged recently and is carried by pigs, but can infect humans.
30-Jun-2020 Swarms of locusts which devastated crops in many parts of Africa and the Middle-East have made their way to India where the government of New Delhi put officials on “high alert”.
30-Jun-2020 The Romanian County of Maramures (Sighet, Baia Mare) saw its highest daily number of confirmed cases ever, more than double the previous record. Though comparatively small, the numbers indicate a strong upward trend. The county of Cluj has seen only a small increase in new cases.
30-Jun-2020 There are some places where progress is being made to control the coronavirus, including New York State which registered its lowest number of hospitalizations during the pandemic.
30-Jun-2020 The median age for new cases is going down in many places around the world. Florida, which registered more than 5,000 new cases on Monday, reported a median age of only 37. Lack of respect for social distancing and other regulations, especially among younger people, is cited as a likely reason.
30-Jun-2020 Contract tracing has the potential to be a significant help in keeping the coronavirus in check, but the majority of contacts attempted are not successful. In the U.K. only 15,812 people were able to be contacted by 25,000 call handlers in the first three weeks of operation. In spite of millions downloading contact tracing apps in various countries, very few have voluntarily supplied information via the apps.
30-Jun-2020 The World Health Organization has warned that “the worst is yet to come” with COVID-19, as the virus is speeding up, not slowing down.
30-Jun-2020 Recent flooding in Romania and Ukraine has not had any severe impact on Bible Students in the area.
29-Jun-2020 The Minister of Health in Romania has recommended that the planned relaxation of measures on July 1st should be delayed. This analysis is based on a recent surge in new cases, and especially in the number in ICU and the number of deaths. Romania’s Premier agreed with this decision. An official vote will be taken this evening.
29-Jun-2020 The first million cases of COVID-19 worldwide was reached in 3 months. The most recent million cases only required eight days.
29-Jun-2020 COVID-19 cases are rising in every continent except Europe. The most rapid rise in cases is taking place in the U.S., Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa. There are local outbreaks in Europe, including Germany, where thousands of new cases have been registered in the area of a meat-processing plant.
29-Jun-2020 A fresh outbreak in Beijing, China, has resulted in a new lockdown for 400,000 residents in the area. After bringing new infections down to near zero, Australia has seen its largest outbreak in three months. In the U.S. daily cases continue to be over 40,000. In the State of Texas the situation has been described as taking a “swift and dangerous turn” with more than 5,000 new cases daily.
29-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 26,582; new infections, 269; total deaths, 1,634; deaths today, 22. The number in ICU is 210. There is no explanation why the number of tests performed is still very low, less than half today compared to normal.
28-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 26,313; new infections, 291; total deaths, 1,612; deaths today, 23. The number in ICU is 217. This is the highest daily death toll, and number in ICU, since the middle of May. It is also based on fewer tests than normal.
28-Jun-2020 The U.S. is seeing shortages of more than 200 drugs and medical supplies due to strains on the supply chain, according to a report prepared by the Department of Homeland Security.
28-Jun-2020 The number of U.S. States with rising numbers of new infections is now 33. Record highs continue to be set on a daily basis in many States and nationwide. The Saturday figure was almost 46,000 new infections, a huge jump from the previous day. Total cases to-date are more than 2.5 million, or 25% of the worldwide total.
28-Jun-2020 Global coronavirus cases have surpassed 10 million, with deaths approaching the half million mark.
27-Jun-2020 The planned opening of borders by the E.U. will exclude a number of non-EU countries considered “high-risk” and the U.S. is on that list.
27-Jun-2020 A spike in new cases in Arizona, Florida and Texas is affecting many more young people.
27-Jun-2020 An Israeli company has developed an Alzheimer’s disease treatment which is now in advanced Phase 3 clinical trials. The drug could also prove effective in treating lung inflammation caused by Covid-19.
27-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 26,022; new infections, 325; total deaths, 1,589; deaths today, 10. The number in ICU is 199. The new cases number is based on a much smaller number of tests, less than 2,000 tests compared to 11,000 yesterday.
27-Jun-2020 India’s total is now over half a million. A number of hospitals are overwhelmed.
27-Jun-2020 The U.S. set another record in the past 24 hours with more than 40,000 new cases. Doctor Anthony Fauci called the situation a “serious problem”. A number of States have delayed their reopening plans.
26-Jun-2020 More incidents are being reported of police being attacked when trying to break up illegal gatherings in a number of countries. “Large numbers of people” have been “completely flouting the health regulations” and are reacting violently against authorities.
26-Jun-2020 Total cases in India continue to set daily records. Train travel has been cancelled again in response to the crisis. The total nationwide is approaching half a million.
26-Jun-2020 Thirty countries in Europe have seen an increase in weekly cases of COVID-19. This is the first time in months that the rate of new infections in Europe has gone up.
26-Jun-2020 Memorials to all four Presidents on Mount Rushmore are being targeted by BLM protesters.
26-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 25,697; new infections, 411; total deaths, 1,579; deaths today, 14. The number in ICU is 186. This is the second day in a row with new cases over 400.
26-Jun-2020 Six months of data confirm a growing consensus regarding how people become infected with COVID-19: the major culprit is close-up, person-to-person interactions for extended periods.
26-Jun-2020 Protesters said they are planning to topple a statue of Abraham Lincoln in the capital meant to commemorate his 1863 proclamation freeing enslaved people in the rebel states at the height of the Civil War. They claim the manner in which it is portrayed is demeaning to black people.
26-Jun-2020 The governor of Texas temporarily halted the state’s reopening on Thursday as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations surged and the country set another new record for a one-day increase in cases.
26-Jun-2020 Romania has been included on Denmark’s “no entry” list of six E.U. countries due to an excess of new cases of COVID-19.
26-Jun-2020 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 20 million Americans could have contracted the coronavirus, 10 times more than official counts, indicating many people without symptoms have or have had the disease.
25-Jun-2020 Europe saw a rise in weekly cases for the first time in months last week, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and a number of countries could see numbers hit dangerous levels if more isn’t done to stop the spread.
25-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: A “shocking increase” in new infections at 460, the fourth highest ever. Total infections, 25,286; total deaths, 1,565; deaths today, 10. The number in ICU is 199. The largest daily total was 523 at the peak of the pandemic.
25-Jun-2020 The U.S. set a daily record for the past two months with more than 34,000 new cases. The highest number ever was 36,000 on April 24th. The New York Times claims a total of 38,672 which would be well above the previous all-time high.
25-Jun-2020 Dozens of Secret Service agents have been quarantined after several who attended the Trump rally in Oklahoma tested positive.
25-Jun-2020 India set another daily record with nearly 17,000 new cases. The total is approaching half a million. India’s capital, Delhi, has announced that it will screen its nearly 30 million residents for symptoms in a door-to-door survey.
25-Jun-2020 Several U.S. States including New York have imposed a 14-day quarantine on people entering from other States with rising infections. New infections are rising rapidly in the South and West. Numbers are now rising in 27 States.
25-Jun-2020 Door-to-door testing is underway in Melbourne, Australia, after a fresh outbreak of the coronavirus. Troops have been sent in to assist in the process.
24-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 24,826; new infections, 321; total deaths, 1,555; deaths today, 16. The number in ICU is 186.
24-Jun-2020 The Indian capital of Delhi recorded its highest number of daily infections yet. The local government has started a program to screen every house in the city.
24-Jun-2020 Russian citizens are set to begin voting on constitutional changes that could allow President Vladimir Putin to remain in office for years to come, potentially cementing his hold on power.
24-Jun-2020 Top U.S. health expert Doctor Anthony Fauci warned of a “disturbing surge” of new infections in a number of States, including Arizona where more than 80% of all hospital beds are already occupied. Overall numbers are rising rapidly in the U.S. with more than 30,000 new cases in a single day recently. More than half of all States have seen an increase in the past week.
23-Jun-2020 One of the most promising vaccine candidates has entered human trials in two of the hardest it countries: Brazil and South Africa.
23-Jun-2020 The State of California shattered its one-day record with over 6,000 new cases. The previous record was 4,500 new cases.
23-Jun-2020 In an attempt to keep a local outbreak from spreading, German officials have added a second district to the lockdown near a meat-processing plant. Warendorf is home to about 270,000 people, bringing the total to over half a million.
23-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 24,505; new infections, 214; total deaths, 1,539; deaths today, 16. The number in ICU is 200.
23-Jun-2020 Romania is experiencing major flooding that has inundated several towns, blocked trains and closed highways. Heavy rains continue over much of the country. There are no reports as yet of Bible Students being affected. The situation has complicated coronavirus mitigation efforts.
23-Jun-2020 India registered another daily record in new cases. Hong Kong, South Korea and Australia have reported increased cases that officials are calling a second wave.
23-Jun-2020 Romania is now in third place in Europe, behind Portugal and Sweden, in the number of coronavirus infections per hundred thousand inhabitants.
23-Jun-2020 Half of the 1,300 workers that tested positive for Coronavirus at the German slaughterhouse Tonnies were workers from Romania. Owners blame a subcontractor for failing to take necessary precautions when bringing the workers to Germany. Government officials are implementing an expansion of the lockdown zone around the plant. More than 360,000 residents will be affected.
23-Jun-2020 The spike in coronavirus cases in Florida, Arizona, Oregon and other Southern and Western states can be traced back to around Memorial Day, when officials began loosening their lockdowns. In about two weeks, hospitals in those states could find themselves struggling to find enough beds for patients, one of the nation’s top public health experts warned.
23-Jun-2020 The Hinoman company in Kibbutz Be’eri, Israel, is growing the world’s smallest vegetable that contains all the essential amino acids plus iron and vitamin B12. Mankae, a form of duckweed, is tasteless and odorless, and can be added to almost any food. The tiny plant has been proven to have many health benefits.
23-Jun-2020 The total number of COVID-19 infections worldwide has surpassed nine million. Daily increases continue to set records. The majority of new cases are in the Americas. The death toll in the U.S. is now over 120,000 out of 470,000 worldwide.
22-Jun-2020 The “R” rate in Germany has risen again sharply in the past 24 hours, from 1.79 to 2.88, after rising from 0.7 only a few days ago. Officials claim that this rise is the result of local outbreaks and does not indicate a “second wave” of infections. Local quarantines to stem these outbreaks have resulted in violence against police trying to enforce the rules.
22-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 24,291; new infections, 246; total deaths, 1,523; deaths today, 11. The number in ICU is 195. Sunday numbers were based on only one-third as many tests being done compared to a weekday.
22-Jun-2020 “Offensive” statues are being pulled down or removed all over the U.S., including memorials to Francis Scott Key, Ulysses S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt, Junipero Serra and Christopher Columbus.
22-Jun-2020 Setbacks in several countries that brought the coronavirus rate down to near zero underscores the fragile nature of such successes. Australia had no new cases for several weeks in some States which have now seen a resurgence of the virus. A dozen States in the U.S. set record highs in new cases recorded.
22-Jun-2020 Romania’s Health Minister spoke to the media on the alarming upward trend in new cases, stating that the “R” factor has increased from 0.6 to 1.4 and that the result could lead to a doubling of daily new cases. Saturday saw the largest daily increase ever for the County of Maramures, Romania. (Sighet, Baia Mare) Numbers have increased steadily over the past several days.
22-Jun-2020 German authorities have expressed shock over a rampage of an “unprecedented scale” in the centre of Stuttgart, where hundreds of partygoers ran riot overnight and into Sunday, breaking shop windows, plundering and attacking police.
22-Jun-2020 K-pop fans and users of TikTok claimed tickets to Donald Trump’s Saturday night rally in Tulsa then did not use them, as part of a coordinated effort to leave hundreds of seats empty. [New York Times] TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance.
22-Jun-2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases by its count, at more than 183,000 new cases in the latest 24 hours.
22-Jun-2020 Brazil passed the one million mark for coronavirus cases a few days ago. Sunday they passed the 50,000 mark for deaths.
22-Jun-2020 “Israel is entering a second wave of the coronavirus illness and we have to take immediate and urgent steps…” according to an official statement released Saturday evening.
22-Jun-2020 A coronavirus vaccine developed in Israel was tested successfully on lab hamsters and shows promise as a potential cure for the pandemic. Human trials will come next. The Israeli vaccine is unique in the “recombinant replicating virus” method being used.
21-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 24,045; new infections, 315; total deaths, 1,512; deaths today, 12. The number in ICU is 195. This is the fourth day in a row with more than 300 new cases, and with an increase in the number in ICU.
21-Jun-2020 The “R” rate has increased dramatically in Germany to 1.79 from a low of 0.7 only a short time ago. This rate determines how quickly the virus is spreading. Any rate higher than 1.0 indicates an accelerating pace.
20-Jun-2020 Personal accounts from Croatia indicate that the situation has worsened there after restrictions were lifted.
20-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 23,730; new infections, 330; total deaths, 1,500; deaths today, 16. The number in ICU is 190. This is the fourth day in a row with more than 300 new cases. All daily numbers are higher than the day before. The number of patients who have not recovered has gone up almost every day since May 8th and now stands at 5,495. Some hospitals are no longer able to admit new patients.
20-Jun-2020 Up to a hundred thousand are expected to gather in Tulsa, OK this weekend for two very different events. Friday marked the anniversary of a 1921 massacre that destroyed a black district of the city and nationwide protests began on Friday. A political rally by President Trump will take place on Saturday in Tulsa and “Juneteenth” demonstrators are expected to protest that event as well.
20-Jun-2020 The State of Florida is becoming the new epicenter for COVID-19 in the U.S. with record numbers of new infections.
20-Jun-2020 Brazil has passed the one million mark in the number of virus cases, only the second country to do so, the U.S. being the other. The death toll in Brazil is nearing the 50,000 mark.
20-Jun-2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a dire warning that the pandemic is entering a “new and dangerous” phase. Thursday saw the largest daily jump in cases since the the outbreak began.
19-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 23,400; new infections, 320; total deaths, 1,484; deaths today, 11. The number in ICU is 184. This is the third day in a row with more than 300 new cases.
19-Jun-2020 Indian officials have re-imposed a lockdown in the southern city of Chennai (formerly Madras) and three neighbouring districts as new cases surge.
18-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 23,080; new infections, 320; total deaths, 1,473; deaths today, 22. The number in ICU is 178. All these daily numbers are alarming and represent some of the highest figures in recent weeks.
18-Jun-2020 Latin America continues to be the new epicenter of COVID-19 with rapidly increasing numbers of infections. Peru has now overtaken Italy in the number of infections. Brazil will soon surpass one million confirmed cases. In other countries around the world, India saw its highest daily count of new cases, and Germany has put thousands into quarantine after more than 650 workers tested positive at a meat-packing plant.
18-Jun-2020 The latest forecasts estimate that the coronavirus pandemic is pushing Jews by the tens of thousands to move to Israel, especially from the United States. The Minister of Aliyah expects 90,000 new immigrants in the next 18 months.
18-Jun-2020 The coronavirus situation in Moldova has worsened. The number of new infections on Tuesday was 478, a record high. More troubling is the fact that 1,943 tests were made for an infection rate of 25%. By contrast, in Romania there were 345 new cases out of 11,715 individuals tested for a rate of 3%. So far as we know, none of the Bible Students in Moldova, Romania or neighboring Ukraine have been severely affected.
17-Jun-2020 Israeli scientists have created a reusable face mask which cleans itself in 30 minutes via a USB port.
17-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 22,760; new infections, 345; total deaths, 1,451; deaths today, 14. The number in ICU is 161. The daily infections number is the highest since May 7th.
17-Jun-2020 The U.S. has narrowed potential COVID-19 vaccine candidates to seven. Globally there are nearly 200 candidates with more than a dozen in human clinical trials.
17-Jun-2020 Most recent studies on coronavirus infection show that surface contamination and fleeting encounters are less of a worry than close-up, person-to-person interactions for extended periods. Another study seemed to confirm that sunlight can deactivate the virus.
17-Jun-2020 India said 20 of its soldiers died in a clash with Chinese troops along the two countries’ disputed border in the Himalayan Mountains, the worst military confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbors in decades.
16-Jun-2020 A cheap and widely available drug can help save the lives of patients seriously ill with coronavirus. The low-dose steroid treatment dexamethasone is a major breakthrough in the fight against the deadly virus, UK experts say.
16-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 22,415; new infections, 250; total deaths, 1,437; deaths today, 10. The number in ICU is 173.
16-Jun-2020 Tens of thousands of people who were at the Xinfadi wholesale market in Beijing, where a new outbreak orginated, have been told by Chinese officials to report for testing, and to go into home quarantine until further notice. Residents of the entire district are not permitted to leave Beijing.
16-Jun-2020 Tensions between North and South Korean have escalated in recent days. Threats turned into action today as North Korea blew up a border Liaison Office building. Redeployment of troops near the border is expected in the near future. Experts believe that Kim Jong Un is taking advantage of the global pandemic, as world leaders are preoccupied with the crisis.
16-Jun-2020 The global number of confirmed cases has surpassed eight million, with more than 436,000 deaths.
16-Jun-2020 Cases in India continue to reach record levels. Hospitals in the nation’s capital, Delhi, are “buckling under the pressure” and have had to turn patients away.
16-Jun-2020 The US FDA has withdrawn the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus. The drug has proven essential in the treatment of malaria and continues to be authorized for that purpose.
15-Jun-2020 Authorities in the Indian city of Chennai have reimposed a full lockdown after a surge in new cases on Friday.
15-Jun-2020 China’s official state media has been unusually downbeat today with a statement that “the risk of the Beijing epidemic spreading is very high” and hinting that the danger of a second wave is very real.
