(Bloomberg) — White House Covid adviser Anthony Fauci said a third vaccine dose from Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE or Moderna Inc. could lead to lasting protection.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said measures currently in place to curb the virus remain sufficient, even as infection numbers tied to the spread of the delta variant are on the rise, but she urged continued vigilance. The number of U.K. workers going to the office is increasing.
Traffic on China’s typically busy city streets has shown signs of a recovery after the country quashed a resurgence in cases. A study said India may face an unprecedented 600,000 new infections a day if the nation fails to boost the pace of shots.
Key Developments:
- Global Tracker: Cases top 212.7 million; deaths pass 4.44 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 4.99 billion doses administered
- Covid optimists see U.S. nearing delta peak, but risks abound
- Pregnant, unvaccinated and intubated: Case surge alarms doctors
- How Sydney’s Covid Battle Became Class Warfare: David Fickling
Third Virus Shot May Bring Lasting Protection (7:30 a.m. NY)
Anthony Fauci said a third vaccine dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine could lead to lasting levels of protection against the virus. Speaking on MSNBC, he said that “it’s entirely conceivable” that a third dose “very well may allow for a rather prolonged period of protection.” He added that this means booster shots may not be needed “indefinitely.”
Scotland May Reimpose Restrictions (7:23 a.m. NY)
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said her government could reimpose coronavirus restrictions amid a record number of new daily cases. The country of 5.5 million people reported 4,323 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the highest daily number since the start of the pandemic.
Singapore’s Infected Workers Fully Vaccinated (6:42 a.m. NY)
Migrant workers who recently tested positive for the coronavirus in a dormitory in Singapore were all fully vaccinated, according to the Ministry of Manpower.
All the 62 individuals were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms. They’ve been moved to a health-care facility for further treatment and care.
France Recommends Extra Shot for Elderly (6:26 a.m. NY)
A French health body recommended administering an extra vaccine shot 65-year-olds and above, as well as for those with health conditions. It recommended giving the booster shots from the end of October. The extra jab will likely to become necessary for other parts of population, it said, but it’s too early to say for whom or when.
Iran Virus Casualties at Record (6:03 a.m. NY)
Iran’s death toll rose by 709 over the last 24 hours, the highest on record and up from the previous peak of 684 fatalities reported on Sunday. The number of new infections rose by 40,623 overnight, up from 38,657 yesterday. The country has suffered 103,357 deaths from Covid-19 and registered a total of 4.76 million cases.
Greece’s Measures Target Unvaccinated (5:29 p.m. HK)
Greece is introducing measures covering Sept. 13 to March 31, 2022, to slow the spread of the coronavirus and target unvaccinated people, Health Minister Vasilis Kikilias said Tuesday. More than 90% of people currently being treated for Covid-19 in intensive care units aren’t vaccinated, Kikilias said. Measures include a ban on unvaccinated people in indoor areas of eateries and entertainment venues, as well as all sports fields or stadiums. They will also need to take rapid tests to go to gyms, theaters, cinemas and museums, and once a week to go to work.
Cases have risen to levels not seen since April given the delta variant, with hospitalizations and deaths increasing. The worry now is people returning to mainland urban areas from summer vacations on islands such as Crete, where the virus has spread throughout the holiday period. Almost 63% of the adult Greek population is fully vaccinated.
Israel Cases Top 1 Million, 10% of Population (3:33 p.m. HK)
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Israel topped 1 million on Tuesday, the Health Ministry reported. More than 9,800 people tested positive for the virus, close to the highest number recorded for a single day since the beginning of the pandemic, according to local media, meaning it has infected more than 10% of the population. Israel, with one of the earliest vaccination drives in the world, is currently inoculating people age 40 and over with a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
U.K. Vaccine Body Plans Booster Campaign (3:16 a.m. HK)
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation will probably authorize a Covid-19 vaccination booster campaign in stages, similar to the gradual approval of vaccines for teenagers, The Times reported, citing people close to the committee. Last month, it recommended that boosters be given to all over-50s and people with underlying conditions, a total of 32 million people. The committee is now increasingly of the view that fewer people will need the shots.
India’s Plan to Resume Vaccine Exports (12:14 p.m. HK)
India will probably resume vaccine exports next year once it has immunized its own adult population, the head of an influential government expert panel told Bloomberg on Tuesday. The country risks recording 600,000 cases daily if it fails to boost the pace of vaccination to avert possible surges in Covid-19, according to a new study.
It added 25,467 Covid-19 cases Tuesday, taking the total tally to 32.5 million. It has administered 589 million shots so far, but only 9.5% of India’s population is fully inoculated against the virus, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker. Covid-related deaths rose 354 in a day to 435,110, based on Indian health ministry data.
Australians Urged to Exit Covid ‘Cave’ (11:30 a.m. HK)
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is urging Australians to abandon Covid-19 precautions when vaccination rates hit thresholds later this year, even as academic modeling released Tuesday shows such a strategy could expose the nation to a wave of illness and death that it’s so far avoided.
Australia’s delta-fueled surge is showing little sign of slowing after 753 cases were reported by New South Wales state on Tuesday, slightly down from its record of 830 infections Sunday.
The virus is continuing to spread to other parts of Australia despite lockdown restrictions enforced on more than half the nation’s 26 million people. New Zealand is also enforcing stay-at-home orders after the outbreak that started in Sydney reached there.
China Reports Just One New Confirmed Local Case (11 a.m. HK)
China added only one confirmed local case in the central province of Henan, after zero new cases in the country a day earlier, containing one of the nation’s worst outbreaks since the virus first emerged in 2019.
A month of draconian measures appears to have ended the latest upsurge, but the question remains over how long the world’s second-largest economy can steer clear of the virus given the spread of the infectious delta variant overseas. The eastern city of Yangzhou, which was most affected by the latest outbreak, as well as Jiangsu province, no longer have any critical cases, according to local government statements.
Hong Kong will allow domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia to return in phases as the city will recognize vaccination records from other countries, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said. In another development, Hong Kong banned passenger flights from Dubai and Bangkok operated by Emirates from Aug. 24 to Sept. 6 after five people on a flight tested positive.
Vaccine Passports Keep Europe Flying (5:00 a.m. HK)
In the U.S., Southwest Airlines Co. is blaming the delta strain for a rash of canceled bookings and a slowdown in demand that may push it and several others to quarterly losses. After leading the industry’s recovery for much of last year, China is in retreat with airlines offering the fewest seats in six months as authorities attempt to stamp out an outbreak. Australia’s carriers are also in reverse with more than half of the country in lockdown.
Malaysia Covid Surge to Worsen Chip Shortage (00:01 a.m. HK)
The number of Covid-19 infections is surging in Malaysia, threatening to aggravate shortages of semiconductors and other components that have hammered automakers for months.
The Southeast Asian country hasn’t historically had the kind of importance to technology supply chains that Taiwan, South Korea or Japan do. But in recent years, Malaysia emerged as a major center for chip testing and packaging, with Infineon Technologies AG, NXP Semiconductors NV and STMicroelectronics NVamong the key suppliers operating plants there.
Now infections are soaring in the country, jeopardizing plans to lift lockdowns and restore full production capacity. The seven-day average for reported daily infections has pushed past 20,000, up from just over 5,000 in late June.
U.S. Daily Death Toll Tops 1,000 (10 p.m. HK)
The U.S. is recording more than 1,000 deaths a day from Covid-19, with the daily toll more than tripling in a month. The seven-day average of fatalities topped 1,000 on Saturday and Sunday, crossing that level for two straight days for the first time since March, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. More than 628,500 Americans have died from Covid since the pandemic began.
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