Reuters Health News Summary

The curbs on movement, which include the closure of shopping malls and a work-from-home order for non-essential workers, on the islands of Java, Bali and 15 other cities across the archipelago, are set to end on July 20. India's daily COVID-19 infections rise by 38,079 India on Saturday reported 38,079 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 31.06 million, health ministry data showed.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Delta COVID variant now dominant strain worldwide, U.S. deaths surge -officials

The Delta variant of COVID-19 is now the dominant strain worldwide, accompanied by a surge of deaths around the United States almost entirely among unvaccinated people, U.S. officials said on Friday. U.S. cases of COVID-19 are up 70% over the previous week and deaths are up 26%, with outbreaks occurring in parts of the country with low vaccination rates, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said during a press briefing.

Biden says Facebook, others 'killing people' by carrying COVID misinformation

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday said social media platforms like Facebook "are killing people" for allowing misinformation about coronavirus vaccines to be posted on its platform, as the administration continued criticizing the company. "They're killing people. ... Look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated. And they're killing people," Biden told reporters at the White House when asked about misinformation and what his message was to social media platforms such as Facebook Inc's.

UK reports another 6-month high in daily COVID cases

Britain on Saturday reported 54,674 new COVID-19 cases, a rise on the 51,870 new cases reported on the previous day to post a fresh highest daily total in six months. The daily totals for each of the last four days have been the highest since Jan. 15 when 55,761 cases were recorded.

Italy reports 13 coronavirus deaths on Saturday, 3,121 new cases

Italy reported 13 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday against 11 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 3,121 from 2,898. Italy has registered 127,864 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the eighth-highest in the world. The country has reported 4.28 million cases to date.

Vietnam curbs movement in southern areas as COVID-19 cases hit record

Vietnam will impose restrictions on movement in 16 southern provinces for two weeks from Monday as the country faces its worst COVID-19 outbreak so far, the government said on Saturday. Vietnam has managed to keep coronavirus cases relatively low due to targeted mass testing and strict contact tracing, border controls and quarantine measures, but new clusters of infections in recent weeks have triggered concern among health officials.

Indonesia considers extending restrictions on movement as COVID-19 cases climb

Indonesia is evaluating whether to end COVID-19 restrictions on movement as planned or extend them, as the country battles with a surge of new infections and a crumbling economy, senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan said on Saturday. The curbs on movement, which include the closure of shopping malls and a work-from-home order for non-essential workers, on the islands of Java, Bali and 15 other cities across the archipelago, are set to end on July 20.

India's daily COVID-19 infections rise by 38,079

India on Saturday reported 38,079 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 31.06 million, health ministry data showed. The number of deaths rose by 560, taking the total to 413,091, according to ministry data.

Mexico says will soon authorize Moderna's COVID vaccine

Mexico will soon authorize Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Saturday. "Good news: soon, very soon, the Moderna vaccine with a technological profile similar to that of Pfizer will be approved in Mexico," Ebrard said on a Twitter post.

'Not backed by science:' LA County sheriff will not enforce new mask mandate

A new mask mandate in Los Angeles County, set to go into effect at a minute before midnight Saturday and designed to combat the spread of COVID-19, will not be enforced by the county's top lawman or his deputies. The new mandate from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health requires people to wear masks indoors, even if they are already vaccinated against the disease.

Sydney tightens lockdown as Australia's COVID-19 cases rise

The Australian city of Sydney on Saturday ordered a shutdown of building sites, banned non-essential retail and threatened fines for employers who make staff come into the office as new COVID-19 cases kept rising three weeks into a citywide lockdown. Authorities in New South Wales state, of which Sydney is the capital, also banned hundreds of thousands of people in the city's western suburbs - the worst affected area - from leaving their immediate neighbourhoods for work, as they recorded 111 new cases in the prior 24 hours, up from 97 the day before.