The U.K. may bring forward second vaccines doses for millions of Britons and local restrictions could be put in place to curb the spread of a Covid-19 variant from India.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the virus is spreading rapidly to India’s rural areas. The country has reported more than 300,000 daily infections for 22 straight days.
Singapore is reverting to the kind of lockdown conditions it last imposed a year ago as a resurgence in cases also puts a highly-anticipated travel bubble with Hong Kong in jeopardy.
In more positive developments, Germany’s restrictions could ease further after the contagion rate fell below a key level for the first time in nearly two months and the country set a new daily immunization record. President Joe Biden’s administration took its biggest step yet toward declaring victory over the pandemic -- announcing Thursday that fully vaccinated Americans can ditch their masks in most settings.
Key Developments
- Global Tracker: Cases top 161.1 million; deaths exceed 3.3 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 1.38 billion doses have been given
- CDC’s U-turn puts business in ‘damned if you do’ ( or don’t) bind
- ‘Covid zero’ havens find reopening harder than containing virus
- Where are we in hunting for the coronavirus’s origin?: 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.
China Expert Says Vaccines Work Against Variants (4:13 p.m. HK)
Data shows that vaccines in China and western countries are all effective to strains in South Africa and Brazil, Shao Yiming, an expert with Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, says at a briefing.
German Vaccination Push Reaches Daily Record (4 p.m. HK)
Germany vaccinated 1.35 million people on May 12 in a new daily record, Health Minister Jens Spahn said.
Almost 2% of the German population was vaccinated on May 12 and 13, taking the total of those who have received at least one dose to 35.9%.
Modi Says Virus Is Spreading Fast in Rural India (3:53 p.m. HK)
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked villagers in the world’s second-most populous nation to take precautions as the coronavirus spreads rapidly in rural areas.
India has reported more than 300,000 daily infections for 22 consecutive days, highlighting the country’s slide into the world’s worst health crisis.
U.K. Mulls Response to Variant Concern (3:36 p.m. HK)
U.K. ministers may bring forward second vaccine doses for millions of people and impose local restrictions to curb the spread of a Covid-19 variant from India.
Cases of the new B.1.617.2 strain of Covid-19 have risen to 1,313 from 520 over the past week, Public Health England said Thursday. The government is ruling nothing out on tackling the spread of the variant, including the possibility of local lockdowns in the worst-hit areas, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi told broadcasters Friday.
India’s Covid Crisis Hits Port Operations (2:56 p.m. HK)
India’s Covid crisis is threatening operations at some of its biggest ports, raising concern the action could trigger shipping delays that reverberate through global supply chains.
Karaikal Port in southern India invoked force majeure until May 24 after operations were “severely affected” from the pandemic, according to a notice on its website. The terminal, which claims to be India’s biggest non-state port, handles coal, sugar and petroleum among other commodities. Gopalpur port in Odisha has also declared force majeure, according to IHS Markit.
Ireland-Britain Travel Bubble Planned (2:27 p.m. HK)
Ireland plans to open a travel bubble with Britain within weeks, the Irish Times reported. The Minister for Tourism will present a report next week recommending a plan is published no later than the end of May to set out when restrictions on inbound travel will be eased and that restrictions on arrivals from the U.K. are removed, the newspaper says.
Currently all travelers to Ireland must quarantine for 14 days on arrival and have evidence of a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior. From May 17, non-essential travel between Britain and Northern Ireland will resume under U.K. Rules.
Hungary Set for First Vaccine Doses (2:36 p.m. HK)
First-dose vaccinations in Hungary could potentially reach 6 million out of the total population of almost 10 million people based on the number of those registered, Premier Viktor Orban said in an interview on state broadcaster Kossuth Radio. First inoculations would likely reach 5 million before the end of May, Orban said. Hungary has the second highest vaccinations ratio in the European Union.
German Curbs May Ease as Cases Fall Below Key Level (1:50 p.m. HK)
Germany’s pandemic restrictions could ease further in the coming days after the national contagion rate fell below a key level for the first time in nearly two months.
Infections per 100,000 people over the past seven days dropped to 96.5 on Friday, the first time the figure was below 100 since March 20, according to the RKI public-health institute. The incidence rate had peaked at nearly 170 in late April.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s controversial lockdown law allows curbs to be loosened if the incidence rate falls below 100 for five consecutive days.
India Increases Recommended Dose Intervals (1:30 p.m. HK)
India has increased the recommended interval between the first and second doses of AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine to 12-16 weeks from 6-8 weeks.
The decision comes as the country faces a severe shortage of shots. Policy makers find themselves having to balance between offering a larger share of the population some protection with at least a first dose, or deepening protection to a few by fully vaccinating them.
Singapore to Return to Lockdown Mode For One Month (1:13 p.m. HK)
Singapore is returning to lockdown-like conditions it last imposed a year ago, banning dining-in and limiting gatherings to two people, as a rising number of untraceable infections pressures one of the most successful places in the world at Covid containment.
