U.K. Infection Rate Slows; Biden’s ‘Wartime’ Call: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- The coronavirus pandemic may no longer be spreading exponentially in the U.K., according to government data suggesting the country’s third lockdown is working. Infection rates in England fell for the first time in a month, even as it looked like Britain’s third lockdown could last into summer.

European nations continue to struggle with delays to vaccination programs, with Italy warning of a sharp slowdown next week and Germany expecting vaccine shortages to last six to eight weeks. Hungary became the first nation in the European Union to buy Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine, as the country seeks to offset delays caused by the slow delivery of western versions.

U.S. President Joe Biden warned the nation to prepare for its darkest days in the yearlong pandemic, predicting that as many as 100,000 more Americans will die over the next month. He called for pandemic relief efforts on a “wartime” footing, and is set to sign on Friday executive actions to provide immediate help for a Covid-ravaged economy.

Key Developments:

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Portugal Reports Record Fatalities for Fifth Consecutive Day (9:32 a.m. NY)

Portugal on Friday reported the most daily deaths from the coronavirus since the start of the outbreak. There were 234 new fatalities, higher than the previous record of 221 on Thursday, taking the total to 9,920.

The government reported 13,987 new confirmed infections in a day, below the record 14,647 cases reported on Wednesday, taking the total to 609,136. The number of patients in intensive-care units rose by 13 to 715. The country’s national health service has a capacity of about 1,200 intensive-care beds.

Austria May Get 70% Less AstraZeneca Shots in 1Q, Kurier Says (9:26 a.m. NY)

AstraZeneca Plc is curbing planned deliveries of its coronavirus vaccine to the EU because it hasn’t been approved by EMA, Austrian newspaper Kurier reported, citing participants of a video conference the drugmaker held with EU health officials today. For Austria, this means 600,000 doses of vaccine are to be delivered this quarter rather than 2 million, a 70% reduction.

U.K. Says Covid-19 May No Longer Be Spreading Exponentially (9:07 a.m. NY)

The coronavirus pandemic may no longer be spreading exponentially in the U.K., according to official data suggesting the country’s third lockdown is working. Still, the government said the case rates remain “dangerously high” and urged the public to keep to lockdown rules.

The official estimate of the “R rate” -- which measures how many people each infected person passes the virus on to -- fell to between 0.8 and 1, the results released on Friday showed. When R is above 1 the virus spreads exponentially. Last week, the R rate was estimated to be between 1.2 and 1.3.

Romania to Ease Some Virus Restrictions (8:54 a.m. NY)

Romania will let restaurants reopen for indoor dining in the capital Bucharest with a limited capacity after the number of Covid-19 cases declined, county leader Traian Berbeceanu said.

Theaters will also be allowed to reopen at 30% capacity, but a nighttime curfew remains in place and all shops and restaurants need to close by 9 p.m. Authorities say they remain prepared to reverse the loosening of restrictions if the number of cases rises in the coming days.

Norway Detects Virus Mutation in Local Outbreak, NIPH Says (8:28 a.m. NY)

The English virus variant has been detected in two residents at a nursing home in Nordre Follo, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said in a statement on its website.

“This is serious, since we have not yet found a known route of transmission,” Line Vold, department director at the NIPH said in the statement.

Biden Calls for ‘Wartime’ Virus Fight as GOP Lawmakers Balk (7:42 a.m. NY)

President Joe Biden warned the nation to prepare for its darkest days in the yearlong pandemic, predicting that as many as 100,000 more Americans will die over the next month as he overhauls the federal coronavirus response and presses Congress for more aid.

But Biden’s plea for the nation to assume a “wartime” footing did not immediately sway a recalcitrant Congress, where Republican opposition to his $1.9 trillion pandemic relief plan only hardened. Even some liberal Democrats made clear they would not rubber-stamp the new president’s approach.

Real Madrid Manager Zidane Tests Positive for Covid (7:34 a.m. NY)

Real Madrid FC coach Zinedine Zidane has tested positive for coronavirus, the football club said in a statement without elaborating on his symptoms or condition.

Covid Infection Rates in England Fall for First Time in a Month (7:29 a.m. NY)

The number of people in England infected with Covid-19 fell slightly in the week to Jan. 16, providing relief to the government as fears mount that hospitals face being overwhelmed.

Office for National Statistics figures show an estimated one in 55 had the disease compared with one in 50 at the start of the month, providing further evidence that cases may be flattening off. There was also an improvement in London, the worst-affected region, where an estimated one in 35 people tested positive.

EU Discourages Pre-Approval Delivery of Astra Jab (7:09 a.m. NY)

The European Union’s executive arm poured cold water on a Danish idea for AstraZeneca Plc to start delivering its Covid-19 vaccine before the jab wins EU marketing authorization, which could come next week.

“It’s very important that we handle such requests with caution,” European Commission health-policy spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker told reporters on Friday in Brussels. He cited EU requirements attached to the release of batches of approved vaccines and said, once the bloc’s formal green light is given, distribution can take place “very quickly.”

Spain to Reach Herd Immunity by Summer, Premier Says (6:56 a.m. NY)

Spain is looking to vaccinate 20 million citizens by the end of June, which will allow the population of 47 million to achieve herd immunity by the summer, according to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Speaking at a news conference in Zaragoza, Sanchez said current lockdown measures are sufficient to tame the latest wave of Covid-19 infections. “Very soon we will have more people who have been inoculated than those infected,” he said. “The vaccine will be the motor of an economic revival in 2021.”

