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 China's Guangdong tightens coronavirus measures
Cities in China's most populous province of Guangdong have locked
down compounds and streets and required negative COVID-19 test
results for some travellers as local health officials sought to
control the outbreaks.
All 10 of China's locally confirmed mainland cases for June 1 were
in Guangdong, the National Health Commission said on Wednesday,
seven in the provincial capital Guangzhou and three in nearby Foshan
city.
Guangdong, China's manufacturing and export hub and biggest province
by economic output, has stepped up coronavirus prevention and
control efforts since the latest wave of cases struck in late May.
Taiwan unveils mass vaccination plan
Taiwan reported a rise in domestic coronavirus infections on
Wednesday after six days of falls, and unveiled details of a mass
vaccination plan that aims to eventually cover 1.7 million people a
week.
After months of relative safety, Taiwan is battling a spike in
community infections, placing curbs on gatherings and ordering
entertainment venues closed, while urging people to stay at home as
much as possible.
Announcing 549 new infections, including 177 added to recent days'
tallies in reflection of delays in reporting positive tests, Health
Minister Chen Shih-chung said the trend was stable, although it was
not falling.
Australia's Victoria extends Melbourne lockdown
Australia's Victoria state on Wednesday extended a snap lockdown for
a second week in Melbourne in a bid to contain an outbreak of the
highly contagious virus strain first detected in India, but will
ease some restrictions in other regions.
Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, was plunged into
lockdown last Thursday, initially until June 3, after the first
locally acquired cases were detected in three months, infections
rose steadily and close contacts reached several thousand.
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 "If we let this thing run its
course, it will explode," Victoria state Acting
Premier James Merlino told reporters in
Melbourne on Wednesday. "This variant of concern
will become uncontrollable and people will die."
Moderna plans mix of vaccine doses
Moderna is gearing up to halve the dose of its
COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. drugmaker said on
Wednesday, so that it can also be used to combat
variants and inoculate children.
It has agreed a deal with Swiss-based drugmaker Lonza which said a
new drug substance production line in Geleen, Netherlands, will have
capacity to make ingredients for up to 300 million doses annually at
50 micrograms per dose.
"We're assuming that as of 2022, we are going to have a mix of dose
levels on the market," a spokeswoman for Moderna said.
Israel sees probable link between Pfizer jab and myocarditis
Israel's Health Ministry said on Tuesday it had found the small
number of heart inflammation cases observed mainly in young men who
received Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in Israel were likely linked to
their vaccination.
Pfizer has said it has not observed a higher rate of the condition,
known as myocarditis, than would normally be expected in the general
population.
In Israel, 275 cases of myocarditis were reported between December
2020 and May 2021 among more than 5 million vaccinated people, the
ministry said in disclosing the findings of a study it commissioned.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes; Editing by Kim Coghill)
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