Coronavirus Global Updates May 24 ::: U.S. Case Rate Slowing; China Denies Lab Report

Mon May 24 16:38:04 CAT 2021

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Zimbabwe COVID19 Update

COVID-19 update: As at 23 May 2021, Zimbabwe had 38 682 confirmed cases, including 36 453 recoveries and 1 586 deaths. To date, a total of 632 496 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

U.S. Case Rate Slowing; China Denies Lab Report: Virus Update

China accused the U.S. of promoting theories that the coronavirus escaped from a high-security lab in Wuhan, as a fresh report about sick workers at the facility prompted Beijing to reaffirm denials.

The spread of Covid-19 in the U.S. continues to slow, with the country ending its first week since June with no days of infections exceeding 30,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that under-vaccinated areas in the U.S. could become hot spots for a mutation of the coronavirus first detected in India and is  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-23/cdc-ramps-up-research-on-highly-contagious-variant-from-india> increasing surveillance of the more-transmissible variant.

Asia sped up actions to tackle the resurgence of the coronavirus in the region with plans to vaccinate more people, faster testing and further restrictions. Singapore approved a Covid breath test that gives results within a minute, while Japan has opened large-scale vaccination centers in Tokyo and Osaka, and Malaysia is <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-22/malaysia-announces-rules-to-reduce-movements-in-virus-fight>  rolling out new curbs.

IOC to Offer Shots for 20,000 
The International Olympic Committee will  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QTM5OST0AFBW> offer vaccines for 20,000 in Japan as part of the Tokyo Olympics, Kyodo reported.

Thailand Extends Time Between Astra Shots 
Thailand’s Health Ministry increased the period between the first and second dose of AstraZeneca Plc shots to 16 weeks from 10 weeks, Permanent Secretary of Public Health Kiattiphum Wongrajit said. The adjustment will allow more shots to be distributed to more people in a country that’s currently battling its worst coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began.

Maldives to Extend Capital City Curfew 
Maldives, which has the world’s fastest growing Covid-19 epidemic, plans to extend a 12-hour curfew in its capital in a bid to slow down the outbreak. The Indian Ocean archipelago has the highest number of infections per million people over the last 7 and 14 days, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

“The initial restrictions have had an impact on the curve,” Mohamed Mabrook Azeez, spokesman for the president’s office, said in an interview on Monday. “We feel that more measures are needed to further slow down the number of positive cases.”

Croatia Eases Restrictions 
Croatia said it will ease pandemic measures such as the size of gatherings and restaurant opening hours, Deputy Prime Minister Davor Bozinovic said.

Singapore Airport Tightens Measures 
Singapore’s Changi Airport will  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-24/singapore-airport-to-tighten-rules-to-curb-virus-spread-today> impose stricter measures at its terminals to safeguard against further coronavirus transmissions after concluding investigations into an earlier outbreak, the Today newspaper reported.

The airport will separate staff handling both incoming and outgoing travelers into various zones and will implement stringent movement controls between these areas, Changi Airport Group Singapore Pte. Chief Executive Lee Siow Hiang was cited as saying. The new measures are set to be fully in place by June 13.

China Accuses U.S. of Hyping Virus Lab Theory 
China accused the U.S. of  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-24/china-accuses-u-s-of-hyping-theory-coroavirus-escaped-from-lab> promoting theories that the coronavirus escaped from a high-security lab in Wuhan, as a fresh report about sick workers at the facility prompted Beijing to reaffirm denials.

“The report that you mentioned about three people getting sick, that is not true,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular briefing Monday in Beijing. Zhao was responding to a Wall Street Journal report that a trio of researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology had fallen ill and sought hospital care in November 2019.

The facility previously denied claims of workers getting sick, including a U.S. State Department fact sheet published in January that asserts that several researchers from the institute became sick in autumn 2019. Zhao said the U.S. has been hyping the lab-leak theory.

Ireland May Announce Reopen Roadmap 
Ireland may publish a new plan to reopen aviation, indoor dining, and to allow some spectators at sports and concerts. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin is set to announce the so-called roadmap to reopen those three sectors by July in a speech scheduled for May 28, The Irish Times reported. There have been no crowds at sports or concerts for more than a year, while dining indoors has been banned since Christmas.

