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COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• DOD Leaders Will Address Extremism in the Ranks DoD News 08 Feb 2021 -- On Feb. 5, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III ordered a Defense Department-wide stand down to discuss the problem of extremism in the ranks. He directed commanding officers and supervisors at all levels to conduct a one-day stand-down with their personnel within the next 60 days.
• Terror Threat Level in UK Reduced From 'Severe' to 'Substantial' Sputnik 08 Feb 2021 -- In November 2019, Britain's terror alert dropped below "severe" for the first time in five years. Due to the demise of Daesh and fewer terror attacks worldwide in recent years, the threat level has again been lowered.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Weekly Operationl Update WHO 08 Feb 2021
• New COVID-19 variants raise questions around vaccines, WHO says UN News 08 Feb 2021 -- The emergence of new coronavirus variants has raised major questions around whether currently available vaccines will be effective against them, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.
• WHO Urges Measures to Stop Spread of COVID-19 Amid Vaccinations VOA 08 Feb 2021 -- The World Health Organization expressed concern Monday over new reports that vaccines against the coronavirus may not sufficiently protect against new variants.
• WHO to Review AstraZeneca Vaccine after South Africa Halts Vaccinations VOA 08 Feb 2021 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday it is reviewing the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in light of a South African study indicating the drug offers minimal protection against the new South Africa variant of the virus.

United States

• Pentagon Press Secretary Updates Reporters on DOD Operations DoD 08 Feb 2021 -- Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby
• Pandemic Handling Gets Mixed Reviews Across US, Europe VOA 08 Feb 2021 -- Public opinion is mixed on how well Western governments have handled the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center, which also questioned people on their attitudes regarding compulsory vaccinations.
• Fauci: UK Coronavirus Variant Could Become 'Dominant' in US by End of March VOA 08 Feb 2021 -- Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday the British variant of coronavirus is spreading fast enough that it could become the dominant strain of the virus in the United States by the end of March.
• U.S. sees drop in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, deaths People's Daily 08 Feb 2021 -- New COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States all dropped this week, according to The COVID Tracking Project.
• Fauci says vaccinate quickly to fight COVID-19 variants SPA 08 Feb 2021 -- The best defense against emerging variant strains of COVID-19 is getting as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible, Reuters cited top U.S. infectious disease doctor Anthony Fauci as saying on Monday.
• US Has Nearly 700 Coronavirus Cases of UK Variant in 34 States, Health Agency Says Sputnik 08 Feb 2021 -- The United States has confirmed 699 cases of the UK coronavirus variant in 34 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr Rochelle Walensky said on Monday.
• Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials The White House 08 Feb 2021
• Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo Announces New York City Indoor Dining Can Reopen Early on February 12 New York State 08 Feb 2021

China

• China ramps up vaccine logistics for global inoculation campaign Global Times 08 Feb 2021 -- With China projected to have at least three viable COVID-19 vaccines available to the public, China's airports are likely to see international cargo flights flood in to pick up COVID-19 vaccines in mid-2021, similar to scrambling for masks and other protective gears in the mid-2020.
• CanSino 66% effective, 'good' as single-dose to cover bigger population Global Times 08 Feb 2021 -- Chinese vaccine producer CanSino's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine Ad5-nCoV showed 90.98 percent efficacy rate in preventing severe disease in interim analysis, and is effective to prevent 65.7 percent of symptomatic diseases in clinical trials conducted in multiple countries including Pakistan, Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Pakistani Prime Minister on Health, announced on Monday. It became China's third vaccine to release specific efficacy data in final-stage trials.
• Infection risks remain during holiday despite 'phased victory' of zero new domestic case after 53 days Global Times 08 Feb 2021 -- For the first time in nearly two months, the Chinese mainland reported zero new domestic COVID-19 cases in daily reports on Sunday since the latest outbreaks. Chinese health experts declared phased victory in this round of the battle against coronavirus but warned that infection risks remain during the Spring Festival holidays.
• Chinese Vice Premier calls for anti-epidemic loopholes in villages to be plugged Global Times 08 Feb 2021 -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan called for loopholes in epidemic prevention in rural areas to be plugged and ensure there is no large-scale virus resurgence in the country during the Spring Festival, requiring all departments to take on the responsibility of ensuring a good beginning for the 14th Five-Year Plan.
• China provides vaccine aid to 53 developing countries, exports to 22 Global Times 08 Feb 2021 -- China is providing vaccine aid to 53 developing countries and exporting vaccines to 22 countries, including those in Africa which lags behind in inoculation.
• Chinese-made vaccines help Asian countries combat COVID-19 People's Daily 08 Feb 2021 -- The first batch of China's Sinopharm vaccines is due to arrive in Cambodia on Sunday to help launch an inoculation drive against COVID-19 starting from the upcoming Wednesday.
• Chinese mainland reports no new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases People's Daily 08 Feb 2021 -- No new locally-transmitted confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported Sunday across the Chinese mainland, the National Health Commission said Monday.

