- Delta variant finally enters New Zealand
- Nation in 3-day lockdown, Auckland shut for seven days
- PM Ardern blamed for vaccine delays
New Zealand will be in level 4 lockdown, the highest alert level, for at least three days, while Auckland will remain locked for seven days, says Reuters.
Single case – three-day lockdown
New Zealand had been virus-free and living without restrictions until Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered a three-day nationwide lockdown after a single case, suspected to be Delta, was discovered in the country’s largest city, Auckland. Therefore it resulted in a seven-day lockdown in Auckland and a level four lockdown across the country.
“From the experience of what we’ve seen overseas, we are anticipating more cases,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. The move to lockdown will put the country “in a much less risky position,” she added at a media conference.
Vaccine Failure
Even though Ardern has earned praise for containing local transmission of COVID-19 via an eradication strategy, implementing tough lockdowns, and closing New Zealand’s international border in March 2020. Only about 21% of the country’s 5 million people have been properly vaccinated so far, the slowest rate among OECD nations.
Sydney warned worse to come
- Sydney reports record 633 new daily cases
- More vaccines for worst-affected suburbs
- Defence to help ramp up vaccination in remote towns
Despite a nearly two-month lockdown, Sydney’s Delta outbreak has not crested, and residents should expect more deaths on Wednesday. NSW reported its most significant daily surge of 633 new cases, including 545 in Sydney.
“We haven’t seen the worst of it, and the way that we stop this is by everybody staying at home,” New South Wales (NSW) Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney, the state capital.
Vaccination Push
Five vaccination teams of defence personnel are due to arrive in regional towns this week. More than 500,000 Pfizer (PFE.N) doses have been moved to the 12 worst-affected suburbs in Sydney to vaccinate people under 40 years old.
Covid scenario in the USA
According to a Reuters calculation, the United States reported more than 1 thousand COVID-19 deaths, equaling about 42 deaths every hour, since the delta version still devastates regions at low vaccine rates.
The administration of President Joe Biden announced that travelers would be asked to wear masks in aircraft, trains and buses, airports, and train stations until mid-January. The Delta variation, like many other countries, has posed a significant difficulty.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention., the U.S. South remains the epicenter of the latest outbreak, with Florida reporting a record of nearly 26,000 new cases last week.
Japan’s Covid Surge
According to mobility statistics, Japan’s state of emergency restrictions is not limiting movement as effectively as they have in the past, hampering the government’s fight to prevent COVID-19 infections and boosting the likelihood of delayed economic recovery.
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: Reuters
