Day: July 10, 2021

South Korea recorded a record number of new coronavirus infections for a third straight day, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Saturday.

The country also recorded its highest-ever number of cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, in the 24-hour period ending Friday, with 1,378 infections. The previous record, set Thursday, was 1,316 new COVID-19 cases, the KDCA said.

Overall, South Korea has had 166,722 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 2,038 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

To combat the rise in cases, South Korea said, beginning Monday, it would enact its toughest coronavirus controls ever. Those measures include advising people to stay home as much as possible and to limit social gatherings to a total of four people before 6 p.m. and no more than two people after 6 p.m., according to a Reuters report.

The Johns Hopkins Vaccine Tracker said the country of 52 million has administered more than 21 million vaccine doses. The KDCA said 11% of South Korea’s population is completely vaccinated while about 30% have received at least one dose of vaccine.

Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, which is dealing with an outbreak of the delta variant of the coronavirus, recorded its largest rise in new cases of locally acquired infections – with 50 new cases in a 24-hour period, according to Reuters.

Overall, there are now 489 cases of the highly infectious delta variant in the state, which has a population of more than 8 million people. The capital city, Sydney, which has a population of 5 million, is in the third week of a hard lockdown that is set to end July 16.

“The only conclusion we can draw is that things are going to get worse before they get better,” state Premier Gladys Berejiklian told a televised briefing on Saturday, according to Reuters. “I think it is pretty clear that unless we reduce that level of people in the community that are infectious, we won’t be able to turn things around as quickly as we can or as quickly as we should.”

Australia has been largely successful in containing the spread of COVID-19 due to aggressive lockdown efforts, posting just 31,017 total confirmed cases and 910 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins. However, it has proved vulnerable to fresh outbreaks due to a slow rollout of its vaccination campaign and confusing requirements involving the two-shot AstraZeneca vaccine, which is the dominant vaccine in its stockpile.

Overall, Australia has administered nearly 9 million doses of vaccine to its population of more than 25 million people, according to Johns Hopkins.

Indonesia also is struggling with a rise in coronavirus cases, including the highly infectious delta variant, and has sought emergency supplies, including oxygen cylinders and ventilators.

“I asked for 100% of oxygen go to medical purposes first, meaning that all industrial allocations must be transferred to medical,” Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the government minister in charge of Indonesia’s pandemic response, said. “We are racing against time, we have to work fast.”

Overall, Indonesia, the world’s fourth-most populous country, has reported more than 2.4 million infections and 64,631 fatalities from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins. Those figures are widely believed to be a vast undercount due to low testing and poor tracing measures, according to an Associated Press report.

Other countries are also seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases related to the delta variant of the coronavirus. The Catalonia region of Spain plans to reimpose coronavirus curbs to slow the outbreak, such as requiring nightclubs to close this weekend and requiring a negative COVID-19 test for people wanting to join outdoor activities involving more than 500 people, according to an Agence France-Presse report Saturday.

“The pandemic has not ended, the new variants are very contagious, and we still have significant segments of the population that are not vaccinated,” Patricia Plaja, a spokeswoman for the regional government told a news conference, AFP reported.

Also Saturday, Russia reported 25,082 new coronavirus cases and a record 752 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to Reuters.

Globally, there have been 186 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 4 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins. The U.S. leads the world with 33.8 million COVID-19 cases and 606,993 virus-related deaths.

Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

Source: Voice of America

BLANTRYE, MALAWI – The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control have designated Malawi a COVID-19 high risk country, and they are warning people against traveling to the southern African nation. The warning follows a surge in COVID-19 cases in a third wave of the pandemic.

Malawi is facing an unprecedented rise in COVID-19 cases in its third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, with an infection rate of 22%. That’s up from about 2 percent in May.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health released Friday show that for the previous 24 hours, Malawi confirmed 451 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths.

In Its travel notice this week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised people to avoid traveling to Malawi.

It says if travel is necessary, individuals must make sure they are fully vaccinated before making the trip.

The CDC also says in the current situation in Malawi, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk of getting and spreading COVID-19 variants.

The World Health Organization has added Malawi to a list of African countries that expose people to a high risk of COVID-19 infection.

George Jobe is the executive director of the Health Equity Network. He says although the CDC’s travel notice was not expected, it hasn’t come as a surprise, considering the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

“Therefore, declaration should be an eye-opener for Malawians to be very strict, observing the regulations that we have, and also for Malawi to enforce compliance of the regulations,” said Jobe. “That is what we need, especially that only 1 percent of Malawians have been vaccinated. Therefore, we are still prone to serious infections”

Malawi Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda told a local radio station the announcement is not surprising and said it would affect the country’s tourism sector.

