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Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus
* The Swiss government plans to halt most free COVID-19 testing for people who are not vaccinated now that nearly half the population has got the jabs.
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Municipal workers carry the coffin of an unclaimed body of a Covid-19 coronavirus victim to a crematorium in Colombo on December 10, 2020. As the daily virus infections have doubled in a month to more than 2,500 with nearly 100 deaths, the country has begun a mass cremations to clear a backlog of dead bodies. (AFP/Lakruwan Wanniarachchi)
T
hree new conditions reported by a small number of people after vaccination with COVID-19 shots from Pfizer and Moderna are being studied to assess if they may be possible side-effects, Europe's drugs regulator said.
Europe
* The Swiss government plans to halt most free COVID-19 testing for people who are not vaccinated now that nearly half the population has got the jabs.
* French vaccination centres have been hit by vandalism and daubed with Nazi-themed tags as the government steps up its vaccination drive.
* Britain on Tuesday reported its highest daily COVID-19 death toll since March.
* France will strengthen lockdown rules in the overseas territory of Guadeloupe.
Asia Pacific
* India is in talks to buy 50 million doses of Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE's vaccine, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
* Authorities in Myanmar currently have no plan to include minority Rohingya Muslims living in densely-packed camps as they begin vaccinating priority groups in western Rakhine State, the junta-appointed local administrator said.
* China's tighter social restrictions to fight its latest outbreak, now in its fourth week and involving more than a dozen cities, are hitting the services sector especially travel and hospitality in the world's second-largest economy.
* Melbourne extended its lockdown by a week and New Zealand placed limits on travel from Indonesia and Fiji.
Americas
* The Pan American Health Organization is preparing to increase vaccine availability for member countries, officials said.
* California became the first US state to require that its teachers and other school staff be vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19.
* Cuba is bringing back hundreds of doctors working abroad and converting hotels into isolation centers and hospitals.
Middle East and Africa
* Iran's supreme leader said the pandemic was the country's "number-one problem" and must urgently be curbed, and called for greater efforts to import and produce vaccines.
Medical Developments
* The World Health Organization said a clinical trial in 52 countries would study three anti-inflammatory drugs as potential treatments for COVID-19 patients.
* Roughly one-third of people with COVID-19 have no symptoms, according to a review of data from more than 350 studies published through April 2021.
* Pregnant women should be vaccinated against COVID-19, based on a new analysis that did not show increased risk for miscarriage, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Economic Impact
* Global shares hit record highs Wednesday after data showed US consumer price increases slowed in July, easing concerns that the Federal Reserve will imminently signal a scaling back of bond purchases.
* US consumer prices increases slowed in July even as they remained at a 13-year high on a yearly basis and there were tentative signs inflation has peaked as supply-chain disruptions caused by the pandemic work their way through the economy.
