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Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Foreign Nationals Sentenced for Roles in Transnational Cybercrime Enterprise US Dept. of Justice 19 Mar 2021 -- The Infraud Organization victimized millions of people in all 50 states and caused more than $568 million in financial losses
• Russian Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy To Introduce Malware Into Tesla's Computer Network RFE/RL 19 Mar 2021 -- A Russian citizen who was arrested in the United States last summer has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to introduce malware into the computer network of automaker Tesla.
• Untangling Taliban's Ties With Al-Qaeda 'Extremely Difficult' RFE/RL 19 Mar 2021 -- Afghan special forces stormed an isolated mudbrick house in a Taliban-controlled district of Ghazni Province in October, killing six suspected militants -- including Husam Abd-al-Ra'uf, the No. 2 figure in the Al-Qaeda terrorist network.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• COVID-19: Virus variants, vaccine inequity, contribute to rising caseload UN News 19 Mar 2021 -- COVID-19 cases globally are on track to rise for a fourth consecutive week, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Friday.
• WHO Committee: AstraZeneca Vaccine Benefits Outweigh Risks VOA 19 Mar 2021 -- The World Health Organization's Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety formally concluded Friday that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine's benefits outweighed its risks and recommended its use.

United States

• Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris During a Briefing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The White House 19 Mar 2021
• Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials The White House 19 Mar 2021
• Experts warn of COVID-19 resurgence as more U.S. states see uptick in infections People's Daily 19 Mar 2021 -- Public health experts are concerned that the United States may witness a COVID-19 resurgence if states and people do not cautiously follow safety and protective measures.

China

• Sinopharm to help Serbia produce Chinese COVID-19 vaccine Global Times 19 Mar 2021 -- Chinese COVID-19 vaccine developer Sinopharm said it will help Serbia manufacture Sinopharm's vaccine locally and provide more high-quality Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment products and services, making Serbia the first European country to produce the Chinese vaccine.
• China has administered nearly 65 million COVID-19 vaccine doses People's Daily 19 Mar 2021 -- As of March 14, China had administered 64.98 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the public, said Li Bin, deputy director of the National Health Commission (NHC) at a press conference on March 16.

Europe

• Several European Countries Resume Use of AstraZeneca Vaccine VOA 19 Mar 2021 -- France, Germany and Italy resumed use Friday of a coronavirus vaccine made by AstraZeneca after health officials sought to allay concerns it might cause blood clots.
• European Medicines Agency Again Approves AstraZeneca Vaccine VOA 19 Mar 2021 -- Two European prime ministers - Britain's Boris Johnson and France's Jean Castex - are being inoculated Friday with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, a day after Europe's medicine regulator declared the vaccine safe.
• AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine benefits outweigh risks: EMA People's Daily 19 Mar 2021 -- Based on its preliminary investigation, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Thursday concluded that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is "safe and effective," while not definitely ruling out possible link to rare blood clots accompanied by low levels of blood platelets.
• Europe seen as new virus epicenter amid eroding vaccine confidence Global Times 19 Mar 2021 -- The public's eroding confidence in the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, short supply of vaccines, relaxing restrictive measures too soon led to the third wave of coronavirus in Europe, Chinese observers said, warning Europe could become a new epicenter and result in the new global wave of COVID-19.
• France imposes lockdown in Paris as COVID-19 variant cases rise Press TV 19 Mar 2021 -- France has imposed a month-long lockdown on Paris and parts of the north amid a rise in the number of coronavirus variant cases.
• Hungary To Prolong COVID-19 Restrictions As Infections Hit Record RFE/RL 19 Mar 2021 -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned that tough restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus in the country will be extended next week with the number of daily coronavirus cases and the death toll hitting new records.
• Italy Not Ruling Out Possibility of Purchasing Russian Vaccine Sputnik V, Prime Minister Says Sputnik 19 Mar 2021 -- Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi does not rule out that in the absence of coordination within the EU, the country will be able to order the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V.

