Coronavirus worldwide: 22 more Corona cases in Olympics attendees, Russia’s population shrinks significantly in pandemic

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About 201 million people have tested positive for the virus worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 4.2 million infected people have died. About 4.3 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide.
The latest developments

22 more cases in Tokyo
Tokyo Olympics organizers have reported 22 more Corona cases surrounding the Summer Games. No other athletes have been affected, according to a statement issued by organizers on Saturday (Aug. 7). The total number of people infected with Corona in connection with the Olympics rose to 404, including 32 Olympic village residents so far. Since July 1, nearly 600,000 Corona tests have been performed on Olympic participants.

Russia’s population continues to shrink
Russia’s population continues to shrink significantly in the Corona pandemic. Between January and June 2021, nearly 422,000 more people died than were born in the world’s largest country by area, according to figures released Friday (Aug. 6) by Russia’s Rosstat statistics agency. The population decline was thus almost 60 percent higher than in the first half of 2020. According to official Corona statistics, around 163,000 people have died of Corona in Russia so far. However, the number of unreported cases is estimated to be much higher.

China is participating in funding Corona vaccine
China is participating in funding Corona vaccine for poorer countries through the United Nations. The government provided $100 million (about 91 million Swiss francs), the GAVI vaccination alliance reported Friday (Aug. 6) in Geneva. The money will go to the AMC financial instrument, which finances vaccines for the 92 poorest countries as part of the Covax international solidarity program. In total, this means AMC has nearly ten billion dollars at its disposal. In addition to many smaller donors, the USA, for example, is involved with $3.5 billion, Japan with $1 billion, the UK with $733 million, Canada is involved with $348 million and Sweden with $295 million.

Israel is launching a project with Corona antibody tests for children
Israel is launching a project with Corona antibody tests for children to enable more face-to-face teaching in schools. Starting Sunday (Aug. 8), students aged three to 12 will be tested for antibodies to the corona virus, a spokeswoman for the Education Ministry confirmed Friday (Aug. 6). The program will initially be offered in three religious cities in Israel and two settlements in the occupied West Bank. A total of 250,000 children would be affected by the project. The ministry assumes that about 25 to 30 percent of the affected children have already recovered from the coronavirus and therefore have antibodies. These children would no longer have to go into quarantine if a case of the disease occurred in the classroom. Those who do not have antibodies will be tested daily for a week for the coronavirus if a case of the disease occurs.

Green Passport in Italy
Anyone in Italy who wants to eat indoors in a restaurant, go to a museum or to a swimming pool or spa starting Friday (Aug. 6) will have to show a “green passport” – either proof of vaccination, a negative Corona test valid for 48 hours or proof of recovery. The new rules also apply to outdoor cultural or sporting events or gyms. All persons twelve years of age and older are affected. Visitors from abroad must also present proof in Italian, French, English or Spanish. In Italy, a first vaccination is sufficient for a passport. The Corona disease must not have been contracted more than six months ago. For the time being, a “green passport” is not yet required for hotels or public transportation.

South Korea is extending its tightened Corona restriction
South Korea is extending its tightened Corona restrictions by two weeks shortly before the summer vacations in order to curb new infections with the highly contagious delta variant. More and more people are becoming seriously ill, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday (Aug. 6) No more than two people are allowed to meet after 6 p.m. in the capital Seoul and surrounding areas, and four in other regions. Only 14 percent of South Korea’s population has been fully vaccinated so far.