Overview: Hong Kong to test entire population, other developments

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Tue, 2022-02-22 10:15 — mike kraft

Hong Kong to test entire population of 7.5M people 3 times in March: Latest COVID updates Hong Kong has reported about 5,000 new daily infections since Feb. 15, imperiling its healthcare system. More updates. YahooNews

Hong Kong, struggling with its worst COVID-19 outbreak since the pandemic began, will test every one of its 7.5 million people for the coronavirus three times next month, the city’s leader said Tuesday.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said testing capacity will be boosted to 1 million a day or more with the hope of ultimately allowing for the entire city to be tested in one week.

Hong Kong has reported about 5,000 new daily infections since Feb. 15, imperiling its healthcare system. Since the current, omicron-driven surge began at the beginning of the year, the city has recorded nearly 54,000 cases and 145 deaths. ...

Other developments include:

►Players attending the NFL's scouting combine won't have to stay in a “bubble” as originally ordered after organizers loosened regulations Monday night after getting blowback for strict COVID-19 rules issued over the weekend.

►The Canadian Parliament voted Monday in favor of maintaining the emergency powers that allowed police to clear the blockades of truck drivers who were protesting the country's COVID-19 restrictions.

--- The U.S. has recorded more than 78.5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 935,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: More than 425 million cases and over 5 million deaths. More than 214 million Americans – 64.7% – are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

-- A federal survey released Tuesday of public and private teachers and principals in all 50 states reflects how K-12 education shifted dramatically in early 2020 when COVID-19 shuttered buildings and confined families to homes. The results may reflect socioeconomic trends: 58% of private school principals said all their students had home internet access in spring 2020; 4% of public school principals said the same. Private school teachers interacted with their students live more than public-school teachers. According to the report, 61% said they had real-time interactions with more than three-quarters of their students in early 2020, compared to 32% of public-school teachers.

Charter schools, which are public schools that operate with more autonomy, pivoted more nimbly to real-time video lessons. About 55% of charter school teachers reported using live video lessons that allowed students to ask questions in spring 2020, compared to 46% of public school teachers. ...

-- Queen Elizabeth II canceled scheduled online engagements Tuesday because she is still experiencing mild cold-like symptoms after testing positive for COVID-19, Buckingham Palace said. The 95-year-old monarch “has decided not to undertake her planned virtual engagements today, but will continue with light duties,” a palace spokesman said....

-- The number of people screened at airports Friday reached its highest level since the Thanksgiving holiday as more countries ease restrictions on travel set during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Transportation Security Administration said it screened 2,241,123 people Friday – the most since the Sunday after last Thanksgiving, when more than 2.4 million people were screened. ...

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