Russia COVID-19 Deaths Pass 700,000, News Agency Says
Ethiopia receives more than a million COVID vaccine doses from US
New data from Russia’s Rosstat state statistics service show the nation’s COVID-19 deaths passed 700,000 Friday, the Reuters news agency reported. Russia’s state coronavirus task force has reported more than 11.5 million confirmed cases and 329,443 deaths in the country, by far the largest death toll in Europe. But the Rosstat statistics agency uses broader counting criteria and puts the death toll much higher. It said the overall number of virus-linked deaths between April 2020 and October 2021 was more than 625,000. Rosstat reported Friday that 54,630 people had died from COVID-19 or related causes in December, after monthly coronavirus deaths hit a record of nearly 90,000 in November. Reuters calculated that Russia's overall pandemic death toll reached 701,703 Friday, based on Rosstat figures from the end of December and data from the coronavirus task force for January. Russia’s coronavirus task force reported a record 98,040 new daily infections Friday, a new record for the eighth consecutive day. Meanwhile, as of Friday, residents in Spain's northeastern Catalonia region will no longer be required to present a so-called COVID-19 passport or proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, bars and gyms. Earlier in the week, the regional government also eliminated the 10-person capacity limits for bars and restaurants. The government said the restrictions were either ineffective or no longer necessary. Meanwhile, the White House coronavirus task force said Friday that the U.S. this week had hit a milestone in its global effort to donate COVID-19 vaccines to the world. The nation has now shipped 400 million doses vaccine to 112 countries, it said. In a statement from its Twitter account, the task force said the U.S. had donated four times more doses to the world than any other country. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that a third primary shot of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for immunocompromised people could significantly reduce their need for hospitalization. The CDC said the recommendation of a third shot, not a booster, was the result of a study of immunocompromised people in which the third shot proved to be about 88% effective against hospitalization. The two-shot regime proved to be 69% effective in avoiding hospitalization among that group. The government authorized the third shots of Pfizer or Moderna for people with compromised immune systems in August. Later, in October, regulators said the immunocompromised who had gotten their third shots would be eligible for boosters early this year for even more protection. However, that information has not trickled down to all health facilities and people have reported that they have been turned away at some hospitals and pharmacies.