Africa had its worst week of the pandemic, with the number of weekly cases rising 20% as the Delta variant becomes dominant in most regions.

New York City will reduce classroom sizes and embark on curriculum changes when the US’s largest public school system reopens — fully in-person — in September.

The US is not yet ready to lift restrictions on international passengers and will take a conditions-based approach to any relaxing of rules, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.

The Tokyo Olympics will ban domestic spectators in events held in Japan’s capital, revising an earlier decision to allow some fans as the resurgence of the virus pushed the government to declare a state of emergency in the city.

Key developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases top 185.3 million; deaths exceed 4 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 3.33 billion doses administered
• Covid-19’s genetic flashpoints identified in giant global study
• Half of new US cases now tied to Delta variant
• US prisoners sent home early dread pandemic’s end
• Covid origins mirror SARS’s genesis in animals, study finds

Africa had worst week of pandemic

Africa had its worst week of the coronavirus pandemic, with cases jumping 20% over the past seven days, and the situation is expected to worsen, Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization’s Africa director, said on a conference call.

There are “signs of hope” that the vaccine roll-out on the continent is improving, she said. Still, the highly transmissible Delta variant has spread across the continent and is now dominating in many regions.

White House defends door-to-door vaccine push

The White House defended a push to support groups with door-to-door efforts to encourage vaccinations — a day after Missouri Governor Mike Parson said it would “not be an effective or a welcome strategy”.

Missouri has the highest percentage of cases in the US caused by the Delta variant, and vaccinations lag behind the national average. A team was dispatched earlier this week to southwestern Missouri, where the outbreak is straining medical capacity.

On Thursday, Jeff Zients, the White House pandemic response coordinator, pushed back against the Republican governor’s tweeted comment, saying that “trusted messengers” such as doctors or faith leaders were effective in helping boost vaccinations.

“I would say for those individuals or organisations that are feeding misinformation and trying to mischaracterize this type of trusted messenger work, I believe you are doing a disservice to the country and to the doctors, the faith leaders, the community leaders and others who are working to get people vaccinated, save lives and help end this pandemic,” Zients said at a White House briefing.

Quebec backs vaccine proof over shutdowns

Quebec, which had some of the toughest restrictions in North America during the pandemic, says it won’t close its economy again if there’s another outbreak.

Instead, Canada’s second-most populated province will only allow fully vaccinated people to access non-essential places such as bars and gyms. The passport-based approach, which is still rare in Canada, will take effect on 1 September, leaving Quebeckers enough time to get a second shot, Health Minister Christian Dube said.

Chile eases curbs

Chile will loosen restrictions against residents who are fully vaccinated as new cases plunge and the government expands one of the world’s fastest inoculation programs.

Starting 15 July, capacity rules for establishments such as gyms and restaurants in districts that aren’t under quarantine will be relaxed for people with two doses, according to a government statement on Thursday. The nightly curfew will be shortened depending on virus and vaccination metrics, and schools will be able to open for on-site classes even in neighbourhoods under strict lockdown.

Myanmar shutters schools

Myanmar announced two-week closure of all public and private schools across the country from Friday, as it reported 4,132 new cases, the highest single-day count since Covid-19 was first detected in March last year.

Portugal expands curfew

Portugal said a nighttime curfew will apply to more municipalities as the government tries to contain an increase in infections.

The limit to movement in public spaces between 11pm and 5am in regions including Lisbon will now be imposed in 60 municipalities, up from 45 municipalities previously, Presidency Minister Mariana Vieira da Silva said. Existing limits on weekend opening hours of restaurants and non-food stores will also apply to more municipalities, and remote working remains mandatory in those locations. The minister said that a negative Covid-19 test or a digital certificate will now be required at hotels.

NYC plans smaller school classes

New York City will reduce classroom sizes and embark on curriculum changes when the US’s largest public school system reopens — fully in-person — in September.

The city will use billions of dollars in federal pandemic aid to retrofit school buildings, increase special education support and bring a system-wide expansion of counselling and mental health resources for students traumatised after a year of the pandemic. Many of those students spent much of last year in remote learning. The city plans to add 140 teachers in 72 schools with the highest class sizes and permit two teachers in many classrooms for younger students.

Olympics bans fans in Tokyo

The Tokyo Olympics will ban domestic spectators in events held in Japan’s capital, revising an earlier decision to allow some fans, as the resurgence of virus cases pushed the government to declare a state of emergency in the city.

The decision, announced by Olympics Minister Tamayo Marukawa, comes after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a fourth state of emergency for Tokyo, running from 12 July to 22 August. Officials are still discussing the status of events to be held outside Tokyo.

