Tag Archives: M:2D1

Business

Contaminant in Moderna vaccines suspected to be metallic particles -NHK

Leave a comment

Medical staff prepares Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine to be administered at the newly-opened mass vaccination centre in Tokyo, Japan, May 24, 2021. Carl Court/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

TOKYO, Aug 27 (Reuters) – A contaminant found in a batch of Moderna Inc’s (MRNA.O) COVID-19 vaccines delivered to Japan is believed to be a metallic particle, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported, citing sources at the health ministry.

Japan on Thursday suspended the use of 1.63 million doses shipped to 863 vaccination centres nationwide, more than a week after the domestic distributor, Takeda Pharmaceutical (4502.T), received reports of contaminants in some vials.

NHK, in a report published late on Thursday, cited ministry sources as saying the particle reacted to magnets and was therefore suspected to be a metal. Moderna has described it as “particulate matter” that did not pose a safety or efficacy issue.

A health ministry official said the composition of the contaminant has not been confirmed. Takeda did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters.

News of the contaminant could provide a fresh setback for Japan’s inoculation drive as it struggles to persuade many – particularly young people – to get vaccinated.

On Friday, eight more prefectures entered a state of emergency, meaning about 80% of Japan’s population is under coronavirus restrictions. The government reported nearly 25,000 new infections and severe cases at a record 2,000 for Thursday.

The ministry has said the suspension of the Moderna batches was a precaution but it prompted several Japanese companies to cancel worker vaccinations and the European drugs regulator to launch an investigation.

Airline ANA Holdings Inc (9202.T) said it had secured more Moderna supplies and would resume inoculations on Saturday after a two-day suspension of the shots.

Spanish pharma company Rovi (ROVI.MC), which bottles Moderna vaccines for markets other than the United States, said the contamination could be due to a manufacturing issue on a production line. A spokesperson said the company could not say anything more while it was investigating.

Moderna put the lot in question and two adjacent ones on hold.

Another health ministry official said it would take “some time” to confirm how many shots from the contaminated batch had been administered in Japan. Kyodo News reported that at least 176,000 shots have been used based on its own tally of figures reported by municipalities.

About 54% of Japan’s population has received at least one dose, according to a Reuters tracker. Taro Kono, the minister in charge of the vaccination programme, said he did not expect the contamination issue to have an impact on the government’s goal of fully inoculating the adult population by November.

Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Rocky Swift in Tokyo, Nathan Allen in Madrid; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Jane Wardell and Gerry Doyle

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

World

Top Japanese adviser blasts IOC’s Bach as wider COVID-19 curbs planned

Leave a comment

TOKYO, Aug 25 (Reuters) – Japan’s top medical adviser blasted International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on Wednesday for visiting Tokyo again at a time the country is further expanding emergency curbs in its struggle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Japan is set later on Wednesday to expand states of emergency to eight more prefectures, taking the total to 21 regions from Hokkaido in the north to the southern island of Okinawa under curbs and covering nearly 80% of its population.

The unusually blunt statement from a Japanese official underscores the frustration felt by many as the government grapples to bring infections under control. Citizens are growing weary of life under restrictions and companies are ignoring repeated requests to promote work-from-home.

“We had said over and over ‘What kind of message will the Olympics send to the public?'” Dr Shigeru Omi, the immunologist who chairs the government’s coronavirus advisory panel that approved the emergency plan, said in a parliamentary session.

“We’re asking people to work from home more. If (IOC) President Bach needs to give a speech (for the Paralympics), why couldn’t he do it remotely? Why does he have to bother coming all the way here?” Omi said, drawing applause from a few lawmakers for his remarks.

“That kind of plain, common sense should function under these circumstances,” he said.

Bach attended the Paralympics’ opening ceremony on Tuesday.

Omi and others in the medical community opposed holding the 2020 Games and warned that infections could spread as the public interpreted hosting the Games as a sign that it was safe enough to go about their normal activities.

Nomura Research Institute executive economist Takahide Kiuchi estimated the latest state-of-emergency expansion would lead to an additional economic loss of about 420 billion yen ($3.83 billion), bringing the total fallout from Japan’s fourth round of emergency curbs to 3.84 trillion yen.

That dwarfs the 1.68 trillion yen boost the economy was expected to see from holding the Olympic and Paralympic Games, he estimated.

HOSPITAL BEDS SHORT

Months of emergency curbs in the capital, Tokyo, and surrounding areas have failed to reverse a surge in infections and about 90% of the city’s critical care beds are occupied.

