Coronavirus latest: US drug regulator authorises Covid vaccine booster

The head of Brazil’s central bank has pledged to do whatever is needed to bring down inflation expectations, as Latin America’s biggest economy recovers from the effects of Covid-19.

Tourists from places with higher vaccination rates were “driving the travel recovery”, Airbnb said on Thursday, as it reported strong revenue growth for the quarter.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis revealed plans to launch monoclonal antibody treatment centres and mobile units, part of an effort to prevent coronavirus-infected people from developing symptoms that require hospitalisation.

San Francisco will require proof of full vaccination against Covid-19 for customers and staff for indoor locations, including bars, restaurants, gyms, and large events.

Initial jobless claims in the US dropped for a third straight week but continued to hover at elevated levels.

The number of alerts sent by the NHS Covid-19 app to people in England and Wales fell 20 per cent in the week to August 4, according to figures from the UK’s NHS.

The International Energy Agency has “sharply” lowered its oil demand forecasts for the rest of the year after several major energy-consuming countries imposed fresh curbs to stop the spread of the Delta coronavirus variant.

The fall in the UK coronavirus infection rate has slowed, a leading survey has found, with signs emerging of an uptick in daily cases.

Britain’s economy surged forward in the second quarter, growing 4.8 per cent following the easing of coronavirus restrictions and a rapid pandemic vaccination programme.

Australia’s capital, Canberra, has entered a one-week lockdown after reporting its first locally acquired case of Covid-19 in over a year.

New Zealand will begin a phased reopening of its international border from next year but will maintain a zero tolerance approach towards the spread of Covid-19, the government said on Thursday.