(Bloomberg) —
France vowed to increase its vaccination donations to poorer countries to address what President Emmanuel Macron described as the “injustice” that has led to just 3% of Africa’s population being inoculated.
A federal judge temporarily blocked New York City’s school system, the largest in the U.S., from imposing a vaccine mandate for teachers and other staff. The state’s governor, Kathy Hochul, released plans to expand the pool of health-care workers after Monday’s deadline for them to receive a first dose of vaccine.
Indonesia’s case numbers dropped to the lowest level in more than a year. Australia’s Prime Minister called on states to open their borders. China’s latest cluster, in the northeastern city of Harbin, remains “severe and complex,” according to the province’s official social media site. Macau is stepping up travel restrictions ahead of a week-long holiday in China.
Key Developments:
- Global Virus Tracker: Cases pass 231.3 million; 4.7 million deaths
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 6.1 billion shots given
- Profiling coronavirus mutations help scientists find weak spots
- To reach vaccine holdouts, scientists look to digital marketing
- Pandemic dashboards win followers in search of latest Covid data
- Understanding the debate over booster shots: QuickTake
Indonesia Cases Drop to Lowest in Year (5:50 p.m. HK)
Indonesia said its daily infection numbers dropped to the lowest level in more than a year. The country reported 1,760 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the least since August 2020, according to the Health Ministry.
Deaths also declined to the lowest level since March, with 86 people dying on Sept. 26. More than 4 million people in Southeast Asia’s largest economy have tested positive with the virus since the pandemic began.
South Africa, U.K. to Discuss Red List (5:05 p.m. HK)
Officials from South Africa will meet British scientists Monday seeking an explanation for the nation’s continued inclusion on the U.K.’s Covid-19 travel red list, according to the Johannesburg-based Sunday Times.
While nations such as Kenya, Egypt and Turkey were removed from Britain’s red list this week, South Africa remained on it.
The U.K. has cited the presence of the beta variant in South Africa, where it was discovered in late 2020, as the reason. South African scientists say the beta variant has been completely overtaken by the delta variant.
France Doubles Vaccine Pledge (3:25 p.m. HK)
French President Emmanuel Macron said France will double the number of vaccine doses it donates to poorer countries to 120 million. “The injustice is that in other continents vaccination is far behind because of us, collectively,” Macron said in a message broadcast during the Global Citizen fundraising concert in Paris.
France will also commit to helping UNICEF and health systems with vaccine distribution, Macron said, noting that only 3% of Africa’s population is vaccinated.
South Korea Readies Booster Rollout (3:08 p.m. HK)
South Korea will start offering booster shots to “high-risk groups,” including people over 60 and medical workers, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said during a Covid-19 response meeting, adding that the country also plans to expand vaccine eligibility to teenagers and pregnant women.
Three-quarters of the population have received at least one vaccine dose, with less than half fully vaccinated, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s website Sunday. The Seoul metropolitan area remains under the government’s strictest social distancing measures.
Australia PM Calls on States to Open Borders (11:21 a.m. HK)
Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison said state premiers must not keep borders closed once the 80% of eligible Australians are vaccinated, a threshold he expects to reach by the end of the year.
“I can’t see any reason why Australians should be kept from each other,” the leader said on a Sunday television program. “That puts a heavy, heavy responsibility on those who would seek to prevent that from happening.”
On Sunday, Australia’s second most populous state, Victoria, reported 779 new local cases of Covid-19, down from the pandemic high set a day earlier. New South Wales recorded 961 new infections. Other states, like Queensland and Western Australia, have recorded very few cases recently.
China Adds Cases in Harbin (10:15 a.m. HK)
China reported three more infections in the northeastern city of Harbin, a new cluster, and nearby Suihua city recorded one more. Harbin raised risk levels to “mid-level” for five residential complexes and the province’s official Weibo account described the coronavirus situation as “severe and complex.”
A larger outbreak that started earlier this month in southeast China’s Fujian province is ebbing, with five cases reported from Xiamen in the province and none from Putian.
Judge Halts NYC Schools Shot Mandate (6:40 a.m. HK)
New York City’s school system, the largest in the U.S., has been temporarily blocked from imposing a mandate forcing teachers and other staff to get vaccinated against Covid-19, according to a ruling from a federal judge. That mandate was scheduled to go into effect on Monday at midnight.
Late Friday, a judge from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit referred the case to a three-judge panel “on an expedited basis.” The hearing will take place on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
Rwanda Bars Reopen (5:35 p.m. NY)
Bars in Rwanda opened for the first time since the pandemic started in March 2020, with social distancing and other virus-control measures still in place, the New York Times reported.
The nation had one of the strictest lockdowns in Africa, but it has met a World Health Organization goal of vaccinating 10% of the population as positive test rates continue to fall.
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