15-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 22,165; new infections, 166; total deaths, 1,427; deaths today, 17. The number in ICU is 175. The number of new infections is always lower based on Sunday’s tests which are far fewer than other days. More significant is the increase in deaths and those in ICU.
15-Jun-2020 Palestinian leaders are embracing a risky method of protest. They have begun refusing to coordinate with Israel on matters of daily Palestinian life. The consequences are enormous. “We put our finger in our mouth, bit ourselves, and are waiting for the Israelis to scream,” a Palestinian security official says, speaking on condition of anonymity.
15-Jun-2020 (Reuters) – Fears of a second wave of COVID-19 infections shut six major food markets in Beijing on Friday, while India, which opened up this week, recorded a record daily increase and half a dozen U.S. states said their hospital beds were filling up fast.
15-Jun-2020 Gatherings over the Memorial Day holiday weekend in late May have led to record numbers of new cases in many States in the U.S. The consequence of recent protests is yet to come. Most worrisome is the rise in hospitalizations which are also reaching record levels.
15-Jun-2020 President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that Russia was emerging from the novel coronavirus epidemic with minimal losses, having handled it better than the United States where he said party political interests got in the way.
14-Jun-2020 As coronavirus cases continue to rise nationwide in the U.S., protests also continue, and unrest in Atlanta erupted after a black man was shot and killed while resisting arrest.
14-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 21,999; new infections, 320; total deaths, 1,410; deaths today, 16. The number in ICU is 165. This is an alarming increase and the highest number since May 9th.
14-Jun-2020 Healthcare systems in India are becoming overwhelmed as the number of daily cases continues to exceed record highs.
14-Jun-2020 A temporary switch to a four-day work week is likely to become permanent in more and more companies around the world. Recent studies indicate a rise in productivity and morale related to the concept.
13-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 21,679; new infections, 275; total deaths, 1,394; deaths today, 14. The number in ICU is 171. This is the highest daily case total since May 9th.
13-Jun-2020 In Syria a burgeoning economic crisis engulfing even Bashar al-Assad’s most loyal supporters is now posing the biggest challenge to his grip on the country in years.
13-Jun-2020 Brazil has overtaken Great Britain as the country with the world’s second-highest Covid-19 death toll.
13-Jun-2020 Fears of a second wave of COVID-19 infections shut six major food markets in Beijing on Friday, while India, which opened up this week, recorded a record daily increase and half a dozen U.S. states said their hospital beds were filling up fast. Experts remark that many countries are still in the midst of the first wave.
12-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 21,404; new infections, 222; total deaths, 1,380; deaths today, 11. The number in ICU is 171. These numbers continue an elevated trend for the fourth day.
12-Jun-2020 A clinical researcher for the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has developed a potential “universal” vaccine using pieces of mosquito saliva protein. Trials showed that an Anopheles mosquito-based vaccine was safe and that it triggered antibody and cellular responses.
12-Jun-2020 New figures from India show the country now has the fourth most cases in the world, behind only Russia, Brazil, and the US. Overwhelmed hospitals have had to turn away COVID-19 patients.
12-Jun-2020 The number of confirmed cases in Russia has passed 500,000, the third-highest in the world, behind the US with more than two million and Brazil with over 800,000.
12-Jun-2020 Europe could face a surge of new infections in the coming weeks following recent mass protests, warn politicians, European Union officials and experts.
11-Jun-2020 New jobless claims in the U.S. fell again to 1.5 million from 1.8 million the week before. The total number of unemployed is more than 40 million.
11-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 21,182; new infections, 237; total deaths, 1,369; deaths today, 9. The number in ICU is 153. This continues to show an alarming trend over the past several days in new cases.
11-Jun-2020 The U.S. has the highest number of infections and deaths from COVID-19, but ranks a distant 11th when it comes to both infections and deaths per million people. Italy, Spain and the U.K. have death rates per million that are nearly double that of the U.S.
11-Jun-2020 The Palestinian Authority (PA) on Wednesday refused a planeload of medical supplies from the United Arab Emirates to help fight coronavirus because it was coordinated with Israel. This is the second such incident in the past month.
11-Jun-2020 With new infections rising in 21 States, the total number of confirmed cases in the U.S. has surpassed the two million mark. The rate of new infections in nine States is described as an “explosion”.
11-Jun-2020 An undisclosed number of National Guardsmen have contracted the coronavirus after being deployed to the recent protests. This increases concerns that the general public who attended those protests may have spread the virus amongst themselves.
10-Jun-2020 The head of the Pan-American Health Organization has stated that COVID-19 cases in Latin America are growing exponentially.
10-Jun-2020 The leaders of the six largest countries in the E.U. have issued a statement that Europe must prepare now for the next pandemic.
10-Jun-2020 Social Psychologists warn of potential riots this summer over the effects of COVID-19. Mass job losses, concerns over economic and racial inequality, poor police-community relations and other factors were cited as underlying causes.
10-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 20,945; new infections, 196; total deaths, 1,360; deaths today, 15. The number in ICU is 150. This shows an alarming trend over the past several days, both in new cases and deaths.
10-Jun-2020 Sadly, as expected, after loosening restrictions, 21 U.S. States and Puerto Rico have seen record high new infection rates of the coronavirus. Some States had increases of 40% for the week compared to the previous seven days.
10-Jun-2020 The World Health Organization has issued confusing and contradictory statements on three major coronavirus issues in the past two weeks. The statements involved the use of face masks, the use of hydroxychloroquine, and the asymptomatic transmission of the virus. A Retraction and a Reversal on the last two items came within only a day or two of the initial reports.
10-Jun-2020 U.S. top coronavirus expert Doctor Anthony Fauci has warned that the pandemic is far from over – despite many countries easing their restrictions.
10-Jun-2020 Several recent studies have confirmed that people with blood type O are less susceptible to COVID-19 while those with blood type A are more susceptible and more likely to have serious symptoms.
10-Jun-2020 Canada will now allow a “limited exemption” for immediate family members of Canadian citizens to cross from the U.S. into Canada. Many married couples of mixed nationality have been separated since March 21st.
09-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 20,749; new infections, 145; total deaths, 1,345; deaths today, 11. The number in ICU is 152..
09-Jun-2020 Israel has “put the emergency brake” on relaxing restrictions as new infections climb. The increase occurred after schools, beaches and shopping malls were allowed to reopen.
09-Jun-2020 The number of COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide has surpassed seven million, and the global death toll is now more than 400,000.
09-Jun-2020 The world’s leading foreign policy journal, Foreign Affairs, has painted a pessimistic picture of the post-pandemic future. They say that the crisis has highlighted inequalities, contributed to domestic unrest, increased surveillance that violates civil liberties, caused economic instability that will last for many years, and brought about a pandemic of misinformation that is “as contagious as the virus itself”.
09-Jun-2020 According to a Harvard Medical School study, analysis of traffic patterns on satellite imagery, coupled with search engine traffic using terms related to coronavirus symptoms, suggest that COVID-19 may have started in the Wuhan, China area as early as August of 2019. By October there was “significant social disruption” taking place.
09-Jun-2020 George Floyd served a five-year prison sentence in 2009 as part of a plea deal on a 2007 charge of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. After being freed from jail he became involved in his local ministry, Resurrection Houston.
09-Jun-2020 Public officials continue to plead with George Floyd protesters to respect social-distancing, to wear face masks, and to get tested for the coronavirus. Hundreds of thousands worldwide have participated in protests over the past week, putting themselves at serious risk for the virus.
09-Jun-2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that in spite of an improving situation in Europe, the pandemic is worsening globally.
09-Jun-2020 Texas and Florida are among states that have seen an increase in new infections since the lifting of restrictions. California has also seen a spike in new infections, especially near the Mexican border. The latest estimates project a U.S. death toll of 145,000 by August.
08-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 20,604; new infections, 125; total deaths, 1,334; deaths today, 8. The number in ICU is 146. The number of new infections is misleading, as only one-third as many tests were made in the past 24 hours compared to normal.
08-Jun-2020 NYC is preparing to open for business today, allowing as many as 400,000 people to return to work.
08-Jun-2020 The Indian State that has Mumbai as its capital now has more confirmed cases than all of China.
08-Jun-2020 A recent upward trend in new cases in Romania has increased the likelihood that the national State of Alert will be extended beyond June 15th. The County of Maramures has seen a slight increase in cases the past four days. Though the numbers are small, the trend is upward.
08-Jun-2020 Recent protests across the U.S. over the death of George Floyd could lead to new surges in coronavirus cases, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Friday.
08-Jun-2020 A majority of the Minneapolis City Council pledged to disband the police department in favor of a community-led safety model. There is a growing national movement in major cities to “defund” police departments. Ironically, a recent ABC poll shows that 52% of Americans back using the military to control violent protests.
08-Jun-2020 A recent WSJ / NBC poll showed that 80% of participants believe the U.S. is “spiraling out of control.”
08-Jun-2020 A recent increase in inquiries supports the forecast that the coronavirus pandemic could push up to a quarter million Jews to make Aliyah in the coming years.
07-Jun-2020 The President of the World Bank has declared that the coronavirus dealt a devastating blow to the world economy, and that the economic fallout could last more than a decade.
07-Jun-2020 Global coronavirus cases are near 7 million as the outbreak continues to grow in Brazil, India and Russia. The global death toll is now more than 400,000.
07-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 20,479; new infections, 189; total deaths, 1,326; deaths today, 8. The number in ICU is 144. This is the fourth day in a row when the number of new infections has remained at an elevated level.
07-Jun-2020 An injection of cloned antibodies that counteract Covid-19 could prove significant for those in the early stages of infection, according to the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
07-Jun-2020 Hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered on Saturday in Washington, D.C. and other cities around the world. Health experts continue to issue warnings that these gatherings are “seeding events” for the coronavirus. Demonstrations which started out peaceful, turned violent in several places such as Berlin and Hamburg.
06-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 20,290; new infections, 187; total deaths, 1,318; deaths today, 10. The number in ICU is 153. These numbers show an above average trend in the past three days.
06-Jun-2020 Protests continue around the world related to the death of African American George Floyd. Crowds are generally using face masks, but have defied curfews and social-distancing rules. Most protests have been peaceful.
06-Jun-2020 Infections continue to rise in India where more than 10,000 new cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours. Their total now exceeds that of Italy, and hospitals are struggling to cope. There are still no reports of Bible Students being severely affected by the virus in India.
06-Jun-2020 The 1918 pandemic is the worst in U.S. history, with more than 618,000 deaths, or 0.6% of the population at that time. Next on the list is the 1957 flu season when 116,000 died. That puts the current death toll at a close third with 109,000 deaths. But that equates to only 0.03% of the total population.
06-Jun-2020 Looting in the 20 largest metro areas in the U.S. caused more than $400 million in damages in the period from May 29th to June 3rd.
06-Jun-2020 Scientists and researchers looking for novel ways to treat the coronavirus have found that Vitamin-K is highly effective. The best way to obtain a healthy dose is by consuming more spinach, broccoli, blueberries and other fruits and vegetables. Clinical trials have been started.
06-Jun-2020 U.S. Democrats are threatening to end support for Israel if plans for annexation of portions of Judea and Samaria move forward.
06-Jun-2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) reports “upticks” in COVID-19 cases in countries where lockdowns have been eased. The official spokesperson stated: “It’s not over…” Concerns continue to be raised for those who are participating in protests and demonstrations, as often they are not wearing facemasks or respecting social distancing.
06-Jun-2020 The U.S. unemployment rate fell from 14.7% to 13.3% in May due to an unexpected surge in employment, with 2.5 million jobs being added.
06-Jun-2020 Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong , the billionaire physician and entrepreneur who owns The Los Angeles Times, announced that he is mobilizing two of his companies to develop a potential coronavirus vaccine.
05-Jun-2020 No major changes in situations around the world regarding the COVID-19 virus. No major changes in the crisis in the U.S.
05-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 20,103; new infections, 196; total deaths, 1,308; deaths today, 9. The number in ICU is 152.
04-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 19,907; new infections, 238; total deaths, 1,299; deaths today, 11. The number in ICU is 153. This is a dramatic increase in new infections compared to the past several days, the largest since May 16th.
04-Jun-2020 The official COVID-19 death toll in the U.K. has surpassed 50,000.
04-Jun-2020 Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nation’s leading infectious disease experts, believes that by early 2021, the U.S. will have “a couple of hundred million doses” of a vaccine for the coronavirus.
04-Jun-2020 George Floyd, whose in-custody death in Minneapolis last week triggered an avalanche of protests over the mistreatment of black people by police, tested positive for the coronavirus weeks before his death, an autopsy report released Wednesday shows. The virus was still in his system, but it is not clear if he was contagious at the time of his death. The latest autopsy findings show that the cause of death was cardiac arrest. Two autopsies have reported widely differing results.
04-Jun-2020 Protests in the U.S. were largely peaceful over night. Washington D.C. continues to be a hotspot and Trump has threatened to deploy the Military to control the situation.
04-Jun-2020 COVID-19 continues to decline in most countries in Europe and Asia, but Iran has seen an upsurge in recent days after relaxing restrictions. There has been a slow but steady decline in the U.S., but recent demonstrations raise the risk of another outbreak in the next week or so. Latin America continues to be the new epicenter of the disease.
04-Jun-2020 European borders have begun reopening in most countries, but the relaxation of travel restrictions often continues to exclude entry to those from the U.K. and Sweden.
04-Jun-2020 After concerns that hydroxychloroquine might actually increase mortality rates, the World Health Organization (WHO) has resumed trials. A study by an obscure healthcare company, which claimed the danger, has been declared as “seriously flawed” by numerous experts. The company, Surgisphere, has only a handful of employess including a sci-fi writer and other questionable individuals. How WHO decided to use the study as a basis for a major policy decision is unclear.
03-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 19,669; new infections, 152; total deaths, 1,288; deaths today, 9. The number in ICU is 162.
03-Jun-2020 Italy has reopened its borders and ended travel restrictions. The “R” rate in Berlin has risen dramatically to 1.95 which indicates a very high transmission rate for the virus there. The daily death toll has risen above 100 in France for the first time in two weeks.
03-Jun-2020 After initialing cautioning against its use in those with coronavirus, researchers are now suggesting that a special form of ibuprofen (Lipid) may be effective as a treatment.
03-Jun-2020 The Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the U.S. has been granted authority by the Department of Justice to conduct “covert surveillance” on people participating in protests. Several DEA officials are privately questioning the order, particularly why a drug enforcement agency is being used for something that is not drug related.
03-Jun-2020 Concerns continue to rise for an uncontrolled rise in COVID-19 infections due to the recent protests around the world. Some participants who were interviewed in Washington, D.C. admitted to being “immunocompromised” but felt that breaking quarantine was justified. A well-known athlete tested positive after participating in protests in Tulsa, OK.
03-Jun-2020 International reaction to the U.S. government crackdown on protests has come swiftly from all over the world, including many allies of the U.S., and the general tone is critical. There is growing opposition to President Trump even within his own party.
03-Jun-2020 More than 40 major cities in the U.S. have issued curfews, but protestors continue to defy the orders.
03-Jun-2020 Mumbai is the hardest hit city in India, with more than 40,000 infections. Now they face another crisis with approaching cyclone Nisarga, which is the first to hit the city since 1891.
02-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 19,517; new infections, 119; total deaths, 1,279; deaths today, 9. The number in ICU is 166.
02-Jun-2020 There are rising concerns that Doctor Anthony Fauci is being “squeezed out” of his prominent role in the national coronavirus taskforce. He stated publicly that his last interaction with Trump was on May 18th.
02-Jun-2020 Chaos continues in the U.S. with a growing numbers of States where the National Guard has been called up, increasing violence by rioters, as well as by law enforcement, additional casualties on both sides, etc. President Trump has threatened to use Military force nationwide against protesters.
02-Jun-2020 India has recorded daily records of new infections for several days in a row.
01-Jun-2020 Here’s a summary of the unrest in the U.S.: The National Guard has been called out in 21 States and the District of Columbia. Rioters started fires near the White House, causing damage to a nearby church. Curfews have been ignored in some 40 cities as protests and riots continue. The brother of the man who died in police custody has publicly condemned the violence and has asked protestors to “channel your anger elsewhere”.
01-Jun-2020 Researchers have begun testing what appears to be the first new medicine developed specifically against Covid-19. The medicine, a man-made antibody, was developed by Eli Lilly. If it proves effective, millions of doses could be made available as early as this Fall.
01-Jun-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 19,398; new infections, 141; total deaths, 1,270; deaths today, 8. The number in ICU is 159.
01-Jun-2020 Unrest continues in the U.S. and has become more widespread. The coronavirus is largely under control in Europe and Asia, but continues to spread in Russia and Latin America. The situation in the U.S. is unpredictable, as unrest there has the potential of causing explosive growth in new cases. The real impact will not be felt for up to two weeks.
31-May-2020 Studies continue to confirm that many COVID-19 infected people show no symptoms, and are not even aware they have the virus, potentially doubling the official numbers. “Asymptomatic” individuals can still transmit the infection to others.
31-May-2020 Testing for COVID-19 has been forced to stop in several major cities in the U.S. due to the rioting there. Concerns are also being raised for uncontrolled spreading of the virus by demonstrators and rioters.
31-May-2020 Unrest is reported in more than 30 cities in the U.S. which is reminiscent of race riots in the 1960s. The situation continues to escalate in spite of calls on both sides for peaceful demonstrations.
