Well the world's total case count has now passed 182.5 million as total deaths pass 3.95 million. :-(

Changes at the top end of the death list over the last week have been Sweden being passed by Japan before Tunisia came along and passed them both to claim 35th place while Iraq displaced Portugal from 31st and Argentina booted Germany from 11th spot. At the lower end the D.R.C. passed Madagascar and Australia (Madagascar later passed Australia to move back into 109th again), but they only wound up in 108th spot due to Uganda taking flight from 118th position up to 106th. :-O

Anyhow there's been some changes in the case list, especially down the lower end of it where the action seems to be these days.

Liberia passed Guinea-Bissau, but remain in 179th place as Fiji took a flight over 5 countries and as they went over New Zealand they earned enough frequent flyer points to become the 181st member of the 3K+ club, they then continued on past another 4 countries before becoming the 177th member of the 4K+ club and then passing Barbados to make a refueling stop in 176th. :-O

Sierra Leone also took a flight becoming the 172nd member of the 5K+ club and then passed 4 countries to land in 168th spot. Tajikistan must of heard my little complaint last week and has started to add a few daily again (but I can't believe their numbers). Meanwhile Taiwan passed Mali and the Seychelles passed Somalia, but both remain in 143rd and 141st spots respectively as Vietnam leapt over Togo and Andorra as well as all 4 of them to claim 140th place.

Eswatini replaced French Polynesia in 135th, Guyana displaced Mayotte from 133rd while Suriname nudged Mauritania out of 131st, Trinidad/Tobago kicked Cabo Verde from 122nd as Rwanda jumped over Malawi and Sudan to claim 119th, the D.R.C. became the 117th member of the 40K+ club and Cambodia along with Zimbabwe passed the Ivory Coast to take up 112th and 113th spots.

Mozambique nudged Cyprus from 105th spot, Uganda jumped over Cyprus and El Salvador to claim 103rd as Namibia passed El Salvador to become the 102nd member of the 80K+ club and then promptly kicked Cameroon from 101st, Mongolia became the 97th member of the 100K+ club before passing both Montenegro and Uzbekistan to take over 95th while Norway slipped past Estonia into 91st, Algeria passed Latvia just before Zambia jumped over them into 87th and South Korea along with Myanmar passed North Macedonia to take up 84th and 85th spots respectively.

Cuba finally ran down Kenya to take 81st place, Sri Lanka replaced Moldova in 74th after they and Slovenia were passed by both Honduras (now in 72nd) as well as Oman who continued past Bahrain to land in 70th as Bahrain was already displace by Venezuela from 69th while Egypt took 65th spot from Lithuania, Uruguay and Costa Rica both passed Croatia and Georgia to move into 55th and 56th spots as Tunisia became the 53rd member of the 400K+ club after passing Slovakia before also taking 52nd from Panama who became the 53rd member of that same club and Paraguay continues their race with Kazakhstan moving back into the lead as both passed Belarus with Paraguay taking over 49th place.

Greece replaced Bulgaria in 47th as Malaysia crushed Serbia out of 36th while Bangladesh rolled right on over Portugal to become the 30th country to enter the 900K+ club and on their current trajectory they look on course to beat Pakistan into the 1M+ club. Indonesia absolutely walloped Peru out of 17th place while Colombia became the 10th country to enter the 4M+ clubhouse and Russia plucked Turkey right out of 5th spot.

Anyhow that's it for this update and I certainly need a drink after doing it.

It was predicted.
Football linked to 2,000 Scottish Covid cases

Nearly 2,000 Covid cases in Scotland have been linked to people watching Euro 2020 football matches.
Public Health Scotland said two thirds of the 1,991 cases were people who travelled to London for Scotland's game with England on 18 June.
This included 397 fans who were inside Wembley for the match.

The Telegraph (behind pay wall) reports that about 900 gold miners, who have had contact with others confirmed to have the Indian variant have traveled around Australia.

Yes this could very likely be even bigger cluster than the the limo driver's and it all started when a Victorian FIFO miner was mistakenly detained in a Queensland quarantine hotel on his way to work there and by the time that they finally cleared him he had been infected with a strain linked to a businessman staying there. Questions are now being asked of the feds as to why they have been allowing this un-vaccinated businessman to be frequently travelling backwards and forwards from Indonesia during a so called closed border (or are there different rules for rich mates?).

