(Bloomberg) —
Hospitals in the U.S.. Southeast are running low on oxygen, with the worst-hit left only 12 to 24 hours worth, said Premier Inc., a hospital-supply purchasing group.
All NBA referees must be vaccinated for the season that begins in October, the National Basketball Association said on Saturday.
Protests were held in France and Germany against virus measures. Japan is investigating the deaths of two people administered Moderna Inc.’s shots from vaccine batches that have since been suspended.
Key Developments:
- Global Tracker: Cases top 215.7 million; deaths pass 4.4 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 5.17 billion doses administered
- Vaccine holdouts in N.Y. persuaded by FDA approval, mandates
- The worst places to be as delta spreads are in Southeast Asia
- SpaceX, ULA see launch risk from low oxygen supply amid pandemic
- Antibodies waning? The immune system has a backup plan for that
Hospitals in U.S. South Run Low on Oxygen (2:58 a.m. NY)
Hospitals in the U.S.. Southeast are running low on oxygen, with the worst-hit left only 12 to 24 hours worth, said Premier Inc., a hospital-supply purchasing group.
This comes amid the region’s struggle over the summer with high numbers of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations. Now Hurricane Ida is set to hit the Gulf Coast in the coming days.
Premier has notified the White House, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Health and Human Services department about the scarcity of oxygen in the region, said Blair Childs, Premier’s senior vice president of public affairs. There is “so much more demand for oxygen than there ever has been,” Childs said.
Canada Suspends Morocco Flights (2:56 p.m. NY)
Canada is suspending direct flights from Morocco for 30 days due to an increase in Covid-19 cases in travelers arriving from the North African country, according to a Transport Canada press release.
The flight ban will go into effect as of Aug. 29 and will remain in place until Sept. 29.
NBA Referees Mandated to Get Vaccines (1:57 p.m. NY)
All NBA referees must be vaccinated for the season that begins in October, the National Basketball Association said in a statement on Saturday. The mandate came as part of an agreement with the National Basketball Referees Association, in which referees must be fully vaccinated and receive recommended boosters.
On Friday, the NBA told teams that all personnel with with proximity to players and referees must also be vaccinated. That requirement included coaches, medical staff, security and front office personnel.
Players are not required to be vaccinated.
French Protest for Seventh Week (10:12 a.m. NY)
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in French cities for a seventh consecutive weekend to protest against the government’s health pass system, which makes access to restaurants, cafes and other venues conditional on proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid-19 test. BFM TV reported that 200 protests were planned across the country.
The French government is trying to reach a target of 50 million first jabs by early September and has sought to step up pressure on those who are reluctant or refuse to get vaccinated. French Prime Minister Jean Castex said this week that it would start to give booster shots from Sept. 12, starting with the elderly in nursing homes.
German Activists Arrested in Protests (9:49 a.m. NY)
Thousands of protesters gathered in Berlin on Saturday to demonstrate against Germany’s pandemic rules. Several dozen activists were detained, according to local media. German authorities have taken a harder line on anti-coronavirus rallies after demonstrators sought to storm the Reichtstag parliament building last year.
Contagion rates in Germany have been rising steadily for weeks. On Saturday, there were 72.1 cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days — the highest level since mid-May.
Singapore Reports 121 New Cases (6:20 a.m. NY)
Singapore reported 121 new cases in a day, with 113 of those coming from locally transmitted infections and the rest from newly-arrived visitors who had already been placed in isolation.
The city-state had experienced a steady decrease in cases until a resurgence on Aug. 23. But authorities have not flagged additional restrictions, thanks in part to the country’s high rate of vaccinations. The Ministry of Health on Friday said it expects 80% of the population to be fully vaccinated by the end of August.
Zimbabwe Union Goes to Court (11:05 a.m.)
Zimbabwe’s biggest worker’s union has taken the state and several firms to court for insisting that employees must be inoculated against Covid-19 before reporting for work, saying there is no law under the country’s statutes providing for compulsory vaccination.
Japan Investigates Deaths After Moderna Shots (4:35 p.m. HK)
Japan said it’s investigating the deaths of two people who had been administered Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccines.
While the relationship between the deaths and the shots is unclear, the health ministry will conduct the investigations together with external experts, and continue to assess the safety of the vaccine, according to a statement on Saturday.
Russia Reports Over 19,000 New Cases (4:31 p.m. HK)
Russia reported 19,492 new cases of Covid-19 in a day, according to the government’s virus response center. Total cases have reached 6.86 million.
The 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.
Tokyo’s Seven-Day Case Average Falls 16% (4:04 p.m. HK)
Tokyo reported 3,581 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, bringing the seven-day average down 16% compared to a week ago, a sign that the Japanese capital’s worst surge yet may be peaking out. Still, serious cases in Tokyo increased to 297, up from 294 the previous day, pointing to the likelihood the country’s medical system will remain under serious pressure.
Among the new cases, those in their 20s, 30s and 40s had the highest number of cases. Japan is in the middle of its fourth state of emergency set to last through Sept 12, provided the virus spread is brought under better control.
The Philippines added a record 19,441 Covid cases on Saturday.
U.K. May Start Vaccinating Young Teens (3:40 p.m. HK)
Starting next month, the U.K. government could begin Covid-19 vaccinations for 12 to 15-year-olds. Ministers have asked the National Health Service to start preparations ahead of a final decision by government scientists on whether to go ahead with the roll out to younger children.
If the program goes ahead, schools will be required to make space to allow the vaccination of pupils or to give children time out from lessons to visit vaccination sites. Those 16 and 17 are already eligible to receive a Covid vaccine. “Throughout the pandemic the government has planned ahead so we can respond to changing circumstances,” said Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. “That is why, while I await updated advice from JCVI on the 12-15 cohort, I have asked the NHS to make preparations.”
Scotland Weighs Pub Vaccine Passports (3:30 p.m. HK)
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday she was “actively considering” vaccine passports for Scots wishing to go to a pub or a nightclub.
Sturgeon said while she didn’t to single out the hospitality industry, such venues would fall into the category of places the Scottish government might introduce a vaccine passport entry requirement. “I’ve been clear all the long we shouldn’t rule it out,” Sturgeon said on Friday. “It may be an added layer of protection and mitigation.” Her comments came as Scotland recorded a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections, forcing Sturgeon to deny the authorities were considering a circuit breaker lockdown.
Swiss Hospital Cancels Surgeries as ICUs Fill (2:56 p.m. HK)
Zurich University Hospital will postpone surgeries for patients “not in direct danger to life and limb,” as a spike in coronavirus cases fills up intensive care beds in Switzerland, newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung reported.
There are about 230 coronavirus patients in intensive care unit beds compared to about 20 in July, the paper said. At the Geneva University Hospitals, which had space for 10 coronavirus patients, 17 ICU beds are now occupied by those with Covid, newspaper Tribune de Geneve reported.
Slightly more than 51% of Switzerland’s population has been fully vaccinated against the virus, one of the lowest rates for a major economy in Europe.
India Inoculates 10 Million 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.
(Corrects number of hours in first paragraph and blurb on oxygen shortage.)
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