31-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 19,257; new infections, 124; total deaths, 1,262; deaths today, 9. The number in ICU is 160.
31-May-2020 The eyes of the world are now focused on riots in more than two dozen major cities in the U.S. The National Guard has been called in by Governors of nearly a dozen States. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 situation continues to progress in the background, with more than six million cases confirmed worldwide.
30-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 19,133; new infections, 151; total deaths, 1,253; deaths today, 13. The number in ICU is 160.
30-May-2020 Scientists and health professionals around the world have expressed concerns about relaxing restrictions too soon and too rapidly.
30-May-2020 India has recorded its largest daily increase in cases to-date. Brazil faces rapidly increasing numbers of both infections and deaths. Russia continues to have high numbers as well.
29-May-2020 Siberia is experiencing a record-breaking heat wave with temperatures higher than 80 F (26 C), which is far above the 59 F (15 C) average for this time of year, stoking fears of another wildfire catastrophe. Related flooding last year severely affected our Sisters in Tulun.
29-May-2020 Objections have been raised by 120 researchers and professionals around the world to a study published in the Lancet which prompted the World Health Organization to halt global trials of the drug hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19.
29-May-2020 Twitter hid President Trump’s tweet threatening to shoot looters in Minneapolis as “glorifying violence”.
29-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 18,982; new infections, 191; total deaths, 1,240; deaths today, 11. The number in ICU is 182.
29-May-2020 500 National Guard solders were called out in Minneapolis to control non-coronavirus related rioting there. A police precinct complex was taken over by violent protestors and set on fire. Protests have broken out in a number of major cities nationwide, over the killiing by police of an unarmed black man.
29-May-2020 Unemployment claims in the U.S. increased another two million to bring the total to more than 40 million, and the largest percentage since the Great Depression.
29-May-2020 Croatia has opened its borders to 10 E.U. member countries. Hotels are now allowed to reopen in Austria, under strict guidelines.
29-May-2020 Regional clusters of coronavirus are springing up around the world in countries where restrictions have been lifted. South Korea is in a “crisis situation’ after successfully suppressing the virus to near zero. Cases have also increased dramatically in Germany. New outbreaks have also been seen in France, Israel, Italy, and Spain.
29-May-2020 The Boston Marathon has been cancelled for the first time in history.
28-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 18,791; new infections, 197; total deaths, 1,229; deaths today, 10. The number in ICU is 182. Though not a big difference, the number of infections have risen now for the third day in a row.
28-May-2020 Dr. Anthony Fauci is now saying that he believes there’s a good chance a COVID-19 vaccine may be ready for deployment by November or December. More than 150,000 volunteers will be tested with a half dozen of the most promising candidates.
28-May-2020 The Palestinian Authority (PA) has ceased all security cooperation with Israel in protest against plans to annex portions of Judea and Samaria. Ironically, this opens the door for an amared coup by Hamas to take over the PA. More than 300 organizations tied to Hamas were shut down by the PA in 2019 with the help of Israel.
28-May-2020 According to Israel Hayom, the rulers of Arab states including Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia are quietly accepting the annexation plan, despite public statements condemning Israel’s actions.
28-May-2020 The official statistics from the U.S. show a huge proportion of virus deaths in the over 65 category. In Romania 58% of confirmed cases have been in the 30-59 age range and only 13% in the 70 and older group.
28-May-2020 The U.S. death toll from the virus has surpassed 100,000 which is the highest by far of any country in the world. However, the rate of deaths per million of population is ninth on the list.
27-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 18,594; new infections, 165; total deaths, 1,219; deaths today, 9. The number in ICU is 198.
27-May-2020 The deputy director of the infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology believes the novel coronavirus is just the tip of the iceberg, and warned about future similar viruses. However, she dispelled rumors of the outbreak originating in the Wuhan lab: “The 2019 novel coronavirus is a punishment by nature to humans’ unsanitary lifestyles. I promise with my life that the virus has nothing to do with the lab,” Zhengli wrote.
27-May-2020 The Israeli Institute for Biological Research revealed on Tuesday that two drugs designed to treat Gaucher’s disease, a genetic disorder that causes a buildup of fatty substances in organs, has turned out to be effective against the coronavirus.
27-May-2020 Global totals have surpassed 5.5 million confirmed cases, and nearly 350,000 have died. Numbers continue to decrease in most countries, with Latin America being the exception. The U.S. saw its lowest daily death toll since mid-March.
26-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 18,429; new infections, 146; total deaths, 1,210; deaths today, 17. The number in ICU is 181.
26-May-2020 India recorded its highest daily increase in infections on Monday, even as restrictions began to be lifted, and domestic flights resumed.
26-May-2020 The World Health Organization has paused its trial of hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 patients due to safety concerns after early results showed an increased death rate in those receiving the drug.
26-May-2020 “The worst is over.” That is the latest thinking on the coronavirus, not only regarding the direct effects of the virus, but related to the financial impacts as well. The biggest concerns now are for a second wave resulting from relaxed restrictions.
25-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 18,283; new infections, 213; total deaths, 1,193; deaths today, 14. The number in ICU is 177.
25-May-2020 COVID-19 is finally taking a backseat, as today’s headlines are mostly about politics.
25-May-2020 The daily death toll in the U.S. continues to decrease, but the total is edging closer to the 100,000 mark.
25-May-2020 The CDC has revised the estimated fatality rate for COVID-19 to 0.26% which is much lower than previous estimates. The lower death rate is due to a higher rate of cases with no symptoms.
24-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 18,070; new infections, 213; total deaths, 1,179; deaths today, 9. The number in ICU is 188.
24-May-2020 Israel is one of the most successful countries in dealing with the coronavirus. There were only 4 new cases reported in the past 24 hours. The recovery rate is more than 84% of the 17 thousand total cases, and the death rate is less than 1.7% of that total.
23-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 17,857; new infections, 145; total deaths, 1,170; deaths today, 11. The number in ICU is 196.
23-May-2020 Censorship of various electronic media considered inappropriate has raised concerns after a significant percentage of incidents involved legitimate content. Even some Bible Student materials have been suppressed because of factual references to terrorism and COVID-19.
23-May-2020 The top four candidates for a COVID-19 vaccine have shown promising results in recent trials. Doctor Anthony Fauci expressed cautious optimism.
23-May-2020 A recent study in South Korea showed that those who recovered from COVID-19, and later tested positive, did not pass the disease to others.
23-May-2020 Conflicts between the White House and State Governors continue as the President identified places of worship as “essential” while legal authority for giving this status resides with the individual States. Consequently, thousands of churches have expressed their intentions to resume services in defiance of local laws.
23-May-2020 There are still several important questions regarding the coronavirus that remain unanswered: Are children without symptoms able to pass the disease to others? Will there be a second wave? Do recovered patients have immunity to the virus, and if so, for how long?
23-May-2020 Latin America has now become the epicenter of the virus with increasing infection and death rates. Cases in Africa are also rising, though the official death count there is relatively low.
23-May-2020 A recent limited study on the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 patients saw no benefits. A more comprehensive study on the drug is still underway.
22-May-2020 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed the wording on its website earlier this month to emphasize that the coronavirus is not easily spread through contact with contaminated surfaces.
22-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 17,712; new infections, 127; total deaths, 1,159; deaths today, 8. The number in ICU is 200. These are the lowest numbers since March 26th.
22-May-2020 BerGenBio, a biotechnology company that employs just 38 people based in Bergen, Norway, and Oxford, England, has developed a drug called bemcentinib, which is currently in phase two of clinical trials.
22-May-2020 Add another major company to the growing list of those shifting to a permanent work-at-home policy: Facebook.
21-May-2020 Jobless claims in the U.S. increased another 2.4 million to bring the total to 38.6 million, or roughly one-fourth of the workforce.
21-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 17,585; new infections, 198; total deaths, 1,151; deaths today, 10. The number in ICU is 203.
21-May-2020 Another DNA vaccine, being tested by the Harvard Medical School, has shown “stunning results” in trials with rhesus monkeys.
21-May-2020 Faint text has been revealed on parchments of the Dead Sea scrolls previously thought to be blank. New advanced scanning techniques were used to analyze a number of scroll fragments.
21-May-2020 India’s Chief Minister has stated that Cyclone Amphan is a bigger disaster than the coronavirus. Millions were displaced and thousands have been left homeless. Evacuations were severely hampered by coronavirus concerns.
21-May-2020 The choice of words by leading U.S. politicans has descended further into the realm of the vulgar and obscene. The content of heated exchanges on both sides of the political spectrum has reached a new low in recent days.
21-May-2020 There is a cyber-war raging between Israel and Iran. Hundreds of websites were attacked in Israel on Thursday. This is seemingly retaliation for a supposed Israeli attack on a major Iranian Port on Wednesday which essentially disabled the facility for an extended period of time.
21-May-2020 Most COVID-19 tests are rather invasive, but now Israeli Professor Gabby Sarusi of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has developed a one-minute breathalyzer test with a 96% accuracy rate.
21-May-2020 Wednesday saw the highest daily number of confirmed cases worldwide since the beginning of the pandemic. The number of confirmed cases globally has now surpassed the five million mark. Half of those cases are in only five countries, and well over one-fourth are in the U.S.
20-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 17,387; new infections, 196; total deaths, 1,141; deaths today, 15. The number in ICU is 198.
20-May-2020 New York City transit officials announced on Tuesday that they are launching a pilot program using ultraviolet light to disinfect its subway cars and buses. However, it is not safe to expose humans to UV light for prolonged periods.
20-May-2020 The U.S. has extended border restrictions, with Canada and Mexico, indefinitely.
20-May-2020 Controversy continues regarding the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19. The official FDA leaflet which is distributed with the drug lists all possible side-effects. Last on the list is cardiomyopathy (later stages of arrythmia) which the leaflet states: “has been rarely reported with high daily dosages of hydroxychloroquine.” There is very little danger when taken at recommended dosages, but always under a doctor’s supervision, and must be combined with Zinc at early stages of the virus in order to be effective.
20-May-2020 Global numbers of confirmed infections are edging towards 5 million cases.
20-May-2020 The World Health Organization’s annual assembly agreed to set up an independent inquiry into the global response to the coronavirus pandemic. The resolution was approved without objection by the 194 members participating.
19-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 17,191; new infections, 155; total deaths, 1,126; deaths today, 19. The number in ICU is 195.
19-May-2020 Research in Israel by Tel Aviv University reveals that 70% of all COVID-19 cases in the country had their origin in the U.S.
19-May-2020 Top hurricane forecasters are predicting an above average Atlantic hurricane season. The historical average is 12. Forecasts for 2020 range from 15 to 22. Though many States have lifted coronavirus restrictions. there are concerns as to how a major hurricane landfall might complicate matters. The first named storm formed on May 16, several weeks ahead of the official start of the season. Meanwhile, the strongest storm ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal is heading for landfall in India, severely complicating pandemic efforts there.
19-May-2020 The official U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 90,000. This figure is nearly as high as the next three countries combined. The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. is now above 1.5 million.
19-May-2020 Biotech company Moderna announced that its potential COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA-1273, produced antibodies in all 45 participants in a trial, a significant milestone in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
18-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 17,036; new infections, 165; total deaths, 1,107; deaths today, 10. The number in ICU is 193.
18-May-2020 After reaching record low levels, pollution in China has now risen to levels that are higher than a year ago for the same period.
18-May-2020 More than 100 countries have joined the call for an independent inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak. The measure will be considered at the World Health Assembly now in virtual session.
18-May-2020 India has extended its lockdown another two weeks, though some restrictions have been eased. The number of new infections hit its highest daily total yesterday.
18-May-2020 The number of daily coronavirus deaths continues to decrease in most of the hardest hit countries. By contrast, the number is still very high in the U.S. where the total is approaching 90,000.
18-May-2020 Israel’s parliament approved the new unity government on Sunday, ending more than a year of political deadlock. One of the first items on the agenda for the new government is the annexation of parts of Judea and Samaria.
18-May-2020 As the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc in America, aliyah offices report requests to move to Israel have tripled compared to the same period last year.
17-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 16,871; new infections, 167; total deaths, 1,097; deaths today, 16. The number in ICU is 205.
17-May-2020 A program to train dogs to sniff out COVID-19 is continuing in several countries including the U.S. and Great Britain. Canines have been successfully trained to sniff out other diseases in humans.
17-May-2020 All but two States in the U.S. have reopened, but protests continue. Germany has relaxed most of the restrictions there, but largescale demonstrations continue to take place in major cities, attracting thousands. Romania lifted many of the lockdown measures in force, but hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Bucharest on the weekend to protest those rules that remain.
17-May-2020 Polarization was a marked feature in Society before COVID-19 and now it is even more prominent. This is the conclusion of a variety of studies by well-known and respected research groups in the U.S. and Europe.
17-May-2020 Italy is considering a proposal to reopen its borders in June as the numbers there continue to show gradual improvement.
16-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 16,704; new infections, 267; total deaths, 1,081; deaths today, 25. The number in ICU is 206.
15-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 16,437; new infections, 190; total deaths, 1,056; deaths today, 10. The number in ICU is 219.
15-May-2020 Total infections globally have surpassed 4.5 million, with more than 300,000 deaths.
15-May-2020 New infections in Russia have reached a plateau, but at an incredibly high level, being over 10,000 per day for many days.
15-May-2020 Germany has joined a long list of countries which have officially entered an economic recession.
15-May-2020 The State of Emergency has been allowed to expire in Romania, and has been replaced by a “State of Alert” which relaxes a number of restrictions.
15-May-2020 Another security update to ZOOM has been released recently. If not automatically prompted to upgrade, it is important to do so manually using the “Check for Updates” option.
15-May-2020 Millions of pigs must be euthenized in the U.S. as meatpacking plants remain closed. The same problem has affected beef and poultry to a lesser extent.
15-May-2020 India had a record wheat harvest, but farmers are unable to sell their crops due to supply chain issues caused by coronavirus restrictions. Much of the crop may be lost if this problem is not solved in the next few days.
15-May-2020 The Unity Government of Israel was officially sworn in thursday evening, thus ending a political crisis which dragged on for nearly 18 months and saw three elections without a majority government.
14-May-2020 U. S. Unemployment claims increased another three million last week, bringing the total to 36.5 million, or nearly 15% of the workforce.
14-May-2020 Until now, young children have been considered to be virtually immune from the COVID-19 virus, but many countries are now reporting many cases of a rare Kawasaki-like disease that is thought to be a delayed immune response to the virus.
14-May-2020 One of the world’s busiest airports is in Frankfurt, Germany. Statistics for April show passenger traffic is down 97% from a year ago.
14-May-2020 Official figures for global virus deaths are nearing 300,000 but the real total is considered to be much higher.
14-May-2020 The legality of restrictions and enforcement laws have come under increased scrutiny by courts in various countries. The Romanian Supreme Court ruled recently that fines for failure to comply with emergency laws was unconstitutional. Wisconsin’s stay-at-home order has been struck down by the State’s Supreme Court. Similar actions have been or will be considered in other places.
14-May-2020 Jordan’s Parliament was overruled by their Supreme Court stating that a 10 billion dollar deal with Israel to supply natural gas can only be annulled by Jordan’s King. Therefore the agreement will continue in force.
14-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 16,247; new infections, 245; total deaths, 1,046; deaths today, 30. The number in ICU is 225.
13-May-2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) has made repeated statements that COVID-19 “may never go away” and that an effective vaccine may never be developed. They warn that the world may need to learn to live with the virus.
13-May-2020 New York City has registered the lowest number of pedestrian fatalies since 1983. The city has increased the number of streets open to pedestrian only traffic to more than 100 miles.
13-May-2020 The largest state university system in the U.S. is moving all classes online in September. California State University has about 480,000 students.
13-May-2020 In what is becoming a more frequent news item, another country has seen a spike in new cases after lifting restrictions. Poland had its largest increase in a single day.
13-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 16,002; new infections, 224; total deaths, 1,016; deaths today, 25. The number in ICU is 228.
13-May-2020 In what is being called “era-defining news” Twitter has told employees that work-from-home will now be allowed “forever”. Other companies are expected to follow suit.
13-May-2020 The number of virus deaths in the U.S. doubled in the past 24 hours, after being below 1,000 for 2 days, to nearly 2,000.
12-May-2020 Russia now has more confirmed cases than anywhere else in the world except the U.S., and Putin’s official spokesman has tested positive for the virus and was taken to hospital in Moscow.
12-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 15,778; new infections, 190; total deaths, 991; deaths today, 19. The number in ICU is 238. This is the 3rd day in a row when new infections and deaths have decreased.
12-May-2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to lie about and condemn Israeli health support to Palestinians, which in fact far exceeds that of both the PA Authority and Hamas.
12-May-2020 An Israeli soldier was killed this morning in a stone-throwing attack in northern Samaria. The incident occurred when security forces were escorting suspected terrorists out of the area and came under a barrage of massive rocks. Even though the soldier was wearing a helmet, the size of the projectile was too large to protect him.
12-May-2020 The Global economic impact of COVID-19 is the worst since the Great Depression, and in some places, like the U.K. (going back to 1760), the decline is the worst ever. The latest country to report statistics is Australia where GDP will shrink more than 10%, the worst since record-keeping began.
12-May-2020 India has recorded its biggest daily spike in confirmed infections.
12-May-2020 The Palestinian Authority, taking advantage of the absence of Civil Administration inspectors during the coronavirus shutdown, is consolidating its takeover of “Tel Aroma,” a Hasmonean fortress in Samaria. “The PA’s most recent project has caused unspeakable damage to the antiquities at this unique site,” NGO Regavim reveals.
