German Virus Deaths at Record; U.K. Vaccinations: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- Germany recorded the biggest increase in Covid-19 deaths since the pandemic began as Chancellor Angela Merkel hinted that a hard shutdown that takes effect Wednesday will remain in force beyond January.

Tokyo cases rose to an all-time high, while South Korea also reported record infections. China secured 100 million doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE. In the U.K., almost 140,000 people have been inoculated against Covid-19.

Across the U.S., cases are surging. New York City’s mayor told residents to prepare for a shutdown of all but essential businesses soon after Christmas. California is stockpiling body bags, recruiting medical workers and considering whether to request a U.S. Navy hospital ship.

Key Developments:

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Iran Fatalities Decline (5:57 p.m. HK)

Iran reported 7,603 fresh coronavirus infections and 213 deaths overnight, marking the lowest number of daily fatalities since Oct. 10. The country now has a total of 1,131,077 cases and 52,883 deaths. The health ministry also reported that around 22% of the country’s nurses had so far been infected.

Almost 140,000 Get Pfizer Shot in U.K. (5:09 p.m. HK)

A total of 137,897 people in the U.K. have been vaccinated against Covid-19, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said on Twitter, providing the country’s first comprehensive look at numbers since immunizations began with a shot from Pfizer and BioNTech earlier this month.

The total includes 108,000 in England, 18,000 in Scotland, 7,897 in Wales and 4,000 in Northern Ireland over the first seven days, according to Zahawi. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires two shots, and these data are for the first shot only.

China Doubles Suspension for Covid-Hit Flight Routes (4 p.m. HK)

If five passengers on the same international flight test positive for the coronavirus, the route will be suspended for two weeks, according to a Civil Aviation Administration of China statement. That’s up from the current one-week suspension.

N. Ireland Hospitals See Covid Surge (3:54 p.m. HK)

A hospital in Northern Ireland treated patients in ambulances in its parking lot as the surge in cases strains resources. Antrim Area Hospital now has 43 people in the emergency room waiting to be formally admitted, after 17 ambulances were used outside the hospital on Tuesday.

The surge in cases is “completely different” from earlier in the year, Wendy Magowan, an executive with the region’s hospital system, told RTE Radio. “Now the hospitals are working beyond capacity,” she said. “It is much more complicated that it was in April, plus the numbers are much higher.”

BAT Vaccine Moves to Phase I Trial (3:11 p.m. HK)

A vaccine candidate under development by cigarette maker British American Tobacco’s U.S. biotech unit Kentucky BioProcessing will start a Phase I human study following approval of its investigational new drug application by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to an emailed statement.

The study is designed to enroll a total of 180 healthy volunteers who will be divided into two age cohorts, then subdivided into low and high dose treatment groups. Results are expected in mid-2021 and, if positive, would allow for progress to a Phase 2 study, subject to regulatory approval.

Tokyo Records New Record in Virus Cases (2:55 p.m. HK)

Tokyo reported 678 new cases, surpassing an earlier record of 621, according to an announcement from the city’s government.

Germany Has Record Deaths as Hard Lockdown Starts (2 p.m. HK)

Germany recorded 910 coronavirus fatalities in the 24 hours through Wednesday morning, the most since the pandemic began, as a strict shutdown designed to stem a surge in infections comes into force.

The daily increase in deaths exceeded the previous record of 604 on Friday, and took the total to 23,544, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The number of new cases rose by 21,456 to 1.38 million.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that the country faces a new peak of Covid-19 infections next month, suggesting that the tougher restrictions will remain in place beyond January.

The seven-day incidence rate has risen sharply in the past few weeks and currently is at a record of 180 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the RKI public health institute. Officials have said the rate needs to come down to 50 per 100,000 and stay there to allow effective contact tracing.

Pandemic Saps 81 Million Jobs in Asia-Pacific (12:57 p.m. HK)

The economic blow from the coronavirus has wiped out 81 million jobs across Asia-Pacific this year, with women and young people disproportionately affected, according to the International Labour Organization.

Employment in Asia-Pacific showed a 4.2% decline compared with the pre-crisis trend, with the gap at 4.6% for women and 4% for men, the ILO said in a report.

Pfizer Says It Hasn’t Had Vaccine Production Issues (11:47 a.m. HK)

Pfizer rebutted comments by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that the company has had a “production issue” that’s delaying deliveries of its vaccine to the state.

“Pfizer hasn’t had any production issues with our Covid-19 vaccine, and no shipments containing the vaccine are on hold or delayed,” company spokeswoman Amy Rose said. “We’re continuing to dispatch our orders to the locations specified by the U.S. government.”

Florida received 179,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week. Two additional shipments totaling more than 450,000 doses are on hold, DeSantis said at a press conference Tuesday. He said Florida expects to receive 370,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine next week, then 162,000 more by the end of the month.

