• ScienceModern crocodile’s ‘grandfather,’ 150 million years old, discovered in Chile fossil

  

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Miami, FL, July 22, 2021 – Interval International, a prominent worldwide provider of vacation services, announces the affiliation of Taino Beach Resort and Clubs in The Bahamas. The beachfront property is located on Grand Bahama Island, just 55 miles east of Florida, and is surrounded by clear blue waters, powder-white sand beaches, and lush tropical landscaping.

TAINO BEACH RESORT AND CLUBS IN THE BAHAMAS SIGNS EXCLUSIVE, MULTI-YEAR Interval International, a prominent worldwide provider of vacation services, announces the affiliation of Taino Beach Resort and Clubs in The Bahamas. The beachfront property is located on Grand Bahama Island, just 55 miles east of Florida, and is surrounded by clear blue waters, powder-white sand beaches, and lush tropical landscaping.

“We are delighted to establish a long-term business relationship with such a dedicated group of industry professionals. Our team is always looking for ways to enhance our product offering and we chose Interval because of its steadfast commitment to excellence over the past 45 years,” said Soren Petersen, president of Taino Beach Limited, the developer of the property. “Our respective companies share a dedication to exceeding consumer expectations. Interval’s exchange network and industry-leading benefits and services will greatly assist us in fulfilling that promise for years to come.” “Taino Beach Resort and Clubs’ founder Arne Petersen played a significant role in the growth of the shared ownership industry in The Bahamas and was a driving force in the development of the current timeshare legislation,” said Marcos Agostini, Interval’s senior vice president of global business development.

“The resort has evolved into one of the largest vacation ownership operations in the market with a long track record of success. We are honored to serve as the company’s exclusive exchange provider and to support its business goals.” Situated on Freeport’s southeastern coastline, the property consists of 157 units, divided into three different phases, The Marlin, The Ocean, and The Coral. The resort offers high-quality accommodations, excellent service, and warm hospitality, for all types of travel parties, from singles and couples to families. -more- TAINO BEACH RESORT AND CLUBS IN THE BAHAMAS SIGNS EXCLUSIVE, MULTIYEAR AFFILIATION AGREEMENT WITH INTERVAL INTERNATIONAL – Page 2 Guests have access to a wide range of amenities and activities on the property, including a spectacular two-mile beach; a full-service signature restaurant open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; gift shop; tennis court; and an expansive 720,000-gallon free-form pool with a waterslide, waterfalls and caves, a lazy river, and a grotto swim up bar. At the on-site water sports center, outdoor enthusiasts can rent wave runners, kayaks, and paddleboats, bicycles and scooters, or book deep-sea fishing trips, glass-bottom boat tours, swimming with dolphins’ experiences, or sunset cruises.

Visitors to Freeport can enjoy rich Bahamian culinary experiences and choose from a variety of restaurants located in the vicinity of the resort. They can also take a ferry boat to bustling Port Lucaya Marketplace, the largest shopping, dining, and entertainment center on Grand Bahama. New purchasers at Taino Beach Resort and Clubs will be enrolled as Club Interval Gold® members, entitling them to exchange through Interval by depositing their week or converting it to points for maximum exchange flexibility.

As Club Interval Gold members they will also have access to a number of upgraded benefits and services that they can enjoy yearround, including Interval Options®, the ability to exchange their resort week or points toward a cruise, hotel, tour, spa vacation, or unique Interval Experiences adventure; ShortStay Exchange®; Golf Connection for access to select private courses; VIP treatment with Dining Connection; City Guides for insider advice; Hertz Gold Plus Rewards® membership, which gives them the opportunity to earn bonus points for up to two free weekend rental days; discounts on Getaway vacation rentals; online hotel discounts; dining and leisure discounts powered by Entertainment®; and VIP ConciergeSM, for personal assistance 24/7.

About Interval International Interval International operates membership programs for vacationers and provides valueadded services to its developer clients worldwide. Based in Miami, Florida, the company has been a pioneer and innovator in serving the vacation ownership market since 1976. Today, Interval’s exchange network comprises nearly 3,200 resorts in over 80 nations. Through offices in 13 countries, Interval offers high-quality products and benefits to resort clients and more than 1.7 million families who are enrolled in various membership programs. CONTACT: Beatrice de Peyrecave, 305.925.7032 Be******************@**********tl.com

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By Sir Ronald Sanders

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States.   He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto.  The views expressed are entirely his own)  

CARICOM should be proud of the success of a Caribbean woman who was at the center of the effort to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Dominican born Dr Carissa Etienne, the Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), deserves the greatest admiration and respect of all the 37 nations of Latin America and the Caribbean that she and her team piloted through the impact of the pandemic.

It was good to see her being praised, at a meeting of the OAS Permanent Council on July 21, by the Secretary-General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, and many delegations that spoke at a special session of the Organization’s Permanent Council.

The meeting was called to discuss the implementation of a resolution on “The Equitable Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccines” that Antigua and Barbuda had drafted and negotiated to adoption in February 2021.   It was not called to focus on the outstanding role of the Director.  But, it was inevitable that she would be singled out, for without the guidance, technical expertise and provision of equipment to 37 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, COVID-19 would have infected many more than the millions that it has.  It would also have killed more than the hundreds of thousands that it did.

It is not often that the competence of a woman is complemented and even more rare if the woman is black.  But it happened on July 21.

In my own remarks at the meeting, I stated the countries of the Caribbean were greatly aided by the guidance provided by PAHO experts and by the medical equipment the organization supplied.

In truth, the majority of countries in the world were ill-prepared for a pandemic of any kind, let alone one that moved with the swiftness and deadly impact of COVID-19.

