French President’s Push Gets 1 Million To Rush For Vaccines
After President Emmanuel Macron urged immediate vaccination to save the summer vacation season and economy, over 1 million people booked shots in less than a day. Meanwhile, London's mayor says masks will remain mandatory on public transport after unlocking.
AP:
French Rush To Get Vaccinated After President's Warning
More than 1 million people in France made vaccine appointments in less than a day, according to figures released Tuesday, after the president cranked up pressure on everyone to get vaccinated to save the summer vacation season and the French economy. Some bristled at President Emmanuel Macron’s admonition to “get vaccinated!” immediately, but many people signed up for shots, accepting that getting injected was the only way to return to some semblance of pre-pandemic life. (Gouvy and Charlton, 7/13)
Reuters:
Masks To Remain Mandatory On London Transport After National Rule Easing
Masks will remain mandatory on London's public transport network after July 19, the city's mayor said on Wednesday, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government plans to lift most COVID-19 restrictions from that date in England despite rising cases. The public will be expected, rather than compelled by law, to wear masks in indoor enclosed spaces across the country from next week, as rules decided upon by the Conservative administration are eased. (7/14)
Fox News:
COVID-19 Infects About 100 Vaccinated Crewmembers On HMS Queen Elizabeth: Report
About 100 vaccinated crewmembers aboard the Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier have been diagnosed with COVID-19 but the outbreak is being managed, a report said Wednesday. The BBC reported that there are more infections on warships in the carrier group, which consists of about 3,700 personnel. The flagship of the Royal Navy has entered the Indian Ocean and will eventually head to Japan. A spokeswoman told the BBC that the cases were discovered during routine testing and there "are no effects on the deployment." (DeMarche, 7/14)
Bloomberg:
Indonesia’s Daily Cases Surpass India, Marking New Epicenter
Indonesia surpassed India’s daily Covid-19 case numbers, marking a new Asian virus epicenter as the spread of the highly-contagious delta variant drives up infections in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The country has seen its daily case count cross 40,000 for two straight days -- including a record high of 47,899 on Tuesday -- up from less than 10,000 a month ago. Officials are concerned that the more transmissible new variant is now spreading outside of the country’s main island, Java, and could exhaust hospital workers and supplies of oxygen and medication. (Hong and Jiao, 7/14)
Bloomberg:
Russia And Serum Institute Of India Sign Deal To Boost Sputnik V Covid Vaccines
Russia signed a deal with the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer to boost annual production of Sputnik V coronavirus shots by 300 million doses in India, as the South Asian nation struggles with supplies. The Serum Institute of India Ltd., which is already producing AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine, aims to deliver its first batch of Sputnik V by September, the company and the state-run Russian Direct Investment Fund, which backed the vaccine’s development and is in charge of its foreign sales, said in a joint statement Tuesday. (Kay, 7/13)
In updates on the Tokyo Olympics —
Reuters:
COVID-19 Cases Found At Olympic Hotel As IOC Hails "Historic" Games
A coronavirus cluster at a Japanese hotel where dozens of Brazilian Olympic team members are staying has raised new concern about infections at what the world's top Olympics official promised on Wednesday would be "historic" Games. Just over a week before the opening ceremony of the postponed Games, seven staff at the hotel in Hamamatsu city, southwest of Tokyo, had tested positive, a city official said. (Park and Slodkowski, 7/14)
Reuters:
Olympics Tokyo Governor Vows City's Medical System Is Ready For Games
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said on Tuesday that a sufficient number of hospitals combined with a speed-up in the COVID-19 vaccination rollout among the elderly meant the city will be able to hold "safe and secure" Olympics in 10 days. But Koike, speaking to Reuters in an interview at the Tokyo government headquarters that has for the last few weeks doubled as a vaccination site, also warned the coronavirus pandemic was far from over and the spreading Delta variant remained a risk. (Slodkowski and Miyazaki, 7/13)
The Wall Street Journal:
Team USA’s Family Section For The Tokyo Olympics Will Be In Orlando
With the Tokyo Olympics banning foreign spectators—and nearly all others—from watching the Games in person, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, NBCUniversal and two sponsors are paying to send athletes’ closest friends and family to a remote viewing-and-cheering hub at an NBCU resort in Orlando. The setup gives Olympic athletes’ loved ones a place to congregate—and it gives U.S. media-rights owner NBCUniversal, a unit of Comcast Corp. , a central spot for filming reaction shots to athlete performances 7,200 miles and 13 time zones away. (Bachman, 7/13)
Axios:
Experts Fear Olympics Could Be A Superspreader Event
Health experts fear the Tokyo Olympics could become a COVID-19 superspreader event. Infectious disease experts say the Olympics don't have strong enough protocols for testing or ventilation, either in competition venues or in the Olympic village. (Reed, 7/14)
In other global developments —
AP:
Pope Francis Seen Leaving Hospital 10 Days After Surgery
Pope Francis was seen leaving the hospital on Wednesday, 10 days after undergoing planned surgery to remove half his colon. Associated Press journalists saw a car carrying Francis, 84, leaving Rome’s Gemelli Polytechnic hospital Wednesday morning. He was sitting in the front passenger seat. (7/14)
