China’s National Health Commission sent a special team to the city of Putian in eastern China’s Fujian province after Covid-19 cases were reported, according to broadcaster CGTN.
The nation recorded 20 new local cases yesterday, all from Fujian and including 19 in Putian, the commission said in a statement Sunday. The province also found 18 asymptomatic cases, 17 of which were in Putian, according to the statement.
The new outbreak comes less than a month after China quelled its most widespread resurgence of the coronavirus since the initial Wuhan outbreak.
Putian has identified a few local communities and villages as high-and medium-risk, and is conducting nucleic acid tests on all 101,000 residents of the Fengting area, according to a statement on the city government’s website on Sunday.
Local authorities have also advised residents not to leave the city without good reason such as seeking medical treatment, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
Provincial and intercity shuttle buses operating from Putian have been suspended. Public facilities such as libraries and sport stadiums have also been closed as part of the measures to control the outbreak, according to CGTN.
Key developments:
Bangladesh reopens schools
Students in Bangladesh returned to in-person classes on Sunday after a shutdown of more than a year.
Those in higher grades will have classes five days a week, while others will return once a week, according to Education Minister Dipu Moni.
“The government will shut the schools again if the coronavirus cases surge,” she said. “But there are little chances of Covid infections going up again.”
Bangladesh on Saturday recorded 1,327 new virus cases, the fewest daily count since May, taking the tally of infections to more than 1.52 million. The death toll climbed by 48, the lowest since June, to 26,880.
Mauritius plans booster shots in October
The tourism-dependent nation of Mauritius plans to roll out a booster-dose vaccination campaign from next month after taking into account recent studies and situation prevailing in other countries, Le Dimanche/L’Hebdo reported.
An additional dose is imperative for better efficiency and protection, the report said, citing Catherine Gaud, a senior advisor at the health ministry. Vaccines used in the Indian Ocean island so far are AstraZeneca’s Covishield, Sinopharm, Covaxin, Sputnik and Johnson & Johnson.
Spread of the coronavirus slows in Germany
The spread of the coronavirus slowed in Germany on Sunday. The number of people newly infected rose by 7,345—some 3,108 cases less than a week ago. The death toll fell to eight on Sunday, compared with 21 a week ago. The country recorded in total 4,077,640 Covid-19 infections.
HK plans new vaccination campaign for elderly
Hong Kong plans to launch a door-to-door vaccination drive in a bid to increase inoculation rates among the territory’s elderly, according to the South China Morning Post.
Patrick Nip Tak-Kuen, Secretary for the Civil Service who oversees the vaccination drive, said on a radio program that government workers will go door-to-door to visit seniors and promote appointment-free vaccination days, according to the SCMP. He said that Hong Kong’s elderly are the group with the lowest vaccination rates.
Fewer than 30% of residents over 70 have gotten their first dose, while about 64% of Hong Kong’s eligible population have received them, according to the report. The vaccination program targets to inoculate at least 70% of the eligible population.
New Zealand, Australia get vaccines
New Zealand has secured half a million doses of the Pfizer vaccine from Denmark, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Sunday. It’s the country’s second deal to boost local supplies, after buying 275,000 Pfizer shots from Spain last week.
So far enough doses have been administered to cover 42.3% of the population, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker. News of the agreement came as New Zealand recorded another 20 local cases of Covid in the past 24 hours.
Separately, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the nation has secured 1 million doses of the Moderna vaccine from European Union countries. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization now recommends Moderna for everyone aged 12 years or older, according to a government press release. The vaccine was approved for use in the country last month, where Pfizer and AstraZeneca shots are also available. So far, enough doses have been administered to cover 44% of the population.
Australia’s NSW to ease restrictions for vaccinated
Australia’s New South Wales recorded 1,262 new Covid cases over the past 24 hours, lowering the seven-day moving average for the first time in a week, according to Bloomberg calculations based on government data. From Monday, lockdown restrictions will ease somewhat for fully vaccinated people in most parts of the country’s largest state.
Victoria recorded 392 new local cases. Authorities are concerned about the spread of the virus in regional parts of the state, after some restrictions were eased on Friday. No new cases were recorded in Queensland.
Moscow cases jump as schools open
Moscow new daily Covid-19 infections jumped to the highest since Aug. 19 at 1,940 as schools opened in September and vacation season is over, according to the government’s virus response center. Moscow had daily infections record in June at 9,120, but the city administration handled the wave without lockdown.