Most recent: Inflammation at a Dutch virus test center; no one was injured

THE HAGUE, Holland – Dutch police say windows exploded at a coronavirus test center in a small town north of Amsterdam in the early hours of the morning. No one was injured.

Police in the North Dutch region reported an “explosion away” near the test center in Bovenkarspel just before 7am (0600 GMT) on Wednesday.

Police have evacuated the area about 60 kilometers (40 miles) north of Amsterdam and are investigating the cause of the explosion.

In January, protesters staged a coronavirus test facility in the fishing village of Urk on the first night from 9pm to 4:30 am on a nationwide curfew as part of a government lock.

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THE VIRUS ISLANDER:

– Biden will vote enough for U.S. adults by the end of May

– Texas and other states will ease COVID-19 regulations despite warnings

– San Francisco executives rejoice in reopening as COVID-19 cases fall

– Biden urges Senate Democrats to rally behind $ 1.9 trillion virus bill

– Follow AP pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE’S INVOLVED:

TAIPEI, Taiwan – The first batch of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Taiwan.

Taiwan has signed treaties confirming 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 5.05 million doses of the Moderna vaccine and 4.76 million doses of vaccines through COVAX. 117,000 doses were delivered Wednesday, which was transported from the airport by a police guard.

Healthcare workers, especially those with direct contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases, will be the first to receive the pictures, Taiwan Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said. , at a press conference. The island has yet to announce a major vaccination campaign for the general public.

The island plans to give the first dose to 117,000 people, the minister said, with the first dose giving an efficacy of 71%. The second dose is expected to be given eight weeks later, increasing efficacy to 81%.

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TORONTO – Canada’s most populous health minister says Ontario seniors won’t get the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine because there is little data on its effectiveness in the elderly.

Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott says Ontario plans to follow the advice of a national panel that recommends not using the newly approved vaccine on people age 65 and older.

Elliott says for anyone older than that age, it is recommended that they get either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

There is no concern that the vaccine is dangerous to use, but the Canadian National Advisory Committee on Vaccination said this week that it prefers the vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna for the elderly because of “ efficacy proposed positive. ″

France said this week that it will allow some people over 65 to get the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, after limiting its use to younger numbers due to limited data on the drug’s effectiveness.

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand – New Zealand did not report new community cases of the coronavirus for the third day in a row as the most recent uprising in Auckland appears to have been brought under control.

The government forced the country’s largest city into a weekly lockout Sunday after several new community issues were discovered.

Leading cabinet lawyers will meet Friday to review. Health officials also announced that they have given the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine to more than 9,000 people, including more than half of the 12,000 people working at the border.

New Zealand currently has a supply of around 200,000 doses. The country has been slower than many to begin their vaccination campaign but is seen as a lower risk after the spread of the virus spreads community.

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WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden is leading states to prioritize vaccination of all teachers through the month of March, and announced that the federal government will assist in the effort through its partnership with retail pharmacies.

Biden said his goal is for all pre-kindergarten through level 12 apprentice, school staff and childcare worker to get at least one view by the end of March.

To accomplish this, Biden announced that individuals will be able to sign up this month to get vaccinated at a nearby pharmacy.

Biden said that while schools are safe to reopen even before vaccine staff have been vaccinated, “we have repeatedly heard from educators and parents who have concerns about that,” to “accelerate ”Priority should be given to teachers to reopen safely.

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WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden said the U.S. will have an adequate supply of coronavirus vaccines to cover all adults in America by the end of May, two months earlier than expected.

Biden said the outcome of the vaccine will accelerate, drug dealer Merck & Co. will help. by the release of the newly approved Johnson & Johnson bullet. The administration is introducing the Defense Representation Act, a wartime measure that authorizes the federal government to direct private companies to meet the needs of the national defense, to equip two Merck facilities to vaccinate the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. to implement.

Biden said Johnson & Johnson will work 24/7 to produce the vaccine. He also said the Department of Defense will provide day-to-day supply support to the company in its efforts.

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SALEM, Ore. – The Brazilian variant of coronavirus has surfaced in Oregon, the first such known case on the west coast of the U.S., medical authorities said Tuesday.

The sample was sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in late January by medical officials in Douglas County, Oregon. They said they received the results back Monday night, showing the P.1 version.

“The P.1 variant … appears to be related to business travel outside the United States to and from Brazil,” the Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team said in a statement Tuesday.

The variant, first discovered in Brazil, appears to be more contagious than the original COVID-19 strain. This could be under contract with someone who has already been infected or who has been vaccinated.

A further 10 cases of the P.1 variant have been reported in the United States, with five in Florida, two in Minnesota and one each in Oklahoma, Alaska and Maryland, the CDC says.

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JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi governor has said he is getting rid of most of the mask orders previously placed in an attempt to slow down the spread of the crown virus. It also lifts most other restrictions, including limits on seating in restaurants.

Republican Gov. said. Tate Reeves announces that it is issuing a new regulatory order which will take effect at 5pm on Wednesday and will remain in place until 31 March.

Reeves said the number of people hospitalized because of the virus has gone down in the last few weeks, and vaccine numbers are rising.

To date, most of the 82 Mississippi counties had been under mask command for months.

Reeves said it encourages others not to put on face cover but it is not needed. He urges people to follow the recommendations of the state health official, Dr. Thomas Dobbs.

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SAN FRANCISCO – The Mayor of San Francisco London Breed said indoor dinners, movie theaters and gyms can reopen within 24 hours in the city.

Breed made the announcement as California allowed the county to open up more of its economy as the rate of coronavirus cases, hospitals and deaths declines across the country.

The San Francisco and Santa Clara counties in the Bay Area will join five other counties in moving forward from the most restrictive series. Many of the state’s population, including the counties of Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego, are limited to outdoor restaurants and museums.

California reported an additional 2,533 cases diagnosed with COVID-19, bringing the state’s total known cases to nearly 3.5 million. Officials also reported a further 303 deaths, bringing that number to just under 52,500 deaths in the state of nearly 40 million.

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BELGRADE, Serbia – Serbian health authorities say they are monitoring the condition of a person who has erred in receiving two doses of vaccines from two different agents.

Epidemiologist Branislav Tiodorovic says the human condition is ‘under control’ and ‘something like this doesn’t have to happen again.’

Serbian media have reported that the man from the southern city of Vranje first received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine but then apparently received Chinese Sinopharm as the second dose in a combination.

Tiodorovic said the incident occurred because procedures were not fully followed. Serbia has also used Russia’s Sputnik V and Astra-Zeneca as well as Sinopharm and Pfizer in China.

The Balkan nation of 7 million has vaccinated more than 1.5 million people with at least one dose.

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HARRISBURG, Pa. – Said Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf Tuesday said teachers will receive doses of the recently approved one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, under a plan his administration will release.

In a press conference on a separate topic, Wolf said his administration plan will be unveiled Wednesday.

He gave only a few details, but said he and a bipartisan legislative action group agreed that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should be set aside for teachers and then other staff who had been considered necessary, but not included in the first vaccination phase.

“I think there are some important frontline workers and I think the action group should believe, on a bipartisan basis, to be included in that, as teachers and, not too far down the road, as childcare staff, and the police, and fire, grocery store staff, bus drivers, ”said Wolf.

State officials expect 94,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to reach this week as school districts are under pressure to bring students back into classrooms for personal supervision.

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