Latest coronavirus: the “pings” of the NHS Covid application drop sharply during the last week of July

Illinois will require everyone in schools to wear masks indoors and have mandatory jabs for government employees in high risk settings to combat the increase in Covid-19 cases. “Far too few school districts” have indicated that they plan to follow recent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when the new school year begins, Gov. Jay Pritzker said.

The New York International Auto Show has been canceled for a second year in a row, victim of tighter restrictions in the city and concerns about the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19. Wednesday’s announcement came a day after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said patrons of indoor public places, such as gyms, restaurants and entertainment venues, will be required to show proof vaccination against Covid-19 in order to enter from August. 16.

The organizers of a popular Chicago beer festival have canceled this year’s event. “With the increase in Covid-19 cases and the associated risks, we don’t think it’s the right choice to go ahead with the festival at this time,” Hyde Park Summer Fest organizers said. after consulting “various stakeholders”.

Israel will bring back use of the outdoor mask for large groups, sends half of its public sector workers home and asks people to refrain from unnecessary indoor gatherings as a wave of the Delta variant tests one of the most vaccinated countries in the world. New cases reached more than 3,000 on Tuesday, up from a few dozen a day just a month ago, and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said the country may have to impose a new lockdown in the coming holy days if severe hospitalizations continue to increase.

Covid-19 in the UK the vaccination program has been extended to 16-17 year oldsthe Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) said on Wednesday. “After carefully reviewing the latest data, we are advising healthy 16 to 17 year olds to be offered a first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine,” said Wei Shen Lim, Covid-19 president of JCVI.

Walgreens reported a Vaccination surge in US states where overall participation rates were lagging, a sign that worries the Delta variant and a recent wave of new cases is fueling demand. Demand for vaccines has jumped by more than 30% in recent weeks “in key areas of the country that were previously slower to vaccinate,” the company said. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas are among the states that have recorded the “most notable” gains in vaccination rates.

The UK’s all-party parliamentary group on the coronavirus has urged the government to fix “chaotic scenes” at airports, as the country nears the next review of its travel restrictions. “The government’s border policy is leading to chaotic scenes at UK airports and leaving the country dangerously exposed to new variations,” said Caroline Lucas, vice-chairman of the group.

The European Commission has ordered 200 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from Novavax to bolster its arsenal of jabs, although the US drugmaker’s vaccine has yet to be approved. The agreement covers the purchase of 100 million doses, with the possibility of obtaining an additional 100 million doses until 2023. Novavax shares have jumped 12% in New York.

The World Health Organization has called for a global moratorium on booster injections until at least the end of September amid a severe shortage of vaccines in low-income countries. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of WHO, said the Geneva-based health body is calling for the moratorium to allow at least 10% of people in all countries of the world to be vaccinated.

China has tightened its border controls by temporarily block new passports issued to most citizens, as the country grapples with an outbreak of the Delta coronavirus variant. China’s National Immigration Administration said on Wednesday it will no longer issue new travel documents, including passports for non-essential trips outside the country.