Australia Fights Surge; Wuhan Scientist Speaks Out: Virus Update

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Australian authorities are racing to contain outbreaks of the highly contagious delta strain that have forced two cities into lockdown and put others on high alert as the Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney now numbers 130 cases.

Hong Kong resumed vaccinations after lowering its rainstorm warning while a cluster at Singapore Changi General Hospital doubled to 10 cases.

China’s influence on The World Health Organization needs to be reined in, U.S. Senator Mitt Romney said. Meanwhile, Bloomberg News interviewed the last and only foreign scientist in the Wuhan lab, who said half-truths have obscured an accurate accounting of the facility’s functions and activities, which were more routine than how they’ve been portrayed in the media.

Key Developments:

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AstraZeneca to Complete Delivery of 6 Million Doses to Thailand (12:33 p.m. HK)

AstraZeneca Plc will complete delivery of 6 million Covid-19 vaccines to Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health by this week and is on course to begin exports to some Southeast Asian countries from early next month.

A total of 4.7 million doses have been delivered to the health ministry to date, the drugmaker said in an emailed statement. One third of the 180 million doses to be manufactured by Siam Bioscience in Thailand is reserved for local use based on the country’s order of 61 million doses, AstraZeneca said.

New Zealand Considering Mandatory Tools to Combat Virus Risk (12:25 p.m. HK)

New Zealand will consider making use of the Covid tracer app mandatory in high risk areas such as bars and restaurants, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters in Wellington Monday.

The potential move comes amid declining scanning rates of QR codes that is making contact tracing more difficult. The government will also consider making mask wearing mandatory in high risk areas.

India Covid Deaths Fall to Lowest in More Than 2 Months (11:37 a.m. HK)

India’s confirmed daily deaths fell below 1,000 for the first time in more than two months as the government seeks to boost vaccinations.

There were 979 new Covid-19 fatalities, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on its website. That’s the lowest since 879 death were recorded for April 13. India has now administered 323.7 million doses but only a little over 4% of its 1.4 billion population is fully vaccinated.

Hong Kong to Resume Vaccinations After Storm Warning Lowered (11:17 a.m. HK)

Hong Kong will resume vaccinations after an earlier suspension caused by torrential rain that hit the financial hub.

Hong Kong Observatory lowered its warning to red from black, its highest category for rainstorms.

The disruption to inoculations came just days after 58,500 people were vaccinated on Saturday, the highest daily total since the program was rolled out in February.

“If we can maintain this number, in fact, the vaccination rate could exceed 50% by August or September,” Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan said on a radio program Saturday. “Then, it will be more qualified for us to relax social gathering and work on other relaxations.”

Australia’s New South Wales Records 18 New Local Cases (9:55 a.m. HK)

New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, recorded 18 new local cases as Sydney remains in lockdown and authorities race to contain outbreaks.

Contact tracers are battling to keep up with a growing list of exposure site with the city of Darwin in the country’s north also in lockdown. Queensland state has imposed additional restrictions while the cities of Perth and Canberra made mask-wearing mandatory in public for the first time since the pandemic began.

Singapore’s Hospital Covid Cluster Grows, Overall Cases Stable (8:31 a.m.)

Singapore’s Changi General Hospital’s Covid-19 virus cluster has doubled to 10 cases, the Straits Times reported Monday.

While Singapore’s number of new cases has stabilized, emerging clusters risk complicating plans to ease prolonged restrictions, including a limit on the number of people who can dine in at restaurants. Indoor dining restarted last week at a maximum two per table, with further easing possible in the coming weeks if cases remain under control.

Indonesia Covid-19 Vaccination Rate Reaches 1.3 Million a day (8:31 a.m. HK)

Indonesia’s vaccination rate reached 1.3 million doses a day after the government deployed the military and police to help with effort.

The government has enough supply to maintain the vaccination rate, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said in a statement. Indonesia reported a record number of daily Covid-19 infections, with 21,342 positive cases on June 27, taking its total infection number to more than 2.1 million people.

U.S. to Give 1.5 Million Moderna Doses to Honduras (7:37 a.m. HK)

The U.S. will provide Honduras with 1.5 million doses of the Moderna Inc. vaccine through COVAX, the vaccine sharing initiative.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the donation on Twitter.

The Last–And Only–Foreign Scientist in the Wuhan Lab Speaks Out (5 a.m. HK)

Danielle Anderson, the last foreign scientist to work at the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s BSL-4 lab, said she still believes the coronavirus most likely came from a natural source.

While it would be theoretically possible for a scientist in the lab to unknowingly infect themselves and to then unintentionally infect others in the community, that likelihood as exceedingly slim.

If presented with evidence that such an accident spawned Covid-19, Anderson “could foresee how things could maybe happen,” she said in an interview with Bloomberg News, the first in which she’s shared details about working at the lab. “I’m not naive enough to say I absolutely write this off.”

WATCH: An Australian expert in bat-borne viruses is the only foreign scientist to have undertaken research at the Wuhan lab. Michelle Cortez reports.

(Source: Bloomberg)

California’s Positive Test Rate Edges Higher (5:30 a.m. HK)

California’s test positivity rate rose to 1.2%, one of the highest levels in almost two months.

The delta variant has become more prevalent in the state, making up 15% of cases based on the latest monthly statistics as of June 21, up from 4.7% a month earlier.

