Bloomberg
June EU vaccine target; Astra Shot Review: Virus Update
(Bloomberg) – Most European Union member states will have enough vaccine supplies to immunize most people by the end of June, well ahead of the bloc’s official target, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg. The projections provide some hope that the EU’s vaccination campaign will improve after a lackluster start. The bloc’s regulator may indicate a potential link between vaccination with the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine and rare cases of blood clots, an official told an Italian newspaper. A new study found that the majority of children infected with the virus carry a high viral load and can be silent spreaders despite a lack of symptoms. Main developments: Global Tracker: Cases exceed 131.8 million; deaths exceed 2.8 millionVaccine Tracker: More than 673 million shots fired worldwide Virus mutants multiply as scientists scramble to decode variations The mobile vaccine squad has a mission: Protect the most needyFuture pandemics are already splitting politics americanHow pandemics change the course of history: Stephen MihmWhy mutant coronavirus variants are so worrying: QuickTakeSubscribe for a daily update on the virus from the Bloomberg prognostic team here. Click on CVID in the terminal for global data on cases and deaths.Tanzania Signals Pandemic Shift (17:48 HK) The new president of Tanzania will appoint a committee to advise her on how to curb the spread of Covid-19, reversing the denial of its predecessor. “We cannot isolate ourselves,” President Samia Suluhu Hassan told senior government officials in a speech broadcast by state broadcaster TBC1. Under their predecessor, John Magufuli, Tanzanians were asked to avoid wearing masks and to use traditional remedies. The government stopped publishing Covid-19 infection data in May, when the fatalities were 21, and said it would not buy vaccines. World Health Organization listing by the end of April, a spokeswoman said at a news conference. WHO is in the final stages of the process and has requested additional data. WHO authorization is required for Covax’s global initiative to send vaccines to participating countries to ensure the safety and efficacy of a product for those who may not have the resources to do their own evaluations. Cavalieri of EMA sees possible link to blood clots (17:01 HK) The European Medicines Agency is about to indicate a potential link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and rare cases of blood clots, said Italian Messaggero, citing Marco Cavalieri, who chairs the agency’s vaccine assessment team. Even so, cases are extremely rare and the risk-benefit ratio is still positive, he said. The EMA “will indicate that there is a link, but it is not yet clear how it works,” Cavalieri told the newspaper. Malaysia should continue to use Astra Shot (4:13 pm HK) Malaysia will continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine, reported the Star, quoting Health Minister Adham Baba. The decision was made because the vaccine has more benefits than disadvantages, the report said, citing Baba. On Friday, the country granted conditional registration for the vaccine provided through Covax facilities. The EU Sees Near-Virus Immunity at the end of June (4:05 pm HK) Most European Union member states will have enough vaccine supplies to immunize most people by the end of June, well ahead of the bloc’s official target, according to with an internal memo seen by Bloomberg. Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands will be in a position to fully inoculate more than 55% of their total populations, projections in the document show. The EU wants to immunize 70% of adults by the end of the summer, which – depending on the demographics of each member state – corresponds to around 55-60% of the total population. Sweden Increases Pandemic Spending (14h55 HK) The Swedish government will spend an additional SEK 6.9 billion (US $ 792 million) on measures to combat the pandemic, said Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson. The money will be used to prevent the spread of the disease and carry out vaccinations, and to extend support measures for individuals who need to work from home until June 30. UK starts new virus loan program (2:36 pm HK) UK recovery The Loan Scheme starts on Tuesday, offering loans of up to £ 10 million ($ 14 million) to companies, the Treasury said. The government is providing an 80% guarantee for all loans, and interest rates have been limited to 14.99% – although it is expected to be much lower in most cases. The program runs through the end of the year and replaces several emergency loans that have distributed more than £ 75 billion since the pandemic began. South Sumatra, North Kalimantan and Papua, according to the coordinating minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto. The brakes are being implemented in 20 provinces by April 19. Valneva to begin final-phase testing (1:55 pm HK) Valneva SE plans to start clinical trials for the final phase of its candidate vaccine this month, a step forward for a low-tech French pharmaceutical shot that is being supported by the UK government . A phase 1/2 test gave positive results for a high dose. The vaccine uses a sample of the virus that was killed to stimulate an immune response without causing the disease. The United Kingdom signed an agreement worth £ 1.4 billion ($ 1.9 billion) to receive up to 190 million doses of the injection between 2021 and 2025. The British government is also investing in the Scottish biotechnology plant. Sinks (1:32 pm HK) Most children infected with the virus have no symptoms, but have a high