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 Indonesia crisis grows
The number of Indonesian children contracting the coronavirus has
almost tripled since May, with infant deaths from COVID-19 rising
sharply as the country suffers its most severe wave of infections so
far, a senior paediatrician said on Wednesday.
Indonesia has been hit by a surge in cases this month, with new
records on six days since June 21 including a daily high of over
21,807 on Wednesday, putting pressure on the government to impose
tighter measures.
Dr Aman Pulungan, head of Indonesia's paediatric society, said
weekly child deaths from COVID-19 rose to 24 last week from 13 in
the previous week, many under five years old.
Lockdown measures extended in Australia
Australian officials extended lockdown and social distancing
measures to more of the country on Wednesday, with four major cities
already under a hard lockdown in a race to contain an outbreak of
the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant.
Around one in two Australians are under stay-at-home orders, with
millions of others subjected to movement curbs and mandatory
mask-wearing amid COVID-19 flare-ups in several locations.
With more than five million residents of greater Sydney under a
two-week lockdown until July 9, New South Wales state reported 22
new locally transmitted cases on Wednesday, all linked to prior
infections.
North Korea's Kim says 'great crisis' caused by pandemic lapse
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the failure to implement
measures to tackle the coronavirus had caused a "great crisis" and
he chastised ruling party officials for risking the safety of the
country and people, state media reported on Wednesday.
The report by state news agency KCNA did not elaborate on the nature
of the crisis or how it put people at risk.
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 North Korea has not officially confirmed any
COVID-19 cases, a position questioned by South
Korean and U.S. officials. But the reclusive
country has imposed strict anti-virus measures,
including border closures and domestic travel
curbs.
Seoul delays relaxation of social distancing
South Korea's capital Seoul and its neighbouring
regions will delay by a week the relaxation of
social distancing rules due to a sudden increase
in COVID-19 cases, authorities said.
The government had said it would relax social
distancing and allow private gatherings of up to
six people in the greater Seoul area, from the
current four, starting July 1 as the country's
inoculation drive has been picking up speed.
While the number of daily new infections have
remained below 700 since early this month, South
Korea reported 794 new coronavirus cases on
Tuesday.
Heart inflammation after COVID-19 shots higher
than expected
Members of the U.S. military who were vaccinated
against COVID-19 showed higher-than-expected
rates of heart inflammation, although the
condition was still extremely rare, according to
a study released on Tuesday.
The study found that 23 previously healthy males
with an average age of 25 complained of chest
pain within four days of receiving a COVID-19
shot. The incident rate was higher than some
previous estimates would have anticipated, it
said. All the patients, who at the time of the study's
publication had recovered or were recovering
from myocarditis - an inflammation of the heart
muscle - had received shots made by either
Pfizer and BioNTech or Moderna.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes, Editing by William
Maclean)
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