US vaccinates 70% of adult population amid infection rise

The United States reached President Joe Biden's goal of administering at least one dose to 70% of its adult population on Monday, almost a month late. Authorities are still struggling with anti-vaccination campaigns and misinformation in several regions of the US.

Vaccination numbers are notably low in conservative parts of the country, especially in the South and Midwestern states. 

The White House has yet to reach its other goal of fully vaccinating 165 million adults, which it had also sought to do by July 4, the country's Independence Day. Current numbers are short by about 8.5 million.

Here are other major coronavirus developments from around the world.

Americas

Meanwhile, the US is battling a surge in delta variant infections. New cases have increased by almost six times over the past months, as hospitalizations spike across the country to levels that were seen last summer. 

The director of the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) said hospital admissions had increased 41% and deaths are around 300 per day.

COVID hospitalizations in Louisiana and Florida have peaked, with Florida reporting 10,000 hospitalizations on Sunday alone. 

Brazil reported 15,143 new cases of coronavirus and 389 deaths in the past 24 hours, its lowest death toll for a Monday since December. 

As more Brazilians get vaccinated, the rolling seven-day average for deaths has fallen to almost a third of the 3,000 deaths-per-day figure during the peak of the pandemic, in April. 

Meanwhile, a town in Colombia has ordered nonvaccinated people to stay home or face charges. "We have to take a strong stance as leaders [...] Everyone has to be vaccinated. If not, they cannot circulate in the municipality of Sucre," the town's mayor Elvira Julia Mercado said in a radio interview.

The town of 28,000 has enough doses to vaccinate its entire population. So far, only 10,000 have gotten vaccinated.

Africa

To curb the surge in infections, Morocco plans to prolong its night curfew from Tuesday. The curfew will now start at 9 pm every night.

Business and tourism hubs of Casablanca, Agadir and Marakech will be open only to vaccine pass holders, and those traveling for essential reasons. This move is expected to hurt the tourism sector during the summer season. 

Asia

Authorities in China's city of Wuhan said they would be testing the entire population for COVID-19, as the first local infections were reported in more than a year.

China is currently battling its worst outbreak in months, after having claimed success in beating the virus last year, with more than 400 cases having been reported since mid-July.

A senior city official of Wuhan told AFP news agency that authorities were "swiftly launching comprehensive nucleic acid testing of all residents."

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Tuesday that South Korea had seen its first two cases of the delta variant. 

"The first case was identified in a man in 40s who has no recent travel records," said the agency. An overseas traveler was the second case. 

Thailand extended its lockdown in Bangkok and two dozen other provinces for two weeks. Authorities said rules would be reassessed in mid-August, but said restrictions were unlikely to be lifted until there was an improvement in numbers. 

Restrictions are the most stringent in "dark-red zones," including Bangkok, where residents are not allowed to travel to other parts of the country; also malls, restaurants, and massage parlors are shut. 

Oceania

Australia's Qantas Airlines announced it will furlough around 2,500 workers, as demand for flights has reduced due to regional lockdowns. 

Employees including pilots, cabin crew, and airport staff from Qantas and its low-cost affiliate Jetstar will be asked to take leave without pay for about two months.

"This is clearly the last thing we want to do, but we're now faced with an extended period of reduced flying and that means no work for a number of our people," said CEO Alan Joyce in a statement.

Australia's most populous state New South Wales reported 199 locally acquired COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. The numbers reflect a slight decrease, from 207 the previous day, as the state is facing an outbreak of the highly infectious delta variant. 

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that 70% of the US population has been vaccinated. In fact, 70% of the adult population has been vaccinated.

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