BEIJING – Chinese authorities have announced mass coronavirus testing in Wuhan as an unusually large series of COVID-19 outbreaks reached the city where the disease was first detected in late 2019.
The 11 million-strong provincial capital in central China is the latest city to undergo city-wide testing. Three cases were confirmed in Wuhan on Monday, its first unimported cases for more than a year.
China has largely curbed COVID-19 at home after the initial outbreak that devastated Wuhan and spread around the world. Since then, authorities have brought and brought the disease under control whenever it appears with quick lockdowns and mass testing.
The current epidemics still have hundreds of cases in total, but have spread much more widely than previous ones. Many cases have been identified as the highly contagious delta variant.
The National Health Commission said on Tuesday that 90 new cases had been confirmed the day before.
Political cartoons
– US hits 70% vaccination rate a month late and in the middle of a new wave
– US landlords and tenants fill courts as eviction moratorium ends
– Rapid spread of virus across Indonesia taxes health workers
– Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine
HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS:
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s top health official said his country had for the first time administered 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine across the country in the past 24 hours.
Faisal Sultan made the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday.
He congratulated everyone who made it possible for Pakistan to vaccinate so many on Monday.
Sultan said Pakistan has administered 30 million doses of the vaccine since March and 10 million doses have been administered in the past two weeks alone.
The latest development comes days after Pakistan imposed a lockdown on the southern port city of Karachi and other high-risk areas to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
SYDNEY – Australian group Qantas says it expects Sydney’s COVID-19 lockdown to last at least two more months and that it will lay off 2,500 employees due to an associated drop in domestic flights.
Sydney and Brisbane, Australia’s largest and third largest cities, respectively, are stranded due to the growth of the delta variant clusters.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said on Tuesday 2,500 employees of Qantas Airways and budget subsidiary Jetstar would be on leave for an estimated two months. Airlines employ 26,000 people in Australia.
Joyce said that based on the current daily counts of new infections, “it is reasonable to assume that Sydney’s borders will be closed for at least two more months.”
Sydney, where Qantas is headquartered, and surrounding cities in the state of New South Wales have been closed since June 26. The closure will continue until at least August 28.
New South Wales on Tuesday reported 199 new cases in the last 24-hour period.
Brisbane and surrounding municipalities in the state of Queensland were closed from July 31 to August 8.
Queensland reported 16 new cases on Tuesday in the past 24 hours.
The Australian Prime Minister, meanwhile, rejected an opposition proposal to pay people to be vaccinated as an insult to Australians.
Only 19% of Australian adults had been fully vaccinated as of Monday. Most would prefer Pfizer which is in short supply. Many are worried about the slight risk of blood clotting caused by AstraZeneca, the only alternative in Australia.
MINNEAPOLIS – The First Avenue concert hall in Minneapolis that was made famous in Prince’s movie “Purple Rain” requires all spectators to provide proof of coronavirus vaccination or present a negative virus test.
The site said Monday that the policy is effective immediately.
Clients must have a completed vaccination card that shows that a final dose was given at least 14 days before an event. If a client is not vaccinated, they must show proof of a negative coronavirus result from a test performed within 72 hours of an event.
First Avenue says on its website that it previously required all of its employees to be vaccinated.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear recommends that students and staff wear masks in schools, but he’s been urging them to do so.
The governor also ordered on Monday that state officials must wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status amid an increase in infections with the delta variant of the coronavirus.
Beshear warns workers “face a much higher likelihood of catching COVID and getting really sick” if they don’t use masks.
Sixty-two percent of Kentucky residents aged 18 and over have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. But only 37% of 18-29 year olds received at least one dose, while 83% of residents 65 and older received it.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas has reported 42 new deaths from COVID-19 and its biggest spike in one-day hospitalizations since the start of the pandemic.
The health ministry reported 81 new hospitalizations on Monday, bringing the state’s total to 1,220. The department says 451 of those patients are in intensive care and 250 on ventilators. The state’s virus hospitalizations are approaching the high of 1,371 set in January.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson is begging residents to get vaccinated, noting that nearly all of the hospitalizations the state has seen are among the unvaccinated. In a tweet, the governor said, “Do your part to help. The hospitals are full and the only cure is for more Arkansans to be vaccinated. “
Arkansas lawmakers are preparing this week to pass Hutchinson’s proposal to allow public schools to require face masks.
CHICAGO – McDonald’s says it will require employees and customers to resume wearing masks inside some American restaurants, regardless of their immunization status.
The company said on Monday that the warrant would apply in areas with high or substantial coronavirus transmission.
McDonald’s said it was acting in response to the latest guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. McDonald’s began requiring masks for all of its employees and customers last summer; he abandoned the rule for employees and customers vaccinated in May. McDonald’s has more than 14,000 stores in the United States.
The company did not say how many restaurants would be affected by the new mask mandate.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