12-May-2020 The unemployment rate in Israel has risen to 27.6 percent, compared to 3.9 percent before the pandemic.
12-May-2020 Doctor Anthony Fauci, who often gave opposing points of view to those of President Trump, has expressed his concerns about removing restrictions too quickly. He will testify remotely before the Senate later today.
12-May-2020 The White House is considering more direct stimulus payments to Americans, while more than 20 million Americans have not yet received their first Federal stimulus checks.
12-May-2020 Anti-lockdown protesters entered a Subway sandwich shop in North Carolina with nearly a dozen of them carrying heavy weapons, including an apparent rocket launcher.
12-May-2020 The death toll in the U.S. has passed the 80,000 mark.
12-May-2020 President Trump has mandated the wearing of face masks in the West Wing of the White House, though he continues to refuse to wear one himself.
12-May-2020 A lack of respect for social-distancing in countries where lockdowns have been eased is causing concern for a second wave of the coronavirus. Pictures are emerging of crowds at shopping malls and in restaurants without face masks.
12-May-2020 South Korea has been one of the most successful countries in controlling the virus. It only took one infected person, who visited a number of bars and clubs, to threaten much of that hard work. At least 100 new cases have been reported among the more than 1,500 individuals who were in close proximity to the infected individual. The number of new infections is expected to grow. The re-opening of schools there has now been delayed.
12-May-2020 In spite of an explosive increase in new cases, Russia has allowed their lockdown rules to expire. Restrictions will be lifted beginning today. The death rate there had been relatively low, but it has begun to grow exponentially as well. Putin’s approval ratings have declined significantly.
12-May-2020 In Germany, the infection rate grew for the 3rd consecutive day. Restrictions may need to be reimposed.
12-May-2020 New cases continue to fall in New York. The State Governor has announced an easing of restrictions to begin on May 15th.
12-May-2020 Ukraine has begun to ease restrictions, allowing many businesses to open, including restaurants, but only if they serve customers at outside terraces and observe distancing rules.
11-May-2020 The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia continues to soar. There were nearly 12,000 new infections in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to more than 220,000 representing the third highest in the world, overtaking the U.K. and Italy. However, the death rate is lower than many other countries.
11-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 15,588; new infections, 226; total deaths, 972; deaths today, 20. The number in ICU is 255.
11-May-2020 The number of confirmed infections in Europe has surpassed 1.5 million.
11-May-2020 A team of researchers in Hong Kong have released a report detailing how the COVID-19 virus is 80 to 100 times more “effective” at infecting humans through the eyes and upper respiratory airways than SARS and the Bird Flu.
11-May-2020 Iran accidentally sunk one of its own navy vessels while testing a new anti-ship missile, killing dozens of sailors and injuring many more.
11-May-2020 U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff member, Gen. Joseph Lengyel, tested both positive and negative for the coronavirus.
11-May-2020 Railway services are slowly resuming in India for the first time in nearly 50 days.
11-May-2020 The number of confirmed virus deaths in the U.S. is nearing 80,000 but the latest daily toll, 776, was the lowest since March.
11-May-2020 Several countries where restrictions were eased are experiencing rising numbers of infections. China, Germany and South Korea are among the countries that have either reimposed, or are considering a reimposition of rules.
11-May-2020 In a major policy speech, Boris Johnson outlined the easing of restrictions in the United Kingdom. The “conditional plan” has met with mixed reactions. Regional authorities and leading politicians claim the wording is confusing and dangerous, lacking clarity and consensus. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have stated they will not follow the new guidelines.
10-May-2020 The “R-value” is the number of individuals that are infected by each person who has the virus. Any number less than 1 indicates that the virus is declining and any number greater than 1 indicates that the virus is spreading. After being less than 1 for some weeks in Germany, the number has gone above 1 again, causing renewed concerns.
10-May-2020 The number of cases in Russia continues to climb, with more than 11,000 in the past 24 hours, for a total that is now more than 200,000.
10-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 15,362; new infections, 231; total deaths, 952; deaths today, 26. The number in ICU is 242.
10-May-2020 A “second wave” is feared in South Korea after a spike in new cases. Officials believe the outbreak was caused by an infected individual who visited some popular night-spots, exposing more than 1,500 people.
10-May-2020 Three members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force have self-isolated after coming in contact with the two White House aids that tested positive for the virus. The head of the CDC, the FDA Commissioner and Doctor Anthony Fauci are in voluntary stay-at-home quarantine.
10-May-2020 The number of confirmed cases worldwide has now exceeded four million.
09-May-2020 It was a rather quiet day news-wise. No major events were reported.
09-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 15,131; new infections, 320; total deaths, 926; deaths today, 28. The number in ICU is 245.
08-May-2020 Another individual has tested positive in the White House, this time a personal aid to Vice President Pence. This is the second case in 24 hours, and raises concerns for the entire White House staff. As a point of interest, the current line of succession to the Presidency, after the Vice President, is Speaker of the House: Nancy Pelosi.
08-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 14,811; new infections, 312; total deaths, 898; deaths today, 22. The number in ICU is 232.
08-May-2020 Confirmed infections in Russia continue to climb with more than 10,000 new cases for the 6th day in a row.
08-May-2020 Lockdowns around the world have put a number of insect-harming practices on hold, creating a friendlier world for wild bees.
08-May-2020 France has begun to lift restrictions, but those in the Paris area and the hardest-hit North-East sector of the country will remain in effect. Incidentally, those two areas are where the vast majority of Bible Students in France are located
08-May-2020 The European Commissioner for Internal Affairs has proposed that Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia join the Schengen zone. The COVID-19 virus dealt a serious blow to the open border policy of the E.U. The new proposal would endeavor to apply a coordinated effort in lifting current restrictions which are now dictated by individual member countries.
08-May-2020 The death toll in the U.S. increased again on May 7th after nearly doubling the day before. The new total now exceeds 75,000.
08-May-2020 Some airlines will begin to check passengers’ temperatures before allowing them to board flights. Temperature checks are also being incorporated at a number of airports as a part of passenger security screening.
08-May-2020 History shows that the second wave of the 1918 Spanich Flu epidemic was far worse than the first. The cause is widely believed to be due to premature lifting of restrictions on public gatherings. There are fears that the same thing will happen with the coronavirus if adequate precautions are not taken.
08-May-2020 The Israeli Knesset will swear in the new Unity Government on May 13th. A number of existing laws were changed to accommodate the unique new arrangement, including extending the government’s term to 4-1/2 years.
08-May-2020 A personal valet of President Donald Trump has tested positive for the coronavirus, necessitating daily testing of all White House staff. So far Trump and Pence have tested negative.
08-May-2020 China has announced that it will support the World Health Organization (WHO) investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 virus.
08-May-2020 Several major corporations, including Google and Facebook, have announced that they will allow employees to work from home until the end of the year. In a related matter, education leaders across the U.S. (AFT and AEI) have put forth plans for schools that include remote learning, perhaps for years. It appears that “work from home” and “learn from home” will likely become part of the “new normal” for the foreseeable future.
07-May-2020 Unemployment claims in the U.S. rose by another 3.2 milion bringing the new total to some 33 million. More than one in five households in the U.S. is struggling to provide enough food, while 40% of homes with children were “food insecure.”
07-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 14,499; new infections, 392; total deaths, 876; deaths today, 18. The number in ICU is 234. The trend is difficult to predict.
07-May-2020 COVID-19 Deaths in the U.S. more than doubled during the past 24 hours, to 2,333 compared to 1,015 on May 5th.
07-May-2020 In a reversal of any earlier statement, the White House now says that the Coronavirus Task Force will not be disbanded, but rather “re-shaped.”
07-May-2020 Israel is preparing to carrry out 100,000 antibody tests on its citizens to more accurately determine the extent of “herd immunity”, and to prepare for a possible 2nd wave.
07-May-2020 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo now says that the U.S. is not certain regarding the origin of the COVID-19 virus.
07-May-2020 Germany has removed nearly all restrictions. All shops are permitted to reopen. Families can meet and eat in public. People can visit relatives in care homes. Students will return to school before the summer break.
06-May-2020 The European Commission has warned that the E.U. faces a “recession of historic proportions” ranging from 6.5% to 10% declines in member State economies. This pressure puts the single currency [Euro] under threat.
06-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 14,107; new infections, 270; total deaths, 858; deaths today, 31. The number in ICU is 244.
06-May-2020 Russia continues to see high numbers of new infections, seeing more than 10,000 cases for the fourth day in a row.
06-May-2020 The German central government continues to work with State leaders on removing additional restrictions. In Austria, the lifting of restrictions has not caused an uptick in infections.
06-May-2020 The death toll in the United States from COVID-19 has now exceeded 70,000.
06-May-2020 The Israel Institute for Biological Research has developed an antibody that attacks the coronavirus, defense officials said Tuesday. At a press conference Monday night, Prime Minister Netanyahu cautioned that the work is ongoing and not final.
06-May-2020 In a surprise move, President Trump has announced that the Coronavirus Task Force will be disbanded. The 22 member group was chaired by Vice President Mike Pence and included individuals such as Doctor Anthony Fauci and Doctor Deborah Birx.
05-May-2020 A trial is underway in South Africa to test whether the BCG vaccine against tuberculosis might be effective against the coronavirus. There is currently no evidence to support such effectiveness.
05-May-2020 A number of major cities around the world, including New York, have closed miles of city streets to vehicular traffic, and turned them into pedestrian malls.
05-May-2020 The United Kingdom has overtaken Italy to report the highest official death from coronavirus in Europe: more than 32,000.
05-May-2020 There are increased concerns that the recent relaxation of restrictions in the U.S. and other countries could lead to a surge in new cases as well as deaths. Some researchers have increased their estimates for U.S. deaths to more than 130,000.
05-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 13,837; new infections, 325; total deaths, 827; deaths today, 24. The number in ICU is 244.
05-May-2020 India has reported its largest one day spike in new infections at more than 3,900. This may be the result of increased testing.
05-May-2020 Nearly one-third of Australian mobile phone users have downloaded the government authorized contact-tracing app.
05-May-2020 The death toll in the United States from COVID-19 rose by 1,015 in the past 24 hours, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally. The number is the lowest one-day figure in a month.
04-May-2020 More and more countries, including France, are implementing video surveillance in public places to enforce social distancing.
04-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 13,512; new infections, 349; total deaths, 803; deaths today, 23. The number in ICU is 243.
04-May-2020 The Sister who works at a care home in England has recovered from the virus and has gone back to work. A younger couple living in England have been infected, but their condition does not appear to be serious.
04-May-2020 France, Italy and Spain have registered the lowest daily death tolls in several weeks. Austria, Australia, India, Italy, Poland, the U.S. and other countries are gradually emerging from lockdown. At the same time, the virus is surging in Russia.
04-May-2020 Latest statements from the U.S. Government repeat the conclusion that the COVID-19 virus was from nature (not engineered), but that it probably did escape from a research lab in Wuhan. There is still no concrete evidence to support the latter speculation.
04-May-2020 The global death toll is nearing a quarter of a million and total infections have topped three and a half million.
04-May-2020 Expert assessment, including a Department of Homeland Security report, concludes that China intentionally concealed the severity of the coronavirus from the international community in the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak.
04-May-2020 Catholic bishops in Germany “made themselves complicit” in Nazi crimes according to a report by the German Bishops’ Conference.
03-May-2020 There are only a handful of Bible Students in Russia, and none of them have been infected by the virus, but the general infection rate and death rate there are now among the highest in the world. There were more than 10,000 new cases in the past 24 hours.
03-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 13,163; new infections, 431; total deaths, 780; deaths today, 25. The number in ICU is 255. Today’s new infections are much higher, while yesterday’s were extremely low. The real figures are probably the average of the two.
03-May-2020 Scientists have concluded that some “false positives” are a result of dead lung cells from a previous infection.
03-May-2020 Visitors to the U.K. may be required to download the contact-tracing app in order to enter the country. This concept may be adopted by other countries as well.
03-May-2020 For the first time in 20 years, the Sea of Galilee is full after an unusually rainy winter. The lake provides about 25% of Israel’s fresh water needs. The water level increased by 13 feet in the past two years.
03-May-2020 The number of deaths from COVID-19 continue a downward trend in several hard-hit countries, including France, Germany, Italy and the U.K.
03-May-2020 Three recent studies show that blood pressure drugs do not make individuals more susceptible to the coronavirus. This is contrary to rumors that have circulated on the internet in recent weeks.
03-May-2020 Based on information from the CDC in the U.S. the number of COVID-19 deaths there is probably higher by 9,000 or more.
03-May-2020 Thousands of shops have been allowed to open in Austria, including those in Malls, barbershops and beauty salons.
03-May-2020 The U.K. will roll out its government authorized contact-tracing app by mid-May. It will be similar to one already implemented in Germany.
02-May-2020 France has extended their state of emergency until July 24th. Some measures will be lifted during that time on a regional basis.
02-May-2020 India is the latest country to make a government authorized contact-tracing app available. All public and private sector workers will be required to use it. In Australia, more than four million people have downloaded the contact-tracing app, where it is voluntary. A number of other countries are considering a similar arrangement.
02-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 12,732; new infections, 165; total deaths, 755; deaths today, 29. The number in ICU is 265. Weekend figures are often lower due to fewer tests being conducted.
02-May-2020 Pandemic experts are consistently warning that the coronavirus could last up to two more years, and that the second wave could be worse than the first.
02-May-2020 Scientists working for the US military have designed a new Covid-19 test that could potentially identify carriers before they become infectious and spread the disease.
02-May-2020 The White House has blocked Dr. Anthony Fauci from testifying on the U.S. response to the COVID-19 virus.
02-May-2020 The Gilead antiviral drug Remdesivir was granted emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19.
02-May-2020 Kim Jong Un appeared at the opening of a fertilizer factory in North Korea, ending a three-week absence that fueled speculation of his death.
01-May-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 12,567; new infections, 327; total deaths, 726; deaths today, 31. The number in ICU is 249.
01-May-2020 Dr. Anthony Fauci predicts that millions of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine will be available to the general public by January.
01-May-2020 About half of U.S. States are easing restrictions after Federal orders expired on April 30th.
01-May-2020 More than 140,000 treatment courses of the new drug Remdesivir will be available by the end of May.
01-May-2020 Australia has had tremendeous success in controlling the spread of COVID-19. Consequently, social distancing restrictions will begin to be lifted there on May 8th.
01-May-2020 A more favorable milestone has been passed today: More than one million people have recovered from the virus worldwide.
30-Apr-2020 U.S. Intelligence has concluded that the COVID-19 virus was not manmade or genetically engineered. This does not eliminate the possibility that the virus escaped from the Wuhan Bio lab.
30-Apr-2020 The Prime Minister of Russia, Mikhail Mishustin, has been diagnosed with coronavirus.
30-Apr-2020 Germany has relaxed restrictions by allowing children’s playgrounds and museums to reopen, and church services to resume under strict social distancing and hygiene rules.
30-Apr-2020 Unemployment claims in the U.S. have now exceeded 30 million.
30-Apr-2020 Today marks the fourth day in a row that the number of new cases has risen in Germany. However, the infection rate has dropped to .75 after being briefly above 1 which is the level at which new infections continue to rise.
30-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 12,240; new infections, 262; total deaths, 695; deaths today, 20. The number in ICU is 221.
30-Apr-2020 With projections showing a well above average Atlantic hurricane season, disaster experts are raising concerns about the government’s capacity to simultaneously manage the coronavirus crisis and a landfalling hurricane.
30-Apr-2020 The COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. has now surpassed 60,000 which is more than 25% of the total worldwide.
30-Apr-2020 An experimental treatment from Japan, Avigan (Favipiravir), has begun human clinical trials in Israel. Recovery times were cut from 11 days to 4 days in early tests.
29-Apr-2020 A German company working with US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has begun human trials of a potential Covid-19 vaccine that could supply millions of doses by the end of the year, according to the two firms.
29-Apr-2020 A new trial of Gilead Sciences Inc’s drug Remdesivir, which helped patients who were treated early, has been acknowledged by Dr. Anthony Fauci. This is in contrast to an older Chinese study where mortality rates were higher, but in that study the drug was administered late, was conducted on a much smaller test group, and was not allowed to go to completion..
29-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 11,978; new infections, 362; total deaths, 663; deaths today, 13. The number in ICU is 247.
29-Apr-2020 The U.S. State Department has declared that they would be ready to recognize an Israeli application of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
29-Apr-2020 More than 10% of the population of Australia has voluntarily downloaded the government-sponsored contact tracing app.
29-Apr-2020 Only three states (MI, ND and NE) and the District of Columbia will have enough staff to do necessary contract tracing once restrictions are lifted.
29-Apr-2020 The total number of confirmed cases in the United States has now exceeded one million. None of the 50 States has met the recommended guidelines for reopening (a 14-day drop in cases).
28-Apr-2020 Shortages of meat products in the U.S. will continue to worsen as producers are forced to euthenize pigs, chickens and other livestock due to a breakdown in the supply chain and the closing of major meat-packing plants due to the coronavirus.
28-Apr-2020 Austria has announced further steps to relax its lockdown. Stay-at-home orders will be allowed to expire on April 30th. Public gatherings will be limited to 10 persons.
28-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 11,616; new infections, 277; total deaths, 650; deaths today, 19. The number in ICU is 243, with very few requiring a ventilator. It is still too early to say with confidence that the peak has been passed, but the numbers look very promising.
