China has another gift for you… Wuhan Virus cases and deaths surge again

CHINA

Wuhan Virus cases and deaths are surging for the first time in 2 months. 6 Million people are under lockdown in China, Russia has recorded its highest daily deaths, Tonga has recorded its first-ever case of the Wuhan Virus.

EUROPE

* The prevalence of COVID-19 cases in England hit its highest level since the start of the year, reaching around one in 50 people in the week ending Oct. 22, Britain’s Office for National Statistics said.

* Some businesses flouted the Russian capital’s new lockdown measures saying they needed to make ends meet amid a lack of state support, as nationwide deaths from COVID-19 hit a new record daily high blamed on slow vaccination adoption.

* Sweden’s response to the coronavirus was too slow and preparations to handle a pandemic were insufficient, a commission investigating the country’s response to COVID-19 said.

* Poland’s total number of cases since the start of the pandemic passed 3 million, as the fourth wave of infections gathers pace.

AMERICAS

* Pfizer and BioNTech said they expect to deliver 50 million more doses of their vaccine to the U.S. government by April-end.

* The U.S. Transportation Security Administration said it has recently ramped up proposed fines for travelers failing to wear masks at airports and in other transit modes.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* Beijing city is demanding a vaccine booster shot for some key workers. A former vice mayor of a Chinese town on the border with Myanmar lamented local lockdowns and disruptions caused by repeated outbreaks and wrote a rare plea for a “strong” helping hand from the capital.

* Japan’s health ministry said it has decided to offer booster shots to anyone who has already received two vaccine doses, news agency Jiji reported.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Only five African countries will meet the target of fully vaccinating 40% of their populations unless the pace of inoculations accelerates across the continent, the World Health Organization said (WHO).

* The World Bank has approved a $360 million development policy financing loan to support Egypt’s post-pandemic recovery, the lender said.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* The WHO said it was seeking further data from Merck on its experimental new antiviral COVID-19 pill and hoped to issue guidance in coming weeks regarding its use for mild and moderate cases.

* The Delta variant can transmit easily from vaccinated people to their household contacts, a British study found, although contacts were less likely to get infected if they were vaccinated themselves.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Global equities moved toward record highs on Thursday and U.S. Treasury yields rose as investors discounted weak U.S. economic growth data to retain their focus on strong corporate results and interest rate expectations amid rising inflation.[MKTS/GLOB]

* The U.S. economy grew at its slowest pace in more than a year in the third quarter as a resurgence in COVID-19 cases further stretched global supply chains, leading to shortages of goods like automobiles that slammed the brakes on consumer spending.

Reuters Reports

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