Sydney Residents in Lockdown: Biden Says Get Shots: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- More than 500,000 residents of Sydney will go into lockdown for at least a week as Australia races to control an outbreak of the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus. President Joe Biden warned of the risks posed by the delta variant as he prodded Americans to get vaccinated amid a decline in the pace of inoculations.

India this week hit a single-day record by administering more than 8 million Covid-19 vaccinations -- but even this unprecedented pace may not be fast enough for a country just emerging from a devastating second wave to head off a third one, experts say.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said two unvaccinated children on the Adventure of the Seas turned up positive for Covid-19 following routine testing that’s required before returning home. In Mexico, the health regulator will allow use of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine for adolescents.

Key Developments:

Global Tracker: Cases top 179.9 million; deaths near 3.9 millionVaccine Tracker: More than 2.8 billion doses administeredIndia’s single-day vaccination record that may not stop a new waveTamiflu-like drugs face long odds against Covid ‘runaway train’Top U.S. health officials tout vaccines after reports of heart risksSouth African town cuts itself off as residents agree to isolateCan I be required to get vaccinated against Covid-19?: QuickTake

Japan to Donate More Doses to Taiwan, Southeast Asia (10:39 a.m. HK)

Japan will provide 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine to each of Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia from July 1, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday. Taiwan and Vietnam, which already have received some shots from Japan, will each receive an additional 1 million doses, Motegi said.

Four Areas of Sydney to Lockdown Amid Delta Outbreak (9:27 a.m. HK)

More than 500,000 Sydney residents will go into lockdown for at least a week as Australia races to control an outbreak of the delta variant. People who live or work in four of Sydney’s most populous areas will be allowed to leave home only for four specified essential reasons, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters Friday.

Berejiklian previously had barred about 1 million of Sydney’s 6 million population from leaving the city. The new steps come as the outbreak has climbed to 65 cases, with 22 new locally acquired cases recorded since the previous day.

Vietnam PM Aims for Domestic Vaccine by Next June (9:20 a.m. HK)

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh aims to have a domestic Covid-19 vaccine produced by June 2022 at the latest as the government ramps up its nationwide vaccination program, according to a post on the government website.

The health ministry is helping local companies in talks with Russia about a technology transfer to help Vietnam produce the Sputnik V vaccine, the post said. The World Health Organization has pledged to send experts to Vietnam to aid with vaccine production, according to a separate post on the government website citing WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Japan Emperor May Have Concerns About Olympics: Report (9:04 a.m. HK)

Japanese Emperor Naruhito may have concerns the Olympics could cause coronavirus infections to rise, Kyodo News reported. The agency cited Yasuhiko Nishimura, head of the Imperial Household Agency, as telling reporters Thursday he believes the emperor is worried about whether next month’s Olympics could lead to an increase in Covid infections, given concerns voiced by the public.

Naruhito didn’t directly speak of the concerns, the Asahi newspaper quoted Nishimura as saying. Plans are being considered to have Naruhito speak at the opening ceremony, Kyodo said.

Myanmar Reports Most Cases Since Coup (8:39 a.m. HK)

Myanmar reported 787 new coronavirus cases Thursday, the highest daily spike since the country’s February coup, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports. The government has imposed a stay-at-home order in nine townships across the country so far, restricting movement of over 1.23 million people, with the country’s total caseload at more than 150,000 cases.

Chile Extends State of Catastrophe Through September (8:14 a.m. HK)

Chile’s senate approved a measure extending the country’s state of catastrophe to Sept. 30, following approval from parliament’s lower house, effective from July 1. The step gives the government the ability to close borders and impose quarantines and curfews to fight Covid.

U.K. Doesn’t Know if Rapid Tests Being Used: Watchdog (7:48 a.m. HK)

The U.K. spent billions of pounds on rapid Covid-19 test kits but has no idea if most of them are being used, according to the National Audit Office. A total of 691 million tests had been sent to homes, workplaces, schools and care settings across England as of May 26, but results from only 14% were reported, the country’s spending watchdog said Friday.

