- Eastern European countries are facing a spike in Covid-19 infections.
- Romania and Poland plan to tighten restrictions.
- The outbreak in China is likely to spread.
Several European countries are battling fresh outbreaks, with cases in eastern Europe surpassing 20 million amid low vaccinations, while some Southeast Asian nations plan to reopen their economies following successful inoculation campaigns.
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Europe
* The number of infections in eastern Europe surpassed 20 million on Sunday, according to a Reuters tally, with countries in the region having the lowest vaccination rates in Europe.
* Britain recorded the highest number of new cases of Covid-19 since July over the past week, government figures showed on Saturday, a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson played down the prospect of a return to lockdown.
* Germany recorded the highest infections since mid-May on Saturday, reaching the threshold of 100 cases per 100 000 in the past seven days that used to be the yardstick for imposing a strict lockdown.
* The Romanian government will re-introduce a night curfew and make health passes mandatory for entry to most public venues from Monday.
* Poland will need to consider tighter Covid-19 restrictions if average daily cases exceed 7 000, the health minister was quoted as saying.
Americas
* Americans can choose a booster shot that is different from their original inoculation but the recommendation is to stick with the vaccine they got first if it is available, White House chief medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci said.
* Canada scrapped an official advisory urging citizens to shun non-essential foreign travel, while its Ontario province has issued a timeline to lift all remaining restrictions, with the aim of removing all proof of vaccination and mask requirements by March 2022.
Asia-Pacific
* China's latest Covid-19 outbreak is increasingly likely to spread further, a health official said on Sunday, as authorities urged all regions to step up monitoring and called for a reduction in travel across provinces.
* South Korea said it has achieved its goal of vaccinating 70% of its 52 million people, paving the way for a planned return to normal next month.
* Indonesia will gradually reopen parts of the country where Covid-19 vaccination rates are above 70%.
* Australian officials plan to roll out Covid-19 booster shots soon to prevent a resurgence of cases.
* New Zealand reported 109 new locally acquired coronavirus cases on Monday, the bulk of them in its largest city, Auckland, as the country saw its second-worst day of daily infections since the pandemic began.
Middle East and Africa
* Namibia will suspend its rollout of Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine, days after the drugs regulator in South Africa flagged concerns about its safety for people at risk of HIV.
* Tunisia imposed Covid-19 vaccine passes on Tunisians and all foreign visitors. Officials, employees, and users are required to show their vaccine pass to access public and private administrations.
Medical developments
* Scientists at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the likely benefits of giving the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to 5 to 11 year olds clearly outweigh the risks of rare cases of heart inflammation.
* The vaccine developed by Pfizer and German partner BioNTech showed 90.7% efficacy in a clinical trial of children aged 5-11.
* Finance ministers from Asia-Pacific trade group APEC agreed to step up efforts to expand Covid-19 vaccine manufacture and supply, and support global vaccine sharing, host nation New Zealand said.
Economic impact
* Asian shares held recent gains ahead of a week packed with major earnings announcements, while news of trials of a property tax in China and ongoing troubles in the sector weighed on markets in Hong Kong and mainland China.
* Growth in euro zone business activity slowed this month as firms faced soaring costs due to supply-chain constraints, a survey showed.
* Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the US central bank should start the process of reducing its support of the economy by cutting back on its asset purchases, but should not yet touch the interest rate dial.
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