The figures, given by Dr Etienne at the meeting underscored the unpreparedness of all our countries. Seventy-five million cases in our hemisphere and 2 million deaths are frightening figures and evidences the fact that our region was one of the worst affected in the world.

While progress has undoubtedly been made in the production of several vaccines that can help to suppress and contain the virus, much of the world, including many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean remain deprived of much needed vaccines.

CARICOM countries and other developing nations ought not to have been placed in the untenable situation in which they have to beg for vaccines to save their people from the deathly coronavirus.

This point was emphasized by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda, E Paul ‘Chet’ Greene at the meeting. He said, “If this pandemic has taught the world a single salutary lesson, it is that humanity should never again experience conditions in which a few countries use their wealth to purchase almost all the vaccines produced, leaving the majority of nations in dire straits”.

“While we are grateful that countries, such as the United States, are making quantities of their oversupply available to nations in need, the point is that this situation should not have occurred. Nations ought not to have to plead for vaccines to save the lives of their people, or to spare their economies the harmful impact of a pandemic”

Developing countries are forced to beg for vaccines because of two circumstances.   First, a few rich countries purchased more than 70 per cent of the total vaccines produced by the major pharmaceutical companies.  In some cases, these countries bought as much as three times the quantity of vaccines needed to vaccinate all their people.  They left the rest of the world floundering.

Second, while vaccines against this lethal virus and its variants should have been a global good, available to all mankind, it became a commodity to be sold on commercial terms to the largest and richest purchasers, ignoring the needs of many citizens of our one planet.  The pharmaceutical companies left people quite literally dying for vaccines.

Conscious that the populations of Caribbean countries are too small to allow them to bargain effectively for supplies of the vaccines at an affordable price, Dr Etienne and her team at PAHO have again taken up cudgels on behalf of the Caribbean and other deprived countries in Latin America.

Through its Revolving Fund for Access to Vaccines, which can buy in much larger quantities than individual countries, PAHO has engaged various manufacturers, whose COVID-19 vaccines have been approved by the World Health Organization, to negotiate supply, delivery and costs.  PAHO’s success would provide more vaccines on a reliable and predictable basis to Caribbean countries.

PAHO believes that these negotiations are close to completion and vaccines could be available by the last quarter of 2021.

The Caribbean and Latin America owe much to the dedication and resourcefulness of PAHO – and particularly to the black, Caribbean woman at the center of its operations – Dr  Carissa F. Etienne.

Responses and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.com  

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RIO DE JANEIRO, July 22 (Reuters) – Brazil’s political leaders lined up on Thursday to stress next year’s presidential election is certain to take place, after a bombshell newspaper report that Brazil’s defense minister had issued a threat about holding the highly polarized vote.

The Estado de S. Paulo story landed at a fraught time in Brazil, amid repeated – and unfounded – allegations by President Jair Bolsonaro that the country’s electronic voting system is vulnerable to fraud.

With his popularity falling after overseeing the world’s second deadliest coronavirus outbreak, the far-right former army captain is pushing to replace the system with printed ballots, but the bill has not gained much traction in Congress.

Critics allege that Bolsonaro, like his idol, former U.S. President Donald Trump, is sowing election doubts to pave the way for him not to accept any loss. Opinion polls show he trails former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, although neither of them has officially announced their candidacy yet.

In its story, Estado de S. Paulo reported that Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto, a former army general, had told powerful House Speaker Arthur Lira via an interlocutor that the 2022 election would not take place unless printed ballots were used. Reuters was unable to independently verify the story, which cited anonymous sources.

Both Lira and Braga Netto denied the report.

Lira, who serves as a crucial bulwark against the multiple impeachment proceedings Bolsonaro faces, tweeted that Brazilians will vote next year in a “secret and sovereign” election.

His Senate counterpart Rodrigo Pacheco also assured Brazilians that the 2022 election will take place, either with printed or electronic ballots.

Brazil’s vice president, former army general Hamilton Mourao, said it was “logical” the vote would take place.

“Who’s going to prohibit an election in Brazil?” he said. “We’re not a banana republic.”

Braga Netto, speaking at an event in Brasilia, said the armed forces were committed to democracy and freedom.

In a statement released by the Defense Ministry, Braga Netto said “the discussion about auditable electronic voting through printed proof is legitimate,” adding that he believed “all citizens desire the utmost transparency and legitimacy” in the electoral process.

Bolsonaro, speaking in a weekly live video address on social media, declined to address the allegations in the story, referring people to the Defense Ministry statement. He said there needed to be elections but said they must be clean and transparent for people to have faith in the result.

The Estado de S. Paulo defended its reporting.

Joao Caminoto, director of news for the media group that runs the paper, tweeted: “I consider it important to reaffirm in full the contents of the published report.”

ELECTION THREATS

Bolsonaro has said he may not accept the result of an election using electronic voting in 2022.

“There will be printed ballots, because if there are no printed ballots, this is a sign that there will be no election. The message is clear,” Bolsonaro said earlier this month.

The news story resonated in Brazil, where an anti-communist coup in 1964 led to 21 years of military rule.

Bolsonaro has stocked his administration with current and former military officials. Many in Brazil wonder what path the armed forces, who bristled under leftist Lula governments, would take if the president were to reject the elections results.

“In a democracy, it is not the military who decides if there will or will not be an election but the constitution which they have sworn to defend and obey,” said lawmaker Marcelo Ramos, vice-president of the lower house, in a note.

Brazil’s electoral court has repeatedly denied that the system is vulnerable to fraud or that there is evidence of fraud in previous elections, and Bolsonaro has yet to provide proof to back up his claims.

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As Tokyo Games open, can Olympic flame burn away the funk?

