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 Japan COVID cases hit 1 million as infections spread beyond Tokyo
Japan reached the milestone of one million coronavirus cases on
Friday, domestic media reported, as infections soared in Olympics
host Tokyo and other urban areas.
New cases in Tokyo hit 4,515, the second highest after Thursday's
record 5,042, while the neighbouring, populous prefecture of
Kanagawa saw its cases soaring to more than 2,000, quadrupling in
less than two weeks.
The total number of cases since the pandemic began last year is now
above one million, tarnishing the country's early success in
containing the disease.
Japan decided this week to expand COVID-19 curbs to more than 70% of
its population, but in contrast to stringent lockdowns elsewhere,
authorities are relying mainly on requests for self-restraint and
peer pressure.
South Korea to compensate nurse paralysed after COVID shot
A South Korean nursing assistant who was paralysed after receiving a
COVID-19 vaccine was recognised as a victim of an industrial
accident, making her eligible for government benefits and
compensation.
The nursing assistant, who has not been identified, received
AstraZeneca's shot on March 12 and later suffered from double vision
and paralysis and was diagnosed with acute encephalomyelitis, the
state-run Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service said on
Friday.
The service said in a statement the woman did not have underlying
conditions and there seemed to be a "a reasonable causal link
between the side effects and the vaccination".
AstraZeneca, asked about the case, did not refer to it directly but
said patient safety was of the utmost importance for it and
regulators around the world.
U.S. daily cases jump to 6-month high; focus on booster shots
Daily new COVID-19 cases have climbed to a six-month high in the
United States, with more than 100,000 infections reported nationwide
as the Delta variant ravaged Florida and other states with lower
vaccination rates.
"We're seeing terrifying #COVID19 trends in our hospitals," County
Judge Lina Hidalgo wrote on Twitter. She is the top official of
Harris County, the most populous county in Texas and home to the
city of Houston.
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 "At this point, if you're
unvaccinated by choice, you're complicit in this
crisis."
The United States is working to give COVID-19
booster shots to Americans with compromised
immune systems as quickly as possible, top U.S.
infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said
Thursday.
It will join Chile, Germany, France and Israel
in giving booster shots, ignoring a plea by the
World Health Organisation to hold off until more
people around the world can get their first
shot. High daily case count in
China, Sydney
China on Friday reported its highest daily count for new coronavirus
cases in its current outbreak, fuelled by a surge in locally
transmitted infections, with 124 new confirmed cases, up from 85 a
day earlier.
Australian officials warned Sydney residents on Friday to brace for
a surge in COVID-19 cases after the country's largest city logged a
record 279 locally acquired infections for the second straight day
despite a weeks-long lockdown to stamp out an outbreak of the Delta
variant. J&J seeks emergency use nod for COVID-19
vaccine in India
Johnson & Johnson has applied for emergency use approval of its
coronavirus vaccine in India, the U.S. pharmaceutical giant said on
Friday, moving a step closer to supplying the first single-dose
COVID-19 shot to the country.
The application comes at a time when legal wrangles have held up
U.S. vaccine donations to India, which has not met requests for
granting foreign manufacturers indemnity from lawsuits.
Only about 495.3 million people from a population of more than 1.3
billion had received at least one dose of a vaccine as of Friday,
according to the Indian health ministry data.
(Compiled by Karishma Singh and Nick Macfie)
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