Cases rose 2,251 to 3.7 million, while deaths climbed 45 to 62,990. Hospitalizations remained at one of the lowest levels since the start of the pandemic. More than 41.3 million vaccinations have been administered.

U.K. Defense Head Tests Positive for Covid-19 (4:35 p.m. NY)

U.K.’s defense secretary and Britain’s top six military commanders are self isolating after the head of the Armed Forces tested positive, the Telegraph reported.

Chief of the Defence Staff Nick Carter started a 10-day isolation period late last week following his test, the newspaper said, citing the Ministry of Defence.

The other officials were told to stay home after coming into “close contact” with him at a meeting, the newspaper said, citing defense sources it didn’t identify.

South Africa Raised to Second-Highest Alert Level (2:37 p.m. NY)

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa banned alcohol, outlawed public gatherings and closed schools to curb surging coronavirus infections.

The country will move to alert level 4, the nation’s second-highest, from level 3 with effect from midnight Sunday and the restrictions will remain for 14 days, Ramaphosa said in a televised address to the nation. Other restrictions include limiting travel to and from Gauteng, the nation’s commercial hub that’s been hardest-hit by a third wave of Covid-19 cases.

“We are in the grip of a devastating wave that by all indications seems like it will be worse than all those preceded it, its peak looks set to be higher than the previous waves,” Ramaphosa said. “The measures we are putting in place now are designed to allow as much economic activity to continue as possible while containing the spread of the virus.”

UAE Vaccinates 71% of Population (2:30 p.m. NY)

United Arab Emirates has vaccinated 71% of its population with Covid-19 shots, state-run WAM reported, citing health-sector spokeswoman Farida Al Hosani.

That number also represents 91.8% of the candidates qualified to receive the inoculations, she said.

The death rate from outbreak has increased in the Emirate recently due to the new coronavirus variants, she said. Unvaccinated people made up 94% of new deaths, she added.

Luxembourg PM Tests Positive (2:19 p.m. NY)

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, just days after he met face-to-face with the other 26 leaders of the European Union for a summit.

Bettel tested negative just before the two-day European Council began on Thursday and he wasn’t in close contact with any of the leaders, an EU spokesman said on Twitter.

“During the European Council, all sanitary measures were in place and the meeting was organized so as to ensure that social distancing could be observed at all times,” the spokesman wrote.

N.Y. Hospitalizations Now at Pandemic Low (NY 12:35 p.m.)

Hospitalizations, the number of patients in intensive care and intubations across the state of New York are all at their lowest levels since the pandemic began, governor Andrew Cuomo said.

Some 346 New Yorkers tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday, with 198 of that total in New York City.

Saudi Arabia Wants Pilgrims Fully Vaccinated (12:10 p.m. NY)

Saudi Arabia stressed the importance of getting two vaccine doses for all those attending Hajj this year, the Hajj and Umra Ministry said on Sunday.

The Arab kingdom earlier said it will only allow 60,000 nationals and residents to attend the annual pilgrimage for the second year in a row, in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

China Shouldn’t Be Big Part of WHO, Romney Says (11:20 a.m. NY)

Mitt Romney, Republican Senator of Utah, said he doesn’t know the origin of the Covid-19 virus, but is against China playing an important role in the World Health Organization.

“China’s effort to play a more and more assertive role in international bodies has to be pushed back or, in some cases, eliminated,” Romney said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “They really shouldn’t be part of WHO in any significant way. And I think it’s because they have not been open and transparent.”

China has rejected the theory that the virus originated in a lab in Wuhan, and a WHO report released in March called a lab leak unlikely.

U.K. New Cases and Death Numbers Decline (11:15 a.m. NY)

The U.K. reported the fewest daily coronavirus cases in five days and the number of deaths fell by half, a potential sign that the recent surge in cases linked to the delta variant may be nearing its peak. A total of 14,876 new cases were reported Sunday, down from 18,270 on Saturday, with deaths declining to 11 from 23 on Saturday.

The success of the country’s vaccine campaign -- more than 84% of adults have had at least one shot -- has limited the impact of the latest outbreak with fewer people getting serious cases or requiring hospitalization than in the previous waves.

Ireland to Decide Soon on Possible Reopening Delay (8:52 a.m. NY)

Ireland’s prime minister said the government will decide early this week on whether to delay a planned reopening of indoor hospitality venues beyond July 5 over concerns about the delta variant.

Nphet, the Irish public health agency, is likely to meet on Monday in advance of a planned Tuesday Cabinet meeting, Taoiseach Micheal Martinsaid Sunday on RTE Television, according to the Irish Independent newspaper.

Martin said the nation’s calculus is different now from when it locked down over Christmas. Data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control show Ireland has the highest uptake in Europe of Covid vaccines among people 50 or older.

U.K.’s Javid Says Priority Is Getting Back to Normal (7:08 a.m. NY)

The U.K.’s new health chief Sajid Javid, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer, said his top priority is ending the pandemic amid a surge in virus cases that’s delayed the easing of restrictions. Javid was named to the post Saturday by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The latest official figures show new coronavirus cases in the U.K. have climbed to their highest level since early February, with 18,270 new infections reported Saturday.

— With assistance by Robert Fenner, Anurag Kotoky, Sunil Jagtiani, Michelle Fay Cortez, Felix Tam, Arys Aditya, Chanyaporn Chanjaroen, Jason Scott, Georgina McKay, Muneeza Naqvi, and Prim Chuwiruch