• In Japan, where 44 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, government officials are considering whether to mix first doses of AstraZeneca with second doses of vaccines from Moderna or Pfizer/BioNtech, which would allow them to accelerate vaccination by shortening the eight-week interval between doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine to three or four weeks. Source
• Sydney’s daily coronavirus cases reach 1,218, continuing to break records despite a two-month lockdown. Source
• China describes the US intelligence report on the origins of SARS-CoV-2 as “unscientific,” and says it could provoke more racism against Asian people. Source
• Israel expands eligibility for coronavirus booster shots to all citizens aged 12 as the Delta variant pushes the nation’s new cases up to the world’s highest rate per 100,000 people. Source