Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• CISA Launches New Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative CISA 05 Aug 2021 -- The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced the standup of the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) today, a new agency effort to lead the development of cyber defense operations plans, and to execute those plans in coordination with partners from the federal interagency, private sector, and state, local, tribal, territorial (SLTT) government stakeholders to drive down risk before an incident and to unify defensive actions should an incident occur.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• COVID-19 vaccine equality, 'most pressing issue of our times' – UN chief UN News 05 Aug 2021 -- The remarkable and rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines offers "great hope" that the devastating pandemic can be overcome, the UN chief told the first International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation on Thursday, but everyone must be reached everywhere, "as quickly as possible".
• Refugee resettlement numbers yet to recover amid pandemic UN News 05 Aug 2021 -- The number of refugees given shelter in safe host countries plunged last year because of pandemic border restrictions, which continue to hamper the resettlement of vulnerable people.
• World Bank, UN Say Pandemic is Pushing Displaced People to Take Extreme Survival Measures VOA 05 Aug 2021 -- World Bank-U.N. refugee agency survey in eight developing countries finds the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened conditions for forcibly displaced people, pushing them to take extreme measures to survive. The data was collected from 90,000 phone interviews in Bangladesh, Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Iraq, Kenya, Uganda and Yemen.

United States

• Press Briefing by White House COVID-⁠19 Response Team and Public Health Officials The White House 05 Aug 2021
• White House Weighs Proof of Vaccination for Foreign Visitors VOA 05 Aug 2021 -- The White House has confirmed that it is considering requiring foreign visitors to show proof of vaccination to potentially restart international travel.
• U.S. COVID-19 cases could double to 200,000 cases a day in fall: Fauci People's Daily 05 Aug 2021 -- U.S. COVID-19 cases driven by the Delta variant may double to 200,000 a day in the fall, said Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Wednesday.

China

• China to provide 2 billion doses of vaccine to world this year Global Times 05 Aug 2021 -- China on Thursday vowed to make efforts to provide the world with 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines this year and donate $100 million to COVAX to promote global vaccine provision amid the rampaging Delta variant, which is bringing about more challenges for developing countries to access vaccines and combat the pandemic while the West continues to drag its heels in fulfilling its promises.
• Vaccines, epidemic control measures still effective against Delta: health officials Global Times 05 Aug 2021 -- China's current COVID-19 vaccines, and its established epidemic prevention and control measures, can still efficiently protect people against the Delta variant, health authorities said on Thursday.
• Chinese schools delay new semester, strengthen preventive measures to curb Delta strain spread Global Times 05 Aug 2021 -- With the new wave of Delta variant spreading in East China's Nanjing, Yangzhou and Central China's Zhengzhou and Zhangjiajie, many schools - especially those in regions with epidemic outbreaks - have released notices to postpone autumn semesters or start school ahead of time and strengthen prevention measures to curb the virus spread.
• Chinese customs tightens quarantine, health monitoring at ports Global Times 05 Aug 2021 -- The General Administration of Customs (GAC) has moved to step up health quarantine measures at China's coastal ports and airports, including strictly verifying health declaration cards of inbound passengers, monitoring their body temperature, enforcing heightened medical inspection, sampling and testing.
• 17 Chinese provinces report locally transmitted, asymptomatic COVID-19 cases People's Daily 05 Aug 2021 -- A total of 17 provincial regions in China have reported locally transmitted or asymptomatic COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday morning, according to a health official.
• China's Sinopharm vaccine approved for children aged over 3 in UAE People's Daily 05 Aug 2021 -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Health and Prevention has approved the use of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for children aged between 3 and 17 years old in the UAE.
• China sends 20 working groups to aid COVID-19 prevention in port cities People's Daily 05 Aug 2021 -- China's State Council joint COVID-19 prevention and control mechanism team has sent 20 working groups to key port cities to aid anti-virus efforts, a spokesperson said on Thursday.
• China's anti-epidemic measures effective against Delta variant: health official People's Daily 05 Aug 2021 -- China's current COVID-19 containment measures are effective against the Delta variant, a health official said Thursday.
• Over 1.72 bln doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in China People's Daily 05 Aug 2021 -- More than 1.72 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in China by Wednesday, the National Health Commission said Thursday.
• Central China's Zhengzhou launches second mass COVID-19 testing campaign People's Daily 05 Aug 2021 -- The central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province, launched its second citywide nucleic acid testing campaign on Thursday morning, local authorities said.
• Chinese mainland reports 62 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases People's Daily 05 Aug 2021 -- The Chinese mainland on Wednesday reported 62 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Thursday.
• 17 Chinese provinces report locally transmitted, asymptomatic COVID-19 cases People's Daily 05 Aug 2021 -- A total of 17 provincial regions in China have reported locally transmitted or asymptomatic COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday morning, according to a health official.
• China to tighten passenger traffic control in medium, high-risk areas People's Daily 05 Aug 2021 -- China's Ministry of Transport has asked cities with areas designated medium- and high-risk for COVID-19 to suspend cross-city bus, taxi and online ride-hailing services.
• Central China's Hunan administers nearly 68 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses People's Daily 05 Aug 2021 -- Central China's Hunan Province, which has reported a cluster of local COVID-19 infections recently, had administered over 67.8 million doses of coronavirus vaccines as of Tuesday, according to the provincial government.
• China's Zhangjiajie completes 2 rounds of mass testing for COVID-19 People's Daily 05 Aug 2021 -- Central China's city of Zhangjiajie, which has reported a cluster of the country's recent COVID-19 infections, had completed two rounds of all-inclusive nucleic acid testing as of Tuesday, local authorities said.

