MADRID — Some regions in Spain aim to put restrictions back in place because of a spike in coronavirus cases.
Northeast Catalonia, home to Barcelona, and northern Cantabria issued orders for nightly curfews that must be approved. The two regions want people off the streets after 1 a.m. A court on the Canary Islands knocked down a request by regional authorities on the archipelago to apply a similar curfew.
Spain is witnessing an increase of infections in recent days as the delta variant sweeps through the younger segments of the population, which have a lower vaccination rate.
Catalonia is among the most hard-hit areas in Europe, with more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over 14 days. The rate is 3,300 cases for those between ages 20-29.
MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:
— Summer setback: COVID-19 deaths and cases rising again globally
— Norwegian cruises sues Florida over virus vaccination law
— Spain’s top court rules pandemic lockdown unconstitutional
— London mayor wants to keep mask use on public transportation
— Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine
HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
NEW YORK — New York City officials are touting a recent Yale study they say concludes the city’s aggressive vaccine rollout over the past six months has saved thousands of lives.
They’re hoping the findings will help convince holdouts to get shots and fend off the rise in the delta variant.
“If you have been waiting, if you have been on the fence, sign up and get that shot as soon as possible,” Dr. Dave Chokshi, the city’s health commissioner, said Wednesday at a briefing with Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The city is deploying mobile vaccine units, door-to-door canvassing and scheduling home visits in a push to get people vaccinated, the mayor says.
LONDON — Daily coronavirus cases in Britain have risen above 40,000 for the first time in nearly six months.
Government figures showed another 42,302 infections, the highest daily figure since Jan. 15 when the country was in strict lockdown following a lethal second wave of the pandemic.
Cases are expected to spike higher, with the government warning an unprecedented 100,000 daily infections may be possible this summer.
The sharp uptick in cases in recent weeks from the more contagious delta variant has prompted concerns about the coming easing of restrictions on Monday in England, which will remove legal limits on social contact and mask-wearing.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants mask-wearing required on London’s transport network.
Other transportation bodies across England and health care providers, care homes and some retailers are expected to maintain the mask-wearing requirement.
ROME — The delta variant is driving an uptick in caseloads around the globe, including Italy. There were 2,153 confirmed cases in the previous 24 hours, according to Italian Health Ministry figures on Wednesday. That’s more than double than the 1,010 confirmed infections a week earlier.
Health experts says the spike in cases hasn’t resulted in sharp increases in ICU admissions or deaths. That’s partly due to vaccinations and the average age of recently infected persons is 31 to 35, much younger than early in the pandemic.
The Foreign Ministry is advising travelers who are required to take coronavirus swab tests to enter or return to Italy to consider the result might be positive. That could mean the travelers, as well as those in close contact, could face quarantine.
Meanwhile, Malta has eased off a new rule requiring proof of coronavirus vaccination to enter the country after the European Commission raised concerns that it might impede the right to free movement within the 27-nation bloc.
GENEVA — The World Health Organization is reporting deaths climbed last week after nine straight weeks of decline. It recorded more than 55,000 deaths, a 3% increase from the week before. Cases rose last week by 10% to nearly 3 million.
WHO says more transmissible versions of the virus could emerge and “coupled with the relaxation and inappropriate use of public health and social measures and increased social mobility and mixing,” numerous countries will see higher cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
The overall death toll in hard-hit Argentina neared 100,000. Daily coronavirus deaths in Russia hit record highs this week. Infections in Belgium, driven by the delta variant among the young, have almost doubled in the past week. Britain recorded a one-day total of more than 40,000 cases for the first time in six months.
In the U.S., with one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, newly confirmed infections per day have doubled over the past two weeks to an average of about 24,000. Deaths are still on a downward trajectory at around 260 a day.
WASHINGTON — More than 2 million people have signed up for subsidized health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act since President Joe Biden reopened health insurance markets this year as part of his pandemic response plan.
The Department of Health and Human Services says 1.5 million enrolled through the federal HealthCare.gov marketplace while another 600,000 signed up through state-run insurance exchanges.
Since April 1, all “Obamacare” customers have been eligible for much more generous financial assistance with their coverage, a temporary benefit boost that Biden and congressional Democrats hope to make permanent through legislation later this year.
The current special enrollment period is scheduled to end on Aug. 15. But HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra hinted Biden may revisit the issue and decide to extend the deadline.
MIAMI — Norwegian Cruise Line is challenging a new Florida law that prevents cruise companies from requiring passengers to show proof of vaccination against the COVID-19 virus.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Miami federal court, contends that the law jeopardizes safe operation of cruise vessels by increasing risk of contracting the virus. Norwegian intends to restart cruises from Florida ports Aug. 15 with vaccinations required for all passengers. Norwegian wants a judge to lift the ban by Aug. 6.
The law imposes a fine of $5,000 each time a cruise line mandates that a passenger provide vaccination proof.
The lawsuit names as a defendant Florida’s surgeon general, Dr. Scott Rivkees, who is head of the state Health Department. Rivkees is an appointee of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose spokeswoman said the cruise line’s policy discriminates against children under 12 and others who are not vaccinated.
