4 million global deaths due to the Corona virus; The delta variant is now prevalent in the United States

The global death toll from COVID-19 passed 4 million on Wednesday as the crisis increasingly became a race between a vaccine and highly contagious variants. The toll of lives lost over the past year and a half, as compiled by Johns Hopkins University from official sources. The death toll is roughly equal in battle in all the world’s wars since 1982, according to estimates by the Peace Research Institute in Oslo, and the death toll is three times the number of people killed in traffic accidents around the world each year. It’s roughly equal to the population of Los Angeles or the state of Georgia. It equates to more than half of Hong Kong or nearly 50% of New York City, however, is widely believed to be an underestimate due to overlooked cases or intentional concealment, and comes with increasing variables worldwide, especially the delta variable It is considered more contagious than the original strain. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that the highly contagious delta variant, first identified in India, is now the dominant strain in the United States, and the variant accounts for 51.7% of all new infections, according to CDC data. The US Centers for Disease Control in Germany announced Wednesday that the delta variant has become dominant in the country, nearly doubling in the space of one week. A French government spokesman said cases had increased by 20% from last week due to this difference. And in the UK, where the variant also circulated, officials reported more than 30,000 daily infections for the first time since January. Also in the news: More than a hundred students and adults have tested positive for the coronavirus after returning home from Texas church summer camp last month. Illinois announced Wednesday that state employees who work in direct care facilities and receive at least a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be entered into a series of drawings with prizes including $10,000 in cash, museum tickets, airline coupons, Chicago Cubs tickets and more. Costco has announced that it will end its official weekday business hours, which have been in place since March 2020, and resume normal business hours on July 26. Smithsonian Magazine will relaunch the annual Museum Day in September after the event was canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. More than 1,000 museums, zoos, and cultural centers across the United States will waive entry fees for visitors as part of the event. Today’s numbers: The United States has more than 33.7 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 606,100 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: more than 184.9 million cases and more than 3.99 million deaths. More than 157.6 million Americans have been fully vaccinated — 47.5% of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — What we read: The Canadian and US governments are not expected to reassess their border closures until July 21, but the ongoing shutdown has economic and human costs. Read here and keep updating this page for the latest news. do you want more? Subscribe to the Coronavirus Watch newsletter for updates to your inbox and join our Facebook group. Their “hometown heroes” from the COVID-19 pandemic. Essential workers from city hospitals, emergency departments, schools and the hospitality sector rode more than a dozen buoys led by Queens nurse Sandra Lindsey, named after the Grand Marshal. She was the first person in the United States to receive a COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials. “We have a lot to appreciate, because we’re recovering well. We have a lot to celebrate,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who rode in procession with hospital staff, said the celebration in New York comes as top US health officials warn residents about the spread of COVID-variants 19, especially in areas with low vaccination. Rates, Did Ohio’s Vax-a-Million Fee Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Rates? A new study found that a Vax-a-Million fee in Ohio did not raise COVID-19 vaccination rates compared to other states. Vaccinations After Governor Mike DeWine’s vaccine lottery was announced on May 12, Boston University School of Medicine researchers acknowledged in a letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. But other states also saw a slight rise in first shots among adults, which the researchers note is a result of 12 to 15-year-olds becoming eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the same time. He said the study was flawed. State data shows a 44% increase in first shots given to people 16 and older in the first week after the announcement — including increases in groups that were eligible for months — and a 15% increase in the second week. Read more here. – Jackie Borchardt, Cincinnati Enquirer’s Eastern Mediterranean Head Concerned About Sudden Rise Due to Variables COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the region after two months of continuous decline, said the head of the WHO in the Eastern Mediterranean. As we continue into the summer months, we are concerned about another rise in cases due to worrisome variables and an increase in international travel, along with a decrease in the protection of people due to limited vaccinations and insufficient adherence to prevention measures,” said Regional Director Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari in a statement today Wednesday. He said the highly contagious