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 DEATHS
AND INFECTIONS
EUROPE
* The third wave of the pandemic appears to be broken, German Health
Minister Jens Spahn said, as social distancing measures and an
accelerating vaccination campaign help lower the infection rate.
* He added that the main challenge to raising production of COVID-19
vaccines is how to quickly and effectively transfer technology,
reiterating Berlin's opposition to a U.S. proposal to waive patent
protection.
* Britain's panel of vaccine advisers on Friday said that people
under 40 should be offered an alternative to Oxford/AstraZeneca's
COVID-19 shot where possible, due to a small risk from rare blood
clots.
AMERICAS
* The governors of two more U.S. states said they were lifting most
restrictions that were put in place to combat the spread of the
coronavirus after sharp drops in infection rates and deaths.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* India reported another record daily rise in coronavirus cases on
Friday, bringing total new cases for the week to 1.57 million, as
its vaccination rate falls dramatically due to a lack of supplies
and transport problems.
* The main opposition leader warned that unless the deadly second
wave was brought under control it would decimate India as well as
threaten the rest of the world.
* Japan extended a state of emergency in Tokyo and three other areas
until the end of May to stem a surge in novel coronavirus cases
fuelled by the spread of virus variants just months before the Tokyo
Olympics.
* Hong Kong authorities said residents who have been fully
vaccinated can spend a shorter time in quarantine if they have been
exposed to a COVID-19 patient, after thousands of people were sent
to tiny quarantine quarters for up to 21 days.
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MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Tunisia will impose a full lockdown against COVID-19 for one week
from Sunday, Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi said.
* All public and private sector workers wishing to attend a
workplace in Saudi Arabia will be required to take a COVID-19
vaccination, the human resources ministry said, without specifying
when this would be implemented.
* Ghana received 350,000 doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus
vaccine, which will enable it start offering second doses of the
shot after it nearly ran out, the health ministry said.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* The World Health Organization (WHO) expects news on Friday
regarding an emergency use listing for the COVID-19 vaccine made by
Chinese state-owned drugmaker Sinopharm, a WHO spokesman said.
* India's Biological E. Ltd will soon start Phase III trials of its
COVID-19 vaccine and plans producing 75 million to 80 million doses
a month from August, its managing director told Reuters.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Global stocks headed for their first weekly gain in three weeks
amid a surge in commodity prices, while traders braced for a U.S.
jobs report later on Friday that could provide clues on when the
Federal Reserve will ease back on monetary stimulus.
(Compiled by Federico Maccioni, Aditya Soni and Vinay Dwivedi;
Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Anil D'Silva)
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