Coronavirus Global Updates 25 June ::: S. Africans March for Vaccine; Sydney to Lock Down

Fri Jun 25 09:39:05 CAT 2021

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Zimbabwe COVID19 Update

COVID-19 update: As at 24 June 2021, Zimbabwe had 44 306 confirmed cases, including 37 524 recoveries and 1 709 deaths. To date, a total of 725 582 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19. 

S. Africans March for Vaccine; Sydney to Lock Down: Virus Update

South Africans were set to march in Pretoria as a third wave of infections in the  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-24/s-african-economic-hub-s-third-wave-peak-expected-in-early-july> country’s economic hub is expected to peak in early July. More than a half-million Sydney residents  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-25/four-local-areas-of-sydney-to-lock-down-as-delta-cluster-spreads> will go into lockdown as Australia races to control an outbreak of the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus.

President Joe Biden  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-24/biden-warns-of-deadly-variant-as-he-urges-americans-to-get-shots> warned of the risks posed by the delta strain as he prodded Americans to get vaccinated amid a decline in the pace of inoculations. India hit a  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-24/record-vaccinations-may-not-stop-a-deadly-third-wave-in-india> single-day record this week with more than 8 million Covid-19 vaccinations -- but that may not be enough for a country just emerging from a devastating second wave to head off a third one, experts say.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QV85ATDWRGG1> two unvaccinated children on the Adventure of the Seas turned up positive for Covid-19 following routine testing that’s required before returning home. In Mexico, the health regulator will allow use of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QV86D1DWLU6H> for adolescents.

South African Party to Lead March for Vaccines 
A South African political party was set to lead  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-25/s-africa-s-eff-marches-to-demand-russia-china-vaccine-approval> a march Friday in Pretoria, demanding that the national health-products regulator immediately approve Covid-19 vaccines from Russia and China.

The march led by the Economic Freedom Fighters, which has been criticized because it comes at the height of a third wave of infections, will make its way to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority office. The agency says it’s evaluating the Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines from China and the Sputnik V shot from Russia.

The  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-24/s-african-economic-hub-s-third-wave-peak-expected-in-early-july> country’s economic hub of Gauteng, which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria, is expected to hit a peak of infections in the first week of July, according to modeling prepared for the provincial government. While an unexpected surge to a record 10,870 daily infections on Wednesday may portend a worse outcome, data show the province will likely have about 65,000 active cases from June 29 to July 9 before they begin to decline.

Indonesia Eases Vaccination Rules 
Amid a worsening virus wave, Indonesia is letting all adults get vaccinated and using bars, schools and places of worship as vaccination posts, while  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QV8QTPDWRGG2> scrapping the requirement for people to prove they live in the cities and provinces where they’re getting their shots. President Joko Widodo has set a goal of 1 million doses a day starting in July, from about 700,000 currently.

With Covid bed occupancy exceeding 90%, Jakarta is converting hospitals to focus on the pandemic while turning away those with light symptoms. Emergency response units in the city will be turned into isolation rooms for patients with lighter symptoms, while urgent care will be moved to tents outside the hospitals. On Wednesday, the capital recorded its highest demand for  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-24/jakarta-burials-hit-pandemic-record-as-delta-variant-spreads> burial services since the pandemic began.

Abu Dhabi Says Won’t Vaccinate Tourists 
The capital of the United Arab Emirates said it isn’t offering coronavirus vaccines to tourists. The Abu Dhabi media office said in a tweet the emirate is  <https://twitter.com/admediaoffice/status/1408047335683280897> offering free vaccines only to those with valid or expired residency visas, excluding holders of tourist or visitor visas.

Vietnam to Vaccinate Chinese ‘Soon’ After Complaints 
Vietnam is revamping the way it  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-25/vietnam-to-vaccinate-chinese-nationals-soon-after-complaints> distributes vaccines donated by Beijing after China complained it was failing to honor an earlier agreement. China’s embassy in Hanoi said Friday that Vietnam agreed to give Chinese nationals coronavirus vaccines it donated “as soon as possible.”

“According to the bilateral consensus, the Vietnamese government promised multiple times that vaccines donated by China will be prioritized for Chinese nationals, Vietnamese who need to travel to China for work and people living in the border areas,” an unnamed official at the Chinese embassy said in a statement Thursday. Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Women Bore Covid Child-Care Burden: Study 
 <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-25/women-did-three-times-as-much-unpaid-child-care-as-men-during-covid-pandemic> Child-care demands at home skyrocketed during the pandemic, but men and women did not split the burden equally, according to a study released Friday by the Center for Global Development. Globally, women took on 173 additional hours of unpaid child care last year, compared to 59 additional hours for men, the poverty non-profit said. The gap widened in low- and middle-income countries, where women cared for children for more than three times as many hours as men did.

