(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers change the design of their booster shots beginning this fall to include components tailored to combat the currently dominant Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the coronavirus.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
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ASIA-PACIFIC
* Authorities in Macau are scrambling to contain the city’s biggest coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began, requiring all residents test daily and stay home as much as possible.
* North Korea said the United States is taking advantage of its COVID-19 outbreak by offering humanitarian aid with political purposes.
* Bhutan will reopen for international tourists from September for the first time since the pandemic began, officials said, as the tiny Himalayan kingdom looks to revive its economy.
* Business executives in Hong Kong have a wish list for its new leader: scrap COVID-19 quarantine rules, and promote the rule of law and transparent regulations to revive foreign investor confidence.
EUROPE
* A new wave of COVID-19 infections in France fuelled by emerging variants of the virus should peak toward end-July, the French government’s top scientific adviser said.
* Spain expects tourist arrivals to reach 90% of pre-pandemic levels during the summer season, as northern Europeans shrug off concerns over inflation pressures and book even more trips than in 2019, a senior tourism official said.
* Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut became the third big name in the men’s singles draw to withdraw from Wimbledon after testing positive for COVID-19.
AMERICAS
* Pfizer Inc said it is seeking full U.S. approval for its oral COVID-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid, which is currently available under an emergency use authorization.
AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST
* The first capacity crowd at a South African stadium since the COVID-19 pandemic is guaranteed for Saturday’s test between the world champion Springboks and Wales, organisers of the rugby match said.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* South Korea authorised AstraZeneca Plc’s antibody-based therapy for preventing COVID-19 infection in people with a poor immune response, increasing its options as it works to ease the pandemic burden on the healthcare system.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* China stocks marked their best month in nearly two years on Thursday, supported by signs of an economic recovery after the easing of pandemic restrictions.
* As China loosens its months-long COVID-19 curbs, railway travel is expected to see an uptick in passengers just in time for the summer transport season, which starts on July 1.
* China’s factory and service sectors snapped three months of activity decline in June, business surveys showed, as authorities lifted a strict COVID lockdown in Shanghai, reviving output and consumer spending.
* Japan’s factory output posted the biggest monthly drop in two years in May as China’s COVID-19 lockdowns and semiconductor and other parts shortages hit manufacturers, adding more pressure on an economy struggling to mount a strong recovery.
(Compiled by Olivier Sorgho and Rashmi Aich; Edited by Subhranshu Sahu and Bill Berkrot)
