Coronavirus outbreak updates: March 11, 2021

Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:

Commuters wearing face masks head to work in front of JR Tokyo Station on March 8, 2021, under an extended coronavirus state of emergency in the capital. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

As of 11 p.m., Thursday, March 11

The Chinese Olympic Committee has offered to provide vaccine doses for athletes at this year's Tokyo Olympics and next year's Beijing Winter Olympics, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach revealed Thursday.
The Japanese government has decided not to procure insulin syringes intended for diabetes patients to administer COVID-19 vaccinations due to concerns of causing a supply shortage, the minister in charge of the vaccine rollout said Thursday.
The Japanese government is making arrangements to allow foreign athletes contracted to professional teams to enter the country after the state of emergency is lifted nationwide, a source with knowledge of the matter said Thursday.
The U.S. Congress passed a $1.9 trillion relief package Wednesday to support businesses and households battered by the coronavirus pandemic, handing a major legislative win to President Joe Biden less than two months into his presidency.

As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, March 10

Japan's health ministry said Wednesday that 345 people in 21 of the country's 47 prefectures were found to have been infected with novel coronavirus variants first detected in Britain, Brazil and South Africa.
Japan's major airlines have recently suspended bookings on flights to Japan from countries seeing an outbreak of coronavirus variants following the government's request to limit the number of inbound passengers, company officials said Wednesday.
People in Japan who received Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine seem to have suffered anaphylaxis at a higher rate than in the United States and Europe, the minister in charge of vaccination efforts said Wednesday.
Daily novel coronavirus cases in Tokyo may surpass 1,000 in May if people do not refrain from gathering to celebrate the spring after the current state of emergency is lifted, possibly leading to another contingency, a recent university study found.

As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, March 9

The Japanese government has decided to exclude overseas spectators from attending this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, officials with knowledge of the matter said Tuesday.
Nearly 400 people in Japan have been infected with a new variant of the novel coronavirus different from those found in Britain, South Africa and Brazil, Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases said Tuesday.
Gamba Osaka's scheduled first-division match at home to Oita Trinita on Wednesday night has been called off following further positive test results for the novel coronavirus within the Gamba camp, the J-League said Tuesday.
Newly appointed Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee President Seiko Hashimoto said Tuesday initial guidelines requiring Olympic athletes to be tested for the coronavirus at least once every four days are being reconsidered.
Japan will provide 4.5 billion yen ($41 million) grant aid through an international organization to 25 countries in Asia and the Pacific Islands region to help them build a cold-chain distribution network for COVID-19 vaccines, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
Japan will allow hospitals to administer Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine using insulin syringes, which can yield seven shots per vial as opposed to the five possible with the type of syringe the government procured for use, health minister Norihisa Tamura said Tuesday.
Japan's Fugaku supercomputer, the world's fastest in terms of computing speed, went into full operation on Tuesday, earlier than initially scheduled, in the hope of being utilized for research related to the novel coronavirus.
The U.S. health protection agency on Monday released guidance for the first time on activities deemed safe for people fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, giving the OK to indoor meetings in small groups without the need to wear masks.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday warned that efforts to empower women are losing ground amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, despite women playing key roles in fighting the global health crisis.