Pfizer Inc said on Wednesday a booster dose of its two-shot COVID-19 vaccine spurs a more than three-fold increase in antibodies against the coronavirus, as the company seeks U.S. regulatory approval for a third injection.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
EUROPE
* Europe's medicines regulator has approved additional manufacturing sites for mRNA-based coronavirus vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
* Switzerland ordered millions more doses of COVID-19 vaccine as it braced for a resurgent wave of coronavirus that could require more restrictions on public life.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Sydney's COVID-19 infections hit a daily record, putting parts of the health system under pressure, officials said, calling for vaccinations to be stepped up to stem the tide of hospital admissions.
* India will supply millions of additional vaccine doses to its states to try to inoculate all schoolteachers by early next month, as the country gradually resumes physical classes.
* Thailand's coronavirus task force called on pregnant women in the country to get vaccinated, citing a higher risk of deaths among those who become infected with the coronavirus.
AMERICAS
* New York Governor Kathy Hochul revealed 12,000 more people died of COVID-19 than was reported under her disgraced predecessor, making good on her promise for greater transparency on just her second day leading the state.
* All City of Chicago employees and volunteers will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 15, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, adding that employees can apply for medical or religious exemptions.
* The unequal distribution of vaccines which protect against COVID-19 is the weak point in efforts to combat the disease in the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization said.
* Brazil will give booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines to people with compromised immune systems and those over the age of 70 beginning in mid-September.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Iran reported a record daily 709 deaths from COVID-19 as the worst-hit country in the Middle East faced a fifth surge in infections.
* Nigeria has approved China's Sinopharm vaccine against COVID-19.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* A booster dose of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine sharply increased levels of antibodies, according to interim data from two early-stage trials.
* Protection against COVID-19 offered by two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines begins to fade within six months, underscoring the need for booster shots.
* Moderna Inc has completed the real-time review process needed for a full approval for its COVID-19 vaccine in people aged 18 years and above.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Global equity markets rose and the U.S. dollar slipped, with investors more optimistic a day after the House of Representatives passed the $3.5 trillion budget framework and a top health official expressed confidence in fighting COVID-19.
* The fast-spreading Delta variant of COVID-19 is likely to have only a limited impact on the euro zone economy, which remains on course for robust growth this year and next, European Central Bank Chief Economist Philip Lane said.
