The United States is approaching the milestone of 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus, say experts monitoring the outbreak.
The U.S. has more than 6.8 million infections, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, with 199,513 deaths, the most of any nation in either category. Recent growth in U.S. cases in the Southwest and Midwest is being attributed to the reopening of schools and colleges.
The race to produce a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine has sustained another setback. Britain’s Telegraph newspaper reported Sunday that late-stage human trials of an experimental vaccine in the United States have been paused due to concerns over a possible adverse side effect.
AZD1222, developed through a joint initiative by AstraZeneca and Britain’s University of Oxford, has been undergoing large-scale Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials in several nations, including the U.S., Britain, Brazil, South Africa and India.
FILE - Laboratory technicians work at the mAbxience biopharmaceutical company on an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and the laboratory AstraZeneca in Garin, Argentina, Aug. 14, 2020.
But the Telegraph says testing was delayed twice in Britain after two volunteer participants were subsequently diagnosed with transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord.
With the number of COVID-19 cases now over the 31 million mark, many places are also experiencing an increase in new infections, such as in Britain, which is nearing 400,000, including 3,899 new cases on Sunday. Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, and chief scientific advisor Patrick Vallance, announced Monday during a nationally televised address that Britain is “heading in the wrong direction” and has reached “a critical response” in its response.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Sunday that the country could face another round of strict restrictions if the public does not observe the new “rule of six” order issued earlier this month by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which limits the number of people taking part in most social gatherings to six.
The pandemic is also having an effect on the world’s refugees. A new survey released Monday by the Norwegian Refugee Council shows nearly 80% of people displaced by conflicts have lost a job or revenue since the beginning of the outbreak.
In a survey of more than 1,400 respondents across 14 countries, including Afghanistan, Columbia, Iraq and Venezuela, the NRC found that some 70% of those asked said they had to cut the number of meals for their households, while 73% were less likely to send their children to school because of economic problems.
FILE - People search for food at a garbage container during the closing hour at the Coche wholesale market amid COVID-19 outbreak in Caracas, Venezuela, July 31, 2020.
But some countries are reporting progress in the fight to contain the spread of COVID-19. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern Monday lifted restrictions for all of the country except Auckland, after authorities posted no new cases.
New Zealand had gone over 100 days without any new COVID-19 cases until last month, when a new cluster broke out in the northern city, prompting Prime Minister Ardern to reimpose the strict nationwide restrictions first enacted back in March.
People wearing face masks prepare to board a bus on the first day of New Zealand's new coronavirus disease safety measure that mandates wearing of a mask on public transport, in Auckland, Aug. 31, 2020.
Auckland will continue to remain under some restrictions for the next two weeks, but officials have increased the number of people in gatherings from 10 to 100.
In Australia, Victoria state reported just 11 new cases on Monday, its smallest one-day jump since June 16. Victoria had been placed under a state of disaster last month due to a dramatic surge in new cases, especially in its capital, Melbourne, with the average number of cases topping 700 as recently as last month. Residents were placed under a strict curfew, and were restricted to their homes except for work, shopping or medical care.
“This is a great day,” state Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters Monday, but he said he will not move up the timeline to begin easing the state of emergency. Authorities have said it will lift some of the restrictions, including reopening child care facilities and resuming manufacturing and construction, on September 27, but only if the average number of cases over a two-week period is under 50.
Despite more than 5.4 million COVID-19 cases, including about 100,000 new infections and more than 1,000 deaths daily, India reopened the Taj Mahal to visitors Monday.
A man gets his photograph taken in front of Taj Mahal after authorities reopened the monument to visitors, amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, in Agra, India, Sept. 21, 2020.
India has 1.3 billion people and some of the world's most crowded cities, but a strict lockdown in March devastated the economy and the lives of tens of millions of people.
The government has since eased restrictions, including on many train routes, domestic flights, markets and restaurants.
Schools resumed Monday on a voluntary basis for students ages 14 to 17, but many Indian states have said it is too soon to have children in the classroom.
India has also reported 87,882 deaths.