TOKYO (AP) — Disputed, locked down and running a year late, the Tokyo Games begin at last on Friday night, a multinational showcase of the finest athletes of a world fragmented by disease — and an event steeped in the political and medical baggage of…Read More

To reach a peace deal, Taliban say Afghan president must go

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Pelosi says ‘deadly serious’ Jan. 6 probe to go without GOP

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The Covid-19 cases associated with the Tokyo Olympics breached the 100-mark on Friday with the announcement of 19 new infections and the Czech contingent seemed among the worst hit after a fourth athlete — road cyclist Michal Schlegel — tested positive for the virus.

The worrying milestone was touched on the day the Games will officially open here with a ceremony to be attended by less than 1,000 dignitaries and sans any spectators. (Tokyo 2020 Full Coverage)

The organisers, in their daily Covid-19 update, announced that three athletes, 10 Games-concerned personnel, three mediapersons and as many contractors associated with the event have been found positive.

The total number of cases directly linked to the Games stood at 106 on Friday with 11 of them athletes.

The Czech contingent reported its sixth overall case even as it investigated breach of health safety protocols while travelling to Japan.

“The fourth athlete and the sixth Czech member of the team, who did not avoid a positive test for Covid-19 at the Tokyo Olympics, is road cyclist Michal Schlegel,” the country’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) stated.

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Pfizer vaccine second dose has ‘sweet spot’ after eight weeks, UK scientists say

Longer schedule led to more Covid antibodies and higher proportion of helper T-cells, supporting immune memory – researchers

• See all our coronavirus coverage

Press Association

An eight-week gap between the first and second doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is a “sweet spot” when it comes to generating strong immune response while protecting the UK population against the Delta variant of coronavirus, scientists have said.

In a study funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), researchers have found that when compared with a four-week gap, a 10-week interval between the doses produces higher antibody levels, as well as a higher proportion of a group of infection-fighting cells in the body known as “helper” T-cells.

At the start of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) made a decision to recommend a 12-week gap between two doses for the two vaccines that were available at the time: Pfizer and Oxford/AstraZeneca.

US officials call for more data on vaccine boosters as Pfizer pushes for third shot

This was at a time when vaccines were in short supply and preliminary research suggested that widening the gap from the manufacturer-recommended four weeks to 12 increased the immune response.

But in May the guidance was changed to eight weeks as cases associated with the Delta variant continued to rise in the UK.

Prof Susanna Duanchie, of the University of Oxford, who is the joint chief investigator in the study, known as Pitch, said: “The original recommendation from JCVI was 12 weeks and this was based on a lot of knowledge from other vaccines that often having a longer interval [between doses] gives your immune system a chance to make the highest response.

“The decision to put it to eight weeks is really balancing all the wider issues, the pros and cons – two doses is better than one overall.

“Also, other factors need to be balanced, [such as] vaccine supply, the desire to open up, and so on.”

She added: “I think that eight weeks is about the sweet spot for me, because people do want to get the two vaccine [doses] and there is a lot of Delta out there right now.

“Unfortunately, I can’t see this virus disappearing so you want to balance that against getting the best protection that you can.”

For the Pitch study, the researchers recruited 503 healthcare workers, 44% (223) of whom previously had Covid-19, and studied the immune responses generated by the Pfizer jab.

They found that both short (three to four-week) and long (10-week) dosing intervals of the Pfizer vaccine generated strong antibody and T-cell immune responses.

But the longer schedule led to higher antibody levels and a higher proportion of helper T-cells, which according to the researchers supports immune memory.

The scientists found that after the second dose, a wider gap also resulted in higher neutralising antibody levels against the Delta variant and all other variants of concern.

But in this instance antibody levels dropped off between first and second dose – leaving the recipients vulnerable against the Delta variant after one jab.

However, Dr Rebecca Payne, one of the study authors from Newcastle University, said that the cellular response from T-cells remained consistent across both long and short dosing schedules, “indicating they may contribute to important protection against Sars-CoV-2 during this time”.

Payne said: “After the second dose on the longer dosing schedule, antibody levels surpassed those seen at the same timepoint after a shorter dosing interval.

“Although T-cell levels were comparatively lower, the profile of T-cells present suggested more support of immune memory and antibody generation.”

The researchers said there may be exceptions where the dosing schedule may need to be shortened from eight weeks to four, such as for those who are about to have treatments that may affect the immune system, such as cancer or organ transplant.

Dr Lance Turtle, of the University of Liverpool, who specialises in T-cell studies, said: “I would then say they should be vaccinated as soon as possible.”

The vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “As we raced to offer a vaccine to all adults, we took the JCVI’s advice to shorten the dosing interval from 12 to eight weeks to help protect more people against the Delta variant.

“This latest study provides further evidence that this interval results in a strong immune response and supports our decision.

“I urge every adult to get both doses of the vaccine to protect yourself and those around you and we are looking to offer millions of the most vulnerable a booster jab from September to ensure this protection is maintained.”

============================================

WORLD STATS

Coronavirus Cases:

193,531,729

view by country

Deaths:

4,154,305

Recovered:

