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The latest:
In Europe, Ukraine’s Ministry of Health on Saturday reported a one-day record of 793 deaths from COVID-19.
Ukraine has been inundated by coronavirus infections in recent weeks, putting the country’s underfunded medical system under severe strain.
The ministry said 25,063 new infections had been tallied over the past day; a record 27,377 were reported on Thursday.
Although four different COVID-19 vaccines are available in Ukraine, only 17.9 per cent of the country’s 41 million people have been fully vaccinated, the second-lowest rate in Europe after Armenia.
In a bid to stem contagion, Ukrainian authorities have required teachers, government employees and other workers to get fully vaccinated by Monday or face having their salary suspended. In addition, proof of vaccination or a negative test is now required to board planes, trains and long-distance buses. Earlier this week, protesters marched in the capital of Kyiv to decry the new restrictions.
Ukraine has registered more than three million infection cases overall and 71,635 virus-related deaths. Ukraine also borders Russia, which has seen new records weekly since mid-September in the number of daily COVID-19 deaths and infections.
On Saturday, Russia’s national coronavirus task force reported 41,335 new cases since the previous day, exceeding the previous daily record of 40,993 from Oct. 31. The task force said 1,188 people with COVID-19 died, just seven fewer than the daily death record reported Thursday.
Like in Ukraine, officials cite Russia’s low vaccination rate as a major factor in the sharp rise in cases that began in mid-September. The task force reported about 57.2 million full-course vaccinations, or less than 40 per cent of the country’s 146 million people.
Last month, President Vladimir Putin ordered many Russians to stay off work between Oct. 30 and Nov. 7. He authorized regional governments to extend the number of non-working days, if necessary.
Several regions — including Novgorod in the northwest, Tomsk in Siberia, the Chelyabinsk region in the Ural Mountains and Kursk and Bryansk regions southwest of Moscow — have extended the non-working period through the end of next week.
Russia has recorded more than 8.75 million confirmed virus cases and 245,635 deaths in the pandemic, according to the national task force, which counts only deaths directly attributed to the virus.
Figures from the state statistical service, which also counts deaths in which the virus was a contributing factor or was suspected but not confirmed, indicate its impact is significantly more severe; its most recent report tallied about 462,000 virus-connected deaths through the end of September.
What’s happening across Canada
- Epidemiologist warns testing delays in northern B.C. likely contributing to spread.
- At least 13 restaurants in Alta. penalized for not screening for vaccine status.
- Sask. still has country’s highest COVID-19 death rate, 5th wave a possibility: officials.
- ANALYSIS | New Man. premier faces test as cases mount in south.
- ‘Widespread community transmission’ in Whitehorse, officials say.
What’s happening around the world
As of Saturday, more than 249.2 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker. The reported global death toll stood at more than five million.
In Asia-Pacific, Australia reached a full inoculation rate of 80 per cent of those aged 16 and older, a number Prime Minister Scott Morrison called a “magnificent milestone” on the path to becoming one of the world’s most vaccinated countries against COVID-19.
In the Americas, Chile’s presidential candidates had to host news conferences from home and cancel travel plans as five out of seven candidates were forced to isolate for a week after left-wing hopeful Gabriel Boric tested positive for COVID-19.
In Africa, more than 8.5 million cases have so far been confirmed across the continent, along with more than 218,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization Africa Region. South Africa leads the continent on both counts, with more than 2.9 million cases and 89,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.