Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
England's Reopening May Be Delayed A Month As Delta Variant Surges
CNBC: UK's Boris Johnson To Extend Covid-19 Restrictions In England: Reports
Boris Johnson is expected to announce a delay to the next phase of England’s reopening of up to four weeks on Monday, amid a surge in the delta variant of Covid-19 first discovered in India. Rules including the use of face masks, limiting the number of people who can meeting indoors and out, and shutting nightclubs and similar venues were due to be lifted on June 21, but British media reports suggest this could now be pushed back as late as July 19. At the moment, gatherings are limited to six people indoors and 30 outdoors. (Smith, 6/14)
AP: Germany Records Fewest Virus Cases In 9 Months
Germany has recorded its lowest number of new daily coronavirus infections in nearly nine months, and officials are floating the possibility of loosening mask-wearing rules. The Robert Koch Institute, the national disease control center, said Monday that 549 new cases were reported over the previous 24 hours. It’s the first time since Sept. 21 that the figure has been under 1,000, though it’s typical for numbers over the weekend to be relatively low because fewer tests are conducted and reported. (6/14)
AP: Moscow Orders New Restrictions As Covid-19 Infections Soar In The City
Moscow's mayor on Saturday ordered a week off for some workplaces and imposed restrictions on many businesses to fight coronavirus infections that have more than doubled in the past week. The national coronavirus task force reported 6,701 new confirmed cases in Moscow, compared with 2,936 on June 6. Nationally, the daily tally has spiked by nearly half over the past week, to 13,510. (6/13)
Axios: Saudi Arabia Limits Hajj Pilgrimage For Second Year Due To Pandemic
Saudi Arabia announced Saturday it was barring foreign visitors and limiting this year's hajj pilgrimage to 60,000 people from within the kingdom due to the coronavirus pandemic. It's the second year the pandemic has forced the country to restrict the annual pilgrimage, which typically draws 2 million Muslims from around the world. The hajj last year was limited to about 1,000 people. (6/12)
CNBC: India Covid Crisis: Making Vaccines Readily Available Is A Challenge
India set an ambitious target to manufacture more than 2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by December — enough to inoculate most of its massive 1.3 billion population. But authorities have to convince people to get their shots, particularly those in small towns and villages in the countryside where there’s a degree of vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine delivery and access are also challenges in rural areas due to the lack of infrastructure. (Choudhury, 6/14)
In other global developments —
Reuters: Take Your Condoms Home: Social Distancing And Sex In The Olympic Village
Tokyo Olympic organisers plan to give away about 150,000 condoms at next month's Games, but are telling athletes to take them home rather than use them in the Olympic village where social distancing rules and coronavirus measures are the top priority. Large numbers of condoms have been given out at the Games since the 1988 Seoul Olympics to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS, and organisers said the International Olympic Committee had requested their continued distribution. (Murakami, 6/13)
CIDRAP: Two Monkeypox Cases Confirmed In United Kingdom
Two monkeypox patients were identified in the United Kingdom at the end of May, one traveling from Nigeria and the other who was quarantining with the first patient upon arrival, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today. The WHO adds that the public health risk for monkeypox in the United Kingdom is low. ... Monkeypox is transmitted by contact and droplet exposure. (6/11)
The Washington Post: China Denies CNN Report Of Taishan Nuclear Plant Leak
China’s Taishan Nuclear Power Plant said accusations of dangerous levels of radiation leakage at the facility were untrue, claiming on Sunday that its two reactors “met the requirements of nuclear safety” and were operating normally. The Taishan plant, a joint venture between China General Nuclear Power Group and Électricité de France, came under scrutiny after CNN reported on Monday that U.S. officials had spent the last week assessing a warning from its French partner that Chinese safety officials were raising the allowed limits of radiation outside the plant to avoid having to shut the facility down. (Kuo, 6/14)
AP: Doctor Says Denmark Star Christian Eriksen’s Heart Stopped Before Being Resuscitated
Denmark’s team doctor said Sunday that Christian Eriksen’s heart stopped and that “he was gone” before being resuscitated with a defibrillator at the European Championship. Eriksen collapsed during Denmark’s opening Euro 2020 group game against Finland on Saturday and was given lengthy medical treatment before regaining consciousness. “He was gone. And we did cardiac resuscitation. And it was cardiac arrest,” said team doctor Morten Boesen, who led the work in giving Eriksen treatment on the field. “How close were we? I don’t know. We got him back after one defib. That’s quite fast.” (6/13)
