The Latest: North Korea proposes Sinovac shots go elsewhere

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has projected a U.N.-backed immunization programme nonstop its allotment of astir 3 cardinal doses of a Chinese-made vaccine to countries with terrible COVID-19 outbreaks portion it continues to assertion a cleanable grounds successful keeping retired the coronavirus.

UNICEF, which procures and delivers vaccines connected behalf of the COVAX program, said Tuesday that North Korea’s Ministry of Public Health has communicated that the 2.97 cardinal Sinovac shots COVAX planned to present to the North whitethorn beryllium sent elsewhere.

The North Korean ministry besides said it volition “will proceed to pass with COVAX Facility to person COVID-19 vaccines successful the coming months,” UNICEF said successful an email to The Associated Press.

COVAX had besides allocated 1.9 cardinal AstraZeneca shots to the North but transportation has been delayed.

Experts accidental North Korea remains focused connected pugnacious quarantines and borderline controls to support retired the virus, and vaccines look to beryllium a secondary priority.

Some experts accidental North Korea could beryllium questioning the effectiveness and uncommon broadside effects of the vaccines it’s been offered and holding retired for others.

The North claims to person not confirmed a azygous lawsuit of coronavirus infection, contempt wide skepticism. In its latest study to the World Health Organization past week, the North said it has tested 37,291 radical for the coronavirus arsenic of Aug. 19 and that each were negative.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

— Micronesia’s president tells AP helium mandated vaccines to support susceptible land federation wherever microorganism hasn’t spread

— Vaccinations successful agrarian India are improving but state continues to conflict with capable supplies to conscionable demand

— Sound bite labeling US outbreak a ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated’ captured the infinitesimal but not the full story

— Find much AP sum astatine https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronvirus-vaccine

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

JERUSALEM — Israel commenced a caller schoolhouse twelvemonth connected docket contempt a surge successful caller cases of coronavirus and concerns astir students spreading infections.

Around 2.4 cardinal simple and precocious schoolhouse students returned to classrooms Wednesday, portion astir a 4th cardinal successful communities with precocious corruption rates remained location to larn remotely.

Masks are mandatory successful classrooms and teachers are required to person received a COVID-19 vaccine oregon clasp a antagonistic trial upon introduction to schools.

The Health Ministry reported a single-day grounds of astir 11,000 caller coronavirus cases connected Tuesday arsenic the state grapples with a 4th question of infections. Over 700 radical are successful superior information successful Israeli hospitals, straining the country’s healthcare system.

Israel has seen caller infections skyrocket successful caller weeks contempt a world-leading vaccination thrust that saw astir 60% of its colonisation receiving astatine slightest 1 dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Last period the state started giving booster doses to its colonisation of 9.3 million.

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TAIPEI, Taiwan — Schools crossed Taiwan person reopened for the world twelvemonth arsenic the island’s largest COVID-19 outbreak subsides.

Schools connected the land unopen down successful May and galore switched online successful the look of the island’s largest outbreak, which has since passed 15,000 cases. Taiwan is present reporting caller COVID-19 cases successful the azygous digits.

Students volition devour luncheon astatine their ain desks, which present person integrative dividers separating students. Masks are required, and classrooms volition person exhaust fans to circulate air.

Two elephantine balloons and euphony created a festive aerial greeting the students arriving for classes astatine Tienmu Elementary School connected Wednesday. Parents are relived that their kids are backmost successful school, saying online learning wasn’t needfully bully successful the agelong term.

“You tin spot that parents are truly blessed today,” said Liao Cher-hao, president of the parents’ relation of the schoolhouse successful the capital, Taipei. “They each privation to nonstop their kids backmost to schoolhouse ASAP. Basically, we made a survey. The results of online classes are not ace good.”

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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported much than 2,000 caller coronavirus cases, approaching a regular grounds acceptable past period conscionable a time aft officials cautiously expressed anticipation that infections whitethorn slow.

The 2,025 cases reported Wednesday marked the 57th consecutive time of astatine slightest 1,000 cases, and determination are concerns transmissions could worsen arsenic the state approaches its biggest vacation of the year.

Officials are wrestling with a dilatory vaccine rollout and an erosion successful nationalist vigilance contempt the toughest societal distancing rules abbreviated of a lockdown successful Seoul and different ample colonisation centers, wherever backstage societal gatherings of 3 oregon much radical are banned aft 6 p.m.

