ANONYMOUS - OUR VOICE

New Zealand Has Highest Jump In Covid Cases Since April 2020

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="New Zealand Has Highest Jump In Covid Cases Since April 2020" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-08/vvjdnnko_new-zealand-covid-cases_625x300_24_August_21.jpeg?im=FaceCrop,algorithm=dnn,width=650,height=400" title="New Zealand Has Highest Jump In Covid Cases Since April 2020" /></div>
People jog past a social distancing sign on the first day of New Zealand's new Covid safety measure.
</div>
Wellington:
New Zealand on Tuesday recorded its highest increase in COVID-19 cases since April 2020, but authorities said the numbers were not rising exponentially and the majority of the cases were still in centred in Auckland where the recent outbreak started.
The South Pacific nation's virus-free run since February ended last week after an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus erupted in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, and quickly spread to the capital Wellington.
Authorities reported 41 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the total number of infections in the country to 148, the Director-General of Health Chief Ashley Bloomfield said at a news conference. That is the most new cases since April 2020, according to a graphic on the Ministry of Health website.
Of the new cases, 38 are in Auckland and three are in Wellington.
"It is reassuring that we are not seeing an exponential increase," Bloomfield said, adding that with most cases being reported in Auckland, it indicated infections were not widespread.
However, the health ministry said in a statement later on Tuesday that it would not be unexpected to see a rise in daily case numbers at this stage of the outbreak and at its peak last year New Zealand had a daily total of 89 new cases.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has garnered global praise for stamping out COVID-19 in the country.
But, her reliance on strict border controls and snap lockdowns that have impacted the economy has been called into question amid the latest outbreak, which has occurred while few people have been vaccinated.
On Monday, Ardern extended the strict level 4 national lockdown by three days until midnight on Aug. 27 while Auckland will have restrictions in place at least until Aug. 31.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the government has enough funds to tackle the latest outbreak and the economy has been "incredibly resilient".
"A strong public health response is still the best economic response," he said in the news conference.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/new-zealand-has-highest-jump-in-covid-cases-since-april-2020-2517196">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/new-zealand-has-highest-jump-in-covid-cases-since-april-2020-2517196</a>

news world New Zealand Has Highest Jump In Covid Cases Since April 2020

People jog past a social distancing sign on the first day of New Zealand's new Covid safety measure. Wellington: New Zealand on Tue...