28-Apr-2020 France will begin to relax restrictions beginning May 11th. Germany, which started relaxing restictions last week, has seen an increase in the infection rate.
28-Apr-2020 The Jenner Vaccine being produced by Oxford University had significant positive results in tests on rhesus monkeys last month. As reported eariler, this vaccine has already entered human trials. Tests on 6,000 participants will be completed before the end of May. This opens the door for millions of doses becoming available by September.
27-Apr-2020 Speculation continues to swirl around the condition of Kim Jong Un. The latest comes from a former North Korean Party senior member who defected. He claims that Kim was injured in a missile test conducted on April 14th.
27-Apr-2020 Corporate giant Tyson Foods has warned that the food supply chain for meat products in the U.S. is in danger of breaking down.
27-Apr-2020 The easing of restrictions in many countries around the globe has medical experts worried about a second wave of the coronavirus. The biggest unaswered question that remains is whether those who recover have immunity or not.
27-Apr-2020 A group of top scientists and billionaires in the U.S. have formed Scientists to Stop Covid-19 and liken their work to the Manhattan Project. The group has compiled a confidential 17-page report that calls for a number of unorthodox methods against the virus.
27-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 11,339; new infections, 303; total deaths, 631; deaths today, 23. The number in ICU is 227.
27-Apr-2020 The number of confirmed infections has now surpassed three million globally.
27-Apr-2020 India is one of the largest manufacturers of generic drugs and vaccines in the world. Half a dozen firms there are working on COVID-19 vaccines, including Serum Institute which is the largest in the world. They have partnered with Oxford University to mass produce one of the most promising candidates, which is already in human trials.
27-Apr-2020 In the U.S. the death toll is now above 55,000 while confirmed cases is approaching the one million mark. A number of States have eased lockdown restrictions.
27-Apr-2020 In Australia, more than one million users have downloaded a new Government sponsored contact-tracing app in the past 24 hours. A few States have begun a gradual relaxing of restrictions.
27-Apr-2020 Italy will begin easing restrictions on May 4th. People will be allowed to visit relatives in small numbers and parks will reopen. Other restrictions will remain in place.
27-Apr-2020 The Jewish Agency estimates that the COVID-19 crisis will prompt a largescale Aliyah from many hard-hit countries. They expect as many as 100,000 to return once travel conditions permit.
26-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 11,036; new infections, 401; total deaths, 608; deaths today, 33. The number in ICU is 236.
26-Apr-2020 The worst nuclear accident in history took place 34 years ago today at Chernobyl, Ukraine.
26-Apr-2020 Is Kim Jong Un dead? The Vice Director of Hong Kong Satellite Television claims that a “very solid source” backed the rumors. A Japanese magazine claims he is in a vegetative state after a stent surgery went wrong. But nothing is certain until North Korea makes an official statement. Kim has disappeared from public view in the past.
26-Apr-2020 Boris Johnson will resume his official duties on Monday, a Downing Street spokesperson confirmed on Saturday.
25-Apr-2020 The global death toll has now exceeded 200,000. Total confirmed infections is nearly 3 million.
25-Apr-2020 The official hospital death toll in the United Kingdom is now over 20,000.
25-Apr-2020 Growing evidence indicates that at least some of those who recover from COVID-19 do not have immunity. This limits long-term hopes to creation of an effective vaccine.
25-Apr-2020 Though not FDA approved, off-the-shelf asthma drug Singulair has shown promise as a Coronavirus Treatment, say Doctors at Coney Island Hospital.
25-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 10,635; new infections, 218; total deaths, 575; deaths today, 23. The number in ICU at 235. The trend continues to be promising.
25-Apr-2020 Israel’s Knesset is busy passing special legislation to change numerous laws governing the function of Prime Minister. This is prompted by the Unity Government agreement that will see rotating 18-month periods in office.
25-Apr-2020 Confirmed cases in the U.S. have now exceeded 900,000 and deaths passed the 50,000 mark, more than the next two highest countries combined: Italy and Spain. At the same time, those two countries reported their lowest number of daily deaths in more than a month.
25-Apr-2020 Reuters reports that China has dispatched a team of medical experts to North Korea to advise on the health of Kim Jong Un. Conflicting reports on his status continue.
25-Apr-2020 Yesterday in Romania the balance of those still infected dropped for the first time. This is another hopeful sign that the peak has been reached.
24-Apr-2020 The medical research community is looking everywhere for a possible coronavirus cure. The latest unexpected candidate is nicotine patches. Testing is planned in France.
24-Apr-2020 Poland will keep schools closed for another month, until May 24th. Phase II of easing restrictions will be considered next week.
24-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 10,417; new infections, 321; total deaths, 552; deaths today, 25. The number in ICU at 241.
24-Apr-2020 As a result of strict border controls and robust social distancing rules, Australia has had some dramatic and positive results, with only 13 new cases in the entire country.
24-Apr-2020 Injecting or ingesting disinfectant is dangerous and potentially fatal.
24-Apr-2020 Virus researchers say there is virtually no chance that the new coronavirus was released as result of a laboratory accident in China or anywhere else. Evidence still points to bats as being the source of the virus.
24-Apr-2020 Speculation that Boris Johnson will resume his official duties next week is unconfirmed. He contracted the coronavirus and was in ICU for a number of days, but has now fully recovered.
24-Apr-2020 A Chinese trial of the drug Remdesivir gave negative results, with higher death rates of those taking the drug compared to those receiving a placebo. The drug also has significant negative side-effects.
24-Apr-2020 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are nearing the 50,000 mark. Confirmed cases are over 860,000.
24-Apr-2020 A Sister who works in a care home in Cardiff (Western England) has tested positive for the coronavirus.
24-Apr-2020 So far there are a few confirmed cases amongst Brethren in the U.S., but none of those is severe at this point. One elderly isolated Brother in Canada, residing in a care facility, was reported to have the virus, but no new information is available.
23-Apr-2020 Italy continues to show declining numbers in current confirmed cases and those in ICU.
23-Apr-2020 Deaths from malaria are expected to double in Africa this year because of disruptions to the supply chain for medicine and insecticide due to the coronavirus. Nearly 760,000 people could die from the disease.
23-Apr-2020 Unemployment claims in the U.S. now represent more than 15% of the total workforce, as another 4.4 million filed for benefits last week, bringing the total to 26.4 million.
23-Apr-2020 The producers of Zoom conferencing software will make a major release this week (version 5.0) that includes enhanced security and encryption.
23-Apr-2020 Nearly half of all COVID-19 deaths in Europe were in care facilities.
23-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 10,096; new infections, 386; total deaths, 527; deaths today, 19. The number in ICU dropped dramatically from 288 down to 236.
23-Apr-2020 Confirmed cases in India continue to rise rapidly.
22-Apr-2020 Confirmed infections in the County of Maramures (Baia Mare, Sighet) represent less than 1% of the total in Romania. However, today’s number increased by 15% over yesterday’s total, representing a fourfold daily increase compared to the past several days.
22-Apr-2020 Restrictions in Romania will begin to be relaxed gradually after May 15th. It will no longer be necessary to have a signed document with personal data and the reason for leaving the residence. Masks will still be required in public places, and all other restrictions will remain in place.
22-Apr-2020 Clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine have begun in the U.K. and Germany.
22-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 9,710; new infections, 468; total deaths, 508; deaths today, 26; the number in ICU, 288. These numbers are significantly higher compared to the past several days.
22-Apr-2020 In one month, Romania has collected more than 78 million euros after issuing about 200,000 fines to those breaking various lockdown restrictions.
22-Apr-2020 Germany has seen a slight increase in new cases for the second day in a row, after the easing of some restrictions.
22-Apr-2020 In India, 69% of all those who have tested positive for COVID-19 had no symptoms.
22-Apr-2020 Confirmed cases in the U.S. surpassed 800,000 and saw the highest daily death toll to-date with more than 2,800 deaths attributed to the coronavirus.
22-Apr-2020 The Director of the CDC (U.S.) has warned that the second wave of coronavirus could be worse than the first, as it will take place at the same time as the seasonal flu.
22-Apr-2020 The U.S. ban on immigration will last for 60 days and will suspend the issuing of all Green Cards during that period.
22-Apr-2020 In France the number of patients in ICU declined for the 13th consecutive day.
22-Apr-2020 Italy is now considering gradually easing some lockdown restrictions after May 4th.
21-Apr-2020 The number of active infections in Italy fell for the second day in a row.
21-Apr-2020 Confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide have surpassed 2.5 million.
21-Apr-2020 Acute world hunger will double in 2020 as a result of the economic impact of the COVID-19 virus. The United Nations has described the threat as one of “Biblical proportions”.
21-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 9,242; new infections, 306; total deaths, 482; deaths today, 31; the number in ICU, 245.
21-Apr-2020 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has not been seen publicly since April 11th. He was absent at North Korea’s most important holiday celebration on April 15th. The U.S. National Security Council is “monitoring intelligence” that Kim is in grave danger after undergoing surgery. The South Korean Government denies these reports, but a group of North Korean defectors that run The Daily NK, published a report that he had heart surgery on April 12th.
21-Apr-2020 Amid the Pandemic, Italian prosecutors warn that Mafia groups are cementing their power, and not only in Italy, but throughout Europe.
21-Apr-2020 Political rivals Netanyahu and Gantz signed a last-minute agreement to form a unity government in Israel. The two will take turns serving as Prime Minister for 18 months, with Netanyahu serving first. Consequently an unprecedented fourth election will not be necessary.
21-Apr-2020 Demonstrations against the lockdown continue in a number of States in the U.S., with one Militia leader in Illinois threatening to “reopen it ourselves” if restrictions are not lifted. Protests have been held in other countries as well, including India and Russia.
21-Apr-2020 The price of U.S. future oil deliveries for May went negative for the first time in history, meaning that oil suppliers must pay buyers to take oil off their hands, as much as $37 a barrel. Trading bounced back to slightly above zero over night.
21-Apr-2020 About a dozen U.S. States have announced plans to relax lockdown rules.
21-Apr-2020 President Trump announced that he will sign an executive order suspending all immigration to the U.S. because of the coronavirus, and for economic reasons.
20-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 8,936; new infections, 190; total deaths, 451; deaths today, 17; the number in ICU, 261.
20-Apr-2020 India has begun to ease some restrictions in selected States. France has decided not to relax measures yet. A number of States in the U.S. plan to partially remove their lockdowns. Germany and Poland previously announced a lifting of some restrictions.
20-Apr-2020 There is a slowing trend globally in Australia, France, Italy, Spain, New York State and the U.K.
20-Apr-2020 Blood Plasma trials continue to be conducted in various countries around the world, including the U.S. and U.K., but results on effectiveness are not yet available.
20-Apr-2020 The death toll in the U.S. has surpassed 41,000 with nearly 750,000 confirmed cases, by far the most of any country in the world.
19-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 8,746; new infections, 328; total deaths, 434; deaths today, 17; the number in ICU, 256. These continue to be encouraging numbers, but as mentioned before, weekend statistics tend to be lower.
19-Apr-2020 [Kent University, Great Britain] A potential drug that can kill cancer cells has been discovered in willow trees, sparking hopes of new treatment for childhood cancers. It comes more than a century after aspirin was discovered in the same plant.
19-Apr-2020 The U.S.-Canada border will remain closed for another 30 days.
18-Apr-2020 The death toll in France is now over 19,000. However, the number of people being treated in ICU dropped for the 10th consecutive day.
18-Apr-2020 Large scale protests against restrictive measures have begun to take place in a number of States in the U.S., apparently fueled by a perceived endorsement from President Trump. What started in Michigan has spread to Ohio, North Carolina, Minnesota, Utah, Virginia and Kentucky. Additional protests are planned in Maryland, Wisconsin, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
18-Apr-2020 Good news from Italy as the situation there continues to improve. More than 2,500 patients were declared cured and dismissed from the hospital in a single day.
18-Apr-2020 A Stanford University study found that the rate of infection in California may be 50 to 85 times higher than reported. The random blood sampling was of 3,330 healthy individuals. If this study stands up to peer review, it would prove that the vast majority of people who get infected do not get sick, or have a very mild case. Consequently the death rate for COVID-19 would come out to be much lower.
18-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 8,418; new infections, 351; total deaths, 417; deaths today, 17; the number in ICU, 248. These are encouraging numbers, but weekend statistics tend to be lower.
18-Apr-2020 Ironically, just as Germany is announcing plans to ease restrictions, reports indicate that cases of COVID-19 have risen for the past four days. This was not clear in recent reports which stated that the infection rate continued to drop.
18-Apr-2020 According to the United States Constitution, the upcoming election cannot be delayed beyond January 20th, 2021, when the current term expires. If the election is not held by then, the presidential line of succession would be followed. Because the terms of others on that list will also expire, the next eligible individual is currently the President Pro Tem of the Senate, Chuck Grassley of Iowa.
18-Apr-2020 Texas has become the first State to announce plans to loosen restrictions beginning April 20th.
18-Apr-2020 Contact-tracing apps may be made mandatory in certain countries in the future. The U.S. Government is hiring “tens of thousands” of people to perform contact-tracing directly with coronavirus patients.
17-Apr-2020 The Philippines Government has threatened the imposition of martial law if the population does not adhere to restrictions. More than 120,000 people have been cited in the capital of Manila in the past month.
17-Apr-2020 The infection rate in Germany continues to drop. As in the U.S., each State has the authority to impose restrictions (or not). Consequently, some States have tight restrictions, and others have almost none, and so, the experiences of the Brethren have varied widely with some continuing to work, without protection, in close quarters with colleagues, while others are only permitted to work at home.
17-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 8,067; new infections, 360; total deaths, 400; deaths today, 13. The number in ICU increased to 258. Plotting a trend is difficult as dramatic changes up and down have taken place almost daily.
17-Apr-2020 Controversy and confusion regarding the origins of the COVID-19 virus continue. Scientific research still points to the virus having natural origins. (Genome mapping specifically shows it was not genetically altered.) Many Government Bio labs around the world have samples of highly infectious diseases, and it is possible that such a sample of the COVID-19 virus was being studied at a lab in Wuhan, and escaped. There is no conclusive evidence at this point.
17-Apr-2020 Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has asked the Knesset to form a new government after talks between Netanyahu and Gantz failed. Such a move has never succeeded in the past. If it fails again, after a three-week negotiating period, it will force a fourth national election.
17-Apr-2020 The drug Remdesivir has proven successful in early trials, with patients recovering quickly after being treated with the drug. Remdesivir is not a vaccine, but a treatment, so does not prevent the virus.
17-Apr-2020 Antibody Plasma Therapy, using the antibodies harvested from recovered COVID-19 patients, is being implemented in a number of countries around the world, including Romania.
17-Apr-2020 The White House Task Force on the COVID-19 virus has revealed a three phase program for relaxing lockdowns on a state-by-state basis. Some States may qualify immediately, others must first meet certain criteria.
17-Apr-2020 Australia has extended its lockdown for at least another four weeks. Use of a mobile tracking app has sparked controversy amid privacy concerns. An agreement with New Zealand may open borders between the two countries.
16-Apr-2020 “Community cohesion” (concern for the welfare of neighbors) has risen in some countries during the crisis without compromising social-distancing guidelines.
16-Apr-2020 Plunging pollution levels globally have resulted in clear skies, and views of nature that many people have not experienced in their lifetimes.
16-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: Total infections, 7,707; new infections, 491; total deaths, 387; deaths today, 25. This is the 2nd largest daily increase of new infections to-date. The number in ICU remained nearly constant at 243.
16-Apr-2020 The midnight deadline has passed in Israel without a Unity Government coalition, setting the stage for an unprecedented fourth election.
16-Apr-2020 Poland has begun to relax restrictions by opening parks and forest areas. The number of customers allowed in shops is likely to be increased in the near future.
16-Apr-2020 For the first time since 2002 there were no school shootings in the U.S. in the month of March, this due to the many closings across the country.
16-Apr-2020 Deaths in the U.S. have now exceeded 30,000. A sudden surge in the number of deaths in New York State is due to a change in the reporting method.
16-Apr-2020 The U.K. is expected to announce a three week extension to the lockdown there.
16-Apr-2020 Australia has succeeded in “flattening the curve” but calls for a more extensive surveillance regime are being considered. A mobile contact-tracing app similar to what was used successfully in South Korea is voluntary at this point. Many other countries are considering similar measures.
15-Apr-2020 Romanian workers are being flown into the U.K., on special charter flights, to work on British farms at risk of losing their crops of early summer fruits and vegetables. Not enough workers could be recruited locally.
15-Apr-2020 A study of 150 countries published in Forbes magazine ranked Israel as the safest country from coronavirus, with Germany 2nd and Australia 4th. At the other end of the scale, Italy was considered the riskiest with the U.S., U.K., and Spain following closely behind.
15-Apr-2020 Italy continues to see an encouraging slowdown to the virus. The number of new reported cases today was the lowest since March 13th, and the number in ICU has gone down for the 12th day in a row.
15-Apr-2020 The death toll continues to mount in France, passing 17,000, but daily hospitalizations decreased for the first time, and the number in ICU has gone down for the seventh day in a row.
15-Apr-2020 German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in talks with State Governments to ease rules of movement from May 3rd. Small stores will be allowed to open beginning next week.
15-Apr-2020 Today’s numbers for Romania: Total infections, 7,216; new infections, 337; total deaths, 362; deaths today, 20. This is an adjusted death toll, as yesterday’s number was actually higher than originally reported.
15-Apr-2020 Sister Genevieve Wawrzynowski, 96 years old, died in the hospital from the coronavirus on April 13th. She is the mother of Sister Cristina Liberda. She was a resident in a senior care center in Northern France.
