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Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Alaska National Guard in DC to assist at inauguration Army News 20 Jan 2021 -- Airmen and Soldiers of the Alaska National Guard departed here this morning just before 9 a.m., headed to Washington D.C. to assist the District of Columbia National Guard and federal civilian authorities with the 59th Presidential Inauguration.
• Connecticut Man Charged with Assaulting an Officer During U.S. Capitol Breach US Dept. of Justice 20 Jan 2021 -- A Connecticut man was charged yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with assaulting an officer during the breach of the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. He will be presented in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York today, before appearing in Washington D.C.
• Concerns grow about extremists infiltration into US national Guard ahead of Biden inauguration Press TV 20 Jan 2021 -- Concerns are growing in the United States about possible infiltration of pro-Trump extremists into the US National Guard ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
• Biden Urged to Revoke Yemen Houthi's Terrorist Designation VOA 20 Jan 2021 -- Aid agencies are urging the incoming Biden Administration to immediately revoke the designation of the Houthi rebel movement in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.
• Acting Secretary of DHS Directs a Review of Immigration Enforcement Practices and Policies DHS 20 Jan 2021 -- Today, Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Pekoske signed a memorandum directing DHS components, including Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, to review and reset enforcement policies and set interim policies for civil enforcement while the Department develops its final priorities.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• WHO Reports Surge in Coronavirus Deaths Last Week SPA 20 Jan 2021 -- Over 93,000 people died from coronavirus in the past week, which is a record high figure since the start of the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its weekly bulletin on Wednesday, according to Russian News Agency (TASS).

United States

• Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic New York State 20 Jan 2021
• COVID Toll Climbs as Biden Pledges to Curb Pandemic VOA 20 Jan 2021 -- The COVID-19 pandemic has now killed more than 405,000 people in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University, reaching a grave new milestone on the day President Joe Biden promised to curb the pandemic.
• US Death Toll from COVID-19 Pandemic Reaches 400,000 VOA 20 Jan 2021 -- The COVID-19 pandemic has now killed more than 400,000 people in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.
• New California Coronavirus Joins Worrisome Strains from UK, South Africa, Brazil VOA 20 Jan 2021 -- As a more contagious coronavirus variant from the United Kingdom takes root in the United States, researchers in California have identified a separate, home-grown strain that may be contributing to the spike in cases there.
• U.S. COVID-19 deaths surpass 400,000 on last day of Trump's presidency People's Daily 20 Jan 2021 -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the United States surpassed the grim milestone of 400,000 on Tuesday, the last full day of Donald Trump's presidency.

