As the US reports fresh coronavirus cases, the World Health Organisation (WHO) in its latest report said over the past week&nbsp;the highest numbers of new cases were reported in&nbsp;the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-to-make-coronavirus-vaccine-compulsory-for-federal-workers-reports-401159">United States of America</a>.

The US accounted for 500,332 COVID-19 cases which was an increase of 131 per cent followed by Brazil with 324,334 new cases -&nbsp;up 13 per cent and Indonesia with 289,029 cases.

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"Globally, cases of the Alpha variant have been reported in 182 countries with eight new countries reporting the Delta variant cases which has reached 132 countries," the report added.

The highest weekly case incidence rates per 100,000 population was reported in the Americas and European regions which reported 123.3 and 108.3 new cases per 100 000 population, respectively, the report said.

Americas recorded sharp increases in both COVID-19 cases and deaths after more than three months of overall declining trends. The Americas reported over 1.2 million new COVID-19 cases and just under 29,000 new deaths.

The highest number of new coronavirus related deaths in the Americas&nbsp;was&nbsp;reported in Ecuador reaching 8,864 followed by Brazil with 7,942 fatalities.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pm-johnson-scraps-quarantine-rule-for-fully-vaccinated-us-eu-arrivals-in-england-401233">Britain</a> which had removed major coronavirus restrictions on July 19 reported the highest numbers of new cases in Europe with 282,920 cases with the Russian Federation reporting 168,408 new cases and France reporting 117,832 new cases which was an increase of 178 per cent.&nbsp;

According to the WHO, the Russian Federation also accounted for the most number of fatalities in Europe with 5,455 new deaths with the United&nbsp;Kingdom accounting for 447 new deaths.

In South-East Asia Indonesia has become the epicentre of the virus with the highest numbers of new cases at 289,029 and deaths at 9,697 in the past week.

WHO chief Tedros had said that over 3.5 billion vaccines have been distributed globally however more than 75 per cent of those have gone to&nbsp;just ten countries.

Tedros had asserted that a massive global push was needed in order to vaccinate at least 10 per cent of the population of&nbsp;every country by September 2021.

(With inputs from Agencies) 
&nbsp;

As the US reports fresh coronavirus cases, the World Health Organisation (WHO) in its latest report said over the past week the highest numbers of new cases were reported in the United States of America.

As the US reports fresh coronavirus cases, the World Health Organisation (WHO) in its latest report said over the past week the highest numbers of new cases were reported in the United States of America. The US accounted for 500,332 COVID-19 cases which was an increase of 131 per cent followed by Brazil with 324,334 new cases - up 13 per cent and Indonesia with 289,029 cases. Watch: "Globally, cases of the Alpha variant have been reported in 182 countries with eight new countries reporting the Delta variant cases which has reached 132 countries," the report added. The highest weekly case incidence rates per 100,000 population was reported in the Americas and European regions which reported 123.3 and 108.3 new cases per 100 000 population, respectively, the report said. Americas recorded sharp increases in both COVID-19 cases and deaths after more than three months of overall declining trends. The Americas reported over 1.2 million new COVID-19 cases and just under 29,000 new deaths. The highest number of new coronavirus related deaths in the Americas was reported in Ecuador reaching 8,864 followed by Brazil with 7,942 fatalities. Britain which had removed major coronavirus restrictions on July 19 reported the highest numbers of new cases in Europe with 282,920 cases with the Russian Federation reporting 168,408 new cases and France reporting 117,832 new cases which was an increase of 178 per cent. According to the WHO, the Russian Federation also accounted for the most number of fatalities in Europe with 5,455 new deaths with the United Kingdom accounting for 447 new deaths. In South-East Asia Indonesia has become the epicentre of the virus with the highest numbers of new cases at 289,029 and deaths at 9,697 in the past week. WHO chief Tedros had said that over 3.5 billion vaccines have been distributed globally however more than 75 per cent of those have gone to just ten countries. Tedros had asserted that a massive global push was needed in order to vaccinate at least 10 per cent of the population of every country by September 2021. (With inputs from Agencies)

US recorded highest new COVID-19 cases worldwide in past week: WHO

Indonesia launched one of the world's biggest COVID-19 vaccination campaigns on Wednesday with President Joko Widodo getting the first shot of a Chinese vaccine as his country fights one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia.

The drive aims to inoculate 181.5 million people, with the first to be vaccinated receiving the CoronaVac vaccine from China's Sinovac Biotech, which Indonesia authorised for emergency use on Monday.

Dressed in a white shirt and wearing a mask, the president, who is known as Jokowi, got his shot at the presidential palace.

