Covid-19: Top developments worldwide today

China reported 1,366 confirmed coronavirus cases for March 24, the country’s national health authority said on Friday, down from 2,054 a day earlier, though the number of asymptomatic infections increased. Asymptomatic cases, which China counts separately, rose to 3,622 from 2,829 a day earlier. Shanghai’s locally transmitted asymptomatic infections surged to a record for the commercial hub of 1,582 from 979.

➡️ Beijing autoshow postponed due to Covid surge in China: sources

Organisers of the Beijing autoshow, which was scheduled to be held in late April, have postponed the event due to a recent flare up of Covid-19 cases in China, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Auto China, the event’s organisers, have yet to decide on a new date, the sources said, declining to be identified as the information was not yet public.

➡️ Australia to roll out fourth Covid vaccine shot ahead of winter

Australia will roll out a fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccines to its most vulnerable population starting next month, authorities said on Friday, as the country looks to limit fresh outbreaks ahead of winter. The decision comes amid a steady rise in cases fuelled by the highly contagious BA.2 sub-variant of the Omicron strain and concerns of co-circulation of Covid-19 and flu viruses during colder months as most social distancing restrictions end.

➡️ Covid booster provides protection for over-65s after 15 weeks: UK data

A booster dose of vaccine against Covid-19 continues to provide robust protection against hospitalisation for older people nearly four months after getting the third dose, new data from the UK’s Health Security Agency on Thursday showed. Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation for people aged over 65, 15 weeks after a booster, was 85%, down from 91% two weeks after getting the third dose, the latest vaccine surveillance report from the agency estimated.

➡️Shanghai’s daily Covid caseload at nearly 1,000, but containment in sight

New daily Covid-19 cases in the Chinese commercial hub of Shanghai remained close to 1,000 on Thursday as authorities scrambled to identify and isolate asymptomatic infections, though a leading expert said the outbreak was being contained. Though the number of cases in Shanghai remains small by global standards, the densely populated city has become a testing ground for China’s “zero-Covid” strategy as it tries to bring the highly infectious Omicron variant under control.

➡️ Japan’s Shionogi signs govt supply pact for pill to fight Covid

Japan’s Shionogi & Co has signed a basic agreement with the government to supply an oral Covid-19 treatment it is now developing, the firm said on Friday. The government is considering buying a million doses of the drug pending regulatory approval, the company added in a statement.

➡️ NYC Mayor Adams lifts vaccine mandate for pro athletes, performers

New York Mayor Eric Adams said on Thursday he was lifting the city’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate for professional athletes and performers, allowing unvaccinated Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving to play at home and lifting a cloud ahead of Major League Baseball’s opening day. Adams said he signed an order exempting New York City-based athletes and performers from the city’s private employer vaccine mandate imposed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio. That mandate requires private-sector workers to show proof of vaccination.

(Compiled from Reuters and Associated Press reports)