Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• UK assess Russian involvement in cyber attacks on Ukraine UK FCDO 18 Feb 2022 -- LizTechnical information analysis shows the GRU was almost certainly involved in disruptive DDoS attacks
• U.S., U.K. Say Russian Government Responsible For Cyberattack On Ukraine RFE/RL 18 Feb 2022 -- The United States and Great Britain have accused Russia of being behind the February 15 cyberattacks on Ukraine's Defense Ministry and banking system.
• US Claims Russian Cyber Actors 'Likely' Targeted Ukrainian Gov't Sputnik 18 Feb 2022 -- The Biden administration believes Russian cyber actors recently targeted Ukrainian government entities, including its defense ministry, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger said on Friday.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger, and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics and Deputy NEC Director Daleep Singh, February 18, 2022 The White House 18 Feb 2022
• CISA Releases New Insight to Help Critical Infrastructure Owners Prepare for and Mitigate Foreign Influence Operations CISA 18 Feb 2022 -- The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a new CISA Insight today, Preparing for and Mitigating Foreign Influence Operations Targeting Critical Infrastructure, which provides critical infrastructure owners and operators with guidance on how to identify and mitigate the risks of influence operations that use mis-, dis-, and malinformation (MDM) narratives.
• Department of Defense Releases New Cyber Resilient Weapon Systems Body of Knowledge DoD 18 Feb 2022 -- The Department of Defense announced today the release of the Cyber Resilient Weapon Systems Body of Knowledge (CRWS-BoK) Portal Version 1.3. The Resilient Systems (RS) Directorate, under the leadership of Director Melinda Reed, launched the Portal and continues to guide Portal updates.
• DHS CWMD and Seattle Conduct a Biological Threat Preparedness Exercise DHS 18 Feb 2022 -- On January 25, 2022, the DHS Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD), Seattle area emergency managers, public health officials, lab officials, and first responders conducted a virtual tabletop exercise of the BioWatch program.
• US Coast Guard Cutter Seizes $1 Billion in Drugs VOA 18 Feb 2022 -- The U.S Coast Guard reports one of its cutters, the James, has offloaded $1.06 billion in illegal drugs seized during a 90-day patrol of the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

United States

• Department of the Army announces updated COVID-19 vaccination statistics US Army 18 Feb 2022 -- The U.S. Army announced updated COVID-19 vaccination statistics and exemption requests as of Feb. 17, 2022.
• Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency Concerning the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-⁠19) Pandemic The White House 18 Feb 2022
• Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency Concerning the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-⁠19) Pandemic The White House 18 Feb 2022
• FDA Delayed Pfizer Shot for Children Because it Didn't Work Well Against Omicron VOA 18 Feb 2022 -- The Wall Street Journal Friday, citing sources close to the decision, reported the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week delayed its review of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for under-5-year-olds because initial testing showed its two-dose series was not working well against the omicron variant.
• DOD Awards Contracts to Purchase COVID-19 Antigen Over-the-Counter Test Kits in Support of POTUS' One Billion Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests DoD 18 Feb 2022 -- This week, the Department of Defense (DoD), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), awarded contract modifications to Roche Diagnostics Corporation (Indianapolis, Indiana) and Siemens Healthineers (Tarrytown, New York) purchasing a combined total of 138 million over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits.
• DOD Awards Contracts to Purchase COVID-19 Antigen Over-the-Counter Test Kits in Support of POTUS' One Billion Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests DoD 18 Feb 2022 -- This week, the Department of Defense (DoD), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), awarded two contracts to InBios International, Inc. (Seattle, Washington) and Maxim Biomedical, Inc. (Rockville, Maryland) purchasing a combined total of 18 million over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits.

China

• Hong Kong Health Experts Call for Home Isolation as Omicron Cases Overwhelm Hospitals VOA 18 Feb 2022 -- Hong Kong health experts on Friday said the city needs to change its pandemic strategies to cope with the rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
• 6.23 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses administered on Chinese mainland People's Daily 18 Feb 2022 -- The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered on the Chinese mainland grew by around 6.23 million on Thursday, with the total number now exceeding 3.06 billion, data from the National Health Commission showed Friday.
• Hong Kong postpones leadership election amid rising COVID-19 wave Radio Free Asia 18 Feb 2022 -- Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Friday announced the postponement of elections for the city's top job after ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping told her government to throw all of its resources at pursuing a "zero-COVID" strategy, as a wave of the omicron variant of COVID-19 infections started to take its toll.
• HK postpones Chief Executive Election amid epidemic, strives to meet mass testing, quarantine demands with mainland aid Global Times 18 Feb 2022 -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) reported more than 3,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and another 7,600 cases with positive tests on Friday, pushing the total number of infections in the city to 50,000, which is approaching the accumulated confirmed cases in Wuhan - the first Chinese city to experience a coronavirus outbreak - which led to the postponement of the Chief Executive Election, and is estimated to be put under control after three months.
• HKSAR postpones Chief Executive Election to May, prepares for mass nucleic tests Global Times 18 Feb 2022 -- By citing the Emergency Regulations Ordinance, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Executive Council agreed to postpone the Chief Executive Election, which was originally scheduled for March 27, to May 8 as the Chinese city fights the COVID-19 outbreak, Carrie Lam, chief executive of the HKSAR government, announced on Friday.
• Chinese mainland reports 40 new local COVID-19 cases People's Daily 18 Feb 2022 -- The Chinese mainland on Thursday reported 40 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said on Friday.
• NHC fully supports Hong Kong in countering COVID-19 outbreak People's Daily 18 Feb 2022 -- China's National Health Commission (NHC) on Thursday said it will continue fully supporting the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and meet its demands in containing the current COVID-19 outbreak.
• HKSAR gov't employees fully committed to anti-epidemic efforts: spokesperson People's Daily 18 Feb 2022 -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Thursday that all its employees should accord top priority to fight against the epidemic as a team serving the people of Hong Kong.

