U.S. Deaths Near 700,000; Shot Mandates Close In: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. is nearing 700,000 fatalities from Covid-19, a milestone marked by the spread of the delta variant as well as readily available vaccines that largely prevent serious illness and death. 

Federal workers will have to prove they’re vaccinated by Nov. 8 or face suspension and possible termination, according to new guidance announced by President Joe Biden. 

California will mandate Covid-19 vaccines for children attending school once the shots are federally approved for their age groups, becoming the first state to require the inoculations in classrooms. 

Merck & Co Inc. said its antiviral pill reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 50% in an interim trial analysis. 

Key Developments:

• Global Virus Tracker: Cases top 234 million; deaths exceed 4.7 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 6.3 billion shots given
• The flu’s return is set to shape the pandemic’s future impact
• BlackRock return-to-office pilot program starts next month
• How Covid is transforming a $380 billion luxury fashion industry
• South America gets Covid break from vaccines after deadly wave

Sotomayor Refuses to Halt NYC School Mandate (5:23 p.m. NY)

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor rejected a request by four New York City teachers and staff to lift the city’s new requirement that school employees be vaccinated.

Sotomayor, who is assigned to consider emergency requests out of the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, made no comment. Her rejection leaves open the possibility the challengers can refile the request with another justice, who could then refer the matter to the full, nine-member court.

Alaska Governor Urged to Cancel Session (4:23 p.m. NY)

Alaska House Speaker Louise Stutes asked the governor to cancel a special session of the legislature, citing her “grave concern” over the state’s outbreak. She wrote two days after a second hospital in Alaska said it would begin to ration care because of the overflow of Covid-19 patients. 

“As you are well aware, Alaska is currently experiencing its highest infection rate ... of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Stutes wrote to her fellow Republican Mike Dunleavy. Dunleavy’s office was quoted in local media as saying he did not plan on canceling the session.

Denver Shot Mandate Close to Goal (3:27 p.m. NY)

In Denver, a vaccine mandate for municipal employees and private-sector workers in high-risk settings went into effect Friday with 98.6% of the municipal staff submitting proof of vaccination or receiving an approved exemption, the health department announced. “This is about saving lives,” Mayor Michael Hancock said. Workers who decline to comply with the mandate face “progressive discipline,” officials said.

U.S. Nears 700,000 Deaths (3:20 p.m. NY)

The U.S. is nearing 700,000 fatalities from Covid-19, a milestone marked by the spread of the delta variant as well as readily available vaccines that largely prevent serious illness and death. Health experts and the Biden administration blame this latest surge on the tens of millions of Americans who have declined vaccination.  

This viral wave -- which is peaking but not yet over -- has killed a slightly different profile of patient. Covid remains most dangerous for older people, but nursing home deaths are running well below their previous peaks, even in hot spots like Florida, thanks in part to targeted vaccinations. Yet the delta wave has killed a higher proportion of people ages 40-65, who have lower rates of vaccine uptake. 

It will have taken less than four months for the virus to claim another 100,000 lives in the U.S., which has the world’s highest death toll. Even with vaccines, and now increasing mandates, the nation will now surpass last year’s death toll of almost 352,000 people. 

The picture looked more optimistic on June 15, when the U.S. passed 600,000 fatalities. The virus had ebbed after a deadly winter surge and as millions of Americans, particularly senior citizens, were vaccinated. 

“Today, we’re closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus,” President Joe Biden said on July 4.

But by then, the B.1.617.2 variant, first detected in India in 2020 and later named delta, already accounted for 85% of new cases, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Infection. It spread largely among pockets of the unvaccinated, first from Missouri to the U.S. South. Florida for a time made up a fifth of U.S. cases.

U.S. to Weigh Boosters, Kids’ Shots (2:52 p.m. NY)

U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers will meet this month in separate sessions to discuss booster doses for recipients of the Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines and Pfizer Inc. shots for kids ages 5 to 11. 

The FDA’s vaccine advisory committee of outside experts will meet Oct. 14 and 15 to discuss boosters for Moderna and J&J shots, the agency said in a statement Friday. 

FDA May Extend Expiry of Unused Moderna Shots (2:26 p.m. NY)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will likely extend the expiration date for millions of unused doses of Moderna’s vaccine, NBC News reported, citing an email sent by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to state health officials and health-care providers.

The Moderna extension is likely to add two months to the shots’ shelf life, NBC says, citing two unidentified sources. The CDC told states that the FDA wouldn’t grant any more extensions to expiring J&J shots after having already extended their shelf life in July from 4.5 months to 6 months.

California to Mandate Shots for Schoolchildren (1:21 p.m. NY) 

California will mandate Covid-19 vaccines for children attending school once the shots are federally approved for their age groups, becoming the first state to require the inoculations in classrooms. 

The mandate, which follows similar actions by several school districts in the most-populous U.S. state, will be implemented in phases for grades 7 to 12 and kindergarten to sixth grade. California anticipates that the requirement will kick in for the older students on July 1, 2022.

New Mexico Prison Workers Face Dismissal (1:15 p.m. NY)

In New Mexico, almost a dozen state prison system employees face dismissal for disregarding a mandate requiring workers in “congregate care facilities” to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper reported. 

As of Thursday, 2,234 of the 2,395 workers in the state’s correctional system were vaccinated, 11 were awaiting dismissal, 11 were on extended leave, 19 resigned and 139 were granted exemptions, according to Eric Harrison, a spokesman for the New Mexico Corrections Department, quoted by the newspaper.

