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Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Global Covid-19 Cases Top 70 Million, University Tracker Says SPA 12 Dec 2020 -- The number of people worldwide who have been infected with the novel coronavirus has topped 70 million, dpa cited data compiled by US researchers as showing.

United States

• Operation Warp Speed Official: First COVID-19 Vaccines to Arrive Monday DoD News 12 Dec 2020 -- The nation's first vaccines for the deadly COVID-19 virus that has plagued most of 2020 will be distributed Monday, following yesterday's emergency-use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Army Gen. Gustave F. Perna said in a press briefing today.
• US authorizes its first COVID-19 vaccine, as confirmed cases near 16 million Global Times 12 Dec 2020 -- The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Friday the first COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the US. This vaccine, developed by Pfizer and German company BioNTech, is now available to Americans. This vaccine has also been recently authorized to be used in the UK and Canada.
• First U.S. COVID-19 vaccine shipments arrive Monday morning - Gen Perna SPA 12 Dec 2020 -- The first U.S. COVID-19 vaccine shipments will arrive at 145 locations around the country on Monday morning, U.S. Army General Gus Perna said on Saturday during a press briefing.
• US Purchases Additional 100 Million Moderna Vaccine Doses SPA 12 Dec 2020 -- Pharmaceutical company Moderna said the US government is purchasing an additional 100 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, dpa reported.
• US Approves Coronavirus Vaccine for Emergency Use VOA 12 Dec 2020 -- The United States has approved the emergency use of a coronavirus vaccine, and it will begin arriving early Monday in U.S. states, officials said. It's a landmark development in a country where COVID-19 has killed more than 295,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Research Center.
• First Coronavirus Vaccine Doses to Arrive in US States Early Monday VOA 12 Dec 2020 -- The first coronavirus vaccine will begin arriving early Monday in U.S. states after the government approved a vaccine late Friday for emergency use as the COVID-19 death toll approached 300,000.
• Trump Hails Approved Coronavirus Vaccine as 'Medical Miracle' VOA 12 Dec 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump late Friday hailed what he termed "a medical miracle" – the immediate but extremely limited availability of a coronavirus vaccine less than a year after the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in the United States.
• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 12 Dec 2020

China

• Hubei govt apologizes for punishing residents who unknowingly bought coronavirus tainted imported pork Global Times 12 Dec 2020 -- The government of Huanggang, Central China's Hubei Province rescinded an order to fire and fine members of 24 Huanggang households for buying Brazil-imported frozen pork online, which later tested positive for the coronavirus.
• China's Chengdu to test all residents in virus-hit district People's Daily 12 Dec 2020 -- Southwest China's Chengdu launched a nucleic acid testing drive Friday, offering free tests to all residents in the city's Pidu District, where several new COVID-19 cases have emerged since earlier this week.
• Hong Kong to receive first batch of COVID-19 vaccine in January 2021 People's Daily 12 Dec 2020 -- Carrie Lam, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said on Friday that Hong Kong will receive the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine in January 2021 the earliest.

Europe

• Germany's daily COVID-19 infections hit new high People's Daily 12 Dec 2020 -- The daily COVID-19 infections and deaths kept climbing in Germany and reached new highs on Friday, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
• French Daily COVID-19 Infections Rise to 13,947 SPA 12 Dec 2020 -- France recorded 13,947 new confirmed COVID-19 cases today, on Saturday, up from the previous daily tally of 13,406, Reuters cited data as publishing on a government website.
• Italy Poised to Lead Europe in Coronavirus Deaths VOA 12 Dec 2020 -- Italy is poised to overtake Britain as the European country with the most COVID-19 deaths, according to data from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

India

• India's Sustained decline of Active Caseload continues; drops below 3.6 Lakh India PIB 12 Dec 2020 -- India's trajectory of active cases continues to follow a steadily dipping path. The total Active Caseload has dropped below 3.6 lakh (3,59,819) today.