Vaccinated Getting Covid At Surprisingly High Rate, Scientists Say

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Vaccinated Getting Covid At Surprisingly High Rate, Scientists Say" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-08/sl0maam_customers-at-a-bar-in-us-650_625x300_24_August_21.jpeg" title="Vaccinated Getting Covid At Surprisingly High Rate, Scientists Say" /></div>
Customers at a bar in Detroit, Michigan, US, on Sunday.
</div>
Anecdotes tell us what the data can't: Vaccinated people appear to be getting the coronavirus at a surprisingly high rate. But exactly how often isn't clear, nor is it certain how likely they are to spread the virus to others. 
Though it is evident vaccination still provides powerful protection against the virus, there's growing concern that vaccinated people may be more vulnerable to serious illness than previously thought.
There's a dearth of scientific studies with concrete answers, leaving public policy makers and corporate executives to formulate plans based on fragmented information. While some are renewing mask mandates or delaying office reopenings, others cite the lack of clarity to justify staying the course. It can all feel like a mess.
"We have to be humble about what we do know and what we don't know," said Tom Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the head of the nonprofit Resolve to Save Lives. "There are a few things we can say definitively. One is that this is a hard question to address."
Absent clear public health messaging, vaccinated people are left confused about how to protect themselves. Just how vulnerable they are is a key variable not just for public health officials trying to figure out, say, when booster shots might be needed, but also to inform decisions about whether to roll back reopenings amid a new wave of the virus. On a smaller scale, the unknowns have left music lovers unsure if it's OK to see a concert and prompted a fresh round of hang-wringing among parents pondering what school is going to look like. 
In lieu of answers, what has emerged is a host of case studies providing somewhat different pictures of breakthrough infections. Variables including when the surveys were conducted, whether the delta variant was present, how much of the population was vaccinated and even what the weather was like at the time make it hard to compare results and suss out patterns. It's difficult to know which data might ultimately carry more heft.
"It's quite clear that we have more breakthroughs now," said Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco. "We all know someone who has had one. But we don't have great clinical data."
One of the best known outbreaks among vaccinated people occurred in the small beach town of Provincetown, Massachusetts, as thousands of vaccinated and unvaccinated alike gathered on dance floors and at house parties over the Fourth of July weekend to celebrate the holiday -- and what seemed like a turning point in the pandemic. About three-fourths of the 469 infections were among vaccinated people. 
Authors of a CDC case study said this might mean that they were just as likely to transmit Covid-19 as the unvaccinated. Even so, they cautioned, as more people are vaccinated, it's natural that they would also account for a larger share of Covid-19 infections and this one study was not sufficient to draw any conclusions. The incident prompted the CDC to reverse a recommendation it had issued just a few weeks earlier and once again urge the vaccinated to mask up in certain settings.
Still, the particular details of that cluster of cases may have made that outbreak especially bad, according to Gandhi.
"The rate of mild symptomatic outbreaks in this population was higher because of a lot of indoor activity (including intimacy), rain that weekend, not much outside time and mixture of people with different vaccination status," she said in an email.
A newly released, far larger CDC case study of infections in New York state, meanwhile, found that the number of breakthrough infections has steadily ticked up since May, accounting for almost 4% of cases by mid-July. Those researchers cautioned that factors such as easing public health restrictions and the rise of the highly contagious delta variant might impact the results. 
Yet another CDC case study, in Colorado, found that the breakthrough infection rate in one county, Mesa, was significantly higher than the rest of the state, at 7% versus about 5%. The report suggested it was perhaps because the delta variant was circulating more widely there, but also noted the ages of patients in Mesa and the lower vaccination rate may have played a role.
Research out of Israel seems to back the idea that protection from severe disease wanes in the months after inoculation, and more recently, that breakthrough cases may eventually lead to an uptick in hospitalizations. The information is preliminary and severe breakthrough cases are still rare, but it bolsters the case that some people will need booster shots in coming months.
Case studies and data from some states in the U.S. have similarly shown an increase in breakthrough cases over time. But with the delta variant also on the rise, it's difficult to tell whether waning immunity to any type of coronavirus infection is to blame, or if the vaccinations are particularly ineffective against the delta variant. It could be both, of course. Changing behavior among vaccinated people could be a factor, too, as they return to social gatherings and travel and dining indoors.
All that said, some facts are well established at this point. Vaccinated people infected with the virus are much less likely to need to go to the hospital, much less likely to need intubation and much less likely to die from the illness. There's no doubt that vaccines provide significant protection. But a large proportion of the nation -- almost 30% of U.S. adults -- have not been vaccinated, a fact that has conspired with the highly contagious delta variant to push the country into a new wave of outbreaks. 
"The big picture here is that the vaccines are working and the reason for the spike in the U.S. is we have too little vaccine uptake," Frieden said. 
To a certain extent, breakthrough cases of any virus are expected. In clinical trials, no Covid vaccine was 100% effective -- even the best vaccines never are. The more the virus is in circulation, the greater the risk of breakthrough cases. It's also common for some aspects of viral immunity to naturally wane over time.
<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="6grin9mg" class="lozad" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-08/6grin9mg_graph-650_625x300_24_August_21.jpeg" /></div>
</div>
For the time being, there are simply more questions than answers. Are breakthrough infections ticking up because of the delta variant, waning immunity or a return to normal life? Are vaccinated people more vulnerable to severe illness than previously thought? Just how common are breakthrough infections? It's anyone's guess.
"It is generally the case that we have to make public health decisions based on imperfect data," Frieden said. "But there is just a lot we don't know."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/vaccinated-more-vulnerable-than-previously-thought-what-scientists-say-2517185">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/vaccinated-more-vulnerable-than-previously-thought-what-scientists-say-2517185</a>

news world Vaccinated Getting Covid At Surprisingly High Rate, Scientists Say

Customers at a bar in Detroit, Michigan, US, on Sunday. Anecdotes tell us what the data can't: Vaccinated people appear to be gettin...

