Sydney, June 29

Australia reported a slight rise in Covid-19 infections on Tuesday, while officials in several states tightened movement curbs and pushed for vaccinations to limit flare-ups of the highly infectious Delta variant.

After months in which it had nearly stamped out the virus, Australia is battling the variant in five of its eight states and territories, just two weeks after an infection in key city Sydney involving a limousine driver of overseas airline crew.

Chinese vax safe for kids: Lancet

Beijing: Two doses of the China-made Covid-19 vaccine, CoronaVac, are safe and produce a strong antibody response among children and adolescents aged 3-17 years, according to a study by the The Lancet. PTI

Worries that the variant first detected in India could touch off outbreaks have forced lockdowns in three large cities and curbs of varying strictness in several more, affecting more than 20 million Australians, or about 80 per cent of the population.

Northern Queensland state imposed a three-day lockdown in capital Brisbane and neighbouring regions from Tuesday evening.

Drop in EU asylum applications

Brussels: The European Union’s asylum agency said on Tuesday that the number of people seeking international protection in Europe hit its lowest level last year since 2013, but that the drop was due mostly to Covid travel restrictions. AP

The Western Australian capital of Perth began a four-day lockdown from Tuesday, joining Sydney and Darwin.

Monday’s decision to indemnify doctors who give the AstraZeneca vaccine to those younger than 60 provoked complaints from doctors, who said the medical regulator still recommended the vaccine for those older than 60. — Reuters