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Covid-19 cases and deaths in the U.S. continue to plunge, despite the slowed pace of vaccinations. The U.S. recorded almost 28,600 new cases on Friday, with the seven-day average roughly half the level of a month ago, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg.
Singapore will close two malls after new cases were linked to the properties. At least 100 people on Mount Everest have become infected, the Associated Press said, and Germany will impose fresh restrictions on travelers from the U.K. starting on Sunday due to the rapid spread of a virus strain first identified in India.
Coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc have been shown to work against a variant first identified in India, according to a study by Public Health England.
Key Developments:
- Global Tracker: Cases pass 166.4 million; deaths exceed 3.4 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 1.63 billion doses have been given
- Some vaccines help nations exit pandemic faster than others
- GlaxoSmithKline will make sure it’s on the front lines of the next pandemic
- How the India variant exposed U.K.’s pandemic weaknesses
- Vaccine tourists urged to read fine print on trips overseas
- Billionaire’s year at home gives impetus to Africa vaccine plan
Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Type CVID <GO> on the terminal for global data on cases and deaths.
Enough Pfizer Doses for All Australians by End-2021 (11:15 a.m. HK)
Australia’s government is promising enough Pfizer Inc. vaccines to have all Australians vaccinated by the end of 2021, the Sun-Herald newspaper reported. Two million Pfizer doses are expected to be available in Australia each week from the beginning of October, which would mean all who are keen can get their two shots by the end of the year, the paper said, citing the Australian Medical Association.
Health Minister Greg Hunt told the paper that 4.5 million Pfizer doses will arrive by the end of June, and there will be 7 million doses expected in both the third and fourth quarters.
Samsung Biologics, Moderna Sign Vaccine-Making Deal: Yonhap (10:30 a.m. HK)
South Korea’s Samsung Biologics signed a deal with Moderna on vaccine production, Yonhap News Agency reported. Under the agreement, Samsung Biologics will provide contract-manufacturing organization services to Moderna for its mRNA vaccine and some of the doses will be produced in South Korea.
Samsung and Moderna will together supply “hundreds of millions” of doses intended for markets across the globe, starting in the third quarter of this year, Second Vice Health Minister Kang Dotae said in a briefing Sunday.
Malaysia to Impose Curfew, Add Guidelines (9:30 a.m. HK)
Malaysia will restrict business operations to 8 a.m until 8 p.m. beginning May 25 to stem a recent surge in Covid-19 cases, according to Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob. About 80% of government officials and 40% of private sector employees will work from home, with the move affecting 7 million to 8 million workers.
Places deemed high risk will shut immediately and usage of public transportation will be limited to 50% capacity, Ismail said. The nation logged 6,320 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, a fourth straight day that infections have topped 6,000.
Japan Sets July 4 Target for Vaccine Delivery: Yomiuri (9 a.m. HK)
The Japanese government expects to finish delivering coronavirus vaccines for senior citizens to all municipalities by July 4, the Yomiuri newspaper reported.
About 93% out of the nation’s 1,741 municipalities will be able to meet the government’s target to vaccinate people ages 65 and over by the end of July, the Yomiuri said.
Singapore to Shut Two Malls (7:45 a.m. HK)
Singapore will close two shopping malls on the western part of the island for two weeks starting Sunday after 10 recent cases were linked to the properties.
“Our epidemiological investigations have found that there is likely ongoing transmission among individuals who visited these malls,” the health ministry said in a statement. “To break any potential chain of transmission and enable deep cleaning of the premises, JEM and Westgate shopping malls will be closed to all members of the public.”
The ministry will also offer free Covid-19 tests to those who visited the malls from May 10 to May 14.
Argentina to Get 1 Million Astra Doses (7:33 a.m. HK)
Argentina will receive more than 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which will arrive in the country between Sunday and Monday, according to an emailed statement from President Alberto Fernandez’s press office.
Of the doses, 204,000 are set to arrive Sunday morning via purchases through Covax, while 843,000 will arrive Monday from the U.S.
Glaxo Gets Ready for Next Pandemic (7:25 a.m. HK)
GlaxoSmithKline fell behind in the Covid-19 vaccine race, but now the drugmaker is working to make sure it’s on the front lines of the next pandemic.
The British pharma giant is talking with the U.K. and other governments about building facilities to bring vaccine development and production onshore before the next crisis, said Roger Connor, its vaccines chief. The labs would offer a range of vaccine technologies to tackle deadly viruses of the future, he said in an interview.
CDC Probes ‘Few’ Cases of Heart Inflammation in Youth (7:17 a.m. HK)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating “relatively few” reports of a heart problem in adolescents and young adults after a Covid-19 vaccination.
A report from a meeting of the agency’s safety group on May 17 said that most discovered cases of myocarditis “appear to be mild” and could be unrelated to vaccinations. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle often found after an infection.
The cases were mostly in adolescents and young adults and more often in males than females. The report added that the cases occurred more often after a second dose than the first and were typically found within four days after infection.
Brazil Passes 16 Million Cases (6:37 a.m. HK)
Brazil passed 16 million cases Saturday, at the end of week in which infections and deaths were rising, according to Health Ministry data.
Cases rose for the fourth consecutive week, adding another 76,490 on Saturday, though the weekly caseload of 460,905 remains about 80,000 below a peak in March.
Weekly deaths increased to 13,495, after falling for five straight weeks from a peak of 21,141. Brazil has a total 448,208 recorded deaths, the most after the U.S.
Vaccines Reported Effective on Variant From India (5:48 p.m. NY)
Coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc have been shown to work against a variant first identified in India, according to a study by Public Health England.
Two doses of the Covid-19 vaccines were “highly effective” against the B.1.617.2 strain first detected in India, the agency said in a statement. There was minimal difference with how the inoculations work on a variant detected in Kent, it said.
