Seems official, that the vaccine is a fail against variant D
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Israel Threatens Lockdown; Delta Vaccines Needed: Virus Update
August 4, 2021, 6:10 PM GMT+8
Israel, one of the world’s most vaccinated nations, called on employers to switch to work-at-home and warned that it may have to impose new lockdowns.
The government urged the public to stop shaking hands, embracing and kissing and avoid non-essential gatherings in closed spaces. Beijing reported more virus cases and Indonesia’s death toll surpassed 100,000, making it the second country in Asia to breach that grim threshold.
Vaccines targeting the delta variant may now be needed given the strain’s ability to infect people with fading immunity, researchers leading a large English study of Covid shots said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention banned evictions in areas of the country with high virus transmission.
Key Developments:- Global Tracker: Cases top 199.5 million; deaths pass 4.24 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 4.21 billion doses administered
- China’s latest outbreak threatens to derail consumer recovery
- Biden assails GOP governors who’ve blocked new mask mandates
- Vanguard offers $1,000 to employees to get vaccinated
- How return-to-office policies are shifting with U.S. virus surge
Indonesia’s Deaths Surpass 100,000 (6:02 a.m. NY) Indonesia reached a grim milestone as more than 100,000 people died from the coronavirus, becoming the second country in Asia to breach that threshold.
After weeks of topping the world’s tally of daily deaths, Southeast Asia’s largest economy added 1,747 fatalities on Wednesday, according to data from the health ministry, bringing its total number to 100,636.
Indonesia is shifting away from its goal of reaching herd immunity as available vaccines prove less effective at stopping transmission of the delta variant, making it possible for the virus to continue circulating even if everyone gets inoculated, according to data under review by the government.
Sasol Tells Workers Vaccinate or Pay for Tests (5:09 p.m. HK)Sasol Ltd. told the almost 20,000 people who will work on the four-week annual maintenance of its Secunda petrochemicals complex that they need to show they have been vaccinated or produce a negative PCR test every week, Netwerk24 reported.
While the fuel products and chemicals producer encourages its workers to voluntarily get vaccinated, a risk analysis found the maintenance project poses a contamination threat, the Cape Town-based news website said, citing a July 27 letter from the company’s management to employees.
Beijing Finds More Cases, Urges Caution (5:03 p.m. HK)Beijing reported three more virus cases on Wednesday, including two relatives of an earlier case and a passenger on the same flight with the patient.
Officials in charge of the Chinese capital’s pandemic response have criticized retailers, including an Ikea store, cinemas and supermarkets for lax enforcement of curbs ranging from mask-wearing and health code-checking to social distancing.
The country will also suspend cross-city bus, taxi and ride hailing services in areas with medium-to-high Covid risk.
Delta’s contagiousness and increased travel during the summer vacation period fueled the spread, making the surge the broadest since China controlled its initial outbreak last year. Authorities have canceled events ranging from basketball games to outdoor festivities. Increased vigilance is proving a setback to the country’s air travel recovery.
Delta Cases Threaten China Recovery
WATCH: Covid-19 cases are continuing to climb in China, threatening to derail the consumer recovery while delta infections hamper tourism.
Singapore to Limit Hospital Visits (3:38 p.m. HK)Singapore will limit visitation to hospital wards from Aug. 5 to Aug. 18 as a measure to preserve hospital capacity and reduce potential virus transmission, the Ministry of Health said.
Hospitals will allow case-by-case exceptions for some groups, including children, birthing mothers and those who are severely ill.
Israel Urges Work-at-Home Again (3:24 a.m. HK)Israel called on employers to switch to a work-at-home footing and tightened travel restrictions as new cases climb, warning that it may have to impose lockdowns.
Government ministries will have 50% of staff in their offices, according to a late-Tuesday decision by the cabinet subcommittee on the coronavirus. The cabinet urged the public to stop shaking hands, embracing and kissing and avoid non-essential gatherings in closed spaces.
U.S. CDC Issues New Eviction Ban (2 p.m. HK)President Joe Biden quelled a brewing confrontation with progressive Democrats with a new moratorium on evictions during the pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s order, following several days of legal wrangling within the administration, aims to keep tenants who are in arrears from losing their homes until Oct. 3. White House officials hope that’s enough time to stand up a long-delayed $47 billion rental assistance program.
Macau Shuts Bars, Cinemas to Stop Infections (1:15 p.m. HK)Macau will close gyms, cinemas and bars after reporting its first cluster of local cases in more than a year. It will also shut theaters, indoor playgrounds, game arcades, beauty salons, karaoke parlors and nightclubs, the government said.
The Bloomberg Intelligence gauge of Macau casino shares fell as much as 5.5% in Wednesday trading, though casinos will be allowed to remain open for now.