The state-of-emergency expansion plan that is expected to be formally approved this evening will add Hokkaido, Aichi, Hiroshima and five other prefectures starting from Friday through to Sept. 12.

Another four prefectures are expected to be added to the more limited “quasi-emergency” measures, bringing the regions under those curbs to a total of 12 out of Japan’s 47 prefectures.

Restrictions in Japan have been looser than lockdowns in other countries and have centred on mandates for restaurants to close by 8 p.m. (1100 GMT) and stop serving alcohol, and requests for companies to have 70% of staff working from home.

“The working-age demographic is the driving force (behind the rise in infections),” Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura

said. “We need to halve the movement of people.”

He added that infections transmitted by children as new school terms start were another concern.

With hospital beds filled to or nearing capacity, many people have been forced to convalesce at home with some dying before they can get treatment.

“The most important task is to beef up the medical system,” Nishimura said, adding that securing oxygen stations and nurses, as well as considering the use of antibody cocktails for outpatients were among the priorities.

The government reported 21,561 new cases and 30 deaths for Tuesday. Japan’s case fatality rate of 1.2% is lower than the United States and Britain. Deaths have trended higher during August but are below the peaks of earlier this year, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

($1 = 109.7700 yen)

Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Jane Wardell and Christian Schmollinger

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

World

Nobody’s running Lebanon, central bank boss says

Leave a comment

  • Central bank decided to end fuel subsidy on Wednesday
  • Central bank chief hits back at criticism of decision
  • The decision angered the government

BEIRUT, Aug 14 (Reuters) – Lebanon’s central bank governor said nobody was running the country, hitting back after government criticism of his decision to halt fuel subsidies that have drained currency reserves.

In an interview broadcast on Saturday, Riad Salameh said the government could resolve the problem quickly by passing necessary legislation.

He denied he had acted alone in declaring an end to the subsidies on Wednesday, and said it was widely known that the decision was coming. read more

“So far you have nobody running the country,” Salameh told Radio Free Lebanon.

The worsening fuel crisis is part of Lebanon’s wider financial meltdown. Hospitals, bakeries and many businesses are scaling back operations or shutting down as fuel runs dry. read more

Deadly violence has flared in fuel lines, protesters have blocked roads, and fuel tankers have been hijacked this week.

The American University of Beirut Medical Center said it was threatened with a forced shutdown as early as Monday because of shortages of fuel used to generate electricity.

“This means that ventilators and other lifesaving medical devices will cease to operate. Forty adult patients and fifteen children living on respirators will die immediately,” the hospital said.

The central bank’s move to end subsidies will mean sharp price increases. It is the latest turn in a crisis that has sunk the Lebanese pound by 90% in less than two years and pushed more than half the population into poverty.

The central bank has effectively been subsidising fuel and other vital imports by providing dollars at exchange rates below the real price of the pound – most recently at 3,900 pounds to the dollar compared to parallel market rates above 20,000. – This has eaten into a reserve which Salameh said now stood at $14 billion.

To continue providing such support, the central bank has said it needs legislation to allow use of the mandatory reserve, a portion of deposits that must be preserved by law.

“We are saying to everyone: You want to spend the mandatory reserve, we are ready, give us the law. It will take five minutes,” Salameh said.

“HUMILIATION OF THE LEBANESE”

The government has said fuel prices must not change. Fuel importers say they cannot import at market rates and sell at subsidised rates, and want clarity.

The central bank and oil authority told importers to sell their stocks at the subsidised rate of 3,900 pounds to the dollar, prioritising hospitals and other essential functions.

Lebanon’s army said on Saturday it had begun raiding closed petrol stations and distributing stored gasoline to citizens.

Critics of the subsidy scheme say it has encouraged smuggling and hoarding by selling commodities at a fraction of their real price.

Salameh said the bank had been obliged to finance traders who were not bringing their product to the market, and that over $800 million spent on fuel imports in the last month should have lasted three months.

Salameh said there was no diesel, gasoline or electricity, adding: “This is humiliation of the Lebanese.”

Lebanese politicians have failed to agree on a new government since Prime Minister Hassan Diab quit last August after a deadly explosion at Beirut port. He has stayed on as caretaker prime minister.

President Michel Aoun expressed optimism a new government would be formed soon.

Salameh said Lebanon could exit its crisis if a reform-minded government took office, adding the pound was “hostage to the formation of a new government and reforms”.

The government has said ending subsidies must wait until prepaid cash cards for the poor are rolled out. Parliament approved these in June, with financing from the mandatory reserve, Salameh said, but they have yet to materialise.

