Shanghai lockdown snarls world's busiest port and China supply chains

BEIJING — Shanghai's grinding coronavirus lockdown is slowly clogging China's supply chains, as delays hit the world's busiest container port where staff are tangled in a morass of COVID controls.

Beijing has refused to tack away from its strict zero-COVID strategy that has protected its public health system through the pandemic but at a mounting economic cost.

China's financial hub Shanghai -- home to multinational firms and its busiest port -- has been sealed off almost entirely for a week following an outbreak fueled by the Omicron virus variant.

That has many forced companies to halt production and slow new projects, factories told AFP, while those still operating are struggling with a shortage of truck drivers on top of onerous permit and COVID testing requirements.

At Shanghai's port, the lack of drivers and other workers means getting goods in and out is increasingly hard.

The docks are working normally with a "single-digit" number of vessels waiting to berth, Shanghai International Port Group said this week.

"But the fact is... due to restrictions caused for truck drivers, it is not really operating," Bettina Schoen-Behanzin, vice president of the EU Chamber of Commerce's Shanghai Chapter, told AFP.

"The figure I heard is that... week-on-week volumes at the Shanghai port are down by 40 percent. So that's really enormous."

Shortages are starting to bite across China's vast consumer economy, where online shopping platforms such as Taobao face delivery delays, especially of imported goods.

COVID curbs in a number of cities have forced factories to find new suppliers.

But the impact may soon also be felt outside China if lockdowns persist.

Shanghai is the world's number 1 container port, a spinal point in the global supply chain and a key gateway for foreign trade.

It handles around 17 percent of China's total port volume and shipped 47 million TEU -- the standard measurement for cargo, meaning Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit -- in 2021.

FACTORIES CAN'T WORK FROM HOME

Chinese manufacturers say lockdowns, no matter how flexible or targeted, pile pressure on their business.

"Not many roles allow working from home," said Jason Lee, founder of wheelchair producer Megalicht Tech, whose factory in Shanghai's Puxi area has suspended production.

"People can't enter the factory... and because our raw materials come from other provinces or cities, these can't enter Shanghai either," he said.

A Shanghai-based clothing exporter surnamed Zheng said his biggest problem was that he could not send samples to clients.

"Deliveries can neither leave nor enter," he said

Experts say the outbreak is currently nibbling at growth, but could soon take a big bite.

Nomura economists estimate that 23 cities accounting for 22 percent of China's GDP have rolled out full or partial lockdowns.

"The costs of the zero-COVID strategy will rise significantly as its benefits decline, especially as exports are hit by the ongoing lockdowns," Nomura chief China economist Lu Ting told AFP.

That will challenge Beijing's 2022 GDP growth target of around 5.5 percent, he added.

ADAPTING TO SURVIVE

For now, companies are adapting to try and handle the restrictions.

"Our main business activity is down by over 50 percent," said Gao Yongkang, general manager of Qifeng Technology in eastern China's Quanzhou city.

The company has been unable to transport textile materials to regular clients because of the COVID curbs, and has instead pivoted to supplying the booming market for protective gear.

Meanwhile, those who cannot reach their original suppliers are scouring for new ones.

"The costs are a little higher and it's slightly less efficient but we can fulfill our regular needs," said Shen Shengyuan, deputy general manager of diaper-producer New Yifa Group.

In a nod to struggling industries, Premier Li Keqiang this week announced a temporary deferment of old-age insurance premiums for sectors such as catering, retail and civil aviation.

But industry groups say hard lockdowns on major cities such as Shanghai are unsustainable, especially with many Omicron cases presenting light or no symptoms.

"Does the zero-COVID strategy still work in the current environment," said Eric Zheng, American Chamber of Commerce president in Shanghai. 

"That's a big question, particularly when you try to balance the economic cost."

Agence France-Presse

'Shanghai won't lock down despite COVID spike'

Shanghai on Saturday recorded a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases, but a member of the city's pandemic task force said officials were determined to avoid a full lockdown over the damage it would do to the economy.

Millions of Chinese in affected areas have been subjected to city-wide lockdowns by an Omicron-led outbreak that has sent daily case counts creeping ever-higher, though they remain insignificant compared to other countries.

Shanghai, however, has aimed to ease disruption with a more targeted approach marked by rolling 48-hour lockdowns of individual neighbourhoods and large-scale testing while largely keeping the metropolis of 25 million people running.

