Delta Spreads in Sydney; Olympics Bans Alcohol: Virus Update
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(Bloomberg) -- About 1 million people in Sydney will be barred from leaving the city, as Australia races to control an outbreak of the Delta variant that’s also having ramifications across the Tasman Sea. Restrictions have been stepped up in Wellington due to an Australian tourist testing positive after returning from the New Zealand capital.
The Tokyo Olympic organizers have dropped plans to sell alcohol at venues given the move could fuel the spread of the virus. Thailand reported a record daily Covid-19 death count, while Taiwan will extend its soft lockdown until July 12, broadcaster TVBS reported.
The White House acknowledged that the U.S. will likely fall just short of President Joe Biden’s goal of getting 70% of U.S. adults a first Covid-19 shot by the July 4 holiday. Morgan Stanley, meanwhile, plans to bar employees who aren’t vaccinated from entering its offices in the New York area.
Key Developments:
Global Tracker: Cases exceed 179 million; deaths pass 3.88 millionVaccine Tracker: More than 2.71 billion doses administeredThe world’s financial centers struggle back to the officeShortages hit global vaccine supply program, halting rolloutsPandemic’s end is as messy as the start: Clara Ferreira MarquesJill Biden pitches shots for reluctant arms in Trump country
A Quarter of Cases in Italy Are Delta Variant (1:33 p.m. HK)
Daily newspaper Corriere della Sera reports that 26% of new virus cases in Italy now derive from the Delta variant, with new hotspots appearing in northern Lombardy.
China’s Yantian Port Reopens After Outbreak (12:44 p.m. HK)
Yantian International Container Terminals, which handles cargo at one of the world’s busiest container ports, will restore normal operations after a Covid-19 outbreak caused a month of disruptions that snarled global supply chains and led to a surge in shipping rates.
All berths at the port of Yantian, part of the Port of Shenzhen in southern China, will be fully operational on Thursday as the virus situation is now under control, Yantian International said in a statement.
Singapore Cuts High-Risk Quarantine Time (12:28 p.m. HK)
Singapore is reducing the duration of quarantines for people from high-risk regions to 14 days from 21 days. The government said it has found no evidence that virus variants of concern come with longer incubation periods.
The city-state also said it will be receiving a batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines under a different category name as it accelerates supplies, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health on Wednesday. The incoming batch of vaccines is called Comirnaty.
U.S. Births Fall Nine Months After Emergency (12:01 p.m. HK)
Nine months after the declaration of a national emergency due to the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, U.S. births fell by 8% in a month.
The December drop marked an acceleration in declines in the second part of the year. For the full year, the number of babies born in the country fell 4% to about 3.6 million, the largest decline since 1973, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report.
Russia Vaccine Delivery to Philippines Delayed (11:43 a.m. HK)
The Philippines said the delivery of 50,000 Sputnik V doses expected this month will be delayed “due to ongoing upgrades and latest developments on the vaccines,” citing the Russian Direct Investment Fund. A new delivery date wasn’t specified, and those who got their first doses will be informed their second one will be pushed back, Philippine vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said.
Malaysia Accelerating Pace of Vaccinations (10:39 a.m. HK)
Malaysia aims to vaccinate 60% of the country’s population by the end of September, according to Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. The nation has ramped up the pace of inoculations in recent weeks, and 12.5% of the population have got at least one dose vaccine does, he said at a World Bank forum on Wednesday.
NZ Moves to Contain Possible Outbreak (10:02 a.m. HK)
New Zealand moved to contain a possible Covid-19 outbreak in the capital city Wellington, limiting the size of gatherings and imposing social distancing after a tourist tested positive for the virus upon their return to Australia.
The Wellington region will move to alert level 2 at 6 p.m. local time Wednesday, one step below a lockdown, Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced at a press conference. Businesses and schools can remain open but gatherings are limited to 100 and physical distancing must be observed, making queues at supermarkets likely.
Sydney Imposes Measures to Combat Delta (10:15 a.m. HK)
About 1 million people in Sydney will be barred from leaving the city, as Australia races to control an outbreak of the Delta variant that’s having ramifications as far afield as New Zealand.
From 4 p.m. on Wednesday, households will be limited to hosting five guests, while masks will be mandatory in indoor venues including workplaces and shops, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters.
From 4 p.m. Wednesday, households will be limited to hosting five guests, Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters. Residents in eastern and inner-west areas of the city won’t be allowed to travel outside metropolitan Sydney for non-essential reasons for at least a week.
