The Latest: Britain 5th nation to reach 60,000 virus deaths

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Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a news conference on the ongoing situation with the coronavirus pandemic, at Downing Street in London, Wednesday Dec. 2, 2020. British regulators have become the first nation to authorize use of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by drugmaker Pfizer and BioNTech, and the U.K. has put in orders for 40 million doses, enough to inoculate 20 million people. (John Sibley/Pool via AP)

LONDON — The United Kingdom has become the fifth country to officially record more than 60,000 coronavirus-related deaths.

That news comes just three weeks after reaching 50,000. The British government reported another 414 deaths, taking the confirmed total to 60,113.

The U.K, which has the highest virus-related death toll in Europe, joins the United States (274,000) Brazil (174,000), India (138,000) and Mexico (107,000) in reporting more than 60,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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The U.K.’s actual death toll is widely considered much higher because it only counts those who tested positive for the virus and doesn’t include those who died of COVID-19-related symptoms after 28 days.

England lifted its lockdown Wednesday amid evidence that new cases are falling. However, restrictions remain in most parts of the country, along with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— U.S. reaches daily records with more than 3,100 deaths and 100,000 hospitalizations; tops 200,000 daily cases

— Russia vaccine available at 70 facilities in Moscow; hits record 28,145 daily cases

— Getting vaccine to right people could change course of pandemic in U.S.

— Britain is 5th nation to reach 60,000 coronavirus deaths

— Facebook says it will remove misinformation about coronavirus vaccines

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Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

MILAN — Italy recorded a pandemic-high 993 deaths in the last 24 hours.

That tops the previous high of 969 during the deadly peak in March. The number of new daily coronavirus cases reached 23,225 on Thursday, falling after three tiers of regional restrictions put in a month ago.

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Health officials say Italy’s rate of transmission has dropped below 1% nationally.

The government is set to announce new restrictions for the holidays, including keeping ski areas closed and banning travel between regions from Dec. 21 through Jan. 6.

Italy has registered 1.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases. The nation’s total death toll is 58,038, second in Europe after Britain.

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WASHINGTON — Three former presidents say they’d publicly take a coronavirus vaccine, once one becomes available, to encourage all Americans to get inoculated.

Barack Obama said during an episode Thursday of SiriusXM’s “The Joe Madison Show” that he may be filmed getting vaccinated, “just so that people know that I trust this science.”

A spokesman for Bill Clinton suggested similar. George W. Bush’s chief of staff told CNN that Bush was ready to do similar. Those comments come as the coronavirus surges nationwide and even though potential vaccines may not be widely available for months.

The coronavirus has killed more than 273,000 Americans and infected nearly 14 million people nationwide.

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MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s president says he plans to give the military a role in distributing coronavirus vaccines, which he says U.S. President Donald Trump helped him get after a meeting in Washington in July.

López Obrador suggested Mexico will wait until U.S. regulators approve the Pfizer vaccine later this month before giving it the go-ahead in Mexico.

On Wednesday, Mexico’s Health Department signed a contract for 34.4 million doses and hopes to get 250,000 doses in December. Each person requires two doses.

The president says the government is discussing with “the army and the navy, and we are defining the whole operation” to distribute the vaccine. López Obrador has given the military an unprecedented array of responsibilities in his two years in office, including distributing medical supplies and guarding hospitals.

Mexico has registered 1.1 million confirmed cases and 107,500 confirmed deaths, the fourth-highest death toll in the world. However, there’s little testing and health officials estimate the actual death toll is likely closer to 150,000.

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ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s prime minister spoke with Britain’s Prince Charles on Thursday, asking for international cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus.

According to a government statement, Imran Khan also conveyed in a phone call his condolences to Prince Charles “on the loss of precious lives in the UK due to Covid-19.” Britain reached 60,000 deaths on Thursday.

It quoted Khan as saying Pakistan had been able to “mitigate the deleterious impacts of Covid-19 on health and economy” through various measures. The development comes hours after Pakistan reported 39 deaths and 3,499 confirmed cases, one of the highest single-day infections in recent months.

Pakistan has imposed partial lockdown in high-risk areas across the country to contain the spread of the virus, which has killed 8,205 people and infected 406,810 since February.

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NEW YORK — The U.S. has reached daily coronavirus records with more than 3,100 deaths and 100,000 hospitalizations

New cases have topped 200,000 a day, according to figures released Thursday. The three benchmarks show a country slipping deeper into crisis, with perhaps the worst yet to come. Millions of Americans disregarded warnings to stay home over Thanksgiving and celebrate only with members of their household.

