Coronavirus Global Updates 15 July ::: Catalonia Plans Curfew; South Korea Cases Double From Early July

Thu Jul 15 09:11:00 CAT 2021

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Coronavirus Global Updates 15 July ::: Catalonia Plans Curfew; South Korea Cases Double From Early July

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Zimbabwe COVID19 Update

COVID-19 update: As at 14 July 2021, Zimbabwe had 76 381 confirmed cases, including 49 053 recoveries and 2 332 deaths. To date, a total of 988 746 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19

Catalonia Plans Curfew; Singapore Karaoke Cluster: Virus Update
Catalonia’s government requested permission from the regional Supreme Court to impose a nighttime curfew in 158 towns and cities, including Barcelona, as infection rates surge in the coastal region. Singapore police started investigating karaoke lounges at the center of a fresh cluster.

Hong Kong next month will allow vaccinated residents and workers to return from the U.K., Brazil, India and other countries it labeled as extremely high-risk areas, according to the South China Morning Post. In South Korea, new daily infections more than doubled from earlier this month.

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Meanwhile, Argentina’s death toll from Covid-19 topped  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-14/argentina-marks-somber-milestone-as-covid-deaths-surpass-100-000> 100,000. In the U.K., Prime Minister Boris Johnson  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-14/face-mask-row-isolates-johnson-as-u-k-covid-strategy-fractures> faces a backlash from businesses and officials over his decision to make masks optional next week.

Catalonia Plans Curfew as Cases Rise 
Catalonia’s government requested permission from the regional Supreme Court to impose a nighttime curfew in 158 towns and cities as infection rates surge in the coastal region. The curfew would run from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m.

The government wants to impose the stay-at-home order as of July 17 for at least seven days in towns with more than 5,000 people and an infection rate of 400 per 100,000 people or higher. Barcelona, the Catalan capital, has an infection rate of 1,014, according to Health Ministry data published Wednesday.

WHO Urged to Issue Steroid-Treatment Alert 
The World Health Organization needs to issue an emergency clinical alert against overuse of steroids in the treatment of Covid-19 after the medication was linked to an outbreak of a deadly fungal infection called mucormycosis in India, according to an open letter by Michael Fernandes of North Carolina-based Medbase and Jan Brabek, a professor at the Charles University in Prague.  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-10/deadly-fungus-infection-found-in-covid-19-patients-in-india> Mucormycosis is now emerging in Southeast Asia and Latin America and “represents the first iatrogenic and preventable epidemic within a pandemic,” the duo said in the letter. It can kill and maim patients with some Covid sufferers losing their upper jaws and eyes.

The infection, also called “black fungus,” can damage the sinuses or lungs when the spores are inhaled, according to a May health advisory by the Indian Council of Medical Research. The advisory also warned that an overuse of steroids could worsen the condition. India, which has notified it as an epidemic, had 40,845 cases of mucormycosis as of June 28, according to a local  <https://www.livemint.com/news/india/delhi-has-more-infections-of-black-fungus-than-active-covid-19-cases-govt-data-11626227610032.html> media report.

South Asia Restricts Holiday Travel 
Countries across South Asia are looking to restrict travel to limit new infections around the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha. Authorities in Pakistan will increase curbs amid warnings of a new wave of cases, government health adviser Faisal Sultan said by phone. The country reported 2,545 new infections in the past 24 hours, the highest in more than six weeks.

The holiday will run from July 20 to July 23 in most countries. Sri Lanka, which eased restrictions on June 21, plans to bar travel between provinces until the festival is over. Bangladesh, where infections have topped 1 million, has announced plans to impose a strict lockdown after the holidays. An exodus of people from the capital Dhaka are set to head to rural areas ahead of the holiday as the government has  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QW4Y41T0G1L1> relaxed stay-at-home orders temporarily. India -- which experienced a brutal second wave in April and May -- has lifted most movement restrictions as daily new numbers have slowed down.

