Dallas runs out of children’s ICU beds as California makes vaccines or testing mandatory in schools
The US COVID crisis has seen children’s intensive care beds run out in Dallas and masks and testing to be made obligatory in schools across California.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins announced on Saturday that there were no paediatric ICU beds available across the entire 19-county area.
Asked what to do if your child falls ill with coronavirus, he said: “Your child will wait for another child to die.
“Your child will just not get on a ventilator. Your child will be care-flighted to Temple or Oklahoma City or wherever we can find them a bed, but they won’t be getting one here unless one clears.”
Mr Jenkins signed an executive order this week requiring masks to be worn inside schools, public buildings and businesses, amid the rapid spread of the Delta variant.
It came after another judge granted a temporary restraining order against Texas governor Greg Abbott, who was trying to ban such rules.
Students and staff will have to undergo weekly testing or be fully vaccinated from this month in California. Pic: AP
A similar disagreement has played out in South Carolina, where state governor Henry McMaster is threatening to withhold funding from schools in the capital of Columbia if they insist on making masks compulsory.
Meanwhile in California this week, governor Gavin Newsom announced he will make vaccines or regular testing a legal requirement for all students and teachers when schools return this month.
He has also said that all healthcare workers must be fully vaccinated and government employees must choose between weekly testing and getting their jabs if they want to keep their jobs.
The subjects of vaccines and masks are a point of contention between governor Newsom and Larry Elder, his rival candidate in California’s upcoming recall election.
California governor Gavin Newsom. Pic: AP
Mr Newsom has referred to Mr Elder as an extremist who “does not believe in mask wearing” in a bid to keep his job as governor.
But Mr Elder has suggested only those who are vulnerable should be getting vaccinated.
Also on Friday, US drug regulators approved booster jabs for people who are immunocompromised.
Vulnerable groups in the UK are due to start getting third doses from September.
The move will mean an extra vaccine dose for around 10 million Americans, including people who have had organ transplants and cancer patients.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted unanimously in favour of the move on Friday, suggesting that the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson jabs may not stave off COVID for the more vulnerable.
Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump he “will not back down” from Russia’s goals in Ukraine during a phone call today, the Kremlin has said.
The Russian president spoke to his US counterpart for almost an hour, and Mr Trump “again raised the issue of an early end to military action” in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
In response, Mr Putin said “Russia will not back down” from its aims there, which include “the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs,” Mr Ushakov said.
The phrase “root causes” is shorthand for Moscow’s argument that it was compelled to invade Ukraine in order to prevent the country from joining NATO.
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Trump and Putin’s latest call on Ukraine
Ukraine and its European allies say this is a pretext to justify what they call an imperial-style war, but Mr Trump has previously shown sympathy with Russia.
At the same time, Mr Putin told the US president that Russia is ready to continue negotiating, the aide said.
The Russian president said any prospective peace deal must see Ukraine give up its NATO bid and recognise his country’s territorial gains.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, seen with Mr Trump in June, is pushing for Ukraine to join NATO. Pic: Reuters
He also briefed Mr Trump on agreements made last month, which saw Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war and dead soldiers.
Specific dates for the third round of peace talks in Istanbul were not discussed – nor was the US decision to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s call came after the Pentagon confirmed some weapons due to be sent to Ukraine have been held as it reviews military stockpiles.
The paused shipments include air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, two people familiar with the situation have said.
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The decision led to Ukraine calling in the acting US envoy to Kyiv on Wednesday to underline the importance of military aid from Washington.
Kyiv also cautioned that the move would weaken Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against intensifying Russian airstrikes and battlefield advances.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s phone call was the sixth they have publicly disclosed since the US president returned to the White House in January.
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