Other cruise lines, including Carnival and Royal Caribbean, have already begun voyages from Florida with a variety of policies regarding COVID-19 vaccination.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia hit a record of more than 54,000 new coronavirus cases, surpassing recent daily infections in India.
Officials fear the more highly transmissible delta variant is spreading from the islands of Java and Bali, where outbreaks prompted a partial lockdown that closed places of worship, malls, parks and restaurants.
The Health Ministry reported 54,517 confirmed new cases on Wednesday, up from about 8,000 a month ago. India reported fewer than 39,000 cases on Wednesday, far below its peak of more than 400,000 daily cases in May.
There were 991 confirmed deaths in Indonesia on Wednesday, bringing the number of cases since the pandemic began above 2.6 million and confirmed deaths to more than 69,000.
PARIS — France has celebrated its national holiday with thousands of troops marching in a Paris parade and traditional parties around the country.
Last year’s Bastille Day events were scaled back because of virus fears. The government decided to go ahead with the parade on the Champs-Elysees on Wednesday as part of a broader effort to return to pre-pandemic activity.
The number of spectators was limited. All had to show special passes proving they had been fully vaccinated, recently recovered from the virus, or had a negative virus test.
The same rules will apply to those watching fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. Bastille Day marks the storming of the Bastille prison in eastern Paris on July 14, 1789, commemorated as the birth of the French Revolution.
Not everyone is celebrating. Some cafe owners, hospital workers and parents are pushing back against President Emmanuel Macron’s decision this week to require all French health care workers to get vaccinated, and a special COVID-19 pass for anyone over 12 going to a restaurant.
Many doctors and scientists, meanwhile, are urging tougher measures to contain the coronavirus. France has lost more than 111,000 lives to the pandemic.
BERLIN — Germany’s president is appealing to hesitant citizens to get vaccinated against the coronavirus to protect against dangerous variants and prevent the need for new restrictions.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s video message on Wednesday came a day after Chancellor Angela Merkel urged German residents to get inoculated. The leaders are seeking to reinvigorate its vaccination campaign as the number of people getting shots has declined.
By Tuesday, 58.9% of the population had received at least one shot and 43.7% were fully vaccinated. But Germany’s disease control center said last week that the country should aim to vaccinate 85% of people ages 12-59 and 90% of over-60s to prevent the delta variant from causing a resurgence of cases this fall and winter.
Steinmeier says, “Only when even more people in our country have received full vaccine protection is our common aim achieved.”
MADRID — Spain’s Constitutional Court has ruled that last year’s stay-at-home lockdown order by the government under a state of emergency was unconstitutional.
The court ruling on Wednesday was in response to a suit brought by the far-right Vox party.
It was a split decision according to a brief statement issued by the court. State broadcaster TVE says it was six magistrates in favor and five against.
According to the broadcaster, the ruling said that the limitations on movement violated citizens’ basic rights and therefore the state of emergency was insufficient to give them constitutional backing.
With the pandemic raging, Spain’s government declared the state of emergency on March 14, 2020, ordering people off the streets except for basic shopping for several weeks.
It is immediately unclear if the ruling will open the gates for lawsuits against the government.
TOKYO — The Japanese city of Hamamatsu, hosting a Brazilian Olympic team’s pre-game trainings, says there was a COVID-19 outbreak among staff of their hotel.
So far, eight staff at the hotel accommodating the Brazilian team members, including judo athletes, have tested positive for the virus since Monday in Hamamatsu, the city said in a statement. Brazilian athletes and coaches, whose sections in the hotel are isolated from other guests.
On Wednesday, Tokyo reported 1,149 confirmed cases, highest since 1,121 on May 8. The Olympics begin July 23.
Tokyo is under a fourth state of emergency, which requires restaurants and bars to close early and ban alcohol, through the Olympics. Experts have said caseloads could rise above 1,000 before the Olympics and multiply to thousands during the games. Overall, Japan has about 825,000 cases and 15,000 confirmed deaths.
MOSCOW — Daily coronavirus deaths in Russia continue to hit record highs this week, with the authorities reporting 786 deaths on Wednesday. The previous record, of 780 deaths, was registered on Tuesday.
Daily new infections in Russia have soared from around 9,000 in early June to more than 25,000 last week. On Wednesday, officials reported 23,827 new coronavirus cases. For the first time in the pandemic, the daily death toll exceeded 700 last Tuesday and remained at that level ever since.
Officials blamed the surge on the spread of the delta variant and sought to boost vaccine uptake, which has remained lower than in many Western countries. As of Tuesday, 28.6 million Russians — or just 19.5% of the 146 million population — have received at least one shot of a vaccine.
Russia’s state coronavirus task force has reported 5.8 million confirmed coronavirus cases and a total of 145,278 confirmed deaths in the pandemic. However, reports by Russia’s state statistical service Rosstat, which tallies coronavirus-linked deaths retroactively, reveal much higher numbers.
