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World

China sees highest daily coronavirus cases in current outbreak

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A medical worker collects a swab from a resident during a mass testing for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a makeshift testing site at a stadium in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China May 30, 2021. cnsphoto via REUTERS

BEIJING, Aug 6 (Reuters) – China reported on Friday its highest daily count for new coronavirus cases in its current outbreak, fuelled by a surge in locally transmitted infections.

China reported 124 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the mainland for Aug. 5, according to the National Health Commission. That’s up from 85 a day earlier.

Of the new confirmed infections, 80 were locally transmitted, the health authority said, up from 62 local cases a day earlier.

The local cases were driven by a surge in infections in eastern Jiangsu province, which reported 61 new cases for Aug. 5, up from 40 a day earlier. The new infections were mainly in the city of Yangzhou.

Overall, China reported 58 new asymptomatic coronavirus cases, which it does not classify as confirmed infections, compared with 54 a day earlier.

No new deaths were reported.

As of Aug. 5, mainland China has recorded 93,498 confirmed cases. The cumulative death toll is unchanged at 4,636.

Reporting by Ryan Woo and Roxanne Liu; Editing by Tom Hogue

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Sydney suffers worst pandemic day as lockdown nears six weeks

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Personnel from the Australian Defence Force and New South Wales Police Force patrol a street in the Bankstown suburb during an extended lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sydney, Australia, August 3, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

  • Sydney records biggest daily rise in infections, five deaths
  • Melbourne tracking fresh cases, close contacts top 3,000
  • Lockdown announced for second-largest city in New South Wales

SYDNEY, Aug 5 (Reuters) – Sydney reported its worst day of the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday with five deaths and a record rise in locally acquired infections as a weeks-long hard lockdown is struggling to contain the highly contagious Delta strain of the coronavirus.

Four of the five people that died were unvaccinated while one had one dose, New South Wales state health authorities said, as they implored residents to get inoculated as early as possible.

Authorities also announced a one-week lockdown from Thursday in the region surrounding the state’s second-largest city of Newcastle, 140 km (87 miles) north of Sydney, after six cases were reported there.

That will place an additional 615,000 people under lockdown, raising the total in New South Wales under strict stay-home restrictions to 6 million people out of 8 million in the state, or about a quarter of Australia’s population.

The authorities suspect the outbreak began with a beach party near Newcastle after people travelled from Sydney, an apparent violation of the city’s lockdown.

“Our strongest focus … is getting to the bottom of how the disease was transmitted and introduced into Newcastle,” New South Wales Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant told reporters, as most cases were still being detected in Sydney, the state capital and Australia’s largest city.

There were 259 new COVID-19 cases in Sydney, out of 262 in all of New South Wales, health authorities said, daily records for the city and the state, which reported a previous high of 239 on Sunday.

There have been more than 4,300 cases in New South Wales during the latest surge that began seven weeks ago after the first case of the Delta variant was detected in an unvaccinated, unmasked limousine driver who transported overseas airline crew.

‘GET VACCINATED’

In the state of Queensland, whose capital Brisbane is under lockdown, another 16 COVID-19 cases were reported on Thursday, the same as the previous two days.

In the state of Victoria, officials are trying to trace three new cases without links to prior infections that were among eight reported on Thursday. The state reported zero cases for the first time in a month on Wednesday.

One of the three unlinked cases includes a teacher in a school in Melbourne, the state capital.

New South Wales health officials are imploring residents, especially people above 60, to get inoculated.

The five deaths in Sydney included three men in their 60s, one man in 70s and a woman in her 80s, taking the total number of deaths in the latest outbreak in New South Wales to 21.

“Please now is the time to strongly consider getting vaccinated … I put out a plea to you – make an appointment. Get vaccinated,” Chant said.

With around 35,200 COVID-19 cases and 932 deaths, Australia has avoided the high caseloads of other developed countries but its vaccination figures are among the lowest, with only 20% of its population over 16 fully vaccinated.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has tied the vaccination rate to easing lockdown restrictions on Aug. 28, setting a target of 6 million shots by the end of the month that would cover half the state’s adult population. About 4 million doses have been given so far in New South Wales. read more

But the growing list of new venues where COVID-19-positive people have visited while infectious is tempering any optimism. About one-fifth of cases reported in New South Wales on Thursday were active in the community, in line with the trend over the last several days.

Victoria also provided an example of how active community cases are likely to cause more cases.