For four weeks from May 16 to June 13, gathering sizes as well as household visitors will be cut to a maximum of two people from five people now, working from home will be the default, and food places can only do takeaways and deliveries, the health ministry said in a statement.
WATCH: Singapore is returning to lockdown-like conditions after seeing a rising number of untraceable virus infections.
Source: Bloomberg)
There’s a high chance that the Hong Kong-Singapore air travel bubble may not go ahead as scheduled on May 26, Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau said at a briefing, citing Singapore authorities. Both places will review the situation in the next couple of days.
Nevada to Adopt CDC’s Mask Rules (11:25 a.m. HK)
The state of Nevada is revising its mask guidelines to match those by the CDC. Businesses and other private entities may impose stricter requirements, and local authorities could add social distancing rules, based on the latest guidelines issued by Governor Steve Sisolak. That means casinos in Las Vegas and elsewhere in the state could drop their mask requirements if they choose to.
WATCH: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance says fully vaccinated people can now ditch their masks in most cases.
Daybreak: Asia.” (Source: Bloomberg)
Japan to Expand Virus State of Emergency (9:08 a.m. HK)
The Japanese government plans to add three more prefectures to the state of emergency after consulting experts at a meeting held Friday morning, Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of the government’s Covid response said at a briefing broadcast by NHK.
The emergency will expand to Hokkaido, Hiroshima and Okayama prefectures and be effective May 16 through the end of the month.
Less than three months to the Tokyo Olympics, Japan is struggling to contain the spread of infections with record daily cases logged in different parts of the nation over the past weeks, including Hokkaido prefecture where Olympic marathon is planned to be held.
Taiwan Sees Availability for Vaccines After June (8:50 a.m. HK)
Taiwan’s first locally developed vaccine is expected to be available by the end of July, while shots procured from abroad will arrive in batches after June, according to a statement from Taiwan’s presidential office, citing President Tsai Ing-wen’s speech Thursday night. At least three vaccines are being developed locally, Central News Agency reported.
Vaccine acquisition has been an ongoing struggle for the government. While authorities have previously said they expect to have 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca Plc and Moderna Inc. vaccines available by this summer, so far only 315,000 doses have arrived in Taiwan, enough to fully inoculate about 1% of the population of 23.5 million people.
WATCH: A Covid-19 outbreak of just 23 cases is prompting thousands to get vaccinated in Taiwan.
https://bloom.bg/33CyuzZ (Source: Quicktake)
Experts Join Call for New Origin Probe (6:51 a.m. HK)
A group of eminent scientists and physicians joined the WHO director-general, European Union and the governments of more than a dozen countries in calling for greater clarity about the origins of SARS-CoV-2. Writing in Science Thursday, Jesse Bloom, Ralph Baric, Akiko Iwasaki, Marc Lipsitch and 14 other researchers said that theories of an accidental release from a laboratory and zoonotic spillover both remain viable, though a recent WHO-led study didn’t give balanced consideration to the possibility of a lab accident.
“Public health agencies and research laboratories alike need to open their records to the public,” they said. “Investigators should document the veracity and provenance of data from which analyses are conducted and conclusions drawn, so that analyses are reproducible by independent experts.”
Pelosi Keeps Mask Rule (6:29 a.m. HK)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said masks will still be required for members of Congress and staff on the House floor despite new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that face coverings aren’t needed for those who are fully vaccinated. She isn’t easing the requirement because it’s not known how many House members and their staffs are vaccinated, said her spokesman, Drew Hammill.
Washington State, Maine Set Reopening (6:16 a.m. HK)
Governor Jay Inslee said Washington State will reopen fully on June 30 but that it could happen sooner if 70% of people over 16 get at least one dose of vaccine. Inslee also restarted more gradual steps toward reopening after a pause of two weeks because a recent spike in cases is now declining.
Maine will lift many virus restrictions, removing capacity limits on most outdoor and indoor events, Governor Janet Mills announced. Masks must still be worn indoors in public places. Physical distancing will be required where people eat and must remove their masks.
U.S. Eases Mask Rules (3:51 p.m. NY)
President Joe Biden’s administration took its biggest step yet toward declaring victory over the coronavirus pandemic -- announcing that fully vaccinated Americans can ditch their masks in most settings, even indoors or in large groups.
The guidance shift Thursday is a turning point in the fight against Covid-19 and comes as U.S. caseloads fall and vaccinations rise. It signals a broad return to everyday life, and is also a bet that any surge in spread from relaxed guidelines won’t be enough to reverse progress in inoculations.
Masks are still required on buses, trains and other forms of public transportation, as well as airports, she said.
— With assistance by Jeff Sutherland, Cindy Wang, Christopher Palmeri, Jason Gale, Jeanette Rodrigues, Veronika Gulyas, and Morwenna Coniam
"may" - Google News
May 14, 2021 at 05:54AM
https://ift.tt/3odAYhw
Covid-19 Pandemic: Live Updates and News for May. 14, 2021 - Bloomberg
"may" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3foH8qu
https://ift.tt/2zNW3tO
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Covid-19 Pandemic: Live Updates and News for May. 14, 2021 - Bloomberg"
Post a Comment