COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 3 September – World Economic Forum

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 219 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 4.54 million. More than 5.41 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

Viet Nam could face a lengthy battle against COVID-19, its prime minister has warned. "The COVID-19 pandemic is evolving in a complicated and unpredictable manner and may last for a long time," Pham Minh Chinh said.

Thailand has said its COVID-19 vaccine regimen of a dose of Sinovac followed by AstraZeneca was safe and successfully boosted immunity among its first 1.5 million recipients.

Just over 10% of Venezuelans have been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a doctors group.

The Philippines' Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 17.

Australia is set to receive 4 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in a swap deal with Britain. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it should speed up the country's reopening.

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei has announced new transport and social restrictions in a bid to tackle surging COVID-19 cases and alleviate pressure on hospitals.

Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people in selected countries

Image: Our World in Data

The United States plans to invest $3 billion in the vaccine supply chain, White House COVID adviser Jeffrey Zients told a news conference.

"The investments we are making, the $3 billion, are in US companies that will expand their capacity for critical supplies," Zients said.

The funding - which will start to be distributed in the coming weeks - will focus on manufacturers of the inputs used in vaccine production as well as facilities that fill and package vaccine vials, he added.

Areas of focus will include lipids, bioreactor bags, tubing, needles, syringes and personal protective equipment, Zients explained.

Each of our Top 50 social enterprise last mile responders and multi-stakeholder initiatives is working across four priority areas of need: Prevention and protection; COVID-19 treatment and relief; inclusive vaccine access; and securing livelihoods. The list was curated jointly with regional hosts Catalyst 2030s NASE and Aavishkaar Group. Their profiles can be found on http://www.wef.ch/lastmiletop50india.

Top Last Mile Partnership Initiatives to collaborate with:

South Korea has extended social distancing restrictions for several weeks to contain COVID-19 outbreaks across the country. It comes ahead of a thanksgiving holiday later this month.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said the toughest level 4 restrictions in greater Seoul and level 3 curbs in the rest of the country would run through to 3 October.

However, restaurants and cafes in the greater Seoul area would be allowed to close an hour later and families would be allowed to gather in groups of up to eight people in the week of the 21 September Chuseok holiday. At least four of the eight will need to be fully vaccinated.

"We fear a spike in outbreaks from increased movement around the Chuseok holiday," Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol told a briefing.

Written by

Joe Myers, Writer, Formative Content

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 3 September - World Economic Forum