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Gas stations closed, garbage collection canceled and supermarket shelves stripped bare of food, water and other essential goods. In a week when Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised England a return to normality after the end of months of lockdown rules, a coronavirus-weary nation has instead been battered by a new crisis. This one is being called the “pingdemic.” (Castle, 7/22)

Italy will require people to show proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status or a recent negative coronavirus test to participate in select social activities, the New York Times reports. Italy has seen a spike in infections driven by the Delta variant, reporting 5,057 new coronavirus infections Thursday, compared to the 4,259 the day before. The country's latest requirement follows a similar move in France which newly demands visitors obtain COVID-19 passes to visit tourist venues. (Frazier, 7/22)

Growing coronavirus outbreaks in Asia and the Western Pacific prompted several nations there Friday to reimpose restrictions or suspend travel between neighbors to stem the spread of the virus. The surging cases — in places such as Australia, Malaysia and Thailand — have been blamed on the more contagious delta variant now sweeping across the globe. (Cunningham, 7/23)

New Zealand has suspended a travel bubble with Australia for two months as an outbreak of a hyper-transmissible variant of the novel coronavirus threatens the nation’s earlier success in containing the pandemic. (Pannett, 7/23)

Pakistan has passed the grim milestone of 1 million cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began last year. Pakistan reported another 11 deaths Friday and 1,425 new cases of infection, bringing the country’s tally to 1,000,034 people infected. The nation has confirmed 22,939 deaths.

Russia is enduring a devastating third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, registering record numbers of daily virus deaths many days for the past month as the virus rages in the country where there are few quarantine restrictions in place and much of the population is reluctant to get vaccinated. In many parts of the country doctors have said hospitals have been overflowing for almost a month, placing huge strain on medical workers already battered by a year and a half of the pandemic. (Reevell, 7/22)

Chile expects to start offering Covid-19 vaccinations to children under the age of 12 by September, as the nation presses ahead with one of the world’s fastest inoculation campaigns. The government’s procurement plans include shots for youth in that age range, Vice Minister of Trade Rodrigo Yanez said in a Bloomberg TV interview. Jabs from Sinovac Biotech Ltd. are a candidate for when the inoculation drive expands, given their efficacy against the virus and safety record, he said. (Malinowski and Ahn, 7/22)

The U.K.’s University of Exeter is offering students who want to study medicine a £10,000 ($13,735) bursary and free first-year accommodation to defer their place, due to increased demand to study at the medical school. In addition to offering students a financial incentive to defer their spot to study medicine at the university, located in southwest England, the college is also giving them the option to study a post-graduate program prior to the starting their medical studies in 2022. (McKeever, 7/23)

More than 2,000 generic medicines made in Great Britain could be withdrawn from the Northern Irish market as a result of Brexit red tape, depriving consumers there of vital drugs. The British Generic Manufacturers Association, an industry trade body, said different regulations in the province post-Brexit could make it too costly and complex to supply medicines. Four out of five drugs used by the National Health Service are generic. (Hipwell, 7/23)