"Vaccination is important to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission and give protection to us and safety to every Indonesian and help accelerate economic recovery," Jokowi said after getting his injection.

Some other officials being vaccinated showed off their shot marks to waiting journalists and flexed their arms.

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said nearly 1.5 million medical workers would be inoculated by February, followed by public servants and the general population within 15 months.

Unlike many countries, Indonesia intends to inoculate its working population first, rather than the elderly, partly because it does not have enough data from clinical trials on CoronaVac's efficacy on older people.

Indonesia on Wednesday reported daily record increases in both cases and deaths, taking overall coronavirus fatalities to 24,951 and infections to 858,043.

Helped by optimism about the vaccination campaign, Indonesian stocks, which have risen in the past few days, extended gains on Wednesday with the main index up 0.62 per cent. The rupiah rose 0.46 per cent.

'Not one bullet'

Southeast Asia's largest economy suffered its first recession in more than two decades last year due to the pandemic, with the government estimating a contraction of as much as 2.2 per cent.

The government has said two-thirds of the 270 million population must be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, with the cost of the programme expected to be more than 74 trillion rupiah ($5.26 billion).

Olivia Herlinda, a researcher at the Center for Indonesia's Strategic Development Initiatives, said authorities had not taken into account the vaccine efficacy and virus reproduction rate to justify its herd immunity focus.

Epidemiologist Masdalina Pane said that vaccines had to be accompanied by increased testing and tracing.

"There's not one bullet," she said.

Budi said Indonesia's testing and tracing needed improving, adding there was an imbalance in testing resources across the archipelago.

Some doctors have expressed concern about the vaccination campaign and questioned how effective Sinovac's vaccine will be, even though they have suffered one of the world's highest death rates from the virus.

Indonesia has said its trials showed CoronaVac has an efficacy rate of 65.3 per cent, but Brazilian researchers said on Tuesday the vaccine was only 50.4&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;effective.

Indonesia's food and drugs authority BPOM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bambang Heriyanto, corporate secretary of Bio Farma, the Indonesian company involved in the trials, said the Brazilian data was still above the 50&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;benchmark set by the World Health Organization.

Turkish researchers said in December CoronaVac showed a 91.25&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;efficacy based on interim analysis.

Indonesia expects to get another 122.5 million doses of CoronaVac by January 2022, with about 30 million doses due by the end of the first quarter this year.

It has also secured nearly 330 million doses of other vaccines, including from AstraZeneca and Pfizer and its partner BioNTech.

Indonesia launched one of the world's biggest COVID-19 vaccination campaigns on Wednesday with President Joko Widodo getting the first shot of a Chinese vaccine as his country fights one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia.

Indonesia launched one of the world's biggest COVID-19 vaccination campaigns on Wednesday with President Joko Widodo getting the first shot of a Chinese vaccine as his country fights one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia. The drive aims to inoculate 181.5 million people, with the first to be vaccinated receiving the CoronaVac vaccine from China's Sinovac Biotech, which Indonesia authorised for emergency use on Monday. Dressed in a white shirt and wearing a mask, the president, who is known as Jokowi, got his shot at the presidential palace. "Vaccination is important to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission and give protection to us and safety to every Indonesian and help accelerate economic recovery," Jokowi said after getting his injection. Some other officials being vaccinated showed off their shot marks to waiting journalists and flexed their arms. Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said nearly 1.5 million medical workers would be inoculated by February, followed by public servants and the general population within 15 months. Unlike many countries, Indonesia intends to inoculate its working population first, rather than the elderly, partly because it does not have enough data from clinical trials on CoronaVac's efficacy on older people. Indonesia on Wednesday reported daily record increases in both cases and deaths, taking overall coronavirus fatalities to 24,951 and infections to 858,043. Helped by optimism about the vaccination campaign, Indonesian stocks, which have risen in the past few days, extended gains on Wednesday with the main index up 0.62 per cent. The rupiah rose 0.46 per cent. 'Not one bullet' Southeast Asia's largest economy suffered its first recession in more than two decades last year due to the pandemic, with the government estimating a contraction of as much as 2.2 per cent. The government has said two-thirds of the 270 million population must be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, with the cost of the programme expected to be more than 74 trillion rupiah ($5.26 billion). Olivia Herlinda, a researcher at the Center for Indonesia's Strategic Development Initiatives, said authorities had not taken into account the vaccine efficacy and virus reproduction rate to justify its herd immunity focus. Epidemiologist Masdalina Pane said that vaccines had to be accompanied by increased testing and tracing. "There's not one bullet," she said. Budi said Indonesia's testing and tracing needed improving, adding there was an imbalance in testing resources across the archipelago. Some doctors have expressed concern about the vaccination campaign and questioned how effective Sinovac's vaccine will be, even though they have suffered one of the world's highest death rates from the virus. Indonesia has said its trials showed CoronaVac has an efficacy rate of 65.3 per cent, but Brazilian researchers said on Tuesday the vaccine was only 50.4 per cent effective. Indonesia's food and drugs authority BPOM did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bambang Heriyanto, corporate secretary of Bio Farma, the Indonesian company involved in the trials, said the Brazilian data was still above the 50 per cent benchmark set by the World Health Organization. Turkish researchers said in December CoronaVac showed a 91.25 per cent efficacy based on interim analysis. Indonesia expects to get another 122.5 million doses of CoronaVac by January 2022, with about 30 million doses due by the end of the first quarter this year. It has also secured nearly 330 million doses of other vaccines, including from AstraZeneca and Pfizer and its partner BioNTech.

