[ad_1]
- SA tightened internal restrictions as Covid-19 cases increased.
- The UK has set a high vaccination target to avoid a third wave of the disease.
- The new variant was detected in India.
More countries detected the mutated variant of the coronavirus, India reported its first cases and South Africa tightened its lockdown restrictions amid a surge in cases.
LIVE | All the latest coronavirus updates and lockdown
Middle East and Africa
* South Africa tightened Covid-19 restrictions, banned the sale of alcohol, and extended a nationwide curfew as infections soared through the 1 million mark due to a more spreading variant of the disease quickly discovered in the country.
* Lebanon has secured around two million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which will cover 20% of the country’s citizens, said the Minister of Health.
Europe
* Britain must vaccinate two million people a week to prevent a third wave of the coronavirus outbreak, a study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) concluded.
* Germany’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign has been overshadowed by an overdose mishap in the north and problems with vaccine transportation in the south, resulting in the shipment of 1,000 vaccines.
* The distribution of 200 million initial doses of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech in the European Union will be completed in September, said a spokesman for the EU Commission.
Americas
* The US House of Representatives voted 275-134 to satisfy President Donald Trump’s demand for Covid-19 relief checks for $ 2,000.
* Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said that a Covid-19 vaccine would be available in the country within five days of its approval by the federal health regulator, Anvisa.
Pacific Asia
* Indian health authorities said they had found six people who had returned from Britain in recent weeks positive for the new, more infectious strain of the coronavirus.
* Japan detected a variant of the coronavirus found in South Africa, the government said.
* International visitors will not be allowed to enter Indonesia for a period of two weeks to try to avoid the potentially most contagious variant of the virus.
* South Korea, which recorded a record number of daily deaths on Tuesday, unveiled a new 9.3 trillion won ($ 8.49 billion) package to support small businesses and those vulnerable to unemployment due to Covid-19 .
* The Philippines will ban travelers from 19 countries and territories until mid-January to avoid a new variant of the coronavirus.
Medical developments
* Russia will begin trials of an antibody treatment for Covid-19 patients next year, according to the director of the Moscow institute that developed the country’s first vaccine against the disease, Sputnik V.
* Novavax Inc has started a large late-stage study of its experimental Covid-19 vaccine in the United States, the drug’s developer said.
Economic impact
* Asian stocks rose on Tuesday, with Japanese stocks hitting a 30-year high, hoping the long-awaited pandemic relief package in the United States will be extended, while a Brexit trade deal supports risk appetite of investors.
Do you want to know more about this topic? Sign up to receive one of 33 News24 newsletters to receive the information you want in your inbox. There are special newsletters available to subscribers.
