Daily roundupThursday's key coronavirus developments from Luxembourg and abroad

Starting with Luxembourg

• The latest figures from the Ministry of Health show that 215 new cases of coronavirus were discovered yesterday from 8,661 tests. One further deaths was reported.

• PM Bettel threw his weight behind Luxembourg’s vaccine strategy during a visit on Wednesday, stating that vaccinations with AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson would continue as planned.

• Meanwhile, a patient’s organisation has reported that vulnerable people’s requests for specific vaccines are being disregarded by vaccination centres.

• Last week, 1,265 people tested positive for the coronavirus, 279 fewer than the previous week.

• Over the same time period, six cases of the Brazilian variant were also recorded in the Grand Duchy.
  

• Luxembourg’s testing strategy is to go up a notch from next week, as students and staff will receive one rapid test per week to be taken home, Claude Meisch announced in a press briefing on Thursday.

• Rapid test pilots in the cultural and sporting sectors have gone well, according to PM Bettel, paving the way for events to restart.

• However, no further changes to Covid measures are expected imminently. The State Council will meet on Friday and is expected to extend current measures.

And around the world

• The global death toll from Covid neared three million on Thursday.

• The virus could force the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics, according to a top member of Japan’s ruling party. Japanese artisans that were hoping for the interest brought on by the sporting event have been left under a virus cloud.

• The huge second-wave surge in India continued unabated, with over 200,000 cases recorded in 24 hours.

• With no sign of the pandemic abating, the new head of the World Trade Organisation called for vaccine production to be stepped up a gear.

• Camels in Kenya may be the key to understanding the next deadly virus, as researchers seek to advance understanding of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), a deadly cousin of Covid-19.

• According to the World Health Organisation, such research is critical. Lessons learned from Covid-19 could also help to battle deadly drug-resistant bacteria.

• New Zealand is trialling an ‘elarm’ border app that hopes to detect Covid before the user develops any symptoms, stopping the virus in its tracks.

• Finally, one of the most effective ways of combating the pandemic may in fact be one of the simplest. Opening windows and ventilating spaces should be at the heart of anti-Covid measures, according to a group of experts.