BERLIN — Germans will be forced into a strict lockdown over Christmas, after weeks of milder restrictions on public life failed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, leading to record numbers of new infections and deaths, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Sunday. Starting on Wednesday, nonessential stores, schools and hairdressers will be required to close, and companies will be encouraged to offer employees an extended holiday break or allow them to work from home. The number of people allowed to meet privately — including over Christmas — will also be further tightened. New Year’s celebrations outdoors will be all but prohibited, with the sale of fireworks and gatherings in public both banned. “All of this will impact the holidays, we know that, but we have been forced to take action and that is what we are doing now,” Ms. Merkel said at a news conference announcing the measures, which are to remain in place through Jan. 10. Germany earned widespread recognition for its … [Read more...]

At Novant Health in Winston-Salem, N.C., the new ultracold freezers are ready — enough to eventually house more than 500,000 doses of the first coronavirus vaccine approved in the United States. In Los Angeles, the Cedars-Sinai medical center has installed extra security cameras to protect the secret location of its soon-to-arrive supply of the vaccine. [ U.S. coronavirus vaccine distribution begins in New York .] In Jackson, Miss., the state’s top two health officials are preparing to roll up their own sleeves in the coming days and be the first to get the shots there as cameras roll, hoping to send the message, “We trust it.” The Food and Drug Administration’s emergency authorization on Friday night of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has set in motion the most ambitious vaccination campaign in the nation’s history, a challenge of staggering proportions choreographed against a backdrop of soaring infection rates and deaths. This weekend, 2.9 million … [Read more...]

A surge in coronavirus cases in and around Tulsa, Okla., is probably connected to the campaign rally President Trump held there last month, the city’s top health official said on Wednesday. Tulsa County reported 206 new confirmed cases on Tuesday and 261 — a record high — on Monday, and Dr. Bruce Dart, the director of the Tulsa Health Department, said at a news conference that it was reasonable to link the spike to the rally and related events. “The past two days we’ve had almost 500 cases, and we know we had several large events a little over two weeks ago, which is about right,” Dr. Dart said. “So I guess we just connect the dots.” The county has more infections right now than any other in Oklahoma, and “we’ve had some significant events in the past few weeks that more than likely contributed to that,” he added. Dr. Dart spent much of the news conference pleading with Tulsans to wear face masks — which most attendees at Mr. Trump’s rally did not — and said … [Read more...]

Immigrants from Muslim backgrounds have been far more affected by deadly cases of the Wuhan coronavirus than French natives, according to France’s National Institute for Demographic Studies. While exact numbers on deaths by ethnicity and religion are not available in France as the law forbids the collection of such data, the National Institute for Demographic Studies (INED), along with the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), claim that various factors point to Muslim immigrants being far more affected by deadly cases of the virus, according to newspaper Ouest France. A study released by the INSEE in April measured the number of coronavirus deaths by country of origin and found that there were far more fatal cases of the virus among immigrants, as opposed to native-born French, Stockholm No-Go Suburb Most Affected by Coronavirus https://t.co/ccDaYvhMgL — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 8, 2020 Michel Guillot, a researcher at INED, … [Read more...]

Around a quarter of Finland’s total coronavirus cases have been detected in people who are not native Finnish speakers, according to the National Institute of Health and Welfare (THL). Natalia Skogberg, a Research Manager at the THL, explained that several factors could explain why non-Finnish speakers had such high rates of the Wuhan coronavirus compared to the native-speaking population. “They may come from a lower socioeconomic background, or be in a profession where working from home is not possible. They may also have large family sizes and live in more cramped housing, making it more difficult to prevent chains of infection,” Skogberg told broadcaster YLE. Stockholm No-Go Suburb Most Affected by Coronavirus https://t.co/ccDaYvhMgL — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 8, 2020 Groups with the highest rates of infections have been recorded among those speaking languages such as Russian, Somali, Arabic, and Kurdish as their native tongue. A lack of … [Read more...]