China

• Hebei epidemic spread significantly curbed with declining daily cases for five days Global Times 20 Jan 2021 -- North China's Hebei Province has seen a decline in new daily COVID-19 cases for five straight days, a positive sign that the epidemic in the province has been significantly curbed, said the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday.
• 'Absurd' coronavirus control measures expose complexity of rural management Global Times 20 Jan 2021 -- Officials tied a man to a tree during a COVID-19 lockdown; villagers got slapped when playing mahjong when coronavirus was still rife … incidents that occurred in Chinese rural areas' epidemic prevention efforts have stirred a firestorm of online criticism, with many denouncing such moves as simple and crude.
• Port cities vulnerable to viral rebound: CDC Global Times 20 Jan 2021 -- Recent clusters of coronavirus infections in China were mainly caused by inbound visitors and imported goods, and port cities that are at constant risk of exposure to such sources are prone to see the resurgence of the disease, a senior Chinese official said on Wednesday.
• China curbs viral resurgence with 'strictest' measures in Spring Festival Global Times 20 Jan 2021 -- China has rolled out measures to guide the public on their return journeys to their hometowns and urged them to stay in their working cities during the upcoming Spring Festival holidays. Among the measures are mandatory nucleic acid tests within seven days of travel, 14-day health monitoring at home and an extra bonus as a stimulus for those who choose to stay.
• Virus strain in Beijing COVID19 cases same as variant in UK Global Times 20 Jan 2021 -- The COVID-19 virus strain found in the first two cases in Beijing's Daxing district is the same as the variant initially found in the UK, suggesting it was imported from an overseas source, Beijing authorities said on Wednesday.
• Jilin says 83.45% of recent cases were asymptomatic carriers Global Times 20 Jan 2021 -- Northeast China, especially Jilin Province, is suffering from a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, mostly with asymptomatic patients, so areas in the region are carrying out large-scale nucleic acid testing for all local residents to discover silent carriers.
• Shenzhen reports COVID-19 'relapse' case, coming back from Africa Global Times 20 Jan 2021 -- Shenzhen city, Guangdong Province, reported one imported COVID-19 re-infected silent carrier from Africa on Tuesday, who tested positive for the coronavirus in September 2020 while in Africa before her symptoms disappeared after taking medication, Shenzhen authorities announced on Wednesday, making it a second "relapse" case following one found in Hangzhou earlier this month.
• Epidemic situation in Hebei basically under control Global Times 20 Jan 2021 -- The outbreak of COVID-19 in N China's Hebei Province has been obviously curbed, an official said, as daily new cases in Hebei have been decreasing for 5 consecutive days.
• China has administered over 15 million COVID-19 vaccine doses: official Global Times 20 Jan 2021 -- China has vaccinated more than 15 million people as of Wednesday and will expand vaccinations to include the elderly and children as the country rolls out mass vaccination against coronavirus, a Chinese health official said.
• Employee of COVID-19 testing agency detained for falsifying testing results Global Times 20 Jan 2021 -- Police have detained an employee of a COVID-19 testing agency in Longyao county, Xingtai of North China's Hebei Province, for falsifying testing results. The company in question has had its business operations suspended.
• Residents of Beijing's Daxing district undergo virus test, banned from leaving capital Global Times 20 Jan 2021 -- Beijing has reported seven local COVID-19 cases, six of which are from Daxing district. Home to more than 1.7 million permanent residents, Daxing has strengthened prevention measures, including the launch of sweeping district-wide nucleic acid testing, banning residents from leaving Beijing, and shutting down schools and nursing homes.
• Western media making vaccines an invisible geopolitical issue: Chinese FM Global Times 20 Jan 2021 -- China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Wednesday denounced some Western media for making COVID-19 vaccines an invisible geopolitical issue and attempting to promote Pfizer's vaccine while criticizing Chinese vaccines.
• Chinese mainland reports 103 new COVID-19 cases People's Daily 20 Jan 2021 -- The Chinese mainland on Tuesday recorded 103 new COVID-19 cases – 88 local transmissions and 15 from overseas, the National Health Commission said on Wednesday.
• China Reports 103 New COVID-19 Cases SPA 20 Jan 2021 -- China reported 103 new COVID-19 cases during the past 24 hours, Reuters reported.

Europe

• Serbia Becomes First European Nation To Use China's Sinopharm Vaccine RFE/RL 20 Jan 2021 -- Serbia became the first European country to begin a mass inoculation campaign using China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, with health officials and hundreds of uniformed soldiers lining up to get their jabs in the capital, Belgrade.
• UK Reports Record 1,820 New COVID-19 Deaths on Wednesday SPA 20 Jan 2021 -- Britain reported a record number of deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, with 1,820 people dying within 28 days of positive coronavirus test, surpassing the previous peak set a day earlier, Reuters cited the British government data as showing.
• Greece Introduces COVID-19 Digital Vaccination Certificates Sputnik 20 Jan 2021 -- Greece has started issuing digital vaccination certificates to all nationals who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, the Greek prime minister's press service said, adding that the pilot certificate was presented by Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday evening at the General Secretariat for Civil Protection.
• UK coronavirus-related deaths top 90,000 People's Daily 20 Jan 2021 -- The number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test has surpassed the grim milestone of 90,000 in Britain after another 1,610 were confirmed, according to official figures released Tuesday.

India

• India faces challenges in supplying vaccines to the world: experts Global Times 20 Jan 2021 -- Four days after launching "the world's largest inoculation drive," India has already started to export COVID-19 vaccines manufactured in the country to neighboring countries, triggering concerns over its production capacity, given the pressure of domestic vaccination and global demand.
• A significant achievement in India's Covid19 trajectory- Active Caseload slips below 2 Lakhs after 6 Months and 24Days India PIB 20 Jan 2021 -- India accomplished a significant achievement today. The total Active Caseload has fallen below the 2-lakh mark today to 1,97,201. This number translates to just 1.86%of total cases. This is the lowest after 207 days. The total active cases were 1,97,387 on 27thJune, 2020.
• Update on COVID-19 Vaccination India PIB 20 Jan 2021 -- The fifth day of the massive countrywide COVID-19 vaccination program was conducted successfully.

Pakistan

• Pakistan in phase III trials of Chinese vaccine with expectation to see COVID-free future People's Daily 20 Jan 2021 -- Having volunteered to take part in the phase III trials of a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine in a private hospital here, Majid Abbasi had mixed feelings.

