The Latest: Kansas exceeds six thousand COVID-19 deaths

TOPEKA, Kan. — Gov. Laura Kelly has ordered flags passim the authorities to beryllium flown astatine half-staff to grant COVID-19 victims arsenic Kansas exceeded 6,000 reported deaths.

Kelly’s bid Monday applied instantly and directed that flags stay lowered until sunset Wednesday. The politician has issued specified an bid each clip Kansas reports different 1,000 COVID-19 deaths.

According to Kansas wellness section data, the authorities averaged 15 further reported COVID-19 deaths a time for the 7 days ending Monday. The fig of reported deaths roseate 43 since Friday, making the full 6,024.

The authorities besides reported an mean of 1,012 caller cases and 37 further hospitalizations a time for the 7 days ending Monday.

MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

— U.S. has capable COVID-19 vaccines for boosters, kids’ shots

— Rowdy celebrations erupt successful Norway as COVID restrictions end

— EXPLAINER: Who’s eligible for Pfizer booster shots successful US?

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See each of AP’s pandemic sum astatine https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A North Carolina-based infirmary strategy announced Monday that much than 175 of its workers person been fired for failing to comply with its COVID-19 vaccination requirement.

Last week, Novant Health announced 375 employees had been suspended and fixed 5 days to comply with the mandate. The deadline was Friday.

Nearly 200 of those employees came into compliance, Spokesperson Megan Rivers said successful an email Monday. Rivers didn’t supply circumstantial numbers connected however galore retired of the 375 were successful compliance and however galore mislaid their jobs.

More than 99% of Novant Health’s 35,000-plus employees are present compliant with the vaccine mandate, including employees who person submitted an approved spiritual oregon aesculapian vaccine exemption, according to a statement.

The Winston-Salem-based strategy includes 15 hospitals, 800 clinics and hundreds of outpatient facilities.

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MALDEN, Mass. — State acquisition officials connected Monday extended Massachusetts’ nationalist schoolhouse indoor disguise mandate an other month.

The mandate that applies to students, unit and faculty, was scheduled to expire connected Oct. 1, but volition present tally done astatine slightest Nov. 1, authorities Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said.

Middle and precocious schools tin use for a waiver from the look covering rules if 80% of their students and unit person been vaccinated, helium said.

The archetypal mandate was announced successful August. It applies to students property 5 and over. Masks are not required outdoors oregon portion eating, and a constricted fig of different indoor activities.

About 2,220 students and much than 300 workers astatine Massachusetts nationalist schools person tested affirmative for COVID-19 this schoolhouse year, according to the latest accusation disposable from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

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HAVANA — Cuba has begun commercialized exports of its homegrown COVID-19 vaccines, sending shipments of the three-dose Abdala vaccine to Vietnam and Venezuela.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced the accomplishment successful Vietnam connected his Twitter provender Sunday. Cuba’s Center of Genetic Immunology and Biotechnology besides announced that archetypal shipments of the Abdala shots were sent to Venezuela implicit the weekend.

Vietnam’s President Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited Cuba past week and toured the laboratory that produces the vaccine, announcing an statement to bargain astatine slightest 5 cardinal doses.

Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s vice president, announced successful June that the state had agreed to bargain $12 cardinal worthy of the Cuban vaccine, though officials person declined to accidental however galore doses were involved.

Another Cuban-developed COVID-19 vaccine is being produced successful Iran, which Cuba has asked the World Health Organization to o.k. successful hopes to widen exports of its locally developed vaccines.

Cuban scientists person said the vaccines are much than 90% effectual against illness, though — similar each vaccines — little truthful against specified infection.

Cuba plans to afloat vaccinate 90% of its colonisation by the extremity of November — a cardinal measurement to reopening an system heavy babelike connected tourism.

Cuba’s manager of epidemiology, Francisco Durán, said Monday that the state of immoderate 11 cardinal radical has registered 860,799 infections with COVID-19 and 7,279 deaths during the pandemic.

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A pharmacy proprietor successful Puerto Rico has pleaded blameworthy to illegally vaccinating 2 twelve children against COVID-19 with shots that had not been approved arsenic harmless for that property group, national authorities said Monday.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Liz Ann Banchs afloat inoculated minors betwixt the ages of 7 and 11 with the Pfizer vaccine from precocious May until precocious June.

The vaccine is presently approved for those 12 years and older, though Pfizer announced past week that a mentation of its vaccine, with much-reduced doses, is harmless and works for children ages 5 to 11 and that it volition soon question U.S. authorization for that property group.

Authorities said the amerciable vaccination occurred astatine Farmacia Gabriela, Inc. successful the confederate upland municipality of Juana Diaz. They said Banchs faces up to 5 years successful situation and up to a $250,000 fine.

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BUENOS AIRES — Argentina’s authorities opened immoderate of its borderline to tourists from Chile and Brazil connected Monday for a four-day trial tally arsenic cases of COVID-19 person declined.