Russia

• Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine Approved For Emergency Use In The Philippines RFE/RL 19 Mar 2021 -- The Philippines has approved Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, the country's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on March 19.
• Russia's RDIF, India's Stelis Biopharma to Jointly Produce 200Mln Sputnik V Doses Sputnik 19 Mar 2021 -- The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced on Friday that it would produce at least 200 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 jointly with India's Stelis Biopharma, which would be sufficient to inoculate 100 million people.

India

• Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh exhibiting a steep rise in Daily New Cases India PIB 19 Mar 2021-- Some States in the country are reporting a surge in the daily new COVID cases. Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh together account 80.63% of the daily new cases.
• COVID19 Vaccination-Day 63 India PIB 19 Mar 2021-- India has scaled a landmark peak in its fight against COVID. As part of the world's largest vaccination exercise, more than 4 Crore doses have been administered.
• Covid Vaccination Beneficiaries India PIB 19 Mar 2021-- As per the recommendation of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC), the following categories are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination: Health Care Workers, Front Line Workers, persons aged 60 years and above and persons between 45 to 59 years of age with specified comorbidities.

Pakistan

• Pakistani PM receives Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine jab People's Daily 19 Mar 2021 -- Days after Pakistani president received a Sinopharm vaccine jab, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday also received his COVID-19 jab with Sinopharm vaccine.

Iran

• COVID-19 claims 68 lives over past 24 hours in Iran: Official IRNA 19 Mar 2021 -- Some 68 more Iranians have died from the the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 61,649, Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Friday.

Saudi Arabia

• 391 New Confirmed Covid-19 Cases, 263 Recoveries Reported, in Saudi Arabia SPA 19 Mar 2021 -- The Ministry of Health announced, in a statement here today, that 391 new confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) have been reported, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 384,271, including 3,811 active cases undergoing treatment.

Taiwan

• Taiwan reports 6 new COVID-19 cases, breaks 1,000 mark CNA 19 Mar 2021 -- Taiwan on Thursday confirmed six new imported cases of COVID-19 -- three from the Philippines and one each from the United States, Paraguay and Indonesia, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 1,004, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
• Taiwan to begin administering AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Monday CNA 19 Mar 2021 -- Taiwan will start administering the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to priority groups at 57 designated hospitals across the country on Monday, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) has announced.

Other Countries

• Dominican Republic receives two batches of COVID-19 vaccines from China People's Daily 19 Mar 2021 -- The Dominican Republic received two batches of Chinese vaccines on Wednesday, allowing the Caribbean nation to advance its immunization plan against the coronavirus, authorities said.
• Two More COVID-19 Deaths in Cambodia Bring Total to Three Amid Latest Virus Outbreak Radio Free Asia 19 Mar 2021 -- At least two more people died from COVID-19 in Cambodia on Friday, according to the Ministry of Health, bringing to three the total number of deaths from the disease caused by the coronavirus pandemic and prompting the ministry to declare a "critical point" in its fight to contain new outbreaks.
• Armenia Adding Hospital Beds To Care For COVID-19 Patients Amid 'Third Wave' RFE/RL 19 Mar 2021 -- Armenia says it is redeploying some of its hospital resources to treat COVID-19 patients amid what local health experts call a third wave of coronavirus infections.
• UAE Announces 2,160 new COVID-19 Cases SPA 19 Mar 2021 -- The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has announced today 2,160 new cases of the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19), bringing the total number of lab-confirmed cases to 436,625.
• Cameroon Becomes 53d Country to Register Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine Sputnik 19 Mar 2021 -- Cameroon became the 53rd country to authorise the use of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced on Friday.
• Philippines to Receive First Batch of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine in April, RDIF Announces Sputnik 19 Mar 2021 -- The Philippines will receive the first batch of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in April, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev said in an interview with CNN Philippines broadcaster.