The state, which ended a lockdown only weeks ago, announced that the eight new cases are mostly linked to at least 3,000 close contacts. Authorities warned that would significantly rise, raising the prospect of more curbs.

“Given our understanding of the school community as well as the other exposure sites that are coming online, we would pretty quickly pass 5,000 to 10,000 primary and secondary close contacts within hours if not days,” Victoria Health Minister Martin Foley said in Melbourne.

Reporting by Renju Jose; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Christian Schmollinger

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Japan warns of unprecedented COVID spread as Tokyo cases hit new record

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  • Japan’s pandemic entering ‘new phase’ – minister
  • Tokyo COVID cases, at record of 4,166
  • Ruling party lawmakers call for roll-back of new hospital policy
  • Controversy is another setback to PM Suga ahead of elections
  • Top medical adviser warns of broadening COVID clusters

TOKYO, Aug 4 (Reuters) – Japan warned on Wednesday that coronavirus infections were surging at an unprecedented pace as new cases hit a record high in Tokyo, overshadowing the Olympics and adding to doubts over the government’s handling of the pandemic.

The Delta variant was leading to a spread of infections “unseen in the past”, Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said as he defended a new policy of asking patients with milder symptoms to isolate at home rather than going to hospital.

“The pandemic has entered a new phase … Unless we have enough beds, we can’t bring people to hospital. We’re acting pre-emptively on this front,” Tamura told parliament.

But he signalled the chance of rolling back the policy, as the decision to ask some sick people to stay at home has drawn criticism from medical experts as putting lives at risk.

“If things don’t turn out as we expect, we can roll back the policy,” Tamura said, adding the policy shift was a move to deal with the unexpectedly fast spread of the new variant.

Japan has seen a sharp increase in coronavirus cases. Tokyo reported a record 4,166 new cases on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Monday only COVID-19 patients who were seriously ill and those at risk of becoming so would be hospitalised, while others isolate at home, a shift in policy some fear may lead to an increase in deaths. read more

Officials of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party have agreed to seek a withdraw of the policy, the Jiji news agency reported on Wednesday, joining similar calls made by opposition lawmakers.

The outcry is another setback for Suga, who has seen support plunge over his handling of the pandemic ahead of general elections to be held this year.

Polls have shown many Japanese people opposed to holding the Olympics while the country lagged in efforts to contain the pandemic and vaccinate the population.

Suga and Olympics organisers have said there is no link between the July 23-Aug. 8 Games and the spike in cases.

But top medical adviser Shigeru Omi told parliament hosting the Games may have affected public sentiment and eroded the impact of government requests for people to stay home.

Imposing a nationwide state of emergency could be an option to deal with the pandemic, he said. States of emergency are already in place in several prefectures, as well as Tokyo.

“Political leaders are sending out messages to the public in earnest but probably not as strongly and consistently as hoped,” Omi said. “We’re seeing COVID-19 clusters emerge more broadly including at schools and offices,” he said.

Created by Robert Birsel

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World

Lockdown in Brisbane extended as army patrols Sydney to enforce COVID curbs

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  • Brisbane lockdown extended until Sunday, was due to expire Aug 3
  • New South Wales records 207 COVID-19 cases in past 24 hours
  • Army patrols Sydney to enforce stay-at-home restrictions

SYDNEY, Aug 2 (Reuters) – Australia’s Queensland state on Monday extended a COVID-19 lockdown in Brisbane, while soldiers began patrolling Sydney to enforce stay-at-home rules as Australia struggles to stop the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus spreading.

Queensland said it had detected 13 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours – the biggest one-day rise the state has recorded in a year. The lockdown of Brisbane, Australia’s third-biggest city, was due to end on Tuesday but will now stay in place until late on Sunday.

“It’s starting to become clear that the initial lockdown will be insufficient for the outbreak,” Queensland state Deputy Premier Steven Miles told reporters in Brisbane.

The rising new case numbers in two of the country’s biggest cities comes as disquiet grows on how the government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison is handling the pandemic. read more

Although Australia’s vaccination drive has lagged many other developed economies, it has so far fared much better in keeping its coronavirus numbers relatively low, with just under 34,400 cases. The death toll rose to 925 following the death of a man in his 90s in Sydney.

Australia is going through a cycle of stop-start lockdowns in several cities after the emergence of the fast-moving Delta strain, and such restrictions are likely to persist until the country reaches a much higher level of vaccination coverage.

