Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Portland Riots Read-out: August 2 DHS 02 Aug 2020
• Mexican Police Arrest Gang Leader 'El Marro' - Photos Sputnik 02 Aug 2020 -- Yepez, the boss of the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel, a gang based in Guanajuato, has been involved in a bloody struggle for control of the drug trade in the state with another gang, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation report - 195 WHO 02 Aug 2020
• WHO: Pandemic is Once-in-a-Century Health Crisis VOA 02 Aug 2020 -- An Emergency Committee on COVID-19 was convened by the World Health Organization to assess the current status of the pandemic. It is calling for global solidarity in supporting efforts to contain it.

United States

• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 02 Aug 2020
• Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo Announces New York State Has Completed 6 Million Diagnostic Covid-19 Tests New York State 02 Aug 2020
• US COVID Outbreak 'Extraordinarily Widespread' as Virus Hits New Phase, Birx Warns VOA 02 Aug 2020 -- White House coronavirus experts said Sunday the outbreak has hit a new phase, becoming "extraordinarily widespread" in rural areas as well as big cities.
• Newspaper Uncovers More Than 6,000 COVID Infections on US College Campuses VOA 02 Aug 2020 -- A New York Times survey of 270 U.S. colleges and universities has uncovered 6,600 COVID-19 infections among students and staff and 14 coronavirus-related deaths.
• White House, Democrats Remain at Odds Over Coronavirus Aid Deal VOA 02 Aug 2020 -- The White House and top congressional Democrats remained at odds Sunday over the scope of more assistance for 30 million American workers left unemployed by the coronavirus pandemic.
• US gov't reaches deal to buy vaccines amid soaring COVID-19 cases Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- The US government has reached a deal for the purchase of 100 million doses of vaccine as the country's COVID-19 cases have kept soaring and reached 4,620,419 as of Saturday evening.
• Two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of COVID-19: poll People's Daily 02 Aug 2020 -- Only 34 percent of Americans approve of U.S. President Donald Trump's handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll.
• California becomes first state in U.S. to surpass half million COVID-19 cases People's Daily 02 Aug 2020 -- California, the most populous state in the United States with a population of around 40 million, became the first state in the country to have more than half million confirmed cases of COVID-19, authorities said on Saturday.
• U.S. Coronavirus 'Extraordinarily Widespread', Say White House Experts SPA 02 Aug 2020 -- The United States of America is in a new phase of the novel coronavirus outbreak with infections "extraordinarily widespread" in rural areas as well as cities, Reuters quoted White House coronavirus experts as saying today, Sunday.

China

• Medical aid team arrives in HK, bringing skills, blessing Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- The first group of seven nucleic acid testing technicians from the Chinese mainland arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday to begin the task of assisting Hong Kong to curb the surging number of COVID-19 infections. They will be followed by a team of experts who specialize in building makeshift hospitals.
• Confirmed cases of COVID-19 decline in Xinjiang, Dalian Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- Two COVID-19 outbreak areas on the Chinese mainland - Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the city of Dalian in Northeast China - have seen a decline in new COVID-19 cases for three days, showing positive signs of epidemic control. China's top epidemiologist stressed that regional epidemic rebounds across the country are likely to continue.
• Chinese mainland to help HK build new makeshift hospital to curb spread of epidemic Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- Hong Kong Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung revealed on Sunday that, in addition to assisting with the city's makeshift hospital at the AsiaWorld Expo, the central government will help build a completely new hospital in Hong Kong to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
• Wuhan reports 3 imported COVID-19 cases Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- The city of Wuhan in Central China's Hubei Province reported three imported COVID-19 cases on Sunday, all of them are Chinese nationals flying back from Moscow by chartered plane.
• Medical equipment at Wuhan's temporary hospital remains in place, at the ready to tackle any potential new virus spike Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- Wuhan's Huoshenshan hospital, the major emergency field hospital used to treat COVID-19 patients during the city's epidemic outbreak, still has all its medical equipment in position in case of another virus spike, despite being shut down for more than 100 days.
• Raw material supply for COVID-19 vaccines sufficient in China Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- As countries race to promote COVID-19 vaccines, concerns have arisen over the supply of upstream raw materials. Industry analysts said that Chinese manufacturers need not worry as China has a sufficient raw material supply.
• Hong Kong opens first makeshift hospital as virus spread worsens People's Daily 02 Aug 2020 -- The makeshift hospital mainly receives COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms or those still waiting to be admitted to hospital. As many as 500 beds are available in the first phase, and another 1,500 will be available if needed.
• Mainland to send nucleic acid test support to HKSAR People's Daily 02 Aug 2020 -- The Chinese mainland has set up a batch of supportive teams that will head for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to carry out nucleic acid tests for COVID-19.

Europe

• Scientists study coronavirus outbreaks among minks, in Europe SPA 02 Aug 2020 -- Coronavirus outbreaks at mink farms in Spain and the Netherlands have scientists digging into how the animals got infected and if they can spread it to people, AP reported.
• Spain, Britain at COVID-19 Loggerheads VOA 02 Aug 2020 -- A former Spanish prime minister once described the rock of Gibraltar, which Spain ceded to Britain in 1713, as a stone in the shoe of Anglo-Spanish relations. But Gibraltar currently isn't the only source of Spanish irritation with the British.