175,820,481

		Total Cases	New Cases	Total Deaths	New Deaths	Total Recovered	New Recovered	Active Cases	Serious, Critical	Tot Cases/ 1M pop	Deaths/ 1M pop	Total Tests	Tests/ 1M pop	Population
	World	193,531,729	+156,030	4,154,305	+3,315	175,820,481	+107,415	13,556,943	82,504	24,828	533.0
1	USA	35,213,594		626,172		29,478,173		5,109,249	6,607	105,730	1,880	520,411,488	1,562,559	333,050,797
2	India	31,293,062	+1,358	419,502		30,468,079	+7,775	405,481	8,944	22,443	301	452,939,545	324,849	1,394,309,103
3	Brazil	19,524,092		547,134		18,259,711		717,247	8,318	91,169	2,555	54,786,381	255,828	214,153,392
4	Russia	6,078,522	+23,811	152,296	+795	5,450,004	+22,547	476,222	2,300	41,634	1,043	161,400,000	1,105,475	146,000,561
5	France	5,933,510		111,565		5,669,083		152,862	868	90,690	1,705	99,605,085	1,522,408	65,426,028
6	UK	5,602,321		128,980		4,427,533		1,045,808	647	82,070	1,889	236,677,745	3,467,178	68,262,351
7	Turkey	5,563,903		50,761		5,405,339		107,803	543	65,231	595	65,698,849	770,248	85,295,702
8	Argentina	4,812,351		103,074		4,447,953		261,324	4,532	105,457	2,259	18,608,333	407,782	45,633,094
9	Colombia	4,692,570		117,836		4,449,027		125,707	8,155	91,198	2,290	21,876,392	425,159	51,454,592
10	Italy	4,302,393		127,920		4,119,607		54,866	158	71,270	2,119	75,555,223	1,251,580	60,367,884
11	Spain	4,249,258		81,194		3,681,125		486,939	1,240	90,847	1,736	55,184,196	1,179,807	46,773,907
12	Germany	3,758,406		91,990		3,643,300	+700	23,116	354	44,707	1,094	65,845,568	783,253	84,066,782
13	Iran	3,623,840		88,063		3,204,136		331,641	4,628	42,570	1,035	25,332,080	297,585	85,125,665
14	Indonesia	3,082,410	+49,071	80,598	+1,566	2,431,911	+38,988	569,901		11,145	291	24,388,300	88,180	276,572,580
15	Poland	2,881,948	+108	75,235	+4	2,653,172	+84	153,541	52	76,236	1,990	18,265,699	483,184	37,802,815
16	Mexico	2,709,739	+16,244	237,626	+419	2,112,815		359,298	4,798	20,786	1,823	8,095,331	62,099	130,360,752
17	South Africa	2,342,330		68,625		2,109,820		163,885	546	38,976	1,142	14,425,215	240,034	60,096,588
18	Ukraine	2,247,419	+763	52,811	+21	2,183,642	+639	10,966	177	51,717	1,215	11,239,813	258,649	43,455,925
19	Peru	2,099,522		195,547		N/A	N/A	N/A	1,951	62,755	5,845	15,169,438	453,419	33,455,656
20	Netherlands	1,827,273		17,789		1,662,439		147,045	102	106,392	1,036	15,472,423	900,874	17,174,907
21	Czechia	1,672,140	+197	30,347		1,638,606	+6	3,187	6	155,838	2,828	32,033,742	2,985,448	10,729,961
22	Chile	1,604,713		34,792		1,558,669		11,252	1,845	83,192	1,804	18,165,048	941,719	19,289,254
23	Philippines	1,537,097	+6,845	26,891		1,455,137	+2,330	55,069	2,031	13,833	242	16,187,587	145,680	111,117,599
24	Iraq	1,526,943		18,101		1,386,331		122,511	732	37,088	440	12,652,043	307,303	41,171,248
25	Canada	1,425,097		26,526		1,394,060		4,511	244	37,413	696	38,054,565	999,040	38,091,128
26	Bangladesh	1,140,200		18,685		969,610		151,905	1,384	6,851	112	7,376,374	44,324	166,419,228
27	Belgium	1,112,161	+1,751	25,217	+2	1,054,202		32,742	85	95,523	2,166	16,729,624	1,436,900	11,642,862
28	Sweden	1,096,341		14,615		1,073,980		7,746	25	107,847	1,438	11,231,122	1,104,804	10,165,710
29	Romania	1,081,953		34,264		1,047,000		689	33	56,641	1,794	10,310,079	539,739	19,101,972
30	Pakistan	1,000,034	+1,425	22,939	+11	923,472	+543	53,623	2,525	4,437	102	15,584,899	69,142	225,404,255
31	Malaysia	980,491	+15,573	7,718	+144	825,387	+10,094	147,386	939	29,890	235	16,846,976	513,582	32,802,919
32	Portugal	943,244		17,248		873,008		52,988	178	92,791	1,697	14,684,117	1,444,536	10,165,286
33	Israel	856,986		6,457		840,712		9,817	75	91,892	692	16,058,930	1,721,953	9,326,000
34	Japan	852,517		15,097		806,202		31,218	392	6,762	120	17,760,540	140,881	126,067,237
35	Hungary	809,101	+85	30,020		745,277	+563	33,804	9	83,980	3,116	6,284,811	652,328	9,634,427
36	Jordan	763,106		9,929		745,551		7,626	496	74,017	963	8,292,733	804,345	10,309,925
37	Serbia	719,462		7,095		709,704		2,663	11	82,695	816	4,591,257	527,721	8,700,167
38	Switzerland	711,877		10,903		691,224		9,750	27	81,624	1,250	8,875,596	1,017,682	8,721,388
39	Nepal	676,708	+1,982	9,679	+18	639,368	+1,678	27,661		22,794	326	3,517,889	118,494	29,688,277
40	UAE	667,080		1,910		644,753		20,417		66,599	191	63,613,255	6,350,956	10,016,328
41	Austria	655,197		10,730		640,202		4,265	26	72,313	1,184	63,257,889	6,981,625	9,060,625
42	Morocco	567,758		9,517		538,370		19,871	298	15,192	255	7,272,264	194,593	37,371,613
43	Tunisia	558,306		18,052		453,865		86,389	630	46,724	1,511	2,135,283	178,700	11,948,986
44	Lebanon	552,871		7,889		535,663		9,319	54	81,387	1,161	4,731,376	696,494	6,793,132