The results are likely to boost the U.K. government’s plan to end its lockdown on June 21 even as cases of the variant have been rising rapidly.
Alaska Dead Were Not Vaccinated (4:53 p.m. NY)
All of the Covid-19 deaths in Alaska over the last few weeks have been people who were not vaccinated, the Anchorage Daily News reported, quoting state health officials. The newspaper cited about “about a dozen Covid-19 deaths” reported in the last three weeks, including a man in his 20s and one over 80.
“Really what you see now in the emergency department and the hospital is people who are not getting vaccinated. Some are getting sick and some unfortunately are dying,” Anne Zink, Alaska’s chief medical officer, was quoted as saying.
Of the more than 123 million people in the U.S. who were fully vaccinated through May 17, 353 died, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 38% of all Alaskans are fully vaccinated, even with the U.S. average, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.
NBA Allows Head Coaches to Shed Masks (3:10 p.m. NY)
Head coaches with the National Basketball Association do not have to wear masks during games if they are fully vaccinated, the Associated Press reported, citing an internal memo.
Restrictions in the NBA for those who are vaccinated have been easing, though assistant coaches and players must still wear masks in the bench area. Vaccinated head coaches are now permitted to shed their masks between pre-game introductions and halftime, then again until the game ends.
The change comes just as playoff season begins, and teams are playing in arenas with increased capacity limits.
L.A. Dangles Lakers Tickets to Boost Vaccination (1:14 p.m. NY)
Los Angeles will offer a chance to win L.A. Lakers season tickets to those getting first shots at selected sites starting Saturday, the county’s public health department said.
The county will also follow California’s plans to ease capacity limits and adopt CDC’s guidelines on masks starting June 15. About one in eight people in the greater L.A. area had been infected by Covid-19.
California’s Positive Rate Dips Below 1% (2:06 p.m. NY)
California’s seven-day average positive test rate was 0.9%, the health department’s website said. The state reported 1,186 new Covid-19 cases yesterday, a rate of 2.8 new cases per 100,000. There were 50 deaths. California has administered more than 36 million vaccines in total.
Ohio Vaccination Pace Rises (12:51 p.m. NY)
The pace of vaccinations in Ohio is rising, and Governor Mike DeWine is crediting the state’s plans for five weekly lottery drawings of $1 million for those with at least one dose. The Republican governor said on Friday that vaccinations had risen 45% in the week of May 14-19. The first winner will be announced on May 26.
The state also expanded vaccine access for ages 12 to 15, eligible for a chance for a college scholarship, and increased doses at pharmacies and local clinics.
N.J. Reported to Ease Mask Rules (12:15 p.m. NY)
Governor Phil Murphy plans on Monday to ease New Jersey’s indoor mask mandate for fully vaccinated people, media including northjersey.com reported, citing an anonymous source. The Democratic governor had said “we’re not there yet” and maintained the state’s indoor mask requirement after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control eased its guidance last week to say fully vaccinated people could mostly ditch their masks indoors and outdoors. A Murphy spokesperson declined to comment, deferring questions to a scheduled briefing on Monday.
U.K. Could Have Avoided Lockdowns, Former Aide Says (12:02 p.m. NY)
The U.K. could have avoided its second and third lockdowns, which started in November and January, with “the right preparations and competent people in charge,” Dominic Cummings, former chief aide to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said on Twitter.
The U.K. reported another 2,694 cases and six deaths on Saturday. Infections have risen 10% over the past week as the country fights a variant first identified in India and allowed indoor drinking and dining for the first time in months.
Outbreak Hits Everest (8:47 a.m. NY)
At least 100 climbers and staff on Mount Everest have been infected with Covid-19, an Austrian climbing expert told the Associated Press. Lukas Furtenbach, who based his estimate on talking to pilots, doctors and expedition leaders, canceled his own climb because of virus fears. More than 400 foreign climbers have been granted permits to ascend the world’s highest peak. It was closed last year because of the pandemic.
Nepal reported 8,607 new infections and 177 deaths on Friday, bringing the totals to more than 497,000 confirmed infections and 6,024 deaths.
U.S. Cases, Deaths Dive (7:55 a.m. NY)
Cases and deaths in the U.S. continue to plunge, despite the slowed pace of the nation’s vaccination drive. The U.S. recorded almost 28,600 new cases on Friday, with the seven-day average roughly half the level of a month ago, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. New infections are now at the level of last June.
Another 686 deaths were recorded Friday, as the seven-day average dropped to the level of April 2020, at the start of pandemic.
At the same time, vaccinations have fallen back to the pace of mid-March, as states roll out incentives from lottery winnings to food and beer. Just under half the U.S. population has received at least one dose, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.
Vaccines Combat Death, Hospitalization (7:12 a.m. NY)
Current Covid shots provide a high level of protection against hospitalization and death, according to a summary of the efficacy of eight vaccines that showed the BioNTech/Pfizer shot may better at stopping at least two worrisome coronavirus variants.
Efficacy against Covid-linked disease averaged about 85% after a full course, rising to almost 100% protection against severe disease, hospitalization or death, Julia Shapiro, Natalie Dean, Ira Longini and colleagues said in a paper released Friday before peer-review and publication. The University of Florida researchers compared data from journal articles and media reports for products that have gone through double-blinded, placebo-controlled, late-stage vaccine trials, as well as observational studies.
— With assistance by Ian Fisher, Scott Squires, Virginia Van Natta, Sara Marley, Flavia Rotondi, Emily Ashton, Arsalan Shahla, and Tiago Ramos Alfaro
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Covid-19 Pandemic: Live Updates and News for May 23, 2021 - Bloomberg
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