Anyhow with overlapping shifts that mine could have up to 1700 individuals running across each other and it seems that their employer isn't very forthcoming with looking after all those locked down workers in that camp of theirs ATM.

Locked-down workers at Northern Territory mine threaten to riot.

Deary me... Those conditions sound badly worse than a foreign desert prison! That mining company looks to be completely uncaring negligent...

Such is the contagious nature of contagions...


Good luck for keeping the COVID infections isolated.

Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Just a simply obvious headline from real-world happenings:


England, UK: COVID-19 vaccines have prevented 7.2 million infections and 27,000 deaths
wrote:

... the vaccination programme has prevented between 6.4 and 7.9 million infections and 26,000 and 28,000 deaths in England alone...

Note: Those numbers are just for England alone!


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Doesn't bode well for the 40,000 at Wembley on Tuesday.
Football linked to 2,000 cases in Scotland

Such events and consequences just reinforce my belief that watching football is a very dangerous pastime.

---

Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

Such events and consequences just reinforce my belief that watching football is a very dangerous pastime.

At the moment, more so patronizing a live event. For the event itself and the surrounding travel.

However... Similarly so for watching via the magic of TV for suffering the "couch potato" effect from nibbles, imbibing, and incarceration!

There's also the added risk of a heart attack from the occasional 'high emotion' surprises...


There has to be more healthy ways ;-) :-)

Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Well the world's total case count has now passed 182.5 million as total deaths pass 3.95 million. :-(

Changes at the top end of the death list over the last week...

Not to forget India:

Covid-19 in India: Cases, deaths and oxygen supply
wrote:

A devastating second wave of coronavirus in India has seen hospitals and crematoriums overwhelmed and widespread shortages of oxygen and medicines.

Here's a visual guide to what is happening and what the authorities are doing about it...

Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Quite a bit has changed in India since that story was written Martin back on the 29 April. Plane loads of medical equipment and supplies landed there from all over the world not long after that old story was written. ;-)

Quite a bit has changed in India since ... back on the 29 April. ...

Thanks for that, well spotted! I'd missed the date...

However, India really does seem to have dropped out of the news... So what happened?


India’s Second Wave of Covid Pandemic Not Yet Over
wrote:

Warning that the second wave of Covid-19 "still not over,” the central government's 29th meet of the Group of Ministers June 28 advised people to follow Covid appropriate behavior to keep themselves safe.

The GoM clarified that all anti-Covid vaccines, currently available in the country, are found effective against alpha, beta, gamma and delta variants of the coronavirus. The GoM strongly reiterated the importance of Covid appropriate behavior...

India's real Covid death toll could be nearly 2MILLION ... Modi's government is accused of covering up impact of Delta variant
wrote:

India's true coronavirus death toll could be closer to 2 million compared to the official 395,000 fatalities reported...

... based the estimation partly on mortality and serosurvey data, which shows the presence of antibodies in the population.

These new estimates echo research carried out by the New York Times last month which said the real death toll could be closer to 1.6million...

(There is another article in an India publication saying that many doctors and medical staff have died...)


At least India appears to be past the worst of the COVID numbers. Unless their lockdowns are being relaxed too soon?


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

However, India really does seem to have dropped out of the news... So what happened?

Between all that international help and finally implementing lockdowns their situation has changed a lot, https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/india/. ;-)

But they are fast approaching another "official" grim milestone and they are still slowly closing in on the U.S.'s case numbers (though there's still a 4.1 million gap in their numbers as yet).

Really, masks should be a "non-comment" and completely a 'non-issue':

Yet...

The Mask Drama WILL NOT END



Personally for myself for my own caution, even though I am fully vaccinated, I am continuing to wear a mask when in any enclosed (such as indoor) space other than for in my own home. If only to avoid the inconvenience of even a mild infection if inadvertently too badly exposed to an infected ******...

... Until we get more of our fellow population vaccinated and the resultant public infection numbers show that the pandemic has been snuffed out...


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Wait for the next flu season.

The last reporting period saw the world's total case tally pass while deaths went past .