Reporting by Nafisa Eltahir/Laila Bassam; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Timothy Heritage

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

World

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

Leave a comment

  • 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

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

Health

Masking guidance unchanged as Delta variant sweeps U.S.- CDC director

Leave a comment

July 22 (Reuters) – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not revised its masking guidance, even as the Delta variant of the coronavirus sweeps the United States, driving up infections, CDC director Rochelle Walensky said on Thursday.

Walensky declined to say if the CDC is considering changing the guidance. The CDC in May relaxed its guidance so that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in most public spaces.

Her comments coincided with reports that administration officials were discussing whether to shift guidance about masking in response to outbreaks caused by the Delta variant.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said such a decision would be made by the CDC, and President Joe Biden said experts were studying any necessary changes.

“What they’re doing is they’re … investigating every aspect of any change that could or might take place,” Biden told reporters at the White House. “We follow the science.”

The president said on Wednesday that the CDC is likely to advise unvaccinated children to wear masks in school as districts around the country prepare to reopen for the coming school year. read more

People wait in a line stretching around the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on midtown Manhattan’s west side, to receive a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the site which has been converted into a mass vaccination center in New York City, New York, U.S., March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Segar

The seven-day average of new cases in the United States is up 53% over the previous week, Walensky said. The Delta variant, which was first found in India, now comprises more than 80% of new cases nationwide and has been detected in more than 90 countries.

Some hospitals around the United States are reaching their capacity limits as cases of COVID-19 continue to surge, Walensky said.

The uptick in cases is concentrated in regions with lower vaccination rates. Florida, Texas and Missouri account for 40% of all new cases nationwide, with around 1 in 5 of all new U.S. cases occurring in Florida, White House COVID-19 task for director Jeffrey Zients said.

Zients said that the United States will continue to distribute tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccines around the world.

The White House in June announced plans to distribute around 80 million COVID-19 vaccines globally. read more

Top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said there is no reason for people who received Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ.N) COVID-19 vaccine to assume that they need to get an additional shot of Pfizer Inc’s (PFE.N) or Moderna Inc’s (MRNA.O) vaccines to protect themselves against new variants of the virus.

The CDC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration are reviewing data to see if there is waning immunity in vaccinated people to determine if additional booster shots are needed.

Reporting by Carl O’Donnell in New York and Jeff Mason and Lisa Lambert in Washington D.C., Editing by Marguerita Choy and Grant McCool

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

World

EXCLUSIVE UK to warn EU it may deviate from Brexit deal on N.Ireland -sources

Leave a comment

  • UK prepares showdown with EU over N.Ireland
  • UK to warn it may deviate from Brexit deal
  • Frost says: Things have to change
  • Frost says: All options on the table

BRUSSELS/LONDON, July 19 (Reuters) – Britain will threaten this week to deviate from the Brexit deal unless the European Union shows more flexibility over Northern Ireland, one UK and three EU sources told Reuters, a move that could thrust the five-year Brexit divorce into tumult.

Deviating from the deal’s so-called Northern Ireland Protocol is a risky step: its aim was to prevent Brexit from disrupting the delicate peace brought to Northern Ireland by the U.S.-brokered 1998 agreement that ended three decades of sectarian conflict.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who signed the 2020 Brexit deal, has been dismayed by the protocol which has imposed paperwork and checks that London says could prevent British food staples such as sausages going to Northern Ireland.

David Frost, the British minister who leads Brexit negotiations, is preparing to announce a significant potential change on the protocol that could have far-reaching consequences for the relationship with the EU, one of the sources said.

The plans are being worked on by Downing Street. Frost is due to update parliament on Wednesday about Northern Ireland and Brexit, and will also present a paper on Brexit to lawmakers.

After the Reuters report, Frost told lawmakers the protocol was not sustainable in its current form and that if an agreement could not be reached then London would consider all options, including unilateral action through Article 16 of the protocol.

“All options are on the table,” Frost said, when asked if he would consider triggering Article 16. “We’ve said it’s not sustainable in the way it’s working at the moment, things have got to change.”

Frost said it was not yet clear whether or not a fundamental rebalancing of the protocol was possible.

Brussels expects Frost will push for a deviation from the protocol unless the EU agrees to compromise, said an EU diplomat who was briefed on talks with British negotiators.

“We will not agree to the reopening of the Irish protocol,” said a third source, a senior EU official.

Britain is expected to go beyond its demands for changes to veterinary rules. The senior EU official and a second EU diplomat said that London would seek to have the European Court of Justice (ECJ) removed from the arbitration process.