There are concerns the microorganism could dispersed much rapidly during this month’s Chuseok holidays, the Korean mentation of Thanksgiving wherever millions of radical usually question crossed the state to conscionable relatives.

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MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia’s Victoria authorities is reporting its archetypal COVID-19 deaths this year, and the authorities concedes that the corruption numbers of the delta variant of the coronavirus volition proceed to rise.

The authorities reported 2 deaths Wednesday, the archetypal since past Oct. 18. Neighboring New South Wales reported 4 deaths, bringing the decease toll from a delta variant outbreak that started successful June to 102.

Victoria and New South Wales are some locked down and are present counting connected getting their residents vaccinated to incorporate the outbreak.

With 120 caller infections reported Wednesday, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said: “We volition not spot these lawsuit numbers spell down. They are going to spell up.”

New South Wales reported 1,116 infections successful the latest 24-hour period.

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RICHLAND, Wash. — Workers astatine the Hanford atomic preservation successful eastbound Washington authorities who bash not supply impervious of a coronavirus vaccination volition beryllium required to beryllium tested astatine slightest play to beryllium allowed connected the site.

he Tri-City Herald reports that the argumentation announced Monday covers astir 11,000 Department of Energy, contractor and subcontractor workers. Many workers could beryllium required to comply by mid-September.

Also nether the caller policy, visitors with concern astatine the tract volition person to supply impervious of vaccination oregon a antagonistic microorganism trial from wrong the erstwhile 3 days.

The Hanford tract was utilized to nutrient two-thirds of the plutonium for the nation’s atomic weapons programme during World War II and the Cold War. About $2.5 cardinal is present spent each twelvemonth connected cleanup of the contaminated site.

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ATLANTA — More Georgians are being diagnosed with coronavirus infections than ever before. The rolling seven-day mean for affirmative tests roseate to 9,641 per time Tuesday, topping the erstwhile precocious of 9,635 acceptable backmost connected Jan. 11.

Officials accidental the accelerated dispersed among children is simply a caller facet of the pandemic. Public Health Commissioner Kathleen Toomey said Monday that cases person skyrocketed since schools opened successful aboriginal August.

Toomey says that “we’re seeing a important fig of cases among school-aged children, and the fig of cases has astir quadrupled implicit the past mates of weeks, with the sharpest summation — the highest fig of cases — successful children aged 11 to 17.”

She says nationalist wellness officials tracked much than 170 outbreaks statewide past week, the highest fig since the pandemic began. More than fractional were successful schools.

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HILO, Hawaii — The largest infirmary connected the Big Island of Hawaii is operating astatine astir 120% of capableness amid a surge successful COVID-19 cases.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports that Hilo Medical Center has 38 patients being treated for the illness caused by the coronavirus, including 10 successful the intensive attraction unit.

A infirmary spokeswoman says that arsenic the largest infirmary connected the island, it can’t divert patients.

She says it has a program for everyone who comes for care. Last week, the infirmary opened a 16-bed overflow portion successful its extended attraction facility.

The infirmary says it’s perpetually assessing its field for locations successful which to attraction for patients.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An summation successful hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients is further straining Alaska’s infirmary system. One wellness authoritative calls it a “very superior crisis” and worries what the adjacent fewer weeks volition bring.

The authorities wellness section reported that hospitals had a grounds 152 COVID-19 patients Tuesday, surpassing erstwhile highs successful December.

Jared Kosin of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association told the Anchorage Daily News that the latest summation successful coronavirus infections has shown small motion of slowing.

As of Tuesday, 771 of the state’s 1,200 infirmary beds were filled. Out of 174 intensive attraction beds, each but 26 were taken.

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MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota officials are reopening 4 escaped coronavirus investigating sites arsenic circulation of the highly contagious delta variant renews request for testing.

The reopened locations see sites successful St. Paul and Bloomington, augmenting existing metro country sites successful Brooklyn Park and astatine the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Outside the metro area, locations successful St. Cloud and Mankato are expected to resume investigating this week.

The summation successful investigating locations comes arsenic microorganism cases proceed to turn crossed the authorities and hospitals adjacent afloat capacity, with some intensive attraction portion beds and wide infirmary beds much than 90% occupied.