Covid news on Friday: Tunisia posts highest daily death toll while WHO says worst ‘over for some countries’ | World news

Flexible working to attend jab appointments and paid time off for side effects are two of the measures being used by companies to encourage employees to have the coronavirus vaccination.

Amazon, Sky, Molson Coors and Three UK are the latest firms to join the the UK government’s drive to push up vaccination rates, as a further 35,707 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases were recorded in the UK as of 9am on Friday, the highest daily increase since January 22.

They join other organisations including Asda, Slimming World, Metro Bank, Santander, Nationwide Building Society, Severn Trent and Merlin Entertainments, who are pushing a positive vaccination message including offering flexibility for staff receiving the vaccine during working hours.

They have also committed to giving paid time off for employees, as well as sick pay, for anyone who suffers from side effects such as fever or a headache, PA reports.

LinkedIn has also committed resources and free advertising to help target chief executives and directors to support their staff and encourage employees to get both vaccine doses.

A reminder of the new restrictions in New South Wales, Australia.

• Browsing in shops is not allowed. Essential shopping only.
• Only two people are allowed to conduct outdoor exercise together at a time, down from 10.
• Exercise is now only allowed within your local government area, or within 10km of your place of residence.
• Carpooling is not allowed outside of members of your household
• Funerals are now allowed only 10 attendees. In force from Sunday.

Several countries promised to help Tunisia fight the coronavirus as the north African country recorded its highest daily death toll since the pandemic began, putting its health care system under severe stress and depleting oxygen supplies.

President Kais Saied said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had pledged to send vaccinations and whatever medical equipment Tunisia needed, Reuters reports.

Libya also pledged to send medical aid, the president’s office said in a separate statement. Officials and local media said that Kuwait, Turkey and Algeria had promised to help.

Qatar had already sent a military plane with a field hospital on board, including 200 medics and 100 respirators.

Tunisia recorded 189 deaths on Friday, the highest daily toll since the pandemic began last year. It reported 8,500 new coronavirus cases.

Tyson Fury’s world heavyweight title defence against Deontay Wilder in the US, due to be on 24 July, looks set to be postponed because of a coronavirus outbreak in the champion’s camp.

A number of positive tests are reported to have been recorded, with Fury’s US-based promoters Top Rank expected to clarify the situation later on Friday.

A court ruling in May forced Fury to ditch an immediate bout with Anthony Joshua and instead put his WBC title on the line in a third meeting with Wilder. Fury’s team hoped to resurrect his bout with Joshua later this year, but those plans are now set to be scuppered if the mandated meeting with Wilder is delayed.

Brazil registered 57,737 new Covid-19 cases and 1,509 deaths in the past 24 hours, the country’s health ministry data showed on Friday.
It means the total case count in Brazil has now exceeded 19 million, and the country has recorded 531,688 deaths, Reuters reports.

Eight months ago, in November 2020, Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison faced the cameras in a laboratory in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and promised hope after a torrid year: “Today is another day when we can look forward to a much better 2021.”

The cause of his optimism was the belated signing of a deal for 10m Pfizer doses and an as-yet unfilled agreement to secure Novavax.

The vaccines were to ensure Australia was “in the leading pack of the world” during the pandemic’s next phase.

Australia was, in fact, more than four months behind its allies in securing Pfizer.

The US, United Kingdom, Japan and Canada had all struck agreements with Pfizer in July and August 2020, and the company was expecting to produce 1.3bn doses to satisfy global demand.

Pakistan’s top body overseeing the pandemic response has recommended that anyone who did not hold a Covid-19 vaccination certificate should not be allowed to travel by air after 1 August, Reuters reports.

The guidance by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) would need the federal government’s approval, and came as the country’s leadership warned a fourth wave of the pandemic was beginning and dangerous variants of the virus, including the Delta variant, had been detected.

New guidelines to curb the virus spread ahead of the Eid-ul-Adha holiday later this month would be announced soon, the NCOC said.

Students over 18 would be required to get the vaccine by 31 August as well, and booking hotels and travel for tourists inside the country would also now require proof of vaccination.

Mexico reported 9,319 new confirmed Covid-19 infections on Friday, according to data from the health ministry.
The ministry also registered 217 additional fatalities, bringing Mexico’s total tally to 2,577,140 infections and 234,675 deaths, Reuters reports. The government has said the real number of cases is likely significantly higher, and separate data published recently suggested the actual death toll could be 60% higher than the official count.

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has identified there “may be an extremely rare risk” of inflammatory heart conditions following jabs with the Pfizer/Biontech and Moderna vaccines.

The regulator came to the conclusion following a “thorough review” of data in both the UK and internationally, but stressed benefits from either vaccines “greatly outweigh” any potential risks, PA reports.

The benefits of mRNA Covid-19 vaccines outweigh the very small risk they might cause heart inflammation, as the jabs reduce hospitalisations and deaths, an advisory panel of the World Health Organization said.

The WHO said that reports of two rare conditions – myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, and of its lining, called pericarditis – had typically occurred within days of vaccination, mainly among younger males after the second dose.

“Very rare cases of myocarditis and pericarditis have been observed following vaccination with the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines,” it said, referring to the two vaccines using such technology, by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, Reuters reports.

“The benefits of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines outweigh the risks in reducing hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 infections,” it said.

Available data suggested myocarditis and pericarditis following vaccination was “generally mild” and responded to treatment such as rest or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the WHO said.

“Follow-up is ongoing to determine long-term outcomes,” it said.

France’s health regulator has recommended that coronavirus vaccinations should be made compulsory without delay for all health workers and for other professionals who come into contact with people vulnerable to Covid-19 infections.

The HAS regulator also advised using mRNA-based Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to slow the spread of the Delta variant as they offered more protection than other jabs, Reuters reports.

“While the number of new cases and the pressure on the hospital system remain relatively low, the dynamic of the epidemic in France is significant and could quickly lead to a deterioration in the health situation,” HAS said.

Spain’s Canary Islands and its Mediterranean region of Valencia have asked the government to bring back curfews to counter a soaring Covid-19 infection rate among unvaccinated youngsters that is threatening to scupper the summer tourism season.
Germany designated Spain a high-risk area on Friday, obliging returning travellers to take a test to avoid quarantine, Reuters reports. The Canaries’ regional government said late on Thursday it would ask its Supreme Court to authorise a 12:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. curfew on Tenerife, which has the islands’ highest coronavirus incidence. Regional leader Angel Victor Torres told Cadena Ser radio on Friday it would prevent crowds building up at night and over the weekends. “Pressure on hospitals is starting to grow. In Tenerife, ICU occupation is at around 15% and young people are being admitted to intensive care,” he said.

The Dutch government has reimposed Covid-19 curbs on nightclubs, music festivals and restaurants in an effort to halt a surge in infections among young adults.
The measures include earlier closing of cafes and restaurants and a return to social distancing and fixed seating for diners or concert-goers, Reuters reports. All dance venues and nightclubs while festivals spread over several days would be cancelled and large public gatherings restricted to smaller groups, prime minister Mark Rutte said. The curbs would go into effect at 0500 GMT on Saturday and remain until August 14, the government said.