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Economic Times | 18 Nov, 2020 | 08.48AM IST
Covid Vaccine Latest News: Sinovac reports its vaccine provides sufficient protection
The study comes hot on the heels of upbeat news this month from U.S. drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna as well as Russia that showed their experimental vaccines were over 90% effective based on interim data from large, late-stage trials.
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U.S. FDA authorizes first COVID-19 test for self-testing at home
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it had authorized the first COVID-19 test for self-testing at home and that provides rapid results.
- The test, manufactured by Lucira Health, is a molecular single use test that is intended to detect the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.
US paid for ambassador to New Zealand to fly on private jet
- The United States government paid for ambassador Scott Brown and his wife to fly domestically in New Zealand on a private jet so they could avoid going into quarantine at the border, documents show.
- Just about everybody who returns to New Zealand is required to spend 14 days in a hotel guarded by the military as part of the nation's strict strategy to keep out the coronavirus. But the Browns were able to use their special status as diplomats to avoid staying in a hotel, and instead isolated themselves at their home in Wellington.
- The Browns' special treatment has upset many New Zealanders. Documents released to The Associated Press under official information laws show the case was discussed by top officials and lawmakers and was not resolved until days before they arrived back.
Facebook says Kenosha post did not violate 'call to arms' policy
- Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told U.S. senators on Tuesday that a page which posted a "call to arms" during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August had not violated the company's "call to arms" policy.
- Muslim Advocates Executive Director Farhana Khera said Zuckerberg's testimony directly contradicted what Facebook had told civil rights organizations about how its "call to arms" policy applied to the Kenosha incident.
- Facebook eventually removed the Kenosha Guard page after the shooting deaths of two people during the protests, saying it violated a separate rule against "militia organizations."
PM Modi, Joe Biden had 'very warm conversation'
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President-elect Joe Biden had a "very warm conversation" during which they exchanged views on the Indo-Pacific region and the role of healthcare, pharmaceuticals and particularly vaccines, said Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Tuesday.
- Speaking to ANI, Sandhu said PM Modi congratulated Biden on his election and the president-elect extended warm Diwali greeting to the Indian leader and people of India.
Pfizer 'very close' to applying for US emergency approval
- Pfizer is "very close" to applying for an emergency use approval for its Covid-19 vaccine after collecting safety data to submit to US regulators, the company's CEO said Tuesday, according to a report.
- The pharmaceutical giant announced last week preliminary results from a late-stage clinical trial showing the injections it had co-developed with Germany's BioNTech was more than 90 percent effective after the second dose.
- "We are very close to submitting for an emergency use authorization," Albert Bourla told medical news site Stat. "We will announce it as soon as we are doing it."
Amazon opens online pharmacy, shaking up another industry
- The retail colossus opened an online pharmacy Tuesday that allows customers to order medication or prescription refills, and have them delivered to their front door in a couple of days.
- The potential impact of Amazon's arrival in the pharmaceutical space rippled through that sector immediately. The stocks of CVS Health Corp., Walgreens and Rite Aid all tumbled Tuesday.
India, US, Japan, Australia resume naval exercises
- The navies of India, the United States, Australia and Japan held exercises Tuesday in the Northern Arabian Sea in the second phase of a naval drill seen as part of a regional initiative to counter China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
- The Malabar naval exercise ``highlights enhanced convergence of views amongst the four vibrant democracies on maritime issues,'' India's Defense Ministry said.
- This is the second time that the four countries _ an informal grouping known as the Quad _ have participated in a combined military exercise of this size. The first phase of the Malabar drill took place Nov. 3-6 in the Bay of Bengal.
Mainland China reports 8 new cases
- The National Health Commission said in a statement that one of the new cases was a local infection reported in the city of Tianjin, which shares a border with capital Beijing.
- The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed infections, fell to five from 12 a day earlier.
- The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China now stands at 86,369, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,634.
Trump fires security official who rejected fraud claims
- Donald Trump announced Tuesday he had fired the government's top election security official, who had rejected the president's claims of "massive" fraud in the vote he lost to Joe Biden.
- "The recent statement by Chris Krebs on the security of the 2020 Election was highly inaccurate, in that there were massive improprieties and fraud," wrote in a tweet.
- "Therefore, effective immediately, Chris Krebs has been terminated as Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency."
