Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Readout of Secretary Mayorkas' Call with Salvadoran Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexandra Hill Tinoco DHS 01 Mar 2021
• Readout of Secretary Mayorkas' Call with Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pedro Brolo DHS 01 Mar 2021
• Readout of Secretary Mayorkas' Call with Honduran Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lisandro Rosales DHS 01 Mar 2021
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas The White House 01 Mar 2021
• How an Official's Admission that Police Are Slaying Suspects Will Change the Philippine Anti-Drug Campaign VOA 01 Mar 2021 -- A justice official's statement that the Philippine National Police have intentionally killed suspects in a 5-year anti-drug crackdown under President Rodrigo Duterte will lessen the use of deadly force as officials hope to head off growing international outrage, analysts believe.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Weekly Operationl Update WHO 01 Mar 2021
• Coronavirus Cases Increase Globally for First Time in Seven Weeks VOA 01 Mar 2021 -- The World Health Organization said new coronavirus cases increased globally for the first time in seven weeks, and officials expressed concern that cases could again rise significantly.

United States

• Third Vaccine Arrives as Another COVID Surge Looms VOA 01 Mar 2021 -- A third COVID-19 vaccine is heading to clinics and pharmacies across the United States. But U.S. health officials are warning that another surge in cases could be on the horizon.
• U.S. CDC recommends Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 and older Global Times 01 Mar 2021 -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday recommended the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for Americans 18 years of age and older, a final clearance for the vaccine after it was authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Saturday.
• NYS COVID-19 hospitalizations drop to lowest level since Dec. 9 Global Times 01 Mar 2021 -- COVID-19 hospitalizations in New York state dropped to 5,259 on Saturday, compared with 5,445 one day earlier, or the lowest since Dec. 9, said Governor Andrew Cuomo in an official release issued on Sunday.
• U.S. Marine Corps update for COVID-19 USMC News 01 Mar 2021
• U.S. CDC advisers recommend Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 and older People's Daily 01 Mar 2021 -- Vaccine advisers of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted on Sunday to recommend the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for Americans 18 years of age and older.
• Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials The White House 01 Mar 2021

China

• More countries begin vaccinations with Chinese supply, highlighting military trust with PLA's donations Global Times 01 Mar 2021 -- The Philippines launched its COVID-19 vaccination campaign on Monday, a day after the arrival of a batch of Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine transported by aircraft Y-20 of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force.
• Macao receives second batch of mainland-made COVID-19 vaccines Global Times 01 Mar 2021 -- The second batch of mainland-made COVID-19 vaccines were delivered to the Macao Special Administrative Region on Sunday.
• Chinese mainland reports 19 new COVID-19 cases, all from overseas People's Daily 01 Mar 2021 -- The Chinese mainland recorded 19 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, all from overseas, data from the National Health Commission (NHC) showed on Monday.
• Chinese military actively conducts international anti-epidemic cooperation: Defense Ministry PLA Daily 01 Mar 2021 -- Confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic that is still rampant around the globe, the Chinese military has been actively carrying out international anti-epidemic cooperation through various methods, said the Information Office of China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) in a written statement on March 1, 2021.

Europe

• EU Commission to Propose Vaccine Passports for Travel in Europe VOA 01 Mar 2021 -- The European Union's executive arm said Monday it will propose rules for a passport to allow those who have been vaccinated or recently tested for COVID-19 to travel for work or tourism throughout the region.
• Families of school-aged children in England to get two rapid COVID-19 tests a week Global Times 01 Mar 2021 -- Those who are living with school-aged children in England will be eligible for two rapid coronavirus tests a week when pupils return to the classroom, British health authorities said Sunday.
• British Government Begins Focusing on How to Pay for Pandemic VOA 01 Mar 2021 -- The British government this week will become the first European government to explain to voters the high fiscal costs of the coronavirus pandemic.
• France reports nearly 20,000 new coronavirus cases, 122 deaths People's Daily 01 Mar 2021 -- France registered 19,952 new coronavirus infection cases and 122 related deaths in the pas
• Germany's Confirmed Coronavirus Cases Rise by 4,732 SPA 01 Mar 2021 -- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 4,732 to 2,447,068, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday, according to Reuters.
• Slovakia Receives First Delivery Of Russian COVID Vaccine RFE/RL 01 Mar 2021 -- Slovakia has received its first shipment of 200,000 Sputnik V doses, the second European Union member state to obtain the Russian-made coronavirus vaccine.
• Slovakia Approves Use of Russian Vaccine Sputnik V Without Waiting for EU Regulator Sputnik 01 Mar 2021 -- Slovakia followed Hungary's suit and registered Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V without waiting for the EU regulator's approval, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said in a statement.
• Xi pledges to provide COVID-19 vaccines to Poland Global Times 01 Mar 2021 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that China is willing to provide COVID-19 vaccines within its capabilities to Poland in accordance with the European country's demand.
• Hungarian PM receives injection of China's Sinopharm vaccine Global Times 01 Mar 2021 -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban received an injection of China's Sinopharm vaccine against COVID-19 on Sunday.