Malaysia Eases Curbs for Vaccinated People 
Malaysia is looking into  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QW9ONBT0AFB8> easing restrictions for people who have been fully inoculated, including allowing them to travel or dine at restaurants, the Star newspaper reported, citing Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

“I’ve asked for relaxation to be considered for those who have received two doses. This will show that while we battle with Covid, we can gradually return to normal life,” Muhyiddin was quoted as saying.

Indonesia Races to Meet Vaccination Goal 
Indonesia is  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-15/indonesia-races-to-meet-vaccination-goal-as-cases-soar-on-delta> speeding up vaccination to reach herd immunity as the highly infectious delta variant of the coronavirus continued to tear through the country. Its daily average for July has hovered at less than 850,000 vaccinations, below its 1-million-a-day target, and the government wants to raise that goal to 2 million in August and 2.5 million afterwards.

Vaccination rate in the capital Jakarta, the local virus hotspot, is reaching 70% and its curve of new cases have begun to flatten, Luhut Panjaitan, a senior minister in charge of pandemic response in the economic centers of Java and Bali said in a briefing Thursday.

Singapore Police Probe Karaoke Lounges 
Singapore is racing to figure out how to counter a  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-15/vice-muddies-singapore-s-covid-fight-as-reopening-presses-on> growing Covid cluster around karaoke lounges, where the sort of close contact and discretion essential to their normal operations complicates efforts to ring-fence these cases and prevent spread.

Investigations are ongoing against the operators of three establishments for breach of safe management measures, the Singapore Police Force said in a statement. Police have arrested 20 women suspected of involvement in vice-related activities at the lounges. Another four establishments, currently operating as food and beverage outlets, have been identified as having ongoing transmission of the virus and are being closed for two weeks for deep cleaning, the Ministry of Health said.

Vietnam Factory Sleepover Orders Expanded 
Authorities in Binh Duong province, with 27 operating industrial parks, and in other southern localities are  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QW9HFMT0AFB4> ordering companies to set up on-site sleeping accommodations for workers as Vietnam battles its worst coronavirus outbreak.

The actions follow similar moves in the nation’s commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City and northern provinces where Samsung Electronics Co. and suppliers for global giants such as Apple Inc. have factories. The government, whose economy depends on exports, is trying to contain the virus while allowing global suppliers to keep churning out products.

South Korea Cases Double From Early July 
South Korea reported 1,600 new coronavirus cases, more than double the daily tally earlier this month, as a combination of a more infectious variant and a low vaccination rate is fueling the country’s worst surge.

The Asian nation on Monday imposed the strictest distancing rules for the greater Seoul area, where the majority of the new cases is emerging. Seoul restaurants and cafes have been particularly hard hit by the measures, which include a ban on gatherings of more than two people after 6 p.m.

The Delta variant accounted for about 23% of infections last week, up from about 9% two weeks ago, while vaccine inoculations slowed due to supply issues. About 11% of the population have been fully vaccinated, little changed from earlier this month.

Ohio Outlaws School Vaccine Mandate 
Ohio says its public schools and universities can’t require students or staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19, under a bill that bars institutions from requiring people to be vaccinated with shots that haven’t received a full approval by the FDA. None of the Covid-19 vaccines have reached that stage so far.

Japan to Expand Moderna Approval to Youth 
Japan’s health ministry is set to  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QW9893T0G1L1> approve Moderna Inc.’s vaccine in children as young as 12, NHK reported, citing an unidentified person. The ministry is currently limiting the use to 18-year-olds and above, citing lack of sufficient trial data on younger people.

The ministry has completed examination of data and plans to expand the approval early next week, NHK said. The country Japan already approves the use of Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine on those 12 and older.

Hong Kong Easing Travel Curbs 
Hong Kong will allow vaccinated residents and workers to return from nations it has deemed extremely high-risk, the South China Morning Post reported. Travelers will have to provide inoculation records and a negative Covid-19 test before boarding a flight to Hong Kong. Unvaccinated students stranded in the U.K. can also return home.

Hong Kong has designated the U.K., Brazil, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Africa and Nepal as extremely-high risk areas. Fully vaccinated travelers from those countries would still require 21 days of quarantine in a designated hotel, four tests during isolation, another week of self-monitoring and testing on the 26th day upon arrival.

