Australia Vaccines on Track; Hong Kong Lockdown: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) --

Australia’s Covid-19 vaccine program is on track to begin as scheduled, with the first Pfizer Inc. doses set to arrive in hospitals in mid-to-late February. Hong Kong imposed a temporary lockdown on thousands of residents for the first time to carry out mandatory testing of the coronavirus.

A doctors’ group in the U.K. has urged the government to review the 12 weeks allowed for people to receive a second dose of the vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech SE. The manufacturer suggests 21 days. Meanwhile, France’s top health authority recommends doubling that three-week gap as a way to stretch supplies and speed inoculations.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said more vaccines are on the way for the state, though he said the bigger challenge is getting skeptical Black and Latino residents to take the shot. U.S. governors are stepping up complaints that the federal government is not giving them enough vaccine.

Key Developments:

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India Vaccinates Over 1.5 Million People (1:16 p.m. HK)

India has vaccinated more than 1.5 million health care workers across the country as of Jan. 23, the eighth day of the vaccination drive, the ministry of health and family welfare said.

Australia Vaccine Program on Track (1:09 p.m. HK)

Australia’s Covid-19 vaccine program is on track to begin as scheduled, with the first Pfizer doses set to arrive in hospitals in mid-to-late February, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Sunday.

Australia pre-purchased 10 million units of the Pfizer and BioTech vaccine in November to begin inoculating front-line workers in hospitals and aged-care residents next month.

Concern has heightened about delays in delivery of the vaccine and tightening supplies after Pfizer said it would scale back shipments to countries outside the U.S. while it renovates a factory in Belgium.

New Zealand Investigates Possible Case (10:18 a.m. HK)

New Zealand is investigating a possible case of Covid-19 in the community after a positive test result was returned in a person who had departed a quarantine facility, the Ministry of Health reported.

The ministry said in a statement on Sunday that eight people currently infected with the virus are in managed isolation. The country has 79 active cases and total of 1,927 confirmed infections, according to the ministry.

Hong Kong Imposes First Lockdown (8:19 a.m. HK)

Hong Kong is locking down thousands of residents for the first time over the weekend in a bid to contain a worsening outbreak. The unprecedented step for the Yau Ma Tei and Jordan areas -- known for their night markets -- was announced in a government statement early Saturday morning.

The lockdown affects about 10,000 residents, Hong Kong Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui said at a briefing, adding 162 cases were found in the district since the start of 2021 through Wednesday. More than 3,000 government officers were deployed in the action, Tsui said.

Brazil Reports Deadliest Week Since Summer (5:56 p.m. NY)

Brazil reported 1,202 new fatalities, ending the deadliest week since the surge last summer. Total deaths are now 216,445, the Health Ministry reported. The nation, which has the most cases after the U.S. and India, reported another 62,334 infections. The weekly count declined from the previous week but is still higher than during the summer peak. Total cases are 8.8 million.

Los Angeles County Deaths Exceed 15,000 (5:15 p.m. NY)

Los Angeles County, the epicenter of the latest wave, said the number of Covid-19 deaths reached the “grim milestone” of 15,000. Fatalities climbed more than 5,000 since the end of the year, its public health department said.

The county added 269 new deaths Saturday, bringing the total to 15,162. It also reported 10,537 new cases, for a total of almost 1.1 million. ICU capacity across Southern California remains at zero, it said, citing state data.

Hospitalizations fell below 7,000 for the first time this year at 6,881. Almost one in four of these patients are in ICU.

Pakistan Nears Vaccine Approval (5:03 p.m. NY)

Pakistan is close to granting approval to Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, as world’s fifth most-populous nation looks to start inoculations against the coronavirus.

U.S. Governors Plead for More Vaccine (2:53 p.m. NY)

U.S. governors are stepping up their complaints that the federal government is not giving them enough vaccine -- and it could be months before they inoculate those currently eligible.

“I’m not as worried about running out as I am about not getting enough,” New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said Friday on CNN. He said he could use as much as four times the 100,000 doses the state now is allotted a week.