At a daily Shanghai press conference Saturday, officials alluded to the importance of avoiding a full lockdown of the huge port city.

"If Shanghai, this city of ours, came to a complete halt, there would be many international cargo ships floating in the East China Sea," said Wu Fan, a medical expert with the city's pandemic task force.

"This would impact the entire national economy and the global economy."

Wu made the comments as city officials also announced that they would begin handing out self-testing kits to Shanghai residents, in the latest sign that the government was expanding its pandemic response.

The northeastern province of Jilin also said Saturday that it had begun distributing 500,000 of the rapid-antigen kits.

Shanghai and Jilin have been the areas hardest hit by the outbreak, which took off in early March. 

China had largely kept the coronavirus -- which first emerged in the city of Wuhan in late 2019 -- under control through its strict zero-tolerance measures.

But that top-down approach is increasingly being questioned amid concerns over the economic impact and public "pandemic fatigue", especially considering Omicron's less severe symptoms.

The National Health Commission announced two weeks ago that it would introduce the sale in China of rapid antigen self-test kits for the first time, and they have begun to appear on pharmacy shelves.

But Saturday's announcements appeared to mark their first wide-scale use as part of official pandemic control measures.

China on Saturday reported 5,600 new confirmed domestic transmissions, most of them asymptomatic.

Chinese authorities had watched nervously as a deadly Hong Kong Omicron surge sparked panic buying and claimed a high toll of unvaccinated elderly in the southern Chinese city.

Its subsequent spread in mainland China has posed a dilemma for authorities wrestling with how forcefully they should respond.

On Wednesday, Shanghai infectious disease expert Zhang Wenhong, a top doctor in the city's pandemic fight, called for balancing anti-virus measures with maintenance of "normal life".

The comments in his widely followed blog indicated growing official tolerance for voices who question the lockdown approach.

Shanghai's softer strategy has so far failed to stop cases from rising, and the localised lockdowns have provoked grumbling online and a run on groceries in some districts.

Shanghai on Saturday reported another steep rise in new local transmissions to 2,269 -- around 40 percent of the national total. 

Agence France-Presse

Austria to further ease COVID restrictions

ZURICH - Austria will begin easing COVID-19 related restrictions next week, Chancellor Karl Nehammer told a news conference on Saturday, allowing shops and restaurants to remain open longer and easing restriction on the unvaccinated.

The moves come as the Omicron variant leads to reduced hospitalisations despite high infection numbers.

From Feb. 5, Austria will extend the maximum permitted opening hours of restaurants and shops until midnight and will increase the number of people able to participate in events to 50 from 25, Nehammer said.

"The good thing in spite of everything in this difficult situation - the hospital numbers are at a good level, the intensive care beds, I think it's fair to say, are at a very good level," Nehammer told a press conference in Vienna.

"We are now in a position to raise new prospects that will allow people a breather."

New daily coronavirus infections have been rising in Austria, driven by the extremely contagious Omicron variant, with nearly 35,000 new cases reported on Saturday.

However, pressure on hospitals has eased, as Omicron leads to less severe outcomes, and the current Omicron wave is expected to reach a peak around Feb. 7-9, Director General for Public Health Katharina Reich told the same press conference.

In a further step, from Feb. 12, Austria will eliminate so-called "2G rules" barring those who are not vaccinated against or recovered from the virus from entering non-essential shops.

Since Nov. 15 those not fully vaccinated have been under lockdown, meaning they are only allowed to leave their homes for a limited number of reasons such as shopping for essentials or working. The measure, which was suspended over Christmas, has been criticised as very difficult to enforce.

Austria last week set Jan. 31 as the date to end a fuller lockdown for the unvaccinated, removing restrictions on their movement.

However, they remain barred from taking part in a range of leisure activities, including eating in restaurants or shopping for non-essential items, as part of government efforts to increase the vaccination rate, which is among the lowest in western Europe.

Now, alongside entering shops from Feb. 12, Austria will also ease measures barring the unvaccinated from restaurants from Feb. 19, Nehammer said, saying those with a negative COVID test result will be able to visit restaurants and tourist attractions.

-reuters

Germany daily COVID cases rise above 200,000

BERLIN - The number of new COVID-19 infections in Germany exceeded 200,000 in a day for the first time on Thursday, hitting staffing at companies including Lufthansa Cargo.

The Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases reported 203,136 positive tests in the last 24 hours, 69,600 cases more than the same day a week ago.