The study used figures from Unesco and the OECD to measure the number of children home from school and the average time men and women in various countries spent on unpaid childcare before the pandemic. In India, where school closures added 176 billion hours of child care, the study estimated women took on more than 10 times the burden men did.

Hong Kong Sees First Local Case Since June 7 
Hong Kong’s government is investigating a local Covid case from an unknown source that may involve a version of the delta strain, a Department of Health official said Thursday.

The case is a 27-year-old man who worked as an airline ground crew staff member at Hong Kong International Airport but had no recent travel history, according to the official. His family members and close contacts have tested negative for now.

Hong Kong also will tighten quarantine requirements for U.K. arrivals starting June 28, according to a government statement Thursday. The city will raise the U.K.’s Covid risk designation to “very high” from “high,” which means arrivals will be subject to a 21-day quarantine at designated hotels, regardless of their vaccination status.

Japan to Donate Vaccines to Taiwan, Southeast Asia 
Japan  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QV8IWODWX2PX> will provide 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine to each of Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia from July 1, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday. Taiwan and Vietnam, which already have received some shots from Japan, will each receive an additional 1 million doses, Motegi said.

Sydney Areas to Lockdown Amid Delta Outbreak 
More than 500,000 Sydney residents will  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-25/four-local-areas-of-sydney-to-lock-down-as-delta-cluster-spreads> go into lockdown for at least a week as Australia races to control an outbreak of the delta variant. People who live or work in four of Sydney’s most populous areas, including the Central Business District, will be allowed to leave home only for four specified essential reasons, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters Friday.

Berejiklian previously had barred about 1 million of Sydney’s 6 million population from leaving the city. The new steps come as the outbreak has climbed to 65 cases, with 22 new locally acquired cases recorded since the previous day.

Vietnam PM Aims for Domestic Vaccine by Next June 
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh aims to have a  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-25/vietnam-s-prime-minister-aims-for-domestic-vaccine-by-june-2022> domestic Covid-19 vaccine produced by June 2022 at the latest as the government ramps up its nationwide vaccination program, according to a post on the government website.

The health ministry is helping local companies in talks with Russia about a technology transfer to help Vietnam produce the Sputnik V vaccine, the post said. The World Health Organization has pledged to send experts to Vietnam to aid with vaccine production, according to a separate post on the government website citing WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Japan Emperor May Have Concerns About Olympics: Report 
Japanese Emperor Naruhito  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-24/japan-imperial-agency-sees-emperor-having-concerns-on-olympics> may have concerns the Olympics could cause coronavirus infections to rise, Kyodo News reported. The agency cited Yasuhiko Nishimura, head of the Imperial Household Agency, as telling reporters Thursday he believes the emperor is worried about whether next month’s Olympics could lead to an increase in Covid infections, given concerns voiced by the public.

Naruhito didn’t directly speak of the concerns, the Asahi newspaper quoted Nishimura as saying. Plans are being considered to have Naruhito speak at the opening ceremony, Kyodo said.

Myanmar Reports Most Cases Since Coup 
Myanmar reported 787 new coronavirus cases Thursday, the  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QV7KU4DWRGG3> highest daily spike since the country’s February coup, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports. The government has imposed a stay-at-home order in nine townships across the country so far, restricting movement of over 1.23 million people, with the country’s total caseload at more than 150,000 cases.

Chile Extends State of Catastrophe 
Chile’s senate  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QV8D7LDWRGG7> approved a measure extending the country’s state of catastrophe to Sept. 30, following approval from parliament’s lower house, effective from July 1. The step gives the government the ability to close borders and impose quarantines and curfews to fight Covid.

U.K. Doesn’t Know if Rapid Tests Being Used: Watchdog 
The U.K. spent billions of pounds on rapid Covid-19 test kits but  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-24/u-k-has-no-idea-if-millions-of-rapid-covid-tests-are-being-used> has no idea if most of them are being used, according to the National Audit Office. A total of 691 million tests had been sent to homes, workplaces, schools and care settings across England as of May 26, but results from only 14% were reported, the country’s spending watchdog said Friday.

The government, which spent three billion pounds ($4.2 billion) buying about one billion rapid test kits through March, doesn’t know how many of the unregistered tests were used, it added. The findings are likely to fuel further criticism of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government, which has touted the importance of mass testing as crucial to a full reopening.

