Daily roundupThursday's key coronavirus developments from Luxembourg and abroad

Starting with Luxembourg

• The Ministry of Health reported 130 cases from 3,954 tests, no new deaths, in Thursday’s coronavirus update.

• 75% of all new cases discovered in Luxembourg last week were unvaccinated (330 people). The average age of patients was 31.

• [block type="summary”]The president of the Association of Prison Officers (AAP) explained to RTL Radio that despite tighter Covid restrictions, the situation inside the country’s prison has not become more tense.

  • The health crisis has had an impact on the number of people sentenced to community service by the courts.
  • The new school year starts in three weeks, but up until now, it is still not known which Covid-19 regulations will be in place.

  And abroad

  • Japan will halt the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna’s Covid vaccine after reports of contamination in several vials, drugmaker Takeda and the health ministry said Thursday.
  • The search for the origins of the Covid pandemic that has killed millions and crippled economies is at a standstill even as time is running out, scientists charged with the task by the UN warned Wednesday.
  • Australia on Thursday reported more than 1,000 new local coronavirus cases for the first time during the pandemic, as a Delta variant outbreak surged in Sydney.
  • Britain’s factories, restaurants and supermarkets are facing stubborn supply problems due to the Covid pandemic and Brexit, sparking calls this week for government help ahead of Christmas.
  • The United States is shipping more than two million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Algeria, Ghana and Yemen, the White House said Thursday, boosting efforts to combat a third wave of the pandemic across Africa.

  • South Korea on Thursday became one of the first major economies to hike interest rates following the coronavirus pandemic, as authorities try to rein in growing household debt and a frenzied housing market.