Court Halts U.S. Mandate; Europe Hit by New Wave: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) --

A federal appeals court temporarily halted nationwide implementation of the Biden administration’s mandate that all employees at companies with more than 100 workers must get Covid-19 vaccinations by Jan. 4.

Latest U.S. data suggest the decline in cases is leveling off, while Europe struggles with a spreading surge in the virus.

With U.S. restrictions on vaccinated travelers from Europe about to lift on Monday, the trends hint at the fragility of the global recovery. Russia reported record cases as neighboring Ukraine hit a record for fatalities. New infections in the U.K., however, fell to the lowest in a month.

Key Developments:

• Virus Tracker: Cases surpass 249.4 million; deaths top 5 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 7.23 billion shots given
• Child vaccine demand underscores deep divisions in U.S.
• Moderna finds that inventing a Covid vaccine was the easy part
• Rise of the robots speeds up in pandemic With U.S. labor scarce
• Why a new pill to treat Covid could be a game changer: QuickTake

Rodgers Deal Ends With Health-Care Company (5:24 p.m. NY)

A nine-year partnership has ended between a Wisconsin health-care company and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who tested positive for Covid-19 after refusing to get vaccinated. 

“Prevea Health remains deeply committed to protecting its patients, staff, providers and communities amidst the Covid-19 pandemic,” the company said in a statement posted on Twitter. “This includes encouraging and helping all eligible populations to become vaccinated.”

Rodgers had acted as a spokesman for the company’s health and wellness programs. On Friday, he said he was seeking alternative treatments, including zinc and ivermectin. 

Biden Mandate Halted by Court (3:26 p.m. NY)

A federal appeals court in New Orleans temporarily halted nationwide implementation of the Biden administration’s mandate that all employees at companies with more than 100 workers must get Covid-19 vaccinations by Jan. 4.

The request to stall the mandate came late Friday from more than two dozen private companies suing the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Labor Department, as part of a court challenge led by Texas, Louisiana, Utah and South Carolina.

The New Orleans court temporarily halted the vaccine mandate while the court further considers the matter. A three-judge panel, including two Trump appointees, gave the Biden administration until 5 p.m. Central time Monday to respond.

U.K. Cases at One-Month Low (12:35 p.m. NY)

The U.K. reported another 30,693 cases on Saturday, the lowest since Oct. 3. Confirmed infections are down more than 10% in the past week, the government said on its website. Weekly fatalities are up 8% to 1,186 people dying within 28 days of a positive test.

Singapore’s ICU Usage Rises (12:20 p.m. NY)

Singapore’s ICU utilization rate rose to 72.8%, the highest in more than a week.

The number of critically ill and intubated Covid patients in the ICU rose to 74, one of the highest levels in the latest wave, with another 65 in these beds under close monitoring for the virus, the Ministry of Health said.

The city-state added 3,035 cases and 12 deaths, all 60 and older with underlying medical conditions. Singapore, with 85% of its population fully vaccinated and 17% having received boosters, is reopening travel lanes as it pivots to treat the virus as endemic.

Ukraine Reaches Record Deaths (11:53 a.m. NY)

Ukraine deaths rose to a daily record of 793, the Associated Press reported. With neighboring Russia battling its worst outbreak of the pandemic, Ukraine hit record new infections on Thursday. 

Fewer than 18% of the population in Ukraine has been fully vaccinated, one of the lowest levels in Europe. Teachers and other government employees are required to be vaccinated by Nov. 8.   

U.S. Decline in Cases Levels Off (11:23 a.m. NY)

The steep decline in new U.S. cases since September appears to be leveling off, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New cases fell 1.4% in the week that ended Nov. 3, to 493,019. 

New infections rapidly decreased as the delta variant wave eased in most of the U.S., from 1.1 million in the week that ended Sept. 17 to about 516,000 in the week ending Oct. 22, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. 

France Imposes Masks Mandate on Ski Lifts (11:01 a.m. NY)

French Prime Minister Jean Castex said masks will be mandatory to use ski lifts this winter and that the sanitary pass may become so as well, Agence France-Presse reported on Saturday, citing comments made during a visit to the Alps. President Macron is due to make a public address on Tuesday as the number of cases is on the rise in the country.

Europe Struggles With New Viral Wave (10:49 a.m. NY)

Europe has again become an epicenter for the coronavirus, calling into question the region’s efforts to recover from the pandemic.

Despite an abundance of Covid-19 shots, countries from Germany to Greece have reported record infections in recent days, while Romania and Bulgaria are experiencing horrific levels of fatalities and overwhelmed hospitals.

That’s putting fresh urgency into efforts to vaccinate the masses, whether that means getting first doses into the arms of tens of millions of vaccine holdouts or preparing to offer booster shots to hundreds of millions of others.

China Says It Will Continue Curbs (8:43 a.m. NY)

China said it will continue with stringent curbs to disrupt the coronavirus’s domestic transmission, suggesting the nation won’t break away from its Covid-Zero strategy anytime soon.

Growing vaccination rates and the ability of the highly infectious delta variant to sidestep curbs had prompted countries from Australia to Singapore to pivot from eliminating Covid to learning to treat it as an endemic. That left China as the only country still tethered to the so-called Covid-Zero strategy.

Russia Hit Another One-Day Record (8:35 a.m. NY)

The national coronavirus task force on Saturday reported 41,335 new cases since the previous day, exceeding the previous daily record of 40,993 from Oct. 31, the Guardian reports. The task force said 1,188 people with Covid-19 died, just seven fewer than the daily death record reported on Thursday.

Austria to Bar Unvaccinated from Restaurants (8:41 a.m. NY)

Unvaccinated people in Austria who also haven’t had Covid-19 will no longer be allowed to enter restaurants, hotels and hair salons or attend public events with more than 25 people under new rules that take effect Monday, according to the Associated Press.

Patients Die in Blaze at Indian Covid Ward (8:39 a.m. NY)

Nearly a dozen people have died after a fire broke out in the Covid-19 ward of an Indian hospital on Saturday, the Associated Press reports. Police Inspector Jyoti Karkade said of the 17 patients staying in the ward at the hospital in the state of Maharashtrawith, 11 died.

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With assistance from Bloomberg