The Latest: Fiji's outbreak surges as gov't resists lockdown
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Fiji reported a record 431 new daily coronavirus cases on Thursday as an outbreak of the highly contagious delta variant continued to grow.
Health authorities have reported nearly 5,000 cases and 22 deaths since the outbreak in the South Pacific nation began two months ago.
The government of the island nation of nearly 1 million people has resisted calls for a full lockdown as leaders try to protect an economy that last year contracted by 19% as international tourism evaporated.
Health authorities say that about 9% of people getting tested for the virus are returning positive results, a figure that has been increasing and indicates the outbreak is spreading.
Despite the growing outbreak, the government announced steps to reopen retail stores in and around the capital, Suva.
Faiyaz Koya, the minister for commerce, trade and tourism, said that without a reopening plan, some stores would need to close permanently, costing families jobs and years worth of hard-earned progress.
People leave the Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium, with box of snack given to them after receiving a shot of the Sinovac vaccine for COVID-19 during a vaccination campaign in Bekasi on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, July 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
___
MORE ON THE PANDEMIC
- Thailand opens resort island of Phuket to vaccinated foreigners in ambitious plan to revive devastated tourism industry
- Biden well short on goal of delivering 80 million vaccine doses to world as White House cites local hurdles
- Indonesia vaccinates thousands in one-day event as it escalates its virus fight amid surge that's filling hospitals
- California's reopening and variant cases among the unvaccinated put health officials on edge, prompt LA mask recommendation
- Rebuilding the post-pandemic world will be a colossal human effort aimed at gluing back the pieces of human divides
- Follow more of AP´s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine
___
HERE´S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
TUBINGEN, Germany - German vaccine maker CureVac says younger people could benefit from its coronavirus shot, following disappointing results in a broader age group.
The company said Wednesday that its vaccine is 53% effective against COVID-19 of any severity in 18- to 60-year-olds. Overall, though, CurveVac says the shot is 48% effective, based on 83 cases in the vaccine group and 145 in the placebo group.
The World Health Organization has said vaccines with an efficacy above 50% are worth using, though many of those already approved have a far higher rate.
CureVac says it has sent the data to the European Medicines Agency, which is conducting a review.
CureVac CEO Franz-Werner Haas says the vaccine fully protects 18- to 60-year-olds against hospitalization. He calls it "an important contribution to help manage the COVID-19 pandemic and the dynamic variant spread."
___
BILLINGS, Mont. - Montana´s governor is lifting the state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic more than 15 months after it was imposed under his predecessor.
Wednesday´s move by Gov. Greg Gianforte comes as COVID-19 case rates continue to slowly drop in Montana. Almost half the state´s eligible residents are now fully vaccinated.
Broad public health mandates such as face mask requirements and occupancy limits for businesses were previously rescinded.
Other states also have lifted emergency declarations in recent days as the public health crisis eases.
The respiratory disease has caused at least 1,665 deaths in Montana.
The first group of tourists from Abu Dhabi arrives at the Phuket International Airport in Phuket, Thailand, Thursday, July 1, 2021. Starting Thursday, Thailand will welcome back international visitors - as long as they are vaccinated - to its famous southern resort island of Phuket without having to be cooped up in a hotel room for a 14-day quarantine. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
