COVID-19 now spread by younger people: WHO

The proportion of people aged under 50 who are infected with the coronavirus is growing globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

"The epidemic is changing," WHO's Western Pacific regional director, Takeshi Kasai, told a virtual briefing. "People in their 20s, 30s and 40s are increasingly driving the spread."

He said many of them were not aware they were infected, increasing the risk of their infecting vulnerable people, such as the elderly or those with medical conditions that put them in greater danger of contracting a severe form of COVID-19.

The WHO also warned drugmakers to take all due precautions and carry out all the prescribed research and development steps when producing vaccines against the disease. 

Russia this month became the first country in the world to approve a vaccine, but the announcement was met with skepticism from many health authorities, who believe corners were possibly cut in its development.

In further regional news:

Americas  

The United States is now grappling with outbreaks in major universities that opted to have in-person classes, shortly after the fall semester began. The University of North Carolina has been forced to cancel in-person classes for undergraduates, switching to remote learning from Wednesday and making arrangements for students who want to leave campus housing.

Outbreaks have taken place this summer at fraternities in Washington state, California and Mississippi, providing a glimpse of the challenges school officials face in keeping the virus from spreading on campuses. Coronavirus clusters have been linked in some cases to student housing, off-campus parties and packed bars.

Mexico's president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, said he would receive a Russian coronavirus vaccine, if it is shown to be effective. "I would be the first to get vaccinated, because it matters a lot to me, but we have to ... ensure that it's something effective and that it's available to everyone," Lopez Obrador said.

The Mexican leader added that he would personally reach out to Russia or China if they are first to develop an effective vaccine.

Russia announced last week that it was the first in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine, but the news was met with caution from Western scientists who said it still needed to be proved safe and effective.

Mexico has recorded more than 56,000 coronavirus deaths — the world's third-highest toll — and over half a million infections.

Argentina has been rocked by protest, as thousands of opposition demonstrators took to the streets in various cities to reject President Alberto Fernandez and his plans to extend lockdown measures against the coronavirus until August 30.

Demonstrators defied social distancing rules, shouting "freedom, freedom," waving Argentine flags and chanting anti-government slogans.

According to the latest figures, Argentina has recorded nearly 300,000 infections and 5,750 deaths from the coronavirus, while reporting more than 5,000 new cases a day for the past week.

Asia

India's interior minister, Amit Shah, has been readmitted to hospital four days after being discharged and saying he had recovered from COVID-19.

He is reportedly suffering from fatigue and body ache. A hospital statement said he had tested negative for COVID-19 and was "comfortable and continuing his work from the hospital" in New Delhi.

Seoul, South Korea and its surrounding area has banned religious services in churches due to a surge in cases, Prime Minister Chung Sye Kyun has announced. Religious services will be streamed online for the foreseeable future, while infections continue to rise in the region.

The Philippine government is set to ease a mild lockdown in the capital and four outlying provinces to further reopen the country's battered economy. The move comes despite the fact that the country has the most coronavirus infections in Southeast Asia.

President Rodrigo Duterte said most businesses, including shopping malls and dine-in restaurants would be allowed to reopen, while Roman Catholic Church services will partially resume with restrictions, including masks and social distancing.

The Philippines has reported more than 164,000 virus cases, including 2,681 deaths.

New Zealand reported 13 new confirmed cases of coronavirus for the last 24 hours compared
with nine a day earlier, as the nation battles to contain an outbreak in the biggest city of Auckland.

Twelve cases are linked to the existing virus cluster in Auckland, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said in a media briefing in Wellington. New Zealand has postponed its general election by a month to focus on fighting a resurgence of coronavirus infections.

Europe

Chancellor Angela Merkel has said there are no plans to relax COVID-19 restrictions in Germany, particularly as the country is trying to stem a surge in infections. Merkel told reporters in Düsseldorf: "The number of cases across Germany has doubled over the past three weeks. This is a trend that cannot continue and must be halted."

"I believe there can be no further loosening (of restrictions) at this point," she said. "When I say we need to pull in the reins I mean the rules need to be enforced very consistently."

The UK has been forced to abandon its policy for grading exams that had been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Angry protests by students and warnings that it threatened the career prospects of the most disadvantaged pupils drove the decision.

British education authorities had employed an algorithm, intended to standardize results, which compared them with schools' past performance. That meant high-achieving students at under-performing schools, many in deprived areas, saw their marks downgraded, while students at above-average schools kept their predicted grades.

Students took to the streets and threatened legal action, saying that the system would make it harder for bright children in disadvantaged areas to do well, while rewarding mediocre students in private schools.

England's exam regulator said that it now would accept at face value assessments made by teachers in lieu of high school exams.

Meanwhile, the number of UK adults struggling with depression has almost doubled during the lockdown, according to the country's official data.  In June, 19.2% were likely to experience symptoms of depression compared to  9.7% average between July 2019 and March 2020. Young people bore the brunt of the trend; nearly one-third of people aged between 16 and 39 were reporting depression symptoms in June.  A study estimating the health of 3,527 adults reported that feelings of stress and anxiety were the most common. Researchers believe social isolation, economic fears, and the fear of the virus itself can be used to explain the rise in depression. 

Finland's prime minister, Sanna Marin, has said she will take a coronavirus test after suffering mild respiratory symptoms. She says she will work remotely. Finland last week recommended the wearing of face masks in public for the first time amid a rise in coronavirus cases.

Lithuania has changed its entry requirements in response to the rising numbers of coronavirus infections across Europe. People coming from the EU and the European Economic Community are allowed to enter the Baltic state without restrictions, but anyone entering from countries with an infection rate of more than 25 cases per 100,000 inhabitants must now show a valid negative coronavirus test upon arrival, the government said.

"The lists of less and more affected states are now practically losing their meaning. The situation is changing everywhere," Interior Minister Rita Tamasuniene said. "That is why we would like to subject everyone to the same entry conditions."

Additionally, travelers from countries with a rate of more than 16 cases per 100,000 inhabitants will face a mandatory quarantine.

Czech Republic will make the wearing of face masks compulsory again, starting on September 1 on public transport and in many indoor public venues, following a resurgence of coronavirus infections. The move comes as schools are due to reopen on September 1, following the summer vacation.

The Czech Republic was among the first countries in Europe to order people to wear masks in most public places in March but had gradually lifted the requirement as infections fell in late spring. The new rules will require people to wear face masks in shops, common areas of schools and in public buildings, though not in the workplace or in restaurants and bars.

Europe's largest airline, Ryanair, plans to cut capacity by 20% in September and October, in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases that has impacted its bookings.

The low-cost carrier said Monday that most of the reductions would come from trimming the frequency of flights and would be focused on flights serving countries such as Spain, France and Sweden, where a rise in coronavirus cases has triggered tighter travel restrictions.

Germany's economy is set to recover from the crisis caused by the pandemic and will grow strongly in the summer, the country's central bank, the Bundesbank said. "Following a sharp decline in the first half of the year, the German economy could grow very strongly in the summer quarter," the Bundesbank said in its monthly report in reference to the July to September quarter.

But the central bank cautioned that levels of economic activity seen before the crisis erupted would not be reached in the third quarter or for some time to come, noting that the pandemic had yet to be contained in several countries.

Russia's energy minister, Alexander Novak, has tested positive for the coronavirus but will still take part remotely in a meeting of the OPEC+ groups's Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) on Wednesday, the Energy Ministry said on Tuesday.

tj,jcg/sri (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)