The "COVID-19" virus continues its rampage across several countries in Asia, with South Korea and Thailand reporting record infections today, Wednesday. Japan's chief health advisor stated that new cases in Tokyo could hit a record high in early August, before the end of the Olympics. In Australia, lockdown measures imposed by authorities have failed to contain the outbreak. The authorities have reported that the "Delta" variant now accounts for 83% of all recorded infections in the United States, up from 50% in early July.
A White House official and a spokesperson for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have tested positive for the coronavirus, despite being vaccinated, and they are among many recently infected American staff members. In a related development, a study indicated that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, administered in a single dose, produced relatively low levels of antibodies against the "Delta" variant, as reported by The New York Times. The study's lab-based results, which have not been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal, point to the need for a second dose for 13 million individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Key Developments:
- Global cases have surpassed 191 million, while deaths have exceeded 4.1 million.
- Over 3.67 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered.
- Singapore has curtailed gatherings as local cases hit a record high.
- The barring of fans from the Olympics has led to the cancellation of one million hotel bookings.
Thailand: Authorities reported 13,002 new cases today, the highest daily increase since the pandemic began, raising the cumulative total to 439,477, alongside 108 deaths and 8,248 recoveries.
South Korea: 1,784 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, up from 1,278 cases the day before, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
Japan: The chief health advisor stated on a TV program on Tuesday that daily COVID-19 cases in Tokyo could reach a new record in the first week of August, potentially nearing 3,000. This will overlap with the Tokyo Olympics, which continue until August 8.
India: Health ministry data showed that the country recorded 42,015 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, while the death toll surged by 3,998, the highest daily count since June 12, bringing total infections to 31.22 million, with 418,480 deaths reported.
United States: Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stated in a Senate hearing that the "Delta" variant now accounts for 83% of all recorded COVID-19 infections in the U.S., an increase of 50% from the week beginning July 3. She added that areas with low vaccination coverage allow the highly transmissible variant, first identified in India, to spread significantly. Meanwhile, New York City's daily vaccination rate has dropped to about 15,000 per day compared to 100,000 per day in mid-April, with the city reporting a seven-day average of 576 confirmed and probable cases on July 18, more than double the average on July 6.
