CDC Sets Emergency Vaccine Meeting; Variant Hunt: Virus Update
Track the latest developments in the global Covid-19 pandemic here.
(Bloomberg) -- Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, suggested that the U.S. may soon issue guidance easing public health protocols for people who are fully vaccinated. The U.S. is stepping up its effort to track virus variants with genetic sequencing.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he’s “very optimistic” that England’s restrictions on social contact will end in June, and airline bookings have started to surge in Britain. Meanwhile, the U.K.’s finance minister is planning more economic aid after pandemic curbs pushed up unemployment.
Hong Kong is relaxing a limit on gatherings, and Thailand may waive quarantines for vaccinated visitors to help revive tourism. Czech hospitals are nearing “total exhaustion” as intensive-care units fill with Covid-19 patients, and Italy is imposing a new hard lockdown in areas close to the country’s original coronavirus epicenter.
Key Developments:
- Global Tracker: Cases exceed 111.9 million; deaths pass 2.48 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 209 million shots given worldwide
- Tomorrow’s hospitals: smaller, more flexible and pandemic-proof
- These Covid billionaire fortunes are fading with vaccine rollout
- Vaccine delays leave Latin America’s economies in the mud
- Can a vaccinated person still spread the coronavirus?: QuickTake
Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click CVID on the terminal for global data on cases and deaths.
U.S. Looks for a Surge in Vaccine Supply (4:15 p.m. NY)
Johnson & Johnson said it will be ready next month to ship 20 million doses of its one-shot vaccine. That adds to a coming surge in vaccine availability in the U.S., according to a Bloomberg analysis of drugmaker promises.
Along with vaccines from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc., which both require two doses, the delivery targets through next month will be enough to fully vaccinate 130 million Americans.
A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee scheduled a meeting for Sunday and Monday regarding J&J’s application for emergency use of its vaccine candidate. An authorization could swiftly follow the meeting.
Astra Cuts 2Q Delivery to EU by Half (2:45 p.m. NY)
A person familiar with the matter confirmed a report by Reuters that AstraZeneca is expected to deliver about half the Covid-19 vaccines it had committed to supply the European Union in the second quarter.
According to Reuters, the company told EU officials it would deliver fewer than 90 million doses, compared with a commitment of 180 million.
The shortfall would not impact the EU’s target of vaccinating 70% of the adult population by the end of the summer, the person said.
Dutch Government Moves to Relax Lockdown (1:45 p.m. NY)
The Dutch government will take “a little bit more risk” in relaxing a few lockdown measures as Prime Minister Mark Rutte seeks to balance the battle against the outbreak with a pandemic-weary public and frustrated closed businesses. Secondary schools will partly reopen, shopping with an appointment will be allowed and barbers and other so-called contact jobs can reopen. The government announced the new measures hours after case numbers showed an increase in the week ending Feb. 23. A much debated nighttime curfew will be extended until March 15.
Ireland to Stay in Lockdown (1:15 p.m. NY)
Ireland’s government will maintain its strict lockdown regime until at least April 5, Prime Minister Micheal Martin said in a national address. Non-essential stores, bars and personal services -- which have been closed for over six weeks -- will remain shuttered, and people will have to stay within 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from home. In one change, schools will reopen on a phased basis next month. Offering some hope, Martin said over 80% of adults will have been given at least a first vaccine dose by the end of June.
Houston Seeks Vaccine Equity at Megasite (1:10 p.m. NY)
Houston plans to prioritize residents of “high-risk” ZIP codes for more than 125,000 shots it plans to administer at a professional football stadium starting this week.
When the megasite opens at NRG Park within days, people 65 and older who live in neighborhoods with high positivity rates and meet other economic and social criteria will be first in line. Next come 65-year-olds from other areas, followed by people 60 to 64 from high-risk zones.
The fourth-largest U.S. city follows in the footsteps of Chicago, which last month instituted a similar “vaccine equity” program.
South Africa Calls for Global Shot Equity (11:45 a.m. NY)
South African President Cyril Rampahosa backed a call by French President Emmanuel Macron and European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for wealthy countries to donate 5% of their vaccines to poorer nations.
“We need to pool our resources, capabilities, knowledge and intellectual property” to ensure equitable access to vaccines and medical supplies across the globe, Ramaphosa said Tuesday.
South Africa and India have urged the World Trade Organization to suspend intellectual-property rights related to Covid-19 to ensure access to vaccines and medication for all.
New Mexico Hospitals Allow Visitors (11:40 a.m. NY)
Major hospitals in New Mexico are permitting visitors again after imposing pandemic-related restrictions, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. Access will be limited to patients not suffering from Covid-19. Vesta Sandoval, chief medical officer at Lovelace Health System, cited the “emotional toll” on families.
U.S. Steps Up Genetic Sequencing (11 a.m. NY)
The U.S. is now analyzing about 14,000 coronavirus cases each week with genetic sequencing to detect faster-spreading variants, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said.
That’s up from 250 sequences per week when Walensky took office last month.
South Africa Has Concerns About Sputnik (11 a.m. NY)
South Africa has held extensive talks with the manufacturers of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine and has concerns about its efficacy against a variant of the coronavirus first identified in the country.
The country is also concerned about the adenovirus 5 vector used in the shot, which has in previous studies appeared to make people more susceptible to HIV infection, Anban Pillay, deputy director-general in the Department of Health, said on Tuesday.
