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Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• DHS Statement on OIG Letter Criticizing GAO's Leadership Succession Report DHS 15 Sep 2020 -- On Monday, Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari sent a letter to House Chairs Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) declining to issue an opinion on the Government Accountability Office's erroneous and partisan August 14 report on the succession of leadership at DHS.
• Somerset County Man Admits Concealing Material Support to Hamas US Dept. of Justice 15 Sep 2020 -- A Somerset County, New Jersey, man admitted today that he concealed his attempts to provide material support to Hamas, Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers of the U.S. Department of Justice's National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito, FBI-Newark Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr., and FBI Assistant Director for Counterterrorism Jill Sanborn announced.
• Tennessee Guard prepares for Hurricane Sally Army News 15 Sep 2020 -- On the morning of September 14, Soldiers with the Tennessee National Guard's Task Force Medical conducted COVID-19 testing on nearly 40 emergency responders preparing to depart for Louisiana to assist with Hurricane Sally response.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 15 Sep 2020
• UN Urges Rights-based Policies during COVID VOA 15 Sep 2020 -- U.N. officials say governments that provide healthcare and social protections to their people, especially to the most vulnerable will be better able to cushion the shock of the devastating coronavirus pandemic. The officials participated in a debate on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human rights at the U.N. Human Rights Council.
• Report: COVID-19 Pandemic Has Dealt a Major Blow in Efforts to Alleviate Global Poverty VOA 15 Sep 2020 -- A new report says the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed progress in alleviating global poverty and global health progress.
• UN: Pandemic Causes 65% Drop in International Travel VOA 15 Sep 2020 -- A new issue released Tuesday of the World Tourism Barometer from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reports the coronavirus pandemic caused an unprecedented 65% decrease in international travel during the first half of the year.
• Responsible leadership, good citizenship key determinants of COVID-19's impact: UN report People's Daily 15 Sep 2020 -- Responsible leadership and good citizenship have been key determinants of COVID-19's impact, according to a UN-backed report published on Monday.
• COVID-19 pushes 37 mln people into extreme poverty: report Global Times 15 Sep 2020 -- The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed some 37 million people into extreme poverty, a majority of them in developing countries, a report released on Tuesday by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation shows.
• UNGA's resolution on COVID-19 shows international consensus: spokesperson People's Daily 15 Sep 2020 -- The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution, voted for by an overwhelming majority of 169 countries, to encourage international cooperation in response to COVID-19, and this result shows the international community's consensus view that unity and cooperation are the only way to overcome the virus, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday.
• Members, partners of WHO Europe pledge solidarity in response to COVID-19 crisis People's Daily 15 Sep 2020 -- Health ministers, high-level representatives of all 53 member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region and partner organizations as well as representatives from civil society gathered online on Monday to discuss major health issues, pledging solidarity in response to COVID-19 crisis.
• Pre-existing inequalities should be effectively addressed during and after COVID-19: UN rights chief People's Daily 15 Sep 2020 -- The COVID-19 and the resulting multifaceted crisis have unmasked the strong link between race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and health outcomes, and the pre-existing inequalities should be effectively addressed to build a better world, the UN human rights chief said on Monday.
• Worldwide Coronavirus Cases Cross 29.27 Million, Death Toll at 926,716 SPA 15 Sep 2020 -- More than 29.27 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 926,716 have died, according to a Reuters tally.
• EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: 'Stupid mistake' for rich nations not to back a COVID vaccine for the people, says UN chief UN News 15 Sep 2020 -- The march of COVID-19 which has "brought us to our knees", should be a lesson in humility for world leaders, and a lack of solidarity on the part of some richer nations towards developing countries, means we will all pay a heavy price, the UN chief has told UN News, in an exclusive interview ahead of the new General Assembly session.

United States

• Air Force update for COVID-19 US Air Force 15 Sep 2020
• Over 88,000 COVID-19 cases reported at universities across U.S.: report People's Daily 15 Sep 2020 -- A New York Times survey of more than 1,600 American colleges and universities has revealed at least 88,000 COVID-19 cases and at least 60 deaths since the pandemic began.
• US Coronavirus Spokesman Accuses Government Scientists of 'Sedition' to Hurt Trump VOA 15 Sep 2020 -- A top U.S. spokesman on the coronavirus has accused government scientists of "sedition," saying their handling of the pandemic is meant to undermine President Donald Trump.