Russia

• RDIF Received Many Requests From EU States for Direct Supplies of Sputnik V, CEO Says Sputnik 01 Mar 2021 -- The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has received many requests from EU countries for direct supplies of coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V, and will continue to work in this direction and cooperate with the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the fund's CEO, Kirill Dmitriev, said.

India

• Indian PM gets his first COVID-19 vaccine dose as country begins phase-2 of vaccination drive Global Times 01 Mar 2021 -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, on Monday.
• Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat continue to report an upsurge in COVID Daily New Cases India PIB 01 Mar 2021 -- Several States in the country continue to report an increased number of daily new cases. 6 States, Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, have shown a surge in new cases in the last 24 hours.
• Day 45- next Phase of COVID19 Vaccination commences India PIB 01 Mar 2021 -- The cumulative number of COVID19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 1.47 Crore today.
• India's COVID-19 tally rises to 11,112,241 as phase 2 of vaccination drive begins People's Daily 01 Mar 2021 -- India's COVID-19 tally rose to 11,112,241 on Monday, as 15,510 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, the latest data from the federal health ministry showed.

Iran

• Iran-made COV-Pars vaccine one of world best vaccines: Official IRNA 01 Mar 2021 -- Chancellor of Iran University of Medical Sciences Jalil Koohpayehzadeh said on Monday that the Iran-made COV-Pars vaccine is technically the best vaccine produced in the world against coronavirus.
• COVID-19 claims 108 lives in past 24 hours in Iran: Official IRNA 01 Mar 2021 -- Some 108 more Iranians have died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 60,181, Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Monday.
• Iran appreciates donation of Covid-19 vaccines by China's government ISNA 01 Mar 2021 -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh referred to the cooperation between Iran and China in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, saying the civilizational relation between Iran and China has even turned problems into an opportunity for reinforcement of ties.

Saudi Arabia

• 317 New Confirmed Covid-19 Cases, 335 Recoveries Reported, in Saudi Arabia SPA 01 Mar 2021 -- The Ministry of Health announced, in a statement here today, that 317 new confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) have been reported, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 377,700, including 2,560 active cases undergoing treatment.

Philippines

• Philippines begins rollout of China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine People's Daily 01 Mar 2021 -- The Philippines launched its COVID-19 vaccination drive on Monday, less than a day after the arrival of a batch of the Sinovac vaccine CoronaVac donated by China.
t 24 hours, according to figures released by the Public Health Agency on Sunday.
• Philippines Finally Receives First Batch of COVID-19 Vaccine VOA 01 Mar 2021 -- The Philippines launched its national coronavirus vaccination campaign Monday amid widespread public skepticism and a struggle to procure vaccines.

Ghana / Côte d'Ivoire

• With UK aid support, people in Côte d'Ivoire to be first vaccinated through COVAX: Foreign Secretary's statement UK FCDO 01 Mar 2021 -- People in the Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) will receive the first COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX on 1 March 2021.
• Ghana, Côte D'Ivoire Become First Nations to Administer COVID-19 Vaccines From WHO's COVAX Program Sputnik 01 Mar 2021 -- Africa as a whole has suffered comparatively less deaths from the novel coronavirus compared to many industrialized nations, for reasons still not entirely clear. However, if global vaccination trends are not reversed, the continent's deaths could continue long after they decline in other places.
• Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire begin history-making COVAX vaccination drives UN News 01 Mar 2021 -- As the first recipients of lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine doses through the UN-partnered COVAX initiative, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana began their vaccine rollouts on Monday, prioritizing frontline workers and vulnerable groups, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Other Countries

• Second batch of China's Sinovac vaccine arrives in Mexico Global Times 01 Mar 2021 -- The second batch of China's Sinovac vaccine arrived in Mexico on Saturday, the Mexican Ministry of Health said.
• Argentina extends COVID-19 social distancing measures to March 12 Global Times 01 Mar 2021 -- The Argentine government on Sunday ordered that the Social, Preventive and Mandatory Distancing measures, in place to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be extended until March 12.
• Africa's confirmed COVID-19 cases near 3.89 mln: Africa CDC Global Times 01 Mar 2021 -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent reached 3,888,006 as of Sunday afternoon, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.
• Sputnik V Vaccination Showing 'Encouraging' Results in Argentina, Presidential Aide Says Sputnik 01 Mar 2021 -- Argentina believes that vaccination with Russia's Sputnik V shots is showing encouraging results, presidential assistant Cecilia Nicolini told Sputnik.
• South Africa Surges with Continent's Largest Vaccine Campaign VOA 01 Mar 2021 -- South Africa only started coronavirus vaccinations in the last two weeks, but President Cyril Ramaphosa says the country is moving forward, with more than 67,000 health workers inoculated in the first 10 days as part of the first stage.