The seven-day incidence per 100,000 people rose to 1,017 from 941 the previous day, while another 188 people died, bringing the death toll since the start of the pandemic in early 2020 to 117,314.

The rising number of infections has led to staffing shortages in sectors including logistics, healthcare and child care.

Airline group Lufthansa's cargo arm said a staffing crunch at its hub in Frankfurt meant it was currently unable to handle sorting of loose freight from the United States, Canada and Europe.

"Despite comprehensive preventative measures, we are now clearly feeling the rising infection numbers," Lufthansa Cargo said [in a statement?] on Thursday, adding that up to 15% of cargo at Frankfurt was affected by delays.

It said its flight schedule was unaffected, as was transportation of time-sensitive goods such as organs for transplants or temperature-controlled cargo.

Rival DHL said its operations in Frankfurt and Leipzig were still running smoothly.

The German Hospitals Federation had warned earlier this week that three-quarters of hospitals were reporting higher than usual numbers of staff out on sick leave.

Around 75% of the German population have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine - less than in western European peers such as France, Italy or Spain, where the equivalent figures are 80%, 83% and 86%.

German lawmakers debated on Wednesday whether to impose compulsory COVID-19 shots, while protesters gathered outside the parliament building.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz backs compulsory vaccines for over-18s but his coalition government is divided on the issue and he has told lawmakers to vote according to their conscience.

Many lawmakers, including some from the coalition's junior partner, the liberal Free Democrats, oppose mandatory vaccines, arguing this violates the second article of Germany's constitution that guarantees citizens control over their own bodies. 

-reuters

Fauci warns of bleak winter with Omicron 'raging through the world'

WASHINGTON, United States - Top US pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci on Sunday warned of a bleak winter ahead as the Covid-19 Omicron variant spurs a new wave of infections globally, sparking restrictions and concerns over hospital capacity. 

"One thing that's very clear... is its (Omicron's) extraordinary capability of spreading," Fauci told NBC News. "It is just... raging through to the world."

Since it was first reported in South Africa in November, Omicron has been identified in dozens of countries, prompting many to reimpose travel restrictions and other measures.

Despite indications it is not more severe than the Delta variant -- currently still the dominant strain -- the heavily mutated Omicron has been shown in early data to have a worrying resistance to vaccines and higher transmissibility. 

Fauci also cautioned against too much optimism over Omicron's severity, noting that in South Africa, while the hospitalization-to-case ratio is lower than with Delta, this could be due to underlying immunity from widespread previous infections. 

"No matter how you look at it," he underscored, "when you have so many, many infections, even if it is less severe, that overcomes this slight to moderate diminution in severity, because our hospitals, if things look like they're looking now in the next week or two are going to be very stressed," particularly in areas of the country with low levels of vaccination.

The top scientist urged unvaccinated Americans to get a shot and the vaccinated to get boosters, which have been shown to re-up protection.

The administration of President Joe Biden, who is due to address the nation on pandemic developments on Tuesday, has been campaigning hard for vaccination. 

While a little over 70 percent of the US population has had at least one shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, another 50 million eligible people remain unprotected, Fauci said.

"It's never too late to get vaccinated, and if you're vaccinated, go get boosted," Fauci told CNN, adding that continuing to wear masks and get regular testing -- another area the Biden administration is investing in -- are also key to avoiding infection. 

"With Omicron... it is going to be a tough few weeks to months as we get deeper into the winter."

Omicron now accounts for around three percent of cases in the United States, a figure that is expected to rise rapidly as has been seen in other countries.

On Saturday, New York state announced a record number of daily cases for the second day in a row with almost 22,000 positive results.

The United States is the nation hit hardest by the pandemic, crossing 800,000 known Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker.

Agence France-Presse

69,601 new infections, 527 dead from COVID in Germany in 1 day

BERLIN - Germany recorded the highest number of deaths from COVID-19 since February on Wednesday as it battles to stop a fourth wave of the pandemic.

A total of 69,601 new infections were reported, 2,415 more than the same time a week ago, and another 527 people died - the highest number since Feb. 12 - to bring the total to 104,047, the German Robert Koch Institute for disease control said.

However, the country's seven-day incidence rate of cases per 100,000 people continued to fall, declining to 427 from 432 on Tuesday.

