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COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Statement from DHS Spokesman Alexei Woltornist on DHS Intelligence & Analysis Directorate Reports DHS 31 Jul 2020 -- "Upon learning about the practice, Acting Secretary Wolf directed the DHS Intelligence & Analysis Directorate to immediately discontinue collecting information involving members of the press."
• Portland Riots Read-out: July 31 DHS 31 Jul 2020
• US Homeland Security Halts Spying on Reporters Covering Protests, Spokesman Says Sputnik 31 Jul 2020 -- US Homeland Security Chad Wolf ordered his agency's intelligence directorate to immediately stop collecting information and publishing reports on reporters covering violent anti-government protests in the city of Portland, Spokesman Alexei Woltornist said in a press release on Friday.
• U.S. Appeals Court Overturns Boston Marathon Bomber's Death Sentence RFE/RL 31 Jul 2020 -- A U.S. federal appeals court has overturned the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, an ethnic Chechen and naturalized U.S. citizen convicted in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
• US Appeals Court Overturns Death Sentence of Boston Marathon Bomber Tsarnaev Sputnik 31 Jul 2020 -- Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a 27-year-old Kyrgyz-American man found guilty in 2015 of the Boston Marathon bombings two years prior, has had his death sentence overturned by a US appeals court on Friday.
• White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Announces Record Reduction in Poppy Cultivation and Potential Heroin Production in Mexico The White House 31 Jul 2020
• ONDCP Releases Data on Coca Cultivation and Production in Peru The White House 31 Jul 2020
• US claim that China committed cyber-attacks on Moderna slanderous: FM Global Times 31 Jul 2020 -- The US' claim that hackers linked to the Chinese government targeted US coronavirus vaccine research developer Moderna in an attempt to steal data is completely slanderous without any actual evidence, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing on Friday.
• China Rejects Accusations of Hacking US Vaccine Developer Moderna Sputnik 31 Jul 2020 -- Reuters reported on Thursday citing an anonymous US security official that Beijing-linked hackers attempted to steal data from US coronavirus vaccine research developer Moderna earlier this year.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation report - 193 WHO 31 Jul 2020
• WHO chief highlights role of young people in fighting COVID-19 People's Daily 31 Jul 2020 -- they should be leaders and drivers of change," he said, adding that all people have a role to play in reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19.
• UNESCO in joint campaign against disinformation on COVID-19 People's Daily 31 Jul 2020 -- Chinese pay television company StarTimes said on Thursday it has joined UNESCO's campaign against disinformation and misinformation on COVID-19.
• WHO sets up expert group on behavioral sciences to help fight COVID-19 People's Daily 31 Jul 2020 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Thursday that it has created a Technical Advisory Group on Behavioral Insights and Sciences for Health as a new move to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

United States

• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 31 Jul 2020
• Remarks by President Trump in a COVID-19 Response and Storm Preparedness Roundtable | Belleair, FL The White House 31 Jul 2020
• DOD Announces Contract for 250,000 Curative Inc. COVID-19 Test Kits DoD 31 Jul 2020 -- On July 31, the Department of Defense awarded a $42 million contract to Curative Inc. to provide 250,000 Curative Inc. oral fluid swab test kits to military treatment facilities, thus expanding the department's COVID-19 testing capability.
• DOD and HHS Invest $24.3M in Becton, Dickinson and Company to Establish and Expand Production of SARS-CoV-2 Assays for BD Veritor™ Devices DoD 31 Jul 2020 -- On July 30, as part of an ongoing collaboration between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), the two departments awarded a contract for $24.3 million to Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) to establish and expand domestic production of SARS-CoV-2 rapid point-of-care (POC) tests used for COVID-19 testing on the BD Veritor™ Plus analyzers.
• DOD Awards $51.15 Million Undefinitized Contract Action to Puritan Medical Products Company LLC to Increase Domestic Production Capacity of Flock Tip Testing Swabs DoD 31 Jul 2020 -- On July 29, 2020, the Department of Defense (DOD), in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services, awarded an undefinitized contract action with a not-to-exceed ceiling of $51.15 million to Puritan Medical Products Company LLC, to expand industrial production capacity of flock tip testing swabs.
• DOD Announces $31 Million in Defense Production Act Title III COVID-19 Actions DoD 31 Jul 2020 -- Today the Department is announcing a Defense Production Act Title III action to help sustain and strengthen essential domestic industrial base capabilities and defense-critical workforce in the shipbuilding industry.
• 'Small Number' of Sailors Aboard USS H.W. Bush Test Positive for COVID-19 Sputnik 31 Jul 2020 -- A "small number" of sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush tested positive for the novel coronavirus and have since been ordered into self-isolation, a US Navy official confirmed on Thursday.
• US failed to spot influx of cases from Europe People's Daily 31 Jul 2020 -- The United States was slow in recognizing that the novel coronavirus threat in the country was from Europe, Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, admitted for the first time on Tuesday.
• U.S. COVID-19 death toll projected to top 230,000 by November People's Daily 31 Jul 2020 -- U.S. death toll from COVID-19 is expected to climb to 230,822 by November, said the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) of the University of Washington.
• U.S. politicians keener on shifting blame as COVID-19 deaths top 150,000 People's Daily 31 Jul 2020 -- these basic features of an effective public health response, said a report by news website Vox on Wednesday.
• US Pledges $2.1 Billion to Two Drugmakers in Biggest Grant Yet for COVID-19 Vaccine Sputnik 31 Jul 2020 -- The US government will provide drugmakers GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Sanofi $2.1 billion for the production of COVID-19 vaccines for up to 50 million people, the companies announced Friday.
• Fauci 'Cautiously Optimistic' About Coronavirus Vaccine VOA 31 Jul 2020 -- The nation's top infectious-disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told lawmakers Friday on Capitol Hill that he was "cautiously optimistic" a coronavirus vaccine would be available in the coming months, as infections continue to rise at an alarming rate in the U.S.
• New York City Rolls Out Partial School Reopening Plan VOA 31 Jul 2020 -- New York City's mayor laid out his administration's plan Friday to reopen the largest public-school system in the United States in September, as the onetime coronavirus hotspot has brought its infection rate under control.

