(Bloomberg) —
China hit back against allegations by the Biden administration that it was hindering the investigation into the start of the pandemic, after the U.S. intelligence community released a report saying the origin is still uncertain because of a lack of cooperation from Beijing.
India administered a record 10.3 million does of vaccine in a day in its battle to contain the virus. Florida, Scotland, Malaysia, Russia and New South Wales in Australia were among places around the world reporting record infections or deaths because of the delta variant, which first emerged in India.
President Joe Biden said his administration is considering whether to start booster shots of the vaccine as soon as 5 months after people receive a second dose, while Apple Inc. and Kraft Heinz Co. are among a growing number of companies and institutions pushing employees to get jabs.
Key Developments:
- Global Tracker: Cases top 215 million; deaths pass 4.48 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 5.17 billion doses administered
- September promised return to normal that continues to elude U.S.
- The worst places to be as delta spreads are in Southeast Asia
- Sky could be the limit for surcharges on unvaccinated workers
- U.K. study shows delta variant doubles hospitalization risk
- Antibodies waning? The immune system has a backup plan for that
India Inoculates 10.3 Million People in a Day (12:39 p.m. HK)
India administered a record 10.3 million vaccine shots on Friday, the government said, taking the cumulative number of doses given past the 620 million mark. The South Asian nation added 46,759 Covid cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total active caseload to almost 360,000.
Manila Restrictions Extended (10:20 a.m.)
The Philippines extended virus restrictions for another week in its capital region, until Sept. 7, as the government tries to balance the need to contain the pandemic with boosting the economy.
Metro Manila will remain under the so-called “modified enhanced community quarantine,” the second-toughest movement restrictions, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in statement Saturday. While most businesses are allowed to operate, many non-essential industries such as beauty parlors and bars remain shut.
New Zealand Reports 82 New Local Cases (9:21 a.m. HK)
New Zealand’s fortress against the pandemic suffered another breach as the formerly Covid-free nation reported 82 new local cases, all in Auckland, lifting the total in the community outbreak to 429.
Less than a quarter of New Zealand’s population over the age of 12 is fully vaccinated. The nation administered more than 89,000 vaccines on Friday, the second-biggest daily total to date.
Singapore said it would tighten border measures for passengers arriving from New Zealand.
Thailand Infections Slow (8:51 a.m. HK)
Thailand reported 17,984 new infections, the lowest in four days, and 292 deaths. Authorities said the current outbreak has peaked and approved the relaxation of some restrictions from Sept. 1 to allow inter-provincial travel, and restaurants and more businesses in shopping malls to reopen in 29 provinces, which are currently under the strictest curbs.
The easing is part of the government’s “living with Covid” strategy hinted at earlier this week, with a goal of containing the outbreak to a level that doesn’t overwhelm the health-care system. There are currently 182,357 active cases in the country, with 5,109 patients in critical condition and 1,069 on ventilators.
Sydney Proposes to Ban Unvaccinated Patrons From Restaurants: SMH (8:52 a.m. HK)
Unvaccinated people may be denied entry from restaurants, bars and other hospitality venues under a reopening proposal in Sydney where delta cases are surging despite a lockdown, according to local media.
The New South Wales government is consulting with industry groups on a plan to require all hospitality staff and patrons to prove they have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine when the state begins to emerge from lockdown after reaching 70% vaccination rate, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The outbreak of the delta variant continued unabated in Sydney, with Australia’s largest city accounting for the bulk of new daily Covid-19 infections as New South Wales state had its worst day, with 1,035 new infections.
Trudeau Cancels Rally on Concern Over Anti-Vax Protesters: CBC (7:35 a.m. HK)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s campaign rally in Bolton, Ontario, was canceled because his security staff were concerned about the number of anti-vaccination protesters at the site, CBC reported in a tweet.
Trudeau has called a snap election for Sept. 20 on the premise he needed a mandate to “finish” the job of tackling the Covid-19 crisis and plan for the post-pandemic recovery.
Florida Deaths Hit Record (5:46 p.m. NY)
Florida reported 1,727 Covid-19 deaths in seven days, the most since Florida began issuing the weekly reports. At a daily average of 247 reported deaths, that would surpass the previous high for the entire pandemic, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The data is based on when the death was reported, not when it occurred.
