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.
American infectiologist Anthony Fauci has warned of new virus variants in an interview. In regions with few vaccinated people, where the virus can continue to circulate freely, there is a good chance that there will soon be a variant that could be more problematic than the delta variant, Fauci said in an interview with NBC News. Every infectiologist is aware, he said: a virus can only mutate if it is allowed to replicate. Currently, vaccinations still protect well against the delta variant, but a new variant could affect not only the unvaccinated but also the vaccinated, he said. Those who don’t protect themselves will eventually become infected, he said. Fauci also favors when mandatory vaccinations are introduced regionally. He recommends booster vaccinations for immunocompromised individuals.
New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, reported 283 locally acquired cases of Covid-19 on Monday, up from 262 the previous day. The total number of infections in the latest outbreak of the highly infectious delta variant is nearly 5500 for the constituent state, and a total of 36,000 infections have been reported across Australia since the pandemic broke out. Since the end of June, the Sydney metropolitan area, with a population of over 6 million, as well as many regional areas, have been in a strict lockdown.
In Tunisia, a good 550,000 people were immunized in a nationwide vaccination campaign on Sunday (Aug. 8). All citizens over the age of 40 were called upon to be vaccinated. The Ministry of Health hoped to reach up to one million people. Only eight percent of the 11.5 million population had been fully immunized before the vaccination day. Between 2000 and 3000 new infections are reported daily. Since the beginning of the pandemic, nearly 21,000 people have died with or from the virus. Due to the desolate situation, there have been repeated protests against the government in recent months. Two weeks ago, President Saied finally dismissed the head of government and suspended the work of parliament for an initial 30 days. Critics speak of a coup. A successful vaccination campaign is of great importance for the legitimacy of President Kais Saied and the transformation of the political system he initiated. In the meantime, the country has received nearly six million vaccine doses donated from abroad.
In France, among other things, restaurant visits and train travel will only be permitted with proof of Corona vaccination, recovery or a negative test as of Monday (Aug. 9). At the same time, a Corona vaccination requirement for health workers will go into effect. The tightened health rules are to apply to people over 18 until mid-November. More than 200,000 people demonstrated nationwide against the controversial measures just again this weekend. Proof of complete vaccination, recovery or negative testing will now be mandatory in restaurants, cafes, trains, long-distance buses, airplanes, at trade fairs and in health facilities.
Another 26 Corona cases were registered at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday (Aug. 8). Among them was no athlete, according to a statement from Olympic organizers. The total number of Corona infected people in connection with the Summer Games increased to 430, of which 32 were residents of the Olympic village so far. Since July 1, some 600,000 Corona tests have been performed on Olympic participants.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has been pelted with eggs during an election campaign appearance. The incident occurred two months before Saturday’s (Aug. 7) parliamentary election at his home in Pruhonice, near Prague, news agency CTK reported. Bodyguards took the head of government to a nearby cafe. Babis told CNN Prima News he was attacked by opponents of the Corona measures: “They hit me in the head – and a young woman got a cup of beer.” Before the appearance, critics of the head of government had already painted hundreds of white crosses on the ground. They said they did so to commemorate the more than 30,300 people killed in the Corona pandemic in the Czech Republic.
In France, more than 200,000 people again took to the streets on Saturday (Aug. 7) against stricter Corona rules and mandatory vaccination for hospital and nursing home workers. The Interior Ministry reported in the evening that some 237,000 people had taken part – the largest rally so far since the new mass protests began last month. Rallies were again held in the capital, Paris, but also in numerous other cities. A focal point of the protests this time was in the south. According to information from the radio station France Info, up to 37,000 people took part in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. According to initial reports, the demonstrations were largely peaceful. Tension between security forces and demonstrators occurred in Lyon, the country’s third-largest city.
- source: nzz.ch/picture: pixabay.com
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