China

• Key epidemic metric underscores China's anti-COVID-19 achievement: study People's Daily 31 Jul 2020 -- A key metric of epidemic prevention improved dramatically soon after China launched massive testing and isolation efforts against the coronavirus, according to a study published recently in Science magazine.
• Chinese mainland reports 127 new confirmed COVID-19 cases People's Daily 31 Jul 2020 -- Chinese health authority said Friday that it received reports of 127 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Thursday, 123 of which were domestically transmitted.
• Xinjiang's latest COVID-19 outbreak 'may have reached inflection point' Global Times 31 Jul 2020 -- The latest round of the COVID-19 outbreak in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region may have reached an inflection point, medical experts told the Global Times.
• Dalian tests 3.89 million residents amid latest COVID-19 outbreak Global Times 31 Jul 2020 -- The coastal city of Dalian in Northeast China's Liaoning Province on Thursday completed nucleic acid sampling work in main urban areas, eight days after it reported its first recent COVID-19 case, said local health authorities.
• Central govt to send COVID-19 testing personnel to HK, help build quarantine facility Global Times 31 Jul 2020 -- The Chinese central government will send mainland testing personnel to Hong Kong to help expand nucleic acid tests and help the city build temporary quarantine and treatment centers to contain the COVID-19, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said on Friday.
• Chinese mainland reports 127 new confirmed COVID-19 cases People's Daily 31 Jul 2020 -- Chinese health authority said Friday that it received reports of 127 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Thursday, 123 of which were domestically transmitted.
• China's Dalian collects over 4 million samples for COVID-19 tests People's Daily 31 Jul 2020 -- The northeastern Chinese city of Dalian will undertake a second round of testing on residents in high-risk areas, following the resurgence of COVID-19.

Europe

• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson Says Plan to Reopen Depends on Transmission Rate Sputnik 31 Jul 2020 -- The Prime Minister addressed the British public in a press conference following sharp criticisms over new restrictions set to enter force in North England as fresh waves of coronavirus infections were reported by government authorities.
• Denmark Registers Highest Number of COVID-19 Cases in Two Months, Mostly Among Immigrants Sputnik 31 Jul 2020 -- Immigrants, who make up 14 percent of the Danish population, have accounted for 59 percent of the new COVID-19 cases during week 30.

India

• Highest single day spike takes India's COVID-19 tally to over 1.6 million Global Times 31 Jul 2020 -- India recorded the highest ever single-day spike of 55,078 of fresh COVID-19 cases on Friday, taking the total tally to 1,638,870, according to the federal health ministry's latest data.
• Dr Harsh Vardhan chairs 19th meeting of Group of Ministers (GOM) on COVID-19 India PIB 31 Jul 2020 -- India has one of the lowest Case Fatality Rates globally, which is steadily decreasing: Dr Harsh Vardhan
• Could Mumbai's Slums Be Headed to Herd Immunity? VOA 31 Jul 2020 -- A recent survey in Mumbai's slums finds that more than half of the residents have developed antibodies for COVID-19, indicating that some of India's most densely packed settlements, which pose the greatest challenge in containing the spread of the infection, could be heading toward "herd immunity."

