Coronavirus Global Updates 30 June ::: ‘Great Crisis’ in N. Korea, Delta Variant Spreads; India Cases Keep Climbing

Wed Jun 30 09:30:39 CAT 2021

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Zimbabwe COVID19 Update

COVID-19 update: As at 29 June 2021, Zimbabwe had 48 533 confirmed cases, including 38 323 recoveries and 1 761 deaths. To date, a total of 770 709 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

‘Great Crisis’ in N. Korea, Delta Variant Spreads: Virus Update

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said a “grave” situation stemming from quarantine negligence has created a “great crisis,” according to a state media report that didn’t provide any details. The statement came after the country has claimed for more than a year it has avoided Covid.

More than 3 billion doses of Covid vaccine have been administered around the world as the pace of the global rollout continues to accelerate. Moderna Inc. said its vaccine produced protective antibodies against the contagious delta variant, which is fast becoming the dominant strain in France, Germany, South Africa and other nations.

In Australia, the remote Outback town of Alice Springs became the latest region to enter a lockdown as the delta variant spreads across the continent. Cases continued to climb in Tokyo, with less than a month before the scheduled start of the Olympic Games.

Singapore’s Sinovac Users to Miss Out on Benefits 
People in Singapore who opt for the Sinovac vaccine  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QVI1KTT0G1KZ> won’t get the same benefits as those vaccinated with government-approved mRNA vaccines from Pfizer or Moderna, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Doctors are required to tell patients receiving vaccines under the city-state’s special access route -- which Sinovac has qualified under -- “that they may not be regarded in the same manner as those vaccinated under our national programme, so that their patients can weigh the risk versus benefits of proceeding with vaccination using such SAR vaccines,” the ministry said.

India Cases Keep Climbing 
India added 45,951 new Covid-19 cases Wednesday, taking the total tally to more than 30 million infections in the second worst-hit nation. Covid-related deaths rose by 817 to more than 398,400, according to latest data from the health ministry.

The South Asian nation has administered about 333 million vaccine doses as it races to avert a possible  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-24/record-vaccinations-may-not-stop-a-deadly-third-wave-in-india> third wave. Five Indian drugmakers, including Cipla Ltd., Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., announced late Tuesday  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QVGLG8T1UM11> plans to collaborate in clinical trials of an experimental anti-viral drug Molnupiravir for the treatment of mild Covid-19 infections.

Tourism Crash May Cause $4 Trillion Loss 
The slump in tourism caused by Covid-19 will cost the global economy  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-30/global-tourism-crash-may-cause-4-trillion-loss-to-world-economy> more than $4 trillion for 2020 and 2021, much worse than anticipated, as an uneven vaccination rollout crushes developing countries that are highly dependent on international visitors.

The losses this year alone could amount to $1.7 trillion to $2.4 trillion, even as international tourism rebounds in the second half in countries like the U.S., the U.K. and France, which have higher vaccination rates, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said in a report.

Osaka to End Restrictions If 70% Vaccinated 
Japan’s Osaka prefecture will remove social restrictions imposed to contain coronavirus outbreaks if more than 70% of its population receives a second dose of Covid vaccine, Kyodo reported, citing a draft of its exit strategy.

Australia’s Tardy Rollout Criticized 
Australian health experts are  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-30/australia-s-tardy-vaccine-rollout-criticized-amid-new-lockdowns> ramping up criticism on the government’s rollout of coronavirus vaccines, saying it’s been too slow and disorganized, and could potentially lead to more lockdowns such as those currently impacting half the population.

Since the weekend, more than 12 million Australians have been ordered to stay at home in cities continent-wide, including the state capitals of Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, as authorities battle to contain a spread of the delta variant. New South Wales state on Wednesday recorded 22 new local cases from the day before as it strives to overcome the nation’s most serious outbreak in Sydney.

Hong Kong, Macau Plan Limited Travel 
Hong Kong and Macau  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QVHNMFT1UM0W> plan “limited reopening” of travel between the two cities by exempting quarantine for arrivals in mid-July, Hong Kong Economic Journal reports, citing unidentified people.

Delta Variant to Dominate 
The delta variant first reported in India is about 55% more transmissible than the alpha variant, making it likely to outcompete other strains and predominate in coming months, the World Health Organization  <https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update-on-covid-19---29-june-2021> said Tuesday, noting 96 countries have reported cases of the delta variant. A number of these countries are attributing surges in infections and hospitalizations to delta, the WHO said in a weekly report.

Singapore Changes Data Reporting 
Singapore is  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-29/singapore-to-focus-on-local-virus-cluster-trends-prevention> changing the way it reports on progress against Covid-19 in the country, focusing on key trends and the number of severe virus cases while dropping detailed information about individual infections.

The change comes “as we move to a new phase of battling the pandemic, with a strong focus on preventing the virus from spreading, vaccinating our population and starting the process to transit to a new normal,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

Quarantine Negligence in North Korea 
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said a “grave” situation stemming from quarantine negligence has  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-29/kim-jong-un-says-grave-incident-caused-by-quarantine-lapse> created a crisis, hinting at Covid risks that could affect his rule after his regime has denied it has had any infections.

There were no details of the nature of the incident in the report from the state’s official Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday. Kim said through dereliction of duty, cadres neglected executing important decisions for prolonged national quarantine efforts, “creating a great crisis in ensuring the security of the state and safety of the people,” KCNA reported.

