This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for June 18th, 2021.

The surge in the U.K. is picking up steam with new cases going over 10,000 for the first time in nearly four months. The chief medical adviser said the surge “will definitely translate into further hospitalizations and further deaths.”

In Africa, cases rose over 20% week-on-week in nearly two dozen countries and only 0.79% of the continent is fully vaccinated. Five countries, South Africa, Tunisia, Zambia, Uganda, and Namibia, account for 76% of the new cases.

In Afghanistan, the U.S. Embassy has gone into a near-complete lockdown due to a massive spike in cases among employees. Staffers are isolating to prevent a spread that’s already killed at least one person, sent 114 into quarantine, and forced several people to be medically evacuated.

And the World Health Organization warned Indonesia needs to increase social restrictions amid a fresh surge of cases there. The country’s president has ordered authorities to speed up the vaccination campaign.

U.S. taxpayers might buy $3.2 billion worth of antiviral medicines. The White House plan, called the Antiviral Program for Pandemics, will speed clinical trials and the manufacture of promising Covid-19 treatments, with the goal of gaining FDA authorization within a year. Pretty much the things that were done in 2020.

In the United States cases were down 21%, deaths are down 20%, and hospitalizations are down 23% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since June 4.

There are now 5,119,713 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, and New York.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Linn, MO. Dimmit, TX. Reeves, TX. Livingston, MO. Stone, AR. Karnes, TX. Polk, MO. Hutchinson, TX. DeWitt, TX. And Candler, GA.

There have been 600,933 deaths in U.S. recorded as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.8%.

The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: Texas 35. California 32. Georgia 30. Michigan 26. Illinois 21. Arizona 18. Pennsylvania 15. New York 14. Washington 8. And New Jersey, Colorado, Louisiana, and Nevada 7.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s had at least one dose, Vermont at 72.6%, Massachusetts unchanged at 68.7%, and Hawaii at 68.6%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Mississippi unchanged at 35.2%, Louisiana at 37.1%, and Alabama at 37.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 44.1%.

Globally, cases were down 19% and deaths down 5% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since June 12.

There are now 11,645,381 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Brazil 74,327. India 62,409. Colombia 29,945. Argentina 23,780. And Russia 14,057.

There have now been 3,840,181 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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