(Reuters) – The British government will on Friday consider easing England’s COVID-19 rules for international travel, a late-season boost for airlines, holiday and tourism companies which say they will not survive another winter of onerous rules and red tape.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
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EUROPE
* Spain will give a third vaccine dose to nursing home residents and other vulnerable groups, while data showed the infection rate fell to its lowest level since June.
* The Italian government approved some of the strictest anti-COVID measures in the world, making it obligatory for all workers either to show proof of vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery from infection.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will have tight COVID-19 countermeasures in place to ensure the safety of all participants, the International Olympic Committee said.
* Australian officials will trial a home quarantine system for fully vaccinated international travellers arriving in Sydney, as the country moves to reopen its borders despite persistent cases.
* New Zealand suspended quarantine-free travel with Australia for a further 8 weeks.
* Experts say a pandemic-induced economic shock and closing of schools for more than a year has been devastating for many of Indonesia’s 68 million students.
AMERICAS
* Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis conceded defeat in an election on the Atlantic island chain reeling from a surge in COVID-19 cases and slump in the tourism-dependent economy due to the pandemic.
* Brazil’s federal government wants to halt COVID-19 vaccinations for most adolescents, citing a death under investigation and adverse events after some 3.5 million teens have already been immunized, but several state governments vowed to press on.
* The United Nations COVID-19 vaccination honour system will remain in place for presidents, prime ministers and diplomats who enter the General Assembly Hall next week and they are not required to show proof of immunization.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Iran’s new government has approved the vaccine developed by U.S. firm Johnson & Johnson, a senior official said, as the Islamic Republic faces a fifth wave of infections.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has revised its emergency use authorisation for Eli Lilly’s COVID-19 antibody cocktail to include for use in patients who have been exposed to the virus and are at high risk for progression to severe disease.
* A British study will look into the immune responses of children to mixed schedules of different COVID-19 vaccines as officials try to determine the best approach to second doses in adolescents given a small risk of heart inflammation.
* South Korea approved drugmaker Celltrion Inc’s antibody COVID-19 treatment for infected adults in high-risk groups or those with severe symptoms.
* European companies playing key supporting roles in vaccine manufacturing are working to move production and supply chains closer to their customers to guard against trade restrictions that have interrupted supplies during the pandemic.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* World shares steadied on Friday above three-week lows set in the previous session though they were heading for a weekly loss on China jitters and global growth concerns, while strong U.S. retail sales data buoyed the dollar. [MKTS/GLOB]
* Manufacturing activity in New Zealand contracted in August on the back of another nationwide lockdown due to a fresh outbreak of the Delta variant, a survey showed.
(Compiled by Anita Kobylinska and Devika Syamnath; Edited by Shounak Dasgupta and Angus MacSwan)
