A department store display in New York City

Good morning. This is Jonathan Spira reporting. Here now the news of the pandemic from across the globe on the 873rd day of the pandemic.

Even though we remain in the midst of a raging pandemic, one thing has become clear: Leisurewear is out of fashion.

Yes, pandemicwear is out of fashion and clothing retailers are failing to see a return to pre-pandemic levels, even though other segments are showing signs of recovery.   While it’s easy to frame this as a case of inflationary pressure, it’s more than shoppers don’t want the goods stores have in stock.

Even though people aren’t exactly returning to offices in droves, it’s apparently now a faux pas to show up on a video conference call in one’s pajamas, for our British readers, pyjamas.

Retailers typically order inventory one year out but did they really think the just-got-out-of-bed look would really last?

In other news we cover today, China is placing millions more under lockdown and a Chinese think tank came out publicly against the government’s “zero Covid” policy.

Here’s a look at what has taken place over the past 24 hours.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who is running for the governorship in the November election, says he is against many of the measures the current governor, Tom Wolfe, put into effect during the pandemic and that he, as attorney general, helped enforce.  Shapiro now says he was wrong about mandatory mask mandates and business shutdowns.  The comments will likely be embraced by voters who might otherwise be inclined to vote for his Republican opponent, Doug Mastriano, who has been highly critical of the current administration’s pandemic policies.

China has placed millions of people under new strict lockdowns. The new measures will impact about half of the six million residents of the port city of Dalian, along with an unspecified number in Chengde and Shijiazhuang in Hebei province.  Both cities are three hours from the capital Beijing.

The current Covid lockdown of China’s southern tech hub Shenzhen has expanded to include the city’s manufacturing districts including factories that make devices for Apple.   Residents in seven subdistricts in Futian, Luohu, and Longgang have been told to work from home and avoid going outdoors  In addition, no major events such as trade shows and large-scale meetings can take place in the industrial districts of Longgang and Longhua, which is where Apple supplier Foxconn Technology Group’s factories are located.

Authorities also closed the electronics market in Huaqiangbei, considered one of the world’s largest, and suspended service at 24 subway stations.

Meanwhile, the Anbound Research Center, a think tank in China, in a rare disagreement with government policy, said that the current “zero Covid” policy must change in order to avoid an “economic stall.”

Now here are the daily statistics for Tuesday, August 30.

As of Tuesday morning, the world has recorded 606.8 million Covid-19 cases, an increase of 0.7 million cases, and 6.49 million deaths, according to Worldometer, a service that tracks such information. In addition, 582.7 million people worldwide have recovered from the virus, an increase of 1.1 million.

Worldwide, the number of active coronavirus cases as of Tuesday is 17,673,371, a decrease of 323,000. Out of that figure, 99.8%, or 17,630,133, are considered mild, and 0.2%, or 43,238, are listed as critical.  The percentage of cases considered critical is unchanged over the pat 24 hours.

The United States reported 112,006 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday for the previous day, compared to 8,539 on Monday, 8,821 on Sunday, 100,346 on Saturday, 111,303 on Friday, and 174,362 on Thursday, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The 7-day incidence rate is now 88,665.  Figures for the weekend (reported the following day) are typically 30% to 60% of those posted on weekdays due to a lower number of tests being conducted.

The average daily number of new coronavirus cases in the United States over the past 14 days is 89,199, an 11% decrease, based on data from the Department of Health and Human Services, among other sources.  The average daily death toll over the same period is 475, a decrease of 3% over the same period, while the average number of hospitalizations for the4period was 37,734, a 10% decrease.

In addition, since the start of the pandemic the United States has, as of Tuesday, recorded 96.1 million cases, a higher figure than any other country, and a death toll of 1.07 million. India has the world’s second highest number of officially recorded cases, over 44.4 million, and a reported death toll of 527,829.

New data from Russia’s Rosstat state statistics service showed at the end of May that the number of Covid or Covid-related deaths since the start of the pandemic there in April 2020 is now 820,307, giving the country the world’s second highest pandemic-related death toll, behind the United States.  Rosstat reported that 4,991 people died from the coronavirus or related causes in June, down from 7,008 in May and from 11,583 in April.

Meanwhile, France is the country with the third highest number of cases, 34.48 million, although Brazil has recorded the third highest number of deaths as a result of the virus, 683,718, and has recorded 34.39 million cases, placing it in the number four slot.

Germany is in the number five slot with 32.1 million cases.

The other three countries with total case figures over the 20 million mark are the United Kingdom, with 23.5 million cases, in sixth position, South Korea, with 23.1 million cases, placing it in the number seven slot, and Italy, with over 21.8 million, as number eight.

Meanwhile, Russia, with 19.5 million recorded cases, will likely cross the 20 million mark within under two weeks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that, as of Tuesday, over 262.3 million people in the United States – or 79.1% – have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Of that population, 67.4%, or 223.9 million people, have received two doses of vaccine, and the total number of doses that have been dispensed in the United States is now 608.9 million. Breaking this down further, 90.1% of the population over the age of 18 – or 232.7 million people – has received at least a first inoculation and 77.3% of the same group – or 199.6 million people – is fully vaccinated.  In addition, 51.6% of that population, or 102.9 million people, has already received a third, or booster, dose of vaccine.

Starting on June 13, 2022, the CDC began to update vaccine data on a weekly basis and publish the updated information on Thursdays by 8 p.m. EDT, a statement on the agency’s website said.

Some 67.6% of the world population has received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine by Tuesday, according to Our World in Data, an online scientific publication that tracks such information.  So far, 12.57 billion doses of the vaccine have been administered on a global basis and 5.1 million doses are now administered each day.

Meanwhile, only 20.9% of people in low-income countries have received one dose, while in countries such as Canada, China, Denmark, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States, at least 75% of the population has received at least one dose of vaccine.

Only a handful of the world’s poorest countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia and Nepal – have reached the 70% mark in vaccinations. Many countries, however, are under 20% and, in countries such as Haiti, Senegal, and Tanzania, for example, vaccination rates remain in the single digits, if not lower.

In addition, North Korea and Eritrea are now the only two countries in the world that have not administered vaccines.

Anna Breuer contributed reporting to this story.

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