45	Kazakhstan	516,117	+6,119	5,244	+64	441,437	+2,427	69,436	221	27,145	276	11,575,012	608,782	19,013,391
46	Saudi Arabia	514,446		8,130		495,650		10,666	1,362	14,539	230	24,105,282	681,234	35,384,744
47	Ecuador	479,784		30,777		443,880		5,127	759	26,766	1,717	1,623,084	90,548	17,925,168
48	Greece	469,042		12,851		422,175		34,016	126	45,234	1,239	11,996,902	1,156,972	10,369,227
49	Thailand	467,707	+14,575	3,811	+114	320,152	+7,775	143,744	3,984	6,683	54	8,129,670	116,163	69,984,915
50	Bolivia	466,318	+967	17,576	+30	396,914	+1,561	51,828	200	39,382	1,484	2,010,216	169,771	11,840,755
51	Paraguay	447,864		14,501		408,973		24,390	423	61,989	2,007	1,644,783	227,656	7,224,860
52	Belarus	437,664		3,365		431,489		2,810		46,333	356	7,151,228	757,061	9,446,039
53	Panama	426,849		6,730		407,055		13,064	133	97,315	1,534	3,268,714	745,213	4,386,282
54	Bulgaria	423,440		18,189		397,900		7,351	81	61,429	2,639	3,485,391	505,633	6,893,120
55	Georgia	398,081	+2,460	5,656	+20	370,565	+1,082	21,860		99,993	1,421	6,481,930	1,628,186	3,981,075
56	Costa Rica	397,469		4,933		321,048		71,488	363	77,281	959	1,686,460	327,903	5,143,170
57	Slovakia	392,259	+40	12,534		379,318	+39	407	9	71,810	2,295	3,087,364	565,199	5,462,435
58	Kuwait	389,868		2,264		372,358		15,246	316	89,892	522	3,289,685	758,502	4,337,084
59	Uruguay	379,911		5,913		370,711		3,287	89	108,968	1,696	2,990,908	857,869	3,486,439
60	Croatia	362,129		8,245		352,966		918	14	88,790	2,022	2,231,458	547,128	4,078,496
61	Guatemala	344,221		10,029		299,752		34,440	5	18,847	549	1,768,248	96,815	18,264,267
62	Azerbaijan	339,274		4,999		331,629		2,646		33,147	488	3,943,568	385,282	10,235,548
63	Dominican Republic	338,902		3,931		287,607		47,364	246	30,914	359	1,808,633	164,982	10,962,598
64	Palestine	315,876		3,591		310,961		1,324	11	60,443	687	1,959,271	374,905	5,226,043
65	Denmark	309,420		2,542		295,176		11,702	13	53,222	437	74,452,907	12,806,381	5,813,735
66	Cuba	308,599		2,137		270,757		35,705	322	27,263	189	6,048,002	534,308	11,319,312
67	Venezuela	296,863		3,443		280,269		13,151	424	10,471	121	3,359,014	118,480	28,350,786
68	Sri Lanka	291,298		3,959		264,755		22,584		13,544	184	4,217,630	196,096	21,508,020
69	Ireland	289,139		5,026		264,469		19,644	23	57,875	1,006	4,729,538	946,680	4,995,922
70	Oman	289,042		3,498		263,752		21,792	444	55,129	667	1,550,000	295,630	5,243,040
71	Honduras	285,375	+1,188	7,558	+23	97,200	+361	180,617	677	28,338	751	855,408	84,942	10,070,461
72	Egypt	283,906		16,470		226,535		40,901	90	2,720	158	3,068,679	29,403	104,365,057
73	Lithuania	280,541	+233	4,409		268,521	+54	7,611	14	104,599	1,644	3,942,004	1,469,760	2,682,074
74	Ethiopia	278,105		4,363		262,692		11,050	160	2,358	37	2,970,769	25,186	117,955,131
75	Bahrain	268,225		1,381		266,036		808	9	152,094	783	5,321,957	3,017,749	1,763,552
76	Slovenia	258,525	+58	4,426		253,281	+81	818	8	124,336	2,129	1,380,745	664,062	2,079,240
77	Moldova	258,365		6,236		251,242		887	57	64,205	1,550	1,365,069	339,227	4,024,055
78	Myanmar	253,364		6,133		173,926		73,305		4,624	112	3,035,676	55,401	54,794,625
79	Armenia	228,382	+221	4,579	+4	218,796	+120	5,007		76,920	1,542	1,293,032	435,497	2,969,092
80	Libya	227,433		3,322		184,852		39,259		32,632	477	1,220,557	175,123	6,969,721
81	Qatar	224,834		600		222,600		1,634	31	80,075	214	2,285,390	813,942	2,807,805
82	Bosnia and Herzegovina	205,384		9,673		188,330		7,381		63,016	2,968	1,058,585	324,795	3,259,239
83	Kenya	195,111		3,826		184,461		6,824	120	3,546	70	2,074,610	37,709	55,016,435
84	Zambia	189,731		3,196		177,419		9,116	689	10,026	169	2,036,666	107,621	18,924,383
85	S. Korea	185,733	+1,630	2,066	+3	164,206	+1,133	19,461	227	3,619	40	11,388,305	221,926	51,315,788
86	Nigeria	170,306		2,130		164,772		3,404	11	805	10	2,401,894	11,356	211,506,909
87	Algeria	158,213		4,008		108,537		45,668	46	3,541	90	230,861	5,166	44,684,288
88	North Macedonia	155,981		5,489		150,251		241		74,873	2,635	941,178	451,776	2,083,284
89	Kyrgyzstan	155,005	+1,127	2,227	+10	132,138	+1,396	20,640	195	23,353	336	1,477,824	222,647	6,637,506
90	Mongolia	153,782	+1,243	761	+6	146,977	+2,732	6,044	192	46,127	228	3,439,589	1,031,711	3,333,870
91	Afghanistan	143,439		6,357		90,973		46,109	1,124	3,599	160	686,527	17,228	39,849,874
92	Latvia	138,382	+38	2,550		135,295	+33	537	9	74,234	1,368	3,071,945	1,647,925	1,864,129
93	Norway	135,235		799		88,952		45,484	4	24,741	146	6,297,861	1,152,198	5,465,954
94	Albania	132,797		2,456		130,109		232	3	46,199	854	916,777	318,937	2,874,477
95	Estonia	132,262	+84	1,271		128,314	+43	2,677	5	99,634	957	1,599,196	1,204,688	1,327,477
96	Uzbekistan	122,786	+738	819	+5	117,303	+548	4,664	23	3,613	24	1,377,915	40,551	33,980,069