Iran

• COVID-19 kills 221 people in Iran IRNA 12 Dec 2020 -- Some 221 more Iranians have died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 51,949, Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Saturday.
• Rouhani: Restrictive measures to contain COVID-19 in Iran bear good results IRNA 12 Dec 2020 -- President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that the imposition of tougher restrictive measures over the past two months has reduced the spread of coronavirus in the country.
• Exporting COVID-19 diagnostic kits on agenda: Official IRNA 12 Dec 2020 -- Director of Health Technology Development Office of Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education Hossein Vatanpour told IRNA on Saturday that exporting surplus production of COVID-19 diagnostic kits is on the agenda of the Iranian knowledge-based companies.

South Korea

• S. Korea President Vows to Mobilize All Resources to Fight COVID-19 As New Cases Hit Record SPA 12 Dec 2020 -- President Moon Jae-in of S. Korea today, on Saturday vowed to use all available resources to stem the spread of the new coronavirus as the country's new daily infection number hit a record high of 950, Yonhap reported.

Japan

• Japan Gov't Panel Proposes to Halt Travel Program Amid Virus Resurgence SPA 12 Dec 2020 -- The Japanese government's subcommittee on coronavirus countermeasures today, on Friday proposed a continued suspension of a domestic travel subsidy program in some parts of the country, where medical systems remain under strain due to a spike in infections, Kyodo reported.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: 166 New Confirmed COVID-19 Cases, 239 Recoveries Reported, in Saudi Arabia SPA 12 Dec 2020 -- The Ministry of Health announced in a statement here today that 166 new confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 359,749, including 3,366 active cases undergoing treatment.

Taiwan

• All tests negative in contact tracing of puzzling COVID-19 case: CECC CNA 12 Dec 2020 -- A total of 35 people, identified as contacts of a Taiwanese businessman who fell ill with COVID-19 nearly two weeks after returning from China, have all tested negative for the disease, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Saturday.
• 3-year-old boy among Taiwan's 8 new imported COVID-19 cases CNA 12 Dec 2020 -- Taiwan recorded its youngest COVID-19 patient on Saturday, when a 3-year-old was confirmed as one of eight new imported cases, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

North Korea

• European States, US Accuse North Korea of Using COVID-19 Pandemic 'to Crack Down on Human Rights' Sputnik 12 Dec 2020 -- Member states of the United Nations Security Council including Germany, Britain, France, Belgium, Estonia, the United States and the Dominican Republic brought up the issue of human rights abuses in North Korea in a closed-door virtual meeting on Friday.

Other Countries

• New Zealand, Cook Islands announce quarantine-free travel bubble People's Daily 12 Dec 2020 -- The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown announced on Saturday the "Arrangement to Facilitate Quarantine-Free Travel between the Cook Islands and New Zealand."
• Ukraine To Get $300 Million Loan To Help Impoverished Families Amid Coronavirus Outbreak RFE/RL 12 Dec 2020 -- The World Bank has approved a new loan for Ukraine intended to help the country hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak provide support for low-income families.
• 1,154 New COVID-19 Cases, 613 Recoveries, 2 Deaths Reported, in UAE SPA 12 Dec 2020 -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Health and Prevention announced that it conducted 156,513 additional COVID-19 tests over the past 24 hours, using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment.
• Mexico Approves Coronavirus Vaccine VOA 12 Dec 2020 -- Mexico approved the emergency use of a coronavirus vaccine late Friday, bringing to six the number of countries that are inoculating or plan to inoculate with shots produced by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech.
• As Pandemic Rages, Debt Burden on Developing Nations Grows VOA 12 Dec 2020 -- As the coronavirus began to spread across the globe in the first half of 2020, international aid organizations began sounding the alarm about the outsized impact the virus would likely have on poor countries — especially those that are already forced to dedicate significant amounts of their annual budgets to paying off sovereign debts.