Serum’s Astra Shots to Get Europe Approval 
The Serum Institute of India, which makes the version of the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine known as Covishield, said European approval of the jab is expected within a month, the Telegraph  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QW93TVT0G1KW> reported.

Citi Monitoring Delta Rise 
Citigroup Inc. is  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-14/citi-watching-delta-variant-closely-as-it-maps-office-return> monitoring the rise of cases tied to the delta variant closely as the Wall Street giant prepares to invite more of its staff back to U.S. offices in the coming months.

The firm will alter those plans if local health data suggests it’s unsafe to return to the office, Chief Financial Officer Mark Mason said on a conference call with journalists. While Citigroup is planning to allow most staff to work from home, the firm has said it expects almost all employees back at least part of the time starting in September.

Moderna Value Hits $100 Billion 
 <https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/MRNA:US> Moderna Inc. briefly  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-14/moderna-joins-the-biotech-elite-as-value-reaches-100-billion> soared above a $100 billion valuation on Wednesday as vaccinations continue to ramp up across the globe.

Shares of the drug developer rose amid a broader rally in the stock market. The messenger RNA vaccine maker has surged more than 220% over the past 12 months as drugmakers raced to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus. The company’s first shots received emergency use authorization in the U.S. in December, just a week behind the first approval for the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine.

The breakthrough has  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-07-14/moderna-mrna-targets-hiv-cancer-flu-zika-after-covid-vaccine> helped vault the biotech firm to a household name as Americans identify the jab they received by the company name, “Pfizer” or “Moderna.”

Overdoses Soared in Pandemic 
U.S. drug overdose deaths  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-14/u-s-had-most-drug-overdose-deaths-on-record-in-2020-cdc-says> soared almost 30% to a record 93,331 in 2020, a year that saw hundreds of thousands of Americans killed by Covid-19.

The rise, reported by the U.S. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, illustrates how the pandemic has worsened other medical problems, from mental health issues triggered by isolation, to conditions that went untreated because patients delayed visiting their doctors. There’s also been an increase in suicide attempts.

Serbia Mulls Vaccine Lottery 
Serbia is looking to allocate budget money for a lottery that would reward people who take vaccines, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday as he outlined efforts to speed up the Balkan country’s inoculation campaign.

About half of Serbia’s population is vaccinated, reducing the number of new daily cases to double-digits in past weeks. But the campaign has now slowed to just a few thousand a day, with infections on the rise in the Balkan country of 7 million.

Face Mask Row Isolates Johnson 
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-14/face-mask-row-isolates-johnson-as-u-k-covid-strategy-fractures> increasingly isolated over his decision to scrap rules requiring face masks to be worn in shops and on public transport.

>From Monday, Johnson will lift Covid restrictions in England to make mask wearing optional in all settings. But authorities in Scotland, Wales and London are planning their own rules in which face coverings will remain compulsory.

The standoff threatens to complicate Johnson’s efforts to reopen the economy, undermining his credibility at a sensitive time.

INVESTORS DIARY 2021

Company

Event

Venue

Date & Time

Companies under Cautionary

ART

PPC

Dairibord

Starafrica

Fidelity

Turnall

Medtech

Zimre

Nampak Zimbabwe

DISCLAIMER: This report has been prepared by Bulls ‘n Bears, a division of Faith Capital (Pvt) Ltd for general information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for any securities. The information contained in this report has been compiled from sources believed to be reliable, but no representation or warranty is made or guarantee given as to its accuracy or completeness. All opinions expressed and recommendations made are subject to change without notice. Securities or financial instruments mentioned herein may not be suitable for all investors. Securities of emerging and mid-size growth companies typically involve a higher degree of risk and more volatility than the securities of more established companies. Neither Faith Capital nor any other member of Bulls ‘n Bears nor any other person, accepts any liability whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this report or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith. Recipients of this report shall be solely responsible for making their own independent investigation into the business, financial condition and future prospects of any companies referred to in this report. Other  Indices quoted herein are for guideline purposes only and sourced from third parties.

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