97	Namibia	114,400		2,665		90,448		21,287	119	44,181	1,029	594,924	229,760	2,589,326
98	Mozambique	105,866		1,221		80,773		23,872	32	3,290	38	688,570	21,401	32,174,593
99	Finland	101,630		978		46,000		54,652	10	18,312	176	5,744,636	1,035,105	5,549,810
100	Montenegro	100,865		1,624		98,761		480	6	160,575	2,585	484,524	771,351	628,150
101	Ghana	100,250	+276	819	+1	95,871	+333	3,560	15	3,157	26	1,384,479	43,599	31,754,995
102	Botswana	97,657		1,375		84,189		12,093	1	40,664	573	1,436,619	598,201	2,401,565
103	Cyprus	95,307		398		75,466		19,443	48	78,337	327	9,071,702	7,456,412	1,216,631
104	Zimbabwe	93,421		2,870		61,723		28,828	33	6,191	190	1,002,150	66,408	15,090,794
105	China	92,462	+48	4,636		87,163	+23	663	17	64	3	160,000,000	111,163	1,439,323,776
106	Uganda	91,355		2,483		71,750		17,122	794	1,933	53	1,436,820	30,405	47,255,917
107	El Salvador	84,144		2,538	+9	75,608		5,998	118	12,904	389	1,118,621	171,548	6,520,745
108	Cameroon	81,871		1,332		78,224		2,315	152	3,006	49	1,751,774	64,309	27,240,016
109	Vietnam	78,269	+3,898	370		13,421		64,478		797	4	11,890,084	121,004	98,262,139
110	Maldives	76,454		218		73,637		2,599	11	138,865	396	1,128,039	2,048,883	550,563
111	Luxembourg	73,309		821		70,989		1,499	6	115,139	1,289	3,222,229	5,060,836	636,699
112	Cambodia	71,244	+825	1,222	+34	63,474	+897	6,548		4,200	72	1,688,435	99,538	16,962,695
113	Singapore	63,924	+133	36		62,576		1,312	1	10,837	6	15,248,512	2,584,987	5,898,873
114	Rwanda	61,375		704		43,924		16,747	89	4,618	53	1,939,765	145,962	13,289,508
115	Senegal	54,820		1,256		44,354		9,210	37	3,186	73	618,919	35,968	17,207,275
116	Jamaica	51,542		1,167		46,773		3,602	16	17,326	392	478,751	160,935	2,974,809
117	Ivory Coast	49,386		324		48,655		407		1,825	12	755,218	27,904	27,064,481
118	DRC	47,174		1,021		29,389		16,764		510	11	247,376	2,677	92,417,731
119	Malawi	46,417		1,410		35,792		9,215	285	2,362	72	313,564	15,958	19,649,112
120	Madagascar	42,561		937		40,990		634	33	1,497	33	223,746	7,868	28,438,686
121	Angola	41,405		977		35,082		5,346	8	1,220	29	681,443	20,079	33,938,563
122	Sudan	37,138		2,776		30,867		3,495		827	62	234,414	5,218	44,925,184
123	Trinidad and Tobago	36,884		1,018		30,043		5,823	22	26,266	725	257,351	183,263	1,404,273
124	Réunion	34,615		266		32,036		2,313	40	38,374	295	103,924	115,208	902,052
125	Cabo Verde	33,452		297		32,617		538	23	59,486	528	194,917	346,610	562,352
126	Malta	33,198		420		30,291		2,487	1	74,975	949	1,057,596	2,388,509	442,785
127	Australia	32,588	+162	916	+1	29,743		1,929	18	1,263	35	23,632,836	915,586	25,811,701
128	French Guiana	29,419		170		9,995		19,254	25	95,886	554	313,807	1,022,796	306,813
129	Syria	25,853		1,905		21,933		2,015		1,440	106	103,566	5,771	17,947,324
130	Gabon	25,309		163		25,050		96	8	11,096	71	943,371	413,592	2,280,922
131	Guinea	24,823		195		23,719		909	24	1,838	14	489,365	36,231	13,506,792
132	Suriname	24,573		626		20,846		3,101	29	41,496	1,057	88,301	149,113	592,175
133	Mauritania	23,223		517		21,085		1,621	16	4,860	108	347,460	72,721	4,778,001
134	Eswatini	21,880		735		19,392		1,753	10	18,656	627	242,568	206,823	1,172,827
135	Fiji	21,829	+468	172	+11	5,521	+792	16,136	40	24,166	190	286,604	317,286	903,298
136	Guyana	21,733		515		20,009		1,209	15	27,491	651	213,349	269,871	790,558
137	Haiti	19,762		523		13,332		5,907		1,711	45	95,209	8,244	11,549,005
138	Mayotte	19,465	+5	174		2,964		16,327		69,585	622	176,919	632,461	279,731
139	French Polynesia	19,234		145		18,945		144		68,056	513	26,355	93,252	282,622
140	Guadeloupe	17,779		238		2,250		15,291	23	44,426	595	243,650	608,827	400,196
141	Seychelles	17,747		89		16,889		769		179,283	899	21,504	217,236	98,989
142	Papua New Guinea	17,581		192		17,177		212	7	1,927	21	143,990	15,779	9,125,329
143	Martinique	15,612		99		104		15,409	1	41,637	264	224,685	599,227	374,958
144	Taiwan	15,511		782		13,708		1,021		650	33	3,387,224	141,949	23,862,298
145	Somalia	15,180	+18	781		7,277		7,122		928	48	165,035	10,089	16,358,664
146	Togo	14,801		140		13,907		754		1,745	17	389,064	45,866	8,482,626
147	Mali	14,527		530		12,868		1,129		696	25	334,576	16,037	20,862,962
148	Andorra	14,464		127		13,988		349		186,883	1,641	193,595	2,501,357	77,396
149	Tajikistan	14,359		116		13,902		341		1,471	12			9,762,822
150	Belize	13,893		332		13,201		360	2	34,285	819	176,939	436,645	405,224
151	Bahamas	13,781		274		12,158		1,349	13	34,695	690	115,222	290,081	397,206
152	Burkina Faso	13,537		169		13,350		18		629	8	202,345	9,409	21,505,015
153	Congo	13,050		176		11,759		1,115		2,305	31	158,304	27,965	5,660,777
154	Curaçao	13,038		126		12,302		610	4	79,114	765	164,414	997,652	164,801
