Headlines
• Japan extends state of emergency to eight more prefectures
• After attending Latitude Festival test event, 1 in 40 test positive for the virus
• Goldman Sachs to make vaccines for US staff compulsory
• Smoking in UK young adults increases by 26%
• The National Rifle Association cancels its AGM in Texas due to Covid-19
World news
• England saw a rise in young adults taking up smoking during the first lockdown, according to a study by Cancer Research UK. The number of 18 to 34-year-olds who classed themselves as smokers increased from 21.5% to 26.8%.
• Self-catered accommodation in the UK is costing on average 41% more than in the summer of 2019, according to consumer group Which?
• A study by ZOE Covid-19 Study app (including data on positive PCR test results between May and July 2021) found protection after two shots of Pfizer decreased from 88% at one month to 74% at five-to-six months. For AstraZeneca, the fall was from 77% to 67% at four-to-five months.
• A large study of health workers in the US has found the efficacy of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines dropped from 91%, before the Delta variant became dominant, to 66% afterwards.
• Masks will have to be worn outside in the US state of Oregon from Friday. Everyone – whether vaccinated or not – must wear a mask in any public place where people from different households are mixing.
• The National Rifle Association (NRA) has cancelled its annual meeting because of a rise in infections in Texas.
• Japan has extended its state of emergency to eight more regions, taking the total to 21.
• The Greek government has announced that all indoor eateries, bars, clubs and entertainment venues will be off limits for unvaccinated citizens from next month.
• Two more Paralympic athletes have tested positive in Tokyo village.
• Kazakhstan will ban unvaccinated people from entering shopping malls, restaurants and cafes at weekends.
• According to government figures, 1,000 people who attended the Latitude Festival in Suffolk last month have tested positive. The festival, which ran from 22 to 25 July, was part of the government’s Covid-19 test events and had 40,000 people in attendance.