Iran

• COVID-19 kills 197 more Iranians over past 24 hours IRNA 31 Jul 2020 -- Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on ّFriday that some 197 more Iranians have died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours.
• To Weep Or Not To Weep: Iran Debates Holding Muharram During Coronavirus Pandemic Radio Farda 31 Jul 2020 -- Despite an upsurge in coronavirus infections in Iran and a ban on weddings and large funerals, the country's famed gatherings of mourners during the Shi'ite month of Muharram will be held.
• Iran To Recruit 10,000 Health Workers To Fill In For 6,000 Infected With Coronavirus Radio Farda 31 Jul 2020 -- As the number of health care professionals falling victim to COVID-19 is soaring in Iran, the government will be recruiting of 10,000 to join the country's Ministry of Health, its contractors, and affiliated companies.
• Leaked Iran Judiciary Letters Claim Government Ignored Requests For Coronavirus Aid To Prisons Radio Farda 31 Jul 2020 -- Amnesty International on Friday released the text of four letters from the hardliner-dominated Judiciary's Prisons Organization written to the health ministry requesting coronavirus aid to prisons, which the government left unanswered.
• Amnesty Says Iran Has Ignored Pleas By Prison Officials For Essential Virus Resources RFE/RL 31 Jul 2020 -- Amnesty International says it has obtained several leaked documents signed by officials at Iran's Prisons Organization that reveal that the Iranian government has ignored repeated pleas by senior prison officials for additional resources to control the spread of the coronavirus in the country's overcrowded correctional facilities.

Saudi Arabia

• Press Briefing on Pilgrims' Health Condition: No Coronavirus Cases Among Pilgrims SPA 31 Jul 2020 -- Speakers in the daily briefing on Pilgrims' Health Condition for the Hajj season 1441 AH congratulated the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, on his recovery and discharge from hospital.
• Health Ministry: More Than 235,000 Recovered from COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia SPA 31 Jul 2020 -- The Ministry of Health said in a statement today that 1,686 new confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 275,905 cases, including 37,381 active cases receiving necessary medical care. Of these, there are 2033 critical cases, while the health condition of the rest is stable.

Brazil

• Brazil First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro Has Coronavirus VOA 31 Jul 2020 -- Officials in Brazil say first lady Michelle Bolsonaro is being monitored by doctors after testing positive for the coronavirus.
• Brazil's first lady, science minister test positive for COVID-19 People's Daily 31 Jul 2020 -- Michelle Bolsonaro, wife of Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, and Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Marcos Pontes are the latest high-profile Brazilians to have tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), it was announced on Thursday.
• Brazil's President Bolsonaro Has 'Mould' in Lungs After Coronavirus Infection Sputnik 31 Jul 2020 -- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, an ardent coronavirus sceptic who demonstrated an ostentatious disregard for common public health safety provisions, was diagnosed with COVID-19 on 7 July and subsequently quarantined in the presidential palace in Brasilia.
• Brazil reports over 2.6 mln cases of COVID-19, 91,263 deaths Global Times 31 Jul 2020 -- Brazil on Thursday reported a daily increase of 1,129 in COVID-19 deaths, taking the national death toll to 91,263.
• Expert warns COVID-19 cases in Brazil may surpass those in the US Global Times 31 Jul 2020 -- Brazil may surpass the US to become the world's new hotspot for COVID-19 as the country continues to loosen restrictions on tourism and business and higher transmission rates are expected when the weather cools, warned Chinese experts.

Australia

• Aussie COVID-19 vaccine candidate passes first stage of trials People's Daily 31 Jul 2020 -- A COVID-19 candidate vaccine developed in South Australia (SA) has cleared the first phase of testing, according to local media's report.
• Aussie COVID-19 vaccine candidate passes first stage of trials Global Times 31 Jul 2020 -- A COVID-19 candidate vaccine developed in South Australia (SA) has cleared the first phase of testing, according to local media's report.
• Australia's second wave of COVID-19 crashes over domestic tourism hopes People's Daily 31 Jul 2020 -- barring anyone who had been there in the previous two weeks from entering her state.

Other Countries

• Asia COVID Resurgence Shatters Travel Bubble Hopes VOA 31 Jul 2020 -- The coronavirus is reemerging in Asian countries previously praised as models of containment, underscoring the resilience of the virus and dealing a blow to the idea of so-called travel bubbles between countries seen as safe zones.
• Sistani To Followers: Partake In Muharram Ceremonies Through Safe 'Alternatives' Radio Farda 31 Jul 2020 -- In response to questions from his followers about participation in the ceremonies traditionally held during the month of Muharram, the Iraq-Based Grand Ayatollah Sistani has advised partaking through online and television programs and other safer alternatives.
• Vietnam Announces First Two Coronavirus Deaths as Cases Rise Radio Free Asia 31 Jul 2020 -- Two Vietnamese patients infected with the deadly coronavirus died Friday–the country's first two deaths since COVID-19 entered its borders in January, according to an announcement from health authorities.
• Uzbekistan's Coronavirus 'Success Story' Rapidly Falls Apart RFE/RL 31 Jul 2020 -- Uzbek authorities seemed to be prepared for the looming health crisis once it became apparent the coronavirus was becoming a global pandemic.
• COVID-induced Hunger Could Destabilize Latin America, WFP Warns VOA 31 Jul 2020 -- A COVID-19-induced hunger pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean could threaten the stability of countries in the region, the World Food Program said.
• Botswana's Capital Back in Lockdown After COVID-19 Cases Double VOA 31 Jul 2020 -- Botswana has put its capital, Gaborone, back into a two-week lockdown starting Friday, closing schools and restricting movements, after confirmed local COVID-19 transmissions doubled this week.