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Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• DHS Announces Funding Opportunity for $1.87 Billion in Preparedness Grants DHS 25 Feb 2021 -- Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas today announced the release of the funding notice for eight different types of preparedness grants worth nearly $1.87 billion. Together, these programs provide more than $1.8 billion in critical funding to assist our state and local partners in building and sustaining capabilities to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism and other disasters.
• Cyberattacks on French Hospitals Linked to Mafia, Not Foreign Involvement, Official Says Sputnik 25 Feb 2021 -- French Secretary of State for the Digital Economy Cedric O on Thursday told the France 2 broadcaster that it was mafia-linked groups rather than foreign interference behind recent cyberattacks on French hospitals and related leaks of patient data.
• Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Advances Its Work on Operational Measures to Prosecute Terrorist Financing and Virtual Assets US Treasury 25 Feb 2021 -- The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) concluded its second plenary meeting during the German Presidency, its third virtual plenary since the start of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The FATF advanced its work on several important issues, including finalizing a non-public report on terrorist financing and agreeing to seek public comment on updated guidance documents on virtual assets and proliferation finance.
• West Africa steps up efforts to tackle latest Ebola threat UN News 25 Feb 2021 -- As a new Ebola outbreak threatens Guinea, six neighboring countries are urgently scaling up preparation and response efforts to prevent the further spread of the deadly virus, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday
• UN agencies begin registering asylum seekers at US-Mexico border UN News 25 Feb 2021 -- UN agencies have begun preparing individuals and families at the Matamoros informal camp, near the United States-Mexico border, for entry into the US, following the termination of a policy that forced asylum seekers to wait for immigration hearings in Mexico.
• Texas ANG delivers water, aid after winter storm US Air Force 25 Feb 2021 -- A winter storm without a name is just chilly weather. But when the National Weather Service names it, it becomes the winter storm of a lifetime … or at least in the eyes of Texas.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Weekly Epidemiological Update WHO 25 Feb 2021
• 1-in-10 COVID-19 Patients Is Still Sick 3 Months Later, WHO says VOA 25 Feb 2021 -- The World Health Organization said Thursday that one in 10 COVID-19 patients experience persistent ill health 12 weeks after having had the virus and urged health authorities to take their situation seriously.
• WHO-backed policy brief calls for action to address 'long COVID' UN News 25 Feb 2021 -- With one in 10 people still feeling ill 12 weeks after having COVID-19, authorities must do more to support them, a UN-backed policy brief issued on Thursday argues.
• COVAX to Receive 170 Million AstraZeneca Vaccine Doses VOA 25 Feb 2021 -- The COVAX facility for coronavirus vaccines will soon get access to 170 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine, according to the U.N. Children's Fund.

United States

• 50 Million COVID-19 Vaccines Administered in US VOA 25 Feb 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden hosted an event at the White House Thursday honoring the 50 millionth coronavirus vaccination administered in the country.
• Secretary of Defense Addresses Vaccine Hesitancy in Military DoD News 25 Feb 2021 -- After a tour of a mass COVID-19 vaccination site in Los Angeles, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin addressed the hesitancy that some service members have about getting the vaccine.
• DOD Officials Provide COVID-19 Response Update DoD News 25 Feb 2021 -- Three Defense Department officials spoke today at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the department's support for the COVID-19 response.
• Austin Praises 'Whole-of-Government, All-of-Nation' Effort Against COVID-19 DoD News 25 Feb 2021 -- Service members are making a true contribution to their fellow citizens at the "mega-vaccination center" at California State University Los Angeles, said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III.

China

• Two more COVID-19 vaccines get conditional approval for mass use in China Global Times 25 Feb 2021 -- China's drug regulator has given conditional approval for the mass use of two additional COVID-19 vaccines produced by Chinese pharmaceutical firms, bringing the total number of home-produced vaccines granted conditional approval for mass use to four.

Europe

• European Governments Resist Public Clamor for Easing of Pandemic Lockdown VOA 25 Feb 2021 -- Months of lockdowns and pandemic restrictions are taking their toll on Europeans, with many chafing at the prolonged limitations on public life. With vaccine distribution now starting to pick up after a sluggish start in most countries, calls are mounting for an easing of restrictions.
• Merkel: EU Leaders Agree to Introduce Vaccination Certificates, They Will Be Ready Within 3 Months Sputnik 25 Feb 2021 -- The concept of vaccination certificates was rolled out as an idea that could facilitate travel between the countries of the bloc during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
• French Prime Minister: 20 Regions Under 'Reinforced Surveillance' for COVID-19 VOA 25 Feb 2021 -- French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced Thursday that 20 French regions or departments, including Paris and surrounding areas, will be under "reinforced surveillance" for COVID-19 and could be placed under weekend lockdowns beginning March 6 if infection rates do not improve.
• COVID-19 crisis causes second highest German gov't deficit in 30 years: Destatis Global Times 25 Feb 2021 -- The coronavirus pandemic and its consequences resulted in a general financial deficit for the German state of 139.6 billion euros (169.3 billion U.S. dollars) last year, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said on Wednesday based on preliminary calculations.
• UK COVID-19 vaccine supply likely to go on yo-yo for "a few months": health official Global Times 25 Feb 2021 -- The coronavirus vaccine supply fluctuations in Britain are likely to continue for "a few months", a senior British health official said Wednesday.
• British Health Officials Lower National COVID-19 Alert from Level 5 to 4 VOA 25 Feb 2021 -- The chief medical officers (CMOs) of Britain's four nations have issued a statement recommending that their COVID-19 alert levels be moved from level 5 to level 4.
• Finland Goes Into Second State of Emergency Amid Warnings of New COVID Wave Sputnik 25 Feb 2021 -- The Finnish medical authorities cited the "rapid worsening of the coronavirus situation", which includes the spread of mutated strains, and called for action.

