(Bloomberg) — Authorities in Beijing halted classes at 18 schools in one district after a teacher was infected with Covid-19, days before a key Communist Party meeting in the city.
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Bulgaria reported record daily Covid-19 deaths. Infections in Thailand declined to a four-month low and new cases fell in Australia’s two most-populous states as both nations ease international border restrictions.
Japan plans to let business travelers and students enter the country but isn’t loosening curbs for tourists, Nikkei reported. Singapore expects 2,000 coronavirus deaths each year, even after achieving one of the world’s highest vaccination rates.
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Bulgaria Reports Record Deaths (2:52 p.m. HK)
Bulgaria, the European Union’s least-vaccinated country, reported a record 310 daily Covid-19 deaths.
The Balkan country, where only about 21% of the population has had a Covid jab, on Oct. 21 limited most public leisure activities to those who are either vaccinated, have had Covid, or test negative.
Hospitalizations are still on the rise and officials have warned that hospitals will soon run out of capacity.
Beijing Suspends Classes at 18 Schools (12:52 p.m. HK)
The Chinese capital suspended classes at 18 primary and middle schools in Chaoyang district after a school teacher became infected with Covid-19, according to a local government briefing.
A key Communist Party meeting, a central committee plenary session, will be held next week in Beijing. The city reported four new local coronavirus cases on Tuesday morning.
New Zealand Area Locked Down Again (12:48 p.m. HK)
New Zealand put the north of its Northland region back into lockdown as the source of two new cases in the area remains unknown. The area moves back to Level 3 lockdown at midnight, initially through midnight Nov. 8. The rest of Northland stays at Level 2.
Northland’s vaccination rate is lower than the rest of the country at just 79% for first doses, increasing the risk for 11,000 unvaccinated Maori in the region, said Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins.
Vietnam’s $35 Billion Post-Covid Plan (10:34 a.m. HK)
Vietnam’s planning and investment ministry is considering a post-pandemic economic recovery package worth 800 trillion dong ($35.2 billion) in 2022-2023, Thanh Nien newspaper reported, citing a proposal submitted to the government.
The economic recovery package would be financed in part by off-budget state financial funds, government bond sales, foreign exchange reserves and loans from international lenders.
Thailand Cases at Four-Month Low (9:04 a.m HK)
Thailand reported 7,574 new cases, the lowest single-day tally since July 8, as Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy this week reopened its border to foreign tourists.
Thailand ended quarantine for vaccinated visitors from more than 60 countries from Monday to revive its tourism-dependent economy. There were 78 Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking cumulative fatalities to 19,338.
Australia Delays Easing Curbs for Unvaccinated (8:02 a.m. HK)
Australia’s New South Wales state pushed back the date when Covid-19 restrictions will be eased for unvaccinated people.
Instead of Dec. 1, those curbs will be eased on Dec. 15 or whenever the state reaches 95% double-dose coverage for people aged 16 and above, Premier Dominic Perrottet said Tuesday.
Cases Keep Dropping in Australian States (6:30 a.m. HK)
Cases continued to fall in Australia’s two most-populous states, as the country starts to reopen following more than 19 months of harsh restrictions. Victoria state on Tuesday reported 989 new cases, the first time below 1,000 since Sept. 29. New South Wales state recorded 173 new cases and the lowest seven-day average since Aug. 5.
Colorado Hospitals Near Rationing Care (5:30 a.m. HK)
Eighty percent of Colorado residents have received at least one Covid-19 vaccination, Governor Jared Polis announced Monday, while warning surging infections among the unvaccinated are bringing the state closer to rationing hospital care “in the next few days.”
“It’s the 20% who haven’t been vaccinated that are filling up our hospital wards,” Polis said at a news briefing in Denver. Nearby Idaho, a state with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S., is actively rationing hospital care.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Tests Positive (3:50 p.m. NY)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian tested positive, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Monday. Amirabdollahian is working from quarantine and his “general condition is good,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
Amazon Ends Mask Rule for Vaccinated Workers (3:20 p.m. NY)
Amazon.com said its vaccinated workers in the U.S. will no longer have to wear masks beginning on Tuesday, unless required to do so by federal or local rules.
The online retailer, the second largest U.S. employer after Walmart, in August ordered employees to resume masking up, regardless of vaccination status, as the delta variant spread.
Novavax CEO Sees Shot as ‘Ideal’ Booster (12:45 p.m. NY)
Novavax Inc.’s top executive said the company’s Covid-19 vaccine could be a good booster option for people who have received other shots, as the drugmaker looks to ramp up output and gain approvals around the world.
“Our vaccine is ideal for boosting,” Chief Executive Officer Stanley Erck said in an interview on Monday with Bloomberg Television.
U.S. to Hit 80% Mark on Adult First Doses (11:41 a.m. NY)
The U.S. was set to surpass a new milestone in its vaccination effort on Monday, with 80% of adults having received at least one dose of a vaccine, said Jeff Zients, President Joe Biden’s Covid-19 response coordinator.
The U.S. entered the day at 79.9% of those 18 and up having one shot. Biden once set a goal of having 70% of adults with at least one shot, and met that in August, a month behind schedule.
Romania Sends Patients to Germany (11:35 a.m. NY)
Romania, a European nation suffering one of the worst death tolls per capita in the world over the past two weeks, transferred six critically ill patients to Germany on Monday, as its Covid intensive-care unit wards were full, the country’s health ministry said in a statement on its website.
A total of 18 patients will be transferred to Germany by Wednesday. The nation is battling its worst virus outbreak since the pandemic started, with more than 1,800 severely ill patients occupying all available Covid ICU beds in hospitals and field units for a few weeks already. The second-least vaccinated European Union nation asked for international assistance last month and received medical supplies and staff from the World Health Organization and several nations, including Hungary, Poland, Serbia and Moldova.
WHO Wants More Experts to Study Origins (7:24 a.m. NY)
The World Health Organization reopened a search for experts to join a committee to study Covid-19’s origins, in order to add more specialists in areas such as biosecurity.
Applicants have until Wednesday to express interest. The WHO said Monday it’s looking for experts in social science, anthropology, ethics, political science and biosafety.
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