Covid-19 global wrap

Covid-19 global wrap

People enjoy the beach in Santa Monica, California, on Tuesday after the state lifted most of its Covid-19 restrictions as part of a grand reopening. The state is ending capacity limits, physical distancing and mask requirements for those who are vaccinated. (Photo: Bloomberg)
People enjoy the beach in Santa Monica, California, on Tuesday after the state lifted most of its Covid-19 restrictions as part of a grand reopening. The state is ending capacity limits, physical distancing and mask requirements for those who are vaccinated. (Photo: Bloomberg)

NEW YORK: A global summary of the Covid-19 situation.

In Beijing, local media reported more than 80% of the adult population, or 15.6 million people, have been fully vaccinated.

In Australia, the Astrazeneca Plc vaccine will now only be given to ages 60 and above, up from 50 previously, potentially further slowing the nation's tardy rollout.

The UK is considering allowing fully vaccinated people to travel to amber-list countries without having to quarantine on their return, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Malaysia’s king urged parliament to reconvene as soon as possible amid public anger over the government’s handling of the pandemic.

German firm CureVac NV’s Covid-19 vaccine was only 47% effective, falling well short of the high bar set by other messenger RNA shots.

Moderna Inc said the US government exercised an option to buy 200 million more doses of its vaccine, bringing its total order to 500 million.

Coronavirus variants will continue to emerge and “we will not be through this pandemic until the whole world has the ability to get vaccinated,” Susan Hopkins, deputy director of Public Health England’s National Infection Service, said at a House of Commons science committee meeting.

"And that realistically is two years away."

Global Tracker: Cases exceed 176.9 million; deaths pass 3.8 million Vaccine Tracker: More than 2.47 billion doses administered.

Australia narrowed the range of people who will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine due to concern about blood clots, in a move that could further slow the nation’s rollout. The Australian Technical Advisory Group recommended the AstraZeneca vaccine should only be given to those aged 60 and above, up from the previous range of 50 and above.

Australia has confirmed at least 35 cases of thrombocytopenia syndrome following administration of the shot, including two deaths. Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine will be the preferred option for those under 60, Health Minister Greg Hunt said at a press conference.

Japanese local governments will issue proof of vaccination documents to people who have received Covid-19 inoculations, probably starting next month, chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato said.

The documents will initially be provided to those who need them to travel abroad. Digital versions of the certification will also be considered.

Macau has lowered the eligible age for recipients of BioNTech vaccines to 12 from 16, according to an order from the Chief Executive. Macau has administered 268,000 vaccines in total, enough to cover about 20% of its population.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said a vaccine rollout to the general population will begin next month, starting with people who are 60 or older from July 28, then 55 or older from Aug 11. Separately, New Zealand extended a pause on quarantine-free travel from Australia’s Victoria for another five days to 11.59pm on June 22, but expects to lift it then.

The Japanese government recommended ending a state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and other areas on Sunday as planned, because infections have fallen about a month before the country is due to host the Summer Olympics. A formal decision will be made by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

More than 80% of the adult population in Beijing, or 15.6 million people, were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Wednesday, the Beijing Daily reported. China has administered 924 million vaccine doses in total.

Tokyo plans to continue asking eateries to refrain from serving alcohol even after the state of emergency in the capital is lifted on June 20, public broadcaster NHK reported, without attribution.

Thailand plans to fully reopen to foreign visitors in 120 days and give at least one vaccine dose to the majority of residents by early October to revive the tourism-reliant nation’s economy.  Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said some places will open earlier, with Phuket set to lead the way on July 1.

Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics are making final arrangements to hold the Games with domestic spectators and will decide soon on the cap in numbers, broadcaster NHK reported. 

CureVac said its vaccine was 47% effective, falling well short of the high bar set by other messenger RNA shots in a preliminary analysis of a large study muddied by the spread of virus variants. The interim analysis of data from about 40,000 volunteers included 134 Covid cases, the German company said in a statement.

CureVac declined to say how many who got the shot got sick or how many received a placebo. But the results suggest the vaccine works less well for older people than in a younger population, chief technology officer Mariola Fotin-Mleczek said in an interview.

South Africa recorded 13,246 new cases over the past 24 hours, according to data released by the Health Ministry, the highest daily increase since January.

Nursing home workers in England will be required to have a Covid-19 vaccination or risk losing their jobs. New legislation will require people working in Care Quality Commission-accredited care homes to be fully vaccinated with two doses from October, the Department for Health and Social Care said.

Germany will this week pass the threshold of vaccinating 50% of its population with at least one dose, Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

“We continue to set a very good pace, especially on second doses,” Spahn said at a news conference. “We are seeing with the delta variant in the U.K. that it’s above all the second dose that provides full protection and it’s therefore very, very important that it happens at the right time.”

Through Tuesday, 48.9% of the German population, or 40.7 million people, had received at least their first shot, and just under 28% were fully vaccinated. Spahn said Germany aims to inoculate 75%-80% as not everyone will want to get immunized.

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