The latest: Australia additionally data new COVID-19 highs

CANBERRA, Australia â€" Australia’s two most populous states on Thursday recorded new benchmark highs in COVID-19 infections.

New South Wales reported a checklist 681 circumstances in the newest 24-hour period, basically in Sydney. The outdated listing for the most populous state was 633 instances set on Wednesday.

Neighboring Victoria stated fifty seven new circumstances in its capital Melbourne. It changed into the highest each day tally considering that the ultimate days of a second wave of infections in early September last year.

Melbourne and the entire state of new South Wales are in lockdown as authorities attempt to stamp out coronavirus unfold as Australia had correctly completed during the pandemic before the delta variant arrived on its shores.

Melbourne is in its 6th lockdown of the pandemic and Thursday marked the 200th day that Australia’s 2d-most populous metropolis has been locked down.

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more ON THE PANDEMIC:

â€" AP supply: Biden to require vaccines for nursing home body of workers

â€" US fitness officials demand coronavirus booster shots for all

â€" WHO warns towards boosters earlier than 1st vaccines for different international locations

â€" Mississippi opens 2d container sanatorium in Jackson amid surge

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â€" locate extra AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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right here’S WHAT ELSE IS occurring:

WELLINGTON, New Zealand â€" New Zealand will now permit youths aged 12 to 15 to get vaccinated towards the coronavirus. previously, best those aged sixteen and over were eligible.

The government announcement Thursday got here because the nation continues to be in a strict lockdown as it offers with a brand new outbreak of the quickly-spreading delta variant, its first virus outbreak in six months.

prime Minister Jacinda Ardern mentioned there were eleven new infections, bringing the entire in the outbreak to 21. She referred to the outbreak had been linked to a passenger who lower back from Sydney prior this month.

On Tuesday, the govt imposed a lockdown of at the least three days throughout the nation and of at the least seven days in in Auckland and Coromandel. New Zealand health workers are the usage of best the Pfizer vaccine of their inoculation crusade.

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UNITED international locations â€" the united states is urging the more than a hundred and fifty nations planning to ship their leader or a govt minister to ny to speak on the U.N. general assembly subsequent month to agree with giving a video tackle as an alternative to steer clear of the annual high-level week from becoming “a brilliant-spreader event.”

A word from the U.S. Mission despatched to the 192 different U.N. member countries also called for all different U.N.-hosted conferences and facet routine to be virtual, asserting these parallel meetings that draw tourists to big apple “needlessly raise chance to our community, New Yorkers and the different tourists.”

The U.S. be aware, bought Wednesday via The linked Press, spoke of the Biden administration is exceptionally worried about Secretary-common Antonio Guterres and the incoming established assembly President Abdulla Shahid hosting high-degree in-grownup routine on climate alternate, vaccines, the twentieth anniversary of the U.N. World conference against Racism, meals systems and power.

“the us is willing to make every effort to make these vital pursuits on shared priorities a success in a digital layout,” the observe pointed out.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. â€" California will tighten its suggestions for indoor movements next month, requiring both proof of vaccination or a bad coronavirus look at various for gatherings of 1,000 individuals or extra as new cases proceed to climb because of the delta variant.

California already requires these things for indoor gatherings of 5,000 americans or extra, but that rule says americans don’t must show proof. the new rule, which takes impact Sept. 20, requires americans to display proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus verify within 72 hours to attend the event. The testing requirement contains toddlers beneath 12 and others who are not allowed to get the vaccine.

the brand new rule will remaining until at least Nov. 1. State officers say they will reevaluate it by way of Oct. 15 to make a decision even if to prolong it.

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TAMPA, Fla. â€" The Hillsborough County faculty board, which oversees the nation’s 8th-largest district, voted 5-2 Wednesday to adopt a stricter, 30-day masks mandate with a clinical choose-out for college students, teachers and personnel.

The vote came a week after courses began and amid a coronavirus outbreak wherein greater than 10,000 college students had been quarantined due to virus exposure.