Experts have questioned whether the metric means Germany has passed the peak of this wave of the pandemic or whether the figures are unreliable because some health authorities are so overwhelmed, particularly in the hardest-hit areas.

The country agreed last week to bar the unvaccinated from access to all but the most essential businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies and bakeries and to ramp up the vaccination campaign. 

-reuters 

Time to ‘think about mandatory vaccination’, says European Union chief

It is time for the European Union to "think about mandatory vaccination" against COVID-19, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday, while stressing member state governments would decide.

"My personal position is . . . I think it is understandable and appropriate to lead this discussion now," she told a media conference, underlining that a third of the EU population of 450 million was still unvaccinated.

"How we can encourage and potentially think about mandatory vaccination within the European Union? This needs discussion. This needs a common approach. But it is a discussion that I think has to be led," she said.

Several EU countries have already taken steps in that direction.

Austria has announced compulsory COVID-19 vaccinations from February 1 next year and Germany is mulling following suit. 

Greece on Tuesday said jabs would be mandatory for over-60s, while France has said COVID passes would be deactivated for all adults who have not had booster shots six months after their last jab, starting January 15.

Von der Leyen also said that the EU's main COVID vaccine provider, BioNTech/Pfizer, would have jabs available for children in the bloc in two weeks' time.

She said she had spoken with the German-US joint venture about the issue the day before, and they said "they are able to accelerate -- in other words children's vaccines will be available as of December 13."

She noted that "if you look at the numbers we have now, 77 percent of the adults in the European Union vaccinated, or if you take the whole population, it's 66 percent -- and this means one-third of the European population is not vaccinated, these are 150 million people".

The EU's vaccination drive is very uneven across the 27-nation bloc. 

Portugal, Malta, Spain, Italy, Ireland, France and Belgium have all vaccinated more than three-quarters of their populations, while eastern member states Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Croatia all have jabbed less than half.

"We have the vaccines, the life-saving vaccines, but they are not being used adequately everywhere," von der Leyen said.

While the European Commission pre-purchased COVID vaccines for use in the EU, von der Leyen emphasized that the individual countries had the responsibility on how their vaccination programs were done.

Agence France-Presse

BioNTech/Pfizer expect new variant impact data 'within 2 weeks'

Germany's BioNTech said Friday it was urgently studying how well the coronavirus vaccine it developed with Pfizer protects against the new B.1.1.529 variant detected in South Africa.

"We expect more data from the laboratory tests in two weeks at the latest," a spokesperson said.

"These data will provide more information about whether B.1.1.529 could be an escape variant that may require an adjustment of our vaccine if the variant spreads globally."

The discovery of the new variant by scientists in South Africa has sparked global alarm, amid concerns its many mutations could make it even more dangerous than the highly contagious Delta strain.

A number of countries including Britain, Italy, Germany and Singapore have moved to curtail travel from South Africa and several neighboring nations to prevent the variant's spread.

BioNTech said variant B.1.1.529 "differs significantly from previously observed variants as it has additional mutations located in the spike protein".

But it said that even if its jab -- which is based on novel mRNA technology -- needed to be tweaked, changes could be made quickly.

"Pfizer and BioNTech have taken actions months ago to be able to adapt the mRNA vaccine within six weeks and ship initial batches within 100 days in the event of an escape variant," the spokesperson said.

Agence France-Presse

Israel begins giving COVID shots to children age 5 to 11

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel on Tuesday began administering the coronavirus vaccine to children age 5 to 11.

The country recently emerged from a fourth COVID wave and daily infections have been relatively low for the last few weeks. But Health Ministry statistics show that a large share of the new infections have been in children and teenagers.

Children age 5 to 11 make up nearly half of active cases. Officials hope the new inoculation campaign will help bring down the numbers and perhaps stave off a new wave.

Israeli media reported low demand for the shots on the first day they were available to this age group. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accompanied his son David, 9, on Tuesday to get his jab in a bid to encourage parents to have their children vaccinated.

Bennett held his son’s hand as he received the shot. David Bennett said he was a little scared but the shot didn’t hurt. The prime minister urged all eligible children to get vaccinated: “It protects our children and also parents,” he said.

Israel, which has a population of more than 9 million, has had more than 1.3 million infections since the start of the pandemic and more than 8,100 deaths.

-Associated Press

Germany's seven-day COVID incidence rate rises to record high

Germany's incidence rate measuring the number of new coronavirus infections per 100,000 people over the last seven days soared to 201.1 on Monday, a record since the pandemic erupted more than a year ago.