Europe

• Pandemic Handling Gets Mixed Reviews Across US, Europe VOA 08 Feb 2021 -- Public opinion is mixed on how well Western governments have handled the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center, which also questioned people on their attitudes regarding compulsory vaccinations.
• Britain Vaccine Minister Suggests AstraZeneca Vaccine Could Be Modified VOA 08 Feb 2021 -- A British health official Monday downplayed a study suggesting the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was minimally effective against a variant of the virus and suggested the vaccine could be modified to address such strains.
• UK gov't rules out "vaccine passports" for travelling broad People's Daily 08 Feb 2021 -- The British government on Sunday ruled out plans to introduce the so-called "vaccine passports" to allow people who have had the jab against coronavirus to travel abroad.

Russia

• Russian COVID Deaths In 2020 Two Times Higher Than Earlier Estimate RFE/RL 08 Feb 2021 -- The number of Russians killed by the COVID-19 last year was twice as high as previously thought, amounting to the world's third-highest death toll for 2020, according to figures released by the country's national statistics agency.

India

• Steady decline in number of deaths; Daily Fatalities below 150 continuously since last 10 days India PIB 08 Feb 2021 -- In a significant achievement, India has been recording less than 150 daily deaths continuously for the last 10 days. Only 84 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.
• Update on COVID-19 Vaccination- Day 24 India PIB 08 Feb 2021 -- India has scaled another global peak in its fight against pandemic.
• Steps taken by Government to ameliorate impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Indian economy India PIB 08 Feb 2021 -- As per the Estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the First Quarter (Q1) of 2020-21 released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics & Program Implementation (MoSPI), the real GDP in India contracted by 23.9 per cent during the first quarter of 2020-21 (as against 5.2 per cent growth in Q1 of 2019-20). India's GDP growth rose to (-) 7.5 percent YoY in Q2 (as against 4.4 per cent growth in Q2 of 2019-20), a sharp rebound from the pandemic induced decline in Q1.

Iran

• Iran to start COVID-19 vaccination on Tuesday: Pres. Rouhani IRNA 08 Feb 2021 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced here on Monday that COVID-19 vaccines will be injected to the individuals tomorrow in Iran.
• Iran, Russia to research on COVID-19 IRNA 08 Feb 2021 -- Iran, and Russia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday to conduct and develop research on COVID-19.
• COVID-19 kills 67 more people in Iran IRNA 08 Feb 2021 -- Some 67 more Iranians have died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 58,536, Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Monday.
• COVID-19 vaccinations kick off in Iran on Tuesday: Rouhani Press TV 08 Feb 2021 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says vaccinations against the coronavirus pandemic are set to kick off across the country on Tuesday.

South Korea

• South Korea Reports 289 New Coronavirus Cases SPA 08 Feb 2021 -- South Korea reported 289 more Covid-19 cases, in the past 24 hours, including 264 local infections, raising the total caseload to 81,185, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Yonhap News Agency reported.
• Seoul May Consider Purchasing Sputnik V, Other Vaccines Due to New Coronavirus Strains, KDCA Says Sputnik 08 Feb 2021 -- Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said that the South Korean government would likely to consider buying Russia's Sputnik V and other coronavirus vaccines to curb the spread of new virus variants and forestall delays in deliveries of already contracted vaccines.

Saudi Arabia

• 356 New Confirmed Covid-19 Cases, 298 Recoveries Reported, in Saudi Arabia SPA 08 Feb 2021 -- The Ministry of Health announced, in a statement here today, that 356 new confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) have been reported, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 370,634, including 2,415 active cases undergoing treatment.