Economists say although the travel notice is logical, they nonetheless worry it will have a negative impact on the country, which depends greatly on international trade.

Betchani Tchereni is a professor of economics at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences.

“If travel restrictions are being placed against us, we are going to face problems with having people to be attracted to come to Malawi for tourism purposes,” said Tchereni. “The second thing is, we want to attract the best investors from elsewhere, but if people cannot come here because they feel there is high risk of COVID-19, or indeed because they have been advised so, then you have problem. Remember, we are busy creating jobs in this country.”

To curb the pandemic, the Malawi government has reintroduced strict COVID-19 preventive measures. Restrictions include a ban on political rallies, no fans at stadiums for football games, no gatherings of more than 50 people, and a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

But Tchereni said Malawi has never been serious about enforcing the measures.

“Look, we have never been as very serious in Malawi. We have always said people should not gather, but have you been to markets? People are gathering in markets. People are gathering in schools, are everywhere people are doing so many things,” said Tchereni. “Yes, it is because of the nature of our economy, but you see what, we are going to lose lives and that is not good for the economy.”

The government says it has engaged the police and the military to help enforce the measures.

For example, police officers say that on Friday alone, they arrested about 40 people in a crackdown on those ignoring COVID-19 preventive measures.

Source: Voice of America

Luanda – The Angolan gallery Jahmek Contemporary Art has won the Opening Prize, with the installation “Hope As A Praxis” by Sandra Poulson and “How to Make A Mud Cake” by Helena Uambembe.

The award puts the gallery in ex aequo with Turkish gallery The Pill as the best booth in this section at the Art Fair, Arco Madrid 2021.

“Hope As A Praxis,” an installation by Sandra Poulson, investigates the use and symbolism of plastic chairs known as the “waiting for condition.”

The project focuses on the practice of continued hope as an essential resource for survival, in a sociocultural and historical context where planning for the long term is still a central challenge.

Jahmek Contemporary Art presents itself as a platform/gallery that, through its exhibition program, promotes dialogue and critical

thinking around visual artistic expression in Luanda, through the work produced by the artists it represents, both nationally and abroad.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Ondjiva – The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, was today (Saturday) informed on the progress of the construction works of the water collection system on Cunene River, one of the four structuring projects designed by the Government to fight drought.

Estimated at 44.3 billion kwanza, the project, under construction for a year, is 33.78 per cent completed, and is expected to be concluded in February, 2022.

On explaining the course of the work to the Head of State, the director general of the National Institute for Water Resources (INRH), Manuel Quintino, said that the project was divided into two lots, the first of which included construction of the Cunene River intake, the pumping system, the pressurised pipeline, the open canal from Cafu to Cuamato and 10 chimpacas.

It involves the execution of the capture in the bed of the Cunene River, including the water intake structure, sluices, grates and other associated means, pumping station, equipped with two active pumps and a backup pump. It also includes a pressurised pipeline, with a length of 10 kilometres, amongst other equipment.

The second lot concerns the construction of two conductors, which start from the flow derivation structure of the general conductor canal, that is, the West Conductor Canal, which runs from Cuamato to Ndombondola, with a length of 55 kilometres, and the East Conductor Canal, which runs from Cuamato to Namacunde, with a length of around 53 kilometres.

It includes the concrete-lined channels and the set of complementary hydraulic works and organs, such as siphons, structure and regulation organs, water intakes/drinking fountains, service road, crossings and overpasses, as well as safety equipment for people and animals.

In Cafu, where the capture is being built, after cleaning the area, the marking and excavation of the Pumping Station, the suction chamber and water intake were made, as well as the opening of the approach channel, the foundation of the pumping station and the reinforcement of the form for the application of cleaning concrete.

Steel was also unloaded at the job site. As for the layout of the General Conductor Canal, the opening of the foundation for the implementation of the structures of the concrete plant, among other actions, has already been carried out.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, arrived mid-afternoon this Saturday in Luanda from Cunene province, where he made a two-day working visit.

At the Military Air Terminal, João Lourenço, accompanied by the first lady, Ana Dias Lourenço, received a welcome from the speaker of the National Assembly, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, government members and senior officials of his cabinet.

On the first day of his visit to Cunene (Friday), the Head of State met with the members of the local government and was briefed on the socio-economic situation of the province.

On the same day, President Lourenço also met with the governors of Cunene, Cuando Cubango, Huila and Namibe, provinces affected by the drought.

The Statesman’s agenda also included meetings with traditional and religious authorities, businessmen and young people.

On Saturday morning, the last day of the visit, the Angolan Head of State visited the locality of Cafu, to see closely the progress of the structuring project to combat the effects of drought, which comprises the water collection system on Cunene river, the pumping process, the pipeline and the open channel.

Source: Angola Press News Agency