(Reuters) – Ministers from the Asia-Pacific trade group APEC will meet virtually on Friday, hoping to chart a path forward for the region to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and address other pressing issues including climate change.
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
* France’s lower house of parliament voted to approve extending the country’s COVID-19 health pass measures until at least July 31, 2022, as governments around Europe look to ensure they can curb the virus as the winter season approaches.
* The World Health Organization (WHO) is still assessing the Russia-designed Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, according to an update on the WHO’s website.
* British health minister Sajid Javid resisted calls from doctors for a return of restrictions to halt a rising wave of COVID-19 infections, but gave a stark warning they would be brought back if people did not take up vaccination offers.
* Poland is facing an explosion of cases that may require drastic action, after more than 5,000 daily new infections were reported for the first time since May.
AMERICAS
* The United States, under pressure to share its coronavirus vaccine supply with the rest of the world, has now donated 200 million doses to more than 100 countries, the White House announced.
* Canada will unveil plans for a vaccine passport, a government source said on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau laying out how the proof-of-vaccination method will be implemented.
* COVID-19 patients will keep crowding hospital intensive care units in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan well into next year without government orders to limit public mixing, modelling data showed on Wednesday.
* New York Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered all city employees to show proof of inoculation against COVID-19 or be placed on unpaid leave, drawing criticism from a police union which vowed to fight the mandate in court.
* The Biden administration outlined its plan to vaccinate millions of U.S. children ages 5 to 11 as soon as the COVID-19 shot is authorized for them.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Millions in Melbourne are readying to come out of the world’s longest COVID-19 lockdown later on Thursday even as cases hover near record levels, with pubs, restaurants and cafes rushing to restock supplies before opening their doors.
* India celebrated the milestone of administering one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses, with the government promoting the achievement in song and video even as a recent drop in inoculations worries healthcare providers.
* New Zealand reported record daily COVID-19 cases for the second time in three days, as the Delta variant continued to spur a spike in infections in the country’s biggest city, Auckland.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Kuwait has lifted all restrictions for vaccinated people, the Gulf country’s prime minister told a news conference.
* Kenya lifted a nationwide curfew that has been in place since March 2020.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* Japan’s Shionogi & Co Ltd said it started a Phase II/III clinical trial for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
* The U.S. FDA authorized booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna Inc and Johnson & Johnson, and said Americans can choose a different shot from their original inoculation as a booster.
* Sanofi’s flu vaccine can be safely given along with Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, the French drugmaker said, citing study data.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Asian stocks eked small gains on Thursday but the upbeat mood that lifted the Dow Jones and bitcoin to records ebbed on fresh worries about China’s property sector after an asset sale at embattled developer Evergrande collapsed. [MKTS/GLOB]
(Compiled by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Anita Kobylinska; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Maju Samuel and Anil D’Silva)