Taiwan

• COVAX to allot 200,000 COVID-19 vaccines doses to Taiwan in first roundCOVAX to allot 200,000 COVID-19 vaccines doses to Taiwan in first round CNA 08 Feb 2021 -- The global vaccine-sharing initiative COVAX will distribute around 200,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan during its first round of distribution, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Monday, although it did not say when they would be available.
• Taiwan reports 1 new imported COVID-19 case; no new local infections CNA 08 Feb 2021 -- Taiwan on Monday reported one new imported case of COVID-19 but no locally transmitted cases, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

NATO

• Coronavirus response: NATO and Slovakia support to North Macedonia NATO 08 Feb 2021 -- Today (8 February 2021), Slovakia delivered four pulmonary ventilators to North Macedonia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The donation was coordinated by NATO's Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) and Slovakia to respond to North Macedonia's urgent requirement.

South Africa

• South Africa Halts Vaccine Rollout VOA 08 Feb 2021 -- Worrying news from South Africa, where health experts say the just-arrived shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines may not work as well against the highly contagious coronavirus variant that is prevalent in the country. That realization means that officials intend to put the mass vaccination program -- the largest in Africa, so far -- on hold before it was to begin.
• South Africa Putting Vaccination With AstraZeneca on Hold as Study Reveals Low Efficacy Sputnik 08 Feb 2021 -- South Africa is halting its vaccination plans involving the AstraZeneca vaccine, because it appears to be highly ineffective against the South African coronavirus strain, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has announced.
• AstraZeneca vaccine roll-out in S. Africa to be postponed People's Daily 08 Feb 2021 -- South Africa said Sunday the roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the country will be temporarily put on hold until more "clinically efficacy information" of the vaccine against new COVID-19 variants becomes available.
• Johnson & Johnson Files for Emergency Use Approval of COVID Vaccine in S. Africa, Reports Suggest Sputnik 08 Feb 2021 -- The United States' Johnson & Johnson has requested South Africa's regulator for the emergency use authorization of its single-shot vaccine against the coronavirus, the African country's eNCA broadcaster reported on Monday as Johannesburg temporarily suspended its rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Other Countries

• Chinese COVID-19 vaccine due for delivery to Thailand between February, April People's Daily 08 Feb 2021 -- A batch of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered to Thailand between February and April, said Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Monday.
• Peru receives first shipment of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines People's Daily 08 Feb 2021 -- Peru on Sunday received the first batch of vaccines from Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinopharm as the South American country is preparing for mass vaccination campaigns against COVID-19.
• 1st batch of China's COVID-19 vaccines arrives in Cambodia People's Daily 08 Feb 2021 -- A special plane carrying the first batch of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines arrived here on Sunday.
• China-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Laos People's Daily 08 Feb 2021 -- A batch of China-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrived in the Lao capital Vientiane early on Monday.
• COVID-19 Cases Surge in Vietnam as Laos Receives More Vaccine From China Radio Free Asia 08 Feb 2021 -- Cases of COVID-19 infection continue to climb in Vietnam following a new outbreak of the pandemic on Jan. 28, with 45 new cases discovered just in the last day, over 10 of them of them in southern Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, sources in the country say.
• South Sudan Due to Receive 800,000 Doses of AstraZeneca Vaccine VOA 08 Feb 2021 -- More than 800,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine should be delivered to South Sudan by the end of the month according to a South Sudanese health ministry official.
• Malawi Sticks to AstraZeneca Despite Concerns Over Efficacy VOA 08 Feb 2021 -- Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera says the country will go ahead with acquiring the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, despite concerns about its efficacy. Chakwera on Sunday evening announced Malawi has acquired 1.5 million doses and that additional ones were on the way to vaccinate a total of about four and a half million people. Chakwera said Malawi, one of Africa's poorest countries, settled for the AstraZeneca vaccine because it is cheaper.
• Australians to Receive Vaccination Certificates in Mass Inoculation Program VOA 08 Feb 2021 -- Australians will receive a certificate as proof of receiving a coronavirus vaccine when a mass inoculation program starts later this month. Foreign travelers are also likely to need similar confirmation of a COVID-19 shot when Australia's international borders finally reopen.