A lone bird walks past the quiet Circular Quay train station during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Sydney, Australia, July 28, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo

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Prime Minister Morrison has promised lockdowns would be “less likely” once the country inoculates 70% of its population above 16 years of age – a percentage which now stands at 19%. Morrison expects to hit the 70% mark by the end of the year. read more

Meanwhile the lockdown of Brisbane and several surrounding areas comes as Sydney, the biggest city in the country, begins its sixth week under stay-at-home orders.

New South Wales state, home to Sydney, said on Monday it detected 207 COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours as daily new cases continue to linger near a 16-month high recorded late last week.

The state has recorded more than 3,500 infections since the outbreak begun in June, when a limousine driver contracted the virus while transporting an overseas airline crew, and has asked for military personnel to aid efforts to enforce the restrictions. read more

Some 300 army personnel, who will be unarmed and under police command, on Monday began door-to-door visits to ensure people who have tested positive are isolating at their homes.

Army personnel also accompanied police officers around the streets of the areas of Sydney were most COVID-19 cases have been recorded. Footage published online showed police asking the few people encountered on the street as to why they were out of their homes in the largely deserted streets in Sydney’s south west.

($1 = 1.3624 Australian dollars)

Reporting by Renju Jose; Editing by Michael Perry and Kenneth Maxwell

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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World

Indonesia bracing for worsening COVID-19 outbreak

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July 15 (Reuters) – Indonesia is bracing for its COVID-19 outbreak to get worse after a near vertical climb in cases, a senior minister said on Thursday, warning that infections had spread faster than anticipated due to the more virulent Delta variant.

The world’s fourth most populous country is struggling to slow virus transmission even after imposing its toughest mobility curbs so far.

Wednesday’s tally of more than 54,000 cases was the latest of many peaks in the past month, and up more than tenfold on the number of infections at the start of June.

In a streamed news conference, senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan said daily COVID-19 cases could still climb as the Delta variant, first identified in India, has a two- to three- week incubation period.

“We’re already in our worst-case scenario,” Luhut said.

“If we’re talking about 60,000 (cases a day) or slightly more than that, we’re okay. We are hoping not for 100,000, but even if we get there, we are preparing for that,” he added.

The government has converted several buildings into isolation facilities, deployed fresh graduate doctors and nurses to treat COVID-19 patients and imported treatment drugs and oxygen, he said.

Hospitals in Indonesia’s most populated Java island have been deluged in recent weeks, with many people struggling to get treatment and hundreds dying while self-isolating.

Cases and bed occupancy rates also have risen in parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan and more remote regions like West Papua, where health facilities are less equipped to handle an outbreak.

Luhut also said that vaccine efficacy was weaker against the Delta variant that accounted for most infections on Java island, but urged people to get inoculated to help prevent serious illness and death.

The government was analysing the situation and would decide whether to extend the current emergency coronavirus curbs that will expire on July 20, he said.

In a separate statement, the country’s COVID-19 task force said there has been a low adherence to health protocols despite the mobility curbs.

Reporting by Gayatri Suroyo and Stanley Widianto
Editing by Ed Davies

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World

South Korea puts Seoul under tightest COVID curbs amid new case records

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People wait in line for a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test at a testing site which is temporarily set up at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, July 7, 2021. REUTERS/ Heo Ran

  • 1,316 new cases on Thursday, 80% in metro Seoul area
  • No lockdown, but 2 weeks of top-level curbs start on Monday
  • Businesses, schools, sport, nightlife subject to restrictions
  • Delta variant spreading; hospitalisation, death rates stable

SEOUL, July 9 (Reuters) – From Monday South Korea will for the first time tighten coronavirus curbs to the strictest level possible in Seoul and neighbouring regions, as alarm spreads with new COVID-19 cases setting a second consecutive daily record nationwide.

South Korea, which has so far fared better than many industralised nations in case numbers and deaths, reported 1,316 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight Thursday, up from Wednesday’s previous record of 1,275.

Helped largely by vaccinations of older people, there has yet to be a significant increase in hospitalisations or deaths, with a mortality rate of 1.23% and the number of severe cases at 148 as of Thursday remaining far below levels seen during the previous peak in late December.

But on Thursday a top health official warned the new case numbers may nearly double by the end of July and Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced two weeks of tougher curbs – level 4 is the most severe on South Korea’s scale, short of a full lockdown – during a televised government meeting. read more

Experts said the government’s COVID-19 strategy is to avoid the hit to the economy that has been seen in full lockdowns elsewhere.

“The government strategy is to steer away from lockdown fearing negative impact on the economy. Level 4 is the harshest it can get,” said Kim Dong-hyun, former president of Korean Society of Epidemiology.

