SEOUL, South Korea __ South Korea has recorded its highest day by day bounce in new COVID-19 infections in about three months, as officers urge the general public to keep up vigilance.
The Korea Illness Management and Prevention Company stated Wednesday it’s confirmed 731 new circumstances over the previous 24 hours. They introduced the nation’s whole to 111,419 with 1,782 deaths.
The spike comes amid criticism of a sluggish vaccine rollout whereas persons are more and more venturing outside to benefit from good climate.
Senior well being official Yoon Taeho says an elevated mobility final weekend was proof that South Korea’s public vigilance has loosened, and that elevating social distancing guidelines will probably be mentioned within the subsequent few days.
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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— US recommends ‘pause’ for J&J photographs in blow to vaccine drive
— Biden says pause on J&J photographs reveals gov’t placing security 1st
— EXPLAINER: What’s recognized about COVID vaccines and uncommon clots
— The Dutch authorities has introduced a roadmap for enjoyable coronavirus lockdown measures, however caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte is stressing that it’s nonetheless too early to ease restrictions.
— France has suspended all flights between Brazil and France amid considerations over coronavirus variants.
— Israel says it can reopen the nation to vaccinated international vacationers in Could, greater than a yr after closing its borders to most worldwide guests because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Comply with AP’s pandemic protection at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
HELENA, Mont. — Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has issued an government order banning the event or use of vaccine passports in Montana.
Vaccine passports are paperwork that might be used to confirm coronavirus immunization standing and permit inoculated individuals to extra freely journey, store and dine.
The transfer by Gianforte on Tuesday comes as vaccine passports have drawn criticism as a heavy-handed intrusion into private freedom and personal well being decisions. Gianforte says in an announcement that he encourages all Montana residents to get vaccinated however that it’s “fully voluntary.”
Vaccine passports have been applied in New York however the White Home has stated there won’t be any federal vaccine passport program.
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HOLLAND, Mich. — A western Michigan restaurant proprietor who spent 4 nights in jail for violating coronavirus-related orders is firing again weeks later with a requirement that $15,000 in fines be refunded and contempt findings dropped.
An lawyer for Marlena Pavlos-Hackney stated her rights have been violated throughout a contentious court docket listening to on March 19.
State regulators yanked Pavlos-Hackney’s meals license in January for serving indoor diners and breaking different guidelines associated to stopping the unfold of COVID-19. However the restaurant, Marlena’s Bistro and Pizzeria in Holland, stayed open in defiance.
Pavlos-Hackney refused to show herself in to face a contempt listening to. She was arrested and spent 4 nights in jail till authorities have been satisfied that her restaurant would keep closed.
Legal professional Robert Baker, who wasn’t employed till Pavlos-Hackney was arrested, stated a choose questioned her with out recognizing that she had a lawyer. He stated there was “no testing of any proof” or a chance to cross-examine or produce witnesses.
A message looking for remark was despatched to the lawyer common’s workplace.
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AMSTERDAM — The Dutch authorities has introduced a roadmap for enjoyable coronavirus lockdown measures, however caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte is stressing that it’s nonetheless too early to ease restrictions.
In a nationally televised press convention Tuesday, Rutte stated hospitals within the Netherlands are as crowded with COVID-19 sufferers now as they have been throughout the first wave of the pandemic final yr and that it will be irresponsible to chill out the nation’s months-long lockdown now.
The federal government had beforehand stated it hoped the primary rest may have began April 21, however Rutte stated that was too quickly.
Earlier Tuesday, the Dutch public well being institute stated the variety of new coronavirus infections rose 6% over the previous week to 51,240, with the most important enhance in constructive assessments recorded amongst kids aged 13-17 years.
The rise comes regardless of the months-long robust lockdown within the Netherlands together with a nighttime curfew, closed bars and eating places and shuttered public establishments like museums and zoos.
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WASHINGTON — U.S. medical health insurance prospects could obtain larger premium rebates than regular later this yr partly as a result of insurers had much less care to cowl after COVID-19 arrived in 2020.
Some particular person insurance coverage prospects may obtain premium credit or rebates of almost $300 on common, in line with an evaluation of presidency knowledge from the non-profit Kaiser Household Basis.
The Reasonably priced Care Act requires insurers to offer prospects refunds or premium credit in the event that they don’t spend sure percentages of the premiums they gather on care and prices associated to it.
Kaiser’s evaluation famous that final yr hospitals and different care suppliers canceled surgical procedures and non-essential care early within the pandemic after which throughout subsequent COVID-19 spikes.
Kaiser Vice President Cynthia Cox stated almost half of shoppers within the particular person market obtain these annual rebates. Some individuals with employer-sponsored protection additionally could get rebates that they share with their firm.
Rebate totals will probably be finalized later this yr. They typically are then delivered by the top of September. The totals will differ by market and depend upon elements like whether or not an insurer has already supplied premium breaks to counter the drop in care.
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WASHINGTON — The nation’s capital metropolis joined a rising checklist of states in suspending the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine that’s change into the main focus of a federal examination of uncommon blood clots.
District of Columbia well being director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt says she’s not conscious of any circumstances of harmful blood clots among the many 16,000 Washingtonians who had acquired the J&J one-dose vaccine earlier than the short-term halt really useful by federal well being authorities.
“This pause signifies that the system is working correctly,” Nesbitt says.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s high infectious illness professional, echoed Nesbitt, saying People who’ve just lately acquired a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine shouldn’t be troubled concerning the pause. Fauci known as it a “testimony to how significantly we take security.”
J&J stated in an announcement Tuesday it was conscious of the reviews of blood clots, however that no hyperlink to its vaccine had been established.
A CDC committee will meet Wednesday to debate the circumstances. The FDA has launched an investigation into the reason for the clots and low platelet counts. There have been six reported clots among the many 6.8 million photographs administered.
U.S. well being authorities cautioned docs towards utilizing a typical clot therapy, the blood-thinner heparin. “On this setting, administration of heparin could also be harmful and different remedies have to be given,” the FDA and CDC say.
Washington state, Idaho, California, Alabama, Wisconsin, Colorado, Nevada and Alaska are among the many states which have briefly halted or have really useful pausing the usage of the Johnson & Johnson shot amid the investigation.
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BERLIN — South Africa has suspended giving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as a “precautionary measure” following the FDA resolution within the U.S. to pause the usage of the vaccine whereas uncommon blood clots are examined.
All six circumstances have been in girls between ages 18 to 48, together with one who died. The weird clots occurred six to 13 days after vaccination.
South Africa has given greater than 289,000 photographs of the J&J vaccine to the nation’s well being employees with none reviews of blood clots, Well being Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize says.
He says South Africa is halting the usage of the J&J doses “out of an abundance of warning.” He expects the questions concerning the J&J vaccine ought to “be cleared inside a matter of days.”
Not too long ago, the blood clot reviews prompted a number of European Union nations within the 27-nation bloc to restrict the AstraZeneca vaccine to older age teams.
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