The Latest: Israel expands booster shots to 12 and older

JERUSALEM -- Israel has expanded its coronavirus booster changeable programme to see anyone implicit 12.

The decision, approved Sunday, is the latest signifier of a booster programme that began past period with Israelis implicit 60. It was expanded successful phases implicit respective weeks to radical successful their 50s, 40s and 30s. Some 2 cardinal radical — much than 20% of the country’s astir 9 cardinal radical — person received a 3rd dose.

Israel was 1 of the archetypal countries to vaccinate its colonisation aboriginal this year, allowing the authorities to driblet astir each restrictions connected nationalist activities. But it present has 1 of the world’s highest rates of corruption owed to the accelerated dispersed of the delta variant, adjacent among the vaccinated, and has reinstated disguise mandates and limits connected assemblage sizes.

Israel approved the booster programme aft experts concluded the vaccine’s effectiveness wanes implicit time. It is present offering boosters to anyone vaccinated implicit 5 months ago. Early information has indicated that the booster is slowing the dispersed of the delta variant and preventing superior unwellness among the vaccinated.

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“The 3rd vaccination works,” said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett arsenic helium appealed to the nationalist to get vaccinated. “There are already results: The summation successful terrible morbidity has begun to slow. However, the highest of the run is yet earlier us.”

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

__ Louisiana hospitals are packed with COVID-19 patients, fearfulness the accomplishment of Hurricane Ida

— Croatia thrilled astatine summertime tourism play success contempt COVID-19

— Russia’s virus-related deaths deed grounds of implicit 50,000 successful July

— Once a beacon of safety, Hawaii is seeing a surge of coronavirus cases driven by delta variant

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— U.S. quality agencies stay divided connected the origins of the coronavirus

— U.S. conflict implicit masks successful schools has shifted from schoolhouse boards to courts

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— Find much AP sum astatine https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana hospitals already packed with patients from the latest coronavirus surge are present bracing for a almighty Category 4 hurricane, which is expected to clang ashore aboriginal Sunday.

“Once again we find ourselves dealing with a earthy catastrophe successful the midst of a pandemic,” said Jennifer Avegno, the apical wellness authoritative for New Orleans. She called connected residents to “prepare for both.”

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Hurricane Ida is forecast to slam into the authorities precocious Sunday on the Louisiana coast. It is expected to beryllium astatine Category 4 spot astatine landfall with fierce winds up to 150 mph (240 kph).

The tempest comes arsenic hospitals and their intensive attraction units are already filled with patients from the 4th surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, this 1 sparked by the highly contagious delta variant and debased vaccination rates statewide.

Gov. John Bel Edwards said evacuation of hospitals successful threatened areas is thing that would usually beryllium considered nether different scenarios, but it’s impractical arsenic COVID-19 patients capable beds successful Louisiana and elsewhere.

“That isn’t possible. We don’t person immoderate spot to bring those patients. Not successful state, not retired of state,” Edwards explained.

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TEHRAN, Iran — The constabulary main for Iran’s superior says a pack of thieves has robbed scores of COVID-19 vaccines aft attacking a hired car carrying the doses, media reported.

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The robbery comes arsenic Iran, with implicit 106,000 virus-related deaths, has the highest decease toll successful the Mideast but lone 8% of its radical are afloat vaccinated.

Tehran constabulary main Hossein Rahimi said robbers attacked and seized 300 vaccines aft a courier work near a Health Ministry aesculapian retention installation southbound of the capital.

He did not accidental which vaccine was stolen. Iran mostly uses the Chinese-made Sinopharm, though it besides has utilized immoderate Russian made Sputnik-V, AstraZeneca and its ain home CovBarekat vaccine.

On Sunday, Iran registered 581 regular deaths and much than 31,000 caller cases. Last week connected Tuesday, Iran deed a grounds of 709 patients dying successful a azygous day.

The state is struggling done a 5th question of the illness driven by the highly contagious delta variant.

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DUBROVNIK, Croatia — Summer tourism has exceeded adjacent the astir optimistic expectations successful Croatia this year. Beaches on the country’s Adriatic Sea coastline are swarming with people.

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Guided tours are afloat booked, restaurants are packed and sailboats were chartered good successful advance.

Croatia’s tourism manufacture was caught by surprise. There had been fearfulness that the coronavirus pandemic would discourage radical from traveling.

A circuit usher successful the confederate metropolis of Dubrovnik that is known for its Old Town and nightlife and is Croatia’s astir fashionable destination said this week that “it’s astir similar 2020 ne'er happened.”

The occurrence of the summertime play is indispensable to Croatia’s economy, which is among the weakest successful the European Union.

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TOKYO — Japan’s curate successful complaint of the vaccine rollout has committedness a timely administering of booster shots for the coronavirus arsenic the federation aims to afloat vaccinate its colonisation by October oregon November.