U.K. Considers Paying People to Isolate Amid Rule Breaches (6:28 a.m. NY)

U.K. government officials have suggested paying people to stay home if they test positive for coronavirus, amid concerns too many are failing to get tested or comply with the lockdown rules.

While the plan has not been given final approval, a draft government policy paper proposed payments of 500 pounds ($685). Currently only those on the lowest incomes receive support at this level if they’re told to quarantine.

Hungary Becomes First in EU to Buy Russia’s Covid-19 Vaccine (6:03 a.m. NY)

Hungary became the first nation in the European Union to purchase Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine, buying 2 million doses as the country seeks to ramp-up inoculations that are slowing because of the slow delivery of western versions.

The Russian Sputnik V vaccines will arrive in three tranches, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Friday before meeting Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The first will include enough doses to vaccinate 300,000 people, the second 500,000 and the third 200,000 people, Szijjarto said. Each person needs two shots.

Pro-China H.K. Politicians to Be Vaccinated Before Residents: FT (6:48 p.m. HK)

More than 200 pro-China politicians in Hong Kong will receive Covid-19 vaccinations before other residents so they are able to attend the Chinese Communist party’s premier political event, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

A majority of the group would be traveling from Hong Kong to Shenzhen on Friday for the vaccine shot. The FT said the group represents Hong Kong on some of mainland China’s legislative bodies including the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and the National People’s Congress.

Biden Seeks Immediate Help for Millions as Big Stimulus at Risk (6:00 p.m. HK)

U.S. President Biden will mark his third day in office with executive actions to boost food assistance for impoverished Americans and use federal contracts as a step toward his proposed nationwide minimum-wage hike, seeking immediate help for an economy struggling to cope with Covid-19.

While consequential for those affected, the measures offer a shadow of the relief included in Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 aid plan. That package faces challenges in Congress after moderate Republicans this week said they saw no need to rush on another big spending bill after last month’s $900 billion effort.

Hong Kong to Set First Lockdown in Kowloon Area, Media Says (5:55 p.m. HK)

The lockdown is expected to begin this weekend, and involves 150 residential buildings in Yau Tsim Mong, the core urban district of Kowloon, the South China Morning Post said. It will affect between 4,000 and 9,000 residents, covering a mandatory testing area where aging buildings and subdivided flats populated by lower-income families are common.

While reports first emerged early on Friday that the lockdown was coming, by 5 p.m. the government was still declining to comment, leading to confusion as media outlets revised their reporting. A spokeswoman for Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s office referred queries to the city’s food and health bureau. A representative for the bureau declined to comment, while Chuang Shuk-Kwan, a Hong Kong health official, also declined to comment on lockdown speculation during a daily briefing.

Pfizer Vaccine Safe for Elderly Despite Norway Scare, WHO Says (4:54 p.m. HK)

The World Health Organization said it sees no evidence that Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s Covid-19 vaccine contributed to the deaths of elderly people and urged that the shot still be used.

Reports of deaths “are in line with the expected, all-cause mortality rates and causes of death in the sub-population of frail, elderly individuals, and the available information does not confirm a contributory role for the vaccine in the reported fatal events,” the WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety said in a statement on Friday. The risk-benefit balance of the vaccine “remains favorable in the elderly.”

Germany Sees Another Six to Eight Weeks of Vaccine Shortages (4:18 p.m. HK)

Chancellor Angela’s Merkel’s chief of staff said Germany’s shortage of Covid-19 vaccine will last for the next six to eight weeks until more shots receive approval and companies can ramp up production.

“It was clear to us that we wouldn’t have so much vaccine available at the start,” Helge Braun, who runs Merkel’s office, said late Thursday on ARD television. Vaccines from AstraZeneca Plc and Johnson & Johnson are expected to be approved soon and that will help speed up the vaccination program, he added.

Shanghai Says 840,000 Vaccinated as New Covid Cases Emerge (3:57 p.m. HK)

The city has vaccinated about 840,000 of its 24 million residents as of Friday, local health official Wu Jinglei said at a briefing.

Local authorities are currently prioritizing key categories such as medical staff and port workers in vaccination. A hotel in Shanghai’s Huangpu district has been classified as a medium-risk area because of a link to the country’s latest local Covid cases.

Johnson Signals Third U.K. Lockdown Could Last Into Summer (3:55 p.m. HK)

The U.K.’s third coronavirus lockdown looks set to endure as the government warned it’s too early to contemplate easing restrictions.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel did not repeat previous assurances that the U.K. will be getting back to normal by April, even as the mass vaccination program continued to expand to reach five million people.

Italy Blames Pfizer Delays as Vaccinations Slow to a Crawl (3:06 p.m. HK)

Italy’s coronavirus vaccination campaign could come to a near standstill next week amid rising anger across Europe over a slowdown in vaccine deliveries.

“We received 29% fewer doses this week, and there will be a further 20% decline next week” from Pfizer Inc. and its partner BioNTech SE, the country’s virus emergency czar Domenico Arcuri said in a press conference on Thursday. Since Saturday the pace of vaccinations has slowed to 28,000 a day from about 80,000, with shots halted altogether in some areas like Rome and the surrounding Lazio region.

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