There was only 2 notables actions at the top end of the death list and they were Sweden relinquishing 37th place to Bangladesh as India "officially" became the 3rd country to enter the 400K+ deaths clubhouse so let's get onto the case list.

Fiji jumped over Gibraltar and the Channel Islands into 174th place, Togo took 145th from Andorra while Vietnam jumped over Guadeloupe and P.N.G. into 138th. Réunion finally got their weekly numbers in a couple of hours after my last update and briefly remove Australia from 125th, but we got that back the next day and the put that cheeky little Malta back in their place to move into 124th (we should be safe there until Réunion's next update). Angola was displaced from 118th by Rwanda as both Cambodia and Zimbabwe became the 112th & 113th member of the 50K+ club while passing Jamaica to take up 111th& 112th spots respectively (but Zimbabwe is now on a charge).

Botswana became the 109th member of the 70K+ club and then promptly removed Luxembourg from 108th spot, Uganda became the 103rd country to enter the 80K+ clubhouse and then quickly booted Cameroon out of 102nd as Namibia became the 101st member of the 90K+ club and they now have a target lock on an ever more lonely China, Finland nudged Ghana out of 98th while Zambia zipped past North Macedonia and over South Korea into 85th after Myanmar put the pedal to the metal to take South Korea out of 84th, Cuba finally tracked down Libya to claim 80th and Sri Lanka passed Slovenia, but they remain in 74th spot as Thailand took flight over Moldova, both of them as well as Honduras to land in 72nd and onto Bahrain's tail feathers.

Venezuela took 68th place from Ireland, Guatemala removed Denmark from 63rd and while Kazakhstan takes the lead again in their little race with Paraguay as they both pass Bulgaria and Greece yet they only progress up to 48th & 49th spots because Tunisia took flight over Belarus and all 4 of them to land in 47th, Malaysia flung Jordan out of 35th as Japan (34th) now enjoys last drinks in the 700K+ clubhouse bar. Even though Pakistan had a good head start through the 900K+ club Bangladesh looks to be the next member of the 1M+ club as they continue to accelerate while the Philippines kicked Canada right out of 23rd while Colombia blew Italy out of 9th spot.

Anyhow that's enough of the action for now.

As far as I can deduce...


Confirmed. We sacrifice our younger not-yet vaccinated generations for the sake of 'business as usual':

Covid-19: Masks will become personal choice, says Robert Jenrick
wrote:

... All legal restrictions are expected to be lifted in England on 19 July.

Mr Jenrick's comments come after doctors warned that some measures - including the use of face masks - should be kept beyond July, with the British Medical Association (BMA) calling the rise in infections alarming...

Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Whatever it takes to speed up the vaccinations uptake:


Stars perform musical song in latest vaccine push
wrote:

Celebrities including actors and pop stars are fronting a video campaign urging people to get their Covid jab.

It sees West End and Emmerdale actress Sandra Marvin and Nicola Roberts, of Girls Aloud, perform The Rhythm Of Life, from 1966 musical Sweet Charity.

They are joined by actors Sir Derek Jacobi, Sex Education's Asa Butterfield and comedian David Walliams.

A tap-dancing Jim Broadbent concludes the song, saying "just get a vaccination"...

... Don Warrington, Russell Tovey and Colin Salmon also feature...

... "Vaccines are helping us get back to everything we love and every industry - including the arts - couldn't be more grateful to each and every person for getting their vaccine."...

Way to go!

Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Singapore has virtually said the Sinovac vaccine doesn't work.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/singapore-not-counting-sinovac-shots-covid-19-vaccination-tally-2021-07-07/

Well it's time for another COVID-19 update which by the end of the last reporting period saw the world pass 185.8 million cases and over 4 million deaths. :-(

At the top end of the death list the only changes were Bangladesh replacing Japan in 36th place as the Philippines displaced Belgium from 25th while down the other end Mozambique, Angola and Trinidad/Tobago deposited Australia down to 113th so now let's get onto that case list.

Fiji is certainly clocking up the frequent flyer points as they took another long distance flight over 11 countries to take a layover in 163rd place, a staggering Taiwan has moved past Somalia into 142nd while Haiti finally caught up with and passed French Polynesia, but they still remain in 137th as Vietnam took a flight over them and 5 other countries to touch down in 131st, Réunion put in their weekly numbers and leapt past both Malta and Australia into 124th and Malawi replaced Sudan in 120th spot.