Under the new curbs, people are advised to stay home as much as possible, schools are recommended to switch to remote learning, social gatherings are restricted to two people after 6.00 p.m. from four earlier in the day, and rallies are banned.

No spectators are allowed to attend sports matches, while hotels can only operate at two-thirds of full capacity. Movies and concerts are not allowed after 10 p.m, and nightclubs and bars are to shut, while restaurants and cafes would be allowed limited seating and only take-out services after 10 p.m.

Employers are advised to increase flexible staffing with 30% of staff working remotely.

500 CASES A DAY IN SEOUL

South Korea’s total COVID-19 infections to date stand at 165,344, with 2,036 deaths. It has only given both shots in the dual vaccination process to just over 10% of its 52 million population, while 30% have received at least one dose, the majority of whom are aged over 60.

The country aims to reach herd immunity before November by inoculating 70% of the public with at least one shot by September.

“Seoul alone saw 500 confirmed cases for the third day,” Prime Minister Kim said during Friday’s government meeting. “Four out of five infections are from the metropolitan Seoul area.”

While the new will be imposed on Monday, Kim also advised the public to refrain from any private gatherings starting Friday.

He also said that during the two-week semi-lockdown the government will suspend a programme introduced earlier this year that allowed mask-free outdoor gatherings for citizens vaccinated with at least one COVID-19 shot.

Of the locally acquired cases, 78% were concentrated in the greater Seoul area, and the detection rate of highly transmissible Delta variant surged nearly three-folds in a week, Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said in a briefing on Friday.

Kwon did not provide the number of cases believed to be linked to the Delta variant.

President Moon Jae-in on Monday will convene a meeting with top officials of the greater Seoul area to address the measures, presidential spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee told reporters.

Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Kenneth Maxwell

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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World

Sydney sees worst pandemic day of 2021 two weeks into lockdown

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Commuters wear protective face masks as they enter Central Station following the implementation of new public health regulations from the state of New South Wales, as the city grapples with an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sydney, Australia, June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

  • NSW logs biggest daily rise in cases this year
  • Officials urge residents to remain home
  • PM says most populous state on “shifting sands”

SYDNEY, July 8 (Reuters) – Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) state on Thursday reported its biggest daily rise in locally acquired cases of COVID-19 this year as officials struggle to stamp out a growing cluster of the highly infectious Delta variant.

The spike in cases after two weeks of a hard lockdown in Sydney, Australia’s largest city, raised the prospect of a further extension in restrictions, with officials blaming illegal family visits for a continuing rise in infections.

NSW reported 38 new local cases, up from 27 a day earlier, with 11 of those having spent time in the community while infectious.

Given Australia’s slow vaccine rollout, NSW state Premier Gladys Berejiklian implored residents to limit visits to homes of family and friends, citing the highly transmissible nature of the Delta strain.

“It’s really important for all of us to stay the course and follow the health advice to give us the best chance of getting out of this lockdown in a timely way,” Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.

Berejiklian said she had no plans to prolong the current lockdown beyond July 16, but warned it would be “an unrealistic assumption” to control the Delta variant amid low vaccination rates and people flouting social distancing rules.

Just over 9% of people in NSW have been fully vaccinated, while about 29% have had a first dose.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the federal government would ensure adequate economic support if the lockdown was extended, saying the state was on “shifting sands” and urged patience.

“I know people are getting tired … getting frustrated. This is a virus we are dealing with, and it tends to set its own rules,” Morrison said during a televised media conference.

A strict stay-at-home order has been in force in Sydney, home to a fifth of the country’s 25 million population, since June 26, restricting people’s movements and limiting gatherings. read more

ELIMINATE VIRUS

The Australian Medical Association (AMA), meanwhile, warned NSW authorities to avoid lifting any lockdown rules before totally suppressing the Delta outbreak.

“There is no alternative to elimination for New South Wales … nowhere in the world has any community been able to live with Delta without very significant levels of vaccination,” AMA President Omar Khorshid said.

The latest infections took Sydney’s total in this outbreak to nearly 400 since the first case was detected more than three weeks ago in a limousine driver who transported overseas airline crew.

Australia has fared much better than many other developed countries in keeping COVID-19 numbers low, with just under 30,900 cases and 910 deaths, however, the country’s slow vaccination rollout has taken some of the shine off this success. read more

Reporting by Renju Jose; Editing by Sam Holmes and Richard Pullin

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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