(Reuters) – North Korean state media said more than 105,500 new people showed fever symptoms as of 6 p.m. on Wednesday, but reported no new deaths amid the country’s first confirmed coronavirus outbreak.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* China’s COVID-hit capital Beijing further tightened its dragnet on the virus with zero community transmission the target, punishing workplaces that flout rules or circumvent curbs and imploring residents to police their own movements.
* China reported 545 new coronavirus cases on May 25, of which 130 were symptomatic and 415 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Thursday.
AMERICAS
* The FDA set June 14-15 as the new meeting date to review Moderna’s emergency authorization request for its COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 6 months to 5 years and Pfizer’s vaccine for those aged 6 months through 4 years.
EUROPE
* Boris Johnson said he was humbled and took responsibility but refused to quit after a damning official report on Wednesday detailed a series of illegal lockdown parties at the British leader’s Downing Street office.
* France’s Haute Autorite de Sante health authority recommended preparing for a new vaccination campaign this autumn to give people aged 65 and older, and those with special health risks or conditions, access to a COVID-19 “booster” jab.
* Germany’s Health Ministry will ease COVID-19 entry rules for travellers from June 1, suspending a requirement for vaccination, recovery from the virus or a negative test, Funke media group reported, citing the health minister.
* Barbora Krejcikova’s French Open campaign came to a premature end after the reigning singles and doubles champion said she had to withdraw from the Grand Slam following a positive test for COVID-19 on Wednesday.
AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
* Africa risks sliding into stagflation – a cycle of slow growth and high inflation – as it battles the lingering effects of the pandemic and rising fuel and food prices caused by the Ukraine conflict, the African Development Bank (AfDB) said.
* A multi-billion dollar fund set up by G20 countries to help developing countries better prepare for pandemics could be operational within months, according to the World Bank.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* Patients who experience recurrence of COVID-19 symptoms after completing treatment with Pfizer’s drug Paxlovid should isolate again for five days, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an advisory.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* China’s central bank said it would promote more credit for smaller firms and boost financial institutions’ confidence to lend funds, as policymakers struggle to get the COVID-stricken economy back on track.
* China’s finance ministry would offer subsidies to Chinese airlines from May 21 to July 20 to help carriers weather the coronavirus-induced downturn and higher oil prices.
(Compiled by Rashmi Aich and Amy Caren Daniel; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Sriraj Kalluvila)