China

• Myanmar, China target illegal crossings after confirmed cases in Ruili Global Times 15 Sep 2020 -- China and Myanmar have agreed on a joint fight against COVID-19 and a crackdown on illegal border crossings after two out of six people who crossed from Myanmar to Southwest China's Yunnan Province illegally were confirmed to be infected with COVID-19.
• Beijing plans more, earlier flu shots to fend off COVID-19 cross-contraction Global Times 15 Sep 2020 -- Beijing is rolling out this year's influenza vaccination program early in a bid to increase the injection rate across the city. Experts say that the move seeks to reduce the risk of people contracting the flu and COVID-19 simultaneously, which both see high incidences in fall and winter.
• China's COVID-19 vaccine could be ready for public in November Global Times 15 Sep 2020 -- Ordinary Chinese residents could start receiving COVID-19 vaccines as early as November, an expert from the Chinese Center for Disease Prevention and Control revealed.
• Hong Kong finishes mass COVID-19 testing, prepares for health QR code Global Times 15 Sep 2020 -- Hong Kong is braced for a new health tracking QR code system that will come into use soon after the city completes its citywide COVID-19 testing program, during which a total of 1.719 million people have been tested and 26 new confirmed cases have been identified.
• HK lifts some COVID-19 restrictions after no new local infections reported following city-wide testing Global Times 15 Sep 2020 -- Hong Kong's health authority said Tuesday there had not been a domestically-transmitted coronavirus infection in the previous 24 hours for the first time since early July, and numerous restrictions would end.
• Hong Kong completes mass COVID-19 screening, 1.78 million tested People's Daily 15 Sep 2020 -- Hong Kong on Monday evening completed its mass COVID-19 screening program launched two weeks ago, with the participation of some 1.78 million residents in total.
• COVID-19 Vaccine Likely Available for Public Use in November, Top Chinese Scientist Says Sputnik 15 Sep 2020 -- COVID-19 vaccines being developed in China might be available for use by the general public as early as November, according to a top scientist with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Europe

• British Health Secretary Defends COVID-19 Testing, Restrictions VOA 15 Sep 2020 -- British Health Secretary Matt Hancock appeared before Parliament Tuesday to defend the government's response to recent surges in the COVID-19 pandemic.
• UK's creaking COVID-19 test system puts health services at risk SPA 15 Sep 2020 -- Britain's testing system for COVID-19 was creaking on Tuesday as a bottleneck prevented people including medics from getting a test, with the government saying it may take weeks to resolve the problem, Reuters reported today.
• Germany Wants More Information About Russian COVID-19 Vaccine, Health Minister Says Sputnik 15 Sep 2020 -- Germany would like to get more information about the Russian vaccine against COVID-19, Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Tuesday.

