Coronavirus: Latest global developments

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

– Israel offers boosters to ages 12 and up –

Israel widens access to a third coronavirus vaccine jab to anyone aged 12 and up, with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett insisting it is an effective way to contain an infection surge.

– More Moderna contaminations –

Two Japanese regions suspend the use of some Moderna Covid-19 shots after more cases of contamination are spotted, the local governments say.

The move comes a day after the Japanese health ministry said it was investigating the death of two men who received doses from tainted Moderna batches — though the cause of death is unknown.

– Kosovo delays school year –

Kosovo will delay the start of the school year by two weeks and introduce a night-time curfew as infections soar.

The government says the curfew will take effect on Monday from 10 pm until 5 am while the school year will begin in mid-September instead of September 1.

– UAE resumes visas for jabbed tourists –

The United Arab Emirates announces it will resume issuing visas to all tourists fully vaccinated against Covid from Monday, a month before Dubai hosts the delayed Expo 2020 trade fair.

The move comes as coronavirus infections drop in the oil-rich Gulf country, after it reported fewer than 1,000 cases per day last week for the first time in months.

– Thousands drop out of school in South Africa –

At least 10,000 children in South Africa have dropped out of school since the pandemic started, with students learning half or less than average in 2020 due to coronavirus, the education ministry says.

Face-to-face lessons have only partially resumed since South Africa’s schools reopened in June last year, after more than two months of home-schooling.

– Melbourne extends lockdown –

A lockdown of Australia’s second-biggest city Melbourne will be extended, authorities announce as they struggle to quash a stubborn coronavirus Delta variant outbreak.

Almost seven million people in Melbourne and surrounding Victoria state were scheduled to exit a four-week lockdown on Thursday, but state premier Dan Andrews says it will no longer be possible with case numbers rising by 92 overnight.

– NBA requires vaccine for referees –

The NBA says it will require Covid-19 vaccinations for all referees working games in the 2021-22 season.

– More than 4.4 million dead –

The coronavirus has killed at least 4,492,854 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data.

The US is the worst-affected country with 637,237 deaths, followed by Brazil with 579,010, India with 437,830, Mexico 257,906 and Peru 198,167.

Based on the latest reports, the countries with the most new daily deaths were Russia with 797, followed by Mexico with 756 and Brazil with 684.