More than four million vaccinations against Covid-19 were administered in the US in a single day at the weekend, showing an acceleration in the country's vaccine distribution programme amid an ongoing rise in coronavirus cases.
Andy Slavitt, the White House senior adviser on the Covid-19 response, said on Monday that 4.1 million immunisations were given on Saturday, April 3, a record in the US vaccination programme.
The US is now averaging three million immunisations a day, a pace that is about five times faster than the global average, CNN reported.
"We will administer more shots in March than any country on Earth," President Joe Biden said in a speech last Monday. "Look at what we have done in the last 10 weeks. No other country has come close."
More than 18 per cent of the US population, or more than 61 million people, has been fully vaccinated, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
About 32 per cent, or more than 106 million people, have had at least one dose four months into the programme.
"The war against Covid-19 is far from over, far from won," Mr Slavitt said on Monday.
"The worst thing we could do right now would be to mistake progress for victory. If we let our guard down now, we will see more of our fellow Americans get sick and die unnecessarily. Each of us can act to prevent this."
He recommended that everyone continue following coronavirus mitigation measures such as masking, distancing and being vaccinated when possible.
The White House Covid-19 Task Force is issuing caution amid this progress owing to the continuous rise in coronavirus cases being seen in the US.
Agency director Dr Rochelle Walensky said this is the fourth week of increasing coronavirus cases.
The US health agency has recorded a seven-day average of more than 65,000 daily infections.
This is still dramatically lower that the 200,000 daily cases seen in the worst surge in the winter months.
“Trends in data have been indicating cases are increasing nationally and we are seeing this occur predominantly in younger adults," she said, referring to new research that found cases were rising among young people participating in extra-curricular activities.
"This is why you’ve heard me so clearly share my concern."
The worry is that higher cases over 50,000 daily can make it easier for a surge or spike to occur and then lead to a rise in hospital admissions and possible deaths.
Reuters reports that Covid-related hospital admissions rose 4 per cent last week, ending 11 weeks of decline.
Through vaccinating the elderly and high-risk populations, a fourth surge of cases may not be as deadly.
If the pandemic continues, however, scientists say the additional time allows for the virus to mutate and create more threatening variants.
The US is host to all three "variants of concern", so labelled by the World Health Organisation, from Brazil, South Africa and the UK.
The agency additionally labelled two strains from California as "variants of concern" and said it has its eye on home-grown "variants of interest" in the New York City area, which has stagnated at a high level of infections.
"We know that these increases are due in part to more highly transmissible variants, which we are very closely monitoring," Dr Walensky said.
"And as more schools are reopening, it is even more important to make sure they do so safely with strict adherence to [agency] guidance and for all of us to roll up our sleeves for a vaccine as soon as we can.”
The nation's top infectious diseases expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, debunked hopes that warmer weather will help lower cases and fend off a fourth surge of infections.
“You might remember a year ago or a little bit more than a year ago when we were looking for the summer to rescue us from surges, it was in fact the opposite," he said.
"We saw some substantial surges in the summer."
Dr Fauci said medical experts have not seen seasonal patterns with Covid, similar to how the flu operates in the country.
"I don’t think we should even think about relying on the weather to bail us out of anything we’re in right now.”
The US has recorded more than 555,000 Covid-19 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The country also leads the world in coronavirus cases, with more than 30 million known infections.
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Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Keita 5', Firmino 26'
Porto 0
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