US Ramps Up Afghan Evacuations After Taliban Warn Of "Red Line"

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="US Ramps Up Afghan Evacuations After Taliban Warn Of 'Red Line'" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-08/472sgud_kabul-airport_625x300_24_August_21.jpeg?im=FaceCrop,algorithm=dnn,width=650,height=400" title="US Ramps Up Afghan Evacuations After Taliban Warn Of 'Red Line'" /></div>
Taliban Takeover: Around 16,000 people were evacuated over the past 24 hours through the Kabul airport.
</div>
Kabul [Afghanistan]:
US troops led an increasingly desperate effort Tuesday to airlift thousands of people out of Kabul, after the Taliban warned they would allow foreign forces to carry out evacuations for just one more week.
US President <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/joe-biden-expected-to-decide-on-afghanistan-evacuation-deadline-in-24-hours-2517109" target="_self">Joe Biden</a> is under increasing pressure to extend an August 31 deadline to pull out American forces, with Britain to lobby at a virtual G7 summit on Tuesday for a longer presence.
About 50,000 foreigners and Afghans have fled the country from Kabul's airport since the Taliban swept into power 10 days ago.
But crowds continued to mass outside the airport, with Afghans terrified of facing life under the Taliban.
Many fear a repeat of the brutal interpretation of sharia law that the Taliban implemented when first in power from 1996-2001, or retribution for working with the US-backed government over the past two decades.
"The Taliban are the same as they were 20 years ago," Nilofar Bayat, a women's rights activist and former captain of Afghanistan's wheelchair basketball, said after fleeing and arriving in Spain.
"If you see Afghanistan now, it's all men, there are no women because they don't accept woman as part of society."
'Red line'
The Taliban, who ended two decades of war with an astonishingly swift rout of government forces, had been publicly tolerant of the evacuation effort.
But on Monday they described next week's cut-off date as a "red line".
"If the US or UK were to seek additional time to continue evacuations -- the answer is no... there would be consequences," spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Sky News on Monday.
He said any foreign military presence beyond the agreed deadline would be "extending occupation".
The Taliban achieved their stunning victory thanks to Biden's decision to accelerate a deal forged by his predecessor, Donald Trump, to pull out nearly all American troops from Afghanistan. 
However, he was forced to redeploy thousands of troops after the fall of Kabul to oversee the airlift.
Biden and his top aides have repeatedly insisted they are aiming to stick to their August 31 deadline.
"The goal is to get as many people out as fast as possible," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday. 
"The focus is on trying to do this as best we can, by the end of the month."
But European and British leaders are calling for more time.
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Prime Minister Boris Johnson would raise the issue at the G7 virtual summit.
Germany also said it was in talks with NATO allies and the Taliban to keep Kabul's airport open for evacuations beyond August 31, while France said "additional time is needed to complete ongoing operations".
The rush to leave Kabul has sparked harrowing scenes and left at least eight people dead.
Some of have been crushed to death and at least one, a youth football player, died after falling off a plane. 
The German defence ministry said Monday an Afghan soldier was killed and three others wounded in a firefight with unknown assailants.
New government
The Taliban are currently working on forming a government, but two sources within the movement told AFP there would be no announcement on a cabinet until the last US soldier has left Afghanistan. 
The Taliban have repeatedly claimed to be different from their 1990s incarnation, and have declared an amnesty for government forces and officials.
But an intelligence assessment conducted for the United Nations said militants were going door-to-door hunting former government officials and those who worked with US and NATO forces.
In the capital, the former insurgents have enforced some sense of calm, with their fighters patrolling the streets and manning checkpoints.
But they are also intent on quashing the last notable Afghan military resistance to their rule, made up of ex-government forces in the Panjshir Valley, north of the capital.
The Panjshir has long been known as an anti-Taliban bastion. 
One of the leaders of the movement, named the National Resistance Front, is the son of famed anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud.
Another is Amrullah Saleh, a vice president and head of intelligence in the fallen government.
The Taliban have said they have massed forces outside the valley, but would prefer a negotiated end to the stand off. 
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-ramps-up-afghan-evacuations-after-taliban-warn-of-red-line-2517178">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-ramps-up-afghan-evacuations-after-taliban-warn-of-red-line-2517178</a>

news world US Ramps Up Afghan Evacuations After Taliban Warn Of "Red Line"

Taliban Takeover: Around 16,000 people were evacuated over the past 24 hours through the Kabul airport. Kabul [Afghanistan]: US troops ...