The figure, published by Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI), surpasses the last high, which had been 197.6 reached on December 22, 2020. 

While many more people in the country have had the jab than at that point last year, vaccination rates have stagnated at under 70 percent, with officials pleading in the last days for the population to get the jab.

"For the unvaccinated, the risk is high that they will become infected in the coming months," warned RKI chief Lothar Wieler on Wednesday.

In the eastern state of Saxony, where the incidence rate is more than twice the national average at 491.3, unvaccinated people face new restrictions from Monday.

Access to indoor dining and other indoor events will be limited to those who are fully vaccinated or can show proof of recovery.

The new rules are the toughest state-wide restrictions in Germany against non-inoculated people. Only children as well as those who cannot receive jabs for medical reasons will be exempt.

The surge in German cases comes with the country in political limbo following September's general election. 

The incoming coalition parties, aiming to form a government by early December, have so far ruled out mandatory jabs and said there will be no new lockdowns -- at least not for the vaccinated.

Agence France-Presse

India to reopen for tourists from October 15

India will reopen for tourists from October 15 after being closed for more than a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the government said Thursday.

"After considering various inputs, the MHA (home ministry) has decided to begin granting fresh Tourist Visas for foreigners coming to India through chartered flights with effect from October 15, 2021," the home ministry said in a statement.

"Foreign tourists entering into India by flights other than chartered aircraft would be able to do so only with effect from November 15, 2021 on fresh Tourist Visas," it added. 

India suspended all visas for foreigners in March 2020 when the pandemic took off as the government imposed a strict lockdown.

Restrictions on some categories of foreigners such as diplomats and businesspeople were later lifted but tourists remained barred.

Earlier this year India was hit by a severe wave of coronavirus infections with about 400,000 cases and 4,000 deaths every day.

But cases in the country of 1.3 billion people have since slowed sharply to around 20,000 new daily infections and 200 to 300 deaths.

At the same time restrictions on most activities have been lifted.

Agence France-Presse

More than 4.4 million dead, 209 million infected with COVID-19 worldwide

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 4,401,486 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Friday. 

At least 209,862,720 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. 

The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country.

They exclude revisions made by other statistical organizations, which show that the number of deaths is much higher. 

The World Health Organization estimates that the pandemic's overall toll could be two to three times higher than official records, due to the excess mortality that is directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19. 

A large number of the less severe or asymptomatic cases also remain undetected, despite intensified testing in many countries. 

On Thursday, 10,453 new deaths and 687,183 new cases were recorded worldwide. Based on latest reports, the countries with the most new deaths were Indonesia with 1,492, followed by Brazil with 979 and Mexico with 850. 

The United States is the worst-affected country with 625,166 deaths from 37,294,389 cases. 

After the US, the hardest-hit countries are Brazil with 572,641 deaths from 20,494,212 cases, India with 433,589 deaths from 32,358,829 cases, Mexico with 251,319 deaths from 3,175,211 cases, and Peru with 197,716 deaths from 2,138,666 cases. 

The country with the highest number of deaths compared to its population is Peru with 600 fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Hungary with 311, Bosnia-Herzegovina with 296, the Czech Republic with 284, Brazil with 269 and the Republic of North Macedonia with 269. 

Latin America and the Caribbean overall has 1,416,393 deaths from 42,452,051 cases, Europe 1,229,171 deaths from 61,347,777 infections, and Asia 742,452 deaths from 48,176,802 cases.

The United States and Canada has reported 651,949 deaths from 38,757,295 cases, Africa 187,324 deaths from 7,418,307 cases, the Middle East 172,587 deaths from 11,605,917 cases, and Oceania 1,610 deaths from 104,576 cases.

As a result of corrections by national authorities or late publication of data, the figures updated over the past 24 hours may not correspond exactly to the previous day's tallies.

Agence France-Presse

Thailand downgrades 2021 outlook as COVID-19 hampers recovery

BANGKOK - Thailand downgraded its economic growth forecast for 2021 on Monday as it battles its worst COVID-19 wave, which has brought record numbers of new infections and deaths. 

The kingdom last year suffered its worst full-year performance since the Asian financial crisis of 1997 with a 6.1 percent economic contraction.

The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) had initially given a cool forecast for recovery during the first quarter, estimating the growth of 1.5 to 2.5 percent for 2021.

