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Test center in Dresden
Photo: Sebastian Kahnert / dpa
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Italy wants to get smaller islands corona-free before the holiday season
4:50 a.m.:
Before the approaching holiday season, Italy wants to get the population of its small Mediterranean islands free of corona. From Friday, mass vaccinations against Covid-19 are to begin on Capraia, southwest of the Tuscan city of Livorno, and the Aeolian Islands, northwest of the Sicilian city of Messina, according to the plan of the extraordinary commissioner for the corona emergency. In total, the government plans to vaccinate people on around thirty of these smaller islands.
As on Capraia, where only about 330 people live, the population of many of these islands and also the local health facilities are small.
In addition, the often popular holiday destinations are difficult to reach.
The aim is therefore to have as few vaccine deliveries as possible, as the Corona commissioner further announced.
The operations are supported by the military and the civil protection authorities.
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Larger islands like Capri are already further in the vaccination campaign. According to reports from the Ansa news agency, almost 80 percent of people over 16 are immunized there. There had previously been repeated disputes about vaccination for all age groups on islands like Capri or Ischia. Holiday areas on the mainland saw themselves at a disadvantage in terms of tourism if the islands in front of them were considered corona-free.
Italy is targeting June 2nd for the official start of the summer season.
How exactly the regulations for immigrants, including those who have been vaccinated, will look like in June is not yet entirely clear.
In principle, holidays in Italy are possible, but the country still requires a quarantine of five days upon entry.
In addition, multiple tests apply - with a PCR test or a rapid antigen test before and after entry.
This regulation runs until mid-May.
City Association sees withdrawals of corona restrictions relaxed
04.10 a.m.:
The German Association of Cities is looking
forward to
possible controls of the corona restrictions as a result of the planned withdrawals for fully vaccinated and convalescent people. “With the new regulation, new rules apply that have to be monitored. But this is not a completely new situation, "said the chief executive of the German Association of Cities, Helmut Dedy, on dpa request. For example, the cities have increased their staff in the past few months. "The regulatory authorities and the police take their duty of control very seriously."
On Friday, the Federal Council will vote on the withdrawal of many corona restrictions for fully vaccinated and recovered people.
The corresponding ordinance could come into force on the weekend after the approval of the regional chamber.
"It's good that vaccinated and recovered people are being given more freedom," said Dedy.
"We also think it is right that the regulation enables people who have been vaccinated, who have recovered or who tested negative, to go shopping or go to theaters and cinemas again."
According to the ordinance, contact and exit restrictions for those who have been completely vaccinated and those who have recovered should be eliminated.
But also vaccinated and convalescent people have to wear masks in certain places and follow distance rules.
US researchers estimate corona deaths worldwide at 6.9 million
02.15 a.m.:
Researchers from the University of Washington in the US state of the same name assume significantly more corona deaths worldwide than official figures show. Estimates by the university institute IHME have shown that 6.9 million people worldwide have died from an infection with the corona virus, its director Christopher Murray announced on Thursday (local time). The World Health Organization (WHO) stated the number of corona deaths worldwide on the same day as around 3.2 million.
In almost every country in the world there are significant gaps in the recording of deaths, but there are significant differences between countries, the institute said.
The scientists assume that around 120,700 people in Germany died as a result of infection with the Sars-CoV-2 pathogen.
The WHO gives the number as more than 84,000.
From a global perspective, Germany is not doing badly when it comes to recording, said Murray.
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A corona victim is buried in a cemetery in New Delhi
Photo: Ishant Chauhan / dpa
In the case of Russia, the official figures (WHO: around 112,000) differ particularly greatly from the Institute's estimate (around 593,600 deaths).
In the USA, the researchers estimate the number of deaths at around 905,300 (WHO: around 573,000).
In the case of India, the scientists assume that the number of deaths is around 654,400, almost three times as high as recorded (WHO: around 230,000).
The researchers derived their estimates from excess mortality: This is obtained by comparing the expected deaths from all causes in a certain period before the pandemic with the actual deaths in the pandemic.
When looking at excess mortality, it was taken into account that there was a shift in the causes of death in the pandemic. Due to the restricted mobility, there were fewer road accidents. At the same time, there were delays in the treatment of other diseases. After taking these factors into account, the scientists estimated the number of deaths that could only be attributed to Covid 19 disease, even if these were not always recorded as such.
The IHME (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation) continuously published predictions of the number of deaths during the pandemic and also illustrated how protective measures such as wearing masks could affect the course of the pandemic.
The White House has cited IHME models on several occasions.
The institute heads the Global Burden of Disease project, a study the results of which are published annually in the specialist journal "The Lancet" and which analyzes, among other things, causes of death, diseases and risk factors in countries around the world.
Australia may not fully open borders until mid-2022
1:20 a.m.:
Australia's Trade Minister Dan Tehan says it is possible that the international borders will not be fully reopened until the middle of next year.
He hopes that further opening agreements - so-called "travel bubbles" - can be made between states as they already exist between his country and New Zealand, Tehan tells Sky News.
Already more than 250 million vaccinations given in the US
0.55 a.m.:
Since the start of the corona vaccination campaign in the USA in mid-December, more than 250 million vaccinations have been administered.
About 57 percent of all adults have received at least one vaccine dose so far, 42 percent are already fully vaccinated, as data from the US health authority CDC showed on Thursday (local time).
In the group of over 65-year-olds, 70 percent of people have already been vaccinated.
A total of 252 million doses have been administered to date, the CDC reported.
In the United States, in addition to the vaccines from Moderna and Biontech / Pfizer, which inject two doses each, the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is also in use.
This unfolds its full effect after just one dose.
At the height of the US vaccination campaign, more than three million people were being vaccinated every day.
In the meantime, the pace has slowed somewhat due to falling demand in many places.
According to the CDC data, almost 149 million people have received at least one vaccine dose so far, and 109 million people have already been fully vaccinated.
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Corona vaccination in the US state of Connecticut
Photo: Jessica Hill / AP
US President Joe Biden announced this week that the vaccination campaign's new target would be that by early July, around 70 percent of all adults in the country should have received at least the first vaccination.
In addition, 160 million people are said to have been fully vaccinated by the national holiday on July 4th.
The government is also preparing to vaccinate young people between the ages of 12 and 16.
Experts expect Biontech / Pfizer's vaccine to be approved by the FDA for this age group next week.
Biden has promised to have enough vaccine for all adults in the country by the end of May.
The government has secured sufficient vaccine to be able to fully supply the population of around 330 million people as early as the summer.
Intensive care physicians: Vacation regions need good concepts
0.25 a.m.:
Intensive care physicians are cautiously optimistic in view of the opening of tourism in some federal states, but urge care.
"If vacation regions have good concepts, it can work with already low incidences to meet more people without having to fear increasing numbers of infections," says the President of the Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care Medicine, Gernot Marx, the editorial network Germany (RND).
cop / AFP / dpa / Reuters