Headlines
• England R0 number down from 1.2-1.4 to to 1.1-1.3
• Curfew imposed in Portugal, including Porto & Lisbon
• US employers create 850,000 jobs in June
• Australia halves weekly cap in international arrivals
• Germany recommends second vaccine to be Pfizer or Moderna
World news
• Public Health England reports that the number of Delta variant cases in the UK has risen by 50,824 since last week to a total of 161,981 , a 46% increase.
• The R 0 number in England was today estimated to be 1.1 -1.3 , down from last week ’s 1.2 -1.4.
• The ONS estimate s that 1 in 260 people in England had the virus in the last week ; previously the number was 1 in 440. Across the rest of the UK, the ONS estimated figures are: 1 in 450 in Wales, 1 in 670 in Northern Ireland and 1 in 150 in Scotland.
• US employers created 850,000 jobs last month, driven by new posts in bars and restaurants, retail and education. This was above analyst expectations.
• Ireland is to speed up vaccination of 18 -34 -year -olds , by offering the vaccine 1 - 2 months earlier than initially planned .
• According to the latest WHO data, the Delta variant has been detected in 97% of samples in Uganda and 79% in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• A Pakistan province suspended 70 paramilitary troops without pay after they repeatedly refused to receive vaccines .
• Kazakhstan has ordered mandatory vaccinations for a wide range of workers in service industry sectors from banking to entertainment. Employees who refuse will be restricted from working face -to -face with others.
• Germany’s vaccine committee has recommended that everyone who received AstraZeneca as their first dose switch to the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for the second due to the “clearly superior ” protection it provides.
• The EU is not counting people who have received AstraZeneca doses manufactured in India , known as Covishield, as vaccinated for the purposes of travel restrictions.
• A night -time curfew (11pm -5am) is being imposed in several Portuguese municipalities, including Lisbon and Porto.
• The weekly cap on international passenger arrivals into Australia is to tighten from 6,070 to 3,035 by 14 July.
• Japan could be forced to reverse a decision to allow up to 10,000 local sports fans to attend events at this summer’s Olympics. The lifting of restrictions now in place in Tokyo is to be delayed if case rates do not fall – currently they are increasing.
• Ryanair carried 5.3 million passengers on 38,000 flights last month. In June 2020, the airline carried only 400,000 passengers.
• Taiwan’s election commission said that four referendums scheduled for 28 August would be postponed until 18 December due to the Covid situation.