The government, which spent three billion pounds ($4.2 billion) buying about one billion rapid test kits through March, doesn’t know how many of the unregistered tests were used, it added. The findings are likely to fuel further criticism of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government, which has touted the importance of mass testing as crucial to a full reopening.

Jakarta Sees Record Demand for Burial Services (7:41 a.m. HK)

Jakarta on Wednesday recorded its highest demand for burial services since the pandemic began, intensifying Indonesia’s battle against a more infectious strain of the coronavirus. Funeral services for Covid-19 related deaths in Indonesia’s capital jumped to 180, Governor Anies Baswedan tweeted.

The city of 10 million is the country’s epicenter of the virus, with the highly contagious delta variant detected among the new cases, health ministry data show. Three public hospitals in Jakarta will convert beds and redeploy healthcare workers to focus on Covid patients, according to a Health Ministry briefing Thursday.

Malaysia Expects Private Vaccine Market From August (7:26 a.m. HK)

Malaysia expects some companies will receive approval to bring in private vaccines from China by August, according to Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. Those who wish to expedite their vaccination may purchase jabs through this private market, said Khairy in a briefing Thursday.

Thailand Approves Pfizer Vaccine for Domestic Use (7:22 a.m. HK)

Thailand’s drug regulator cleared Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for local use, making it the sixth shot approved in the country, according to a government spokeswoman. The country earlier approved vaccines from Sinovac Biotech, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sinopharm for local use.

Biden Warns of Deadly Variant (7 a.m. HK)

President Joe Biden warned of the risks posed by a highly transmissible and potentially deadlier coronavirus variant as he prodded Americans to get vaccinated amid a decline in the pace of inoculations.

“This new dangerous variant continues to emerge,” Biden said in Raleigh, North Carolina, as he warned of the delta variant, first observed in India. “It’s now the most common variant in America. Unvaccinated people are incredibly vulnerable.”

Biden spoke Thursday as part of his administration’s effort to re-ignite a U.S. vaccination campaign that is slowing to a crawl. The White House conceded this week that it missed a pair of upcoming goals – for 70% of U.S. adults to have at least one shot and for 160 million people to be fully vaccinated, by July 4. Both measures are on pace to hit a few weeks late.

Roche Gets FDA Authorization for Actemra (6:57 a.m. HK)

Roche’s Actemra received an emergency-use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Covid-19 in some hospitalized patients.

Actemra may be effective for patients who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental oxygen, non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, according to an FDA letter.

Mexico Authorizes Pfizer for Adolescents (5:40 a.m. HK)

Mexico’s health regulator Cofepris modified the emergency authorization of the Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, allowing its application to those 12 and older -- the first authorized for use with adolescents.

The country reported a daily rise of 221 new deaths, bringing the total to 232,068. Cases increased 5,340 to 2.5 million. The country has administered almost 42.2 million doses of the vaccine.

Two Kids Test Positive on Royal Caribbean Cruise (5:30 a.m. HK)

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said two unvaccinated children on the Adventure of the Seas turned up positive for Covid-19 following routine testing that’s required before returning home.

Both are under age 16 and were immediately quarantined, the cruise operator said Thursday on its website. One was asymptomatic and the other had mild symptoms, the company said.

Cruise lines are poised to resume U.S. operations after a monthslong shutdown because of coronavirus. With a mix of vaccinated guests and youngsters who haven’t had inoculations, some positive test results are inevitable.

India’s Record Vaccinations May Not Stop New Wave (5 a.m. HK)

India this week hit a single-day record by administering more than 8 million Covid-19 vaccinations -- but even this unprecedented pace may not be fast enough for a country just emerging from a devastating second wave to head off a third one, experts say.

They also question whether this week’s push averaging about 4.6 million doses a day, up from about 3 million for most of the past month, can be sustained.

Despite halting all vaccine exports in April and benefiting from a huge vaccine-production industry, India has covered only 4% of its population, putting it far behind most of the West and China, which is deploying about 20 million doses a day. At this rate, some scientists say a third wave could arrive within months, driving fears the country may see a repeat of the recent nightmare of oxygen shortages and overwhelmed hospitals.

