Tuesday 15 September
- NHS staff ‘off work due to testing shortages’.
- China expects a vaccine to be ready as soon as November.
- China locks down city on Myanmar border over coronavirus.
- Stricter measures imposed in Bordeaux, Marseille as France faces Covid-19 surge.
- More than 194,000 people in the US have died from the coronavirus.
- Virus restrictions threaten Asian economic recovery in 2021, ADB says.
NHS staff ‘off work due to testing shortages’
BBC News says a lack of coronavirus tests for NHS staff is leading to staff absences and services being put at risk.
NHS Providers said staff are having to self-isolate rather than work because they cannot get tests for themselves or family members.
It comes after widespread reports of people struggling to get tested. The government has said capacity is the “highest it had ever been”.
Read the full story on BBC News
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China expects a vaccine to be ready as soon as November
The Guardian says Wu Guizhen – head of biosafety at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention – says she expects a Chinese vaccine to be available by November of December.
Speaking to state broadcaster CCTV, Wu said: “It will be very soon. The progress is currently very smooth.”
As the global vaccine race heats up, China has promised to give its partners access to its treatment, prompting worries over vaccines being used as a diplomatic or political tool.
Read the full story on The Guardian
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China locks down city on Myanmar border over coronavirus
Aljazeera says China has locked down a city on the border with Myanmar and announced plans to launch a mass coronavirus testing programme after authorities detected two new cases there.
China has locked down a city on the border with Myanmar and announced plans to launch a mass coronavirus testing programme after authorities detected two new coronavirus cases there.
The cases were found in the city of Ruili in western Yunnan province, a major land border crossing point with neighbouring Myanmar.
Read the full story on Aljazeera
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Stricter measures imposed in Bordeaux, Marseille as France faces Covid-19 surge
France24 says the French city of Bordeaux will impose a series of measures to limit public gatherings as Covid-19 infections soar, the government’s top official in the region said.
Bordeaux and the Mediterranean city of Marseille have emerged as virus hotspots, along with the capital Paris, heightening fears of a second wave of coronavirus cases despite face mask requirements and strict social-distancing rules.
Read the full story on France24
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More than 194,000 people in the US have died from the coronavirus
CNN says there are at least 6,550,629 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 194,441 people have died from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.
So far on Monday, Johns Hopkins has reported 31,056 new cases and 340 deaths.
Read the full story on CNN
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Virus restrictions threaten Asian economic recovery in 2021, ADB says
Japan Times says Coronavirus-ravaged economies across the Asia Pacific will make a “swoosh-shaped” recovery next year, the Asian Development Bank forecast Tuesday, but it warned that further restrictions to combat the contagion could derail the region’s return to growth.
Developing Asia is expected to contract in 2020 for the first time in nearly six decades, throwing tens of millions of people into poverty, the Philippines-based lender said.
Read the full story on Japan Times
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A quick look at the other top stories
Trump, Biden jockey over climate as wildfires overtake election campaigns
Aljazeera says the wildfires sweeping the West Coast of the United States took centre stage in the US election campaign on Monday, with President Donald Trump visiting California and blaming the blazes on poor forest management while his Democratic challenger Joe Biden stressed the role of climate change.
PM’s Brexit bill clears first hurdle in Commons
BBC News says a proposed law giving Boris Johnson’s government the power to override parts of the Brexit agreement with the EU has passed its first hurdle in the Commons.
‘Major crisis’ in Marrakesh as Covid-19 brings tourism to its knees
AfricaNews says Marrakesh is almost empty without the millions of visitors who visit the snake charmers, storytellers and colourful traders as the coronavirus pandemic brings tourism to its knees.
Trump vows ‘1000 times greater’ response to any Iran attack
Arab News says US President Donald Trump on Monday vowed that any attack by Iran would be met with a response “1,000 times greater in magnitude,” after reports that Iran planned to avenge the killing of top general Qasem Soleimani in January.
India’s coronavirus cases near 5 million
CNA says India reported 83,809 new coronavirus infections for its lowest daily jump in a week, the health ministry said on Tuesday.
The world’s second-most populous nation appeared to be on course to cross the milestone of 5 million cases on Wednesday, as its tally of 4.93 million is just 70,000 short.
