What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

"And from then, we will be able to ease restrictions by using proof of vaccination or testing results." Sydney pubs to open in mid-October as end of lockdown looms Sydney's cafes, restaurants and pubs are set to reopen in the second half of October after months of strict lockdown, even as the prime minister warned higher case numbers will follow the easing of curbs and leaders must "hold their nerve".

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Japan extends emergency curbs

Japan extended emergency COVID-19 restrictions on Thursday in Tokyo and other regions until the end of this month to curb infections and prevent hospitals being overwhelmed. Announcing the extension, ratified earlier by an advisory panel, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said it was needed to shore up a medical system still stretched by serious cases even though new infections were falling and vaccinations were rising.

"Inoculation of all those who wish to be vaccinated will be completed in October or November," Suga told reporters. "And from then, we will be able to ease restrictions by using proof of vaccination or testing results." Sydney pubs to open in mid-October as end of lockdown looms

Sydney's cafes, restaurants and pubs are set to reopen in the second half of October after months of strict lockdown, even as the prime minister warned higher case numbers will follow the easing of curbs and leaders must "hold their nerve". Authorities said Sydney bars and eateries, as well as gyms, across the city of five million people would be able to reopen at reduced capacity within days once New South Wales reached a 70% double-vaccination target, now expected around mid-October.

Stay-at-home orders for the fully vaccinated will be lifted on the Monday after the target is achieved, the officials said. Thailand hopes to welcome tourists to Bangkok next month

Thailand plans to reopen Bangkok and other key destinations to foreign tourists next month, officials said on Thursday, aiming to revive its battered travel industry after indications the number of new infections may have peaked. Bangkok, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Chiang Mai will be added to a programme in which fully vaccinated visitors who commit to a series of tests can enter, under certain criteria, said government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchan.

The scheme is underway on the islands of Samui and Phuket, where about 70% of the local population were required to be fully inoculated. UK approves booster shots

Britain's medical regulator on Thursday gave the go-ahead for Pfizer and AstraZeneca's vaccines to be used as booster shots, but said any decision to proceed with a booster programme was for others to make. Britain's Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation is discussing whether booster shots for the elderly and vulnerable are needed, with planning underway for a booster programme that could begin this month.

The final decision on whether there should be booster shots is for the government, but the regulator's decision clears one hurdle along that path. Send vaccines to Africa and ditch third shot, AU says

Rich nations would do better to send vaccines to Africa rather than hoarding them for third-dose booster shots that scientific evidence does not back, the African Union's top health official said on Thursday. Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention director John Nkengasong told a news conference he was baffled some rich countries were disregarding World Health Organization advice to hold off from booster shots until more people were fully vaccinated worldwide.

"The problem we have with the third doses is: we have not seen enough science behind them," he said. "It is really confusing to me as to why we are moving towards a vast (administration) ... of the booster dose." (Compiled by Linda Noakes; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)