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 U.S. deaths top 250,000
The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 surpassed a grim new milestone of
250,000 lives lost on Wednesday, as New York City's public school
system, the nation's largest, called a halt to in-classroom
instruction, citing a jump in infection rates.
The decision to shutter schools and revert exclusively to at-home
learning, starting on Thursday, came as state and local officials
nationwide imposed restrictions on social and economic life to tamp
down a surge in cases and hospitalizations heading into winter.
Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota ordered all restaurants, bars,
fitness centers and entertainment venues closed, and all youth
sports canceled, for four weeks.
WHO warns of a tough six months
Fresh lockdowns in Europe are avoidable, including through
near-universal mask-wearing, the head of the World Health
Organization Europe office said on Thursday.
Hans Kluge said that some health systems are being overwhelmed on
the continent where more than 29,000 deaths were recorded in the
past week alone.
"Europe is once again the epicentre of the pandemic, together with
the United States. There is light at the end of the tunnel but it
will be six tough months," Kluge told a news conference.
Tokyo raises alert level to highest
Tokyo raised its coronavirus alert to the highest level on Thursday
as its daily tally of new infections rose to a record 534 and its
governor called for maximum caution as the year-end party season
approaches.
Japan's nationwide tally also hit a new high of 2,259, according to
broadcaster TBS.
"The number of coronavirus cases is rising so we are considering
what steps will be needed with the view that infections could reach
1,000 cases a day," said Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike.
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Cases in Russia surpass 2 million
Russia's COVID-19 case tally passed the 2 million mark on Thursday as the number
of daily deaths and infections hit new highs.
Russia, which has a huge testing programme and a population of around 145
million, has the world's fifth largest number of cases after the United States,
India, Brazil and France.
Despite a recent surge in cases, authorities have resisted imposing lockdown
restrictions across the country as they did earlier this year.
AstraZeneca vaccine shows promise in elderly
AstraZeneca and Oxford University's potential vaccine produced a strong immune
response in older adults, data published on Thursday showed, with researchers
expecting to release late-stage trial results by Christmas.
The data, reported in part last month but published in full in The Lancet
medical journal on Thursday, suggest that those aged over 70, who are at higher
risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19, could build robust immunity.
"We hope that this means our vaccine will help to protect some of the most
vulnerable people in society, but further research will be needed before we can
be sure," said Maheshi Ramasamy, a consultant and co-lead investigator at the
Oxford Vaccine Group.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes; Editing by Giles Elgood)
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