viral load and a long duration of live viral spread, making them potential silent spreaders of the infection, according to a study by Hong Kong Chinese University Medical School. To identify any hidden transmission chain, the authors recommend testing stool samples from young children. “While we are working hard to prevent high-risk individuals from becoming infected, it is important to find a solution to prevent unfavorable outcomes in young children,” said Siew Chien Ng, associate director of the university’s Intestinal Microbiota Research Center. Russia delays Chinese vaccine (1:11 pm HK) Russian authorities have delayed authorization of China’s vaccine CanSino Biologics Inc., the only foreign inoculation in domestic testing, because local authorities are prioritizing injections developed by Russia, according to three people familiar with When the CanSino’s local partner applied for approval in November, it was unclear how quickly Russia would be able to increase production of its domestic vaccines, according to one of the people, who is a government official. Now, Russian officials are confident they can rely on home injections and there is no need for foreign doses, the person said, adding that the CanSino vaccine could be approved later. reported 250 new cases of viruses while tests with hundreds of Bangkok bar customers confirmed several new groups of infection. The outbreak caused authorities to close nearly 200 nightlife venues for two weeks, including bars, pubs and karaoke centers. The surge in new cases comes ahead of Thailand’s New Year holiday next week, when millions will travel across the country. New Zealand, Australia Travel Bubble (12:21 pm HK) New Zealand has agreed to open a non-quarantine travel corridor with Australia from April 19, said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, restoring unrestricted outbound and outbound travel. returns for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic “The bubble will give an impetus to our economic recovery and represents a world-leading agreement for the safe opening of international travel, while continuing to pursue a virus elimination and maintenance strategy,” said Ardern . New Zealand has consistently topped Bloomberg’s Covid resilience ranking and Australia currently ranks third, but both have suffered sporadic outbreaks that require regional blocking. Panacea Jumps on Sputnik Deal (12h08 HK) Panacea Biotec from India jumped 20%, becoming the biggest winner in S&P BSE Small Cap Index, after the company signed an agreement with the Russian Direct Investment Fund to produce 100 million doses per year of the Sputnik V vaccine. The pandemic, by accelerating immunizations, could be financed through a record asset allocation through the International Monetary Fund, according to the Rockefeller Foundation. The IMF is expected to approve and quickly distribute $ 650 billion in additional reserve assets to help developing economies vaccinate up to 70% of their populations by the end of next year, the foundation said in a report. The report, whose contributors include former United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Jeffre y Sachs, professor of economics at Columbia University, details ways to leverage a large issue and reallocation of exchangeable IMF drawing rights by freely usable coins. The plan calls for wealthier countries to voluntarily reallocate at least $ 100 billion of their unnecessary drawing rights to provide more support to the developing world. Olympics, a state sports website reported, making it the first country to skip games because of the pandemic. The decision was made on March 25 by the country’s Olympics committee, which cited the need to protect its athletes in the midst of the global health crisis, Sports in the DPR Korea, a website run by the North Korean sports ministry, said Tuesday. North Korea won seven medals at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Venezuela’s Guaido, visa recovered (9:55 am HK) Juan Guaido, president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, led by the opposition, said he has recovered from Covid-19. Guaido, who is recognized by the United States and about 50 other countries as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, said the opposition is trying to organize a national vaccination plan. Washington reduces vaccine age (9:10 am HK) Washington, DC residents aged 16 and over will be eligible for vaccination starting April 19, Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Twitter. She urged those eligible to pre-register. Decreased death rate in India (9h08 HK) India now has the highest number of daily cases in the world, with more than 100,000 new infections reported on Monday, but the proportion of deaths reported for cases has dropped to about 1, 3%, from 3.6% a year ago, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The trend may be caused by more tests, better hospital treatment, better immunity, age of those infected and even vaccinations. The comparison with other nations shows that progress is not linear. Although the United States reduced its rate to 1.8% stable, countries that lagged behind in vaccinations appear to have suffered from the emergence of more contagious strains of coronavirus. Germany’s rate fluctuated from 1.5% in November to 2.9% in early March – surpassing Brazil – before dropping to 2.7%. Japan’s rate rose to 1.9% from 1.3% in mid-January. The US administered 167 million vaccines, India 79 million, Brazil 25 million, Germany 14 million and Japan only 1.2 million. For more articles like this, visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted source of business news. © 2021 Bloomberg LP