The D.R.C. passed Madagascar, but remain in 117th spot because Rwanda leapt over both of them and then continued past Senegal to land in 115th, Zimbabwe bumped Cambodia out of 11th while Cyprus replaced El Salvador in 105th after El Salvador and Cameroon were passed by Mozambique to claim 103rd, Namibia disposed of China before jumping over both Ghana and Finland to take over 98th as Mongolia nudged Afghanistan from 94th, Norway passed Albania, but they remain in 91st because Kyrgyzstan leapt over Estonia and both of them to claim 90th, and Myanmar along with Zambia passed Nigeria to move into 83rd & 84th places respectively.

Cuba booted Bosnia/Herzegovina out of 79th, Honduras & Sri Lanka both passed Bahrain to claim 72nd & 73rd places while Oman passed Ireland and followed Venezuela past Ethiopia & Lithuania they only got to claim 67th & 68th places because Thailand flew over all of them and 3 other countries to become the 64th member of the 300K+ club just after Guatemala became the 63rd, Kuwait swept Croatia from 58th as Costa Rica slid past Uruguay into 55th, Belarus pushed Bulgaria out of 51st and Tunisia brushed aside Bolivia to take over 46th spot.

Japan became the 34th country to enter the 800K+ club and then took 33rd spot from Hungary as Bangladesh flashed right past Pakistan into 29th while South Africa become the 19th member of the 2M+ club then removed Peru from 18th place and Indonesia blew the Ukraine right out of 16th.

Meanwhile here down under Sydney's outbreak now numbers 395 cases so it got locked down for a further week, but it's a pretty soft lockdown down there by all accounts as cases are moving into other areas of the greater Sydney region with people still moving around far too much. :-(

By the end of the last reporting period the world's total case tally had surpassed 187.2 million while deaths exceeded 4,042,500. :-(

The changes at the top end of the death list were Bolivia removing Portugal from 32nd spot as South Africa was replaced by Indonesia in 16th and Colombia pried France out of 9th place.

Now onto the case list and Laos has shot up to 184th place and is sitting right on Sint Maarten's rear bumper (and will be the next country to knock New Zealand down another notch), Fiji took off again over Benin, Nicaragua, Equatorial Guinea and Timor-Leste to become the 159th member of the 10K+ club while Vietnam leapt over Guinea, Gabon and Syria to touchdown in 128th, Zimbabwe finally ran down Singapore to claim 110th as Cyprus and El Salvador both passed Cameroon to move into 104th & 105th respectively, Mozambique took exception to being passed so they put the pedal down and zoomed past Uganda into 102nd and Namibia became the 98th member of the 100K+ club as well as promptly replacing Montenegro in 97th spot.

Mongolia and Afghanistan leapt over Estonia, Albania and Norway to claim 91st & 92nd spots, Kyrgyzstan sped past Latvia into 89th as Myanmar blew Kenya out of 82nd, Libya became the 81st member of the 200K+ club while Cuba jumped over Qatar and Armenia to take over 77th, Sri Lanka replaced Honduras in 72nd and Venezuela removed Egypt from 66th place.

Guatemala passed Palestine, but they still remain in 63rd place as Thailand passed them both to claim 62nd, Greece bumped Paraguay from 49th, Tunisia swept Ecuador from 45th while Saudi Arabia became the 44th country to enter the 500K+ clubhouse, Nepal ran right on past Austria into 39th as Malaysia became the 35th member of the 800K+ club then flying past Hungary and Japan to touchdown in 33rd and Portugal was the 31st to enter the 900K+ clubhouse.

Bangladesh became the 29th member of the 1M+ club while Belgium removed Sweden from 26th place, Iraq replaced Canada in 24th as the U.K. became the 7th member of the 5M+ club and the number of empty clubhouses between the 5M+ clubhouse grew again as Brazil has become the 3rd to enter the 19M+ club.

Meanwhile down under I bet that Gladys now wishes that she did a completely full lockdown of greater Sydney a fortnight before she actually did as infections fly well past 500 and now 1 death from the "limo driver" outbreak. So the lockdown will continue on down there and it's likely that schools will not reopen after school vacation ends.

Well that's it for this update.