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The U.S. reported the most cases since mid-May, as the delta variant takes hold in less vaccinated areas of the nation. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease specialist, said “ideological rigidity” is preventing people from getting Covid-19 shots and voiced frustration at the struggle to boost vaccination rates.
Residents of Seoul will from today face tougher social-distancing rules, following a surge in infections, while stay-home curbs are being imposed across much of southern Vietnam. There are growing concerns in Singapore about a low vaccination rate among older people.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will warn people to stay vigilant as he prepares to lift virtually all remaining coronavirus restrictions in England. French officials warned of a new wave of infection, though a minister said more lockdowns are unlikely. South Africa extended bans on alcohol sales and most public gatherings.
Key Developments:
Singapore Seniors Slowest to Get Vaccines (9:02 a.m. Hong Kong)
Seniors in Singapore have the lowest take-up rate in Covid-19 vaccinations, despite having had access to vaccinations the longest, according to the Straits Times newspaper.
Those aged 70 and above were the first age group to be offered the vaccinations but currently have the lowest take-up rate, having now been passed by every subsequent age group that was offered shots. The newspaper quoted seniors expressing concerns about vaccine side effects and questioning the mRNA technology. The government has pointed out that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots in use are safe and among the world’s most effective.
Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-leads the city-state’s virus task force, appealed to family members to encourage older relatives to get inoculated. He said the vaccination rate among seniors is an “area of concern” as those aged 70 and above “appears to be plateauing.”
Vietnam imposes stay-home curbs in south (8:45 a.m. H.K.)
Authorities across Vietnam’s south issued social-distancing curbs following last week imposition of a stay-home order in the nation’s commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City. In Binh Duong province, home to 30 industrial parks, stay-home orders were issued for seven of nine localities as virus infections topped 1,500 cases, according to the provincial government’s website.
Authorities in the nation’s Mekong Delta rice bowl put in place similar anti-virus measures.
Daiichi Sankyo Trials, Kimia Shots (8:30 a.m. H.K.)
Japan’s Daiichi Sankyo plans a clinical trial of its mRNA Covid vaccine candidate on several thousand people this year, a spokesperson said. The company aims to commercialize the vaccine in fiscal 2022. The stock gained.
Kimia Farma to Start Selling Shots (8:25 a.m. H.K.)
Indonesia’s state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Kimia Farma will start selling shots to the public today, using doses from Sinopharm Group Co. that are currently available for private programs, said Bambang Heriyanto, a spokesman for PT Bio Farma, parent of Kimia Farma.
The United Arab Emirates suspended entry for travelers from Indonesia from yesterday. The ban excludes UAE citizens and essential workers, who will be subject to a 10-day quarantine and PCR tests. Travel from Afghanistan will also be suspended, the country’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said on Saturday.
Seoul Under Tighter Curbs From Today (8:20 a.m. H.K.)
A ban on private gatherings of more than three people after 6pm goes into effect in the greater Seoul area today, with night-time entertainment businesses closing after a recent surge in coronavirus cases.
Daily Covid-19 cases hit a record of more than 1,300 on Saturday, with the virulent delta variant appearing to account for more infections.
Amid government warnings that the country is undergoing its worst surge since the first confirmed case almost a year and a half ago, many Seoul residents appeared to stay home over the weekend with shopping malls and restaurants reporting scant crowds.
Cubans Protest as Outbreak Grows (8:10 a.m. H.K.)
An anti-government demonstration in Havana, on July 11.
Photographer: Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images
Thousands of Cubans demonstrated to protest food shortages and high prices as the pandemic devastates an economy already suffering from U.S. sanctions. The mass gatherings come even as Cuba grapples with a serious coronavirus outbreak.
The country of 11 million people has about 32,000 active cases of Covid-19 and reported 6,923 daily cases and 47 deaths on Sunday, breaking a record set Friday, the New York Times reported, citing the health ministry. Only about 15 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
Argentina to Buy 20 Million Moderna Shots (6:45 a.m. Hong Kong)
Argentina reached a deal with Moderna Inc. to buy 20 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, the Health Ministry said in a statement Sunday.
The country has so far fully vaccinated 11% of its population.
U.K. Johnson to Urge Caution (5:39 p.m. NY)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will warn people to remain vigilant as he prepares to lift virtually all remaining coronavirus restrictions in England.
In a news conference on Monday, Johnson is widely expected to confirm that mandatory curbs will end as planned on July 19, including the legal requirement to wear masks in indoor settings.
But he’ll also warn that the unlocking will drive a new surge in cases and that people must “all take responsibility” in the coming weeks to help keep infections at a manageable level, his office said in an emailed statement.
U.S. Donates to Indonesia, Bolivia (5:19 p.m. NY)
Boxes containing some of 1,008,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines in Bolivia, on July 11.
Photographer: Aizar Raldes/AFP/Getty Images
The U.S. is sending 3 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to Indonesia and more than 1 million Johnson & Johnson doses to Bolivia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Twitter. More doses are on the way for Indonesia, which is receiving the shots through the World Health Organization-backed Covax program, he said.
On Saturday, Blinken said the U.S. was delivering 2 million Moderna doses to Vietnam.
While the U.S. has vaccinated more than two thirds of its population with at least one dose, many countries are facing vaccine shortages. President Joe Biden initially announced donations from the U.S. stockpile in May.
L.A. Cases Hit 4-Month High (4:10 p.m. NY)
Los Angeles County added 1,113 new cases, the highest in four months, as health officials warned of the spread of the delta variant.
