Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• DOD Statement on Continued National Guard Support by Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby DoD 09 Mar 2021 -- Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has approved a request by the U.S. Capitol Police for continued National Guard support through May 23, 2021.
• Guard Presence Helps Fill Gaps in Capitol Police Capabilities DoD News 09 Mar 2021 -- More than 5,000 National Guardsmen are assigned to Washington, D.C., to help provide security to the Capitol, and a request has been made to the Defense Department to extend their stay.
• US security review urges beefed-up forces, surveillance around Capitol amid fears of violence Press TV 09 Mar 2021 -- A US security review has called for heightened security in Washington, saying the Capitol's policing and surveillance measures are "woefully inadequate" amid fears of violence by supporters of former president Donald Trump.
• US's planned cyberattack on Russia will be international crime: Kremlin Press TV 09 Mar 2021 -- The Kremlin has described as worrying a US media report indicating that the United States plans to mount cyberattacks against Russia, stressing that such an act would be an international crime.
• Kremlin: Report On Planned U.S. Cyberstrikes On Russia 'Alarming' RFE/RL 09 Mar 2021 -- The Kremlin has voiced "alarm" at a report in The New York Times that said the United States was preparing a series of covert counter cyberstrikes on Russian networks.
• Kremlin: Alleged US Plans to Stage Cyberattacks on Russian Networks Would Amount to Int'l Crime Sputnik 09 Mar 2021 -- On Monday, The New York Times cited unnamed US government sources as saying that the Biden administration is considering retaliating for the alleged Russian hacking of American government agencies and corporations discovered in late 2020.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Weekly Epidemiological Update WHO 09 Mar 2021
• Impact of COVID-19 'heavily felt' by prisoners globally: UN expert UN News 09 Mar 2021 -- People incarcerated across the world are being "disproportionately affected" by the COVID-19 pandemic according to a UN expert on prison reform.
• Here's What Doctors Know About How COVID-19 Impacts the Body VOA 09 Mar 2021 -- Last March, when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, it had already proved to be lethal and highly contagious. It was a new virus with many unknowns. Since then, scientists have learned a lot about how it affects vital organs and its long-term effects.
• Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Neutralizes Brazil Variant of COVID-19, Study Finds VOA 09 Mar 2021 -- The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine neutralizes the rapidly spreading variant of the coronavirus recently discovered in Brazil, according to the results of a laboratory study.

United States

• Air Force update for COVID-19 US Air Force 09 Mar 2021
• CDC's Cautious Advice for Vaccinated People Draws Criticism VOA 09 Mar 2021 -- The first federal recommendations for people vaccinated against COVID-19 allow cautious steps toward normal life.
• Less than 10 pct of U.S. population fully vaccinated against COVID-19: CDC Global Times 09 Mar 2021 -- Just 9.2 percent of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated on Monday.
• Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic New York State 09 Mar 2021
• Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo Announces New Yorkers 60 Years of Age and Older and Additional Public Facing Essential Workers Will Be Eligible to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine New York State 09 Mar 2021

China

• Concerns Grow For 'Disappeared' Wuhan Citizen Journalist Radio Free Asia 09 Mar 2021 -- Chinese citizen journalist Fang Bin remains missing after being detained by police in the central city of Wuhan for reporting from the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
• China Reports 8 New COVID-19 Cases SPA 09 Mar 2021 -- The Chinese mainland reported 8 new COVID-19 cases during the past 24 hours.
• Serious adverse reactions of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine in HK are within the expected range: experts Global Times 09 Mar 2021 -- A Hong Kong expert team said Monday that they deemed that the second death case in the city following vaccination of Sinovac vaccines was not related to the vaccine as the autopsy report showed that the cause of death of the recipient, a 55-year-old woman, was myocardial infarction and she had an aortic laceration.

Europe

• UK PM says higher risk of virus transmission "inevitable" as schools reopen in England People's Daily 09 Mar 2021 -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday that the increased risk of coronavirus transmission is "inevitable" as schools reopened and millions of children returned to classrooms across England.
• Half of Bulgaria's regions report coronavirus variant first detected in Britain Global Times 09 Mar 2021 -- The COVID-19 variant first identified in Britain was confirmed in 15 out of the 28 regions in Bulgaria, the country's Health Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

Russia

• U.S. Condemns Russia For Vaccine 'Disinformation,' Vows To Fight Back RFE/RL 09 Mar 2021 -- The United States publicly blasted what it called a Russian disinformation campaign designed to undermine confidence in U.S.-made COVID-19 vaccines and vowed to fight back "with every tool we have."
• EU Regulator to Make Decisions on Sputnik V Vaccine Based Only On Scientific Data Sputnik 09 Mar 2021 -- The European Medicines Agency (EMA) will review the compliance of Sputnik V, a Russian vaccine against COVID-19, with standards of the European Union and make recommendations based solely on the scientific data, a spokesperson from the EMA told Sputnik on Tuesday.
• Kremlin Slams EMA Head for Comparing Early Approval of Sputnik V With 'Russian Roulette' Sputnik 09 Mar 2021 -- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday slammed a statement from Christa Wirthumer-Hoche, the chairwoman of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) management board, who compared the prospect of Austria's early approval of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine to "Russian roulette," calling it "at least inappropriate."