The U.S. recorded 3,157 deaths on Wednesday, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. That’s more than the number of people killed on 9/11. It shattered the old mark of 2,603, set on April 15, when the New York metropolitan area was the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak.

The number of people hospitalized doubled in the past month and confirmed daily cases climbed over 200,000 for the second time in less than a week. That’s left health care workers short-handed and burned out.

The U.S. leads the world with nearly 14 million confirmed cases and more than 273,000 deaths.

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LONDON — Facebook says it will start removing false claims about coronavirus vaccines, in its latest move to counter a tide of online misinformation.

The social network says it will take down any Facebook or Instagram posts with false information about the vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts.

The U.S. tech giant is taking action as some potential vaccines have received emergency approval and are set to be rolled out. Facebook says it’s applying a policy to remove virus misinformation that could lead to “imminent physical harm.” Posts that fall afoul of the policy could include phony claims about vaccine safety, efficacy, ingredients or side effects.

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s governor announced stricter measures to fight the coronavirus, including a lockdown on Sundays and the closure of all marinas.

The U.S. territory is grappling with an increase in cases and deaths. Gov. Wanda Vázquez is tightened an ongoing curfew, with businesses ordered closed at 8:30 p.m. and a curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. except for essential workers and those delivering food until 11 p.m.

Only gas stations, pharmacies and hardware stores will be open on Sundays, although restaurants can offer delivery or carry-out. Alcohol sales will be banned from Saturdays at 5 a.m. until Mondays at 5 a.m.

The new measures run from Dec. 7 to Jan. 7, the height of the island’s holiday and tourism season. Beaches will remain closed except for exercise.

The island of 3.2 million people has more than 52,000 confirmed cases and more than 1,150 deaths.

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MOSCOW — Russia’s coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V will be available for people in high-risk groups at 70 medical facilities in Moscow starting on Saturday.

According to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, those working in education and medical facilities, along with municipal workers, can get the shots. The vaccine will be offered to people ages 18 to 60 who don’t suffer from chronic illnesses and to women who aren’t pregnant or breastfeeding.

The advanced trial of the vaccine is still ongoing, but the shots had already been offered to people from high-risk groups, such as medical workers and teachers.

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered the government to start “large-scale” vaccination in Russia by the end of next week, with medical workers and teachers the first in line. The statement came hours after Britain became the first country in the West to authorize the use of a vaccine against the coronavirus developed by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech.

Russia touted its domestically developed vaccine, Sputnik V, as the world’s “first registered COVID-19 vaccine” after the government gave it regulatory approval in early August. The vaccine received the go-ahead after having been tested on only several dozen people, which drew considerable criticism at home and abroad.

Health experts say the vaccine needs to complete advanced studies among tens of thousands of people to ensure their safety and effectiveness. Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said Wednesday that more than 100,000 people in Russia have been given the shots.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to visit Memphis on Thursday to discuss the development and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines, according to his office.

Memphis is home to shipping giant FedEx, which is helping in the national vaccine distribution. Pence will participate in an afternoon discussion, which will include Republican Gov. Bill Lee.

Tennessee health officials say the state is expecting to receive 56,550 doses of the potential Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in its first allocation in mid-December.

Tennessee has nearly 878 new cases per 100,000 people in the past two weeks. That ranks 24th in the country for new cases per capita, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The state has confirmed 4,638 coronavirus-related deaths.

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WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Navajo Nation health officials reported 310 new coronavirus cases and two more deaths on Wednesday.

The vast reservation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Tribal health officials say 166,517 people have been tested.

Residents remain under a stay-at-home order, with an exception for essential workers and essential needs like food, medication and emergencies. Essential businesses also have been ordered to limit hours to 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. daily. A mask requirement has been in place for much of the year.

Tribal officials say the Navajo Nation has 17,035 confirmed cases and 658 confirmed deaths since the start of the pandemic.

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LISBON, Portugal — Health experts in Portugal say hospitalizations have leveled off but remain high.

Portugal’s 14-day cumulative coronavirus cases per 100,000 people is 684, according to the European Centre for Disease Control. That’s a key metric in measuring the pandemic’s spread. Portugal is eighth among 31 European countries tallied by the EU agency.

The nation of 10 million people has confirmed nearly 304,000 cases and more than 4,600 deaths. Health officials estimate about two-thirds of infections occur in family gatherings.

