Japan is reportedly set to extend it state of emergency in Tokyo and other regions while Sydney has reported seven deaths over the past 24 hours, its deadliest day of the pandemic so far
- US could see 200,000 Covid cases a day again: ‘Unvaccinated are sitting ducks’
- All 16- and 17-year-olds in England to be offered Covid jab
- A million jobs in peril as one in 16 UK firms say they are at risk of closure
- French Covid permit scheme extended to Paris department stores
Hong Kong’s government said it would upgrade 15 overseas places including the United States, Spain and France to “high risk” from “medium risk” by 20 August, meaning international arrivals from those countries will face lengthened quarantine due to a resurgence of the coronavirus.
The government said arrivals from Bangladesh, Cambodia, France, Greece, Iran, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States would all face the new restrictions, according to a statement released on Monday, as reported by Reuters.
Despite large-scale vaccination programmes, many places are also experiencing resurgence of the virus, which poses enormous challenges to our local anti-epidemic efforts.
Today’s episode of Today in Focus features Sirin Kale’s reporting on the heart warming reunion of Karl Gray, a 60-year-old Salvation Army minister from north London, and Dr Susan Jain, the ICU consultant who helped save his life in the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Related: After ICU: a Covid patient meets one of the doctors who saved his life
Rightwing politicians are leaving parents of vulnerable children with an impossible dilemma: send children to school where others are unmasked, or keep them home – again.
Related: Children caught in Covid culture wars as US politicians defy health advice
More of the UK’s best known businesses will offer rewards to customers who are vaccinated against Covid-19.
Asda, lastminute.com, National Express, Free Now taxis and Better leisure centres are among those offering incentives to encourage younger people to get vaccinated.
It is fantastic to see more companies backing the phenomenal vaccine rollout and joining the public as they do everything they can to continue protecting their loved ones, themselves, their community and this country.
With over 84,000 lives already saved and 23 million infections prevented by the vaccines, get the jab as soon as possible and take advantage of these excellent offers – whether that’s for taxi rides, gym passes, or trips away with family and friends.
Thailand downgraded its economic growth forecast for 2021 on Monday as it battles its worst Covid-19 wave, which has brought record numbers of new infections and deaths.
The kingdom last year suffered its worst full-year performance since the Asian financial crisis of 1997 with a 6.1 percent economic contraction, reports Agence France-Presse.
This crisis caused by the pandemic is unlike the financial crises of 1997 and 2009 - our estimation is based on domestic causes.
But if the pandemic continues and relaxation cannot start in the fourth quarter... the growth could be lower than 0.7 percent.
If you missed it, here’s Alexandra Villarreal’s reporting from Austin, Texas in the United States, where there are only five ICU beds left in a region of almost 2.4 million and masks are still not compulsory in public places.
Related: The Texas Covid crisis worsens – why is the governor resisting masks?
Covid-19 took a chunk out of China’s retail sales and industrial production in July, official data showed Monday, with a rebound of Covid-19 dragging on demand while recent floods disrupted businesses.
The world’s second-largest economy staged a rapid recovery from last year’s coronavirus outbreak, beating back the virus with mass testing and strict lockdowns.
A total of 93,000 children have lost a parent to Covid in Peru and many are now facing worsening poverty and depression
More on this from Luke Taylor:
Related: ‘Hidden pandemic’: Peruvian children in crisis as carers die
It’s Robyn Vinter here in the UK, taking over from Helen.
If you’re in lockdown and finding yourself increasingly grumpy and/or sluggish, Guardian Australia’s Alyx Gorman has investigated how you can best avoid “lockdown brain”:
That’s it from me, Helen Livingstone, I’m handing over to my UK colleague Robyn Vinter.
Here’s a brief rundown of what’s been happening so far:
Gordon Brown has accused the EU of adopting a “neocolonial approach” to the supply of Covid-19 vaccines and demanded rich western nations relinquish their stranglehold on pandemic treatments.
The former prime minister has called on Joe Biden, Boris Johnson and Mario Draghi to convene a special summit to coincide with next month’s UN general assembly in New York to address Africa’s vaccine deficit.
Ever wondered what it was like being a contact tracer? One anonymous contributor has told Guardian Australia what it’s like to tell someone they have Covid-19 and to have to ask them intimate questions:
Australia’s biggest city of Sydney has recorded its deadliest day of the Covid-19 pandemic, while residents in Melbourne face a nightly curfew and a further two weeks of lockdown amid a surge in infections.
Sydney, which is in its eighth week of lockdown, is the epicentre of Australia’s third Covid-19 wave.
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s rolling coverage of the coronavirus pandemic with me, Helen Livingstone.
Japan is set to extend its “state of emergency” soft lockdown in regions including Tokyo to the middle of September as well as adding several other regions, the Sankei Shimbun daily has reported.
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