The resolution may deploy a conflict with the administration of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and state education officials who argue such mandates are unlawful and subject to punishment, talked about Hillsborough college board legal professional Jim Porter. “there is a risk they'll discover us in non-compliance,” Porter stated at a nearly 5-hour meeting.

The leading sponsor, board member Nadia Combs, spoke of the virus outbreak poses “an instantaneous danger” to the college device and steps should be taken to comprise it or the district could face an entire shutdown. “i'm not on the board for political partisanship,” Combs referred to. “We need to maintain our schools open. it's my goal.”

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JACKSON, pass over. -- Mississippi health officers say very nearly 1,000 health facility beds that could be used to treat sufferers throughout the newest surge of coronavirus in the state are unstaffed as a result of a scarcity of healthcare laborers.

That’s whereas Mississippi is facing a list variety of people hospitalized with the virus â€" 1,633 on Tuesday, in accordance with the state department of health.

“We’re nonetheless nowhere close the group of workers we want for the beds we need,” noted Jim Craig, senior deputy for the Mississippi branch of health, right through a digital briefing with press Wednesday.

Craig observed 73 hospitals in Mississippi requested over 1,451 staff participants to treat sufferers. more than 250 americans have been ready in Mississippi emergency rooms for beds Wednesday morning, according to fitness officers.

If those positions had been crammed, the state could group of workers 771 scientific-surgical beds and 235 intensive care unit beds, Craig observed.

Mississippi is one of the lowest-paying states for healthcare worker's. State fitness Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs pointed out this is one reason why healthcare worker's have left.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. â€" The fitness branch in Tennessee’s most populous county reinstituted a face masks requirement Wednesday for indoor public places equivalent to eating places, bars and different organizations as a surge in COVID-19 cases traces health facility materials and motives problem in schools.

A information free up from the health department in Shelby County, which includes Memphis, stated the masks requirement begins Friday and also applies to gyms, event venues and common areas of motels and multi-residential structures. The order also includes agencies akin to retail stores, grocery outlets and laundries, Shelby County fitness department spokeswoman Joan Carr noted.

The flow comes after strained Memphis-area hospitals sent a letter to government officials asking Shelby County to reimpose a masks mandate. Hospitals in Memphis and all through Tennessee warned of a scarcity of staffing, and a dearth of intensive care and acute care beds, as the delta variant resulted in a surge in COVID-19 circumstances in fresh weeks, together with among infants.

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OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington state is expanding its COVID-19 vaccine mandate to consist of all public, constitution and private school teachers and workforce â€" plus these working on the state’s faculties and universities.

those that don't seem to be wholly vaccinated by means of Oct. 18 chance losing their jobs, Gov. Jay Inslee introduced Wednesday.

Inslee’s office talked about the newest mandate additionally applies to faculty coaches, including Washington State football educate Nick Rolovich, who pointed out he has declined to be vaccinated for personal reasons. Rolovich is one in every of two state personnel scheduled to make more than $3 million this 12 months along with Washington football coach Jimmy Lake.

Inslee on Wednesday additionally elevated the statewide indoor mask mandate in location for non-vaccinated people to encompass people that are vaccinated.

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l. a. -- The la city Council voted unanimously Wednesday to require metropolis laborers to be thoroughly vaccinated towards COVID-19 unless they've a medical or spiritual exemption.

The ordinance sets Sept. 7 as the remaining day to get hold of the primary dose of a two-dose vaccine and Oct. 5 for the 2nd dose with the intention to be in compliance. The remaining day to acquire the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine is Oct. 5.

personnel or contractors employed through the city on or after Oct. 20 may have a clause of their contracts requiring vaccination in the event that they will be doing in-person work.

Petitions for medical or religious exemptions can be evaluated on a case-through-case foundation and those who get hold of exemptions will must have weekly COVID-19 assessments, according to a press release from the workplace of metropolis Council President Nury Martinez.

