A driver wearing a face mask to help protect from the coronavirus browses his smartphone inside his car against a moral depicting a man receives a COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Shanghai, China, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gestures during her COVID-19 response and vaccine update in Wellington, New Zealand, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. By early next week, New Zealanders should know if their government's strict new lockdown is working to stamp out its first coronavirus outbreak in six months. A successful effort could again make the nation's virus response the envy of the world. (Mark Mitchell/Pool Photo via AP) Ana Aguirre, 50, who said she was experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, waits to get tested for the virus at Families Together of Orange County Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, in Tustin, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Independent miners wearing masks to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, rest during a protest against the government in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. The miners continued their protests for the second day to demand the resignation of the country´s Mining Minister, claiming that the government is not meeting their demands to implement measures to reactivate the sector, which has been severely affected during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Juan Karita) In this Aug. 20, 2021, file photo, two visitors peer into the room of a COVID-19 patient in the intensive care unit at Salem Hospital in Salem, Ore., as a nurse dons full protective gear before going into the room of another patient. Gov. Kate Brown announced Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, that the state has contracted with a medical staffing company to provide up to 500 health care workers to hospitals around the state to help respond to the surge in patients due to the delta variant. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky, File) In this Monday, July 12, 2021 file photo, a medical worker administers a shot of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center in Gostinny Dvor, a huge exhibition place in Moscow, Russia. A senior Russian official says that the country has seen mortality rise at a faster pace last month amid a surge in coronavirus infections. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, who leads the government’s coronavirus task force, told the Tass news agency Friday, Aug. 6, 2021 that Russia saw a 17.9% increase in mortality in July, year-on-year. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File) A nurse prepares the Moderna coronavirus vaccine at the health center in Lagos, Nigeria Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Nigeria has begun the second rollout of COVID-19 vaccines as it aims to protect its population of more than 200 million amid an infection surge in a third wave of the pandemic. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) A girl wearing a mask to help curb the spread of the corona virus runs through a fountain in Beijing, China, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Children wear face masks while attending a social event in Epworth, Harare, in this Friday, June, 11, 2021 photo. Zimbabwe has opened up COVID-19 vaccination to the majority of teen children, while also allowing fully vaccinated people to eat in restaurants as a devastating third wave recedes and previously hesitant people take up jabs in higher numbers.(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi) A healthcare worker shows Maria Rosa Machado her dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine before she is inoculated, on the first day of a vaccination campaign for 17-year-olds, at a vaccination center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado) A woman wearing a face mask to help protect from the coronavirus walks by another browsing her smartphone outside a vaccination center in Shanghai, China, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) People cross nearly empty streets in the central business district of Auckland, New Zealand, Friday Aug. 27, 2021. By early next week, New Zealanders should know if their government's strict new lockdown is working to stamp out its first coronavirus outbreak in six months. A successful effort could again make the nation's virus response the envy of the world. (Michael Craig/NZ Herald via AP) A pulque vendor sells his product aboard a trajinera flat bottom boat in Xochimilco, on the outskirts of Mexico City, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. Pulque is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant traditional in central Mexico, where it has been produced for millennia. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) In this Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, photo, Nāʻālehu Anthony, director of COVID Pau, a collaborative of businesses and nonprofit organizations delivering public health messages during the pandemic, right, speaks Kamehameha Schools Trustee Robert Nobriga in Honolulu. They are among the Native Hawaiians leaders urging Hawaiians to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as Hawaii grapples with a surge in cases, overflowing hospitals, stagnating vaccinations and Hawaiians experiencing a disproportionate share of the suffering (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher) In this photo provided by Kuulei Perreira-Keawekane, she is seen in a selfie from her hospital bed on July 19, 2021, in Hilo, Hawaii. She tested positive for COVID-19, adding to the crisis that Hawaii is experiencing as hospitals are overflowing with a record number of patients, vaccinations are stagnating and Native Hawaiians suffering a disproportionate share of the suffering. (Kuulei Perreira-Keawekane via AP) In this April 3, 2021, file photo, after organizing a prayer rally in front of a magistrate court judge earlier in the day, supporters of Ammon Bundy gather in front of the Ada County Courthouse, to protest Idaho Gov. Brad Little's handling of the coronavirus pandemic in Boise, Idaho Idaho hospital facilities and public health agencies are scrambling to add capacity however they can as the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise statewide. But many Idaho residents don't seem to feel the same urgency. On Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, some Idaho hospitals only narrowly avoided enacting "crisis standards of care," where scarce healthcare resources are allotted to the patients most likely to benefit, thanks in part to statewide coordination. (Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP, File) In this Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, photo Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu chants in Hawaiian during a gathering of Native Hawaiian leaders urging Hawaiians to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear masks in Honolulu. Hawaii is experiencing a COVID-19 surge as hospitals are overflowing, vaccinations are stagnating and Hawaiians experiencing a disproportionate share of the suffering. (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher)
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The Danish government will no longer consider COVID-19 as “a socially critical disease in Denmark,” citing the large number of vaccinations in the Scandinavian country.
“The epidemic is under control. We have record high vaccination rates,” said Health Minister Magnus Heunicke in a statement Friday.
Starting Sept. 10, “We can drop some of the special rules we had to introduce in the fight against COVID-19," he said.