155	Lesotho	12,679		357		6,621		5,701		5,869	165	128,354	59,419	2,160,161
156	Hong Kong	11,974	+2	212		11,693	+3	69		1,584	28	20,432,586	2,702,318	7,561,132
157	Djibouti	11,628		155		11,466		7		11,592	155	186,566	185,983	1,003,132
158	Aruba	11,293		109		11,054		130	14	105,301	1,016	177,885	1,658,679	107,245
159	South Sudan	10,917		117		10,514		286		963	10	174,045	15,359	11,332,032
160	Timor-Leste	10,227		26		9,484		717		7,604	19	95,046	70,673	1,344,863
161	Nicaragua	9,108		194		4,225		4,689		1,358	29			6,707,613
162	Equatorial Guinea	8,863	+15	123		8,637	+46	103	1	6,107	85	171,690	118,300	1,451,308
163	Benin	8,324		107		8,125		92	5	668	9	604,310	48,513	12,456,663
164	Channel Islands	8,240		86		5,022		3,132		46,937	490	683,444	3,893,092	175,553
165	Gambia	7,161		197		6,080		884	3	2,878	79	90,555	36,398	2,487,932
166	CAR	7,147		98		6,859		190	2	1,453	20	54,814	11,145	4,918,146
167	Yemen	7,001		1,372		4,162		1,467	23	229	45	134,811	4,418	30,516,527
168	Iceland	6,967		30		6,652		285	1	20,278	87	821,583	2,391,242	343,580
169	Eritrea	6,480		32		6,201		247		1,801	9	23,693	6,585	3,598,123
170	Sierra Leone	6,206		117		4,201		1,888		762	14	160,358	19,682	8,147,588
171	Burundi	6,018		8		773		5,237		491	0.7	345,742	28,195	12,262,346
172	Niger	5,594		195		5,295		104	2	223	8	126,314	5,028	25,124,488
173	Saint Lucia	5,496		87		5,304		105		29,787	472	58,163	315,224	184,513
174	Liberia	5,396		148		2,715		2,533	2	1,041	29	128,246	24,745	5,182,601
175	San Marino	5,099		90		5,002		7		149,944	2,647	70,326	2,068,047	34,006
176	Chad	4,965		174		4,777		14		293	10	129,511	7,654	16,920,525
177	Gibraltar	4,728		94		4,336		298	8	140,380	2,791	300,236	8,914,371	33,680
178	Laos	4,342	+223	5		2,174		2,163		588	0.7	305,013	41,292	7,386,751
179	Barbados	4,319		48		4,098		173		15,010	167	204,589	711,003	287,747
180	Guinea-Bissau	4,117		74		3,756		287	4	2,041	37	78,316	38,830	2,016,879
181	Comoros	4,014		147		3,849		18		4,515	165			889,078
182	Isle of Man	3,424		29		1,638		1,757	1	40,043	339	83,753	979,476	85,508
183	Mauritius	3,181		19		1,854		1,308		2,497	15	358,675	281,535	1,273,997
184	Liechtenstein	3,073		59		2,995		19	2	80,352	1,543	49,126	1,284,541	38,244
185	New Zealand	2,855	+20	26		2,749	+2	80		571	5	2,426,356	485,067	5,002,100
186	Monaco	2,744		33		2,609		102	3	69,407	835	54,960	1,390,161	39,535
187	Sint Maarten	2,698		34		2,622		42	2	62,182	784	35,043	807,647	43,389
188	Bermuda	2,535		33		2,487		15	7	40,864	532	362,535	5,844,040	62,035
189	Saint Martin	2,481		38		1,399		1,044	7	63,034	965	43,501	1,105,208	39,360
190	Turks and Caicos	2,461	+2	18		2,404		39		62,670	458	94,789	2,413,838	39,269
191	Bhutan	2,458		2		2,181		275		3,149	3	798,573	1,023,072	780,564
192	Sao Tome and Principe	2,417		37		2,340		40		10,817	166	14,270	63,865	223,441
193	St. Vincent Grenadines	2,271		12		2,199		60	2	20,402	108	58,809	528,326	111,312
194	British Virgin Islands	2,210		23		588		1,599	27	72,595	756	67,348	2,212,266	30,443
195	Caribbean Netherlands	1,690		17		1,647		26		63,822	642	12,584	475,227	26,480
196	Antigua and Barbuda	1,277		42		1,225		10	1	12,927	425	17,147	173,581	98,784
197	St. Barth	1,005		1		462		542		101,423	101	26,385	2,662,731	9,909
198	Faeroe Islands	958		1		877		80		19,528	20	354,736	7,230,804	49,059
199	Diamond Princess	712		13		699		0
200	Cayman Islands	627		2		618		7		9,424	30	113,716	1,709,116	66,535
201	Saint Kitts and Nevis	560		3		519		38	1	10,449	56	24,783	462,404	53,596
202	Tanzania	509		21		183		305	7	8	0.3			61,519,937
203	Wallis and Futuna	445		7		438		0		40,345	635	20,508	1,859,293	11,030
204	Brunei	311		3		269		39		704	7	149,420	338,134	441,896
205	Dominica	209				196		13		2,896		20,743	287,399	72,175
206	Grenada	164		1		161		2		1,450	9	43,173	381,815	113,073
207	New Caledonia	131				58		73		454		37,633	130,493	288,392
208	Anguilla	113				111		2		7,462		31,656	2,090,333	15,144
209	Greenland	85	+1			59	+1	26		1,495		38,720	680,803	56,874
210	Falkland Islands	63				63		0		17,568		7,307	2,037,646	3,586
211	Macao	56				53		3		85		4,604	6,990	658,659
212	Vatican City	27				27		0		33,624				803
213	Saint Pierre Miquelon	26				26		0		4,511		6,128	1,063,151	5,764
214	Montserrat	21		1		19		1		4,204	200	1,408	281,882	4,995
215	Solomon Islands	20				20		0		28		4,500	6,387	704,580
216	Western Sahara	10		1		8		1		16	2			612,768
217	MS Zaandam	9		2		7		0
218	Vanuatu	4		1		3		0		13	3	23,000	73,088	314,688
219	Marshall Islands	4				4		0		67				59,611
220	Samoa	3				3		0		15				199,805
221	Saint Helena	2				2		0		328				6,096
222	Micronesia	1				1		0		9				116,294
	Total:	193,531,729	+156,030	4,154,305	+3,315	175,820,481	+107,415	13,556,943	82,504	24,828.3	533.0