Meanwhile, a judge blocked Florida from enforcing Governor Ron DeSantis’s ban on mask mandates in schools, clearing the way for educators to require face coverings in classrooms without the threat of retaliation by the state.
Alabama Mobilizes Morgue Trucks (5:19 p.m. NY)
Alabama sent mobile morgue trucks to two hard-hit counties for the first time in the pandemic, the state’s top health officer said. “There was no room to put the bodies,” Scott Harris said at a briefing, AL.com reported.
In a state with one of the U.S.’s lowest rates of vaccination, Harris said there was a shortage of 40 beds in intensive care units — and that five of 45 children hospitalized statewide were on ventilators.
“So much of what we’re seeing is preventable,” he said. “We all have the ability to prevent it. Go get vaccinated and wear your mask.”
Apple, Kraft Step Up Vaccination Pressure (3:50 p.m. NY)
Kraft Heinz will require all U.S. office-based employees to be fully vaccinated prior to returning to the office in January, unless they have obtained a health-related or religious accommodation, while i-Phone maker Apple is making its strongest push yet for staff to get vaccinated.
Kraft employees indicated “that a fully vaccinated workplace would increase their confidence in returning to the office,” a company spokesperson said. Its mandate doesn’t apply to manufacturing workers, though Kraft Heinz said it’s encouraging vaccinations.
Apple is urging all U.S. workers to get shots as soon as possible now that the Food and Drug Administration has started formally approving the injections. The company launched a new internal web page, sent a memo to employees on Thursday and is hosting internal talks as part of the campaign.
“Apple is asking everyone who has access to the vaccine and is able to get vaccinated to do so as soon as you can,” the company said in the memo.
U.S. Probe of Covid Origin Inconclusive (3:36 p.m. NY)
The origins of the coronavirus pandemic are still uncertain and a lack of cooperation from China is hampering the effort to ever know the truth, the U.S. Intelligence community said in a report released Friday.
Four components of the intelligence community said — with low confidence — that the outbreak was likely linked to exposure to an infected animal, according to an unclassified summary of the report submitted to President Biden this week and released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. One branch of U.S. intelligence assessed with moderate confidence that the outbreak was associated with a research lab in China.
“The world deserves answers, and I will not rest until we get them,” Biden said in a statement. “Responsible nations do not shirk these kinds of responsibilities to the rest of the world.”
The Chinese Embassy in Washington issued a statement forcibly denying the accusations.
Russia Has Highest Monthly Deaths (2:38 p.m. NY)
Russia’s death toll from Covid-19 in July grew to 50,421, the highest monthly total since the epidemic began, amid spreading infections from the delta variant and continued public resistance to vaccination campaigns.
The number of deaths associated with the virus last month was more than double initial figures reported by the government’s Covid-19 task force, according to Federal Statistics Service data released late Friday.
Biden Weighs Speeding Up Boosters (2:26 p.m. NY)
President Biden said his administration is considering whether to start booster shots of the coronavirus vaccine as soon as 5 months after people receive a second dose. Shortly after Biden made the comment, a White House official said there had been no change in the plan to administer boosters after eight months.
Biden nonetheless said he talked with infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci about the possible timeline change earlier in the day, signaling his interest in studying the issue.
IMF Delays Office Return, Requires Vaccines (12:54 p.m. NY)
The International Monetary Fund delayed plans to have staff return to its Washington headquarters to January amid rising Covid-19 cases, and said it requires all employees seeking to enter the buildings to be vaccinated.
“In light of the unpredictable length and severity of this new Covid-19 wave, the current phase of the return has been extended until early January 2022, when the situation will be re-assessed,” a spokesman for the fund said Friday. “IMF headquarters’ offices are currently open on a voluntary basis to staff members who are vaccinated and agree to regular Covid-19 testing.”
Sicilians Told to Wear Masks (12:05 p.m. NY)
Italy’s government expanded the mask requirement for residents of Sicily to outdoor activities and limited restaurants to seating four people per table, with an exemption for families.
While daily cases are increasing on the Mediterranean island, nationwide infections remain relatively low with 7,826 reported on Friday. That compares with levels of more than 25,000 in Italy in March. Another 45 people died of causes related to Covid-19.
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