(Bloomberg) —
Sydney may deny entry to unvaccinated patrons from restaurants, bars and other venues under a reopening proposal for the Australian city, where delta cases are surging despite a lockdown, local media reported.
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 U.S. companies and institutions pushing employees to get jabs.
Florida, Scotland, Malaysia and New South Wales in Australia are among the places around the world that reported record infections because of delta, while Russia registered its largest number of deaths.
The origins of the coronavirus pandemic are still uncertain and a lack of cooperation from China is hampering the effort to know the truth, the U.S. intelligence community said in a report released Friday. China denied that it was hindering the investigation.
Key Developments:
- Global Tracker: Cases top 215 million; deaths pass 4.48 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 5.17 billion doses administered
- Sky could be the limit for surcharges on unvaccinated workers
- The worst places to be as delta spreads are in Southeast Asia
- The hybrid work revolution is already transforming economies
- September promised return to normal that continues to elude U.S.
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.
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.
Delta Doubles Hospitalization Risk (6:38 a.m. NY)
People who contract the delta variant of Covid-19 are more than twice as likely to be hospitalized as those infected with the alpha strain, according to a U.K. study, raising the prospect of a greater burden on health services this winter.
The review of more than 43,000 Covid-19 cases in England, most of whom were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal Friday. It highlighted the protection shots provide against hospitalization from both variants.
U.S. Limits Eli Lilly Antibody Treatment (5:50 p.m. NY)
U.S. regulators said Eli Lilly & Co.’s monoclonal antibody treatment can only be used in states where coronavirus variants are less prevalent. The move comes after the the U.S. government said earlier this year that Lilly would stop distributing its treatment, bamlanivimab and etesevimab, due to concerns about sustained increase in variants.
On Friday afternoon, the Food and Drug Administration amended the monoclonal antibody’s authorization to say that only states, territories and U.S. jurisdictions “in which recent data shows the combined frequency of variants resistant to bamlanivimab and etesevimab administered together is less than or equal to 5%” could administer the drug. The amendment leaves nearly 30 states unauthorized to use Lilly’s Covid-19 treatment.
Two monoclonal antibodies made by other companies remain available in those states, according to the FDA, and local health providers should choose a therapeutic with activity against the circulating variants.
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.”
Infections Soar Among Georgia Children (4:18 p.m. NY)
Infections among Georgia children more than doubled from the previous high since schools reopened at the start of the month, state data show. The seven-day average for infections in that age group surpassed 2,000 on Friday, up from slightly more than 360 on Aug. 2.
The previous record in that age group was almost 870 in mid-January. The age group with the steepest increase was between 10 and 17.
Most local school districts in Georgia now require masks, the Associated Press reported, after a ban on local mandates from Governor Brian Kemp was watered down as infections rose.
Apple, Kraft Step Up Efforts to Vaccinate Staff (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 Origins 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 Monthly Deaths Hit Record (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 Outdoors (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.
U.K. Scientists Predict School Spread (10:30 a.m. NY)
The U.K. government’s scientific advisers said Covid-19 cases are likely to rise exponentially among children when schools resume next month after the summer holidays.
Most U.K. children haven’t been vaccinated against coronavirus and it would be “sensible” for the government to plan for “high prevalence” in schools by the end of September, according to a document dated Aug. 11 that was released on Friday by the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.
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