FACTBOX: The latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

A GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) logo is seen at the GSK research centre in Stevenage, Britain. Picture: Peter Nicholl/Reuters

A GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) logo is seen at the GSK research centre in Stevenage, Britain. Picture: Peter Nicholl/Reuters

Published Jul 8, 2020

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As the World Health Organization

acknowledged "evidence emerging" of the airborne spread of the

coronavirus, a UN report warned that a rush by countries to

buy personal protective equipment has created an opportunity for

criminal groups, which are peddling sub-standard equipment and

are likely to move on to medicines soon.

EUROPE

* New French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Wednesday

that in case of a new major coronavirus outbreak, any new

lockdown would be targeted, not nationwide.

* Austria is issuing travel warnings for Bulgaria, Romania

and Moldova because of the worsening coronavirus situation in

those countries and clusters in Austria involving people

arriving from the region, the government said.

AMERICAS

* A top US health official said the US and other

countries could have had a stronger initial response to Covid-19

if China had been more forthcoming about key features of the

virus.

* Colombia's national lockdown to control the spread of

coronavirus will be extended by just over two weeks until August 1, President Ivan Duque said on Tuesday.

* Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday he

tested positive for the novel coronavirus after months

minimizing the severity of the pandemic and defying medical

experts.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* Australia should slow down the return of its citizens from

abroad, as the country grapples with a fresh coronavirus

outbreak that has forced it to isolate its second most populous

state.

* Uzbekistan will impose a second wave of lockdown

restrictions between July 10 and August 1.

* Thailand expects to delay plans for so-called travel

bubbles given a resurgence in coronavirus infections in

countries that had managed to contain the initial outbreak, a

senior official told Reuters.

* Supercomputer-driven models simulated in Japan suggested

that operating commuter trains with windows open and limiting

the number of passengers may help reduce the risk of coronavirus

infections.

* Three hundred drones took to the evening sky over the Han

River in South Korea to dispense coronavirus prevention advice.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* In Africa, lack of coronavirus data raises fears of

"silent epidemic".

* Iran has recorded its highest number of deaths from

Covid-19 within a 24-hour period, Health Ministry figures showed

on Tuesday.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Vaccine maker GSK has put its vaccine booster

technology to work in a potential new Covid-19 shot, to be

developed with a Canadian biopharmaceutical company backed by

Philip Morris.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT

* Global stocks faltered on Wednesday, losing momentum after

a five-day rally, as an increase in new coronavirus cases in

some parts of the world undermined prospects for a quick

economic recovery.

* The French economy is set to rebound sharply in the second

half of the year after an unprecedented slump in the first half,

the INSEE statistics agency said.

* British finance minister Rishi Sunak will announce on

Wednesday his next moves to prevent a wave of job cuts from

snowballing into a full-blown unemployment crisis in the world's

sixth biggest economy.

* The Norwegian economy rebounded in May after two months of

steep decline as a gradual reopening of businesses helped turn

activity around, Statistics Norway (SSB) said.

* Japan's service sector sentiment jumped at a record pace

in June, a Cabinet Office survey revealed, indicating the

economy may have reached the bottom of its coronavirus-induced

slump.

* The Philippine government expects the country's

debt-to-GDP ratio to rise to 50% from 39% last year, as it

increases borrowing.

Reuters

Related Topics:

coronavirus