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The number of new Corona infections in the U.S. has reached a new high: on Saturday, according to Johns Hopkins University, more than 277,000 new cases were reported, more than ever before. In total, nearly 20.4 million U.S. citizens have already been infected with the coronavirus, and the death toll is nearly 350,000. According to media reports, legendary U.S. talk show host Larry King, 87, was also hospitalized with Covid-19.
The U.S. is the most severely affected country in the world by the coronavirus. Top virologist Anthony Fauci had warned shortly before the end of the year that the worst could be yet to come for the country, as travel around Christmas and New Year’s Eve is likely to have further fueled the spread of the virus.
Talk show host King has been treated for Covid-19 at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for more than a week, his longtime employer CNN reported Saturday (local time), citing family sources. The 87-year-old King suffers from diabetes and has had numerous health problems in the past, including multiple strokes and lung cancer. He hosted the talk show “Larry King Live” on CNN for 25 years, retiring in 2010.
Meanwhile, the vaccination program in the U.S. is suffering from logistical problems. So far, just over 4.2 million U.S. citizens have received their first vaccine dose, far short of the 20 million promised by outgoing President Donald Trump by the end of 2020. Nevertheless, 13.1 million doses have already been delivered by manufacturers Biontech/Pfizer and Moderna.
In Europe, however, the vaccination campaign is proceeding extremely slowly. In Germany, the EU’s most populous country, for example, only 188,553 people have been vaccinated, accounting for around a quarter of the population of the USA. Against this background, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder suggested in the newspaper “Bild am Sonntag” that the vaccine should be produced “under license by other companies in Germany” and accused the EU of ordering too little vaccine and relying on the wrong manufacturers.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, lifted an entry ban imposed because of the new, more contagious variant of the virus after two weeks. The ban ended Sunday, the state news agency reported. However, restrictions remain in place. For example, people who were in countries such as the United Kingdom or South Africa must wait at least 14 days before entering the kingdom.
- Source: k.at/picture: pixabay.com
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