New Zealand has awoken to its first coronavirus lockdown in six months, with an initially solitary Delta variant case having now risen to 10 known infections and Jacinda Ardern’s government “absolutely anticipating more”.
It came as the Japanese Grand Prix in October was shelved for the second successive year due to “ongoing complexities” as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, following talks between F1 and Tokyo.
And as infections continue to soar in Southeast Asia, the Red Cross warned that the region needs more help securing vaccines, while the World Health Organisation sounded the alarm over the supply of fake AstraZeneca vaccines in India.
In the UK, the government recorded its highest daily coronavirus death toll since 12 March, with 170 new fatalities, while new Office for National Statistics data suggested that, in the week to 6 August, coronavirus was linked to more than 1 in 20 deaths in the UK – also the highest proportion in four months.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Government is considering whether to make its emergency Covid powers permanent, which would allow it to impose lockdowns, close schools and release prisoners early. A consultation published by the government suggested a law change would allow the government to respond to any future public health threats more “effectively and rapidly”.
Elsewhere, scientists unveiled a “roadmap” for future research into the “unknown territory” of long Covid, with governments and global bodies being urged to focus on 20 key issues in new studies, compiled in a new paper published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