India

• India continues to post very high Recoveries India PIB 15 Sep 2020 -- India continues to post very high number of daily recoveries. The continuous upward trajectory of India's Recovery Rate has touched 78.28% today. 79,292 have recovered and discharged in the last 24 hours.
• Strategic Approach to Combat Covid-19 India PIB 15 Sep 2020 -- India would be following a scenario based approach for the following possible scenarios, (i) Travel related case reported in India, (ii) Local transmission of COVID-19, (iii) Large outbreaks amenable to containment, (iv) Wide-spread community Transmission of COVID-19 disease and (v) India becomes endemic for COVID-19.
• Allocation of Funds to States for Battling COVID-19 India PIB 15 Sep 2020 -- Public health and hospitals being a State subject, the primary responsibility of treatment of COVID-19 patients lies with the respective State governments. States/UTs are using their own resources for COVID-19 management including for treatment of the patients and the details are not maintained centrally.
• Checking Overcharging by Private Hospitals India PIB 15 Sep 2020 -- Government of India has taken a series of actions to prevent, control and mitigate the impact of COVID-19. India followed a "whole of Government" and "whole of society" approach. Hon'ble Prime Minister, a High level Group of Ministers (GoM), Cabinet Secretary, Committee of Secretaries and senior officers in MoHFW continue to monitor public health response to COVID-19 in the country.
• Status of Development of COVID Vaccine in India India PIB 15 Sep 2020 -- While the Govt. and Industry are trying their best to make available a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 at the earliest, it is difficult to comment on the exact timelines in view of various complex pathways involved in vaccine development.
• Early Indications of COVID 19 Pandemic Outbreak in the country India PIB 15 Sep 2020 -- Ministry of Health & Family Welfare was following the evolving situation in China, when WHO India alerted our country on 6th January, 2020 about outbreak of pneumonia of unknown origin in Wuhan city of China. The Joint Monitoring Group under Director General of Health Services to met on 8th January, 2020 to review the evolving situation in China and deliberated on public health preparedness and response strategies for the same.
• Covid-19 Testing Labs India PIB 15 Sep 2020 -- According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, an autonomous organisation under the Department of Health Research, the total number of testing labs all over India authorised and set up for testing of Covid-19 for the months of March, April, May, June and July 2020, month-wise is as under:
• COVID-19 Fatalities amongst Healthcare Workers India PIB 15 Sep 2020 -- Health is a State subject. Such data is not maintained at Central level by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. However, database of those seeking relief under the "Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Insurance Package" is maintained at national level.
• New Healthcare Scheme for Covid-19 Victims India PIB 15 Sep 2020 -- There is provision made under 'Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19. This is a Central Sector scheme.
• India's Tally of Coronavirus Infections Nears 5 Million SPA 15 Sep 2020 -- India reported 83,809 new coronavirus infections for its lowest daily jump in a week, the health ministry said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

Pakistan

• Pakistan Starts Reopening Educational Institutions After Six-Month Hiatus RFE/RL 15 Sep 2020 -- Millions of students across Pakistan have returned to classes following a six-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Millions of Children in Pakistan Return to School Post-virus Crisis VOA 15 Sep 2020 -- Millions of children in Pakistan returned to learning in schools and universities Tuesday after a six-month-long closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Iran

• COVID-19 kills 140 more Iranians over past 24 hours IRNA 15 Sep 2020 -- Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Tuesday that some 140 more Iranians have died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours.
• Official: 2020 Arbaeen rituals canceled to contain COVID19 outbreak IRNA 15 Sep 2020 -- Head of cultural and educational section of Arbaeen said on Tuesday that thanks to the outbreak of coronavirus, 2020 Arbaeen rituals was cancelled in Iran and Iraq.
• Iran's economy shrank by 0.6% in quarter to March due to COVID-19: CBI Press TV 15 Sep 2020 -- The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) says COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus pandemic, was to blame for a 0.6-percent contraction in the country's gross domestic product (GDP) without oil in the fiscal year quarter ending June 20.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: 51,453 Tests Conducted while 1,092 New Cases Recovered in the Kingdom SPA 15 Sep 2020 -- The Ministry of Health announced in a statement here today that 672 new confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 326,930 cases, including 17,570 active cases undergoing treatment.
• Saudi Arabia Signs Deal on Delivery and Joint Production of Sputnik V Vaccine With Russia Sputnik 15 Sep 2020 -- Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and King Salman of Saudi Arabia discussed the prospects of the joint development of the Russian vaccine, which was registered in August.

North Korea

• North Korea Returns Shipment of High-Quality Facemasks to China Amid Crackdown on South Korean Goods Radio Free Asia 15 Sep 2020 -- Authorities in North Korea have returned a large shipment of medical-grade facemasks to a Chinese seller, after the masks were suspected to have been manufactured in rival South Korea, sources in a Chinese city on the North Korean border told RFA.

Other Countries

• UAE approves urgent use of China-developed COVID-19 vaccine after test on 31,000 volunteers Global Times 15 Sep 2020 -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday granted emergency approval for use of a coronavirus vaccine developed in China, six weeks after human trials on the vaccine started in the country.