Iran

• Iran to start COVID-19 vaccination by Feb 10: Health Minister IRNA 20 Jan 2021 -- Iran's Minister of Health Saeed Namaki said on Wednesday that the country will start vaccination before February 10.
• Some 84 deaths caused by COVID-19 in Iran IRNA 20 Jan 2021 -- Some 84 deaths were caused by COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education Sima Sadat Lari said on Wednesday.
• Iran, Cuba's COVID-19 vaccine project proceeds to clinical trial phase II Press TV 20 Jan 2021 -- A coronavirus vaccine project being jointly pursued by Iran and Cuba has entered phase II of its clinical trials, with no side effects having been reported so far.

South Korea

• S. Korea Reports 404 New Coronavirus Cases, 17 Deaths SPA 20 Jan 2021 -- South Korea has reported 404 new coronavirus cases and 17 additional deaths during the past 24 hours.

Saudi Arabia

• Ministry of Health Announces Rescheduling of Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine SPA 20 Jan 2021 -- The Ministry of Health announced today the possibility of rescheduling the receiving of the vaccine for those registered to take the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, due to the delay of the producing company in supplying the vaccine to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Health Ministry: 238 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Reported in Saudi Arabia SPA 20 Jan 2021 -- The Ministry of Health said in statement today that 238 new confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; thus bringing the total number to 365,563 confirmed cases, including 2,048 active cases, receiving necessary medical care. Of these, there are 331 critical cases, while the health condition of the rest is stable.

Taiwan

• Movements of Taoyuan hospital cluster infection patients released CNA 20 Jan 2021 -- Taiwan's health authorities on Wednesday released information on locations recently visited by three COVID-19 cases in a cluster infection in Taoyuan, including a seafood restaurant and a McDonalds outlet, in a bid to alert people who may have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus.
• Hospitals asked to tighten visit controls as COVID-19 cases rise CNA 20 Jan 2021 -- All hospitals in Taiwan have been asked to tighten their restrictions on visits to inpatients, with immediate effect, amid a growing outbreak spawned by a cluster infection at Taoyuan General Hospital.
• Taiwan hospital cluster infection leads to new COVID-19 case CNA 20 Jan 2021 -- Another domestically transmitted COVID-19 case linked to a recent cluster infection in Taoyuan General Hospital was confirmed on Wednesday, according to health authorities.

Brazil

• CoronaVac vaccine brings hope to Brazil's pandemic-hit indigenous peoples People's Daily 20 Jan 2021 -- Having suffered heavy loss of human lives since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brazil's remote indigenous communities now could finally breathe a sigh of relief as the innoculation campaign against the noval coronavirus comes to their villages.
• Brazil Supreme Court Wants Regulator to Explain Refusal to Allow Use of Sputnik V, Reports Say Sputnik 20 Jan 2021 -- The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court asked the national Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) to explain its decision to refuse to authorize the emergency use of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus, media reported.
• Brazil Launches COVID-19 Vaccine Program for Hard Hit Indigenous People VOA 20 Jan 2021 -- Indigenous people in Brazil's rainforest are getting their long awaited first doses of a vaccine against the coronavirus, which has infected thousands in their community and killed hundreds of others.
• Brazil launches mass inoculation of Chinese CoronaVac vaccine against COVID-19 People's Daily 20 Jan 2021 -- Brazil launched a mass immunization campaign against the COVID-19 pandemic in every state starting at 5:00 p.m. Monday local time (2000 GMT).

Other Countries

• Kyrgyzstan Requests 500,000 Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine From Russia Sputnik 20 Jan 2021 -- Kyrgyzstan has requested from Russia 500,000 doses of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, Kyrgyz Health Minister Alymkadyr Beishenaliev said on Wednesday in an interview with the national Birinchi radio broadcaster.
• Israel Shares Vaccine Data With Pfizer VOA 20 Jan 2021 -- Israel has sped ahead of any other country in its vaccine rollout, with more than 2 million people out of a total of 9.3 million already having received the first vaccination. In exchange for access to so many doses so early, Israel agreed to share data with Pfizer, a move some in Israel says raises privacy concerns.
• How COVID-19 Is Straining Human Rights in Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines VOA 20 Jan 2021 -- Stay-home orders in the Philippines didn't work for lower-class people who rely on short term jobs for family income. They went out in 2020 despite the pandemic and despite the rules. Eventually tens of thousands were arrested and jailed in conditions that raise their risk of getting sick.
• Iraq approves use of Chinese, British COVID-19 vaccines; Israel extends lockdown for 10 days People's Daily 20 Jan 2021 -- Iraq on Tuesday approved the emergency use of China's Sinopharm and British AstraZeneca vaccines to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Israel decided to extend nationwide lockdown for 10 days.