(Reuters) – Sydney’s COVID-19 infections hit a daily record on Wednesday, putting parts of the health system under pressure, while Japan is set to expand a state of emergency to eight more prefectures, taking the total to 21.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news
EUROPE
* Europe’s medicines regulator has approved additional manufacturing sites for mRNA-based coronavirus vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
* Switzerland is being hit by a fourth wave with a “very worrying” rise in infections, the head of the government’s crisis team at the Federal Office for Public Health said.
* Greece said it would end free testing for unvaccinated people to encourage them to get inoculated and head off any renewed spike in Delta variant infections.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Indonesia has approved Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the Southeast Asian country, Penny Lukito, the head of the food and drug agency, told parliament.
* Australia’s federal government warned state leaders that current emergency economic supports may be withdrawn when the country hits a 70-80% COVID-19 vaccination rate, even if individual states and territories decide to retain border controls.
* India has approved further clinical trials for its first homegrown mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.
AMERICAS
* The United States could get COVID-19 under control by early next year if vaccinations ramp up, Dr. Anthony Fauci said, a day after Pfizer won full FDA approval for its shot, with more potential approvals coming in the weeks ahead.
* Some 25% of SARS-CoV-2 infections among Los Angeles County residents occurred in fully vaccinated residents from May through July 25, a period that includes the impact of the highly transmissible Delta variant, U.S. officials reported.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Less than a month into a COVID-19 vaccine booster drive, Israel is seeing signs of an impact on the country’s high infection and severe illness rates fuelled by the fast-spreading Delta variant, officials and scientists say.
* Iran reported a record daily 709 deaths from COVID-19 as the worst-hit country in the Middle East faced a fifth surge in infections.
* Nigeria has recently approved China’s Sinopharm vaccine against COVID-19.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* People infected with the more transmissible Delta variant have a viral load 300 times higher than those with the original version of the COVID-19 virus, when symptoms are first observed, a South Korea study found.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Asian shares held onto their recent gains on Wednesday after last week’s pummelling, as global equities rebounded thanks to a combination of positive COVID-19 vaccine news and easing worries over tapering of Federal Reserve stimulus.[MKTS/GLOB]
(Compiled by Krishna Chandra Eluri, Devika Syamnath and Veronica Snoj; Edited by Steve Orlofsky, Arun Koyyur and Subhranshu Sahu)