New cases also exceeded 1,000 for a third straight day, with the positive test rate at 2.5%. On Friday, the county said its case loads doubled from a week earlier. Four new deaths were added.
Statewide, California’s test positivity rate stands at 2.3%, one of the highest levels since early March.
South Africa Extends Restrictions (3:03 p.m. NY)
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa extended bans on alcohol sales and most public gatherings for two weeks as the government struggles to bring a third wave of coronavirus infections under control.
The country will remain on virus alert level 4, the second-highest, although there will be adjustments to some curbs, including allowing restaurants to resume operating at half their seating capacity and gyms to reopen, Ramaphosa said Sunday in a televised address. A night-time curfew will remain in place from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. and schools will remain closed until July 26.
A mass vaccination site in Johannesburg, on July 8.
Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg
“We have had to make difficult decisions, knowing that almost every decision carries a cost to the economy and society,” Ramaphosa said. “We remain committed to do all that we can to mitigate the impact of the lockdown on people’s livelihoods.”
France Warns of New Viral Wave (2:32 p.m. NY)
As the French government warns increasingly of a “fourth wave” due to the now-dominant delta variant of the coronavirus, the number of new cases remains low but is rising steadily.
France reported 4,256 new cases in 24 hours, up 60% in a week based on a 7-day rolling average, and four deaths, while the number of patients in need of intensive care continues to decline.
President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to address the nation Monday evening, when he’s expected to speak about the risks of the delta variant and measures to counter its rapid spread, including mandatory vaccination for healthcare personnel. Separately, a key Macron ally said France must “live with the virus” rather than count on a new lockdown to contain the spread of a new variant of Covid-19.
N.Y. Reports One Death as Cases Trend Up (12:53 a.m. NY)
New York state reported one death from Covid-19 on Sunday, even as new cases are rising and the positive test rate topped 1% for the first time since late May.
Another 666 infections were reported by Governor Andrew Cuomo, with the seven-day average increasing after a dip to the level of a month ago.
The delta variant accounts for 26% of New York City’s cases, which are also increasing, the city health department reported last week. That is about half the percentage nationally, according to the most recent estimate from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
NYC’s Adams Urges Indoor Masks in Public (11:32 a.m. NY)
Eric Adams, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, said he’d recommend that vaccinated residents also wear masks in public indoor settings given the spread of the delta variant.
“I believe that we should err on the side of caution,” Adams said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “I still wear my mask from time to time when I’m in crowded settings.”
Eric Adams
Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
Fauci Voices Frustration at Vaccine Lag (10:34 a.m. NY)
Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease specialist, said “ideological rigidity” is preventing people from getting Covid-19 shots and voiced frustration at the struggle to boost vaccination rates in parts of the country.
“It’s not an easy solution,” Fauci said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “We’ve got to get away from this divisiveness that has really been a problem right from the very beginning with this outbreak.”
With vaccination rates lagging mostly in southern and Midwestern states, Fauci made the rounds of U.S. Sunday morning talk shows to reinforce the Biden administration’s message that Covid shots are safe and offer strong protection against the delta variant that’s now dominant in the U.S.
Libya Bans Social Gatherings (9:20 a.m. NY)
Libya reinstated a partial lockdown for two weeks, ordering the closing of restaurants and cafes and banning social gatherings, after reporting its highest-ever number of daily Covid-19 cases.
Authorities also cut working hours at government institutions and reduced staffing to 25% capacity. The North African nation recorded 2,854 positive cases on Saturday.
U.S. Cases Jump (8:55 a.m. NY)
The U.S. reported 33,933 new cases Saturday, the most since mid-May, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. New infections rose for the third consecutive week as the delta variant sweeps through pockets of unvaccinated Americans, jumping to almost 134,000 for the week ending Saturday. That compares with about 92,400 for the previous week.
Another 319 deaths were reported Saturday. Weekly fatalities were up slightly from the previous seven days, but still about half the level of early May.
Separately, U.S. vaccinations have plunged, despite the spread of the delta variant that is fueling a new rise in infections. The U.S. recorded 599,000 vaccinations on Saturday, the lowest level since early January, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. Daily vaccinations peaked in mid-April at almost 4 million. President Joe Biden missed his goal of administering at least one dose of vaccine to 70% of adults in the U.S. by July 4. That number is now 67.5%, according to the CDC.
Moscow Sees Infections Leveling Out (5:04 p.m. HK)
Officials in Moscow believe the city has passed the peak of infections and will start to see levels stabilize, RIA Novosti reported on Sunday, citing the capital’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin.
Russia has reported more than 700 deaths in each of the past six days, with the seven-day average hitting a high of 725.
Israel Suggests Vaccine May Weaken (4:12 p.m. HK)
A mass vaccination center in Tel Aviv, in Jan. 2020.
Photographer: Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg
Data collected in Israel suggests that the protection afforded by the Pfizer Inc.- BioNTech SE vaccination weakens over time, the Ynet news website reported.
People who were among the earliest vaccinated figure prominently among the new cases, though even among this group, protection against severe illness remains strong, according to the data presented to the Health Ministry.
Separately, Israel reached an agreement with Pfizer to bring forward a planned delivery of coronavirus vaccine to Aug. 1, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday.
— With assistance by Adrian Kennedy, Linus Chua, Yueqi Yang, Ania Nussbaum, Alexander Sazonov, Peter Pae, Derek Wallbank, Ian Fisher, Grace Huang, Grace Sihombing, and Lilian Karunungan
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