Worldwide COVID news at a glance

1  Bali running out of oxygen 

Bali hit by ‘oxygen crisis’ as Indonesia’s COVID struggles rise

The Indonesian island of Bali is running out of oxygen for its COVID-19 patients as infections surge, the chief of its health agency has said, as Southeast Asia’s biggest country struggles with the region’s worst COVID-19 outbreak.

Bali, famous for its tourist beaches and temples, along with the main island of Java and 15 other regions, is under tight coronavirus restrictions that are due to expire on Sunday. The government is debating whether to extend them.

“We’ve had an oxygen shortage since July 14 and it’s getting critical by the day because of a surge in new cases,” Ketut Suarjaya, the head of Bali’s health agency, was quoted as saying by Antara state news agency on Friday.

2  Malaysia’s cases top 1 million

Malaysia on Sunday reported its highest ever daily rise in Covid-19 cases, with the cumulative number of infections topping 1 million for the first time. Health authorities recorded 17,045 new infections, bringing the total to 1.01 million with 7,994 deaths. On June 28, the government extended its lockdown for an indefinite period, but the spread of infections has not stopped, especially in the Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area.

It has said lockdown rules will only be eased when daily Covid-19 cases fall below a weekly average of 4,000 and hospitals have more space to treat patients. The parliament is expected to resume for the first time in about seven months on Monday, but the administration of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has been criticised for failing to control the pandemic.

3  Match cancelled as more athletes test positive 

Olympics organisers have made the first COVID-19 cancellation of Tokyo 2020 after a Czech beach volleyball player tested positive for the virus. The very first match of the women’s competition was cancelled on Saturday after Markéta Sluková tested positive for the virus earlier this week. It meant Sluková and her partner Barbora Hermannova were eliminated and their opponents, Japanese duo Megumi Murakami and Miki Ishii, earned a win by default.

Despite marking just the first official day of the Games, four other athletes announced they would be pulling out of events due to COVID-19. Belgian triathlete Jelle Geens withdrew from the men’s individual event before Dutch rower Finn Florijn, German cyclist Simon Geschke and Portuguese surfer Frederico Morais also announced they would be withdrawing after testing positive to the coronavirus.

Every Olympian is tested once daily; morning or evening depending on the athlete’s schedule. The results are processed within 12 hours. Athletes are notified only if the result is positive.

4  Anti-lockdown protests

Tens of thousands of people protested in Australia, France, Italy and Greece on Saturday, sparking clashes with police as they railed against COVID-19 measures and government sanctions against the unvaccinated aimed at prodding more people into getting their shots.

Dozens of protesters were arrested after an unauthorized march in Sydney, with the city’s police minister calling those who took part “morons.” Organizers had dubbed the protest a freedom rally. Attendees carried signs and banners reading “Wake up Australia” and “Drain the Swamp.”

In France, where police deployed tear gas and a water cannon against some protesters, an estimated 160,000 took to the streets in nationwide protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s health pass that will drastically curtail access to restaurants and public spaces for unvaccinated people.

5  Germany considers restrictions for unvaccinated

German politicians were deeply divided Sunday over a warning by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff that restrictions for unvaccinated people may be necessary if COVID-19 infection numbers reach new heights in the coming months.

Chief of staff Helge Braun told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag that he doesn’t expect another coronavirus-related lockdown in Germany. But Braun said that unvaccinated people may be barred from entering venues like restaurants, movie theaters or sports stadiums “because the residual risk is too high.”

Braun said getting vaccinated is important to protect against severe disease and because “vaccinated people will definitely have more freedoms than unvaccinated people.” He said such policies would be legal because “the state has the responsibility to protect the health of its citizens.”

/ Chief of staff Helge Braun