COVID: Children's hospitalizations at record high in US

Health authorities said 1,902 children in the US are hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Saturday, hitting a record high as cases are rising due to the highly infectious delta variant.

The spread is more rampant among the unvaccinated part of the population, straining the hospitals in the southern part of the country. Currently, children under the age of 12 cannot get vaccinated in the US. 

Children make up for 2.4% of current hospitalizations. The state of Florida accounts for a fifth of the nation's hospitalizations, with around 16,100 patients as of Saturday.

Here is a roundup of other coronavirus news from around the world: 

Americas

School district superintendents in the US states of Florida and Arizona implemented mask requirements in defiance of their Republican governors. President Joe Biden congratulated them in a phone call for doing "the right thing."

As in-person classes resume, the requirement of face coverings has become a widely debated topic in the country.

Rock band Foo Fighters, who are holding a concert at Anchorage in Alaska, will ask attendees to present proof of vaccination or a negative RT-PCR test report taken 48 hours before the event, reported The Anchorage Daily.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday that every county in the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts is experiencing high or substantial transmission are rates.

In Canada, thousands protested in Montreal against Quebec's plans to start a 'vaccine passport' from next month. 

Under a new measure introduced by Quebec province, people wanting to dine at a restaurant, attend a festival, go to a bar or exercise at the gym will require proof of vaccination. Demonstrators holding signs saying "Freedom!" and "We are not laboratory rats" called for the rule should be removed, as it forces people to get inoculated. 

Europe

British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said 16 and 17- year-olds in England will be offered their first vaccine dose by August 23. 

"This will make sure everybody has the opportunity to get vital protection before returning to college
or sixth form," said Javid in a statement. 

Protests continued in France  this weekend as over 200,000 marched against the COVID-19 health pass that is already required to enter restaurants, bars and sports arenas or use long-distance trains, planes and buses. The demonstration took place in Paris, where 1,600 police were deployed to control the crowds. 

However, recent polls have shown that most of the French population supports the pass, which shows whether a person is partially or fully vaccinated, tested negative, or have recently recovered from the virus. 

Poland has sold one million BioN-Tech Pfizer doses to Australia as part of a "responsible policy of solidarity," Polish Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said.

Warsaw's vaccine purchases "allow us to meet the needs of our citizens and support others in need," he said.

Oceania

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the country will be acquiring 1 million more doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine from the Polish government.

The doses will target 20 to 39-year-olds, especially in Sydney, as Australia has seen a recent uptick in cases due to the spread of the delta variant. 

The island nation of Fiji will now order unvaccinated public servants to get the coronavirus jab. Employees at private firms could face fines, and companies could be forced to close over vaccine refusals.

The country implemented a "no jab, no job" policy from Sunday, as non-inoculated public servants were forced to go on leave. An outbreak that started in April has put a strain on Fiji's healthcare system, and state authorities are trying to push vaccination numbers. 

jsi, tg/dj (AFP, AP, Reuters)