India’s Covid Crisis Persists; Shutdown Pressure Grows

Reuters: India’s COVID-19 Cases Dip From Peak, Calls For Shutdown Mount 
Calls grew for India to impose a nationwide lockdown as new coronavirus cases and deaths held close to record highs on Monday, increasing pressure on the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 366,161 new infections and 3,754 deaths reported by the health ministry were off a little from recent peaks, taking India's tally to 22.66 million with 246,116 deaths. (5/10)

Bloomberg: India Covid Testing, Vaccines Slow As Infections And Deaths Rise
India is testing and vaccinating its citizens at a lower rate compared with recent months even as infections and deaths surge, a portent for the fight against the coronavirus in the world’s second-most populous nation. Cases have risen 3.6 times in the last one month and deaths 6.3 times, while testing has increased only 1.5 times and daily vaccine doses fallen 38%, Bhramar Mukherjee, a professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan, wrote on Twitter. (Pradhan, 5/10)

Reuters: Eli Lilly Signs Deals To Boost Supply Of COVID-19 Treatment In India 
Eli Lilly and Co said on Monday it had signed licensing agreements with three Indian generic drugmakers to expand the availability of its arthritis drug baricitinib in the country for treating COVID-19 patients. The agreements will bolster India's arsenal of drugs to battle its catastrophic second wave of the pandemic, which has led to an acute shortage of coronavirus medicines including remdesivir and tocilizumab. (5/10)

Axios: Amazon Postpones Prime Day Sales In India And Canada Over Coronavirus Surge 
Amazon told CNBC Thursday it is delaying its annual Prime Day sales in Canada and India as both countries struggle to control surges in new coronavirus cases. In an email reviewed by Bloomberg, the company said the delay was needed to protect "the health and safety of our employees and customers," though Amazon didn’t give a rescheduled date in either country. (Knutson, 5/7)

CBS News: New York Doctor Sends Ventilators To India To Help With COVID-19 Surge
India released grim new daily COVID-19 figures on Sunday, reporting more than 400,000 new cases and 4,000 new deaths in what has become the world's worst surge of the coronavirus. Among those trying to help is a doctor from New York, who's sending over some of the supplies that helped his state survive its own catastrophic surge. There was a welcome sight at Mumbai International Airport tarmac as a shipment of much-needed medical aid and life-saving supplies arrived. Among them were ventilators that have been hard to come by.  (Chen, 5/9)

In other covid news from Asia —

Axios: Asia Faces Massive New COVID Surge 
Several Asian countries are facing new coronavirus waves, with some struggling to keep up with some of the worst outbreaks since the beginning of the pandemic. While India accounted for half of the global infections this past week, per the World Health Organization, cases are surging in countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Cambodia, CNN reports. (Gonzalez, 5/8)

Reuters: Taiwan To Quarantine Pilots Of Its Largest Airline Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
Taiwan will quarantine all pilots for its largest carrier China Airlines Ltd for 14 days as it tries to stop an outbreak of COVID-19, the health minister said on Monday, impacting a lifeline for the island's trade-dependent economy. (5/10)

AP: China To Draw 'Separation Line' On Peak Of Mount Everest
China will draw a “separation line” atop Mount Everest to prevent the coronavirus from being spread by climbers ascending Nepal’s side of the mountain, Chinese state media reported Monday. A team of Tibetan mountaineering guides will set up the separation line at the peak before climbers attempt to reach the summit from the Chinese side, state-owned Xinhua News Agency said. (5/10)

The Wall Street Journal: BioNTech To Make Covid-19 Vaccines In Singapore
Pfizer Inc. vaccine partner BioNTech SE said it would set up a new Asia headquarters in Singapore to produce its Covid-19 vaccine and other medicines, as global demand for the lifesaving shots continues to grow. The new factory, which is supported by Singapore’s Economic Development Board, a government agency, is expected to become operational in 2023, BioNTech said. The company didn’t release any information regarding the cost of the project and the scale of government support. (Pancevski, 5/10)

In updates on the Tokyo Olympics —

The Wall Street Journal: Tokyo Tests Olympic Stadium With Little Time To Spare
A handful of athletes from as far away as the U.S. and the U.K. came to Tokyo for a track and field competition Sunday that served as a rare on-site test for a pandemic-constrained Olympics. Nine athletes who live outside Japan were granted an exception and permitted to enter the country, which is generally closed to visitors. Their movements were limited to their lodging and the National Stadium, which was empty except for staff and journalists. (Landers, 5/9)

Axios: Tokyo Olympics: Justin Gatlin Part Of Athletes Test Event In Japan 
American sprinter Justin Gatlin was among 420 athletes to participate in a Tokyo test event with pandemic precautions in place Sunday ahead of this summer's delayed Olympic Games. No spectators were present during the event at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium as the city remains under a COVID-19 state of emergency due to a spike in coronavirus cases. (Falconer, 5/9)