https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20201219200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : india corona third
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201219_13/The total number of coronavirus cases in India has passed the 10 million mark, second only to the United States as the virus continues to spread across the country.
The Indian government confirmed 25,152 new cases on Saturday, bringing the total to 10,004,599.
The number of fatalities reached 145,136, the third highest in the world after the US and Brazil.
Daily cases peaked in mid-September when nearly 100,000 infections were reported. The pace of new cases has slowed since then, and the daily count has fallen to between 20,000 and 30,000 this month.
As vaccinations start in Britain and the US, three companies have applied to get authorization for emergency use of vaccines in India, including a local pharmaceutical company working with major British drug maker AstraZeneca. Regulators are rushing to screen them.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on December 4 that a vaccine will be ready within a few weeks. He said the government is waiting for the go-ahead from scientists.
The government plans to start administering vaccines to the first group including healthcare workers as soon as emergency use is authorized.
Key words : food and drug approval
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201219_10/The United States Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of a coronavirus vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical company Moderna.
The approval came on Friday. The vaccine is the second to be authorized by the regulator, following one jointly developed by US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer and German partner BioNTech.
US officials say deliveries of the Moderna vaccine are expected to begin shortly.
Key words : mike television
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201219_04/US Vice President Mike Pence received his COVID-19 vaccination during a live television event on Friday.
Pence, who heads the Trump administration's coronavirus response team, expressed hope that his shot can be a source of confidence and comfort to the American people.
Vaccinations in the United States started this week. The country's death toll from the virus is the world's highest, at more than 310,000.
In a poll by research firm Ipsos and ABC News released on Monday, 15 percent of respondents said they will not receive a vaccine. Six percent of Democratic respondents gave a similar answer, compared to 26 percent of Republican supporters.
Key words : china emergency program
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201219_15/China says it plans to expand the scope of the emergency administering of domestically-produced COVID-19 vaccines, citing no apparent problems associated with them so far.
The country's National Health Commission held a news conference on the vaccines on Saturday.
Commission official Zheng Zhongwei said China has administered more than 1 million doses since July, and that "no serious adverse reactions" have been reported so far.
The emergency program targets groups that are at high risk of infection including medical workers.
A total of three different vaccines being developed by state-owned Sinopharm as well as the pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech are being used in the program.
They are among five Chinese vaccines that are in the final stages of clinical testing outside the country. But the government says it is not yet ready to approve them for the general public within China.
Another senior official suggested that the vaccines will likely be used on more people at high risk of infection, such as food market and public transport workers, as they have demonstrated a certain level of safety.
Key words : framework fair distribution
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201219_06/An international framework for the fair distribution of coronavirus vaccines now has agreements to access nearly 2 billion doses by the end of next year.
On Friday, the COVAX Facility said deliveries are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2021.
The initiative comprises 190 countries and territories, including Japan. It is co-led by the World Health Organization, the Gavi vaccine alliance and other entities.
COVAX is supporting the development of 10 vaccines. They include a joint effort by British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, and another by US pharmaceutical firm Moderna.
The initiative is also likely to include a vaccine being developed by US firm Johnson & Johnson, and another by French firm Sanofi and Britain's GlaxoSmithKline.
Key words : italy
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201219_12/Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says a nationwide lockdown will be imposed for the two weeks between December 24 and January 6 to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Conte said at a news conference on Friday that movement will be limited during the lockdown, and that most retail shops and restaurants will be closed. But he said takeout and delivery services will be allowed to operate.
Visits to the homes of other people will be restricted to up to two adults. Children under the age of 14 will be allowed to accompany them.
The measures will be loosened from December 28 through 30 and on January 4. People will be allowed to move around within municipalities and shops will be allowed to open.
Conte said he hoped people would understand why the tighter measures had to be imposed over Christmas, calling it a painful decision.
Earlier this month, Italy started to phase out coronavirus restrictions in some areas, claiming infections were under control. The country eased daytime limits on movement and a ban on the operation of retail shops and other establishments.
But daily new case totals have hovered at around 18,000, prompting the new measures. Italy has now overtaken Britain as the European country with the most coronavirus deaths, with a toll approaching 70,000.
Other European nations, including Britain and Germany, are also tightening measures ahead of Christmas to curb the spread of the virus.
Key words : 736
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201219_14/The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 736 new coronavirus cases in the Japanese capital on Saturday. It's the second highest figure after Thursday's record of 822.
The daily tally has topped 600 for four days in a row.
The total number of cases in Tokyo now stands at 50,890.
Key words : end of Aug
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201219_08/A recent study in Japan has found that about 13 percent of people who are seriously ill with the coronavirus have developed dangerous blood clots.
A group of researchers from the Japanese Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis, the health ministry and the Japan Atherosclerosis Society published the report.
The team analyzed data of about 6,000 patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 by the end of August.
It found that 105 of the total, or 1.85 percent, developed thrombosis. Of 378 critically ill patients who were put on ventilators or ECMO heart-lung machines, 50 people, or 13.2 percent, experienced the condition.
Forty-one patients had blood clots in their legs and 29 in their lungs. Twenty-two suffered brain infarctions, while seven had myocardial infarction.
Researchers point out substances that cause inflammation are produced in patients with the coronavirus when the body's immune system goes into overdrive. This causes clots to form, leading to blockages in blood vessels resulting in brain or myocardial infarction.
Horiuchi Hisanori of the Japanese Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis said their study found coronavirus patients are vulnerable to a high incidence of life-threatening thrombosis. He stressed the need for treatment to prevent clots from forming in those with serious symptoms from the virus.
Key words : microsoft
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201219_11/Microsoft says it has identified more than 40 government organizations and tech firms around the world that were targeted by a recent hacking campaign.
This comes as US government agencies, including the Commerce Department, have experienced cyber breaches in recent months.
US media outlets say hackers linked to the Russian government may be involved.
Microsoft said on Thursday that about 80 percent of the targets were US-based, but there were some located in seven other countries, including Britain, Belgium and Israel.
The company said 44 percent of the targets were related to the information technology sector, 18 percent were government agencies, and another 18 percent were think tanks and NGOs. Defense firms with government contracts accounted for 9 percent.
The hackers are believed to have attached their malware to a software update provided by SolarWinds, a US-based tech company. SolarWinds says the tainted update would have been available to over 17,000 of its customers.
Microsoft is calling on governments and organizations around the world to be on alert, and says it is certain the number and locations of victims will keep growing.
Key words : weather official heavy snow and Gunma
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201219_17/Weather officials in Japan warn of more heavy snow this weekend across many mountainous areas and the side of the country facing the Japan Sea.
The Meteorological Agency says a strong cold air mass and an atmospheric pressure pattern typical for the season have brought heavy snow to regions from Chugoku through to Hokkaido.
Snow is intensifying in the mountainous regions of Niigata and Gunma prefectures, where record snowfall left vehicles stranded for many hours.
As of 8 p.m. on Saturday, 211 centimeters of snow had piled up in the town of Tsunan in Niigata Prefecture, and 191 centimeters in the town of Minakami, Gunma Prefecture.
In the 24-hour period through Sunday evening, Niigata Prefecture and the northern Kanto region may receive up to 80 centimeters of snowfall, Tohoku region and Nagano Prefecture up to 60 centimeters, Hokuriku region up to 50 centimeters, and Hokkaido up to 40 centimeters.
Weather officials are warning of possible traffic disruptions, avalanches and injuries while clearing snow. They are advising people to drive carefully on icy roads.