India

• Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat & Chhattisgarh witnesses an upsurge in Daily New Cases India PIB 25 Feb 2021 -- India's Active Caseload is 1,51,708 today comprising 1.37% of the total positive cases. This is largely attributable to the upsurge in daily new cases in some States. Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh have recorded a rise in daily new cases.
• Update on COVID-19 Vaccination- Day 41 India PIB 25 Feb 2021 -- The cumulative number of COVID19 vaccine doses administered to healthcare and frontline workers has crossed 1.30 Crores today in the country.
• India Reports 16,738 New Coronavirus Cases SPA 25 Feb 2021 -- India has confirmed 16,738 new cases of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, with the total number of those infected having reached 11,046,914, the country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Thursday, according to Sputnik News Agency.

Iran

• COVID-19 claims 94 lives in past 24 hours in Iran: Official IRNA 25 Feb 2021 -- Some 94 more Iranians have died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 59,830, Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry Spokesman: 356 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Reported in Saudi Arabia SPA 25 Feb 2021 -- Official Spokesman of the Ministry of Health Dr. Mohammed Al-Abdulaali said in a press conference today that 356 new confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; thus bringing the total number to 376,377 confirmed cases, including 2,574 active cases receiving necessary medical care. Of these, there are 473 critical cases, while the health condition of the rest is stable.

Taiwan

• Taiwan reports 5 new imported cases of COVID-19 CNA 25 Feb 2021 -- Taiwan reported five new imported cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, all involving female migrant workers from the Philippines and bringing the total number to 951 since the pandemic began, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Canada

• Vaccine Delays Spell Political Problems for Canada's Trudeau VOA 25 Feb 2021 -- As the United States moves rapidly to vaccinate senior citizens and other vulnerable Americans against the coronavirus, older Canadians are watching enviously, aware that most of them are unlikely to receive their own shots until sometime this summer.
• Variant cases increase as overall COVID-19 numbers steadily drop in Canada Global Times 25 Feb 2021 -- Canada detected 868 COVID-19 variant cases as of Tuesday, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada on Wednesday.

Other Countries

• Chile expects "herd immunity" against COVID-19 by midyear Global Times 25 Feb 2021 -- Chile expects to have 80 percent of its population vaccinated against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by midyear, achieving so-called "herd immunity," Health Minister Enrique Paris said Wednesday.
• Timely vaccine arrivals in Africa show China honoring its commitment to global COVID-19 vaccination People's Daily 25 Feb 2021 -- With the timely arrival of China's Sinopharm vaccine, Senegal on Tuesday officially began the first phase of its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, taking one step further in its fight against the pandemic.
• Australia facing coronavirus vaccine supply issues: scientists People's Daily 25 Feb 2021 -- Australia's leading scientists have warned that the country is at-risk of coronavirus vaccine shortages.
• Ghana becomes first country to receive COVAX vaccine People's Daily 25 Feb 2021 -- The government of Ghana Wednesday took the delivery of 600,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India, becoming the first country to receive the COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility.
• UAE Announces 3,025 New COVID-19 Cases in Last 24 Hours SPA 25 Feb 2021 -- The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced that it conducted 195,866 additional COVID-19 tests over the past 24 hours, using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment.
• Oman: Total Covid-19 Cases Stand at 140300 SPA 25 Feb 2021 -- The total number of positive Covid-19 cases in the Sultanate of Oman has reached 140300 while the number of recoveries stood at 131385, comprising 94 percent.
• Mexico Posts 1,006 more Coronavirus Deaths, 8,642 New Cases SPA 25 Feb 2021 -- Mexico reported an additional 1,006 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total death count to 182,815, according to data from the country's health ministry.
• Guatemala Becomes Third Central American Country to Approve Russia's Sputnik V COVID Vaccine Sputnik 25 Feb 2021 -- Guatemala has become the third Central American country to register Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced on Thursday.
• On Anniversary of First Confirmed Case, Brazil Marks 250,000 COVID Deaths VOA 25 Feb 2021 -- Brazil marked one year since its first confirmed case of the coronavirus on Thursday — the same day it recorded a quarter of a million deaths from the disease the virus causes.