Taro Kono said Pfizer and Moderna booster shots volition get aboriginal adjacent twelvemonth successful clip for aesculapian workers and the elderly, who were prioritized and mostly got their 2nd shots by July.

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“Japan is aiming for 80% vaccination levels,” Kono said connected a nationally broadcast Fuji TV show.

A integer strategy for impervious of vaccination volition beryllium disposable aboriginal this year, helium added.

Japan has lagged among developed nations connected vaccinations, with its afloat vaccinated present astatine astir 43%.

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WASHINGTON — The rancorous statement implicit whether returning students should deterioration masks successful the schoolroom has moved from schoolhouse boards to courtrooms.

In astatine slightest 14 states, lawsuits person been filed either for oregon against masks successful schools. In immoderate cases, usually rule-enforcing schoolhouse administrators are uncovering themselves warring authorities leaders.

Legal experts accidental that portion authorities laws usually trump section control, ineligible arguments from disguise proponents person a bully accidental of coming retired connected top. But amid protests and adjacent unit implicit masks astir the United States, the tribunal conflict is conscionable beginning.

Mask rules successful nationalist schools alteration widely. Some states necessitate them; others prohibition mandates. Many much permission it up to idiosyncratic districts.

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Big schoolhouse districts that privation to necessitate masks are successful tribunal and battling governors successful Florida, Texas and Arizona. Worried parents are suing implicit akin legislative bans connected mandates successful Utah, Iowa and South Carolina.

Lawsuits warring disguise requirements person popped up successful Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky and Montana.

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HONOLULU — Kuulei Perreira-Keawekane could hardly respire erstwhile she went to a Hawaii exigency room. Nausea made it hard for her to basal and her assemblage throbbed with pain.

Like galore Native Hawaiians, she was not vaccinated against COVID-19.

Perreira-Keawekane’s concern highlights the COVID-19 situation that is gripping Hawaii arsenic hospitals are overflowing with a grounds fig of patients, vaccinations are stagnating and Hawaiians are experiencing a disproportionate stock of the suffering.

Hawaii was erstwhile seen arsenic a beacon of information during the pandemic due to the fact that of stringent question and quarantine restrictions and wide vaccine acceptance that made it 1 of the astir inoculated states successful the country. But the highly contagious delta variant exploited weaknesses arsenic residents fto down their defender and attended household gatherings aft months of restrictions and vaccine hesitancy lingered successful immoderate Hawaiian communities.

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On Friday, the authorities reported a grounds precocious 1,035 recently confirmed cases.

Now the politician is urging tourists to enactment distant and residents to bounds travel, and leaders are re-imposing caps connected sizes of societal gatherings. And successful an effort to code vaccine hesitancy, businesses and nonprofits launched a nationalist work run aimed astatine Native Hawaiians, galore of whom harbor a heavy distrust of the government.

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BEND, Oregon — Oregon’s exigency absorption section says the U.S. state’s decease toll from COVID-19 is climbing truthful rapidly that 2 counties person requested refrigerated trucks to clasp the bodies.

Department spokeswoman Bobbi Doan said Saturday that Tillamook and Josephine person requested the trucks.

Tillamook County Emergency Director Gordon McCraw wrote successful his petition to the authorities that the county’s sole ceremonial location “is present consistently astatine oregon exceeding their capacity” of 9 bodies. He added that microorganism cases among unit person made them incapable to transport bodies to different counties.

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The refrigerated motortruck arrived successful the region connected Friday. Doan said that it was loaned by Klamath County.

The Tillamook County Board of Commissioners says determination were six COVID-19 deaths successful the region from Aug. 18 to Aug. 23. The fig surpassed the 5 full COVID-19 deaths that occurred during the archetypal 18 months of the pandemic.

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WASHINGTON — U.S. quality agencies stay divided connected the origins of the coronavirus but judge China’s leaders did not cognize astir the microorganism earlier the commencement of the planetary pandemic, according to results released Friday of a reappraisal ordered by President Joe Biden.

According to an unclassified summary, 4 members of the U.S. quality assemblage accidental with debased assurance that the microorganism was initially transmitted from an carnal to a human. A 5th quality bureau believes with mean assurance that the archetypal quality corruption was linked to a lab. Analysts bash not judge the microorganism was developed arsenic a bioweapon and astir agencies judge the microorganism was not genetically engineered.

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The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Friday that China “continues to hinder the planetary investigation, defy sharing accusation and blasted different countries, including the United States.” Reaching a decision astir what caused the microorganism apt requires China’s cooperation, the bureau said.

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LAS VEGAS — A Las Vegas infirmary has opened a session to supply ongoing attraction to radical with semipermanent aesculapian complications from COVID-19.

University Medical Center said its session is the archetypal of its benignant successful Nevada and volition besides assistance patients enroll successful objective trials for caller therapies to dainty semipermanent symptoms, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Long-term symptoms see bosom and lung conditions, symptom and cognitive impairment.

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