A man wearing a face mask walks past the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States, Jan. 24, 2021. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)
- U.S. reports first case of COVID-19 variant discovered in Brazil
- Croatian PM warns against COVID-19 "vaccine hijacking" amid delivery delays in EU
- Chinese mainland reports 69 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases
- Canada's coronavirus cases surpass 750,000
BEIJING, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
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WASHINGTON -- The first U.S. case of a coronavirus variant discovered in Brazil has been confirmed in Minnesota, the state's Department of Health said in a statement on Monday.
The case was identified in a Minnesota resident who had recently traveled to Brazil, the department said. The variant was detected through genomic sequencing of random blood samples as part of a surveillance program.
A woman receives a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in earthquake-affected Petrinja, Croatia, Jan. 13, 2021. (Zeljko Lukunic/Pixsell via Xinhua)
ZAGREB -- Vaccine diplomacy has turned into vaccine hijacking, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told reporters here on Monday, commenting on delays of COVID-19 vaccine delivery in the European Union (EU).
Plenkovic noted that pharmaceutical companies should respect the deal they have reached with the EU. "EU invested enormous funds as support to the research and pharmaceutical companies. We will insist that they meet contract obligations," Plenkovic said.
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HOUSTON -- The first drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination site was launched in Houston, the fourth largest city of the United States, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Monday.
Turner toured the site with local officials and gave an update on the city's efforts to combat the pandemic. Located at Del Mar Stadium, the site is in partnership with the United Memorial Medical Center.
A staff member distributes epidemic prevention leaflets to a passenger at Chongqingbei Railway Station in Chongqing, southwest China, Jan. 25, 2021. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)
BEIJING -- The Chinese mainland on Monday reported 82 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 69 locally transmitted and 13 arriving from outside the mainland, the National Health Commission said Tuesday.
Of the locally transmitted cases, 53 were reported in Heilongjiang, seven in Jilin, five in Hebei, and two each in Beijing and Shanghai, the commission said in its daily report.
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OTTAWA -- Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Monday that the government is looking seriously at tougher travel measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, including mandatory hotel quarantines for air travelers returning from non-essential trips abroad.
As of Monday afternoon, Canada's COVID-19 cases surpassed 750,000, with the total hitting 750,925, including 19,187 deaths Monday afternoon, according to CTV.
Waitresses wearing face masks work at a restaurant in Havana, Cuba, Oct. 5, 2020. (Photo by Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua)
HAVANA -- Cuba's Ministry of Public Health on Monday reported 567 new COVID-19 infections and three deaths from the disease in the previous 24 hours, raising its caseload to 21,828 and the death toll to 197.
For 25 of the new daily cases, the source of infection was from abroad, while the rest acquired the disease through community transmission.■