On Saturday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said it would take 17 weeks to get through the 7 million New Yorkers eligible to receive the vaccine. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts said on Friday the general population may have to wait four months before being eligible for a vaccine.

“Supply is our primary issue,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear tweeted Saturday.

Birx Says Inaugural Security Could Prove Superspreader Event (1:59 p.m. NY)

Dr. Deborah Birx, who served as coordinator of the Trump administration’s Coronavirus Task Force, warned in an interview set to air Sunday that events surrounding Wednesday’s inaugural proceedings could prove to be a so-called superspreader event.

“Right now in the District of Columbia, there are National Guard troops here from every state in the union, probably, young individuals who are most likely to have asymptomatic infection if they do get infected,” Birx said in a preview of an exchange with Margaret Brennan on CBS News’ “Face The Nation.” “And they’re congruently living and eating maskless, 25 to 30,000 of them from all over the United States.”

Doctors Seek U.K. Review of Shot Delay (12:21 p.m. NY)

The British Medical Association said the U.K. should “urgently review” its decision allowing a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine as much as 12 weeks after the first, instead of the shorter gap recommended, the Associated Press reported.

The doctors’ group said there was growing concern in the medical profession about the delay, noting that no other nation has adopted the U.K.’s approach, the AP said, citing a statement.

The U.K. has administered 5.38 million first doses of vaccines overall and 467,000 second doses through Jan. 21, according to its Covid dashboard. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday that a new variant of the virus that has emerged in the country may be deadlier than initially thought.

Italy’s Conte Attacks Pfizer, AstraZeneca for Vaccine Delays (12:08 p.m. NY)

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that delays in vaccine consignments by Pfizer and AstraZeneca Plc are “unacceptable,” renewing threats of legal action against the drug makers that so far have found little traction among European peers. In a Facebook post on Saturday, Conte said the companies are breaching their contracts with “direct impact on the life and health of citizens.”

Italy’s vaccination campaign, which had been one of Europe’s fastest, slowed down after a 29% decline in vial consignments of Pfizer vaccine this week. From next week, the company will further reduce deliveries in light of the fact that each vial is used for six doses rather than five. AstraZeneca, whose vaccine is set for approval by the EU’s medicine agency on Jan. 29, confirmed that it will be able to deliver 3.4 million doses to Italy in the first quarter, less than half of the 8 million originally planned, according to Conte’s statement.

Cuomo Seeks to Overcome Vaccine Skepticism (11:10 a.m. NY)

A day after saying New York was running out vaccines, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the coming week’s supply has begun to arrive from the federal government -- and he encouraged hesitant minorities to take it.

“Our bigger problem is the acceptance, especially among the Black and the Latino community,” Cuomo said on Saturday at a vaccine center in Brooklyn. “Why? Because they are skeptical. They are skeptical of a vaccine approved by the Trump administration.” He said New York had done its own reviews and that the vaccines are safe.

The state reported 13,786 new cases, continuing a trend of lower infections since hitting a record of almost 20,000 on Jan. 14. The statewide positive test rate dipped slightly to 5.26%, as did hospitalizations to 8,802. Another 144 people died.

Germany Sees 3 Million Vaccine Doses in Feb. (9:20 a.m. NY)

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said he expects 3 million vaccine doses to be delivered to the country in February, despite production problems by AstraZeneca. “Unfortunately, this will be less than expected”, Spahn told the Sunday edition of the tabloid Bild. He re-affirmed his pledge that all German citizens will be offered a vaccine by the end of summer.

France Mulls Extending Dosage Interval (7:09 a.m. NY)

France’s top health authority is recommending a doubling of the time between the two required Covid-19 vaccine shots as a way to stretch supplies and inoculate as many people as possible. Giving the second injection six weeks after the initial one would allow at least 700,000 more people to be protected during the first month. The French advice follows guidance two days ago by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that said follow-up doses could be given up to six weeks later if it’s not feasible to get them in the recommended interval.

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