Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• US Homeland Security's 'Disinformation Governance Board' Assailed by Lawmakers VOA 05 May 2022 -- A new coordinating body proposed by the Department of Homeland Security to focus its efforts at countering disinformation has run into a buzzsaw of opposition from members of Congress. Some have characterized the would-be Disinformation Governance Board as a dystopian threat to free speech.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• 14.9 million excess deaths associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 WHO 05 May 2022 -- New estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that the full death toll associated directly or indirectly with the COVID-19 pandemic (described as "excess mortality") between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021 was approximately 14.9 million (range 13.3 million to 16.6 million).
• Nearly 15 million deaths directly or indirectly linked to COVID-19 UN News 05 May 2022 -- Approximately 14.9 million deaths globally were directly or indirectly associated with the COVID-19 pandemic by the end 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday in new data on excess mortality attributable to the disease.
• COVID Caused 14.9 Million Excess Deaths Globally: WHO VOA 05 May 2022 -- The World Health Organization says the COVID-19 pandemic directly or indirectly caused 14.9 million deaths worldwide from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021.
• Vaccines still protect against new COVID-19 variants: WHO People's Daily 05 May 2022 -- Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized on Wednesday that vaccines are still highly effective against COVID-19, even new variants of the disease emerging in South Africa and the United States.

United States

• US Passes 1 Million Covid Deaths as WHO Reports 15 Million Additional Global Fatalities Sputnik 05 May 2022 -- New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) has found evidence that the real global death toll from COVID-19 is nearly three times higher than previously thought.
• U.S. CDC reiterates recommendation for masks on public transportation People's Daily 05 May 2022 -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging Americans to continue wearing masks on airplanes, trains, buses and other public transportation, despite a court ruling in April that struck down a national mask mandate on mass transit.

China

• Beijing Residents Brace for COVID-19 Lockdown VOA 05 May 2022 -- Unlike Shanghai, Beijing has yet to require that all its residents remain at home to contain the spread of COVID-19. Nevertheless, many people in its Chaoyang district and elsewhere are preparing for that possibility.
• CPC top leadership stresses sticking to zero-COVID policy Global Times 05 May 2022 -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, chaired a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on COVID-19 prevention work on Thursday.
• Shanghai likely to gradually lift lockdowns 'by end of May' Global Times 05 May 2022 -- After over a month of decisive and tough battle against Omicron, Shanghai has been recording declining numbers of new infections at the community level in recent days. The city reported 34 new infections at the community level on Wednesday - the lowest since May 1 - and its daily new case tally continued declining below 5,000, data showed on Thursday. With thousands of key enterprises resuming production, experts forecast that the city will gradually lift the lockdowns by the end of May.
• China's recombinant protein vaccine 87.6% effective against severe cases Global Times 05 May 2022 -- Amid flare-ups in Beijing and Shanghai, China's COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Zhifei Longcom released encouraging data, which showed that its vaccine is 75.7 percent effective against symptomatic and 87.6 percent effective against severe-to-critical COVID-19 cases for six months following full vaccination.
• Shanghai establishes team of 500 experts to support severe COVID-19 patients' treatment Global Times 05 May 2022 -- Shanghai has established a medical team with more than 500 experts specializing in severe and critical COVID-19 patients' treatment via traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) combined with Western medicine to reduce mortality rates, as the city has registered over 600 severe patients, according to the Shanghai health commission on Thursday.
• Nearly 9,000 COVID-19 testing sites set up in Shanghai People's Daily 05 May 2022 -- Nearly 9,000 nucleic acid testing sites had been set up in Shanghai as of Wednesday evening, officials told a press conference on Thursday.
• Shanghai reports 261 confirmed, 4,390 asymptomatic local COVID-19 cases People's Daily 05 May 2022 -- China's Shanghai reported 261 confirmed locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 4,390 local asymptomatic cases on Wednesday, the municipal health commission said Thursday.
• Chinese mainland reports 360 new local confirmed COVID-19 cases, 261 in Shanghai People's Daily 05 May 2022 -- The Chinese mainland on Wednesday reported 360 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 261 were in Shanghai, according to the National Health Commission's report Thursday.
• Beijing adopts work-from-home policy in COVID-19 risk areas People's Daily 05 May 2022 -- The Beijing municipal government on Wednesday ordered employers in Chaoyang District and other areas where public transportation has been suspended to arrange for their employees to work from home from Thursday due to the recent COVID-19 resurgence.
• Colombian Drug Baron 'Otoniel' Pleads Not Guilty in US Court Sputnik 05 May 2022 -- Colombian drug baron Dairo Antonio Usuga David, known by various aliases including "Otoniel," pleaded not guilty in an American court, US Attorneys Office spokesperson John Marzulli told Sputnik.
• Central China's Zhengzhou presses 'pause button' for a week to reach zero-COVID at community level Global Times 05 May 2022 -- Zhengzhou, home to more than 12.6 million people in Central China's Henan Province, pressed the "pause button" from Wednesday until next Tuesday after the city reported nine confirmed cases and 24 asymptomatic infections on Tuesday.
• Beijing set to strengthen battle against COVID People's Daily 05 May 2022 -- The number of infections in Beijing's latest COVID-19 outbreak since April 22 has surpassed the total tally in the city's Xinfadi outbreak in 2020, and interventions will be further strengthened to cut potential transmissions, a senior official said on Wednesday.
• Beijing adjusts quarantine period for inbound travelers People's Daily 05 May 2022 -- The Beijing municipal government on Wednesday said that travelers entering China via Beijing will be subject to 10 days of concentrated isolation plus seven days of home quarantine.
• Pandemic, conflicts affect mlns' mental health: WHO People's Daily 05 May 2022 -- A senior official of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic and military conflict in Ukraine have affected the mental health of millions of people.
• Beijing reports 33 new local COVID-19 cases People's Daily 05 May 2022 -- Beijing has reported 33 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, local authorities have said.
• HKSAR gov't appeals for elderly persons to undergo frequent COVID-19 testing People's Daily 05 May 2022 -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Wednesday appealed to elderly people again to undergo frequent COVID-19 testing in light of the gradual relaxation of social distancing measures and the increase in social activities.

