Wednesday, August 11

French daily new cases over 30,000 for first time since April

French health authorities reported 30,920 new daily Covid-19 infections, a figure above the 30,000 threshold for the first time since April 28, when the country was about to exit its third lockdown.

The seven-day moving average of daily new cases now stands at 23,288, above the 23,000 limit for the first time since May 1.

That figure is almost 13 times higher than a June 27 low of 1,816 as the more contagious Delta variant is spreading in the country.

Earlier French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said France would strengthen lockdown rules in the overseas territory of Guadeloupe to rein in the virus.

Turkey administers over 80M doses

Turkey has administered over 80.3 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, according to official figures. 

The country continues its intensive vaccination campaign to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as everyone 16 and over is eligible for vaccine shots. 

According to the Health Ministry, over 42.9 million people have gotten their first doses, while more than 31.1 million are now fully vaccinated.

The ministry also confirmed 27,356 new infections and 128 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, while as many as 16,363 more patients recovered. 

No away fans for September internationals due to Covid

Travelling supporters will not be permitted at next month's international fixtures in Europe due to a surge in Covid-19 cases, football's world (FIFA) and European (UEFA) governing bodies said.

European nations are slated to play up to three World Cup qualifiers each during the September international window.

In a letter to national associations, FIFA and UEFA said: "Due to the recent Covid-19 spikes in Europe combined with the large number of matches to be played during the September international window, it has been agreed to apply the same approach as decided by the UEFA Executive Committee on 14 June 2021 to all matches."

Italy reports 31 coronavirus deaths, 6,968 new cases

Italy reported 31 coronavirus-related deaths, the same number as the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 6,968 from 5,636.

Covid-19 deaths on the rise in Central America

 Deaths related to Covid-19 are on the rise in nearly every country in Central America, including a 30 percent increase in El Salvador, the head of the UN-affiliated Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said.

Covid-19 cases were falling in Panama and Costa Rica, but were on the rise in Honduras, Belize and El Salvador, said PAHO director Carissa Etienne.

UK reports 29,612 new cases, 104 death

UK recorded 29,612 new cases of Covid-19 and 104 deaths within 28 days of a positive test for the virus.

Denmark to buy Novavax vaccines as part of EU deal

Denmark said it would buy 280,000 doses of Novavax's potential Covid-19 vaccine for a total price of $5.84 million (37 million Danish crowns) or roughly $20.9 per dose as part of a European Union agreement with the US company.

EU looking into new possible side-effects of mRNA Covid shots

Three new conditions reported by a small number of people after vaccination with Covid-19 shots from Pfizer and Moderna are being studied to assess if they may be possible side-effects, Europe's drugs regulator said.

Erythema multiforme, a form of allergic skin reaction; glomerulonephritis, or kidney inflammation; and nephrotic syndrome, a renal disorder characterised by heavy urinary protein losses, are being studied by the safety committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), according to the regulator.

Russia's RDIF suggests Sputnik Light as vaccine booster with Pfizer shots

Russia's sovereign wealth fund (RDIF) has suggested starting trials with Pfizer to use Russia's Sputnik Light vaccine as a booster for the Pfizer shots against Covid-19, it said on the official Sputnik V Twitter account.

The RDIF, which markets Russia's Sputnik V vaccine internationally, said the one-dose Sputnik Light could be used as a third dose for those who have been vaccinated twice with the Pfizer vaccine.

CDC urges Covid vaccines during pregnancy as delta surges 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged all pregnant women to get the Covid-19 vaccine as hospitals in hot spots around the US see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus.

"The vaccines are safe and effective, and it has never been more urgent to increase vaccinations as we face the highly transmissible delta variant and see severe outcomes from Covid-19 among unvaccinated pregnant people," Director Dr Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.

Coronavirus surge pushes Cuba's healthcare system to brink

Cuba is bringing back hundreds of doctors working abroad and converting hotels into isolation centres and hospitals in order to battle a Covid-19 crisis that is overwhelming healthcare and mortuary services in parts of the Caribbean island.

The country, which managed to contain infections for most of last year, is now facing one of the worst outbreaks worldwide, fueled by the spread of the more-infectious Delta variant, even as it races to vaccinate its population.

Cuba's rolling seven-day average of confirmed Covid-19 cases has surged eightfold within two months to 5,639 per million inhabitants, ten times the world average.

