Japan finds another vial suspected to contain foreign substance

Japan reported a fresh contamination case involving Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, the fourth such incident in less than a week, threatening to slow the country's sputtering inoculation campaign.

Kanagawa prefecture said on Tuesday several black particles in one Moderna vaccine vial were found upon checking for foreign substances before its use, and it has put the rest of the lot on hold.

Japan suspended the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna shots last week after being notified of contamination in some of the supply. Moderna and Spanish pharma company Rovi, which bottles Moderna vaccines, have said the cause could be a manufacturing issue, and European safety regulators have launched an investigation.

Australia aims to live with virus instead of eliminating it

Australian authorities on Wednesday extended the lockdown in Melbourne for another three weeks, as they shift their focus to rapid vaccination drives and move away from a suppression strategy to bring cases down to zero.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews flagged a staggered easing of the tough restrictions once 70% of the state's adult residents receive at least one dose, a milestone he hopes to reach at least by Sept. 23, based on current vaccination rates.

New Zealanders on Wednesday visited beaches and queued for takeaway food as tough lockdown measures enforced to beat an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant were eased for most of the country.

Thai malls reopen after virus cases ease

Thailand allowed shopping malls in the capital Bangkok to reopen on Wednesday and restaurants to operate at half capacity, after nearly three months of tough restrictions aimed at containing the country's worst coronavirus outbreak.

The move comes after infection numbers started falling in the middle of last month and with the government under pressure to ease lockdown measures due to the impact on the economy.

Philippines health workers protest neglect

Scores of healthcare workers protested in the Philippine capital on Wednesday to demand an end to what they called government neglect and unpaid benefits, as pressure builds at hospitals fighting one of Asia's longest-running coronavirus epidemics.

Protesters wearing protective medical gear gathered at the Department of Health and held placards demanding their risk allowances and hazard pay, and the resignation of Health Secretary Francisco Duque.

The Philippines passed the 2 million mark in coronavirus cases on Wednesday, a fifth of those recorded in the past month alone. Medical staff are overwhelmed and 103 have died during the pandemic, among some 33,500 coronavirus fatalities overall.

Israeli students return to school amid surge in cases

Israeli pupils returned to school on Wednesday with mask requirements and mandatory COVID-19 testing aimed at stemming a surge in coronavirus cases that has overshadowed the highly-vaccinated country's reopening.

Health officials worry the launch of a new school year - with most students attending in-person - will exacerbate the current wave ahead of this month's Jewish holiday season, potentially forcing another national lockdown.

New infections have soared since the emergence of the Delta variant, reaching a pandemic-high 10,947 on Tuesday among Israel's 9.3 million population. (Compiled by Linda Noakes; Editing by Edmund Blair)