(Reuters) – Australia recorded one of its youngest COVID-19 deaths as daily infections lingered near a 16-month high, while Japan said it may roll back a controversial policy asking patients with less serious symptoms to avoid getting hospitalized.
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
EUROPE
* Teenagers in Britain aged 16 and 17 will be given the green light for a vaccine within days before they head back to schools and colleges in September, The Sun reported on Tuesday.
* Greece have withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics artistic swimming competitions after four of their athletes tested positive for COVID-19.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* The gender disparity in India’s immunisation drive has narrowed, government data showed, as pregnant women are now allowed to get their shots and authorities try to dispel rumours about fertility.
* The gambling hub of Macau has launched a test programme for its 600,000 people after the Chinese-ruled city confirmed four new coronavirus cases on Tuesday.
AMERICAS
* New York City will become the first major U.S. city to require proof of vaccination at restaurants, gyms and other businesses, as the nation grapples with the rapidly spreading Delta variant.
* The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a new 60-day moratorium on residential evictions in areas with high levels of COVID-19 infections.
* The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is aiming to give full approval for the Pfizer vaccine by early September, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Dubai’s state airport operator expects a surge in passenger traffic over the coming weeks and months, after the United Arab Emirates announced an easing of travel restrictions from African and Asian countries.
* Israel warned against travel to the United States and other countries and said it would tighten quarantine measures for inbound travelers.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* Fully-vaccinated people have an around 50% to 60% reduced risk of infection from the Delta variant, including those who are asymptomatic, a large English coronavirus prevalence study found.
* Sinovac’s vaccine was 58.5% effective in preventing symptomatic illness among millions of Chileans who received it between February and July, while Pfizer’s shot was 87.7% effective and AstraZeneca’s was 68.7% effective.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Asian shares advanced to one-week highs on Wednesday, led largely by strong U.S. corporate earnings, although the mood remained cautious as the rapidly spreading Delta variant clouds the global economic outlook.
* Growth in China’s services sector accelerated in July, a private survey showed on Wednesday, although the spread of the Delta variant across the country threatens to undercut the recovery.
* Fresh outbreaks of the Delta variant in Southeast Asia have crippled its factory sector, disrupting global supplies of goods such as rubber gloves, semiconductors and SUVs and threatening the $3 trillion region’s recovery.
(Compiled by Ramakrishnan M. and Devika Syamnath; Editing by Maju Samuel and Sriraj Kalluvila)
