The World Health Organization said on Thursday its latest investigation into the origins of COVID-19 was inconclusive, largely because data from China is missing.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* The Chinese commercial hub of Shanghai will carry out mass testing in seven districts over the weekend, a local health official said.
* Beijing reported three new domestically transmitted infections in communities during the 15 hours to 3 p.m. local time (0700 GMT), a disease control official said.
* China’s capital city of Beijing shut down entertainment venues in its Dongcheng district from Thursday, the state-backed Beijing Daily said.
* Beijing’s Chaoyang district has ordered that entertainment venues and internet cafes be shut from 2 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Thursday.
* Parts of Shanghai began imposing new lockdown restrictions, with residents of sprawling Minhang district ordered to stay home for two days in a bid to control COVID-19 transmission risks.
* Shanghai Disney Resort said it will reopen some retail and park areas from Friday but the main Disneyland park, Disneytown and its two resort hotels will remain closed until further notice.
* All Nippon Airways will restore full domestic flight services to and from Tokyo’s Haneda airport starting next month to meet rising demand as Japan emerges from the pandemic.
* India reported 7,240 new infections in the last 24 hours, its highest number of daily cases since March 2.
EUROPE
* Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain was out of sync with the other OECD countries’ growth cycles because the country emerged out of the pandemic first and had a faster recovery.
AMERICAS
* Pre-orders of vaccines for children under age 5 have been slow, but Biden administration senior officials say they are not alarmed and expect the pace to pick up after federal approvals later this month.
AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST
* COVID-19 vaccine maker BioNTech (22UAy.DE) said construction of an mRNA vaccine factory to enable African nations to jump-start their own manufacturing network would start on June 23 in Rwanda.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* Japan’s Shionogi & Co (4507.T) said its experimental COVID vaccine and oral treatment trials in Vietnam are still progressing, after fraud scandals enveloped its partner there and the health ministry.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Japanese stocks gained robust foreign inflows in the week ended June 3 as Shanghai’s stimulus measures and easing of COVID-19 curbs alleviated concerns around regional economic growth.
* Chinese shares snapped a four-session gaining streak to close down, with growth stocks leading declines after parts of Shanghai began imposing new restrictions.
* China’s exports grew at a double-digit pace in May, as factories restarted and logistics snags eased after authorities relaxed some COVID curbs in Shanghai.
* Land demand from China’s developers mostly decreased in the first round of auctions held by major cities this year, with fewer cities seeing price gains, but sales in Shanghai rebounded following its exit from a lockdown.
Source: Reuters
