Illinois has joined the group of states offering many dollars in cash prizes and scholarships to encourage residents to urge vaccinate
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday the state will offer $7 million in cash prizes and $3 million in scholarships through a replacement lottery hospitable all residents who have received a minimum of one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Prizes will range from $100,000 to $1 million, and youngsters can win a university savings plan worth $150,000.
Names in Illinois’ vaccination database are going to be automatically eligible for the lottery. Participants are going to be required to possess an attempt by Dominion Day . Weekly drawings will begin July
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
Louisiana will offer residents who have gotten vaccinated against COVID-19 an opportunity to win a share of $2.3 million in cash prizes and college scholarships.
Gov. John Bel Edwards hopes financial incentives will persuade those reluctant to urge the shots to vary their minds.
The top winner could bring home $1 million under the plans announced Thursday at a press conference that included an enormous fake check and a live band .
Drawings will happen over five weeks, starting July 14.
The state will divulge nine $100,000 scholarships to winners ages 12 to 17. Four $100,000 cash prizes and one $1 million award are going to be handed bent winners age 18 and older.
Registration for the drawings begins Monday at noon.
Michigan will lift all indoor capacity restrictions and mask requirements next week, 10 days before planned amid vaccinations and plummeting COVID-19 infections, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday.
The state’s main coronavirus order will expire at the top of Monday rather than Dominion Day , bringing an end to mandatory 50% occupancy limits inside restaurants, gyms and entertainment venues and at indoor events like weddings and funerals. The move came days after California and ny lifted most of their remaining restrictions, joining other states in opening the way, step by step, for what could a close-to-normal summer.
“Today may be a day that we’ve all been looking forward to, as we will safely revisit to normal day-to-day activities and put this pandemic behind us,” Whitmer, a Democrat, said in statement issued 15 months after she first signed emergency orders to regulate the coronavirus. “We owe an incredible debt of gratitude to the doctors and health professionals who stood on the front lines to stay us all safe.”
About 4.9 million residents, or 60%, of these ages 16 and older have gotten a minimum of one vaccine dose.
State health officials said some virus orders will remain in situ to guard vulnerable populations in prisons, long-term care facilities and therefore the agriculture industry. Guidance for schools, where many students aren’t yet authorized to be vaccinated, are going to be issued next week.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday announced a replacement COVID-19 vaccine incentive lottery for the state’s military, relations and veterans because the federal wasn’t sharing individual vaccine status of these groups with the state and there have been concerns they might be overlooked of a previously announced lottery.
The announcement comes after last week’s start of a lottery that has already had two drawings for $250,000 prizes, and also includes giveaways for school tuition assistance, airline tickets and game systems, among other prizes.
A final drawing therein lottery are going to be for a $1 million prize on July 13. Washington is among several states that created lotteries in hopes of accelerating the pace of vaccination. The governor’s office believes the state is that the first with a separate lottery for those that are vaccinated at military locations.
The new separate lottery applies to military, military staff and relations who were vaccinated through the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, or the National Guard . A spokesman for Inslee said that the Department of Defense are going to be involved in circulating a form for military members to fill out.
New Mexico is struggling to urge thousands of individuals vaccinated Thursday to satisfy a deadline set by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
She wanted to reopen the state Dominion Day , as long as 60% of residents 16 and older were fully vaccinated.
Data from the New Mexico Department of Health shows 59% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated, marking just a small increase from the day before.
Some say it might be difficult hit the mark as long as daily increases have amounted to only a couple of tenths of a percent.
The governor’s office also lifted mask requirements for youth athletes who are fully vaccinated.
There’s a press on Capitol Hill and beyond for a full-blown investigation of the coronavirus outbreak by a national commission just like the one that looked into 9/11.
The proposal comes amid lingering questions over the government’s response to the crisis and therefore the origin of the virus that has killed quite 600,000 Americans.
A bill introduced by Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of latest Jersey and Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine would establish such a commission.
“The price from the COVID-19 pandemic is quite 200 times that of the 9/11 attacks — but Congress has yet to determine an identical cordon bleu commission to research the vulnerabilities of our public health system and issue guidance for a way we as a nation can better protect the American people from future pandemics,” Menendez and Collins wrote in an essay in the week within the ny Times.
The inquiry could include a glance at the origins of the virus; early warnings and other communication with foreign governments; coordination among federal, state and native agencies; the supply of medical supplies; testing and public health surveillance; vaccination development and distribution; the uneven effect on minorities; and government relief policies.
However, its prospects are unclear. Many are concerned politics will get within the way of any inquiry, as happened when Republicans came out against a commission to research the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump.
The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan is locking down due to a huge spike in coronavirus cases among employees.