The measurement applies to 2 crossings into the provinces of Mendoza, a wine-producing portion that neighbors Chile, and Misiones, which borders Brazil manus has the famed Iguazu Falls.

Prior to the pandemic, thousands of radical crossed regular implicit those borders.

Visitors volition inactive request to amusement they person completed a afloat vaccine people astatine slightest 14 days earlier arriving, amusement a caller antagonistic PCR trial and judge a accelerated antigen trial connected arriving.

They won’t person to quarantine, but volition required to person different PCR trial if they enactment beyond 7 days — and those who trial affirmative would past person to quarantine.

The announcement amounts to an aboriginal commencement connected a gradual opening of onshore borders that already had been announced for citizens of neighboring countries that was to commencement connected Friday. Fully vaccinated Argentines surviving overseas volition nary longer person to quarantine connected arrival.

The state of astir 45 cardinal radical has seen steadily improving levels of corruption and infirmary furniture concern aft being deed hard by the virus. Overall, it has recorded 5.2 infections and much than 114,000 deaths.

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HARRISBURG, Pa. — Legislation that cleared a House committee connected Monday would springiness Pennsylvania schoolhouse districts the authorization to determine whether pupil athletes indispensable deterioration masks portion playing.

The Republican-controlled House State Government Committee approved the measurement 15-10 on enactment lines. It would springiness “exclusive authority” to schools, recreational clubs, assemblage leagues and akin groups to acceptable masking argumentation for younker athletes.

GOP leaders successful the authorities House person promised to equine a legislative effect to Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s statewide disguise mandate for schools, which requires students, unit and visitors astatine K-12 schools and kid attraction facilities to deterioration masks portion indoors, careless of vaccination status. The cosmopolitan masking bid has been met with fierce absorption by immoderate schoolhouse boards and ant-mask parents and students.

But truthful far, determination has been nary question by bulk Republicans connected a wider measure to forestall the authorities from imposing a disguise mandate connected students and teachers successful schools. The Wolf administration’s masking bid already exempts younker athletes from having to screen their faces during signifier oregon games.

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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden volition person his COVID-19 booster changeable connected Monday, days aft national regulators recommended a 3rd dose of the Pfizer vaccine for Americans property 65 oregon older and approved them for others with preexisting aesculapian conditions and high-risk enactment environments.

Biden, 78, got his archetypal changeable connected Dec. 21 and his 2nd dose 3 weeks later, connected Jan. 11, on with his wife, Jill Biden. It was not instantly wide whether the archetypal lady, who’s 70, would besides person the booster dose connected Monday.

Speaking connected Friday aft the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration authorized the Pfizer booster, Biden told reporters, “I’ll beryllium getting my booster shot. It’s hard to admit I’m implicit 65, but I’ll beryllium getting my booster shot. ”

At slightest 2.66 cardinal Americans person received booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine since mid-August, according to the CDC. About 100 cardinal Americans person been afloat vaccinated against COVID-19 done the Pfizer shot. U.S. regulators urge getting the boosters astatine slightest six months aft the 2nd changeable of the archetypal two-dose series.

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island’s vaccine mandate for wellness attraction workers takes effect Oct. 1, and it’s a hard mandate, meaning nary shot, nary occupation for workers astatine state-licensed facilities.

But the mandate is already facing a ineligible situation from the section healthcare industry, which argues that it’s unconstitutional due to the fact that it’s 1 of the fewer successful the federation that doesn’t let for spiritual exemptions.

Democratic Gov. Dan McKee’s medication has besides granted immoderate alleviation to hospitals fearing idiosyncratic shortages, announcing past week that hospitals tin let unvaccinated wellness attraction workers to support moving 30 days past the Oct. 1 deadline successful cases wherever firing them would compromise diligent safety.

In Massachusetts, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has issued a vaccine mandate for workers astatine remainder homes, assisted surviving facilities, hospice programs and location attraction programs. Although the governor’s bid says exemptions volition beryllium allowed for morganatic aesculapian and sincerely held spiritual reasons, determination is thing successful the bid that allows for a regular investigating alternative.

The deadline to get vaccinated for these workers is Oct. 31. The politician has not issued vaccine mandates for different wellness attraction settings, though astir large Massachusetts infirmary systems person issued their ain worker vaccinate mandates.

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AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan’s royal palace says Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II has tested affirmative for COVID-19 and is displaying “mild symptoms.”

The palace says successful a connection that King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, his parents, person some tested antagonistic but volition self-quarantine for 5 days. It says the 27-year-old crown prince tested affirmative Monday aft undergoing a regular examination.

All 3 members of the royal household person been vaccinated.

Jordan, a adjacent Western state successful a volatile region, has reported much than 820,000 coronavirus infections, including 10,697 deaths. The state has vaccinated astir a 3rd of its colonisation of 10 million.

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