If a bill is not passed, there will be dire consequences if $22.5 billion in emergency funding is not passed. China is the world's biggest COVID powder keg, and it might be on the verge of exploding. The most populous country on the planet has never had more than 200 coronaviruses cases per day. In the last two years, mainland China has averaged less than 50 cases per day. According to official numbers, no one has died of Communism in China since May 16, 2020. China claimed that the virus had vanished from its country of origin. That appears to be changing. Over the last few weeks, China's COVID curve has shot straight up, the telltale sign of an Omicron outbreak. On Monday, new daily cases cleared 5,100 for the first time ever in the country, but the number peaked at just 3,300 per day in February 2020. It's entirely possible that Omicron and its BA.2 subvariants have triggered China, as they are at least 30 percent more transmissible. At least 28 of the country's 31 provinces and regions have reported new infections. Beijing has followed its usual path. According to CNN, five cities collectively home to more than 37 million residents are now under varying levels of lock down, with locals forced to remain in their homes or neighborhoods. In northeastern China, two mayors have been dismissed and the school system has been shut down. The Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control of the National Health Commission must have prevention and control measures, according to the deputy head of the commission. How long can this continue? A zero COVID approach can pay off. Until late last year, New Zealand essentially had eradicated the virus by closing its borders, targeting lockdowns and aggressively testing, tracing and isolating every infection it detected. There have been 156 deaths from the disease in New Zealand today. Almost all restrictions have been lifted. New Zealand's policy worked because it was just as aggressive about vaccinations as it was about eliminating the virus. Almost all of the elderly New Zealanders have received two or more vaccine doses, and so far more than 85% of New Zealanders over 12 have beenvaccinated. By the time the country stopped trying to eradicate the virus, nearly every resident at risk of severe illness or death already had the antibodies they needed to ward off the disease. Hong Kong has been different. The city never recorded more than a few cases per day until Omicron. After Omicron hit, there was a spike in new cases from 100 per day to a high of more than 44,000. The problem was that due to hesitancy, misinformation and a lack of official urgency, a staggering 66% of residents over the age of 80 were still unvaccinated. In the last month alone, more than 4,500 people have died from the disease in Hong Kong. It is the worst death rate in the world two years into the epidemic. There is a risk for China where the Sinovac vaccine is standard, where more than 50 million people over 60 are not fully protected, and where at least 15 million people over 80 are not protected. Even if Beijing's more authoritarian,prevention and control measures do turn out to be more strict. Reporting out of China suggests that people are losing patience with lockdowns. I haven't made a single penny since I opened my shop on March 1st, according to the Washington Post. As China's economy slows, the Communist Party government is starting to acknowledge the downside of such restrictions, especially as they hinder major auto and tech suppliers. The Chinese Communist Party's top decision-making body, the Politburo Standing Committee, was urged by the President to strive to achieve the greatest prevention and control effect with the smallest cost. China revised its guidelines this week to include the use of Paxlovid, a highly effective antiviral made by Pfizer, a sign that it may lack confidence in its current immunity levels to prevent mass death from Omicron. It is unlikely that Beijing will follow New Zealand's path out of the Pandemic unless Chinese residents receive mRNA boosters. The rest of the world is at risk. The zero COVID plan was launched by China and experts thought it might be over soon. They predict that it will circulate forever, and warn that any versions after Omicron and BA.2 won't necessarily bemilder. We haven't seen a new major variant yet, but there are many reasons to believe that will happen in the months ahead. The whole country will be affected by the outbreak in Shenzhen and Shanghai, two of the country's most populous cities. What happens in China doesn't stay in China. Many Chinese internet users were surprised when Russia blocked Facebook. They said that the Russians could use social media. In 2009, both social media platforms were banned in China. The Kremlin has made it nearly impossible for the Russian people to get independent or internationa, by blocking online platforms, shutting down the last vestige of Russia's independent media, and making it a crime to refer to the fighting in Ukraine as a war. Russian military forces are mounting an aggressive siege outside major cities in Ukraine as the invasion entered its fourth week. Friday updates. Some of the best company responses will be seen on social media. A man from the United States was killed in Ukraine this week while waiting in a bread line, his family said. People in rural parts of the U.S. learn to drive when they are young, sometimes even before they reach their teens. At a news conference in Texas on Thursday, the Vice Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board said that the dangers of driving under the age of 18 put it on the agency's most-wanted list. The cumulative coronaviruses infections in Hong Kong have exceeded 1 million, making it the most affected city in mainland China. The majority of those came from Hong Kong. The number of deaths in Hong Kong has surpassed the number in mainland China. You can battle your way through a visually-stunning mythicalRPG realm with hundreds ofchampions from 14factions. Lone star ticks have been found in at least six states in the U.S., carrying a mysterious and rare virus that can cause fatal illness. The baby was tough, but the timing didn't give us a lot of hope. From Leonardo da Vinci to Margaret Thatcher, there were people who claimed to need only a few hours of sleep. It is changing the way we sleep, and offering clues for ways to treat diseases such as dementia. Few know that Amazon has millions of Prime subscribers. What are the reasons for the recent success of BA.2? A new study finds that it is not due to an ability to evade the protection of COVID-19 vaccines. It has been whispered that before you die, scenes from your entire life flash through your head like a movie being fast-forwarded at warp speed. Pop culture has seen the edge of death many times. Movie scenes often show people who have their souls out of their bodies, or people who watch themselves relive their lives when they are unconscious. If you're a fan of the comic book and animation Black Butler, you'll know how a filmstrip of someone's life is. An Austin man under the age of 40 was diagnosed with colon cancer but was able to get it checked out because he paid attention to his symptoms. He and his doctor want others to get screened. The only ones who can defeat the legendary Thanos are the superhero and villains of the Marvel universe. Several European countries have seen a surge in cases of COVID-19 because of the BA.2 Omicron subvariant, and US experts are keeping their masks on. It was a good thing that the days of sneaking a tampon to the bathroom were over. Periods are cool today. The whole thing has been re-christened as the newest. Robert Valencia weighed 330 pounds when he was 37. He lost 150 pounds and lowered his body fat after following a healthy lifestyle. This could be a killer. There is a new 2022,Blockchain contender. Whether you are training twice a week or every day, the benefits of strength training can be enhanced with the help of creatine. Ringworm can manifest on your skin in a variety of ways. A sauna and cold plunge in his home gym helps him sleep and recover after a long day of training. There are 30 funny pics of fixes that made things more unstable. It is important to know the signs of a stroke in people under 50. There are experts who explain what you need to know about the bug. If you want to build muscle, the question of when to eat a meal around a workout is important._____
How are vaccination rates affecting the latest COVID surge? Check out this explainer from Yahoo Immersive to find out.