Zambia Eases Curbs (1:08 p.m. NY)

Zambia will lift restrictions for the next month as transmission of the virus have fallen, Health Minister Sylvia Masebo said Friday in a statement.

Bars, casinos, restaurants, night clubs, markets and churches in the Southern African nation will be allowed to operate normally from Saturday. Wearing masks and adhering to social distancing rules in public places remain mandatory.

The government will continue to monitor the situation to make further decisions before the end of the month, she said.

Wyoming Public Workers Earn $250 for a Shot (12:27 a.m. NY)

In hard-hit Wyoming, the state’s largest city is offering municipal workers $250 to get Covid-19 shots. The program, which started Friday, applies to employees of the city of Casper who are already fully vaccinated as well as those who receive shots before the end of the year, the Casper Star-Tribune reports. The city is also offering $100 for family members and other dependents of municipal workers.

Alaska Airlines Mandates Worker Vaccines (11:33 a.m. NY)

Alaska Airlines informed its 22,000 employees that they must be vaccinated against Covid-19 amid new federal rules, CNBC reported.

“Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air and McGee employees – all part of Alaska Air Group – do fall under this federal vaccine mandate,” Alaska said in an email cited by CNBC. The carrier is a government contractor.

Unvaccinated Federal Workers Face Firing (9:33 a.m. NY)

Federal workers will have to prove they’re vaccinated by Nov. 8 or face suspension and possible termination, according to new guidance announced by President Joe Biden to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The guidance, published by the Office of Personnel Management on Friday morning, encourages agencies to collect vaccine cards from their workers. Employees who haven’t received their final dose of a one- or two-shot vaccine by Nov. 9 should be given five days to at least start their vaccination, or face a short suspension without pay, the guidance said. Workers who fail to receive a shot by that point should then be terminated. All new hires must be fully vaccinated, the guidance said.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Tests Positive (8:55 a.m. NY)

Justice Brett Kavanaugh tested positive for Covid-19 after taking a routine test Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court said. 

Kavanaugh has no symptoms and has been fully vaccinated since January, the court said. His wife and daughters tested negative on Thursday. The court is scheduled to begin its nine-month term on Monday.

EMA: Possible Link J&J Vaccine and Rare Venous Thromboembolism (7:25 a.m. NY)

European drug regulator EMA’s safety and risk committee concludes there is a possible link to rare cases of venous thromboembolism with J&J’s Covid-19 vaccine Janssen, having reviewed new evidence from two studies and data gathered while the vaccine is used in the context of vaccination campaigns, according to statement.

Merck Says Antiviral Halves Hospitalization, Death (6 a.m. NY)

Merck & Co Inc.’s Covid-19 antiviral pill molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 50% in an interim analysis of a late-stage trial, findings that could give doctors another potent virus-fighting tool. 

The company is halting the study and will seek an emergency-use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as quickly as possible, Chief Executive Officer Rob Davis said in an interview. Merck also plans to submit applications to regulators in other countries. 

Meanwhile, scientists are bending messenger RNA to get from vaccines to cancer drugs.

Israel Reports Fewer Symptoms With Booster (5:52 a.m. NY)

The Israeli Health Ministry said late yesterday that people who have been given the third coronavirus vaccine have suffered very few side effects such as fatigue, weakness or local discomfort at the vaccine site that were reported after the first two jabs. Only 19 people out of the 3.2 million vaccinated reported any significant side effects, far less than after the first two jabs.

The ministry also reported that heart inflammation among those 12 to 15 who received the vaccinations was very rare. Only 11 children contracted myocarditis after the first or second vaccinations and all fully recovered. According to the ministry data, 331,538 children aged 12 to 15 received one dose of the vaccine and 255,444 received two doses.

Norway Opens Borders (5:49 a.m. NY)

Norway has decided to open all border crossings from Oct. 6, its Health and Care Services Ministry said. Travelers will still be required to test at border crossings where there is a test station and within 24 hours if there isn’t. Those who don’t have an approved digital corona certificate are required to take a test if they come from countries or areas with a quarantine obligation.

Separately, the Institute of Public Health recommended Norwegian 16 and 17 year olds are now advised to get a second vaccine dose 12 weeks after the initial shot.

Virgin Atlantic Doubles U.S. Network (5:29 a.m. NY)

Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. will double the number of services it operates to the U.S., adding back six routes suspended at the start of the coronavirus crisis as the Biden administration relaxes border curbs.

The U.K. carrier will restore flights from London Heathrow to San Francisco starting Saturday, followed by links to Orlando, Florida, and Las Vegas next month, it said Friday. November will also see the resumption of services from Manchester to Orlando and New York, with Atlanta following in December.

Lithuania Reimposes Mask Mandate (5:20 a.m. NY)

Lithuania, which is reporting the most new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the European Union, is reintroducing mandatory mask-wearing indoors from Friday and recommends businesses to work from home when possible. Lithuania reported 1,970 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, the most since Jan. 7.

Fire at Romanian Covid Hospital Kills at Least 4 (4:20 p.m. HK)

A fire at a hospital treating Covid-19 patients in the Romanian city of Constanta killed at least four people, highlighting the dilapidated condition of the eastern European country’s health-care system as the pandemic worsens. 

Russia Reports Record Deaths Again (4:15 p.m. HK)

Russia reported 887 new Covid-19 deaths and 24,522 new cases from the past day. Even as officials have warned about infection risks from the delta variant that’s surged through the country, many Russians remain skeptical of appeals to get vaccinated.

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