(Reuters) – Drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Monday it was on schedule to meet its commitments for supplying coronavirus vaccines in Southeast Asia after some initial delays in regional production and delivery.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
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EUROPE
* Britain is looking on course to be able to ease COVID-19 restrictions on July 19, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, according to The Sun newspaper.
* Passengers arriving in Portugal from Britain must quarantine for 14 days from Monday if they are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the Portuguese government said.
* Spain will demand a negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination from British tourists who want to enter Mallorca, Ibiza and other Balearic Islands, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.
* Greece will offer young people a cash reward for receiving their first shot against COVID-19 as part of a government drive to boost vaccination rates ahead of the summer holiday season.
* German states will discuss with Angela Merkel’s chancellery testing and quarantine restrictions for returning travellers amid concern over the spread of the more contagious Delta variant of coronavirus, daily Bild reported.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Hong Kong will ban all passenger flights from the United Kingdom from Thursday to curb the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19, the government said.
* Australia decided to make vaccinations mandatory for high-risk aged-care workers and employees in quarantine hotels after a surge in COVID-19 cases nationwide.
* Indonesia’s health minister is leading a push for stricter controls as coronavirus infections surge to unprecedented levels, according to sources familiar with government discussions.
* Indonesia’s food and drug agency has recommended the vaccine made by China’s Sinovac Biotech for children aged 12-17, the country’s COVID-19 task force said, as it seeks to extend inoculations amid a surge in infections. President Joko Widodo said vaccination for children could start soon.
* New Zealand is considering making masks compulsory at high alert levels as well as compulsory scanning of QR codes to boost contact tracing in efforts to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
AMERICAS
* The U.S. drug regulator added a warning to the literature that accompanies Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shots to indicate the rare risk of heart inflammation after its use.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* South Africa will tighten COVID-19 restrictions for 14 days as current containment measures are insufficient to cope with the speed and scale of new infections, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* A third shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine produces a strong immune response, researchers said, adding there was not yet evidence that such shots were needed, especially given shortages in some countries.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Global shares began the week with a cautious start as Asian and European markets fell after a rise in coronavirus cases across Asia over the weekend hurt investor sentiment while oil hovered around 2-1/2 year highs. [nL2N2OA0QH][MKTS/GLOB]
* India has extended a federal guarantee on bank loans to health and tourism services while waiving visa fees for 500,000 foreign tourists, the finance minister said.
* Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced a 150 billion ringgit ($36.22 billion) aid package, including cash aid and wage subsidies, a day after extending a nationwide lockdown indefinitely.
* Thailand’s government has prepared about 7.5 billion baht ($235 million) to help ease the impact of restrictions imposed to curb a recent rise in infections.
(Compiled by Jagoda Darlak; Edited by Angus MacSwan)
