Finland Ready to Take Swedish Patients; Astra Deal: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government approved Pfizer Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use and doubled its order for a Moderna Inc. inoculation to 200 million doses.

U.S. deaths and infections set new daily records, while Germany’s retreated from Friday’s highs as officials warned “tough” new measures were coming. Finland said it was ready to offer help if intensive care units in neighboring Sweden were overwhelmed. Iran recorded its lowest number of daily infections in six weeks.

AstraZeneca Plc, which is also producing a Covid-19 vaccine, said it will buy Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. in a cash and share offer worth $39 billion, adding a specialist in the development of treatments for rare diseases and immunology.

Key Developments:

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Finland Ready to Assist With Sweden’s Surge (9:34 a.m. NY)

Finland is ready to free up space for Swedish ICU-patients on request, an official from the Finnish social- and health care ministry told SvD.

Dutch Government to Meet as Covid Cases Rise (9:02 a.m. NY)

Members of the Dutch cabinet will meet on Sunday to discuss the rising number of Covid cases, ANP reported on Saturday. The number of new Covid cases rose to 9,182 in the 24 hours to Saturday morning, ANP said, citing health agency RIVM.

Sweden to Allow Holiday Travel (8:02 a.m. NY)

Sweden’s foreign minister Ann Linde said she won’t advise against traveling within the European Union over Christmas and New Year. The emphasis should be on distancing and hygiene, because trips themselves aren’t the main issue, Linde said in an interview with Swedish Radio P1 on Saturday.

AstraZeneca to Buy Alexion for $39 Billion (7:55 a.m. NY)

The acquisition of Alexion, a specialist in the development of treatments for rare diseases and immunology, would bolster AstraZeneca in areas such as the treatment of blood disorders, building on Chief Executive Officer Pascal Soriot’s turnaround. Since taking over in 2012 he has pushed the U.K. drugmaker further into other lucrative areas such as cancer therapies.

UPS to Support Distribution of Pfizer Vaccine (7:32 a.m. NY)

UPS will take part in the distribution of Pfizer-BioNTech’s covid-19 vaccine as part of Operation Warp Speed in the U.S. The doses will originate from storage sites in Michigan and Wisconsin, transported to UPS facilities in Louisville, before being expedited “Next Day Air” to destinations including hospitals and clinics, the company said in a statement.

Iran to Start Trials of Local Vaccine (6:14 a.m. NY)

The first human trial of Iran’s locally developed vaccine will get underway within two weeks, according to a statement by Setad, a state-controlled foundation in charge of the development, the official IRIB News reported. The vaccine requires three doses with 56 volunteers planned to receive injections in the first phase, the statement said.

Iran recorded its lowest number of daily infections in six weeks with 8,201 new cases since Friday. Daily deaths dropped for the fourth day in a row to 221, bringing the country’s total death count to 51,949 in over 1.1 million known infections, the Health Ministry reported.

Poland May Partially Reopen Schools Next Month (6:39 p.m. HK)

Poland sees chances for partially reopening schools from Jan. 18, provided restrictions imposed for winter holidays prove effective, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in an interview with radio RMF FM. He also urged the European Union’s agencies to speed up the vaccine registration process.

Poland registered 11,497 new infections in the last 24 hours, with 502 more deaths.

The government expects to be able to vaccine about 3.4 million Poles a month once vaccines arrives.

German Finance Minister Flags ‘Tough’ New Curbs (6:30 p.m. HK)

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said citizens need to prepare for tougher restrictions to help slow the rapid spread of the coronavirus in Europe’s largest economy.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to hold talks with regional leaders this weekend to agree on stricter curbs, likely including closing non-essential stores and extending the school vacation.

Malaysia Tallies New Cases (6:24 p.m. HK)

Malaysia announced 1,973 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of infections in the southeast Asian nation to 82,246, according to the health ministry.

Moderna to Deliver Doses to Europe (5:53 p.m. HK)

Some of Moderna Inc.’s vaccine doses will be delivered to Europe this month even though they can’t be distributed until approvals have been received, Chief Executive Officer Stephane Bancel told Schweiz am Wochenende newspaper. Not all doses are meant for the U.S., the paper said. The company is just behind Pfizer Inc. in the approval process in the U.K., Bancel was cited as saying.

UAE Starts Desert Tourism Campaign (5:50 p.m. HK)

The United Arab Emirates started a campaign to encourage local tourism and promote its desert winters, as it looks to recover from the impact of the pandemic. The UAE, which is reliant on energy and tourism, was hurt this year by the coronavirus and low oil prices.

Russia, Philippines, Hong Kong Report New Cases (4:30 p.m. HK)

Russia reported 28,137 new cases and 560 covid deaths in the past day, raising the cumulative toll to 46,453, with infections at 2.6 million. In the Philippines, the number of cases rose by 1,301, with total deaths at 8,730. Hong Kong reported 69 new cases.

South Korea Mulls Strictest Distancing Measures (4:11 p.m. HK)

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-Kyun said it’s inevitable that social-distancing measures will be tightened to the strictest level unless the country’s outbreak can be contained. A record 950 cases were reported Saturday, of which 928 were local infections, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. That’s despite restrictions at the second-highest level of 2.5 out of a scale of 3 in the greater Seoul area since Tuesday.​

German Cases, Deaths Retreat From Highs (3:30 p.m. HK)

Germany’s new coronavirus infections and deaths retreated from Friday’s records, as officials weigh imposing a hard lockdown to check the spread of the disease.

There were 27,217 new cases in the 24 hours through Saturday morning, and the number of fatalities rose by 503, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. On Friday, infections jumped by 32,734 and deaths increased by 604. Both gains were the biggest since the start of the pandemic.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of Germany’s 16 states are expected at a meeting Sunday to agree on tightening restrictions, including closing non-essential stores and prolonging the school vacation.

U.S. Deaths, Cases Set Records (1:40 p.m. HK)

The U.S. reported 3,309 more virus-related fatalities, a new daily record that took the country’s death toll from the pandemic to 295,450. Daily infections surged by a record 231,711, taking total cases to 15.8 million.

Pfizer Vaccine Wins FDA Authorization (10:26 a.m. HK)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, the agency said on its website Friday.

The decision to authorize the use of Pfizer and partner BioNTech SE’s vaccine will set in motion a complicated immunization drive that will launch across the country in coming days. Among the first to be inoculated will be health-care workers and seniors living in long-term care facilities.

Canada Vaccinations Days Away (6:54 a.m. HK)

Canada will begin its immunization campaign as early as Monday, with 30,000 initial doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine making their way from Belgium.

Quebec, which has suffered the majority of Canada’s more than 13,000 virus deaths, said it expects inoculations to start Monday. Ontario is targeting Tuesday and will give priority to health-care workers.

U.S. Doubles Moderna Order to 200 Million Doses (4:33 p.m. NY)

The U.S. government will buy an additional 100 million doses, easing concern that the U.S. could be left with a vaccine shortfall. Moderna said Friday that the order, worth $1.65 billion, would be delivered during the second quarter of 2021.

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