Europe

• Number of COVID-19 patients requiring hospital care declining Finnish Government 05 May 2022 -- The number of COVID-19 patients in specialised and primary healthcare started to decline in April. The results of wastewater monitoring also indicate a downward trend in the epidemic. A fourth vaccine dose is recommended for people aged 12 or over who have a severely weakened immune system, people aged 80 or over and all older people living in residential care homes.
• COVID-19 pandemic in new phase, not ends, says EU health official People's Daily 05 May 2022 -- The COVID-19 pandemic has entered into a new phase, and not reached its end yet, said a European Union (EU) health official on Wednesday.

India

• India's Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 189.63 Cr India PIB 05 May 2022 -- India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 189.63 Cr (1,89,63,30,362) as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 2,34,93,473 sessions.
• COVID - 19 Vaccination Update - Day 475 India PIB 05 May 2022 -- India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 189.79 Crore (1,89,79,28,542) today. More than more than 14 lakh (14,41,596) Vaccine Doses have been administered till 7 pm today. The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late tonight.
• Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Availability in States/UTs India PIB 05 May 2022 -- The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country. The nationwide COVID 19 vaccination started on 16th January 2021. The new phase of universalization of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from 21st June 2021. The vaccination drive has been ramped up through availability of more vaccines, advance visibility of vaccine availability to States and UTs for enabling better planning by them, and streamlining the vaccine supply chain.
• COVID-19 UPDATE India PIB 05 May 2022
• Excess Mortality Estimates by WHO India PIB 05 May 2022 -- India has been consistently objecting to the methodology adopted by WHO to project excess mortality estimates based on mathematical models. Despite India's objection to the process, methodology and outcome of this modelling exercise, WHO has released the excess mortality estimates without adequately addressing India's concerns. India had also informed WHO that in view of the availability of authentic data published through Civil Registration System (CRS) by Registrar General of India (RGI), mathematical models should not be used for projecting excess mortality numbers for India. Registration of births and deaths in India is extremely robust and is governed by decades old statutory legal framework i.e. "Births & Deaths Registration Act, 1969". The Civil Registration data as well as Sample Registration data released annually by RGI has been used by a large number of researchers, policy makers and scientists both domestically & globally.

Iran

• COVID-19 kills 7 more Iranians over past 24 hours IRNA 05 May 2022 -- The number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Iran increased to 141,145 with 7 more Iranians killed by the deadly disease over the past 24 hours, Iran's Health Ministry announced on Thursday.

Taiwan

• Taiwan reports 30,106 new COVID-19 cases, 5 deaths CNA 05 May 2022 -- Taiwan saw its single-day COVID-19 case number surpass 30,000 for the first time on Thursday after reporting 30,106 new cases and five deaths from the disease, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
• Over 2.63 million Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses to arrive in Taiwan CNA 05 May 2022 -- Taiwan is expected to receive two batches of over 2.63 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine next week, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Thursday.
• Rapid test positives to be counted as confirmed COVID cases from May 12 CNA 05 May 2022 -- Beginning May 12, those in home isolation who return a positive COVID-19 rapid antigen test result will be counted as confirmed infections, Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) announced at Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) briefing Thursday.
• 'Hidden' COVID cases to spike if daily infections hit 150,000: Chen CNA 05 May 2022 -- Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said Thursday that if Taiwan's daily confirmed COVID-19 cases rise to 130,000 or 150,000, the number of cases going undetected would be likely to increase "significantly."
• Taiwan reports 30,035 new local COVID-19 cases, five new deaths People's Daily 05 May 2022 -- Taiwan on Wednesday recorded 30,035 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and five new deaths from the disease, the island's disease monitoring agency announced Thursday.