delta variant, which has been detected in at least 98 countries, is contributing to the rise.Al-Mandhari said the region is also “far” from its goal of vaccinating at least 40% of the population of every country in the region by the end of the year, he said. The school district announced plans Wednesday to open three school vaccination sites to students and families next week and create permanent sites at schools across Chicago starting in September, prioritizing neighborhoods with lower vaccination rates.Chicago Public Schools serves more than 340,000 students, about 78 students The district said % of employees have been fully or partially vaccinated, based on self-reported data.The district plans to provide full in-person instructions in the fall, US lawmakers urged President Joe Biden to fully reopen borders The 75 members of the US House of Representatives signed a letter to President Joe Biden on Wednesday saying it was time to reopen the border with Canada. In the letter, members of both parties asked Biden to “begin taking science-based and data-driven steps to safely reopen international travel” to the United States, including allowing free access to Canada. Pressure has been building on Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reopen the world’s largest land border between two countries, which since last year has been closed to all but essential travel due to coronavirus concerns. But the Biden administration is not expected to take another look at reopening the border until July 21. read more. – Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, likely to open the Tokyo Olympics during the COVID-19 emergency. It reached its highest level in two months which is almost a guarantee that the Japanese government will declare a new state of emergency starting next week and continuing for the duration of the Tokyo Olympics. The Olympics delayed by the pandemic open in just over two weeks on July 23 and end on August 8 The current state of emergency ends on Sunday, as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga met key ministers to discuss virus measures, and is reported to be considering reinstating the state of emergency in The capital until August 22. To ban even the local fans. That decision on fans is expected on Friday when local organizers meet with the International Olympic Committee and others. Read more, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says delta variant prevalent in the United States, CDC says, delta variant has swept the United States, becoming the dominant strain in the country, CDC estimates That delta accounts for about 51.7% of all. New cases in late June and early July. Just six weeks ago, in mid-May, about 1 in 32 variant cases were delta, the CDC says, the variant, which was first identified in India, was blamed for an increase in cases in countries around the world and led some Regions to re-establish some epidemiological restrictions. Parts of Europe have reinstated travel quarantine measures, and several Australian cities are also on lockdown due to the outbreak. – Mike Stuka, anti-mask protesters accused of disrupting school board meeting Several anti-mask protesters who disrupted a Utah school board meeting earlier this year face criminal charges About 30-40 protesters disrupted the May 4 meeting, officials said Amid news that Utah public schools will need masks through the end of the school year. After the board members abruptly ended the meeting, the parents stayed on the precinct and the police were called. A video of the meeting went viral on social media, and 11 protesters were charged with disorderly conduct and disrupting a public meeting last week. Granite School District spokesperson Ben Horsley said police are still looking for another person accused of involvement in the standoff. Across the world, thousands or more can suffer prolonged grief, a type of mourning that experts say can prevent people from getting past death and functioning normally again. Grief expert Natalia Skritskaya said it was too early to say whether prolonged grief, also known as complex grief, would be a major complication of the pandemic — it’s not over yet, with thousands still dying every day around the world, including Hundreds in the United States. She said many mourners have not yet passed the first anniversary of the loss, few studies have been published so far on the psychological fallout, and a study published in the fall projected a possible increase in cases of prolonged grief associated with the pandemic. . Skritskaya, a research scientist and clinical psychologist at Columbia University’s Center for Complex Grief in New York, noted that prolonged grief can be treated with therapy in which participants speak through their experience and feelings. The Oakland Zoo in the San Francisco Bay Area vaccinates cats, bears and large rodents against the coronavirus as part of a national effort to protect animal species with an experimental vaccine. Animals caught the virus, but the zoo wanted to be proactive. The doses were donated and developed by the veterinary pharmaceutical company Zoetis of New Jersey. Tigers, black bears, mountain lions, and ferrets were the first to receive the first two doses. Followed by primates and pigs, Zoetis has donated more than 11,000 doses to the animals that live in nearly 70 zoos, as well as more than a dozen institutes, sanctuaries, academic institutions and government organizations located in 27 states, according to the news release. Read more Contributing: Ryan Miller, USA TODAY; Associated Press