Medical workers observe a moment of silence during a national memorial for COVID-19 victims, in Tucson, Arizona, on Jan 19, 2021. (JOSH GALEMORE / ARIZONA DAILY STAR VIA AP)
NEW YORK / WASHINGTON / LONDON / ROME / PARIS / BRUSSELS / MEXICO CITY / RIO DE JANEIRO / BERLIN / LISBON – The administration of US President-elect Joe Biden plans to join the COVAX, a World Health Organization-led coalition planning to distribute vaccines to poorer nations, that US President Donald Trump declined to take part in, Antony Blinken, nominee to be secretary of state, told lawmakers Tuesday at his confirmation hearing.
“The combination of rejoining, taking part in COVAX and looking at how we can help make sure the vaccine is equitably distributed is something we’re going to take on,” Blinken said. He added that he sees global risks rising as the pandemic continues to spread.
US President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to deliver 100 million vaccine doses in his first 100 days
The United States reached the grim milestone of 400,000 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, as the nation prepares to inaugurate a new president who has pledged to speed up vaccine delivery and promote protective measures like mask-wearing as a patriotic duty.
With more than 24 million COVID-19 infections, the US has been the world leader in cases and deaths, contributing about a fifth of the more than 2 million fatalities reported globally.
ALSO READ: WEF: Pandemic could be source of global crises for years
About 2.5 million children in the US had been infected since the onset of the pandemic, according to the latest report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children's Hospital Association.
More than 211,000 new cases involving children were reported last week ending Jan 14, the highest weekly increase since the pandemic began, according to the AAP.
The US distributed another 5.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, bringing the total to about 35.8 million, according to a statement from Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller.
Biden, who is to be inaugurated on Wednesday, has pledged to deliver 100 million doses in his first 100 days.
Global tally
Coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 96.1 million while the global death toll exceeded 2.05 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
EU
European Union (EU) states should aim to vaccinate at least 70 percent of their adult populations against COVID-19 by the summer, the European Commission recommended on Tuesday.
The 70 percent goal could mean inoculating over 200 million people, most likely with vaccines which need two doses per person. The EU has so far given a first dose to about 5 million people since it started its rollout at the end of December, the Commission said.
As a mid-term target, by March at least 80 percent of people over the age of 80, and 80 percent of healthcare workers should also be vaccinated in each EU state, the Commission said.
The Commission is also urging EU states to boost their capacity to sequence the coronavirus in order to detect new variants. It called on EU governments to sequence at least 5 percent of all positive tests whereas at the moment many states test less than 1 percent of samples.
The Commission also said it was working with EU states to adopt a common approach by the end of the month on vaccination certificates to facilitate travel.
READ MORE: EU eyes scheme to share surplus vaccines with poorer nations
UK
The number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test has surpassed the grim milestone of 90,000 in Britain after another 1,610 were confirmed, according to official figures released Tuesday.
The latest daily toll, the highest since the pandemic began in the country, brought the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain to 91,470, the data showed.
A further 33,355 cases were reported, lower than the seven-day rolling average of 44,997. The average number of new cases has been steadily falling since early January, although it remains significantly higher as a more infectious strain spreads through the country.
There are now more than 4.26 million people who have received their first coronavirus vaccine dose.
Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Germany may need to consider border crossing curbs if other European countries do not act to halt the spread of the coronavirus, particularly the new, more transmissible variants.
Her comments came after she and leaders of Germany's 16 states agreed to extend for another two weeks a lockdown for most shops and schools until Feb 14.
Medical masks, and not simple cotton ones, will be made mandatory on public transportation and in stores, and companies must let employees work from home until March 15 where possible.
Portugal
Portugal on Tuesday reported a record 218 additional COVID-19 deaths, pushing the country's toll to 9,246, the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) said.
In January alone, COVID-19 has already caused 2,274 deaths, a figure that took seven months to reach during the first wave of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, 10,455 new cases were registered, bringing the cumulative caseload to 566,958.
Portugese Economy Minister Pedro Siza Vieira tested positive for COVID-19 after reporting some symptoms, Portugal’s economy ministry said in a statement.
Vieira had been self-isolating since Saturday.