Why the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Will Be Like No Other: QuickTake

US keeps foreign travel curbs

The US isn’t yet ready to lift restrictions on incoming international travel and ultimately the decision will be based on data, not arbitrary dates, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in an interview with Bloomberg.

He said the US has working groups with the UK, the European Union, Canada and Mexico to determine when it will be appropriate to lift the bans.

“A lot of this is based on what’s going on with progress in the vaccines,” Buttigieg said. “We see good news and bad news in terms of the variants. One moment, you are reading about a variant across the world, next thing you know, it’s becoming the dominant strain in the US.”

Luxembourg’s Bettel released from hospital

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, who tested positive for Covid-19 more than a week ago, was released from hospital after being treated for four days. “The prime minister will take up his functions again” starting Friday, and will work from home for the rest of the week, the statement said.

Shell pulls out North Sea workers

Shell has flown 85 workers to shore from the Shearwater oil and gas field after detecting 15 cases of coronavirus. The first case was identified on 30 June on a flotel, which is connected to the main platform. Shearwater was undergoing maintenance works and production will not be affected.

EU accepts Swiss Covid certificate

Switzerland became the first country outside the European Economic Area to obtain equivalence for its Covid-19 certificates handed out to vaccinated or tested citizens. As of Friday, holders of a Swiss certificate will be able to travel inside the EU under the same conditions as holders of an EU Digital Covid Certificate. At the same time, Switzerland has agreed to accept the EU Digital Covid Certificate for travel to Switzerland.

Israel has first virus death in two weeks

An Israeli hospital reported the first death of a coronavirus patient in the country in two weeks, Army Radio said. The 86-year old man had been fully vaccinated, the radio station said.

Israel has recorded more than 6,400 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic. More than 57% of the country has been fully vaccinated with Pfizer’s vaccine. The health ministry said earlier this week that the vaccine was less effective in recent weeks at keeping people from getting coronavirus, but it continues to provide a strong shield against severe Covid-19.

Italy to fast-track shots for school staff

Italy asked local health authorities to create a fast-track for the vaccination of teachers and school staff, as in some regions less than 80% of people in these categories have received a first dose.

According to data collected by global database GISAID in the past four weeks, the Delta variant accounts for about 28% of all cases identified in Italy. About 41% of people in the country have received both shots so far, data showed.

Animals spurred virus, study finds

Early Covid-19 cases traced to markets in Wuhan, China, mirror the initial spread of SARS 17 years earlier, scientists said in a paper that concludes that animal contagion is the most likely explanation for the pandemic’s genesis.

The epidemiological history of SARS-CoV-2 is comparable to previous animal market-associated outbreaks of coronaviruses and offers a simple route for human exposure, Edward Holmes, Andrew Rambaut and 19 other researchers said Wednesday in a review of the scientific evidence pertaining to the pandemic’s origins.

South African excess deaths rise

Excess deaths, seen as a more precise way of measuring total fatalities from the coronavirus, rose to their highest level since January in South Africa as the Delta variant spread to all of the country’s nine provinces.

In the week ended 27 June, the country recorded 5,228 deaths compared with 1,729 official deaths from the virus, the South African Medical Research Council said in a report on Wednesday. The number of deaths, which is measured against a historical average, was the highest since the week ending 24 January and compared with 4,145 the week earlier.

French to avoid holidays in Spain, Portugal

French tourists who haven’t yet booked holidays should refrain from going to Spain and Portugal amid a rapid progression of the Delta variant virus, Clement Beaune, the nation’s European affairs minister, said on Thursday. “The situation is particularly worrying” in Spain and Portugal, Beaune said in a France 2 TV interview.

Freedom for vaccinated UK returnees

British travellers who have received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine will no longer need to isolate when they return home from moderate risk countries, under a plan officials expect to come into force this month.

Ministers have been working on an overhaul of pandemic rules for foreign trips to give more freedom to fully vaccinated passengers returning to England from destinations on the government’s “amber list.”

Instead of isolating at home for 10 days, travellers will be told to take Covid tests after arrival under the new rules, which are due to be finalised on Thursday and could take effect as soon as 19 July, people familiar with the matter said. DM

— With assistance by Ian Fisher, Isabel Reynolds, Gaspard Sebag, Marton Eder, Alisa Odenheimer, Flavia Rotondi, Janice Kew, John Martens, Claire Jiao, Stephanie Bodoni, Keith Laing, Ayai Tomisawa, and Khine Lin Kyaw.