But on Monday, NESDC secretary-general Danucha Pichayanan announced it had to revise that figure down to between 0.7 and 1.2 percent. 

"This crisis caused by the pandemic is unlike the financial crises of 1997 and 2009 -- our estimation is based on domestic causes," he said during a press conference.

He added that the new forecast was dependent on the hope that the pandemic's curve will flatten after the third quarter, thus enabling a relaxation of restrictions by October.

"But if the pandemic continues and relaxation cannot start in the fourth quarter... the growth could be lower than 0.7 percent," Danucha said. 

Thailand's GDP for the second quarter was up 7.5 percent on the same period last year, the first sign of recovery since the pandemic.

The growth was most visible in agricultural, industrial and exports sectors, while tourism -- once Thailand's cash cow -- remained sluggish. 

Since the start of the pandemic Thailand has recorded 928,314 cases with 7,733 deaths, the bulk of them detected since April.

The country has seen more than 20,000 new cases reported daily for nearly a week, crowding its already-hampered healthcare system and filling up its state-run quarantine facilities. 

Agence France-Presse

Israel requires COVID tests for children aged 3 and up

Israel is to require Covid tests from next week for children as young as three to enter schools, swimming pools, hotels or gyms as infections surge despite extensive adult vaccinations.

Israel already required children aged 12 and over to show a Green Pass re-introduced late last month showing a person's vaccination and testing status and whether they had recovered from Covid.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said from next Wednesday the state would fund unlimited tests for children aged three to 11.

The Magen David Adom emergency service said it had opened 120 rapid antigen testing centers nationwide.

Screening at these stations costs 52 shekels (around 17 euros) and allows those tested to obtain a Green Pass valid for 24 hours.

On Thursday, Bennett announced that Israel was also considering lowering the age limit for its campaign of booster vaccinations, currently offered only to those aged 60 and over.

"I estimate that this evening we will receive approval from the team on dealing with pandemics to vaccinate a lower age bracket with the booster, the third inoculation," the 49-year-old said. 

"Therefore, you must prepare to expand the range of ages for the third inoculation next week."

The booster vaccinations offered by Israel and some other countries have drawn criticism from the World Health Organization, which has said the global priority should be providing the standard inoculation to all. 

Israel has also announced mandatory quarantine for travelers, vaccinated or not, arriving from most countries of the world beginning Monday.

A country of nine million inhabitants, Israel was one of the first to launch a nationwide vaccination campaign in December, thanks to an agreement with the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. 

The deal gave Israel quick access to millions of shots in exchange for medical data on the vaccine's effects. 

The campaign saw infection rates plummet, which allowed Israel to resume an almost normal routine, with schools, bars and concert venues open.

However, the more contagious Delta variant of the virus has driven a rise in cases to levels not seen since February.

The health ministry said Thursday it had recorded 5,946 new cases the previous day. 

In total, it has counted 921,083 cases and 6,593 deaths since the pandemic started early last year.

Agence France-Presse

China tests residents with resurgence of COVID-19 cases

Residents queue to undergo swab testing for COVID-19 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. China tested millions of residents in different provinces as the country reported 71 domestic cases, its highest daily number of coronavirus cases since January.

Agence France Presse

Thailand warns COVID-19 surge pushing hospitals to the brink

Hospitals in Thailand's capital Bangkok and surrounding province are running out of beds due to a jump in COVID-19 patients, a health official said on Thursday, as the country reported a record number of infections for the fourth time this week.

Thailand has in the last few months been struggling with its worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, first detected in India.

The country's COVID-19 task force reported on Thursday 17,669 coronavirus cases and 165 deaths, both record highs, while it said 21 of the fatalities died at home.

"We don't know where to put the sick people anymore, the ER (emergency room) units in many hospitals have to be temporarily closed because they no longer have bed spaces," Somsak Akksilp, head of the Department of Medical Services, told a news conference.

In Bangkok and nearby provinces, more than 1,200 people were waiting for hospital beds and over 6,000 called a hotline over the past week requesting treatment, health authorities said.

There are more than 37,000 hospital beds in Bangkok, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

Earlier in the pandemic, all COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals, but Somsak said authorities last month brought in home isolation for more than 30,000 people in Bangkok and surrounding provinces. The government has also been converting public places in Bangkok into temporary field hospitals for COVID-19 patients as the spike in cases strains the city's health system.