Melbourne Races to Contain New Virus Cases 
Australian authorities are  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-24/melbourne-races-to-contain-virus-as-4-new-cases-detected> racing to determine the source of a small cluster of coronavirus cases in Melbourne, the first community infections in the nation’s second-most populous cities in almost three months.

The city of about 5 million people has largely contained the virus after enduring one of the world’s longest and most stringent lockdowns last year.

Taiwan Evaluates Extending Soft Lockdown 
Taiwan is  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QTLM28T1UM12> evaluating whether to extend a soft-lockdown, health minister Chen Shih-chung says at briefing in Taipei, after the country reported 334 local virus cases on Monday.

Meanwhile, the capital Taipei banned all on-site dining and drinking from May 24.. Outlets will only be allowed to serve takeout food or make deliveries. Operators who fail to comply will be fined as much as NT$15,000 ($536).

Thailand Detects Virus Variants 
Thailand has detected eight new cases of a Covid-19 variant first found in South Africa, Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences, said on Monday. The number of cases of the variant initially found in India is still on the rise, he said, adding that authorities continue to collect samples from various construction worker camps in Bangkok.

The majority of the infections during the current outbreak were of the variant first detected in the U.K., but hundreds of weekly illegal border crossings, bypassing the country’s mandatory quarantine, pose threats of the introduction of other variants.

India’s Death Toll Passes 300,000 
India reported 222,315 new coronavirus infections on Monday, the lowest since April 16, government data show. While cases have peaked, Covid-19 has now killed more than 300,000 people in the country. Almost 4,500 people died over the past 24 hours and fatalities continue at near-record levels.

Local media reports cite doctors as identifying gangrene among the complications resulting from Covid infections in the country

Singapore Approves Covid Breath Test 
Singapore  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-24/covid-breath-test-provisionally-approved-for-use-in-singapore> has approved a breath test designed to detect Covid-19 and give accurate results within a minute. The Breathonix test has so far undergone three clinical trials, and achieved a sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 95% in one early Singapore-based pilot study that involved 180 patients.

The city-state will screen incoming travelers from Malaysia at the Tuas Checkpoint on the western side of the island in a deployment trial of the breathalyzers, the Straits Times reported. Anyone who tests positive in the breath test would be screened in a confirmatory PCR swab test. Singapore currently screens entrants with antigen rapid tests, which would continue alongside the breathalyzers.

Japan Opens Vaccination Centers 
Japan’s large-scale vaccination centers in Tokyo and Osaka opened from Monday, as the government pushes towards the goal to administer 1 million doses a day and finish inoculating the country’s 36 million over-65s by the end of July.The venues will use Moderna Inc.’s vaccine. A total of 7,500 people are expected to get the shots at the venues on the first day, according to broadcaster NHK. Japan has been slow in its vaccination drive, with local municipalities largely responsible for inoculating its residents with vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE.

Malaysia Curbs Movements in New Restrictions 
In  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-22/malaysia-announces-rules-to-reduce-movements-in-virus-fight> new rules imposed in Malaysia from May 25, businesses will only be allowed to operate from 8 a.m until 8 p.m. daily, while about 80% of government officers and 40% of private sector employees will work from home.

High-risk places will be shut immediately and usage of public transportation will be limited to 50% capacity. Further guidelines for the economy are expected to be announced. The moves are an attempt by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to tamp down new infections without derailing the nascent economic recovery by imposing a nationwide lockdown.

Wuhan Researchers Hospitalized in Late 2019 
Three researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology sought hospital care in November 2019, about the time when experts say the coronavirus began circulating around the Chinese city, the Wall Street Journal  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QTKPZ80799MR> reported.

U.S. intelligence report that could bolster the theory that the pandemic began at the laboratory, which studied coronaviruses. No official conclusion has been made about the origin of the virus, and many nations, including the U.S., have criticized China for a lack transparency, without overtly embracing the lab-leak theory, which had been pushed by the Trump administration.

U.S. Outbreak Continues to Weaken 
The U.S. reported just over 18,700 new cases Saturday, capping the first week since June with no days of infections exceeding 30,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. Average daily infections dropped to about 25,600, compared with almost 217,500 at the end of the first week that vaccines were rolled out in the U.S. in mid-December.

A further 481 fatalities were recorded, capping a week with the fewest fatalities since the end of March 2020.

INVESTORS DIARY 2021

Company

Event

Venue

Date & Time

Africa Day

25/05/21

Public Holiday in lieu of Independence Day falling on a Sunday

19/04/21

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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