Russia

• Mass COVID-19 vaccination in Russia planned for October: health minister People's Daily 02 Aug 2020 -- Russian Health Ministry is planning a mass vaccination campaign against the coronavirus for October, TASS news agency reported on Saturday, citing Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko.
• Russian Vaccine Developer Further Tempers Official's Claim Of October Rollout RFE/RL 02 Aug 2020 -- Researchers behind one of two Russian candidate vaccines against the coronavirus undergoing the approval process in that country say they plan to launch production in November, raising further questions about official Russian pledges to have a vaccination campaign well under way before then.
• Russian Virology Center Vektor to Begin Producing COVID-19 Vaccine in November - Director Sputnik 02 Aug 2020 -- The State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology Vektor plans to begin production of a vaccine against the coronavirus in November, the center's Director-General Rinat Maksyutov said.

India

• India's COVID-19 cases surpass 1.7 million Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- India's COVID-19 tally crossed the 1.7 million-mark on Sunday, reaching 1,750,723, announced the federal health ministry.
• India records highest ever single day COVID-19 recoveries of 51,255 India PIB 02 Aug 2020 -- A staggering more than 51,000 recoveries were registered in India in the last 24 hours. With 51,225 patients cured and discharged, India's total recoveries from COVID-19 have touched 11,45,629. With the highest ever single day increase in recovered patients in the last 24 hours, the recovery rate has seen a high of 65.44%. This means that more and more COVID-19 patients are getting cured and discharged.

Iran

• Official: COVID-19 kills 208 more in Iran IRNA 02 Aug 2020 -- Iran's Health Ministry Spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Sunday that some 208 more Iranians have died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 17,190.
• Health official dismisses foreign media hype on Iran's coronavirus statistics IRNA 02 Aug 2020 -- Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari categorically dismissed the hype by certain foreign-based media on statistics concerning the everyday reporting COVID-19 contractions, medical treatments, and fatalities.
• Health Official In Iran Says 'Exciting Slogans' Will Not Defeat Coronavirus Radio Farda 02 Aug 2020 -- The coordinator of anti-coronavirus operations in Iran's capital says "exciting slogans" are not an answer to the pandemic and "efficient management" should be used to fight the pandemic.

South Korea

• South Korea Reports 30 New Coronavirus Cases SPA 02 Aug 2020 -- South Korea reported 30 new cases of the coronavirus Sunday, with 22 of them imported cases, marking the second day in a row that local infections have increased by a single-digit figure, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: Tetamman Centers Continue Providing Services to Screen Coronavirus SPA 02 Aug 2020 -- Health Ministry indicated that the Tetamman (Be Reassured) centers continue providing services in various regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to screen the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19).
• Health Ministry: Total Number of COVID-19 Recoveries Shoot up to 240,081, in KSA SPA 02 Aug 2020 -- The Ministry of Health announced in a statement here today that 1,357 new confirmed cases of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), bringing the total number to 278,835, including 35,837 active cases undergoing treatment.

Taiwan

• Taiwan sees new COVID-19 case while following-up on mystery case CNA 02 Aug 2020 -- Taiwan health authorities reported one new COVID-19 case Sunday, while continuing to test those who may have come into contact with a Belgian national to learn more about how he ended up testing positive for the disease.
• Mask rationing program to be in effect until year's end: CECC CNA 02 Aug 2020 -- The government's face mask rationing program will stay in effect until at least the end of this year to ensure equitable distribution of masks in Taiwan, Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said Sunday.

South Africa

• South Africa's COVID-19 cases exceed half mln Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- South Africa's COVID-19 cases have exceeded the half-a-million mark to reach 503,290, South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced Saturday.
• South Africa hits 500,000 infections, President hopeful SPA 02 Aug 2020 -- South Africa has surpassed 500,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, but President Cyril Ramaphosa said Sunday he sees promising signs that the rapid growth of cases has stabilized and that the country's strained health system is managing to cope.

Other Countries

• Kazakhstan reports first simultaneous data on COVID-19 and 'unknown pathological pneumonia' Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- Kazakhstan's Ministry of Healthcare reported 1,226 cases of COVID-19, 36 deaths, and 5,181 cases of "unknown pneumonia" with signs of coronavirus infection on Saturday, reportedly the first time for the department to simultaneously release data on the two infections.
• Latest on COVID-19: Death toll in Latin America tops 200k Press TV 02 Aug 2020 -- The new coronavirus has so far infected more than 17.85 million people and claimed the lives of over 685,000 others around the world, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
• COVID-19: Kosovar Prime Minister Tests Positive; Iran Sees Most New Infections In Nearly A Month RFE/RL 02 Aug 2020 -- The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 687,000, with nearly 18 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
• Malawi President Introduces Award for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19 VOA 02 Aug 2020 -- Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has announced the introduction of special award for most dedicated health workers in the fight against COVID-19. Speaking during his weekly national address Saturday night, Chakwera said five health workers nominated by various medical associations will be receiving the award every three months for their dedication to work. But health workers say awarding only five people is not good enough.