Hours after London announced a lockdown, Sydney widened restrictions following 30 new local Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours amid a growing outbreak in the Australian city’s Northern Beaches area.
UK prime minister Boris Johnson imposed a full lockdown on London and large parts of southeast England in a desperate attempt to stop a new strain of coronavirus that is spreading rapidly in the region. The nation surpassed 2 million total infections.
Apple is temporarily closing all of its retail stores across California, as well as those in the greater London area, and other markets that have seen a surge in Covid-19 cases. The newly-approved Moderna vaccine will begin distribution across the US starting Sunday, after a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel recommended its use for people 18 and older.
Global cases passed 76 million on Sunday, with the death toll now over 1.6 million.
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South Korea
The Asian country reported a record 1,097 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, testing authorities who have so far refrained from raising social distancing measures to the highest level. The health ministry said last week that it needs to determine if imposing Level 3 steps will be effective and that such a decision would need public input and consent.
Australia
Authorities in New South Wales, the nation’s most populous state whose capital is Sydney, will limit gatherings in homes and entertainment venues from midnight Sunday, and the curbs will be in force at least until December 23rd. At least 28 of the new cases were linked to a growing cluster of infections in the city’s Northern Beaches area that stands at 66.
Household gatherings in metropolitan Sydney will be limited to 10 visitors. At least three states have imposed restrictions or border measures on travellers from Sydney ahead of Australians gathering to celebrate the Christmas holiday season.
Brazil
Brazil reported 50,177 cases, at the end of a week in which infections exceeded the peak of the summer outbreak, according to data from the Health Ministry. The 333,028 cases this week outstripped the worst week in July, when 319,653 infections were reported. Total infections are at 7.2 million, the most after the US and India.
Deaths are running at about two-thirds the rate of the summer. This week, 5,233 fatalities were reported, compared with 7,677 during the deadliest week, in July. Another 706 deaths were reported Saturday for a total of 186,356
London
UK prime minister Boris Johnson imposed a full lockdown on London and large parts of southeast England in a desperate attempt to stop a new strain of coronavirus that is spreading rapidly in the UK.
After emergency talks with his most senior officials, Johnson cancelled plans to ease pandemic restrictions for five days during the holiday. Household mixing will be banned in London and the south-east and socialising restricted to just Christmas Day across the rest of England.
He announced a new Tier 4 will apply in the hot-spot areas around the capital from Sunday, with all non-essential shops closing and millions of people ordered to stay at home.
The UK reported 27,052 new cases on Saturday, bringing the total to more than 2 million. The country reached 1 million cases on October 31st. Another 534 people died, 100 more than the weekly average.
The World Health Organisation said it was "in close contact" with the UK about the new virus variant.
“We’ll update Member States and public as we learn more about the characteristics of this virus variant and any implications,” the WHO said in a tweet.
US
Apple is temporarily closing all of its retail stores across California, as well as those in the greater London area hit by a new lockdown, and other markets that have seen a surge in Covid-19 cases.
The Cupertino, California, based company said on its website Saturday that it’s closing all 53 locations across the Golden State, a day after saying it would shut its stores in the Los Angeles area. It announced the London closures after UK announced a full lockdown. Stores in Mexico and Brazil will also close temporarily as cases increase in both countries.
US president Donald Trump seized on the UK's announcement of a lockdown for London and surrounding areas to promote his anti-lockdown stance. Trump tweeted: "The cure cannot be worse than the problem itself!"
Meanwhile United Parcel Services will truck the newly-approved Moderna vaccine beginning Sunday morning from Mckesson's Kentucky facility to the courier's nearby main US air hub in Louisville, Kentucky. Flights will leave on Sunday to make deliveries beginning on Monday, said Wes Wheeler, chief of UPS's healthcare unit in a telephone interview.
The Food and Drug Administration gave emergency-use approval to the Moderna vaccine on Friday night, a week after approving the Pfizer/BioNTech shot.
FedEx, which like UPS delivered the first shipments of the Pfizer vaccine this week, said in a statement its "operations are in motion" to deliver the Moderna one.
The boxes containing the Moderna vaccine are lighter than Pfizer’s because they don’t contain the dry ice that’s needed to keep the Pfizer vaccine at ultra-cold temperatures, Wheeler from UPS said.
France
France registered 17,565 new cases on Saturday, with the rolling seven-day average climbing for a fourth day to 13,605 cases, the highest in three weeks. The share of positive tests fell to 5.6 per cent from 5.9 per cent a day earlier. Deaths linked to the virus increased by 189 to 60,418, health authorities reported.
- Bloomberg