Russia

• The Week In Russia: The 'New Normal' RFE/RL 18 Feb 2022 -- New COVID-19 cases shot above 200,000 a day; Kremlin opponent Aleksei Navalny went on trial again, this time in prison; and tension over Russia's military buildup near Ukraine's borders receded briefly but returned swiftly -- and looks likely to remain high for a long time.

India

• India's Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 174.64 Cr India PIB 18 Feb 2022 -- With the administration of more than 37
• COVID - 19 Vaccination Update - Day 399 India PIB 18 Feb 2022 -- India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 174
• Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Availability in States/UTs India PIB 18 Feb 2022 -- 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 18 Feb 2022

Iran

• COVID-19 kills 187 more Iranians over past 24 hours IRNA 18 Feb 2022 -- The number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Iran increased to 134,607 with 187 more Iranians killed by the deadly disease over the past 24 hours, Iran's Health Ministry announced on Friday.

South Korea

• S. Korea daily COVID-19 cases top 100,000 for first time SPA 18 Feb 2022 -- South Korea's new daily COVID-19 cases topped 100,000 for the first time amid an Omicron outbreak, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Friday, though deaths have remained relatively low in the highly vaccinated country, Reuters reported.

Saudi Arabia

• MoH Reports 1,376 New COVID-19 Cases, 2,596 Recoveries in Saudi Arabia SPA 18 Feb 2022 -- The Ministry of Health (MoH) reported 1,376 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 2,596 recoveries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the past 24 hours.

Taiwan

• Taiwan reports 67 new COVID-19 cases, including 16 domestic CNA 18 Feb 2022 -- Taiwan reported 67 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, consisting of 16 domestically transmitted cases and 51 originating overseas, and no deaths from the disease, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said.
• CECC closely monitoring religious group COVID-19 cluster CNA 18 Feb 2022 -- A growing cluster of COVID-19 cases that started at a religious gathering in Taipei has become an issue of major concern, as all but one of the 16 new domestic cases recorded Friday were linked to the group, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said.

Other Countries

• WHO reveals countries to produce first COVID-busting mRNA vaccines in Africa UN News 18 Feb 2022 -- Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia will be the first countries on the African continent to receive the technology needed to produce game-changing mRNA vaccines, which have proved crucial to the fight against COVID-19, the head of the UN health agency said on Friday.
• Six African Countries Receive mRNA Technology VOA 18 Feb 2022 -- Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia are the first African countries to receive technology needed to produce mRNA vaccines from the World Health Organization. Two of the vaccines used in the fight against COVID-19 are mRNA vaccines.
• Jordan Records 12,379 New Infections with COVID-19 SPA 18 Feb 2022 -- The Jordanian Ministry of Health announced the registration of 12,379 new cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 1,553,758.
• Kuwait Records 1,348 New Cases of COVID-19 SPA 18 Feb 2022 -- Kuwait recorded 1,348 new infections with the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 610,801.
• Qatar Records 452 New Cases of COVID-19 SPA 18 Feb 2022 -- Qatar recorded, in the past 24 hours, 452 new cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVDI-19), bringing the total number of cases to 353,346.
• Tunisia Reports 5,398 New Cases of COVID-19 SPA 18 Feb 2022 -- Tunisia recorded, in the past 24 hours, 5,398 new confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and 33 deaths as well.
• Mexico Reports 470 more Deaths from COVID-19 SPA 18 Feb 2022 -- Mexican health ministry data showed on Thursday that coronavirus fatalities were up by 470, Reuters reported.
• Canadian Police Arrest COVID-19 Mandate Protesters VOA 18 Feb 2022 -- Police in Ottawa, Ontario, on Friday reportedly started arresting truckers who have been protesting Canada's vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 related restrictions for the past three weeks.