Preserving the peace in Northern Ireland while protecting the EU’s single market but without dividing up the United Kingdom was always the most difficult riddle of the Brexit saga since the 2016 referendum.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Since the United Kingdom exited the bloc’s orbit on Jan. 1, Johnson unilaterally delayed the implementation of some provisions of the protocol and Frost has said the protocol is unsustainable.

Frost is insisting on a bespoke veterinary deal based on equivalence which London says would remove the need for controls on goods crossing from Britain to Northern Ireland.

Britain is arguing that there should be a more flexible approach to agri-food rules to limit the impact on everyday lives and will spell out clearly what the options and risks are.

The 1998 peace deal largely brought an end to the “Troubles” – three decades of conflict between Irish Catholic nationalist militants and pro-British Protestant “loyalist” paramilitaries in which 3,600 people were killed.

An open Irish land border is seen as crucial to the spirit of that deal by aiming to safeguard peace, free trade and travel on the island.

But that became a problem after the 2016 Brexit vote. The EU could not close the land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland but feared it could become a backdoor into the EU’s single market.

The result was the 63-page “Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland”, which effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market for goods and having Northern Ireland apply EU customs rules at its ports.

But by putting checks on some goods crossing between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland, many pro-British unionists say the protocol has breached the 1998 peace settlement.

Loyalist paramilitary groups told Johnson in March that they were temporarily withdrawing support for the peace agreement due to concerns over the Brexit deal. read more

Writing by Gabriela Baczynska and Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels and Guy Faulconbridge in London; additional reporting by William James; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Catherine Evans and Toby Chopra

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

World

Brazil’s Bolsonaro hospitalized to find cause of hiccups, presidency says

Leave a comment

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro gets in a vehicle after attending Mass at a Catholic church in Brasilia, Brazil July 1, 2021. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo

BRASILIA, July 14 (Reuters) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was hospitalized on Wednesday to identify the cause of chronic hiccups, the president’s office said, in the latest health scare for the far-right leader who was stabbed in the gut on the campaign trail in 2018.

Bolsonaro went to the military hospital in Brasilia and is expected to be under observation for between 24 and 48 hours, although not necessarily in hospital, the statement said.

“He is feeling good and doing well,” it said.

Local media outlet Globo reported that Bolsonaro had been admitted for unspecified medical testing after feeling abdominal pains during the early hours of Wednesday.

Bolsonaro’s health has been an issue during his presidency, after he was stabbed and seriously injured in the intestines on the campaign trail in 2018.

He has had other scares. In July last year, Bolsonaro caught COVID-19 but recovered. In appearances over the last few months, he has had a stubborn cough. More recently, he has had hiccups, which have led to concerns about his health.

Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Editing by Christian Plumb and Chizu Nomiyama

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

World

Egypt notified that Ethiopia has resumed filling of giant dam

Leave a comment

Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the river Nile in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia September 26, 2019. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo

CAIRO, July 5 (Reuters) – Egypt’s irrigation minister said on Monday he had received official notice from Ethiopia that it had begun filling the reservoir behind its giant hydropower dam, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), for a second year.

Egypt has informed Ethiopia of its categorical rejection of the measure, which it regards as a threat to regional stability, Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Aty said in a statement.

Ethiopia says the dam on its Blue Nile is crucial to its economic development and providing power to its population.

Egypt views the dam as a grave threat to its Nile water supplies, on which it is almost entirely dependent. Sudan, another downstream country, has expressed concern about the safety of the dam and the impact on its own dams and water stations.

The volume of the accumulating water would depend on the amount of seasonal rain that fell in Ethiopia, Egyptian Irrigation Ministry spokesman Mohamed Ghanim told a local TV channel.

“We won’t see any effect now on the Nile. We have a month or a month and a half ahead of us,” he said.

Egypt and Sudan have waged a diplomatic campaign for a legally binding deal over the dam’s operation, but talks have repeatedly stalled.

The diplomatic push intensified ahead of the first filling of the dam with last summer, and again in recent weeks.

The U.N. Security Council is expected to discuss the issue on Thursday, and Abdel Aty had written to the council to inform it of the latest developments, the statement said.

Ethiopia says it is finally exercising its rights over Nile waters long controlled by its downstream neighbours.

Its ambassador to Khartoum said on Sunday that Egypt and Sudan already knew the details of the first three years of the dam’s filling, and that the issue should not be brought before the Security Council as it was not a matter of peace and security.