Afghan Pop Star Aryana Sayeed Blames Pak For Taliban Takeover, Says India "True Friend"

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Afghan Pop Star Aryana Sayeed Blames Pak For Taliban Takeover, Says India 'True Friend'" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-08/9urgvncc_aryana-sayeed-insta_625x300_24_August_21.jpg" title="Afghan Pop Star Aryana Sayeed Blames Pak For Taliban Takeover, Says India 'True Friend'" /></div>
Aryana Sayeed claimed that Taliban terrorists are being instructed and trained by Pakistan
</div>
New Delhi:
Afghanistan's famous pop star, Aryana Sayeed, who escaped from the Taliban after the takeover of Kabul, has blamed Pakistan for empowering the terrorist outfit and expressed her utmost gratitude to India for helping Afghans during the ongoing crisis.
"I do blame Pakistan. Over the years, we have seen videos, seen evidence that Pakistan is behind empowering the Taliban. Every time our government touches the Taliban they see identification and it would see a Pakistani person, so it's very obvious that I blame them and hope that they back off and don't interfere in politics in Afghanistan anymore," said Afghanistan's pop star Aryana Sayeed in an exclusive interview with ANI from an undisclosed location.
She also claimed that the Taliban terrorists are being instructed and trained by Pakistan.
"They are being instructed by Pakistan, their bases are in Pakistan where they get their training. I hope the international community, first of all, cut off their funds and don't offer funds to Pakistan for funding the Taliban," said Sayeed.
Moreover, she urged the international community to sit down and find a solution to bring peace to Afghanistan. "I hope they can put pressure on Pakistan. I believe that we're dealing with all these issues in Afghanistan because of Pakistan," she added.
Meanwhile, she praised the Indian government's efforts in Afghanistan and termed India as "true friend".
"India has always been good to us. They have been a true friend, they've been very helpful and kind to our people, even refugees. Afghans who have been in India before have always spoken highly of the nation, its people. We are grateful to India," she added.
"On behalf of Afghanistan, I want to express my utmost gratitude to India and I want to say thank you. Over the years we've realised that the only good friend in the neighborhood we have is, India," she said.
Aryana Sayeed in 2015, sang at a stadium, breaking three taboos: Singing as a woman; Not wearing hijab; and entering a stadium as a woman, which was forbidden under the Taliban.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/afghan-pop-star-aryana-sayeed-blames-pak-for-empowering-taliban-terms-india-true-friend-2517171">https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/afghan-pop-star-aryana-sayeed-blames-pak-for-empowering-taliban-terms-india-true-friend-2517171</a>

news world Afghan Pop Star Aryana Sayeed Blames Pak For Taliban Takeover, Says India "True Friend"

Aryana Sayeed claimed that Taliban terrorists are being instructed and trained by Pakistan New Delhi: Afghanistan's famous pop star...

US Ramps Up Kabul Evacuation Efforts As August 31 Deadline Nears

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="US Ramps Up Kabul Evacuation Efforts As August 31 Deadline Nears" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-08/d32efcso_a-family-walks-towards-a-us-air-force-boeing-during-an-evacuation-at-hamid-karzai-international-airport-650_625x300_24_August_21.jpeg?im=FitAndFill,algorithm=dnn,width=650,height=400" title="US Ramps Up Kabul Evacuation Efforts As August 31 Deadline Nears" /></div>
A family walks towards a US Air Force Boeing during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
</div>
Washington:
The US military shuttled thousands more people through the Kabul airport over the past 12 hours, a White House official said Monday, as Washington attempts to complete a daring airlift by an August 31 deadline for troops to leave Afghanistan.
Over 10,000 people were evacuated from Hamid Karzai International Airport in the 12 hours up until 3:00 pm Monday (1900 GMT), the official said, updating figures given earlier in the day at the Pentagon. 
The number of people relocated from Afghanistan on US flights since July is now 53,000, with the vast majority of those since the intense airlift operations started on August 14 as the Taliban moved into Kabul.
Earlier, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said those evacuated included "several thousand" US citizens and thousands of Afghans who worked for US forces who had applied for or received special immigrant visas.
Also on the flights are Afghans seen as at risk of Taliban attacks for their work in non-governmental organizations, the media, and other jobs.
Kirby said the focus remains on getting US evacuation operations done by the August 31 deadline that President Joe Biden has set for completing the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
That would also require withdrawing the 5,800 US troops who have essentially run airport operations and maintained security since August 14, as well as large amounts of equipment brought in to support their mission.
German, British and French officials said Monday that evacuations on their part could continue after August 31, and said they want the US force to stay in place to help the international airlift.
Leaders of the G7 group of wealthy nations will meet virtually to discuss the situation in Afghanistan on Tuesday.
"Whether or not the US can be persuaded to stay is a matter for the prime minister (Boris Johnson) tomorrow in the G7 meeting," British armed forces minister James Heappey told Sky News.
Britain currently chairs the G7, which also comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.
Race against time
Kirby did not categorically rule out Washington extending the deadline, although the Taliban have said they will hold the United States to it.
"The goal is to get as many people out as fast as possible," Kirby said. "The focus is on trying to do this as best we can, by the end of the month."
At the White House, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan deferred questions on extending the US pullout deadline to the G7 talks on Tuesday, saying the White House is taking the situation "day by day."
He said Biden had already spoken with Johnson on Monday.
"We remain in close touch with allies and partners to coordinate the evacuation of their own citizens and their priority personnel," Sullivan said.
"We believe that we have time between now and the 31st to get out any American who wants to get out."
But after a closed-door congressional briefing Monday evening, House Intelligence Committee chairman Representative Adam Schiff told reporters the deadline for US forces to leave was less certain.
"I think it's possible (for the evacuation to finish by August 31), but I think it's very unlikely given the number of Americans who still need to be evacuated," Schiff said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-ramps-up-kabul-evacuation-efforts-as-august-31-deadline-looms-2517121">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-ramps-up-kabul-evacuation-efforts-as-august-31-deadline-looms-2517121</a>

