COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 30 July
Major vaccination drives continue across the globe. Image: REUTERS/Matthias Rietschel
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- This daily round-up brings you a selection of the latest news and updates on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, as well as tips and tools to help you stay informed and protected.
- Top stories: President Biden pushes cash incentive to get vaccinated; India reports most new COVID-19 cases in three weeks; Philippines to introduce lockdown restrictions in Manila region.
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 196.6 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 4.19 million. More than 4.01 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.
300 Australian army personnel are being lined up to help Sydney police door-knock those who've tested positive to check that they are self-isolating.
Britain's UN ambassador has warned that half of Myanmar's 54 million people could be infected with COVID-19 within the next two weeks.
The Philippines is set to introduce lockdown restrictions in its capital region.
China has reported 64 new COVID-19 cases in the mainland, compared with 49 the day before.
Almost 690,000 people in England and Wales were told to isolate by the official COVID-19 health app in the week to 21 July, official data shows.
The Federated States of Micronesia - a Pacific island nation - has mandated its adult population to be inoculated against COVID-19.
Thailand has received 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine donated by the US government.
Meanwhile, Phuket will ban travel from the rest of Thailand from 3-16 August in a bid to stop cases from spreading. However, overseas visitors will remain largely unaffected.
2. President Biden pushes cash incentive to get vaccinated
US President Joe Biden has asked local governments to pay people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. New rules requiring federal workers to provide proof of vaccination or face regular testing and mask mandates. Travels restrictions are also set to be introduced.
The measures are part of attempts to encourage reluctant Americans to get vaccinated as the Delta variant continues to surge across the United States. The US lags behind other developed countries in vaccination rates, despite having plenty of free vaccines on hand.
"Right now too many people are dying or watching someone they love dying," Biden told reporters at the White House.
"With freedom comes responsibility. So please exercise responsible judgment. Get vaccinated for yourself, the people you love, for your country."
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3. India reports most new COVID-19 cases in three weeks
India has reported 44,230 new COVID-19 cases, its biggest daily increase in 3 weeks. The southern state of Kerala announced a new lockdown yesterday, while movement restrictions are also in place in some other states.
The country has had more than 31.5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 423,217 deaths.
Health experts are calling for faster vaccinations to prevent another big surge like the country saw in April and May, reports Reuters.
Government data shows that nearly 38% of the 944 million adults in India have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.
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