Italian Minister for Regional Affairs Francesco Boccia inadvertently revealed that up to a quarter of new coronavirus cases are of foreign origin after stating that 75 per cent of cases were Italians infected by Italians. Minister Boccia revealed the information while trying to calm Italians concerned that the recent wave of migrants coming from North Africa could end up spreading the disease and lead to a new wave of coronavirus outbreaks. “75 per cent of the positives are Italian, infected by other Italians,” Boccia said, suggesting that the remaining 25 per cent are either foreigners or Italians infected by foreigners. “As for the positive foreigners rescued at sea, they are all subjected to tests and swabs and many of them leave immediately,” he added, Il Giornale reports . Migrants Roam Free in Sicilian Town Despite Quarantine https://t.co/3bQqLJumRl — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) July 11, 2020 In recent weeks the number of new migrant arrivals has … [Read more...]

Brazil reached a grim milestone on Saturday, recording 500,000 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic. “500 thousand lives lost by the pandemic that affects our Brazil and the whole world,” the country’s Minister of Health Marcelo Queiroga confirmed on Twitter. "I work tirelessly to vaccinate all Brazilians in the shortest time possible and change this scenario that has plagued us for over a year.” 500 mil vidas perdidas pela pandemia que afeta o nosso Brasil e todo o mundo.Trabalho incansavelmente para vacinar todos os brasileiros no menor tempo possível e mudar esse cenário que nos assola há mais de um ano. — Marcelo Queiroga (@mqueiroga2) June 19, 2021 According to the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 case tracker , the number of new cases has been on the upswing,  hitting over 98,000 cased over the course of 24 hours Friday. ADVERTISEMENT The number of daily new COVID-19 cases have remained high — between 70,000 and 98,000 within the last few days. … [Read more...]

BOSTON (CBS) — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported 91 new confirmed COVID cases and six additional deaths in the state on Saturday. Health officials said the total number of confirmed cases in the state is now 663,210. The total number of confirmed deaths is now 17,602. READ MORE: 'It Means Celebrating Freedom': Communities Across Boston Celebrate 1st Juneteenth As National Holiday There were 33,510 total new tests reported. READ MORE: 'Know The Area': Bourne Fire Chief Issues Warning To Swimmers After Recent Rescues From Rip Currents As of Saturday, the seven-day weighted average of positive tests in Massachusetts is 0.35%. There are 107 people currently hospitalized for a coronavirus-related illness Saturday. There are 32 patients currently in intensive care. MORE NEWS: Boil Water Order Rescinded In Burlington 2 Days After E. Coli Found There are an estimated 1,940 active cases in Massachusetts. … [Read more...]

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Los Angeles County reported 255 new cases of COVID- 19 and nine additional deaths Saturday while continuing to track the proliferation of coronavirus variants. Saturday’s figures brought the county’s totals to 1,247,361 cases and 24,439 fatalities since the pandemic began, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. READ MORE: Firefighters Battle Bautista Fire In Riverside County According to state figures, there were 219 people hospitalized in the county due to COVID-19 as of Saturday, the same as Friday. There were 38 COVID patients in intensive care, down from 43 the previous day. Of particular interest to health officials is the Delta variant, formerly known as Indian variant. That and related Kappa variants are involved in massive outbreaks in India, in the recent surge of cases in the U.K., and in ongoing outbreaks elsewhere worldwide. It appears the Delta variant is highly transmissible, and more contagious even than other … [Read more...]

A federal in Florida judge on Friday ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) coronavirus-era sailing orders were an overreach of power, issuing a preliminary injunction temporarily barring the CDC from enforcing the guidelines. Judge Steven Merryday for the Middle District of Florida in his ruling sided with the Sunshine State in its argument that the “CDC’s conditional sailing order and the implementing orders exceed the authority delegated to CDC.” As a result, Merryday approved Florida’s motion for a preliminary injunction suspending the mandatory guidelines for cruise ships, writing that the CDC is “preliminary enjoined from enforcing against a cruise ship arriving in, within, or departing from a port in Florida the conditional sailing order and the later measures.” ADVERTISEMENT The injunction will stay in place until July 18, at which point the “conditional sailing order and the measures promulgated under the conditional sailing order … [Read more...]