OVERVIEW: Japan, Israel to share vaccines with Asian countries

Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus Japan said on Tuesday it would ship millions more doses of AstraZeneca Plc's vaccine to Asian neighbours this week as a continuation of bilateral donations. Reuters Staff U.S.

(Reuters) - Japan said on Tuesday it would ship millions more doses of AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine to Asian neighbours this week as a continuation of bilateral donations.

The country is also likely to extend a quasi state-of-emergency for the greater Tokyo area by a month, and some Olympics events including the opening ceremony may be held without spectators, Kyodo News reported.

* Israel will deliver about 700,000 expiring doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine to South Korea this month, and South Korea will give Israel back the same number, already on order from Pfizer, in September and October.  (See More)

* The world can no longer think only about COVID-19 and ignore the other critical health issues, economic problems and education challenges that have built up during the pandemic, Britain’s health minister said.

* Germany’s public health institute said on Monday the United Kingdom, India, Nepal, Portugal and Russia were no longer “areas of variant concern”, reducing travel restrictions for people arriving from those countries.

* Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel is in a serious but stable condition after contracting COVID-19 and will remain in hospital for the time being, the government said.

* Coronavirus infections in Spain have risen by 32,607 since Friday, official data showed on Monday, 85% more than the previous weekend’s increase as the Delta variant drives a surge among unvaccinated young people.

* India’s deaths relative to infections hit a record high in June after cases peaked in early May, an analysis of government data shows, amid pressure on authorities to accurately report deaths from a second wave of the virus.

* Indonesia has prepared backup medical facilities for a worst-case scenario where daily infections reach 40,000 to 50,000, a senior official said, as the country battles its fastest-spreading outbreak.

* Struggling to contain an outbreak of the highly-transmissible Delta variant, Fiji reported a record 636 infections and six deaths on Tuesday, with the mortuary at the Pacific island’s main hospital filled to capacity. ...