In the delta-powered fourth wave, the U.S. is projected to see nearly 100,000 more COVID-19 deaths between now and Dec. 1, according to modelling figures released Thursday by the nation’s most closely watched forecaster. But health experts say that toll could be cut in half if nearly everyone wore a mask in public spaces.
“Behaviour is really going to determine if, when and how sustainably the current wave subsides,” said Lauren Ancel Meyers, director of the University of Texas COVID-19 Modelling Consortium. “We cannot stop delta in its tracks, but we can change our behaviour overnight.”
Halfway around the world, the delta variant was spreading quickly across the continent of Africa. While COVID-19 vaccinations there tripled over the past week, protecting even 10 per cent of the continent by the end of September remains “a very daunting task,” the Africa director of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday.
Meanwhile, the continent reported 248,000 new confirmed cases over the past week, with at least 24 countries seeing a surge in infections driven by the delta variant.
“This is a preventable tragedy if African countries can get fair access to the vaccines,” Dr. Matshidiso Moeti told reporters.
The brutal resurgence of the coronavirus in Africa, driven by the delta variant, is further stretching already strained health systems across the continent. As African countries struggle, the United States and other high-income countries are exploring the idea of recommending booster shots.
WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently said it was “unconscionable” that some countries are now offering booster shots “while so many people remain unprotected.”
“I think it is very difficult for us to talk about booster doses in Africa,” Moeti said Thursday. “We have not covered even five per cent of the population yet with the initial vaccinations that are needed to slow down the spread of the virus and, most importantly, stop what we think might be a fourth wave, which is coming.”
-From The Associated Press, last updated at 12:05 p.m. ET
What’s happening across Canada
WATCH | Waning immunity sparks debate about need for COVID-19 booster shots:
Waning immunity sparks debate about need for COVID-19 booster shots
21 hours ago
Recent studies show a drop in effectiveness for COVID-19 vaccines, but the lack of information about how severe breakthrough cases were has sparked a debate about whether booster shots are necessary. 2:03
What’s happening around the world
Ivan Fischer, founder of Budapest’s Festival Orchestra, receives his third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as he conducts the orchestra during a free concert in Budapest, Hungary, on Wednesday. (Laszlo Balogh/The Associated Press)
As of early Thursday evening, more than 214.3 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 tracking tool. The reported global death toll stood at more than 4.4 million.
In Europe, a Hungarian orchestra conductor received a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot onstage during a free open-air concert in Budapest on Wednesday as part of an effort to encourage people to get vaccinated.
Workers at public hospitals in Greece were holding a five-hour work stoppage on Thursday to protest a government decision making vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory for all health-care workers in the public and private sectors. About 300 hospital workers rallied outside the Health Ministry in Athens to protest the measure, which goes into effect on Sept. 1. The government has made clear that no extension will be granted.
COVID-19 vaccines are freely available in Greece to anyone over the age of 12. Vaccination is not mandatory except for those in the health-care sector, but on Tuesday the government announced new testing requirements and restrictions on access to various venues for people who are unvaccinated.
In France, Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced plans to give COVID-19 booster shots to people over age 65 and those living in nursing homes starting next month.
In the Middle East, Iran’s health officials reported 665 additional deaths on Wednesday, a day after reporting a record high of 709 COVID-19 related deaths in 24 hours.
In the Americas, General Motors Co. said on Thursday it would require all U.S. salaried employees to report if they have received COVID-19 vaccinations, as companies navigate through how and when to reopen offices amid rising cases of the delta variant.
The Arkansas medical board has opened an investigation following reports that inmates at a county jail were prescribed an anti-parasitic drug to combat COVID-19 even though it hasn’t been approved to treat the coronavirus.
Washington County’s sheriff confirmed Tuesday night that inmates were prescribed ivermectin, but did not say how many. The Food and Drug Administration has not approved its use in treating or preventing COVID-19. The jail’s physician has said no inmates were forced to take the drug.
In Illinois, health-care workers and educators from kindergarten through college will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday in announcing new safety protocols that also include a fresh statewide mandate for masks to be worn indoors.
In the state of New Mexiso, top health officials are warning that the state is about a week away from having to ration medical care as coronavirus infections continue to climb.
Today’s COVID-19 Update: 770 new cases today, 5 deaths and 433 hospitalized. Vaccinate against the virus and stay masked up to prevent more new cases. More details from today’s report at <a href=”https://t.co/VlCApRsSc7″>https://t.co/VlCApRsSc7</a> <a href=”https://t.co/bwfa7VMXlh”>pic.twitter.com/bwfa7VMXlh</a>
In the Asia-Pacific region, Moderna Inc. said it has withheld supply of about 1.63 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in Japan after a report of contamination of vials with particulate matter, which it suspects involves a production line in Spain.
New Zealand has reported 68 new community cases of the coronavirus, the largest daily increase since April of last year as an outbreak of the delta variant continues to grow. The government put the nation into a strict lockdown last week as it tries to stamp out the outbreak, which has grown to a total of 277 infections.
-From The Associated Press, Reuters and CBC News, last updated at 5:30 p.m. ET
Have questions about this story? We’re answering as many as we can in the comments.
TORONTO – Ontario is pushing through several bills with little or no debate, which the government house leader says is due to a short legislative sitting.
The government has significantly reduced debate and committee time on the proposed law that would force municipalities to seek permission to install bike lanes when they would remove a car lane.
It also passed the fall economic statement that contains legislation to send out $200 cheques to taxpayers with reduced debating time.
The province tabled a bill Wednesday afternoon that would extend the per-vote subsidy program, which funnels money to political parties, until 2027.
That bill passed third reading Thursday morning with no debate and is awaiting royal assent.
Government House Leader Steve Clark did not answer a question about whether the province is speeding up passage of the bills in order to have an election in the spring, which Premier Doug Ford has not ruled out.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