“we are the biggest enterprise within the city of la and we need to set an example,” Martinez observed. “How can we urge Angelenos to get vaccinated if we won’t demand that of our personal personnel? No resident should still be fearful that the city worker helping them is unvaccinated and might get them ill.”

city employees will even be required to get booster pictures when they become available.

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ST.. LOUIS â€" St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones on Wednesday ordered the metropolis’s employees to be vaccinated towards COVID-19 or bear weekly trying out.

Jones pointed out in an announcement practically 6,000 civil carrier employees may be expected to get the vaccine by means of Oct. 15 or they could be required to post to weekly testing by way of the metropolis’s fitness branch. She spoke of there will be no exceptions from the weekly testing for americans who aren’t totally vaccinated.

“St. Louis is joining the ranks of important public and personal sector employers throughout the country who're requiring vaccination to give protection to public health,” Jones said. “by means of encouraging vaccinations, we assist retain our hospitals operating, protect our children, and save lives.”

The mayor cited a growing variety of instances, especially amongst those 19 and younger, which she talked about comprise essentially a quarter of newly stated COVID-19 instances. She observed infants younger than 10 make up about 12% of all new cases, which is better than at any factor within the pandemic.

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WASHINGTON â€" President Joe Biden said that coronavirus booster photographs may be attainable beginning the week of September 20, pending approval by the FDA.

The pictures should be free and should be offered to americans eight months after they received their 2nd shot of the vaccine, the president observed.

The president downplayed criticism that american citizens can be getting further insurance policy in opposition t COVID-19 while a lot of the world still waits for their first vaccination photographs.

“There’s some world leaders who say america shouldn’t get a third shot unless other nations received their first shot--I disagree,” Biden pointed out in Wednesday remarks at the White condo. “we can deal with the usa and help the area at the same time.”

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. â€" All people at Maryland hospitals and nursing buildings may be required to get vaccinated or publish to general coronavirus trying out, Republican Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday.

The requirement affects the state’s 227 nursing homes and all health facility systems, notwithstanding some of the greatest systems already imposed vaccine mandates.

employees must get their first dose of the vaccine no later than Sept. 1 or bear general screening and trying out for the virus, Hogan referred to.

Nursing homes that don’t comply will face doubled fines, higher civil penalties and more difficult enforcement movements, he referred to.

About two weeks in the past, Hogan announced that state employees at prisons, hospitals and other congregate settings would be required to get vaccinated or get verified continuously.

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OKLAHOMA metropolis - simply sixty one of about 30,000 Oklahoma metropolis public faculty college students have opted out of a newly adopted mask requirement, a district spokeswoman mentioned Wednesday.

Santa Fe South constitution college stated no choose-outs among its about three,600 college students.

each districts introduced protecting policies ultimate week with opt-out options for factors similar to scientific or religious restrictions.

Oklahoma city district spokesperson Crystal Raymond noted district officials declined to invest on why fewer than 1% of students have chosen to opt out as of the end of the day Tuesday.

Santa Fe South Superintendent Chris Brewster referred to more fogeys might also at last choose to exempt their children from protecting, however they at the moment see it as a good suggestion.

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LANSING, Mich. â€" Michigan’s precise doctor referred to Wednesday she had told Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state fitness director that reinstating a masks requirement in ok-12 schools would doubtless diminish the spread of COVID-19, however she delivered there are different elements at play.

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief clinical executive and chief deputy health director, reiterated that she is “concerned” about the coronavirus’ expertise impact on faculties because the delta variant takes grasp.

The state department of health and Human services remaining week strongly suggested conventional covering in colleges despite vaccination fame however stopped wanting requiring it.

Many county fitness departments are recommending masks, however simply three â€" Genesee, Kalamazoo and Allegan â€" have mandated them countywide, principally for ok-6 college students, teachers and staff.

Republican lawmakers closing week warned the health branch in Kent, the state’s fourth-greatest county and home to Grand Rapids, that requiring masks could cost it state funding.