COVID-19 UPDATE: HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTIONS SHUT DOWN AGAIN, ENGLAND DELAYS RETURN OF SCHOOLS

Thu 31 December 2020:

The first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019. However, Beijing has denied that China is the origin of the deadly disease, which has affected over 81.9 million people worldwide. More than 1.78 million people have died from the virus while over 46 million have recovered. Here’re the updates for December 31:

Pakistan will purchase 1.2 million of Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine doses

Pakistan will purchase 1.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from China’s Sinopharm, a minister said on Thursday.

“The Cabinet Committee has decided to initially purchase 1.2 million doses of the vaccine from the Chinese company Sinopharm, which will be provided free of cost to frontline workers in the first quarter of 2021,” Pakistani Minister for Science and Technology said on Twitter.

Canada to require negative COVID-19 test for entry

Canada will require travellers to obtain a negative Covid-19 test before being allowed into the country, the government announced Wednesday.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests will need to be conducted within three days of boarding a flight, officials told a news conference.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic Leblanc said the new measure — along with increased monitoring at Canadian airports — would be in place “quickly,” but did not provide a specific date.

It comes after a new strain was identified in Britain, and has already spread to Canada.

Qatar’s emir receives vaccine shot

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani announced on social media that he had received the coronavirus vaccine.

“Today I took the COVID-19 vaccine, and I wish everyone safety and protection from this epidemic,” the emir said on his Instagram account.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by تميم بن حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني (@tamim_al_thani)

Shots first, questions later

Britain said on Wednesday it would prioritize making sure that more people receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine quickly over giving a second shot to those who have already had one, a change in strategy as the country battles record numbers of new coronavirus cases.

The decision will apply to the newly approved AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, as well as the Pfizer/BioNTech shot, which was rolled out in Britain three weeks ago. The first recipients of the latter have just started receiving their booster shots.

The dose interval for the Pfizer vaccine in Britain was changed from 21 days to “at least 21 days” on Wednesday, and for both vaccines, the second dose was advised to be given up to 12 weeks later.

“This approach will maximize the benefits of both vaccines,” a health ministry spokesman said.

DBE ‘not considering’ school closures in 2021

The South African Department of Basic Education on Thursday said at this stage, it was not considering keeping the schools shut next year despite the rise in COVID-19 infections among teachers, EWN reported

More than 200 teachers have died after contracting coronavirus since the outbreak on home soil in March.

The department said it had put contingency plans in place to rope in additional help from retired teachers and educators abroad to be prepared for the 2021 school year.

The South African Democratic Teachers Union’s Mugwena Maluleke said next year would have many more challenges in the classroom amid a pandemic, which include replacing teachers who died of the virus.

“We’re calling for decentralisation of appointment of teachers so that on the first day of schooling, the principal and the school district are able to appoint the teachers.”

Mexico reports over 1,000 new coronavirus deaths

Mexico has registered 12,406 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,052 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 1,413,935 infections and 124,897 deaths, according to the Health Ministry’s official count.

The government says the real number of infected people and deaths are likely significantly higher than the confirmed figures.

China's Sinopharm Covid vaccine '79.34% effective' | The National

China officials questioned on Sinopharm data

Chinese officials have been asked about the data surrounding Sinopharm’s experimental vaccine.

They say the full data will be published “later” in medical journals in China and overseas.

Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group says interim results from Phase III trials show the vaccine has an efficacy rate of 79.34 percent.

Hollywood productions shut down again as LA COVID-19 cases soar

Most Hollywood productions have shut down again until at least mid-January, the movie industry’s acting union announced, as COVID-19 cases soar to record levels in Los Angeles.

SAG-AFTRA said the majority of entertainment productions will “remain on hiatus until the second or third week of January if not later,” in a statement to members late Tuesday.

England delays return of schools as COVID-19 cases surge

Secondary school children in England will return to the classroom later than planned to enable the roll out of mass COVID-19 testing, Education Minister Gavin Williamson said.

Pupils in exam years will return from Jan 11 and all secondary and college students will return full time on January 18.

“This will break those chains of transmission that are making infection rates shoot up, this in turn will make it safer for more children to physically return to school,” he told legislators.

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