In practice, that will mean partially phasing out vaccination card requirements for some major events, like concerts, and in night clubs. On July 1, Denmark introduced a digital coronavirus passport that had to be shown when required.
“Although we stand in a good spot, we are not out of the epidemic. And the government will not hesitate to act quickly if the pandemic again threatens important functions in our society," he added.
On Thursday, Heunicke said that 80% of all people over the age of 12 in Denmark have been vaccinated. Getting the shot in Denmark is voluntary and is available to people aged 12 years and older.
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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:
— New Zealand wages high-stakes effort to halt virus outbreak
— COVID-19 surge pummels Hawaii and its native population
— More US states seeing record hospitalizations, rising toll on children
— Music industry weighs vaccine mandates, but politics collide
— Models forecast 100,000 more COVID-19 deaths unless US changes its ways
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— Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka has extended its current lockdown until Sept. 6, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the island nation due to the rapid spread of the delta variant.
The current 10-day lockdown was set to end Monday. Sri Lankan health authorities and doctors have lamented that the lockdown hasn't been effective, with many people moving freely on the road and shops remaining opened.
Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella on Friday said the lockdown was extended because people were not adequately adhering to the restrictions.
Sri Lanka is witnessing an unprecedented virus surge, with over 407,000 confirmed cases and 7,948 confirmed deaths as of Thursday. Doctors and trade unions have warned that hospitals and morgues are reaching maximum capacities.
Under the Sri Lanka’s quarantine laws, those who violate quarantine rules could face a penalty of LKR 10,000 ($54), six months’ imprisonment or both.
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HONOLULU — As Hawaii grapples with a surge in COVID-19 cases, record high hospitalizations and stagnant vaccination rates, a public service announcement campaign is recalling a 19th century disease outbreak.
The campaign reminds Native Hawaiians that when Hawaii was a kingdom, its rulers pushed people to get vaccinated against smallpox in the 1850s. The state's indigenous people are being hit hard by the virus.
Hawaii was once seen as a beacon of safety during the pandemic because of stringent travel and quarantine restrictions and overall vaccine acceptance that made it one of the most inoculated states in the country.
But the highly contagious delta variant exploited weaknesses as residents let down their guard and attended family gatherings after months of restrictions.
Some Hawaiians say distrust of government stemming from the U.S.-backed 1893 overthrow of the monarchy is a big reason why vaccination rates are lagging.
A group of businesses and nonprofits launched the public service campaign Thursday that is aimed at reducing vaccine hesitancy among Native Hawaiians.
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand’s government has extended a strict nationwide lockdown through Tuesday as it tries to quash its first outbreak of the coronavirus in six months.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Friday the government expects to keep Auckland, where most of the cases have been found, in full lockdown for at least two more weeks. But she expects most other parts of the country can ease restrictions slightly from Wednesday.
The announcement came as health authorities reported 70 new daily cases, the most yet in the outbreak, which has grown to nearly 350 cases in total. Ardern said there was evidence the lockdown was working and new case numbers were beginning to level off. She said she remained committed to the strategy of eliminating the virus entirely.
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LAS VEGAS -- A man from the Las Vegas area won the $1 million grand prize Thursday to cap an eight-week coronavirus vaccination jackpot program.
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak created the program to boost enthusiasm for COVID-19 shots.
The prize winners were introduced by their first name and last initial at a live event hosted by the governor at the Las Vegas Convention Center and aides at the Sierra Arts Foundation’s Riverside Gallery in Reno.
The program called Vax Nevada Days launched June 17 with $5 million in federal coronavirus relief funds. State health data showed the percentage of vaccinated state residents increased about 10% between the time the prize pool was announced in mid-June and when it ended Thursday.
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A federal prosecutor is accusing Argentine President Alberto Fernández of apparently violating his own pandemic restrictions decree by joining a dozen other people at his wife’s birthday party.
The action by prosecutor Ramiro González means Fernández could face a criminal investigation.
The party was held last year at the presidential residence at a time when the government had banned social gatherings to impede the spread of COVID-19.
Investigators began looking into the case when a photo circulated this month showing Fernández together with his wife Fabiola Yáñez and other unmasked people standing around a table with with remnants of a party.
The government acknowledged that the photograph was taken on July 14, 2020, at a moment when restrictions were in place. The president publicly apologized.
While the president is in no risk of going to prison for such an offense, it has dented his image ahead of November’s legislative elections.
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BOISE, Idaho — Hospital facilities and public health agencies in Idaho are scrambling to add capacity as the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise statewide. But many state residents don’t seem to feel the same urgency.
Volunteers are helping with contract tracing at the Central District Health Department, and health education classrooms are being converted into COVID-19 treatment units in northern Idaho.
On Thursday, some Idaho hospitals only narrowly avoided asking the state to enact “crisis standards of care” — where scarce health care resources are allotted to the patients most likely to benefit — thanks in part to statewide coordination.
Meanwhile, unmasked spectators sat shoulder-to-shoulder in the showing arena at the Western Idaho Fair this week as children maneuvered livestock around the ring. At West Ada School District, Idaho’s largest school district, 21% of students had officially “opted out” of the district’s mask requirement before the first day of school ended on Thursday.
“Our forecast is bad, to put it real bluntly,” said Dr. Frank Johnson, the vice president of medical affairs at St. Luke’s Health System.
Coronavirus-related hospital admissions have been doubling every two weeks since July 24, he said.
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