Asahi Respects Tokyo Olympics Alcohol Ban (9:38 a.m. HK)
Olympics’ sponsor Asahi Holdings agrees with the organizing committee’s decision not to serve alcohol to spectators at venues, Tokyo Organizing Committee President Seiko Hashimoto said at a press conference in Tokyo today. Spectators will also be prohibited from bringing alcohol to events, Hashimoto said in remarks streamed by NHK.
Taiwan to Extend Soft Lockdown: TVBS (9:38 a.m. HK)
The government plans to extend island-wide soft lockdown by another two weeks to July 12 from June 28, TVBS reported, citing a Central Epidemic Command Center meeting on Tuesday night. The resolution will be sent to Premier Su Tseng-chang on Wednesday morning for a final decision, the broadcaster said.
Thailand Reports Record Daily Covid Deaths (9:27 a.m. HK)
Thailand reported a record 51 new Covid-19 related fatalities on Wednesday, taking total deaths to 1,744. It added 3,174 new cases, which took the total caseload to 228,539.
Parasite Drug Analyzed as Covid-19 Treatment (7:01 a.m. HK)
A drug used to treat parasite infections in humans and livestock will be investigated as a possible treatment for Covid-19 in a large U.K. study at the University of Oxford.
The medicine, known as ivermectin, has antiviral properties and initial preliminary studies have shown it can reduce viral load, the amount of virus in the respiratory tract, and the length of symptoms in those with a mild infection, the university said in a statement.
Morgan Stanley to Bar Unvaccinated People (5:40 a.m. HK)
Morgan Stanley plans to bar employees who aren’t vaccinated against Covid-19 from entering its offices in the New York area, as a growing number of major Wall Street firms delay the return of staff who aren’t protected against the deadly virus.
The policy, outlined in an internal memo, is one of the most restrictive issued by a major U.S. bank so far. The firm said the goal is to help create a normal office environment, without a need for face masks and physical distancing.
Argentina Daily Toll Sets Record (5:30 a.m. HK)
Argentina reported 792 Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday, a daily record, as the total tally moved to 90,821. Confirmed cases came in at 21,387, authorities said.
U.S. to Miss Biden Shot Target (1:40 p.m. NY)
The White House acknowledged that the U.S. will likely fall short of President Joe Biden’s goal of getting 70% of U.S. adults a first Covid-19 shot by the July 4 holiday.
Jeffrey Zients, the head of the White House Covid-19 response team, said the administration had hit its 70% vaccination target among Americans ages 30 and older, and is poised to reach that threshold for those 27 and older by Independence Day. It will take a few extra weeks to hit the 70% mark for everyone 18 and older, Zients said.
The pace of shots in the U.S. has fallen off by about two-thirds since April, with about 1.1 million doses now administered per day, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. At that rate, it will take another five months for 75% of the population to be vaccinated.
Facebook Pressed on Misinformation (11:05 a.m. NY)
Three Democratic senators asked Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg how the company is fulfilling its pledge to remove Covid-19 vaccine misinformation from its platform and sought company data on the effort. Senators Bob Menendez, Mark Warner and Mazie Hirono sent a letter dated Monday asking Zuckerberg to detail how many users viewed vaccine-related misinformation. The lawmakers said that about 275,000 Facebook users are members of anti-vaccine groups. Facebook was told to respond by July 5.
Moscow Restaurants to Ban Unvaccinated (9:23 a.m. NY)
Moscow moved to ban unvaccinated guests from restaurants and cafes while the city’s hospital system works at capacity amid a record number of infections.
Starting Monday, people will need to show a QR code that proves they have been vaccinated, recovered from Covid-19 within the last six months or received a negative PCR test in the last three days, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his blog.
More than 2 million residents in the city of 12.7 million have received at least one dose, and demand for vaccines has risen as much as fivefold since a citywide order requiring many workers to get inoculated, the mayor said. Still, the vaccine push will take up to three months to get results, forcing the city to institute new restrictions, according to Sobyanin.
India Cites 22 Cases of Delta Mutation (9 a.m. NY)
India has found 22 cases of a mutation of the delta variant in the states of Maharashtra -- home to the financial capital, Mumbai -- Madhya Pradesh and Kerala, federal Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said.
The delta variant was the primary cause of India’s devastating second wave that swamped hospitals and crematoriums in April and May.
China to Keep Border Curbs for a Year: DJ (7:44 a.m. NY)
China plans to keep coronavirus-related restrictions on its border for at least another year amid concerns about new variants and hosting large events, Dow Jones reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
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