The Latest: New Zealand vows to react fast if delta arrives

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand’s authorities is informing its citizens to beryllium prepared for a strict lockdown astatine the archetypal motion of an outbreak of the delta variant of the coronavirus.

COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the government’s effect is apt to beryllium “swift and severe.”

New Zealand has stamped retired the dispersed of the microorganism and had antecedently planned to trust chiefly connected interaction tracing for immoderate tiny outbreaks.

But Hipkins said the problems that Sydney presently faces successful trying to interaction hint a increasing outbreak showed the delta variant was highly hard to negociate and that New Zealand’s tolerance for hazard was present precise low.

He besides hinted that New Zealand mightiness soon mandate much disguise usage during outbreaks and alteration its strategy connected administering 2nd doses of the Pfizer vaccine to guarantee much radical got a archetypal dose earlier, saying the details connected the changes would beryllium announced soon.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

— In Iran, dilatory vaccinations sow choler successful unending pandemic

— US hospitals are moving debased connected nurses arsenic they get swamped with COVID-19 patients

— Pandemic prompts changes successful however future teachers successful US are trained

— Some US entertainment venues whitethorn necessitate vaccine passports for summertime fun

— 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:

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, has extended its lockdown successful a bid to stamp retired an outbreak of COVID-19, portion authorities successful Sydney accidental they are considering easing restrictions for vaccinated residents contempt the delta variant continuing to spread.

Australian cities person utilized lockdowns to successfully extremity coronavirus outbreaks passim the pandemic. But the highly contagious delta variant poses caller challenges.

Melbourne’s lockdown volition beryllium extended for a 2nd week until the extremity of Aug. 19, the Victoria authorities authorities said Wednesday arsenic it reported 20 caller infections.

The New South Wales authorities authorities reported 344 caller infections and said immoderate lockdown restrictions could beryllium eased for vaccinated Sydney residents from September.

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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s regular summation successful coronavirus infections has exceeded 2,000 for the archetypal clip since the commencement of the pandemic, continuing an alarming dispersed contempt the enforcement of strict microorganism restrictions successful ample colonisation centers.

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Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol connected Wednesday pleaded for radical to enactment location during the vacation interruption astir Liberation Day connected Friday. He said that “in our combat against COVID-19, we are entering a caller phase, a caller crisis.”

Officials said much than 1,400 of the 2,223 caller cases are successful the Seoul metropolitan region. Kwon says transmissions are besides spreading astatine faster speeds successful different parts of the country.

South Korea has truthful acold administered archetypal doses of coronavirus vaccine to 42% of a colonisation of much than 51 million.

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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is ordering that students and employees successful the state’s schools deterioration masks indoors, arsenic the fast-spreading delta variant of the coronavirus brings much infections and hospitalizations.

Beshear’s enforcement bid issued Tuesday applies to everyone successful Kentucky schools for kindergarten done 12th grade, careless of vaccination status. He says the request besides applies to kid attraction and pre-kindergarten programs.

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The politician says that “we are to the constituent wherever we cannot let our kids to spell into these buildings unprotected, unvaccinated and look this delta variant.”

Beshear said helium wants to debar schools shutting down in-person teaching and shifted to distant learning arsenic occurred earlier successful the pandemic. The fig of children infected with the microorganism has risen sharply, and children nether property 12 aren’t eligible for the vaccines.

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HOUSTON — The latest question of coronavirus infections successful Texas continues to taxation the state’s wellness attraction systems arsenic wellness officials study that 10,000 radical are hospitalized with COVID-19 for the archetypal clip since aboriginal February.

State wellness officials reported Tuesday that 10,041 infirmary patients successful Texas were sick with COVID-19 arsenic of Monday. That is the astir since 10,259 COVID-19 hospitalizations were reported Feb. 4.

Meantime, a authorities territory justice successful San Antonio granted a impermanent restraining bid to let the governments of San Antonio and Bexar County to necessitate nationalist schoolhouse students to deterioration masks successful people and to quarantine unvaccinated students exposed to the virus.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.