The jump in infections has increased pressure on the government to boost the sluggish pace of vaccinations, with only 5.6% of Thailand's more than 66 million people fully vaccinated.

Thailand won plaudits for containing the coronavirus for most of last year, but authorities have struggled to halt the wave of cases starting in April that has taken total infections to 561,030, with 4,562 fatalities.

-reuters

Malaysian doctors stage walkout amid worsening COVID-19 outbreak

Hundreds of junior doctors at state-run Malaysian hospitals staged walkouts Monday demanding better conditions as the country faces its worst coronavirus outbreak yet. 

Dressed in black and holding signs with slogans including "equal pay, equal rights, equal opportunity" and "we are your future specialists", they protested at medical facilities nationwide. 

The doctors are on contracts for a set period and say their treatment is worse than that of permanent government staff, even as they have found themselves on the frontline of the fight against Covid-19.

They complain of a lack of job security, poor benefits and that very few are eventually offered permanent positions.

We want "equal rights, to be a permanent doctor," said a medic at a government hospital that treats virus patients outside Kuala Lumpur. 

"We would definitely not be here if we were treated fairly... we should be appreciated for what we do," the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters.

The medic was among dozens who took part in the action at the hospital, which lasted around half an hour. 

Local media reported that several hundred participated across the country, but some doctors complained they were threatened by police and senior hospital staff in a bid to halt the protests.

Those involved said senior doctors took over their duties before they walked out, to ensure that patient care was not jeopardized. 

Malaysia is currently battling its most serious outbreak, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant. Officials have reported over one million cases and about 8,000 deaths.

There are over 23,000 doctors on these contracts in Malaysia -- about 45 percent of the total medical doctors in the public healthcare system, according to official estimates.

Last week, the government said it would extend junior doctors' contracts for up to four years in a bid to forestall the protests. 

But they stopped short of offering permanent jobs, and the organizers of Monday's walkout criticized the move as "short-sighted".

Agence France-Presse

Muslims perform Tawaf during annual Haj

Muslim pilgrims, keeping social distance and wearing face masks, perform Tawaf during the annual Haj pilgrimage, in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. A limited number of mask-wearing pilgrims performed the “Tawaf,” a ritual involving walking around the Kaaba seven times in prayers, as Saudi Arabia banned entry of worshippers abroad and only allowed 60,000 pilgrims to participate in the Haj.

-reuters

UK supermarkets ask shoppers to keep wearing masks

LONDON - Britain's biggest supermarket groups will encourage staff and customers to keep wearing face coverings from Monday despite new rules making it a matter of personal choice.

The government is removing most pandemic restrictions from July 19 in England, saying a rapid rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has largely broken the link between infections and serious illness or death.

Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons and Aldi all said they would prefer staff and customers to keep wearing masks.

The groups - who are among Britain's biggest private sector employers - said they would keep other safety measures in place, including limits on the number of people in stores, protective screens at checkouts and regular cleaning.

"We’re asking our customers and colleagues to be on the safe side," Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket group, said.

An opinion poll published on Thursday by Kantar Public found two thirds of people wanted some, most or all of the coronavirus restrictions to remain and 60% thought everyone should continue to wear face masks in shops and on public transport.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged that a wave of infections is inevitable when restrictions end, but said worse harm would come from keeping the economy shut and pointed to the successful vaccine rollout.

Government advice is that people should still wear masks in crowded areas. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said they will remain mandatory on the capital's public transport network.

In Scotland and Wales face coverings remain a legal requirement. 

-reuters

Singapore eyes sports, conferences, concerts for vaccinated residents

SINGAPORE - Singapore is aiming to allow bigger gatherings for conferences, live music, sports, weddings and religious events for people fully vaccinated against coronavirus later this month, when it expects more than half of its population to be immunized.

The plan would follow a loosening of some coronavirus restrictions from next week, including allowing up to five people to dine at restaurants, its health ministry said on Wednesday.

The announcement came as Singapore sees an accelerated COVID-19 vaccination rate and very few locally transmitted cases in recent weeks.

Authorities are aiming for more liberal social measures for those fully vaccinated, like gatherings of up to eight people, the ministry said.

More may also be allowed to return to the workplace, based on the percentage of fully-vaccinated employees.

However, the looser measures would apply only to those inoculated under the national program, which uses Moderna and the vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

Sinovac's CoronaVac is only available in private healthcare institutions and is not a part of Singapore's national program. 

-reuters-