Restrictions reimposed as vaccine trials wield results
Millions of people went into new lock- downs Tuesday as novel coronavirus cases surged, but in one sign of hope, a US firm said it would soon start final-stage human trials for a possible COVID-19 vaccine.
Massachusetts-based Moderna will be- gin the trials later in July after promising early results.
With countries and cities across the globe reimposing restrictions in the face of new outbreaks of the disease, infections in India have continued to soar.
The country of 1.3 billion people had been easing its lockdown to lessen the eco- nomic impact – particularly on vast num- bers of poor Indians who lost their jobs.
Almost 24,000 Indian deaths have now been recorded, according to health ministry figures that many experts say underplay the severity of the situation.
Bangalore, home to more than 13 mil- lion people, has emerged as a new global hot spot. Firms in the city’s lifeblood IT sec- tor handling the back-office operations of dozens of global corporations can continue operating, but with only half of the staff al- lowed on premises.
Transport is banned except for emergen- cies, and only shops selling essential items are allowed to open.
In the US, the announcement of pos- sible progress toward a vaccine came as re- sults were published from the first stage of Moderna’s vaccine trial, which showed the first 45 participants all developed antibod- ies to the virus.
Moderna is considered to be in a leading position in the race to find a vaccine against coronavirus, which has infected more than 13.2 million people and killed 570,000. The last-stage trials are scheduled to run through October 2022, with researchers expecting preliminary results well before then.
But “there will be no return to the ‘old normal’ for the foreseeable future,” World Health Organization chief Tedros Adha- nom Ghebreyesus said on Monday, warn- ing that without governments adopting a comprehensive strategy, the situation would get “worse and worse and worse.”
In England, face masks will become compulsory in shops and supermarkets from next week, the health secretary said Tuesday in a U-turn on previous policy.
Face masks have been mandatory on public transport across the country since June 15, and Scotland has already made the coverings compulsory for shoppers.
After overseeing drastically downscaled Bastille Day celebrations in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron also said he would like to make masks mandatory in enclosed public spaces.
People party as they drive on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach on Tuesday amid the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: AFP