Malaysia Expects Private Vaccine Market From August 
Malaysia expects  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QV76IEDWLU6O> some companies will receive approval to bring in private vaccines from China by August, according to Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. Those who wish to expedite their vaccination may purchase jabs through this private market, said Khairy in a briefing Thursday.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s drug regulator  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QV7CK8DWLU6Q> cleared Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for local use, the sixth shot approved in the country.

Biden Warns of Deadly Variant 
President Joe Biden  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-24/biden-warns-of-deadly-variant-as-he-urges-americans-to-get-shots> warned of the risks posed by a highly transmissible and potentially deadlier coronavirus variant as he prodded Americans to get vaccinated amid a decline in the pace of inoculations.

“This new dangerous variant continues to emerge,” Biden said in Raleigh, North Carolina, as he warned of the delta variant, first observed in India. “It’s now the most common variant in America. Unvaccinated people are incredibly vulnerable.”

Biden spoke Thursday as part of his administration’s effort to re-ignite a U.S. vaccination campaign that is slowing to a crawl. The White House conceded this week that it missed a pair of upcoming goals – for 70% of U.S. adults to have at least one shot and for 160 million people to be fully vaccinated, by July 4. Both measures are on pace to hit a few weeks late.

Roche Gets FDA Authorization for Actemra 
 <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QV8AE0DWRGG2> Roche’s Actemra received an emergency-use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Covid-19 in some hospitalized patients.

Actemra may be effective for patients who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental oxygen, non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, according to an FDA letter.

Two Kids Test Positive on Royal Caribbean Cruise 
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QV85ATDWRGG1> two unvaccinated children on the Adventure of the Seas turned up positive for Covid-19 following routine testing that’s required before returning home.

Both are under age 16 and were immediately quarantined, the cruise operator said Thursday on its website. One was asymptomatic and the other had mild symptoms, the company said.

India’s Record Vaccinations May Not Stop New Wave 
India this week hit a  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-24/record-vaccinations-may-not-stop-a-deadly-third-wave-in-india> single-day record by administering more than 8 million Covid-19 vaccinations -- but even this unprecedented pace may not be fast enough for a country just emerging from a devastating second wave to head off a third one, experts say.

They also question whether this week’s push averaging about 4.6 million doses a day, up from about 3 million for most of the past month, can be sustained.

Despite halting all vaccine exports in April and benefiting from a huge vaccine-production industry, India has covered only 4% of its population, putting it far behind most of the West and China, which is deploying about 20 million doses a day. At this rate, some scientists say a third wave could arrive within months, driving fears the country may see a repeat of the recent nightmare of oxygen shortages and overwhelmed hospitals.

Merkel, Macron Scold Greece for Lax Rules
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-24/merkel-macron-back-curbs-on-travel-scold-greece-for-lax-rules> criticized Greece and other tourism-dependent countries for freely accepting visitors inoculated with less-effective Chinese and Russian vaccines, signaling the possibility of curbs on travel ahead of Europe’s peak tourist season.

During a closed-door meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels, Merkel said EU countries such as Greece have welcomed travelers who got the Sputnik shot, even though it hasn’t been approved by EU regulators and it’s unclear whether it works against the more dangerous delta variant. These visitors can then freely move within the EU’s free-travel zone, Merkel told her colleagues, according to officials familiar with the conversation.

U.K.’s Limited Quarantine Easing Draws Criticism 
The U.K. added Spain’s Balearic islands and Malta to its quarantine-free travel list and said rules will be relaxed for more countries in the summer for people who are  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-24/u-k-adds-balearics-isles-malta-to-quarantine-free-travel-list> fully vaccinated.

The shift is a boost for airlines and the travel industry ahead of school holidays that begin in July. Bermuda, Madeira and a number of Caribbean destinations were also added to the list.

Masks Back in Israel, Off in Hungary 
Israelis can expect to start donning masks again and the country has put off reopening to foreign tourists after its  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-23/israel-moves-to-douse-upsurge-in-delta-variant-covid-cases> bid to return to a post-Covid normal was hobbled by a surge in infections linked to the highly transmissible delta variant.

New cases were down to the single digits in mid-June, but this week topped 100 for three straight days. Most new cases have been unvaccinated children and people returning from abroad. Some of the sick had been fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Hungary, another vaccination front-runner, is going in the opposite direction. Authorities in the eastern European country will  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QV76WHDWX2PW> end a requirement to wear masks indoors once 5.5 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, Cabinet Minister Gergely Gulyas said. People will no longer be required to show vaccination certificates in restaurants, hotels and public baths, Gulyas said at a briefing in Budapest. He said Hungary will reach 5.5 million vaccinated by next week.

Spaniards won’t  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-24/spaniards-can-ditch-face-masks-outdoors-with-covid-curbs-easing> need to wear masks outdoors from Saturday.

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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