Italy
Italy reported 603 coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday, against 377 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 10,497 from 8,824.
In total, Italy has registered 83,157 COVID-19 deaths and 2.4 million cases to date.
Patients in hospital with COVID-19 – not including those in intensive care – stood at 22,699 on Tuesday, down 185 from a day earlier.
There were 176 new admissions to intensive care units, against 142 the day before. The total number of intensive care patients fell by 57 to 2,487.
France
France reported 23,608 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, up from 3,736 on Monday, while admissions to intensive care units continued to rise.
Health Minister Olivier Veran said earlier the coronavirus was still circulating at a worrying level, but stopped short of recommending a third national lockdown.
A nationwide curfew was brought forward to start at 6 pm from last Saturday, and authorities say it will remain in place for at least a fortnight.
Health ministry data also showed 656 people had died from the virus in hospitals on Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 71,342, the world's seventh-highest.
France's cumulative total of cases is fast approaching 3 million, the sixth-highest in the world.
The health ministry also said that the number of people to receive coronavirus vaccines rose to 585,664 from 479,873 as of Monday.
Medical workers observe a moment of silence during a national memorial for COVID-19 victims, in Tucson, Arizona, on Jan 19, 2021. (JOSH GALEMORE / ARIZONA DAILY STAR VIA AP)
Americas region
The Americas region is experiencing a sustained surge in coronavirus infections, with 2.5 million new cases confirmed in the last week, the head of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the regional arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), said on Tuesday.
New coronavirus variants in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil may be playing a role in accelerating new infections throughout the region, said PAHO Director Carissa Etienne in a press conference.
Mexico
Mexico confirmed 18,894 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, according to health ministry data, bringing the tally to 1,668,396.
The country also registered another 1,584 fatalities, the highest figure since Oct 5, when authorities adjusted the way they count fatalities caused by the virus. The death toll now stands at 142,832, according to the ministry.
Brazil
Brazil on Tuesday registered 1,192 deaths due to the coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 211,491, the health ministry said.
Confirmed coronavirus cases rose by 62,094 to 8,573,864.
More Brazilian states, including the capital Brasilia, gave their first COVID-19 vaccinations on Tuesday, as the government distributed some 6 million ready doses of the vaccine from China's Sinovac after its approval on Sunday for emergency use.
Brazil's federally funded Fiocruz biomedical center said it would not be able to deliver finished doses of the AstraZeneca shot until March as it waits for the first shipment of active ingredients from China. AstraZeneca has arranged for substantial manufacturing of its vaccine's active ingredients in China.
Separately, Brazilian pharmaceutical company União Quimica plans to press ahead with production of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine with a view to exporting it to other parts of South America.
Venezuela
The timeline has closed for Venezuela to join the COVAX facility for COVID-19 vaccines, a PAHO official said on Tuesday, though the country was still negotiating for doses through other means.
Venezuela expressed interest in joining COVAX, according Ciro Ugarte, director of health emergencies for PAHO.
"However, this is not possible due to lack of resources and timely payments," Ugarte said at a virtual press conference. "The time to be able to join the COVAX mechanism has passed."
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said the country will receive 10 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.
Lawyers for Venezuela's central bank say the country has been unable to make payments required to participate in COVAX because sanctions have left funds frozen in foreign bank accounts.
Being locked out of COVAX will leave Venezuela dependent on the Russian vaccine at a time when health services are collapsing, and an overall economic crisis has raised doubt about the country's capacity to conduct a vaccination campaign.
READ MORE: WHO chief: Vaccine nationalism could prolong pandemic
Cuba
Cuba registered on Tuesday 330 new COVID-19 cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the national caseload to 18,773 and the death toll to 175, according to the Ministry of Public Health.
Of the new infections, only nine were imported cases, the lowest number in 15 days, which corresponds to the restrictive measures for foreign entry into the country that were put in place at the beginning of the year.
The remaining 321 native cases were mainly reported in four areas with high rates of infection, namely Havana, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo.
So far in January, Cuba has registered 29 deaths from COVID-19, the second highest number in a month since the outbreak of the pandemic, after April 2020, in which 55 deaths were recorded.
