HERE'S what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:
Israel sees drop in Pfizer vaccine protection against infections
Israel reported on Monday a decrease in the effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in preventing infections and symptomatic illness, but said it remained highly effective in preventing serious illness. The decline coincided with the spread of the Delta variant and the end of social distancing restrictions in Israel.
Vaccine effectiveness in preventing both infection and symptomatic disease fell to 64% since June 6, the Health Ministry said. At the same time the vaccine was 93% effective in preventing hospitalizations and serious illness from the coronavirus.
Leaked memo raises Thai concern about Sinovac efficacy
A leaked health ministry document has prompted calls in Thailand for medical staff inoculated against COVID-19 to be given a booster of an mRNA vaccine, after it included a comment that such a move could dent public confidence in Sinovac Biotech's vaccine.
Thailand has administered Sinovac's inactivated virus vaccine to most health workers and its real-world study showed two doses were 95% effective in reducing mortality and severe symptoms. The study showed it was 71% to 91% effective in stopping infection with the Alpha variant.
Limitations on spectators at the Tokyo Olympics
Japan's government is arranging for the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony to be held with only a reduced number of VIP spectators, the Asahi newspaper reported on Tuesday, ahead of talks with the International Olympic Committee and other organisers this week. Events at large venues and night events after 9 p.m. would also be held without spectators, while the number of VIPs such as sponsors' guests and diplomats at the opening ceremony would be reduced sharply from an initial estimate of about 10,000, the paper said, citing multiple unidentified government sources.
Olympic organisers have capped the number of spectators allowed into venues, but will offer Japanese students special access under a programme that would let hundreds of thousands of children see the world's best athletes compete. Tickets are cheap and COVID-19 countermeasures are in place. Many schools, however, have already pulled out, and others are still on the fence, awaiting more information.
Indonesia prepares extra facilities for worst-case outbreak scenario
Indonesia has prepared backup health facilities for a worst-case scenario where daily coronavirus infections reach 40,000 to 50,000, senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan told reporters on Tuesday. He said the government has accommodation infrastructure that can be turned into isolation facilities and has also ramped up production of oxygen.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin added that the provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo island, were being monitored closely amid a rise in cases of the Delta variant of the coronavirus in those areas.
Israel, South Korea agree on COVID-19 vaccine swap
Israel will deliver about 700,000 expiring doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine to South Korea later this month, and South Korea will give Israel back the same number, already on order from Pfizer, in September and October.
South Korea has quickly distributed the COVID-19 vaccines it has, but struggled to obtain enough doses in a timely manner amid tight global supplies, particularly in Asia.
Reuters
Tue Jul 06 2021
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Indonesia prepares extra facilities for worst-case outbreak scenario. ETXStudiopic
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Ladang kelapa sawit dipercayai lokasi Nur Farah Kartini dibunuh - Polis
Polis percaya kawasan ladang kelapa sawit di Kampung Sri Kledang di sini adalah lokasi Nur Farah Kartini Abdullah, dipercayai dibunuh.
Pantau Agenda Reformasi: Bola sepak Malaysia selepas Kim Pan Gon
Niaga AWANI: BSKL dijangka melepasi 1,700 mata pada akhir 2024
Bursa Malaysia dijangka mencatatkan aliran meningkat dengan indeks utama FBM KLCI dijangka melepasi paras 1,700 mata menjelang akhir tahun ini.
Niaga AWANI: Harga emas rekod paras tertinggi dalam sejarah
Harga emas dilaporkan naik ke paras tertinggi dalam sejarah hari ini. Ia berikutan kenyataan terbaharu daripada pegawai Rizab Persekutuan (FED) Amerika Syarikat yang meningkatkan jangkaan bahawa akan berlaku penurunan kadar faedah pada September.
Suspek masih belum digantung tugas
Polis Perak sedang menunggu hasil siasatan terhadap suspek sebelum tindakan menggantung tugas sebagai anggota polis.
Dasar digital perlu pastikan jurang antara miskin dan kaya tidak terus melebar
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkata, beliau bukan mahu bersikap negatif terhadap golongan elit, namun menegaskan bahwa sekiranya tidak dikawal, kesenjangan di antara kaya dan miskin akan terus melebar.
Ahli Dewan Rakyat wajib jalani pemeriksaan kesihatan
Semua Ahli Dewan Rakyat diwajibkan untuk menjalani pemeriksaan kesihatan selewat-lewatnya pada 11 November depan.
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Jenazah Nur Farah Kartini dijangka dituntut selepas DNA ibu diambil - Abang
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Suspek kes bunuh Nur Farah Kartini belum ditahan tugas - Polis Perak
Polis Perak sedang menunggu hasil siasatan terhadap suspek yang juga anggota di kontinjen negeri itu sebelum tindakan jabatan diambil berhubung kes bunuh Nur Farah Kartini Abdullah.
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Tidak dapat tidak, atlet RTG mesti bawa pulang emas - MOM
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Tidak perlu lagi kemas kini status COVID-19 dalam MySejahtera - KKM
Jika positif COVID-19 melalui ujian kendiri, pesakit boleh mengunjungi klinik dan hospital berdekatan bagi mendapatkan pengesahan.
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Ancaman keganasan di Asia Tenggara bersifat sederhana rendah - Ahmad Zahid
Timbalan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata ancaman keganasan masih wujud di rantau Asia Tenggara namun ia bersifat sederhana rendah.
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Kerajaan tanggung kerugian RM185 juta akibat lebihan vaksin COVID-19 - Dr Dzulkefly
Malaysia menanggung kerugian lebih RM185 juta akibat lebihan vaksin COVID-19 setakat 11 Jun lalu, kata Menteri Kesihatan, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
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TPR positif COVID-19, prosiding bela diri Dr Roland ditangguh ke 23 Sept
Pada 5 Julai 2021, Dr Roland didakwa atas pertuduhan membuat dan memulakan hantaran video bersifat jelik dengan niat untuk menyakitkan hati orang lain di Facebook.
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Sarawak mahu lebih ramai kontraktor Bumiputera kelas lebih tinggi - Uggah
Kerajaan bukan setakat mahu melihat lebih ramai kontraktor Bumiputera berjaya malah pada masa sama mahu menambah bilangan mereka berdaftar dalam kelas yang lebih tinggi.
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KKM keluarkan perincian semakan semula SOP bagi COVID-19 dalam masa terdekat
Kementerian Kesihatan akan mengeluarkan perincian semakan semula prosedur operasi standard (SOP) berkaitan COVID-19 dalam waktu terdekat.
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Dulu jurutera, sekarang usahawan cili
Srinath tinggalkan kerjaya sebagai jurutera perisian kerana mahu beri tumpuan pada tanaman cili secara fertigasi.
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Suara jeritan diikuti dengan tangisan membuatkan beberapa orang pelanggan Tong Kayu Cafe, Bayan Lepas (Pulau Pinang) berhenti makan sambil menghalakan pandangan ke arah wanita itu.
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Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.