Here are some significant developments:
- The Tokyo Olympics are officially underway as uncertainty regarding the coronavirus pandemic continues, even after they were postponed a year and as officials take extraordinary precautions to limit the virus’s spread. The number of Games-linked coronavirus cases in Japan this month as of Wednesday was 79, with more international athletes testing positive at home and unable to travel, per the Associated Press.
- Strict lockdown orders in Australia’s two largest cities have so far failed to curb an outbreak blamed on the more contagious delta variant. New coronavirus cases in both Sydney and Melbourne increased again on Wednesday, the majority of which were locally transmitted infections, Australian officials said.
- The delta variant continued its tear through Asia, with Thailand and South Korea reporting record case numbers on Wednesday. In Thailand, authorities logged more than 13,000 new cases, while Seoul recorded 1,784 infections over the past 24 hours.
- French Health Minister Olivier Veran warned parliament Tuesday that new coronavirus infections in the country had increased about 150 percent over the past week, an unprecedented rise that he attributed to the delta variant.
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