Kentucky Tries $1,500 Back-to-Work Bonus (4:30 p.m. NY)

Kentucky will offer 15,000 unemployed workers $1,500 bonuses for taking full-time jobs in a back-to-work gambit presented Thursday by Governor Andy Beshear.

The bonuses would be first-come, first-served for workers who get jobs between June 24-July 30 and complete at least 120 hours of work in their first four weeks on the job. The program will cost the state $22.5 million.

Merkel, Macron Scold Greece for Lax Rules (3:13 p.m. NY)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron criticized Greece and other tourism-dependent countries for freely accepting visitors inoculated with less-effective Chinese and Russian vaccines, signaling the possibility of curbs on travel ahead of Europe’s peak tourist season.

During a closed-door meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels, Merkel said EU countries such as Greece have welcomed travelers who got the Sputnik shot, even though it hasn’t been approved by EU regulators and it’s unclear whether it works against the more dangerous delta variant. These visitors can then freely move within the EU’s free-travel zone, Merkel told her colleagues, according to officials familiar with the conversation.

It’s another sign of alarm in Berlin and other EU capitals over the spread of more-contagious virus mutations as some EU nations rush to restart tourism.

U.K.’s Limited Quarantine Easing Draws Criticism (3:10 p.m. NY)

The U.K. added Spain’s Balearic islands and Malta to its quarantine-free travel list and said rules will be relaxed for more countries in the summer for people who are fully vaccinated.

The shift is a boost for airlines and the travel industry ahead of school holidays that begin in July. Bermuda, Madeira and a number of Caribbean destinations were also added to the list.

EasyJet Plc criticized the relaxation as too cautious, saying “this is still not the safe and sustainable reopening of travel” that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government promised, the airline said in a statement. “This limited reopening is not justified by the data.”

Brazil Gets 3 Million Doses From U.S. (2:30 p.m. NY)

Brazil will receive 3 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines promised by the U.S. on Friday morning, State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters.

The shipment is part of 88 million doses the U.S. has said it will send abroad, she said.

Brazil has recorded more than 18 million cases and some 507,000 deaths, the second-biggest toll after the U.S.

Venezuela Receives Cuban-Made Vaccine (2 p.m. NY)

Venezuela received its first doses of Cuba’s Abdala vaccine, according to state television. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was among officials welcoming the shipment at the Caracas international airport. Venezuela expects to receive 12 million doses of the Cuban vaccine over the next few months, he said.

Romania to Destroy Doses as Interest Wanes (11:45 a.m. NY)

Romania will have to destroy about 35,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine that expire June 30 because of little interest from citizens to get the shot. The country has vaccinated about 25% of its population.

Authorities also decided to close 45 vaccination centers because of low interest, though they’re trying to boost the number of mobile centers to reach rural residents, according to Valeriu Gheorghita, who runs the government’s vaccination task force.

Delta Variant Rages in Colorado (11:35 a.m. NY)

The delta variant first identified in India is raging in rural western Colorado, which was largely spared in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, a state official said. More than 50% of new Colorado cases are believed to be due to the delta variant, Rachel Herlihy, state epidemiologist, said in a statement issued by the state emergency operations center.

“We are taking extra precautions and turning to the CDC for additional support to make sure we know how and why the delta variant is spreading,” Herlihy said.

Masks Back in Israel, Off in Hungary (5:42 p.m. HK)

Israelis can expect to start donning masks again and the country has put off reopening to foreign tourists after its bid to return to a post-Covid normal was hobbled by a surge in infections linked to the highly transmissible delta variant.

New cases were down to the single digits in mid-June, but this week topped 100 for three straight days. Most new cases have been unvaccinated children and people returning from abroad. Some of the sick had been fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Hungary, another vaccination front-runner, is going in the opposite direction. Authorities in the eastern European country will end a requirement to wear masks indoors once 5.5 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, Cabinet Minister Gergely Gulyas said. People will no longer be required to show vaccination certificates in restaurants, hotels and public baths, Gulyas said at a briefing in Budapest. He said Hungary will reach 5.5 million vaccinated by next week.

Spaniards won’t need to wear masks outdoors from Saturday.

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