Highlighted in green

= all cases have recovered from the infection

Highlighted in grey

= all cases have had an outcome (there are no active cases)

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Latest News

July 23 (GMT)

Updates

• 468 new cases and 11 new deaths in Fiji [source]

• 1,982 new cases and 18 new deaths in Nepal [source]

• 2 new cases in China, Hong Kong SAR [source]

• 2 new cases in the Turks and Caicos Islands [source]

• 1 new case in Greenland [source]

• 49,071 new cases and 1,566 new deaths in Indonesia [source]

• 40 new cases in Slovakia [source]

• 15,573 new cases and 144 new deaths in Malaysia [source]

• 5 new cases in Mayotte [source]

• 15 new cases in Equatorial Guinea [source]

• 133 new cases in Singapore [source]

• 18 new cases in Somalia [source]

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The Biden administration plans to send the first group of Afghans – who are being evacuated amid threats to their lives for helping U.S. troops during the war – to a military base in Virginia, a congressional aide notified about the plans confirmed Monday.

Spokespeople for the State and Defense departments later also announced the plans to send the first group of Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants to Fort Lee, Va.

“These are brave Afghans and their families, as we have said, whose service to the United States has been certified by the embassy in Kabul, and who have completed thorough SIV security vetting processes,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a news briefing. “They will be provided temporary housing and services as they complete the final steps in the special immigrant process.”

The plan: Up to 2,500 Afghans who are in the “very final stages” of applying for SIVs are expected to be sent to Fort Lee while they wait for “final medical screenings and final administrative requirements,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said at separate briefing. That includes 700 SIV applicants, while the rest are their family members.

Because they are near the end of the process, the Afghans are likely to only stay at the base for “several days or so,” Kirby added.

Some of the 2,500 may also be sent to other military bases inside the United States in addition to Fort Lee as the Pentagon continues to look at options to house SIV applicants, Kirby said.

Earlier: The news, which was first reported by Reuters, comes after the Biden administration last week formally announced “Operation Allies Refuge,” which officials said would start evacuations at the end of July.

Sending the Afghans to Fort Lee represents a shift from the administration’s initial statements on looking to send them to third countries or U.S. facilities outside the continental United States.

But the Pentagon last week did say it also started looking at facilities within the continental United States in order to give the State Department, which is leading the operation, as many options as possible.

Other groups sent elsewhere: The Pentagon is continuing to look into overseas facilities to house Afghans who are less further along in the visa process than the group coming to Virginia and so need “additional security vetting,” Kirby said Monday.

Plans are underway to relocate about 4,000 applicants and their family members outside the United States, Price said.

This group has passed the “chief of mission screening” process, Price said, but has yet to complete the more vigorous security clearance vetting process to come to the United States, which can take several months.

Why Fort Lee?: For those coming to Fort Lee, the Pentagon will provide food and water, “appropriate medical care” if needed and “as much comfort as we can provide,” such as providing access to religious facilities, Kirby said. The department will not need to build new housing for them on the base, he added.

Asked why Fort Lee was chosen as the initial site to house the Afghans, Kirby said the base “just made a lot of sense for a lot of different reasons.”

Kirby declined to say when the first group would arrive at Fort Lee, citing security concerns.

The background: The Biden administration has faced increasing pressure from lawmakers and advocates to evacuate Afghans who served as interpreters or otherwise helped the U.S. military during the war as the United States nears its final exit from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years.

The pullout from America’s longest war is about 95 percent done, with President Biden setting an official deadline of Aug. 31 for the end of the withdraw

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