Malaysia reopens resort island as vaccinations rise
Hundreds of holiday-makers flocked to Malaysia's northern resort island of Langkawi as it reopened Thursday to fully vaccinated travelers. Langkawi is the first holiday destination in the country to welcome visitors as part of a domestic tourism bubble. If successful, it could see other holiday destinations following suit in a bid to revive the economy.
Malaysia has reported more than 2 million infections while deaths have surged above 21,000 despite a lockdown in June.
But vaccination has also picked up pace, with three-quarter of the country's adult population fully inoculated. The government says a lockdown is no longer feasible and that Malaysians have to learn to live with the virus, which will soon be treated as endemic. Restrictions have been loosened recently and Langkawi was allowed to reopen with strict health protocols.
Travelers older than 7 must test negative for COVID-19 before arriving on the island. Local media said airline tickets have been snapped up, with 19 flights carrying holiday-makers due to arrive in Langkawi on Thursday. Ferries carrying hundreds of passengers were also headed to the island, which reportedly expects to welcome 400,000 visitors by the year's end.
Alaska reported its highest number of new coronavirus cases Wednesday, after the state's largest hospital started rationing care because of a flood of COVID-19 patients. Officials reported 1,068 new virus infections, which is 13% higher than last week. State officials say 201 Alaskans are hospitalized for COVID19, and 34 of them are on ventilators.
The state's chief medical officer says hospitals continue to be stressed and there isn't capacity for patients who have COVID-19 as well as those with other needs. Statewide, there are about 1,100 non-intensive care unit beds in hospitals, with only 302 available Wednesday. Only 21 of the state's ICU beds are open.
The leader of the Canadian province of Alberta is apologizing for his handling of the pandemic and says he is reluctantly introducing a vaccine passport and imposing a mandatory work-from-home order two months after lifting nearly all restrictions. Alberta is declaring a public health emergency as Premier Jason Kenney says the province might run out of beds and staff for intensive care units within 10 days.
Indoor dining at pubs and restaurants is now banned. Kenney says it is clear the provincial government was wrong to end public health restrictions in the summer.
He says COVID-19 is hitting Alberta harder than anywhere else in Canada because it has the lowest vaccination rate. The Nevada Hospital Association is urging people to avoid going to emergency rooms except in true emergencies, especially in northern Nevada where a resurgence in coronavirus infections is running double the rate in the Las Vegas area.
Health officials say the 30-day average for daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents has increased fivefold in the Reno-Sparks area over the past six weeks - from 354 at the beginning of August to 1,621 now. The statewide rate is 951, and it's 720 in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas.