Daily roundupWednesday's key coronavirus developments from Luxembourg and abroad
Find all of today's most important developments both at home and abroad in one place.
Starting with Luxembourg
- In a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel touched upon recent Covid developments in Luxembourg. For an overview, read our summary here (which also covers July floods and Afghanistan).
- While France and Germany will start giving out third doses to older people from 1 September, while Belgium will give more targeted jabs. Luxembourg is “impatiently” waiting for data coming out of Israel.
[block type="summary”]Fewer people have been visiting the Bistrot Social compared to 2019, whereas night shelters saw a surge. The Red Cross saw a number of its services impacted, and the health crisis brought new challenges with it.
And abroad
- Protection from two doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines wanes within less than six months, according to a study of phone app data Wednesday, suggesting that booster shots may be needed to ensure prolonged coverage. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson said a second dose of its Covid-19 vaccine boosted immunity beyond the first dose.
- A classified US intelligence report delivered to the White House on Tuesday was inconclusive on the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, in part due to a lack of information from China, according to US media reports.
- Japan decided to extend a virus state of emergency to eight more regions, a day after the Paralympic opening ceremony, as rising infections put hospitals under pressure.
- Indonesia is taking its vaccination drive to the sea as the world’s biggest archipelago nation ramps up a bid to innoculate its huge population. The navy has deployed 60 boats and warships to scour thousands of kilometres of coastline in the hunt for unvaccinated fishermen, from westernmost Sumatra to holiday island Bali and remote Papua.
- Delta Air Lines in November will start charging unvaccinated workers $200 each month to cover the cost of care should they contract Covid-19, CEO Ed Bastian said Wednesday. “This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company,” he said in a memo to employees.