Spain approves human trials of homegrown virus vaccine

Spain's medicines agency approved a first round of clinical trials on humans for a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Spanish firm Hipra.

"This is the first trial on humans of a vaccine made in Spain," the agency said in a statement.

Dozens of volunteers will be recruited from Spanish hospitals "as soon as possible" for the clinical trials, it added.

China's Delta outbreak traced to mahjong parlors

State media say one of China’s most serious recent outbreaks of virus partly stemmed from people gathered at mahjong parlors and at a virus testing site.

The city of Yangzhou in the eastern province of Jiangsu added another 54 confirmed cases on Wednesday, bringing its total to 448 since the outbreak spread from the international airport in the provincial capital of Nanjing on July 20.

Reports said the cluster has been traced partly to a 64-year-old woman who visited several mahjong parlors after returning from Nanjing and was positive for the virus during mass testing following the outbreak.

New Zealand vows to react fast if Delta arrives

New Zealand’s government is warning its citizens to be prepared for a strict lockdown at the first sign of an outbreak of the delta variant.

Virus Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the government’s response is likely to be “swift and severe.”

New Zealand has stamped out the spread of the virus and had previously planned to rely primarily on contact tracing for any small outbreaks.

But Hipkins said the problems that Sydney currently faces in trying to contact trace a growing outbreak showed the delta variant was extremely hard to manage and that New Zealand’s tolerance for risk was now very low.

Myanmar vaccination rollout leaves Rohingya waiting

Authorities in Myanmar currently have no plan to include minority Rohingya Muslims living in densely-packed camps as they begin vaccinating priority groups against in western Rakhine State, the junta-appointed local administrator said.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh during military operations in 2017 and those who remain complain of discrimination and mistreatment in a country that does not recognise them as citizens.

Local administrator Kyaw Lwin told Reuters from Sittwe t ownship that the rollout had begun there with 10,000 vaccinations for priority groups such as the elderly, healthcare workers, government staff and Buddhist monks.

Kentucky governor orders mask use in schools

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is ordering that students and employees in the state’s schools wear masks indoors, as the fast-spreading delta variant brings more infections and hospitalisations.

Beshear’s executive order issued on Tuesday applies to everyone in Kentucky schools for kindergarten through 12th grade, regardless of vaccination status. He says the requirement also applies to child care and pre-kindergarten programs.

The governor says that “we are to the point where we cannot allow our kids to go into these buildings unprotected, unvaccinated and face this delta variant.”

Beshear said he wants to avoid schools shutting down in-person teaching and shifted to remote learning as occurred earlier in the pandemic. The number of children infected with the virus has risen sharply in the latest outbreak, and children under age 12 aren’t eligible for the vaccines.

Thailand to start human trials on shots via nasal spray

Two vaccines administered using a nasal spray being developed in Thailand are due to start human trials by the end of this year, after promising results in trials involving mice, a government official said on Wednesday.

Developed by the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, the vaccines are based on the adenovirus and influenza, deputy government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek said.

After conducting trials in mice, the first phase of human trials should start by the end of this year, pending approval from the food and drug regulator, she said.

The trials will also test protection against the Delta variant, Ratchada said, with the second phase due in March next year and a target of production for wider use in mid-2022, if results are good, she said.

Research has been going on in countries around the world to develop nasal sprays to help prevent and treat the virus, particularly given that the lining of the nose has been identified as a key entry point for the virus.

Melbourne extends lockdown as Sydney touts vaccine freedom

Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, extended its lockdown in a bid to stamp out an outbreak, while authorities in Sydney said they were considering easing restrictions for vaccinated residents despite the delta variant continuing to spread.

Australian cities have used lockdowns to successfully end outbreaks throughout the pandemic. But the highly contagious delta variant poses new challenges in a national population with a relatively low vaccination rate.

Melbourne’s sixth lockdown will be extended for a second week until the end of August 19, the Victoria state government said on Wednesday as it reported 20 new infections in the latest 24-hour period.

India's case tally surges past 32M

India has reported 38,353 new cases in the last 24 hours, the government said in a statement.

The south Asian nation's tally of infections crossed 32 million, the second-highest worldwide after the United States.