Indonesia launches one of world's biggest COVID-19 vaccination drives

An Indonesian politician is facing a lot of criticism after he asked female civil servants to wear niqab once in a week in defence of novel coronavirus.&nbsp;

Mohammad Suhaili Fadhil Thohir, the head of Central Lombok regency, said he made the decision after government employees complained about wearing face masks in the office during calisthenics held outside every Friday.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/indonesias-military-academy-in-west-java-province-hit-by-covid-19-outbreak-over-1300-infected-312753">Indonesia's military academy in West Java province hit by COVID-19 outbreak; over 1,300 infected</a>

Critics slam the order as a means to impose conservative Islamic rules and said niqab did not bring sufficient protection to curb the spread of coronavirus.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/indonesian-president-threatens-to-reshuffle-cabinet-over-covid-19-response-309214">Indonesian president threatens to reshuffle cabinet over COVID-19 response</a>

Thohir however defended his order and denied calling it based on "radical teachings or fanaticism".&nbsp;

"It is purely for COVID-19 prevention," he said, reported AFP, adding there is no punishment for ignoring this rule.&nbsp;

"To make sure civil servants cover their nose and mouth during the weekly exercise we asked them to wear veils."

The policy that was imposed last month asked male civil servants to don medical masks while performing these exercises.&nbsp;

The rights groups have slammed the move and called for a review.&nbsp;

"The policy should be reviewed because it could threaten women's health rights," Andy Yentriyani, a commissioner at the National Commission on Violence Against Women said.&nbsp;

However, Yayuh, a civil servant, said she expects this policy to become compulsory during work hours.&nbsp;

"But I don't mind as it's a way to learn about wearing appropriate clothes taught in Islam," she said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

An Indonesian politician is facing a lot of criticism after he asked female civil servants to wear niqab once in a week in defence of novel coronavirus. Mohammad Suhaili Fadhil Thohir, the head of Central Lombok regency, said he made the decision after government employees complained about wearing face masks in the office during calisthenics held outside every Friday.

An Indonesian politician is facing a lot of criticism after he asked female civil servants to wear niqab once in a week in defence of novel coronavirus. Mohammad Suhaili Fadhil Thohir, the head of Central Lombok regency, said he made the decision after government employees complained about wearing face masks in the office during calisthenics held outside every Friday. Also read | Indonesia's military academy in West Java province hit by COVID-19 outbreak; over 1,300 infected Critics slam the order as a means to impose conservative Islamic rules and said niqab did not bring sufficient protection to curb the spread of coronavirus. Also read | Indonesian president threatens to reshuffle cabinet over COVID-19 response Thohir however defended his order and denied calling it based on "radical teachings or fanaticism". "It is purely for COVID-19 prevention," he said, reported AFP, adding there is no punishment for ignoring this rule. "To make sure civil servants cover their nose and mouth during the weekly exercise we asked them to wear veils." The policy that was imposed last month asked male civil servants to don medical masks while performing these exercises. The rights groups have slammed the move and called for a review. "The policy should be reviewed because it could threaten women's health rights," Andy Yentriyani, a commissioner at the National Commission on Violence Against Women said. However, Yayuh, a civil servant, said she expects this policy to become compulsory during work hours. "But I don't mind as it's a way to learn about wearing appropriate clothes taught in Islam," she said.

Indonesian politician's veil policy to curb coronavirus draws ire

In Indonesia a village on Java Island 'Kepuh' has deployed a cast of 'ghosts' to patrol the streets, hoping that age-old superstition will keep people indoors and safely away from the novel coronavirus. Watch report.

Indonesia develops creative way to fight novel coronavirus: Ghosts keep people indoor amid lockdown