India

• India crosses a landmark in COVID19 Vaccination India PIB 09 Mar 2021 -- India has recorded a significant achievement in its countrywide COVID19 vaccination drive which was rolled out from 16th January 2021. More than 2 million vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours.
• Safety and Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccines India PIB 09 Mar 2021 -- As per New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019 (ND & CT Rules 2019) under Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and in light of urgent need due to COVID pandemic in the country, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in consultation with Subject Expert Committee (SEC) has granted permission to manufacture the following COVID-19 vaccines.
• COVID-19 vaccine per million population India PIB 09 Mar 2021 -- The State/UT-wise details of number of doses administered and doses per million population, as on 3rd March 2021 is given in the table below.
• No shortage of Vaccine Doses in Rajasthan India PIB 09 Mar 2021 -- There have been some news reports suggesting impending shortage of COVID19 Vaccine doses in Rajasthan.
• COVID19 Vaccination-Day 53 India PIB 09 Mar 2021 -- The cumulative number of COVID19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 2.40 crore today.
• India administers more than 20 lakh Covid-19 doses in a single day India PIB 09 Mar 2021 -- Dr P K Misra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister chaired a high level review meeting by video conference today, to review the status and progress of COVID vaccination across States and UTs.

Iran

• COVID-19 claims 81 lives in past 24 hours in Iran: Official IRNA 09 Mar 2021 -- Some 81 more Iranians have died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 60,867, Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia

• Three Hundred Ninety New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Reported in Saudi Arabia, Health Ministry Spokesperson Says SPA 09 Mar 2021 -- Official Spokesman of the Ministry of Health Dr. Mohammed Al-Abdulaali said in a press conference today that 390 new confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 380,572 , including 2,695 active cases receiving necessary medical care. Of these, there are 515 critical cases, while the health condition of the rest is stable, the report added.

Taiwan

• More than 75% of Taiwanese will refuse Chinese COVID-19 vaccine CNA 09 Mar 2021 -- More than 75 percent of Taiwanese recently surveyed said they would be unwilling to take COVID-19 vaccines developed by Chinese companies, while a further 60 percent said they believe the government should not open Taiwan's doors to Chinese vaccines, according to the results of a survey released on Tuesday.
• One new imported COVID-19 case confirmed in Taiwan CNA 09 Mar 2021 -- Taiwan on Tuesday reported one new imported case of COVID-19, bringing the number of cases in the country to 977, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
• More than 75% of Taiwanese will refuse Chinese COVID-19 vaccine CNA 09 Mar 2021 -- More than 75 percent of Taiwanese recently surveyed said they would be unwilling to take COVID-19 vaccines developed by Chinese companies, while a further 60 percent said they believe the government should not open Taiwan's doors to Chinese vaccines, according to the results of a survey released on Tuesday.
• Discussions on Taiwan-Palau travel bubble to conclude soon CNA 09 Mar 2021 -- Discussions on establishing a "travel bubble" between Taiwan and Palau are expected to conclude before the end of the month, a high-level official from Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday, confirming an earlier exclusive report from CNA.

Other Countries

• Afghanistan Receives First COVID Vaccine Shipment Under COVAX Program RFE/RL Gandhara 09 Mar 2021 -- Afghanistan has received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX international vaccine-sharing program, world health and Afghan government officials say.
• COVID-19 cases top 86,000 in Sri Lanka People's Daily 09 Mar 2021 -- Sri Lanka on Tuesday saw its total tally of COVID-19 cases rise to 86,039 with more than 200 new confirmed infections reported by the Health Ministry.
• Maldives to begin second dose of COVID-19 vaccination People's Daily 09 Mar 2021 -- The Maldives will begin administering the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines next Monday, local media quoting the Minister of Health reported Tuesday.
• New Zealand establishes independent group to oversee COVID-19 response People's Daily 09 Mar 2021 -- A newly-established advisory group will ensure New Zealand's COVID-19 response continues to learn and adapt with a focus on continual improvement, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Tuesday.
• PNG endures largest surge of COVID-19 infections People's Daily 09 Mar 2021 -- Papua New Guinea (PNG) health authorities were scrambling to contain a surge of COVID-19 infections, with official case numbers nearly doubling in the past five weeks.
• UAE Announces 2,373 New COVID-19 Cases, 1,784 Recoveries, 10 Deaths in Last 24 Hours SPA 09 Mar 2021 -- The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced that it conducted 219,593 additional COVID-19 tests over the past 24 hours, using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment.
• Tunisia Reportedly Receives 1st Batch of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine Sputnik 09 Mar 2021 -- Tunisian Health Minister Faouzi Mehdi on Tuesday was present at the Carthage International Airport in the capital city of Tunis to welcome the first batch of the Russian-made COVID-19 vaccine, broadcaster Mosaique FM reported.
• Uganda to Begin Nationwide COVID Vaccinations Wednesday VOA 09 Mar 2021 -- Uganda launches its national vaccination program on Wednesday, two days after receiving 100,000 additional doses of Covid-19 vaccine donated by the Indian government.
• Jamaica Set Launch Mass Vaccination Program Following a Recent Spike in Infections VOA 09 Mar 2021 -- Jamaica is set to launch its vaccination program against the spread of COVID-19 amid an uptick in cases.