15-Apr-2020 Researchers at Harvard University have concluded that some kind of social distancing measures may need to remain in place until 2022.
15-Apr-2020 The International Monetary Fund has warned that the coronavirus crisis could trigger the worst global financial disaster since the Great Depression.
15-Apr-2020 The death toll in Germany is now more than 3,000 out of about 128,000 cases while the recovery rate is more than 50%.
14-Apr-2020 Several Brethren in France who were infected (or who had all the symptoms) are now in recovery. The mother of one Sister there died, but the cause is not certain.
14-Apr-2020 Another existing drug shows promise in treating COVID-19. Ivermectin is a rather unlikely candidate, as it has been used in the past to treat head lice. Preliminary studies in two separate locations have shown lower mortality and reduced healthcare resources needed in those treated with the drug.
14-Apr-2020 Lower numbers in Germany have been attributed to lower testing rates over the Easter holiday, but Tuesday was the fourth daily decline, showing a definite trend.
14-Apr-2020 Swords to plowshares in Isael: the company that manufactures Arrow missiles is now producing ventilators for coronavirus patients.
14-Apr-2020 The President of Romania has announced a continuation of the national state of emergency for another month. The decree will be signed later today and, if approved by Parliament, will remain in effect until May 14th.
14-Apr-2020 Today’s numbers for Romania: Total infections, 6,879; new infections, 246; total deaths, 342; deaths today, 24. These are encouraging numbers, showing a downward trend.
14-Apr-2020 Austria is gradually easing restrictions, allowing more stores to open. Poland will start to ease restrictions beginning this Sunday. Italy has also decided to allow some retail businesses to open.
14-Apr-2020 An old Polio vaccine is being repurposed to fight the COVID-19 virus. Early testing has given promising results. Short-term immunity could be provided for several months or more. Though not a long-term solution, the oral vaccine is proven safe, and can be made available in large quantities and at a low cost. FDA approval is pending for specific use against the coronavirus.
14-Apr-2020 The lockdown in India has been officially extended to May 3rd in an announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
14-Apr-2020 If no vaccine is available, a second wave of COVID-19 in the U.S. would likely hit in the Fall, potentially disrupting National elections. This according to leading expert Doctor Anthony Fauci.
14-Apr-2020 Early reports from Brethren in the SouthEast indicate that some propery damage was experienced, but that there have been no personal injuries in the recent outbreak of tornadoes and severe weather.
14-Apr-2020 The coronavirus pandemic has led to an unprecedented global surge in digital surveillance, researchers and privacy advocates around the world have said, with billions of people facing enhanced monitoring that may prove difficult to roll back.
14-Apr-2020 Off-again, on-again negotiations for a Unity Government in Israel are on again as Gantz and Netanyahu claim “significant progress” in talks. The legal deadline for a solution is looming after a 48-hour extension was granted by President Reuven Rivlin.
14-Apr-2020 Coronavirus cases worldwide are now more than two million. The U.S. is approaching 700,000 cases, while Spain is a distant second with 170,000 cases. Almost 120,000 people have died from the virus.
14-Apr-2020 A new fast, simple and inexpensive blood test to determine new infections and immunity to COVID-19 has been developed by a Wisconsin medical company. The test has FDA approval and is available nationwide.
14-Apr-2020 The United States Postal Service (USPS) has struggled financially for many years. It now faces the difficult choice of either going private, or going out of business.
14-Apr-2020 Two experimental vaccines developed in China have been approved for human trials. There are now five vaccines in human trials globally, with more than 70 in various stages of development.
14-Apr-2020 The lockdown in France has been extended until May 11th. Italy continues to see declines in new infections and those in ICU, but the number of deaths was slightly higher yesterday. The Russian Government is considering deploying the Military to cope with the growing crisis there. The lockdown will continue indefinitely in the U.K.
14-Apr-2020 The White House backtracked on an earlier threat to fire Doctor Anthony Fauci.
14-Apr-2020 The Sea of Galilee has seen sinking water levels for decades, but that has changed dramatically in the past two years. This crucial source of fresh water for the region is nearing full capacity.
14-Apr-2020 The Governors of many States in the U.S. have banded together to coordinate planned reopenings as COVID-19 appears to have peaked.
14-Apr-2020 A raging forest fire near Ukraine’s Chernobyl has spewed smoke with high levels of radiation over a wide area.
13-Apr-2020 The White House has threatened to fire Doctor Anthony Fauci, the lead expert on the U.S. Coronavirus Task Force.
13-Apr-2020 The State of Illinois had the lowest number of coronavirus deaths in six days, a hopeful sign that the peak there may have been reached.
13-Apr-2020 The number of new cases in Romania today is 333, for a total of 6,633. The number of deaths is now 318, for a daily count of 12 which is down significantly, and the lowest since April 6th.
13-Apr-2020 More than half of Germany’s infected have recovered. This is one of the highest recovery rates in the world.
13-Apr-2020 A Professor at Oxford University says that a new vaccine will be available to the public as early as September, if clinical trials go well. There are currently more than 60 vaccines and treatments being developed around the world.
13-Apr-2020 Another gauge of severity is deaths per million of population. Spain has the highest at 350, followed by Italy at 322; Belgium at 314; France at 202 and Britain at 145. Romania by comparison has 15 deaths per million population, but it is much earlier in the virus cycle. The U.S. has a death rate of 67 per million.
13-Apr-2020 The FDA has added its voice to other national experts stating that the U.S. is nearing the virus peak.
13-Apr-2020 New York State’s daily death toll dropped slightly on Sunday.
13-Apr-2020 The European Union Commission President has said that elderly people and those at high risk may have to remain in isolation until sometime next year. The exact age range was not specified.
13-Apr-2020 Yesterday Italy saw its lowest daily death toll in three weeks. France saw a slight drop in hospital deaths, and a decrease in the number of patients in ICU. The prognosis for the U.K. is rather bleak, as numbers continue to increase. The Government’s Senior Scientific Adviser predicts that it will overtake harder hit countries in the near future.
12-Apr-2020 Doctor Anthony Fauci says that restrictions can slowly begin to be lifted in the U.S. sometime in May.
12-Apr-2020 Police in Moscow are using facial-recognition cameras to catch quarantine-breakers.
12-Apr-2020 U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been released from the hospital, but will not resume his official duties as yet.
12-Apr-2020 Today’s statistics for Romania: 6,300 total infections, 310 new infections, and 306 total deaths. Weekend counts of new infections are typically lower due to fewer tests being made. Nevertheless, the number of those in ICU is down, and the number of deaths by day have decreased slightly for several days.
12-Apr-2020 Italy will soon surpass 20,000 deaths. The U. K. is approaching 10,000 deaths. Another good website for complete COVID-19 statistics is https://wuflu.live/.
12-Apr-2020 Radical religious groups continue to defy law-enforcement in various places around the world. A group of Nihangs (Sikh religion) in India attacked the police and seriously injured one of them. Such incidents in other countries have resulted in additional restrictions on the groups involved.
12-Apr-2020 Of the seven leading candidates for a COVID-19 vaccine, only one is in human trials at this time. Two new treatments are in clinical tests, and seven existing medications are going through clinical trials for use against the virus, with some already obtaining FDA approval. The most promising is Favirpiravir which has shown promising results in patients with severe symptoms in China.
12-Apr-2020 The United States now has more coronavirus deaths than any other country in the world. The number of infections there are more than the next three highest countries combined.
11-Apr-2020 Parts of Africa are threatened by the biggest locust outbreak some countries have seen in 70 years. Now the second wave of the voracious insects, some 20 times the size of the first, is arriving.
11-Apr-2020 Gantz and Netanyahu squabble as gridlocked Israel is set to miss the government deadline for a unity government. This could force an unprecedented fourth election.
11-Apr-2020 An elderly isolated Brother in Newfoundland, Canada, has contracted the virus.
11-Apr-2020 Was the COVID-19 a manufactured virus that escaped from a lab in China? Careful research from verifiable scientific sources is imperative. There is a great deal of unscientific information being spread on the internet.
11-Apr-2020 Brazil is the first country in the Southern Hemisphere to exceed 1,000 deaths per day.
11-Apr-2020 Due to a continued increase of cases in India, the lockdown there has been extended indefinitely.
11-Apr-2020 The statistics for Romania: 5,990 total infections, 523 new infections (the highest daily figure to-date), and 282 total deaths. These figures may not reflect an actual daily tally, as yesterday’s infections were extremely low by comparison (265). The average of those two is probably more accurate (394) in context with the daily trend.
11-Apr-2020 The W.H.O. warns of a “deadly resurgence” if coronavirus controls are lifted too soon.
11-Apr-2020 Gilead Sciences published preliminary results of its antiviral drug Remdesivir. Its test group of 53 is too small to draw any conclusions, but two-thirds of those treated improved and eight got worse. The most significant finding was the resultant side effects in more than half of all those treated.
11-Apr-2020 According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, today should be the “peak day” for COVID-19 in the U.S., assuming social distancing remains in place until the end of May. Doctor Anthony Fauci agrees, while Deborah Birx, another member of the U.S. Government task force, puts the peak still in the future.
11-Apr-2020 Antibody testing for the COVID-19 virus is under development in many countries, and plans for widescale implementation are already going forward in Germany and the United States. Such proof that someone has recovered from the virus, and is presumably immune, is the proposed basis for an “immunity passport” which would allow those individuals to return to the workplace.
11-Apr-2020 The global death toll has passed 100,000 with 1.6 million cases. The U.S. now has more than half a million infections, and recorded more than 2,000 deaths in a single day, the first country to do so.
11-Apr-2020 For some people infected with COVID-19 the difference between life and death can be something as simple as having the patient lie on their stomach instead of on their back. Called “proning” the technique has proven effective at ICU facilities around the U.S.
11-Apr-2020 Italy’s quarantine will remain in place until at least May 3rd.
11-Apr-2020 Why does Germany have a lower coronavirus death rate than other countries? (2.3% compared to Italy at 12.8%, U.K. at 12.1%, France at 10.6%, Romania at 4.9% and the U.S. at 3.7%) Large-scale testing is one factor, but discipline and respect for social distancing is most important. In German States with stricter adherence to rules, the death rate is lower.
11-Apr-2020 Zoom, a mainstay for many Bible Student online meetings around the world, has been working aggressively to resolve security issues with their teleconferencing software. Be sure to keep your Zoom app updated.
10-Apr-2020 Romania became the first country to ban cereal products for export. The tendency toward protectionism has alarmed those countries dependent on food imports.
10-Apr-2020 Crowds defied restrictions at markets in Bucharest in order to prepare for Easter. Police and Gendarmes had to intervene. Two of the markets were closed.
10-Apr-2020 The CDC (USA) is planning to use “very aggressive” contact tracing to contain the spread of COVID-19. This would involve surveillance of all individuals who have the virus and all those who had contact with them either directly or indirectly.
10-Apr-2020 The Government of Israel intends to ban flights and gatherings until September.
10-Apr-2020 The virus seems to be leveling off or declining in major hotspots around the world, including Italy, Spain, New York and California. The global peak is estimated to occur in about two weeks. Government officials have also estimated the end of April as the peak in Romania.
10-Apr-2020 Romanian statistics: Deaths 257, total infections 5,467, and new infections 265. It is too soon to draw any conclusions, but the number of new infections is down significantly from yesterday (441). The number in ICU is up slightly from 178 to 183.
10-Apr-2020 Despite a nationwide lockdown, infections continue to soar in India.
10-Apr-2020 Officials have threatened to close the international airport in Cluj, Romania, after nearly 2,000 people trying to enter the facility were filmed standing shoulder-to-shoulder, some without face masks. Several charter flights scheduled for today were cancelled by authorities.
10-Apr-2020 Due to dramatic decreases in air pollution, people in India can now see the Himalayas for the first time in decades. Global pollution is the lowest since record-keeping began.
10-Apr-2020 According to the Director of the CDC, the “new normal” for the foreseeable future (at least 18 months) will require all workers to have their temperature taken before entering the workplace, wearing face masks at all times, and practicing social distancing on the job.
10-Apr-2020 Leading health expert, Doctor Anthony Fauci, has revised the expected death toll in the U.S. downward to about 60,000 from a previous estimate of as high as a quarter of a million.
10-Apr-2020 A New York doctor successfully healed around 500 patients using a cocktail of hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin (Z-Pak), and zinc sulfate. The National Institutes of Health finally launched an official clinical trial after weeks of controversy.
10-Apr-2020 The global death toll is nearing 100,000 with more than one and a half million infections. The U.S. is the current epicenter of the virus.
10-Apr-2020 U. K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is out of intensive care, but remains hospitalized.
09-Apr-2020 Romanian statistics: Deaths 229; infections 5,202; new infections 441. This is a disappointing increase and the highest number of new cases since April 3rd.
09-Apr-2020 The world has no shortage of food, rather a problem with distribution, but shortages may become a problem if the crisis continues for many months. In many countries dairy farmers are forced to dump their milk, and vegetable farmers are forced to plow under fields of fresh produce, all due to “disruption in the supply chain”.
09-Apr-2020 The city of Cluj, Romania, will be monitored by drone to verify compliance to isolation regulations.
09-Apr-2020 The daily death toll in the U.S. hit another record high yesterday of 1,973 with 779 of those deaths in New York State. The U.S. is now the worst affected country globally with a total of nearly 15,000 deaths and approaching half a million infections.
08-Apr-2020 Romanian statistics: Deaths 209; infections 4,761; new infections 344. The number in ICU declined for the first time. Several hospitals with serious problems have been taken over by the Military.
08-Apr-2020 Inovio Pharmaceuticals is the latest company to begin human trials of a COVID-19 vaccine (INO-4800).
08-Apr-2020 Hydroxychloroquine may not help everyone with the Coronavirus, but it has proven effective for some. One high-profile case is the rapid recovery of a Michigan State Representative. When properly administered, the risks are low.
08-Apr-2020 Smartphone tracking is likely to be implemented in many countries, including the U.S. and Europe. There are privacy concerns that “far reaching data-gathering powers” from mobile phones, combined with newly expanded police power to detain people, could be used as a “means of social control.” Similar projects in China and Israel resulted in the central collection of massive amounts of personal location data. The Government in India is currently tracking some 2,000 mobile phones of people who participated in a religious event that sparked massive COVID-19 outbreaks across the country.
08-Apr-2020 In the U.S. deaths continue to increase, with the latest daily total approaching the 2,000 mark. Infections are now over 400,000.
07-Apr-2020 “Normalcy” in society cannot happen until a vaccine becomes available to the general populace. Preventative measures and restrictions such as bans on large gatherings; social distancing; face masks; hand-washing; working at home; etc., will need to stay in place until then. How long will that take? Dr. Anthony Fauci and other experts estimate that a vaccine will not be available for at least one year.
07-Apr-2020 U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in stable condition, and has not required use of a ventilator.
07-Apr-2020 MIGAL Galilee Research Institute in Israel has produced the active component of a coronavirus vaccine that could enter human trials by June 1st. This is a progress report on what was mentioned about two weeks ago. Many other projects are ongoing globally with rapid progress being made on multiple fronts.
07-Apr-2020 The number of infections in Romania is now 4,417, while deaths rose to 182. Though this is an increase in infections compared to the past 2 days, the trend is still downward.
07-Apr-2020 France recorded its highest daily death toll on Monday (833). No further word on Brethren there who tested positive or are awaiting test results.
07-Apr-2020 Another new treatment drug, EIDD-2801, is showing promising results. Though similar to Remdesivir, administration is much simpler, as EIDD-2801 can be taken as a pill, whereas Remdesivir is given intravenously.
07-Apr-2020 Labor shortages due to coronavirus complications are threatening the food supply in the U. S., as seasonal foreign workers are prohibited from entering the country.
07-Apr-2020 U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now in Intensive Care after his condition worsened over night.
07-Apr-2020 An experimental Japanese drug, Avigan, is being tested in Israel as a treatment for COVID-19 patients.
07-Apr-2020 The number of deaths in the U.S. has now exceeded 10,000, with infections passing 350,000.
07-Apr-2020 Political chaos in Israel as talks for an emergency unity government broke down.
06-Apr-2020 The number of infections in Romania is now 4,057, while deaths rose to 157. This is now the 2nd day when the rate of new infections (193) went down. All residents in the County of Maramures must now wear face masks in public. Five other counties have also imposed the additional restriction. All the current and latest restrictions have been extended by another month, until May 15th.
06-Apr-2020 New cases in Australia have shown a steady decline. Germany had its fourth straight day with a decline in cases.
06-Apr-2020 Tesla Motors has produced prototypes of a new state-of-the-art ventilator made from off the shelf parts, mostly from their line of electric vehicles.
06-Apr-2020 The “Achilles heel” of the COVID-19 virus may have been found according to Scripps Research. An antibody from the blood of recovered SARS patients has shown a promising interaction against the new virus.
06-Apr-2020 Some good news from New York: new infections and deaths both dropped for the first time. Numbers in Italy continue to decrease as well, with the lowest death toll in two weeks reported on Sunday.
06-Apr-2020 There are hundreds of Brethren in many countries of Africa. Due to inadequate healthcare facilities and substandard sanitary conditions, once the coronavirus begins to spread there it will lead to a “complete collapse of economies” throughout the continent.
06-Apr-2020 U. K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been admitted to the hospital “as a precaution” due to his infection with the coronavirus.