The embassy in Kabul already is on uncertain footing thanks to the approaching withdrawal of yank forces from Afghanistan. Now the embassy is ordering staffers into virtual isolation to stop the spread of COVID-19.
It’s already killed a minimum of one person and sent 114 into quarantine. The embassy says during a notice to employees that the majority group activities, including work meetings and recreational gatherings, are banned.
The restrictions will remain in situ until the chain of transmission is broken. Violators are going to be faraway from the country on subsequent available flight.
Coronavirus vaccine incentives offered by Hong Kong companies, including a lucky draw for an apartment, a Tesla car and even gold bars, are helping boost the city’s sluggish inoculation rate.
The city of seven .5 million, which hasn’t experienced a serious outbreak, is battling vaccine hesitancy driven by multiple factors, including fears of great side effects, a mistrust of the govt and a scarcity of concern from residents.
There are fewer than 12,000 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.
Just 16% of individuals in Hong Kong are fully vaccinated. But since the primary incentives were announced at the top of May, there has been a surge in bookings. Nearly 600,000 of the three million shots given since February came within the last fortnight .
More than 450,000 people signed abreast of the primary possible day for the prospect to win the one-bedroom condominium, worth $1.4 million in one the world’s costliest property markets. Registrations began in the week and can remain open until September, when the draw will happen . Proof of vaccination is required to say the prize.
Authorities say the primary delta variant within the community has been detected in Sri Lanka .
Dr Chandima Jeewandara, Director of immunology and molecular medicine of the Sri Jayewardenepra University says the delta variant has been detected in five samples collected from the capital Colombo. Dr. Jeewandara says it’s the primary community detection. Previously, two people were found to be infected with the delta variant during a quarantine facility.
The delta variant was first identified in neighboring India and is taken into account a more transmissible version of the disease.
Sri Lanka has seen a pointy increase of positive cases and deaths since April due to the celebrations and shopping by the people during the normal New Year festival.
Sri Lanka’s total confirmed positive cases have reached 230,692 and 2,374 confirmed deaths.
The U.S. Open tennis tournament will allow 100% spectator capacity throughout its entire fortnight in 2021.
This comes a year after spectators were banned from the slam event in ny due to the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Tennis Association made the announcement Thursday. The U.S. Open, held at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, is scheduled to start out on Aug. 30.
The U.S. Open are going to be the primary slam tournament to possess full attendance since the Australian Open in January-February 2020, before the beginning of the pandemic. quite 700,000 people attended the two-week U.S. Open in 2019.
On Tuesday, ny Gov. Andrew Cuomo said many of the state’s remaining social distancing rules would be eased because 70% of its adults have received a minimum of one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
Slovakia coach Stefan Tarkovic says defender Denis Vavro and a member of the team’s coaching staff have tested positive for the coronavirus before the ecu Championship match against Sweden.
They are the primary positive tests for COVID-19 to possess been announced since Euro 2020 started.
Tarkovic says Vavro has no symptoms and is isolating. He didn’t disclose the name of the coach. Testing happened on Wednesday.
The game against Sweden is in St. Petersburg on Friday.
The U.K. has recorded quite 10,000 daily coronavirus infections for the primary time in nearly four months, likely the results of the spread of the more contagious delta variant.
Government figures Thursday reported 11,007 daily cases, the very best daily amount since Feb. 19.
The variant, which accounts for around 95% of all new cases within the U.K., is taken into account by government scientists to be between 40% to 80% more transmissible than the previous dominant strain.
The spread of the variant upended plans for the lifting of all restrictions on social contact next week. Instead, Prime Minister Boris Johnson delayed the easing by four weeks to July 19.
Most of the new infections are among younger age groups who haven’t received a vaccine. The U.K.’s vaccine rollout are going to be extended to all or any adults over age 18 on Friday.
With just over 50% of the Italian population having received a minimum of one COVID-19 vaccine dose, right-wing leader Matteo Salvini is pressing for an end or easing of nationwide mask-wearing rules.
Salvini says he lobbied Italian Premier Mario Draghi on Thursday to finish the rule requiring masks “at least outdoors as soon as possible.”
Salvini urged Italy to follow the instance of neighboring France, which each day earlier announced the top of the mask-wearing requirement outdoors except in crowd situations. In France, quite 59% of adults have received a minimum of one dose of a vaccine.
As of Thursday, 27% of Italy’s population over age 12 has been fully vaccinated. Italy’s daily numbers of confirmed cases, ICU admissions and deaths are dropping in recent weeks.
The us is devoting quite $3 billion to advance development of antiviral pills for COVID-19 and other dangerous viruses that would become pandemics.