(Reuters) – China’s capital is offering elderly residents state-backed insurance for “medical accidents” linked to COVID-19 shots to ease vaccination hesitancy among those most vulnerable, as Beijing ramps up inoculations during its worst outbreak.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Mainland China reported 444 new coronavirus cases on May 26, of which 102 were symptomatic and 342 asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Friday.
* Japan will double the maximum number of people allowed every day to enter at border crossings to 20,000 from June 1 as part of a phased easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday.
* Pandemic-hit Shanghai, China’s financial hub, unveiled more post-lockdown plans as it moves towards a return to normalcy.
* North Korean state media on Friday said about 100,460 more people showed fever symptoms, as of 6 p.m. on Thursday, and reported one new death amid the country’s first confirmed coronavirus outbreak.
EUROPE
* Three lawmakers from Britain’s governing Conservatives pulled their support for Prime Minister Boris Johnson over a damning report that detailed a series of alcohol-fuelled parties at 10 Downing Street that broke COVID-19 lockdown rules.
AMERICAS
* After unprecedented revenue growth last year, digital platforms including Alphabet Inc, Meta Platforms Inc, Snap Inc and Twitter Inc now face a sobering reality as pandemic-driven advertising trends dissipate, according to a report by research firm MoffettNathanson.
AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
* Fears over the possible side effects and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines have been the main drivers of hesitancy among thousands of South Africans, a government-backed online survey showed.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* Patients who experience recurrence of COVID-19 symptoms after completing treatment with Pfizer’s drug Paxlovid should isolate again for five days, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an advisory.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Profits at China’s industrial firms fell at their fastest pace in two years in April, as high raw material prices and supply chain chaos caused by COVID-19 curbs squeezed margins and disrupted factory activity.
* Car sales in China, Europe and the United States remain depressed compared to last year’s levels as semiconductor shortages and anti-pandemic measures weigh on global autos markets, data showed.
* Two months into harsh COVID-19 lockdowns that have choked global supply chains, China’s economy is staggering back to its feet, but businesses from retailers to chipmakers are warning of slow sales as consumers slam the brakes on spending.
(Compiled by Rashmi Aich and Dina Kartit; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Subhranshu Sahu)