05-Apr-2020 The latest statistics in Romania may contain a glint of hope. The number of infections rose by 251, the smallest daily rise since April 1st. And the number of deaths increased by 7 to 148, the smallest daily increase since March 30th. It remains to be seen if this is a statistical anomaly or a trend.
05-Apr-2020 The virus seems to be reaching its peak in several countries, including Australia, Italy and Spain, a hopeful sign for those countries. Patients in Intensive Care decreased for the first time in Italy. In the U.S. cases continue to climb, with more than 300,000 infections and over 8,000 deaths.
05-Apr-2020 Lack of protective equipment may force the USPS to shut down. In addition to regular mail, nearly one-third of all Amazon packages in the U.S. are delivered by the USPS.
04 -Apr-2020 A London area hospital has closed its doors to all new patients, including emergency room services, due to running out of oxygen. Such shortages are predicted in many hospitals around the world due to the high demand prompted by the Coronavirus.
04-Apr-2020 The latest statistics from Romania: 3,613 infections, 141 deaths. New restrictions were announced today for certain areas of Romania, made necessary by lack of respect for restrictions currently in place.
04-Apr-2020 Many new terms are being invented because of the current situation. One of them is the “immunity passport” which could eventually be used to allow individuals who are proven immune to COVID-19 to return to the workplace and society in general.
04-Apr-2020 Why would a mob attack health care workers who were trying to perform COVID-19 tests at private homes? Doctors were spat on and chased away by a stone-throwing mob in a Muslim neighborhood in India. The motive is unclear. This was not an isolated incident.
04-Apr-2020 More than 90% of Americans are now under “stay at home” orders. This compares to roughly 50% on a global average. An unexpected result of decreased human activity worldwide is a dramatic reduction in background vibrations picked up by seismographs. This makes earthquake detection more accurate.
04-Apr-2020 A therapeutic antibody has been developed by a laboratory in the U.S. and will begin clinical trials on humans in August. The advantage of a therapeutic antibody is that it can be produced in large quantitites very quickly once it has been proven effective.
04-Apr-2020 The daily statistics from Italy continue to offer some hope. The number of deaths is slowly decreasing, while the number of those who have recovered is increasing. The elderly Sister who tested positive for the virus appears to have a mild case according to local Brethren.
03-Apr-2020 Dairy Farmers in the U.S. are being forced to dump their millk, not due to lack of demand (which has soared) but by lack of the means of transportation and processing.
03-Apr-2020 Total infections in Romania rose by the largest daily amount to-date (445) and now stands at 3,183. The death toll in Romania increased by 22 compared to yesterday, for a total of 116. By comparison, the latest one-day figure in the U.S. was 1,169 pushing the overall total there to more than 6,000.
03-Apr-2020 A Sister in the Portland, OR area has been confirmed with the virus. She is a nurse, and is already in the recovery phase. There are unconfirmed cases of Brethren who have the symptoms, but due to circumstances have not been tested. This involves Brethren from the U.S., France and Moldova.
03-Apr-2020 Global efforts to find treatments for the COVID-19 virus are being hindered by pharmaceutical companies refusing to share all of the data on potential candidate treatments that they hold.
03-Apr-2020 “Medical annexation” of the disputed territories in Israel may be necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
03-Apr-2020 The number of confirmed cases worldwide is now over one million, but the true number is probably more than ten million, as a relatively small percentage of the world population has been tested for the virus.
02-Apr-2020 The President of the Microbiology Society in Romania has stated that restrictions may need to remain in place until May 15th. After that they could be gradually removed.
02-Apr-2020 A shortage of COVID-19 test kits is causing serious delays in Bucharest and other cities around the world.
02-Apr-2020 New unemployment claims in the U.S. skyrocketed to 6.6 million, double the record-setting figure from last week.
02-Apr-2020 The number of infections in Romania increased by 278 for a total of 2,738, with 94 deaths.
02-Apr-2020 Another vaccine, this one from Germany, has been developed and should be ready for use sometime this Fall.
02-Apr-2020 The use of existing medication hydroxychloroquine, to treat COVID-19, continues to show promising results in many countries around the world.
02-Apr-2020 Daily deaths in Italy are still high, but continue a downward trend. New infections in Italy have hit a “plateau” according to officials.
02-Apr-2020 More than a quarter of a million Romanians have returned home from other countries, with 50,000 of those returning from Italy. There are deep concerns about how many may have brought the virus with them. This scenario exists in many other countries as well.
02-Apr-2020 The U.S. emergency stockpile of medical equipment has been depleted.
02-Apr-2020 Confirmed cases of COVID-19 are near the one million mark globally, with more than 200,000 of those in the U.S. The death toll globally is nearing the 50,000 mark.
02-Apr-2020 The President of the Philippines has ordered the Police and Military to shoot violent protesters.
01-Apr-2020 The number of infections in Romania increased another 215 for a total of 2,460, with 85 deaths.
01-Apr-2020 There are now more than 40 COVID-19 vaccines in development around the world. Three of these have entered clinical trials with humans. The earliest a vaccine will be available is Fall of this year, and would be given to vulnerable groups such as health care workers.
01-Apr-2020 A number of our Brethren are in the health care field, and are on the “front lines” of the fight against COVID-19. Please keep them and their families in your prayers.
01-Apr-2020 Current deaths in the U.S. are now over 4,000, but projected deaths continue to rise, with the latest estimates ranging from 100,000 to a quarter of a million.
01-Apr-2020 Additional unconfirmed reports are coming in from France, India, Italy and the U.S. of possible infections among Brethren. Confirmed cases include an Elderly Sister in Italy, and a Sister in France who died from the virus over 2 weeks ago.
31-Mar-2020 75% of people in the U.S. are under some form of lockdown.
31-Mar-2020 The death toll in Romania has risen to 80, with total infections of 2,245.
31-Mar-2020 Hopeful signs are emerging from the hardest hit countries of Italy and the U.K. where the virus seems to be slowing down.
30-Mar-2020 Another trial has been approved by the Romanian Government, this time for an American drug against the Covid-19 virus. A previous trial was approved for a drug from the U.K.
30-Mar-2020 A family with children in Tulun, Siberia, has been diagnosed with the virus. One of our Sisters worked at a school in that area, but the schools have been closed for some time, and all residents are ordered to stay in their homes, so there is little possiblity that the virus would have spread from there.
30-Mar-2020 The first reported case of COVID-19 amongst the Brethren in Italy is an elderly Sister in a Senior Care Facility.
30-Mar-2020 Romania has placed price-controls on all utilities as well as gasoline and diesel fuel. No more than 3 persons are permitted in a personal vehicle. Infections rose to 1,952 and 44 deaths.
30-Mar-2020 A Sister in the Paris area, a healthcare worker, has tested positive for the virus. A consecrated married couple from the same Ecclesia as Sister Irine Buzala (Eastern France), who died from the virus on March 14th, have symptoms of the virus. As reported earlier, they have not been checked as there are too many potential cases, but their fever is not too high, and they are self-isolating. There is no confirmation of any cases in other countries.
30-Mar-2020 Italy continues to see a gradual downward trend both in deaths and in new infections. The numbers are still very high, but there is hope the peak has been reached. Very preliminary data from the U.K., Spain and NYC show a possible slowing trend, but the peak has not yet been reached in those places.
29-Mar-2020 The total number of infections in Romania is now 1,760 with 308 new cases in the past 24 hours. Deaths are now at 38.
28-Mar-2020 News from France: a couple among the Brethren there have symptoms, but there are too many cases for them to be checked. Their fever is not too high, so they will self-isolate. They are trusting in the Lord’s overruling. There is another possible case in the U.S. but it has not been verified as yet.
28-Mar-2020 The total number of infections in Romania is now 1,452 with 160 new cases in the past 24 hours. Deaths are now at 30.
28-Mar-2020 A largescale study in Iceland showed that 50% of people who tested positive for the virus had no symptoms. This supports the New England Journal of Medicine findings that the actual death rate from COVID-19 is much lower than originally thought. Dr. Anthony Fauci (key adviser to the U.S. Government) has publicly acknowledged these new findings.
28-Mar-2020 The New England Journal of Medicine published a report Thursday showing the death rate from COVID-19 at 0.28 percent, which is about twice that of the common flu, but exceptionally lower than SARS (9 percent) and MERS (36 percent).
28-Mar-2020 After several days of hopeful signs that the death rate was slowing in Italy, the count on Friday was the highest to-date: 919.
27-Mar-2020 Critical care beds per 100,000 people show Germany in first place in Europe with a ratio of 29.2 while Austria is 3rd with 21.8 and Romania is not far behind with 21.4 in 4th place. Countries with higher death rates have lower ratios: Italy 12.5; France with 11.6; Spain with 9.7 and the U.K. is in danger with a ratio of 6.6 near the bottom of the list.
27-Mar-2020 Boris Johnson has become the first World Leader to be confirmed positive with the COVID-19 virus.
27-Mar-2020 The death count in Romania is at 24 this morning, and the infection count has risen to 1,292. This represents the largest increase to-date.
27-Mar-2020 The epidemic which started in the East of France has now spread to the Paris area. This is where many of our Brethren in France live.
27-Mar-2020 Moderna Therapeutics, a biotech company based in Cambridge, Mass., has already shipped the first batches of its COVID-19 vaccine for human testing.
27-Mar-2020 Scientists in Great Britain are trainings dogs to detect COVID-19 in people without symptoms. Similar programs in the past have been successful in training dogs to detect bacterial infections, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, and other health issues.
27-Mar-2020 Manufacturers all over the world are retooling in order to produce much-needed supplies like ventilators, hand-sanitizer and face masks.
27-Mar-2020 Clinical trials are now underway in New York using varieties of Chloroquine. Preliminary results show promise not only in treating COVID-19, but also in preventing it. Also in New York, a pharmaceutical company is working with Monoclonal Antibodies harvested from the blood of recovered patients. This is a proven method in treating other diseases. They expect human trials to begin in early June.
27-Mar-2020 The political landscape in Israel changed again over night as the main opposition party splintered over disagreements on a unity government. This opens the way for Netanyahu to form a coalition.
27-Mar-2020 Two companies are developing COVID-19 test kits that can give quick results. A U.K. firm has a prototype that can give results in 10 minutes, and only costs $1, but it will not be ready until June. A German company has a kit that gives results in 2-1/2 hours. It will be available in April.
27-Mar-2020 The U.S. now has more COVID-19 cases than any other country in the world. But the death rate per million is still low.
26-Mar-2020 A report regarding Brethren from many areas in Texas indicates that all are doing well, and no one has been affected by the virus as far as they know. Most of those who are still working are able to do so from home, and the rest are retired.
26-Mar-2020 The small group of Sisters in Siberia have their usual health problems due to age, etc., but they are trusting in the Lord in this current crisis. There are no immediate problems with the virus in their area.
26-Mar-2020 U.S. Unemployment claims last week of 3.3 million broke a previous record of 695,000 set in 1982. “The economic ailment is far worse than the physical disease.”
26-Mar-2020 A previous announcement from the Romanian Minister of Health has been denied by the Government, and the minister has been dismissed and replaced. He announced, without authority, a program to test the entire population of Bucharest for COVID-19.
26-Mar-2020 Somber photos come from Southern Italy of a convoy of military trucks full of caskets of the dead. While half of the provinces are seeing a slowing in the rate of new infections, poorer areas in the south are seeing a rise in deaths.
26-Mar-2020 The latest figures for Romania: 1,029 infections and 18 deaths. More than 5,600 persons were stopped and fined in Romania yesterday due to failure to observe the new restrictions.
26-Mar-2020 The French President announced that the Army will be called upon to assist in enforcing restrictions.
26-Mar-2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) continues its “Global Megatrial” of existing drugs for treatment of the COVID-19 virus. There are 4 candidates which show the greatest promise. One of those (Remdesivir) is owned by Gilead Sciences. They have given up their special status which will allow for generic versions of the drug if tests against COVID-19 prove effective.
26-Mar-2020 The U.S. Senate has passed the 2 trillion dollar stimulus package. It now goes to the House for approval, and then will be signed into law by the President.
26-Mar-2020 The death toll has risen to more than 21,000 worldwide, and the number of cases is approaching half a million. Italy has more than 7,500 deaths which is nearly double that of Spain (3,600) and more than China (3,300). Romania now has 17. The highest rate per million of population is San Marino (619) followed by Italy (124) and Spain (78). Death rates per million for a few other countries where we have Brethren: Australia .5; Austria 3; France 20; Germany 2; India .01; Romania .9; USA 3.
26-Mar-2020 Though the death rate continues to be very high in Italy, the trend is slightly downward. There are still no reports of infections among Brethren in Italy or elsewhere in the World.
26-Mar-2020 Research on COVID-19 in Italy has revealed that it is very slow to mutate compared to other viruses. This is good news for the long-term effectiveness of any vaccine once developed.
25-Mar-2020 Latest statistics from Romania: Infections at 906, deaths at 14, more than 100,000 in isolation or quarantine. The Romanian Military has placed 10,000 troops and military equipment on the streets to assist police in enforcing the lockdown.
25-Mar-2020 Current list of U. S. States with “shelter in place” orders: CA, CT, DE, IL, IN, LA, OH, OR, MA, MD, MI, NJ, NM, NY, PA, WA, WI, WV. Many other States have ordered all non-essential businesses to close.
25-Mar-2020 Confusion in India as Police disrupt the food supply due to unclear rules from the Government.
25-Mar-2020 The number of quarantined in Maramureş went from 3 on Monday to 421 today. This is the County of Baia Mare and Sighet where about 40% of all Brethren in Romania reside.
25-Mar-2020 The FDA has expedited treatment of seriously ill COVID-19 patients using blood plasma from recovered individuals.
25-Mar-2020 The full lockdown in India has resulted in widespread panic-buying.
25-Mar-2020 Romania has clarified the new orders. Those over 65 will be allowed out of their homes between the hours of 11:00AM to 1:00PM. Much confusion resulted from the original statement which mentioned no such exception. Other details released today include the requirement of a completed form, giving a legitimate reason, for anyone leaving home at any time.
24-Mar-2020 India is the latest country to go into full lockdown.
24-Mar-2020 The entire country of Romania is now in lockdown. Anyone over 65 is not allowed out of their home for any reason. We are waiting for clarification on the details. The Army will be used to enforce the rules. The number of infections rose dramatically again by 186, bringing the new total to 762. Those in quarantine or isolation (almost 90,000) will be under electronic surveillance.
24-Mar-2020 Current list of U. S. States with “stay at Home” orders: CA, CT, DE, IL, IN, LA, OH, OR, MD, MI, NJ, NY, WV.
24-Mar-2020 U.S. Airlines are preparing for a total shutdown of passenger service.
24-Mar-2020 The death toll in Romania is now eight. Infection statistics will come later in the day.
24-Mar-2020 Testing on new vaccines against the COVID-19 virus continue in many countries, including the U.S., Japan and China. Effectiveness could be determined in a matter of weeks, but mass production of any vaccine will take at least a year to 18 months.
24-Mar-2020 The U.K. has gone into full lockdown for at least three weeks. The strict new measures will be enforced by the Police.
24-Mar-2020 The U.S. Military is preparing to set up field hospitals in New York and Seattle.
24-Mar-2020 The County of Maramureş has imposed a 24-hour curfew, and the strictest measures yet regarding outside activities. This is the County where Sighet is located. A new map of Romania has been included on the home page with our County shown in green. Senior citizens will have exclusive access to grocery stores from 7AM-11AM.
24-Mar-2020 News from Brethren in Venezuela underscores the severity of the situation there. Many, including Brethren, are out of work. Life in Venezuela was already difficult before the virus, due to political instability.
24-Mar-2020 Nearly a million Australians have become unemployed “over night”, according to the BBC. No reports yet on how Brethren have been affected.
23-Mar-2020 The death count in Romania is now 7, with more than half of those coming in the last 24 hours. Tighter restrictions went into effect today.
23-Mar-2020 Non-critical patients, elective surgery patients, etc., are being dismissed early from all hospitals in Romania to make room for expected COVID-19 patients.
23-Mar-2020 There are hopeful signs that the rate of increase in infections in Germany is finally slowing down.
23-Mar-2020 India has grounded all domestic flights. International flights were already grounded.
23-Mar-2020 The number of infected has risen dramatically in Romania during the past 24 hours, from 433 to 576. Tighter restrictions went into effect today.
23-Mar-2020 Italy has announced even tighter restrictions on leaving homes, travel, businesses permitted to remain open, etc. There are early signs that this approach is beginning to work, as for the first time, Sunday, the number of deaths dropped from the day before. Monday, the number of deaths dropped again, a very hopeful sign.
23-Mar-2020 Still no news of any Brethren around the world being infected, even in Italy which is hardest hit. If anyone has updated information, please tell us.
23-Mar-2020 Lousiana and Delaware were added to the growing list of States mandating “stay at Home” rules. (CA, CT, DE, IL, LA, OH, MI, NJ, NY)
23-Mar-2020 The National Guard has been activated in three States hardest hit by the virus: CA, NY and WA. There are Bible Students in all three States.
23-Mar-2020 An elderly Sister in Cluj, Romania, finished her course yesterday, but not due to the virus. This will be a difficult experience for the Cluj Brethren in view of new restrictions allowing only 8 persons at funerals.
23-Mar-2020 Political instability in Venezuela is complicating the COVID-19 situation, in turn having a serious financial impact on the handful of Brethren there.
23-Mar-2020 Political infighting is hindering efforts to combat the effects of the virus in several countries, including the U.S. and Israel. This is eerily similar to what happened in the French Revolution.