Japan Plan to Relieve Hospitals Sees Backlash (1:00 p.m. HK)Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is facing a backlash over plans to have patients with mild infections recover at home to relieve hospitals that were caring for 80,000 coronavirus patients as of Monday.
Suga has faced criticism on social media and from the opposition party, which is unlikely to win upcoming elections but which could loosen his grip on power if it gains seats. Under his plan, doctors would monitor infected people at home, and if there’s a concern about possible transmission within the household may transfer people to hotels. Those over 50, or with preexisting conditions, would be eligible for treatment with a drug cocktail.
Delta Raises Herd Immunity Bar (11:30 a.m. HK)The delta variant has pushed the threshold for herd immunity to well over 80% and potentially approaching 90%, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America. That represents a “much higher” bar than previous estimates of 60% to 70%, because delta is twice as transmissible, and significantly more dangerous than the original virus.
Herd immunity is based on the idea that when a certain percentage of the population has been vaccinated against the virus or gains immunity by a previous infection, it helps protect the broader population and reduce transmission.
Nearly 60% of Americans have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 50% have been fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.
Tokyo Olympics Adds 29 Cases, Four Athletes (11:20 a.m. HK)A record 29 additional cases were reported at the Tokyo Olympics, including four athletes. Three of the athletes were on Greece’s artistic swimming team, which also saw some officials infected or designated close contacts. The team will no longer compete in group events.
South Korea’s Daily Cases Show Spike (11:05 a.m. HK)South Korea’s daily virus cases surged back to more than 1,700, up from 1,202 a day earlier, as more people were tested after the weekend. Daily cases have remained above 1,000 since early July. There were two more deaths, bringing the toll to 2,106.
Australia Finds Case in Far North (9:50 a.m. HK)Australia’s New South Wales state reported 233 new cases of the delta variant on Wednesday as Sydney struggles to contain its outbreak despite a lockdown. The city recorded two new deaths, including a man in his 20s who was isolating at home.
Areas of Queensland state, including Brisbane, are also locked down. The state recorded 16 cases within its communities on Wednesday, including one in Cairns, more than 1,000 miles north of Brisbane.
Vaccines Targeting Delta May Be Needed (9 a.m. HK)Vaccines targeting the delta variant may now be needed given the strain’s ability to infect people with fading immunity and potentially increased severity, researchers leading a large English study of Covid shots said.
The latest Covid updatesMake sense of the headlines and the outbreak's global response with the Coronavirus Daily.
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A third wave of English cases has been driven by the delta strain among both unvaccinated people -- especially those aged 12 to 24 -- as well as some people who had received Covid shots, according to authors of a study of samples from about 98,000 people in England. The effectiveness of vaccines at stopping infection during the study period fell to 49%, the researchers estimated, down from 64% in a month earlier. Vaccines’ protection against development of Covid symptoms was 59%, down from 83%.
Thailand Has Record Cases, Fatalities (8:45 a.m. HK)Thailand today reported 20,200 new infections and 188 deaths, with both at record levels. The country has had 672,385 cases and 5,503 deaths, according to health ministry data Wednesday.
The cabinet approved a doubling of a budget to fund payouts to workers and businesses to about 60 billion baht ($1.8 billion) in the wake of an expansion of social-distancing curbs to 29 provinces.
FDA Targets Pfizer Approval Soon, NYT Says (8:00 a.m. HK)The U.S. Food and Drug Administration aims to give final approval to the Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE vaccine by the start of next month, the New York Times reported, citing people involved in the effort. While the vaccine was granted emergency authorization last year, final approval could increase inoculation rates, the newspaper said.
U.K. to Endorse Vaccine for Older Teens (6:30 a.m. HK)The U.K. is set to approve vaccination for those at age 16 and 17, the Telegraph reported, citing a government source. The demographic group will be advised to get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, matching the guidance for other younger U.K. residents.
And most children who get Covid-19 recover within a week, according to a large U.K. study that may help soothe fears about whether kids who get sick will face the most protracted forms of the disease. Some 4.4% of 1,734 children with symptomatic infection in the study experienced symptoms for longer than four weeks, most often fatigue, headaches and loss of smell, researchers said in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.
— With assistance by Marthe Fourcade, Dominic Lau, Jason Scott, Jinshan Hong, Anuchit Nguyen, Dong Lyu, Claire Che, Max Zimmerman, Shinhye Kang, Emma Court, Isabel Reynolds, Shirley Zhao, Arys Aditya, Natalie Lung, Derek Wallbank, Alisa Odenheimer, Tim Loh, Antony Sguazzin, Jessica Sui, and Yudith Ho
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