Australia's biggest city will lift more COVID-19 curbs for vaccinated residents ahead of schedule next week while delaying freedoms it has promised for unvaccinated Sydneysiders as officials aim to boost inoculations.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
EUROPE
President Vladimir Putin said Russia may need the army's help to build field hospitals for COVID-19 patients as the country battles a surge in infections that has led to a nationwide workplace shutdown.
Latvia has received shipments of emergency medical equipment from the Netherlands, Finland, Hungary, and Sweden as it fights the worst surge in new COVID-19 cases in the European Union amid a low take-up of vaccinations.
AMERICAS
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared his coronavirus vaccination order for emergency responders a success, with no disruption to city services, despite a sickout by some firefighters who officials said were protesting the mandate.
The United States is rolling out Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 this week, but most of the 15 million shots being shipped initially are unlikely to be available before next week, the White House said.
Brazil registered 98 new COVID-19 deaths on Monday, according to data released by the Health Ministry, the lowest daily number since April 2020.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Japan on Tuesday confirmed plans to gradually ease COVID-19 border restrictions but fell short of calls from business lobbies to open up the country in line with its major trading partners.
China reported 71 new confirmed coronavirus cases for Nov. 1, compared with 92 a day earlier, the country's health authority said on Tuesday.
Thailand, Australia, and Israel eased international border restrictions significantly Monday for the first time in 18 months, offering a broad test of demand for travel worldwide amid the pandemic.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
The United Arab Emirates has approved for emergency use the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5-11, the health ministry said in a statement carried by state media.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
Novavax Inc (NVAX.O) expects regulators in India, the Philippines, and elsewhere to make a decision on its COVID-19 vaccine within "weeks," its chief executive officer told Reuters after the shot received its first emergency-use authorization from Indonesia.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
Australia's central bank on Tuesday took a major step toward unwinding extraordinary pandemic stimulus policies by abandoning an ultra-low target for bond yields and opening the door for an earlier hike in cash rates.
Global equity markets rose at the start of a big week for central bank meetings, helped by bets of fiscal stimulus in Japan and undeterred by concerns of future interest rate hikes that have tempered bonds.
South Korea's consumer inflation accelerated to a nearly 10-year peak in October on higher costs of oil products, housing rentals, and outdoor dining, putting pressure on policymakers ahead of the last monetary policy meeting of the year.
U.S.A. manufacturing activity slowed in October, with all industries reporting record-long lead times for raw materials, indicating that stretched supply chains continued to constrain economic activity early in the fourth quarter.
Record building activity underway in New Zealand will help ease house prices that have reached unsustainable levels in the past year, Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor Adrian Orr said.