With CCP virus restrictions forcing bars and restaurants to seat customers outside in the winter, many are scrambling to nab erratic supplies of propane that fuel space heaters they’re relying on more than ever to keep people comfortable in the cold.
Propane long has been a lifeline for people who live in places too remote to get natural gas piped to their homes for heat, hot water, and cooking. This winter, 5-gallon (18-liter) propane tanks have proven a new necessity for urban businesses, too, especially in places like the Rocky Mountains, where the sun often takes the edge off the chill and people still enjoy gathering on patios when the heaters are roaring.
Thousands March in Vienna Against Restrictions
Thousands of people marched through Vienna on Saturday to protest against restrictions on public life designed to curb the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, just as Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s government held talks about extending the measures.Austria, a country of 8.9 million people, is in its third lockdown, with only essential shops open. The country has reported nearly 390,00 COVID-19 cases and almost 7,000 linked deaths since the pandemic began last year.
Australian Open Buildup in Disarray
The build-up to next month’s Australian Open was thrown into disarray on Saturday when 47 players were forced into two weeks of strict hotel quarantine after CCP virus infections were reported on two chartered flights carrying them to Melbourne.Two dozen players and their staff landed from Los Angeles to go into quarantine after an aircrew member and a passenger, who was not a player, tested positive for COVID-19. A further 23 players arriving by a chartered flight from Abu Dhabi met a similar fate after another non-player passenger was found positive, the organizers of the year’s first grand slam said in a statement.
India Launches World’s Largest Vaccination Drive
India started inoculating health workers Saturday in what is likely the world’s largest COVID-19 vaccination campaign, joining the ranks of wealthier nations where the effort is already well underway.Indian authorities hope to give shots to 300 million people, roughly the population of the United States and several times more than its existing program that targets 26 million infants. The recipients include 30 million doctors, nurses, and other front-line workers, to be followed by 270 million people who are either over 50 years old or have illnesses that make them vulnerable to the CCP virus
China Builds Hospital in 5 Days After Surge of Infections
China on Saturday finished building a 1,500-room hospital for CCP virus patients to fight a surge in infections the government said are harder to contain and that it blamed on infected people or goods from abroad.The hospital is one of six with a total of 6,500 rooms being built in Nangong, south of Beijing in Hebei province, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
55 Dead in US After Receiving Vaccines: Reporting System
Fifty-five people in the United States have died after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, according to reports submitted to a federal system.Deaths have occurred among people receiving both the Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, according to the reports. The reporting system, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), is a federal database. The system is passive, meaning reports aren’t automatically collected and must be filed. VAERS reports can be filed by anyone, including health care providers, patients, or family members.
Spain Confident of Vaccine Program Despite Delay
Spain’s health minister said Saturday that his government is standing by its pledge to vaccinate a large part of its population by the summer despite the delay in the distribution of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.Minister Salvador Illa said that even though Spain will only receive 56 percent of the expected doses next week from Pfizer, Spain’s vaccination program has reached “cruising speed.”
Rep. Gwen Moore to Vote by Proxy Following Positive Test
Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) will vote by proxy, she said Thursday, because of the CCP virus pandemic.Moore traveled to Washington on Jan. 3 to vote for the House speaker position, just six days after testing positive for COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people quarantine at minimum for seven days after testing positive.
Mexico Hits Another High in Cases
Mexico posted a record spike in CCP virus cases on Friday, with 21,366 newly confirmed infections, about double the daily rate of increase just a week ago. The country also recorded 1,106 more deaths.The country has now seen almost 1.61 million total infections and has seen registered over 139,000 deaths so far in the pandemic.
Scientists at Wuhan Virology Lab Got Sick in Autumn 2019
Several researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology fell ill with symptoms similar to those caused by COVID-19 in the Autumn of 2019, contradicting claims by a senior researcher from the institute who said there were no infections among the staff scientists.The revelation is part of a fact sheet released by the U.S. Department of State on Jan. 15 which slams the CCP for obsessive secrecy around the origin of the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control reported a cluster of pneumonia-like cases of unknown origin on Dec. 21, 2019. But months later, new evidence emerged suggesting that Chinese authorities were aware of the first CCP virus case on Nov. 17. The United States government wasn’t informed about the virus until Dec. 30 from Taiwan.
Reporter Ivan Pentchoukov, Zachary Stieber, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
