Coronavirus News Update – Sept. 1: Cases Cross 40 Million Mark, Ireland to End Pandemic-Era Restrictions
Ge County Clare, Ireland
Ireland, which has had one of Europe’s longest coronavirus lockdowns, will end almost all pandemic-era restrictions in October, provided the country continues in the direction it is currently heading. The move follows one of EU’s most successful vaccine rollouts, Prime Minister Michael Martin said.
As of Wednesday morning, the world has recorded 218.9 million Covid-19 cases and 4.54 million deaths, according to Worldometer, a service that tracks such information. In addition, 195.6 million people worldwide have recovered from the virus.
The average daily number of new coronavirus cases in the United States over the past 14 days is 160,041, a 13% change and a trend that is fueled by the highly contagious India, or Delta, variant. The average daily death toll over the same period is 1,346, a change of 93% over the same period.
Since the start of the pandemic the United States has recorded 40.1 million cases, a higher figure than any other country and one that is followed by India, which now has over 32.9 million officially recorded cases and 439,341 deaths, although experts believe that both numbers are in reality significantly higher.
Since vaccinations started at the end of last year over 5.33 billion doses have been administered across the globe as of Wednesday morning, an increase of 0.04 billion over the past 24 hours and the equivalent of over 69 doses for every 100 people, a figure that remains virtually unchanged.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that, as of Wednesday, 205 million people in the United States – or 61.8% – have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Of that population, 52.4%, or 174.1 million people, are now fully vaccinated, and the total number of doses that have been dispensed in the United States is now 370.2 million, which translates to 600,000 shots dispensed on Wednesday. Breaking this down further, 74.2% of the population over the age of 18 – or 191.6 million people – has received at least a first inoculation and 63.5% of the same group – or 163.9 million people – is fully vaccinated.
Israel recorded its highest daily number of coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic. Health officials reporters nearly 11,000 new infections, amidst a surge caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant, just as schools prepare to re-open.
In Ohio, a judge ordered a local hospital to treat a patient with ivermectin, despite warnings from health officials that it shouldn’t be used as a treatment for Covid-19. Meanwhile, a judge in Ohio issued an order barring such treatment for a patient.
A New Jersey woman and anti-vaxxer sold counterfeit vaccination cards to over 250 people, New York prosecutors said. Jasmine sold the fake cards for $200 and customers included 13 “public-facing” employees at area hospitals and nursing homes.
In Georgia, anti-vaccine protestors have disrupted several mobile Covid-19 vaccination drives recently. Over the weekend, they caused one, located in North Georgia, to shut down completely. Referring to the people who man the drives, Georgia Public Health Commissioner Kathleen Toomey said, “These people are giving their lives to help others. We should be thanking them for trying to get life-saving vaccines to our state.”
Meanwhile, in Port Alberni in British Columbia, an unidentified customer urinated on the county of a Dairy Queen after being told he had to don a mask to be in the restaurant. Video from another customer that was shared on social media shows the man using crude language to insult a female employee, while he insisted that the province’s mask policy allowed for exemptions for people such as himself, without explaining what that meant.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