Royal Caribbean’s Travel Insurance Policy 
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. says it will now require unvaccinated guests over the age of 12 joining its cruises from Florida to have travel insurance. The requirement was introduced after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis barred companies from asking customers about their Covid-19 vaccine status.

Tunisia Cases Hit Record 
Tunisia  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QVHC59T1UM0X> extended curfews in all of its provinces and introduced new travel restrictions as the country reported 5,251 Covid-19 cases along with 106 deaths Tuesday, a daily record since the beginning of the pandemic.

More Than 3 Billion Doses Administered Globally 
At least 3.01 billion doses of Covid vaccine have been administered around the world, according to the latest data from Bloomberg, as the pace of the global rollout continues to accelerate.

Of the about 43 million doses now being administered every day, according to Bloomberg’s Vaccine Tracker, almost half are being performed in China. China’s pace of vaccinations is enough to cover 75% of the population there with a two-dose vaccine in about a month from now, a remarkably rapid rollout that has eclipsed similar efforts in the U.S., the European Union and India.

The pace of the global vaccine effort continues to accelerate. It took 143 days to perform the first billion doses, and another 40 days for the second billion. The third billion doses were performed in 26 days, according to Bloomberg’s data.

Executives Freed From England Quarantine 
Senior executives who have traveled to England can  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-29/top-business-executives-freed-from-quarantine-in-england> temporarily leave quarantine if their work is likely to bring major benefits to the U.K. economy, the government announced on Tuesday.

The exemption from isolation rules for newly arrived travelers applies to multinational executives who are visiting British branches of their firms. Critics of the decision questioned why it wasn’t also extended to smaller businesses.

Moderna Shot Produces Delta Antibodies 
Moderna Inc. said its vaccine produced  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-29/moderna-s-covid-shot-produces-antibodies-against-delta-variant> protective antibodies against the delta variant spreading in the U.S. and many other parts of the world.

Moderna researchers tested blood samples from eight people for antibodies against versions of the spike protein from different coronavirus variants, including delta, which emerged in India. The vaccine “produced neutralizing titers against all variants tested,” the company said in a statement. The results were released on the pre-print server bioRxiv.

Portugal Reports Highest Cases Since Mid-Feb. 
Portugal reported 1,746 new cases on Tuesday, the most since Feb. 19, according to government data. The number of patients in intensive-care units rose by four to 119. There were six fatalities, taking the total to 17,092. The latest figures are still a fraction of the daily record reported at the end of January.

Gaps in U.S. Vaccination Rates 
The gap between the most and least vaccinated places in the U.S. has exploded in the past three months and continues to widen despite efforts to persuade more Americans to get a shot. In the bottom fifth of counties -- which tend to be more rural, more poor, less educated and more likely to lean politically to the right -- only 28% of people have received a first dose, on average, and 24% are fully vaccinated.

The slowing rate of new vaccinations shows that despite the Biden administration’s “month of action” to hit its vaccine target of 70% of adults with at least one dose by July 4, some areas are proving hard to reach.

Japan Eyes Extending Measures: Report 
The Japanese government is planning to extend strong virus measures it has in place in Tokyo and other areas by two to four weeks to coincide with the early days of the Olympics, the Mainichi newspaper reported, without saying where it got the information.

Government officials have started floating the idea of holding the Olympics without spectators if the measures are extended beyond July 11, when they are set to expire, the report said. Some government officials as seeing the prospect of the games held without spectators as “unavoidable” given recent developments, according to the Mainichi.

Tokyo reported 476 confirmed cases on Tuesday. The seven-day average of new cases is now 22% higher than what it was a week ago. Jiji  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QVGCZLT1UM11> reported earlier that Tokyo will suspend part of the Olympic Torch relay due to start July 9 in the outskirts of the city because of concern about the virus spread.

More Than 60% of Europe’s Adults Vaccinated 
More than 60% of European adults have received at least one shot, and 41% are fully vaccinated, Ursula Von Der Leyen said at the Brussels Economic Forum.

“We also have to support our neighbors; we have to support the rest of the world because we will only be able to turn this page when we have reached immunity worldwide,” she said.

Delta Variant Spreads 
The variant now accounts for about 20% of new cases in France, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on France2 TV. That’s double what it was over the past week. While cases overall continue to drop, the variant first found in India “is gradually becoming dominant, like it is in all countries in the world,” he said. The pace of vaccinations is slowing, Veran said, calling on people to sign up for shots.

Separately, German Chancellery Minister Helge Braun said the variant probably accounts for about half of cases in Germany, and authorities are pushing to rapidly increase the number of fully vaccinated. Germany already has the strictest inbound travel rules in Europe for arrivals from designated virus-variant areas, and the interior ministry is ready to introduce spot checks at the borders if needed, Braun said in an interview with ZDF television.

In Kenya, the delta variant may spark a  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-29/delta-variant-may-spark-catastrophic-wave-in-kenya-in-weeks> fourth wave of infections over the next two months, according to the East African nation’s Health Ministry.

Indonesia to Enforce Stricter Curbs
Indonesia is set to enforce stricter curbs in a bid to halt increasing infections. The new restrictions will be comprehensive, and people living in worst-infected areas will be encouraged to stay at home and avoid non-essential travel, Alexander Ginting, a member of the Covid-19 task force, said in an interview with MetroTV. The government is still finalizing the plan.

New Peaks

Indonesia is battling its worst wave of coronavirus infections yet

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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