The country’s health authorities don’t think that the vaccine produced by Novavax Inc. is suitable for the country because of its low efficacy against the variant, he said. Talks have been held with India’s Bharat Biotech International Ltd., he said.
Florida Wants Shots for Cops, Teachers (10:30 a.m. NY)
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that, if that state gets approval, a federal vaccination site in Miami-Dade County will offer vaccines to law enforcement officers and teachers who are 50 years and older, in addition to senior citizens.
The federal vaccination sites will provide tens of thousands of additional vaccine doses above the state’s allotment, DeSantis said Tuesday.
Serbia Sees Spike After Ski Holiday (10:30 a.m. NY)
Daily infections spiked to the highest in two months in Serbia, despite one of the fastest vaccinations in Europe. The biggest former Yugoslav republic reported 3,257 new Covid-10 cases on Tuesday, most since Dec. 25, a spike the authorities warned would happen after tens of thousands used a long February weekend to go skiing and ditched face masks too soon.
Scotland Eyes Major Reopening in April (10:05 a.m. NY)
Scotland is targeting a substantial reopening of its economy from late April if recent progress in suppressing the virus continues, but First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned that any decisions on an easing of rules will be driven by “data not dates.”
The Scottish government is aiming to reopen shops, bars, restaurants and hairdressers from the last week of April, in the first major easing of nationwide lockdown rules that were introduced at the end of last year. Before that, other restrictions, such as the stay-at-home requirement, will be progressively eased if the data allows, she told lawmakers in Edinburgh on Tuesday.
U.S. May Soon Ease Rules for Vaccinated: Fauci (9 a.m. NY)
Anthony Fauci suggested Tuesday that the federal government may soon issue guidance easing public health protocols for fully vaccinated individuals.
“When you say, wait a minute, if I’m fully vaccinated, and my daughter comes in the house and she’s fully vaccinated, do we really” need the same strict rules? Fauci said on CNN. “Common sense tells you that, in fact, you don’t have to be as stringent in your public health measures.”
Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, cautioned that he didn’t want to get ahead of guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which he said could be forthcoming.
Iceland to Relax Rules (8:07 a.m. NY)
Starting Wednesday, the gathering limit in Iceland will be 50 people instead of 20, and up to 200 will be allowed to attend sporting events, stage performances and museums as long as social distancing is observed, the country’s health minister said. Iceland has had no domestic infections outside of quarantine since the beginning of the month.
New Hard Lockdown in Northern Italy (7:52 a.m. NY)
Italy plans to impose a hard lockdown in the northern province of Brescia and other municipalities of the Lombardy region following a surge of infections related to variants of Covid-19. The area is close to the original epicenter of the pandemic in Italy.
T-Cell Screening Test Launched (7:31 a.m. NY)
Adaptive Biotechnologies Corp. launched a test that uses machine-learning technology from Microsoft Corp. to detect prior Covid-19 infections, aiming to fill a gap left by standard antibody screening.
The T-Detect Covid screening searches for T-cell responses against the disease, rather than the immune proteins detected by conventional tests. Seattle-based Adaptive says the product may help people who believe they’ve been infected but haven’t tested positive.
Israel to Supply Only Some Vaccines to Others (7:24 a.m. NY)
Israel won’t be able to supply a significant amount of vaccine to others that have asked for help, at least until its own inoculation drive is completed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Tuesday. Symbolic amounts will go for Palestinian Authority medical teams and other countries.
One in Four in Lagos May Have Had Covid (6:39 a.m. NY)
One in four people in Africa’s biggest city may have had Covid-19. A survey showed that 23% of people in the West African nation’s commercial hub of Lagos, which has a population of 21 million people, have been infected. That’s far above the official estimate of 152,616 cases in the whole of Nigeria.
Germany Extends Border Controls (6:38 a.m. NY)
People traveling to Germany from the Czech Republic and the Austrian province of Tyrol face border controls until at least March 3 after restrictions were extended by eight days, news agency DPA reported, citing a spokesman for the interior ministry.
The measures have been in place since Feb. 14 to stem the spread of aggressive variants. The new end date coincides with a scheduled meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and state premiers to discuss next steps.
Airline Bookings Surge on U.K. Reopening Plan (6:34 a.m. NY)
U.K. holidaymakers have begun showering airlines with summer bookings after Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined a road map for air travel to return.
EasyJet Plc ticket sales more than quadrupled in the hours after Johnson said Monday that international trips may restart as soon as May 17. Tour operator TUI AG said holiday bookings to Spain, Turkey and Greece jumped sixfold overnight, while Ryanair Holdings Plc cited Italy as another popular destination.
Johnson ‘Very Optimistic’ on June Reopening (6:12 a.m. NY)
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he’s “very optimistic” that England’s restrictions on social contact will end on June 21 but there is no guarantee, according to a pooled interview on Sky TV. The vaccine rollout has “made all the difference,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is set to spend billions of pounds in extra support for the economy over the next four months, as pandemic curbs pushed unemployment to its highest level in almost five years.
Czech ICUs Near ‘Total Exhaustion’ (6 a.m. NY)
Czech hospitals are nearing “total exhaustion” as beds at intensive-care units become overwhelmed with Covid patients, forcing hospitals to curb other care and possibly seek help from neighboring countries, a government official said.
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