news world US Ramps Up Kabul Evacuation Efforts As August 31 Deadline Nears

A family walks towards a US Air Force Boeing during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport. Washington: The US military sh...

Watch: CNN Host Shocked Conservative NFL Legend Brett Favre Supports Vaccine Choice

Retired superstar NFL quarterback Brett Favre was ambushed by CNN last week during an appearance to discuss the health hazards of young children playing tackle football.
Switching the topic from youth tackle football, CNN anchor Kate Bolduan asked Favre why some athletes are not getting vaccinated.
Bolduan mentioned Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins as one example of a player who is refusing the jab.
“Why do you think there is still a struggle among some athletes, especially when people look to them as role models when it comes to the Covid vaccine?” she asked Favre.
<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"></figure>
“Well, there’s a great deal of uncertainty,” the Packers great said. “You hear one thing one day and you hear something totally different the next. So, we’re sort of the human trials if you will and I think some people feel are frightened by that and the conflicting info that we’re all getting.”
Responding with a confused look on her face, Bolduan shamelessly hawked the shots, claiming, “But there isn’t really conflicting info that the vaccine is safe, effective and needed and is a public health matter.”
“Would you urge your current players to be getting a vaccine, I mean, have you been vaccinated?” the CNN host awkwardly asked.
<div class="gBMcoxeH"><a href="https://www.infowarsstore.com/vitamin-mineral-fusion?ims=gkiko&utm_campaign=vmfhero&utm_source=Infowars+Hero&utm_medium=banner&utm_content=vmfhero" target="_blank"><img src="https://api.directus.libertycdn.com/uploads/_/originals/Hero-5.png" /></a></div>
Smart enough to avoid a storm of haters judging his personal decisions, Favre told Bolduan, “I’d rather not say one way or the other, but I think it’s not my place to say, ‘Get the vaccine or don’t get the vaccine,’ I think that’s a matter of choice by all individuals and that’s why we live in America.”
Failing to understand Favre’s common sense approach, Bolduan asked, “You yourself, you don’t want to say, which I respect, but you don’t trust the vaccines?”
After putting words into the Hall of Fame football player’s mouth, the CNN anchor patronized him by saying, “The advice of every health official from the top down, from local doctors to the government to the best scientists in America and beyond have said that coronavirus vaccines are safe and the only way to make it out of this pandemic.”
These blindside reporting tactics are one of the many reasons many people don’t want to do interviews with mainstream media outlets and why so many citizens don’t trust them.
<hr class="wp-block-separator" />
Owen Shroyer gives an update about the NFL’s new vaccine policy.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.infowars.com/posts/watch-cnn-host-shocked-conservative-nfl-legend-brett-favre-supports-vaccine-choice">https://www.infowars.com/posts/watch-cnn-host-shocked-conservative-nfl-legend-brett-favre-supports-vaccine-choice</a>

news Watch: CNN Host Shocked Conservative NFL Legend Brett Favre Supports Vaccine Choice

Retired superstar NFL quarterback Brett Favre was ambushed by CNN last week during an appearance to discuss the health hazards of young chi...