India

• India's Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 48.93 Cr India PIB 05 Aug 2021 -- India's COVID-19 vaccination coveragehas exceeded 48.93 Cr
• COVID-19 Vaccination Update- Day 202 India PIB 05 Aug 2021 -- In a significant achievement, India's Cumulative COVID Vaccination Coverage has crossed49 crore landmark milestone (49,45,58,204), as per the 7 pm provisional report today
• COVID-19 Vaccination Update India PIB 05 Aug 2021 -- The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country
• COVID-19 UPDATE India PIB 05 Aug 2021

Iran

• COVID-19 kills 434 more Iranians over past 24 hours IRNA 05 Aug 2021 -- The number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Iran increased to 92,628 with 434 more Iranians killed by the deadly disease over the past 24 hours, Iran's Health Ministry said on Thursday.

Japan

• As COVID Surges in Japan, Some See Indirect Olympics Link VOA 05 Aug 2021 -- Just days after the Tokyo Olympics began, Japan started to see a sharp increase in coronavirus cases. On Thursday, the country topped 15,000 confirmed daily infections for the first time. Medical experts are now debating whether and to what extent the Games are to blame for the outbreak, which officials warn is "extremely severe."

Taiwan

• New COVID-19 cases in Taiwan drop to lowest since mid-May CNA 05 Aug 2021 -- Taiwan on Thursday reported six new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases, the lowest daily number since a national epidemic alert was issued in mid-May, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Other Countries

• Myanmar Citizens Reject Junta's Immunization Plans and Chinese COVID-19 Vaccines Radio Free Asia 05 Aug 2021 -- Myanmar's military junta has begun a nationwide vaccination campaign as the country struggles under a third COVID-19 wave, but many people are avoiding the jab as they mistrust not only the junta, but also vaccines of Chinese origin, sources in the country told RFA.
• Sydney Hits Record Number of New COVID-19 Cases VOA 05 Aug 2021 -- Australia continued Thursday to struggle against the delta variant of the coronavirus, with its largest city, Sydney, reporting a record daily number of new cases and the state of Victoria announcing a one-week lockdown.
• Vaccine Shipments to Africa Picking Up Amid Upsurge of COVID-19 VOA 05 Aug 2021 -- The World Health Organization says shipments of coronavirus vaccine to Africa are picking up while the continent continues to grapple with an upsurge in COVID-19 infections.