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BERLIN — The World Health Organization’s Europe director says people must remain vigilant and keep taking basic precautions ahead of the prospect of a coronavirus vaccine.

Dr. Hans Kluge says, “the virus still has the potential to do enormous damage unless we do everything in our power to stop its spread.” He adds the promise of vaccines is “phenomenal” and it’s essential for countries to have a distribution plan.

He notes in the beginning, vaccine supplies will be limited and “it is imperative that we continue to practice basic protective behaviors such as mask-wearing.”

Europe has had a surge of infections this fall, with many countries imposing new shutdowns. Kluge says while the number of new cases reported in Europe declined for the third consecutive week, the region still accounts for 40% of new global cases.

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THESSSALONIKI, Greece — A pandemic-hit city in northern Greece says it's scrapping plans to set up Christmas decorations and a nativity scene this year to donate the money to the local hospital's intensive care ward.

“We have decided to use the funds to pay for two additional ICU spaces, three medical monitors, and 1,000 protective suits for medical staff,” the mayor of Serres, Alekos Chrysafis, told The Associated Press.

Cities in northern Greece have been the hardest hit by the pandemic. The daily number of cases in the country’s second-largest city, Thessaloniki, remains higher than those reported in greater Athens — an area with a population three times larger.

Greece on Thursday extended a nationwide lockdown by another week, through Dec. 14.

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TOKYO — Osaka issued a coronavirus alert, urging the residents to stay home as much as possible until mid-December because of a resurgence of the infections and hospitalizations.

“Our medical systems are in an emergency,” Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said. “We have to act now, or we won’t be able to save lives that can be saved.”

Osaka reported 386 new cases Thursday for a total of 21,404 and 341 deaths. With overcrowding hospitals, some patients were sent to neighboring areas for treatment.

Infections have been rising, including the Tokyo region, Aichi, Hokkaido and Osaka. Those areas have issued requests for bars to close early in exchange for compensation.

Nationwide, Japan has 153,000 confirmed cases and more than 2,200 deaths, according to the health ministry.

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MOSCOW — Coronavirus infections in Russia hit a record 28,145 confirmed cases on Thursday.

It’s the highest daily spike in the pandemic and an increase of 2,800 cases from the previous day. Russia’s total cases — nearly 2.4 million — remains the world’s fourth-highest. The government coronavirus task force has reported 41,607 deaths in the pandemic.

The country has been swept by a rapid resurgence of the outbreak this fall, with numbers of confirmed infections and deaths regularly hitting new highs and significantly exceeding those reported in the spring. The country’s authorities have resisted imposing a second nationwide lockdown or a widespread closure of businesses. Virus-related restrictions vary from region to region but are largely mild.

This week officials in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city and one of the hardest-hit cities in the country, announced additional restrictions in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.

Local authorities ordered restaurants, cafes and bars to close between Dec. 30 and Jan. 3, and museums, theaters, concert halls and exhibition spaces to shut down for the duration of the New Year holidays between Dec. 30 and Jan. 10. Restaurants, cafes and bars must close by 7 p.m. from Dec. 25 to Dec. 29 and again from Jan. 4 to Jan. 10.

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NAIROBI, Kenya — Africa’s top public health official says 60% of the continent’s population needs to be vaccinated against the coronavirus in the next two to three years.

The director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong, says if it takes four to five years, “the virus will be endemic in our communities.”

Concerns are growing that the continent of 1.3 billion people will be near the end of the line in obtaining doses. Nkengasong isn’t sure whether vaccines will be available in Africa before the second quarter of next year.

He says the 60% vaccination target is needed to achieve herd immunity in Africa’s 54 countries. He stressed the challenges ahead, saying “the continent as a whole has never vaccinated 200 million people in one year,” a reference to the goal of reaching 20% of the population by the end of next year.

The continent has close to 2.2 million confirmed virus cases.

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BERLIN — The head of Germany’s disease control agency has slammed people who fail to respect pandemic restrictions as the number of cases in the country stagnates.

“The situation is still very tense,” Lothar Wieler of the Robert Koch Institute said Thursday. “Too many people are still getting infected.”

His agency reported 22,046 confirmed infections in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of known cases to more than 1.1 million. Wieler appealed to people to respect social distancing and hygiene rules.

Wieler says authorities are again seeing large outbreaks in nursing homes. Almost 480 deaths from the coronavirus were reported in the past day, taking the confirmed total to 17,602.

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