Reporting by Momen Saeed Atallah, Omar Fahmy and Nafisa Eltahir, Writing by Aidan Lewis; editing by Diane Craft and Sonya Hepinstall

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

World

Hurricane Elsa cuts power, batters homes in Barbados

Leave a comment

CHRIST CHURCH, Barbados, July 2 (Reuters) – Hurricane Elsa blew roofs off homes, toppled trees and sparked flooding in the island nation of Barbados then pounded St. Vincent with heavy rain and winds on Friday, as the storm was tracking towards Haiti.

Minister of Home Affairs, Information and Public Affairs Wilfred A. Abrahams urged Barbadians to shelter in place and only leave their homes if the structures were damaged.

Elsa strengthened into a hurricane earlier in the day and was about 95 miles (153 km) west-northwest of St. Vincent, blowing maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (140 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

“The island definitely cannot handle any sort of damages at this point because we still haven’t recovered from the volcanic eruption yet,” said 20-year-old student Queriise Thomas in the community of Choppins in southern St. Vincent.

Earlier this year, heavy rains slammed St. Vincent with major flooding and landslides after a series of volcanic eruptions blanketed large swathes of the island in a thick layer of ash. read more

Thomas said intermittent heavy rain caused flooding and parts of the island lost electricity. St. Vincent’s water and sewage authority cut water supply to all residents as a precaution due to potential mudflows.

The NHC forecast 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of rain with a maximum of 15 inches (38 cm) across the Windward and southern Leeward Islands including Barbados, which could lead to isolated flash flooding and mudslides.

A man views damage to a home after strong winds of Hurricane Elsa passed St. Michael, Barbados July 2, 2021. REUTERS/Nigel Browne

Read More

Hurricane conditions were expected in Haiti and possible in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica by late Saturday, the agency said.

The Barbados minister said damage was reported in the south of the island including power outages, fallen trees, flash flooding and damaged roofs.

Emergency services were unable to reach people, but there were no reports of injuries or deaths.

A resident in south Barbados, 43-year-old structural engineer Greg Parris, whose home lost power around 7 a.m., said: “It was scary. Most of us, we haven’t experienced anything like this for a while.”

Elsa’s progress should be monitored by the Windward Islands, Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and the Cayman Islands, the Miami-based NHC said.

Little change in Elsa’s strength was forecast over the next 48 hours and some decrease in winds is possible on Monday, the hurricane center said.

Elsa’s storm surge was expected to raise water levels by as much as 1 to 4 feet above normal tide levels in some areas. Puerto Rico could receive up to 5 inches of rain, the NHC.

Reporting by Robert Edison Sandiford in Christ Church, Barbados and Kate Chappell in Kingston, Jamaica; Additional reporting by Anthony Esposito in Mexico City and Nakul Iyer in Bengaluru; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Cynthia Osterman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

World

Germany could ease travel curbs as Delta variant takes over

Leave a comment

People walk past a colonnade on Museum Island during warm temperatures, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Berlin, Germany May 30, 2021. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

BERLIN, July 1 (Reuters) – Germany expects the Delta variant of COVID-19 to account for up to 80% of infections this month and could ease travel restrictions from countries like Portugal and Britain where it already dominates, its health minister said on Thursday.

Jens Spahn told a news conference that Germany could reduce the current 14-day quarantine requirement that it imposes on travellers from countries with high levels of the Delta variant once it is sure that vaccinated people are protected.

Spahn said the move could happen soon, without specifying.

Germany’s STIKO vaccination commission said later on Thursday that UK studies show that two vaccines doses seem to provide as much protection against the Delta variant as against other COVID-19 variants. read more

Spahn reiterated the importance of speeding up vaccinations, noting that 37% of Germany’s population has now received two shots, while 55% has had a first dose.

About half of German coronavirus cases are currently Delta variant and Spahn said it will dominate later this month.

Germany last week declared Portugal and Russia to be “virus-variant zones”, meaning only German residents can enter the country from those countries and still face a mandatory two-week quarantine even if they are fully vaccinated or test negative.

That had prompted German tourists there to rush home and airlines to cancel flights.

Germany also classifies Britain as such a “virus variant” zone. Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to discuss travel restrictions when she meets British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday.

Spahn suggested these countries could be shifted to a designation as risk areas, meaning people can travel if they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19, or be released from quarantine after five days if they test negative.

The European Commission said on Tuesday that Germany should not impose a travel ban on Portugal but limit itself to imposing testing and quarantine requirements to be in line with the European Union approach meant to ease summer travel.

Reporting by Emma Thomasson and Thomas Escritt; Editing by Maria Sheahan and Catherine Evans

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here