23-Mar-2020 Military vehicles are on the streets of Morocco enforcing the “stay at home” order. There are very few Bible Students there, and they have to remain hidden to a large extent as Christians are often persecuted in Morocco.
22-Mar-2020 Ohio has been added to the growing list of States imposing a “stay at home” order. Nearly one-third of all Americans are under such orders.
22-Mar-2020 Germany has tightened its restrictions for meetings outside work or home to 2 people. Angela Merkel has been put in quarantine after contact with a doctor who tested positive.
22-Mar-2020 Romania experienced its first deaths due to the virus. Three individuals who were in critical condition, with underlying causes, died today. The number infected has risen to 433 from 378 last evening.
21-Mar-2020 Romania has expanded the restrictions under the state of emergency to be in force for a period of as long as six months. By Military Order: All indoor Malls will be closed. Groups no larger than three persons will be permitted anywhere indoors or outdoors unless they are members of the same immediate family. Leaving the home is only permitted for strict necessities during the hours of 6AM – 10PM, and is forbidden from 10PM – 6AM except for special cases with special written authorization. Funerals and weddings are allowed a maximum of 8 persons in attendance.
21-Mar-2020 Romanian supermarkets are making arrangements to switch to home delivery by the end of this coming week.
21-Mar-2020 New Jersey has imposed a “stay at home” order.
21-Mar-2020 All residents of India are being asked to observe a one-day nationwide curfew on Sunday from 7AM to 9PM local time.
21-Mar-2020 The new total number of infections in Romania is 378 compared to 308 yesterday. Almost 60,000 are in isolation or quarantine. Tighter restrictions are to be announced shortly.
21-Mar-2020 A national curfew in Germany is imminent, as State Governments have failed to apply a consistent policy. So-called “Corona parties” have been held by large groups of young people in defiance of urgent requests to avoid such gatherings.
21-Mar-2020 In spite of conflicting news stories, top oncologist Dr. William Grace (NYC) validates the effectiveness of using the anti-malarial / arthritis drug Chloroquine Phosphate for treating COVID-19. It is particularly effective in seriously ill older patients. This drug is already available.
21-Mar-2020 Work continues internationally on the use of a treatment that is more than a century old: infusing victims with the blood serum of recovered patients. This treatment is already approved and local blood banks could make harvested serum available within a matter of weeks.
21-Mar-2020 The U. S. Army Corp of Engineers has begun converting hotels and dormitories into ICU-like facilities. As many as 10,000 beds will be available in three to four weeks.
21-Mar-2020 The military has been called in to enforce the lockdown in Italy.
21-Mar-2020 Connecticutt has ordered nonessential workers to stay home. CA, IL and NY have imposed similar orders.
21-Mar-2020 Clinical trials of a new vaccine developed in Great Britain against COVID-19 are expected to begin in Romania in less than a month.
21-Mar-2020 Illinois became the latest State to issue “stay at home” orders.
20-Mar-2020 The official number of infections in Romania is now 308, up from 277 yesterday.
20-Mar-2020 The Romanian Secretary of State for Health has recommended that all residents stay in their homes for a period of 8-10 weeks, except for absolute necessities.
20-Mar-2020 The German Army is preparing to “join the fight” against COVID-19 due to an exponential rise in infections.
20-Mar-2020 The Indian Prime Minister has asked all citizens to stay at home. Public transportation has been curtailed. There are nearly 4,000 Brethren in India.
20-Mar-2020 New Vaccines, treatments, and potential cures are being developed at record speed in several countries around the world. Preliminary trials have produced positive results. Most promising is the use of off-the-shelf medications such as Chloroquine and Remdesivir. Scientists in Israel are preparing to announce a successful vaccine.
20-Mar-2020 South American countries are beginning to impose tighter restrictions. We have a few Brethren in South America, mainly in Brazil.
20-Mar-2020 California’s complete “shelter in place” rule is expected to be followed by a number of other States in the U.S. Law enforcement will not be used at this time. The Majority of Brethren in California live in the southern part of the state which has been most heavily affected.
20-Mar-2020 The Romanian Government has announced that patients with COVID-19 will be treated at home if the number of cases becomes excessive. The official number of infections remains at 277 this morning, but that statistic may not be current.
19-Mar-2020 Clinical tests in Italy provide some hope for a virus cure. The existing antiviral drug Remdesivir has proven effective in limited trials. Tests in several other countries with existing anti-viral treatments have shown promise.
19-Mar-2020 Many conventions have been either cancelled or replaced with online conventions. The same is true of weekly meetings. This is taking place in many countries. As mentioned earlier, Brethren are preparing to celebrate the Memorial online as well.
19-Mar-2020 The army is building a new field hospital in Romania which will be complete in 5 days. It will be used primarily for COVID-19 patients.
19-Mar-2020 The number of infections in Romania rose to 277 from 246 last evening. Numbers globally are available at the link shown in the left column.
18-Mar-2020 Things continue to be calm here in Sighet. The streets are nearly empty, and the grocery stores are not much different than normal. A few items are scarce, but there are no drastic shortages.
18-Mar-2020 The U.S. Government projects a potential unemployment rate of 20% due to the virus.
18-Mar-2020 Italy’s healthcare system is nearing collapse due to overload from the virus. There are still no known cases of Brethren in Italy with the virus.
18-Mar-2020 The Romanian Government is considering a proposal to freeze prices on basic foods and medicines.
18-Mar-2020 Infections continue to rise in Romania, with the new total this morning at 246 compared to 217 last evening.
18-Mar-2020 Romania is a country of about 25 million people, with over 1,000 Brethren. Government experts are warning that between 500,000 and one million people will be laid off from work because of the virus. This will no doubt affect many Brethren. And this scenario is certain to play out in many other countries as well.
18-Mar-2020 The U.S. / Canadian border has been closed to all non-essential traffic. The biggest impact on Brethren will be in the Seattle / Vancouver area.
18-Mar-2020 Australia has banned all international travel. Gatherings of more than 100 persons are also banned.
17-Mar-2020 The State of Washington has banned all gatherings over 50 people. Non-essential businesses must cease operations. Residents over 60 years of age or those with underlying health conditions are requested to self-isolate.
17-Mar-2020 Romania has now ordered all indoor religious services, non-essential businesses and public places to close. Spain was added to the list of countries for which all international flights are suspended. Outdoor gatherings of 100 persons or more are also prohibited. Supermarkets have strict limits on the number of customers that can be in the store at one time.
17-Mar-2020 Croatia has instructed all workers to work from home. Stricter rules may be forthcoming tomorrow.
17-Mar-2020 In Romania the number of infections increased dramatically in the past 24 hours, from 168 to 217. The number in isolation or quarantine has risen to more than 23,000.
17-Mar-2020 A nationwide lockdown has been implemented in Israel, similar to what is in place in France.
17-Mar-2020 Russia has extended the ban on foreigners to May 1st. The original ban was in place until the end of March.
17-Mar-2020 All French residents are required to fill out and print a form, justifying their movements, if they leave their home.
17-Mar-2020 Ukraine has banned all inter-city rail, air and bus services. Local transports are limited to 10 passengers. International borders were already closed.
17-Mar-2020 The U.K. has apparently increased the period of self-isolation in certain cases to 12 weeks.
17-Mar-2020 The number of infections rose to 184 over night in Romania. There are now almost 20,000 either in isolation or quarantine.
17-Mar-2020 The State of New Jersey has closed all non-essential businesses, and has mobilized the National Guard to combat the spread of COVID-19. Non-essential travel is highly discouraged between 8PM and 5AM daily.
17-Mar-2020 Nationwide lockdowns have been implemented in several countries where Brethren reside, including France, Italy and Ireland. There are only a handful of Brethren in Ireland.
17-Mar-2020 The headline: “Life put on hold” is a reality for many Brethren as well as hundreds of millions of people around the world. More and more world leaders are admitting that restrictive measures may be necessary “for months”.
17-Mar-2020 The Australian Brethren are all virus free at this point. Many meetings are now online only. That includes meetings in the Philippines.
17-Mar-2020 Many Ecclesias around the World are preparing to celebrate the Lord’s Memorial online.
16-Mar-2020 The White House is urging Americans to avoid groups of more than 10 persons.
16-Mar-2020 Russia has banned entry to all foreigners. The annual visit to our Sisters in Tulun for Memorial will not be possible.
16-Mar-2020 France has imposed sweeping new restrictions. All residents must stay at home except for essential reasons. Penalties will be imposed on those who violate the rules. All borders are closed. The Army will be used to transport the sick to hospitals. A special force of 100,000 Police will be used to enforce the new rules.
16-Mar-2020 Canada has closed its borders to all foreigners. There are more than 100 Brethren scattered across Canada.
16-Mar-2020 The U.K. has implored their citizens to limit personal contact, stop all unnecessary travel, avoid restaurants and other public places, and avoid using public transportation. These measures are not mandatory, but may be made so in the near future.
16-Mar-2020 Germany has announced additional restrictions. Many shops will be closed or will operate on limited hours. Personal travel will be limited, including within Germany.
16-Mar-2020 The situation in France continues to “deteriorate very rapidly” and is beginning to overwhelm healthcare facilities. Though public officials deny such plans, the next step in restrictions would be total lockdown similar to what is taking place in Italy, where we also have Brethren.
16-Mar-2020 The State of Bavaria, Germany, has declared a State of Disaster. This is an additional level of severity beyond a State of Emergency and could include asking the German Armed Forces for assistance. There are a few elderly Brethren in this area. All events public and private are also banned in Hamburg where we have a small group of Brethren.
16-Mar-2020 The President of Romania stated today that additional restrictions will be gradually implemented under the State of Emergency declared on Saturday. Rumors that residents are not permitted out of their homes, and could risk a 4,000 Euro fine, are not true.
16-Mar-2020 The U.E. has banned all non-essential travel into the Schengen borderless travel zone by citizens of non-EU countries.
16-Mar-2020 The main island of Luzon, Philippines is now under “enhanced community quarantine” and a State of Calamity, restricting all residents to their homes. There are brethren on five islands [Luzon, Mindinao, Leyte, Cebu, and Siargoa]. The healthcare system in the Philippines is very poor.
16-Mar-2020 The number of infections in Romania have increased to 168, with more than 15,000 in isolation and another 3,000 in quarantine. There have been no deaths so far.
16-Mar-2020 The situation in France is “deteriorating very fast” with the number of cases requiring hospitalization doubling every 3 days.
16-Mar-2020 Brethren report that there are no Brethren infected so far in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar or Pakistan. Until now the Ecclesia meetings in India are permitted.
16-Mar-2020 All travel between Moldova and Russia is now prohibited. Local Brethren tell us that the situation in Moldova is worse than what is being reported on the official news.
16-Mar-2020 So far in all of Europe there has been only one known case of COVID-19 amongst the Brethren. It resulted in the death of a Sister in France. Elsewhere the Brethren are under many restrictions, but are generally healthy.
16-Mar-2020 In the U.S. — the Center for Disease Control [CDC] recommends against gatherings of 50 or more. Of perhaps greater significance is their expectation that such restrictions will be necessary for up to 8 weeks.
16-Mar-2020 Dupage County IL, near Chicago, registered its first case of Covid-19 at a hospital where one of our Sisters works.
16-Mar-2020 Several Brethren have been affected by the recent international travel bans, either being unable to travel, or facing 14 days in quarantine upon arrival at their destination.
16-Mar-2020 A state of emergency has been declared in Australia in most areas where Brethren live, including Brisbane, Perth, Queensland and Sydney.
16-Mar-2020 Croatia has raised the threat level to 3 after two doctors at a main hospital in Zagreb were infected, requiring the evacuation of the entire facility.
16-Mar-2020 California, Ohio and Illinois have mandated closure of all restaurants, bars and other non-essential businesses.
15-Mar-2020 Germany has added Austria and Switzerland to border closings. France was already on the list.
15-Mar-2020 There are over 1,000 Brethren in Romania. The majority are in high risk categories: older than 65; with pre-existing medical conditions; living in villages with few or no professional medical care facilities.
15-Mar-2020 Moldova has prohibited all religious services with the exception of funerals. There are about 100 Brethren in Moldova.
15-Mar-2020 Austria has reduced the maximum number for public gatherings to 5 persons.
15-Mar-2020 The infection count has risen to 139 in Romania.
15-Mar-2020 European governments have promised that supermarkets would remain open with adequate supplies. They did not plan sufficiently for the problem of closed borders, as a significant percentage of products are brought in from other countries in the E.U. Some supermarkets in Sighet are only allowing 2 customers in at a time.
15-Mar-2020 Romanians are being told to prepare for restrictions that could last “for several months.” Under the state of emergency declared by the Romanian President a wide range of additional severe restrictions could be put in place at any time.
15-Mar-2020 The closing of all non-essential commercial establishments has been imposed in additional countries where we have Brethren, including Austria, France and Italy.
15-Mar-2020 Border restrictions have been put in place between Germany and France. In the past there have been close relations between German and French Brethren. There are fewer than 100 Brethren in each country.
15-Mar-2020 Infections in Romania rose to 123 over night.
15-Mar-2020 London is preparing to institute measures as in time of war. There are fewer than 100 Brethren in England, mostly in the London area. Many are from Romania and Moldova who work in the U.K.
14-Mar-2020 France has ordered all non-essential locations used by the public to close. Citizens are requested to go out as little as possible. There are about 100 Brethren in France.
14-Mar-2020 The President of Romania has declared a State of Emergency. This allows for “the restriction of certain fundamental liberties, with the exception of human rights”. What this means in a practical sense remains to be seen.
14-Mar-2020 New restrictions in Romania limit gatherings to no more than 50 persons.
14-Mar-2020 Many Ecclesias around the World are forced to meet online as their regular places of meeting are closed due to the virus.
14-Mar-2020 Panic buying is rampant across the U.S. with many common products difficult to keep stocked in stores.
14-Mar-2020 The Spring Convention in Germany at the end of March has been cancelled. Contingency plans are being made for the General convention at the end of May. The meetings are cancelled in Ludwigshafen near Frankfurt. The situation in Germany is complicated by the fact that the Central Government cannot make decisions for the entire country. Local States within Germany have the power to make certain decisions.
14-Mar-2020 Sister Irine Buzala from Alsacia, France, who was diagnosed with Covid-19 a few days ago, has died in the hospital.
14-Mar-2020 The number of infections in Romania have risen to 109. The government has raised the threat level to 3, which means that all hospitals will prepare to only treat Covid-19 patients in their infectious disease section.
14-Mar-2020 There are now more than 100 infections in Croatia, with about 5,000 under quarantine or other supervision.
14-Mar-2020 Brethren in several places in the U.S. have reported panic buying, with long lines, and increasingly aggressive behavior.
14-Mar-2020 More countries in Europe where Brethren live have closed their borders in whole or in part including Austria, Italy, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine.
14-Mar-2020 The situation continues to worsen in Italy, but so far the Brethren are all well.
14-Mar-2020 The status of many Bible Student Conventions around the world is now in question, including the International Convention in Poland.
13-Mar-2020 Additional countries where there are Brethren have closed their borders. Ukraine has closed all its borders to foreigners. Moldova has closed many border crossings to Romania.
13-Mar-2020 Romanian President Iohannis Klaus has requested citizens to cancel all non-essential travel.
13-Mar-2020 Romania’s entire government has gone into quarantine after one of the Senators became infected.
13-Mar-2020 Brethren in France have cancelled upcoming conventions on March 22 and April 12,13. All Ecclesia meetings in Paris are now online only. Brethren have been asked by their companies to work at home as much as possible. There is no change in the condition of the Sister near Alsacea who is still in the hospital with the virus.
13-Mar-2020 The Chicago Ecclesia Sunday meeting is cancelled. Panic-buying in the area has created shortages of some essentials.
13-Mar-2020 In Germany they have imposed restrictions on purchases in some places where Brethren live: only one roll of toilet paper per person; 2 cans of food; 1 kg. of flour; 1 kg. of rice; etc.
13-Mar-2020 Many border crossings in Romania have been closed, including the one in Sighet with Ukraine.
13-Mar-2020 The total now stands at 81 infections in Romania. The number in isolation or quarantine has risen to more than 15,000.
12-Mar-2020 Total number of infections in Romania have risen to 49 over night.
11-Mar-2020 Romania has instituted many new restrictions including a prohition against all gatherings of more than 100 persons. This will mean no Bible Student Conventions during the duration of the ban. The public are being asked not to use public transportation unless strictly necessary. All companies with more than 100 employees have been given rules regarding varied starting times for their firms (to avoid congestion on public transport).
11-Mar-2020 Moldova has closed all its nurseries, schools, colleges and universities for two weeks from today.
11-Mar-2020 Cucerdia Convention in Romania [17 May] is cancelled.
11-Mar-2020 Croatia reports hundreds of new infections.
11-Mar-2020 Romania has implemented border restrictions. Public meeting restrictions will be announced later today. All schools are closed throughout Romania until March 22nd.
11-Mar-2020 The total number of infections in Romania is now 36. More than 11,000 persons are in home isolation or quarantine.
10-Mar-2020 The Polish government has banned all meetings over 1,000 persons. Depending on the length of this ban, it could affect the International Convention.
10-Mar-2020 The total number of infections in Romania is 17, with 5 of those now testing as cured / negative.
09-Mar-2020 The first case of Coronavirus amongst the Brethren has been reported in Alsacia, France. An older Sister is in the hospital there in grave condition.
09-Mar-2020 The Austrian Government has banned all indoor meetings of more than 100 persons. The Bible Students Regional Convention in Austria [April 4,5] has been cancelled.