Nearly Half of Singapore Dorm Workers Infected (11:42 a.m. HK)

Serology testing has revealed nearly half of the 323,000 migrant workers living in Singapore dormitories were infected with Covid-19, far higher than the official tally and indicating the virus spreads widely among people who may not have any symptoms.

The city-state has reported more than 54,500 infections in dormitories since the pandemic began, making up more than 93% of all confirmed cases. Another 98,289 workers were found positive through serology testing -- which identifies past infections -- contributing to an overall prevalence rate of 47%, according to the Ministry of Manpower.

Cipla to Supply Antigen Test Kits for Covid-19 (11:23 a.m. HK)

Cipla will market the rapid antigen test kits for Covid-19 that will be manufactured by Premier Medical Corp., the Indian drugmaker said.

The test directly detects the presence or absence of coronavirus antigen in the patient’s body, generating results within 15-20 minutes, Cipla said. Marketed under the brand name CIPtest, the kit is found to have specificity and sensitivity of 98.09% and as much as 75%, respectively.

China Secures 100 Million Vaccine Doses (11:22 a.m. HK)

A Chinese drugmaker has secured 100 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine co-developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, as the country seeks overseas shots in addition to home-made ones to ensure immunization for the world’s most populous nation.

Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co., which in March made an agreement with BioNTech to develop and market the mRNA shot in China, will make an advance payment of 250 million euros ($300 million) for an initial 50 million doses. The German vaccine maker will supply no fewer than 100 million doses for China by the end of 2021, Fosun said in a statement filed with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange Wednesday.

South Korea Reviews Tighter Distancing (10:36 a.m. HK)

South Korean authorities are reviewing the possibility of raising the social distancing to level 3 and are exchanging opinions with experts, health ministry official Yoon Tae-ho says in a briefing.

The Asia nation reported a record 1,078 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours, up from 880 a day earlier, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s website. Total deaths rose by 12 to 616.

U.S., Pfizer in Talks on More Vaccine Doses: NYT (8:47 a.m. HK)

The U.S. is discussing helping Pfizer secure raw materials required to produce tens of millions of additional doses of its Covid-19 vaccine for the domestic market between April and the end of June, the New York Times reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the situation.

The Trump administration is negotiating a deal to use its power to free up supplies of raw materials. The move follows Pfizer’s indication that it can make more doses if the government orders suppliers to prioritize its purchase requests.

H.K. Mulls Extending Dining Ban, Plans Relief (7:44 a.m. HK)

Hong Kong is leaning toward extending current social-distancing measures, such as cutting off dining in restaurants from 6 p.m. local time and closing gyms and beauty salons until Jan. 1, the Hong Kong Economic Times reports, citing unidentified people.

The government is planning to introduce HK$5 billion-HK$6 billion in relief measures for businesses hit hard by coronavirus-related social distancing measures, Sing Tao reported, citing unidentified people. The Legislative Council is expected to vote on the package next Monday

U.S. to Roll Out Vaccine Campaign (7:05 a.m. HK)

U.S. states and territories will get $140 million to prepare for Covid-19 vaccination campaigns and $87 million for tracking and testing, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said.

The first Covid-19 shots are rolling out but the latest funding for distribution has been stalled with Congress unable to agree on a new stimulus package since the summer. State health officials have sought more than $8 billion to distribute hundreds of millions of doses of Covid-19 shots in the months ahead.

U.S. Hospitalizations Keep Rising (5:55 a.m. HK)

U.S. hospitalizations for the coronavirus increased by more than 1,200 patients a day in the six days through Tuesday, data from the Department of Health and Human Services show.

There were 112,483 Covid-19 patients in U.S. hospitals as of Dec. 15, a 7.1% increase since Dec. 9. California and New York accounted for almost three-quarters of the increase.

New Mexico recorded 102% occupancy in its intensive-care units, while Covid-19 cases accounted for more than a quarter of hospital in-patients in Arizona, Nevada and Rhode Island. The number of cases in California hospitals increased 70% to 13,920 from Dec. 1-15.

California Looks for Help Amid Surge (5:40 a.m. HK)

As cases surge in California, Governor Gavin Newsom is looking overseas to hire temporary medical personnel. He said the state may ask the U.S. Navy to send back the hospital ship Mercy and has sent 5,000 more body bags to hard-hit counties.

Newsom warned in a press conference on Tuesday, a day after vaccinations arrived in the state, that the current wave of infections is still rising, and California could run out of intensive-care beds within weeks. Infections have soared since Thanksgiving, with an average of 163 Californians now dying of Covid-19 per day.

NYC Shutdown Likely After Christmas (1:02 a.m. HK)

New Yorkers can expect a shutdown of all but essential businesses soon after Christmas, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

If the city’s businesses close “right after Christmas, with good luck and hard work we could be out of that in a matter of weeks,” the mayor said.

Although New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will make the final decisions, closures will be similar to what the city experienced last spring, with the exception that schools will remain open, de Blasio said.

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