Global COVID-19 caseload crosses 226 million

Gulf Today Report

More than 226,125,240 people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 4,813,463 have died, according to a reputable website https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ tally on Tuesday.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in mainland China in December 2019.

Britain’s health secretary said that authorities have decided not to require vaccine passports for entry into nightclubs and other crowded events in England, reversing course amid opposition from some of the Conservative government’s supporters in Parliament.

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Sajid Javid said the government has shelved the idea of vaccine passports for now but could reconsider the decision if COVID-19 cases rise exponentially once again.

"We’ve looked at it properly and whilst we should keep it in reserve as a potential option, I’m pleased to say that we will not be going ahead with plans for vaccine passports,’’ Javid told the BBC.

Paramedics prepare to transfer a patient during the novel coronavirus pandemic. File/AFP

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts says he plans to join other Republican governors in challenging President Joe Biden’s sweeping new vaccine requirement in court.

Ricketts said on "Fox News Sunday” that Nebraska’s attorney general has been consulting with other attorneys general who believe the federal government is overstepping its authority by mandating that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans.

The roughly 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid also will have to be fully vaccinated.

A woman wearing a facemask holds her child as they wait to check in at Beijing's international airport. File/AFP

"This is really going to create huge problems for all small businesses and for our American workers. and again, you shouldn’t have to make the choice of keeping your job or getting a jab in the arm,” Ricketts said.

A southeastern Chinese province has reported 22 more COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 43 in a fresh outbreak driven by the highly transmissible delta variant.

Health authorities said Monday that 15 cases were confirmed in Putian city in the latest 24-hour period. Another six were found in Quanzhou city, and one more in Xiamen, suggesting the virus may be moving south from Putian.

All the infections are in Fujian province, which is across from Taiwan on China’s east coast.

Schools have been closed in Putian and anyone leaving the city must have proof of a negative COVID-19 test in the previous 48 hours. The city suspended bus and train service on Saturday and has closed cinemas, bars and other facilities.