COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark seems to have failed to reach its target of 90% of people over the age of 12 having been vaccinated twice by Oct. 1 as the latest official figures show 84.9% have gotten both shots.
The latest official figures by Danish Health Authorities show that 4,366,235 people have gotten both shots.
Those who have gotten the first shot — 4,453,321 people — represent 86.6% of those over the age of 12.
The vaccine is voluntary and free of charge in Denmark, which on Sept. 10, declared that it no longer considers COVID-19 as “a socially critical disease” because of the large number of vaccinations. All restrictions have since been removed.
The Scandinavian country has a total population of 5.8 million.
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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:
— Primetta Giacopini’s life began in one pandemic and was ended by another
— As COVID-19 deaths rise, vaccine opponents find a foothold in Bosnia
— Am I fully vaccinated without a COVID-19 vaccine booster?
— Singapore’s strategy of living with COVID-19 raises concerns, hope
— Japan’s next leader sees higher wages as cure for pandemic doldrums
— Australian state’s sudden 50% jump in COVID-19 cases blamed on sport fans
— See all of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
VUNG TAU, Vietnam — Vietnam will lift the lockdown in its largest city on Friday, ending nearly three months of restrictions on movement to curb a coronavirus surge.
People in Ho Chi Minh City will be able to leave their homes, but the government will still enforce social distancing and travel in and out of the city will be controlled.
The delta variant infected 770,000 people and killed over 19,000 in three months, with Ho Chi Minh City accounting for the majority of deaths.
Vietnam is speeding up vaccinations by prioritizing big cities and squeezing the shots into a shorter timeframe to get both doses into more people.
Almost half of Ho Chi Minh City’s adults have received both shots, while Vietnam’s overall vaccination rate is low.
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SANTA FE, N.M. — County jails across New Mexico are contending with a high-risk environment for COVID-19 infection at the same time that many more beds are filling with inmates.
County governments’ association attorney Grace Philips warned legislators on Wednesday that overall coronavirus vaccination rates among staff at county detention centers are lower than the statewide average — 61% versus about 71% for adults in general.
Inmates are far less likely to be vaccinated as they arrive in increasing numbers at county detention facilities.
The statewide county jail population has increased by more than a quarter since May 2020.
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A second hospital in Alaska is beginning to ration health care as the state deals with a spike in coronavirus cases.
Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corp. in Bethel announced the move Wednesday as it reported it is operating at capacity.
Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, which is the state’s largest hospital, has already been rationing care.
Coronavirus infections in Alaska have risen 42% in the last week.
The president of the Bethel region hospital says it did everything possible to delay rationing but had to take the step.
Hospital CEO Dan Winkelman is urging “every resident of the Yukon-Kuskokwim region to get vaccinated, wear a mask in indoor public areas, and social distance.” He warns that “this is our last stand against this virus.”
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MELBOURNE, Australia — Victoria state in Australia has reported 1,438 new coronavirus cases — almost 500 more than the previous high set a day just earlier.
Australia’s second-most populous state on Thursday also reported five more deaths from COVID-19 in the latest 24-hour period. Victoria on Wednesday reported 950 new infections and a daily record of seven deaths.
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the national government remains determined to end lockdowns in Australia despite the worsening situation in the Victoria’s capital of Melbourne.
Frydenberg is a Melbourne resident and says the city has become despondent after spending 242 days in lockdown.
The government has said its payments to workers who have lost hours due to lockdowns will end two weeks after 80% of the people in a state or territory are fully vaccinated.
The government says 49% of Victoria’s target population is fully vaccinated
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HONOLULU — Over 160 Oahu business operators have been cited, warned or arrested in the weeks since Honolulu imposed new pandemic safety rules. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that most of the cases involved warnings.
The Liquor Commission issued six notices of violation, included three for serving alcohol after 10 p.m., two for not checking vaccination status and one for failing to conduct contact tracing.
Police also issued citations or made arrests for people not wearing masks and not observing required physical distances.
Honolulu Police Department spokesperson Michelle Yu says city officials could not immediately break down the number of arrests vs. citations because they are compiled together in the same records-keeping category.
City spokesperson Tim Sakahara says the great majority of businesses are in compliance with the rules.