US to send Mexico more vaccines

The US will send Mexico 8.5 million more doses of  vaccine as the Delta variant drives the country's third wave of infections, Mexican officials said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the US government will send AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines, though the latter hasn't yet been approved by Mexican regulators.

As Mexico's third wave started, hospitalisations and deaths lagged significantly. But hospitalisations are starting to rise in parts of the country as infections expand rapidly and the health system grows more stressed.

Biden blasts bans on mask mandates as 'disingenuous'

US President Joe Biden says he finds it "totally counterintuitive" and disingenuous" that some of the same governors who complain of federal overreach on protective measures are now pushing to ban or nullify mask mandates imposed by localities and schools in their states.

Speaking in the White House East Room, Biden didn't mention the Republican governors of Florida or Texas by name.  

But he said he finds it "interesting that some of the very people" who insist that government doesn't have the authority to impose mask rules "are people who are threatening that if...a principal says that everyone in my school should wear a mask or the school board votes for it, that governor will nullify that. That governor has the authority to say you can't do that."

"I find that totally counterintuitive and quite frankly, disingenuous," Biden said.

Germany's virus cases rise by 4,996

The number of confirmed virus cases in Germany increased by 4,996 to 3,799,425, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed.

The reported death toll rose by 14 to 91,817, the tally showed.

South Korea records more than 2,200 infections

South Korea has reported more than 2,200 new daily Covid-19 cases, a record since the pandemic began last January, Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said, as the country grapples with its worst Covid-19 outbreak to date.

Despite having tough distancing measures in place for over a month, infections have spiked due to the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant and a rise in domestic travel over summer, Kwon told a Covid response meeting.

He also noted a rise in so-called "silent spreaders" within communities such as workplaces, indoor gyms, churches and nursing homes, leading to an increase in infections of unknown origin.

South Korea has been struggling since July to tame sporadic outbreaks of Covid-19 that were at first centered largely on metropolitan Seoul but have since spread nationwide.

New Zealand designates Indonesia, Fiji as high-risk countries 

New Zealand has designated Indonesia and Fiji as very high-risk countries due to escalating Covid-19 case numbers, and placed limits on travel from them.

Travel to New Zealand from Indonesia and Fiji will be restricted to New Zealand citizens, their partners and children, and parents of dependent children who are New Zealand citizens, Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins said.

Other travellers, including New Zealand residents, are required to spend 14 days outside of Indonesia before flying to New Zealand, he said.

Australia's Victoria reports 20 locally acquired cases

Australia's Victoria state reported the same number of locally acquired cases of Covid-19 as the day before, as 5 million residents in Melbourne, the state capital, wait to learn whether a snap one-week lockdown would be extended beyond Thursday.

Victoria on Wednesday reported 20 new local cases, the same as on Tuesday. Of the new cases, six have spent time in the community while infectious, the state's health department said.

Indonesian village turns unwanted trash into Covid helper

A homemade robot designed by Indonesian villagers and scientists for fun has found a new use during the pandemic - bringing food, and hopefully a smile, to self-isolating residents who have contracted Covid-19.

An eclectic assembly of household items like pots, pans and an old television monitor, it is now named the "Delta robot" in a nod to the highly contagious variant of the coronavirus that has ripped through Indonesia.

"With this new Delta variant and the surging number of Covid-19 cases, I decided to turn the robot into one used for public services such as to spray disinfectant, deliver food and meet the needs of residents who are self-isolating," Aseyanto, 53, a neighbourhood leader who heads the project, said.

The robot's head is made from a rice cooker, and it is operated by remote control with a 12-hour battery life. It is one of several robots made in the village of Tembok Gede, which has won a reputation for its creative use of technology.

After trundling down the street to the home of an isolating resident, its speaker emits the message "assalamu’alaikum" (Peace be with you), followed by "A delivery is here. Get well soon."

The village lies within Surabaya, capital of East Java province and Indonesia's second-biggest city, where a devastating second wave of coronavirus infections has swept in over in the past month.

Covid worries send Emmy Awards show outdoors

The Emmy Awards ceremony for achievement in television was moved outdoors in the latest setback to live events because of rising concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

The September 19 ceremony in Los Angeles was initially due to take place indoors before a limited celebrity audience.

"The Television Academy and CBS have decided to host all ceremonies ... on the Event Deck at L.A. LIVE, directly behind the Microsoft Theater," the Television Academy said in a statement.