EU-Astra Feud Escalates: Queensland to Open Border: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- The European Union failed to resolve its dispute with AstraZeneca Plc over vaccine supplies, raising the risk of additional delays to inoculations. The quarrel could add another thorn to the tumultuous post-Brexit ties between Britain and the EU.

Hong Kong is setting up a network of vaccination centers. Australia’s Queensland plans to lift entry restrictions at its border with Greater Sydney as a surge in cases subsides. The International Olympic Committee remains “fully concentrated and committed” to holding the Tokyo Olympic games on July 23 this year.

Governor Andrew Cuomo lifted restrictions in most hot spots across New York state, declaring an end to the post-holiday surge in cases and hospitalizations. California asserted that health-care providers administer vaccines are shielded from legal liability under state law.

Key Developments:

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Hong Kong Sees 36,000 Shots a Day (7 a.m. HK)

Hong Kong will set up 18 community vaccination centers -- one in every district -- to each handle at least 2,000 residents a day as the city prepares to administer the Covid-19 shot developed by BioNTech SE and Pfizer Inc. as early as the end of February.

The centers will only handle the BioNTech vaccine, while the other two shots the city has ordered -- from Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and AstraZeneca Plc -- will be distributed to private hospitals and clinics, according to Thomas Tsang, a member of Hong Kong’s vaccination task force.

California Shields Vaccine Providers (6:30 a.m. HK)

Health-care providers that administer the Covid-19 vaccine are shielded from legal liability under state law, California Governor Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.

Newsom, a Democrat, signed an executive order to confirm that vaccine administrators -- including dentists, pharmacy technicians and other professionals -- are protected from liability from any injuries that may occur as a result of the shot.

California’s government code states that health-care providers are exempt from liability during a state of emergency. Newsom proclaimed the state of emergency on March 4 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Queensland to Reopen New South Wales Border (6 a.m. HK)

Australia’s Queensland will reopen it’s border to the nation’s most populous state starting Feb. 1 after a spate of Covid cases saw entry restricted in December.

Visitors from Greater Sydney will no longer be required to quarantine in a hotel upon arrival, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Wednesday. New South Wales has had no cases of Covid-19 for 10 days, and in Victoria, 21 days have passed without a transmission.

“People have done a terrific job looking after each other through the pandemic and now Queensland is good to go,” Palaszczuk said.

Australia has recorded 28,786 cases of coronavirus and 909 deaths.

EU Fails to Fix AstraZeneca Dispute (5:10 a.m. HK)

The European Union failed to resolve its row with AstraZeneca Plc over vaccine supplies, raising the risk of additional delays to the bloc’s sluggish inoculation campaign and putting the drugmaker on a collision course with 27 governments.

“We regret the continued lack of clarity on the delivery schedule and request a clear plan from AstraZeneca for the fast delivery of the quantity of vaccines that we reserved for the first quarter,” EU health chief Stella Kyriakides said after a virtual meeting with Astra’s chief executive on Wednesday. “We will work with the company to find solutions and deliver vaccines rapidly for EU citizens.”

The root of the dispute is Astra’s decision to prioritize the U.K. over the EU for its limited vaccine supplies following a Belgian production glitch, in what Brussels claims to be a breach of contractual commitments. The quarrel could add another thorn to the tumultuous post-Brexit ties between Britain and the EU.

Morocco to Roll Out Vaccines (4:32 a.m. HK)

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI will launch a national vaccination campaign on Thursday, as the North African kingdom rushes to revive the tourism-reliant economy.

The arrival of 2.5 million doses of vaccines from AstraZeneca’s labs in India and China’s Sinopharm allows the launch of the campaign, state news agency Map reported citing a statement from the royal cabinet.

“The vaccination campaign will be gradual,” covering people over age 17 and will be made available for free, it added.

Czech Republic Eyes Tighter Curbs (4:30 a.m. HK)

The Czech government will consider imposing tighter restrictions to stem the coronavirus pandemic as numbers of newly infected and hospitalized people started to rise again this week, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said.

“No easing is on the table right now at all. On the contrary, the government will have to consider measures that will better stem the pandemic,” Babis said. He didn’t elaborate what measures the cabinet may debate or approve at its extraordinary session on Thursday.

After a brief lockdown easing in early December, the Czech Republic shut most shops, services and schools again on Dec. 27 as numbers of newly infected people started to surge after Christmas.

Dubai Imposes New Restrictions (3:11 a.m. HK)

Dubai imposed further restrictions on air travel and hospitals as coronavirus cases continue to climb in the United Arab Emirates.

The Middle East business hub reduced the validity of PCR test to three days from four “irrespective of the country they are coming from,” according to a statement. It also made it mandatory to have prior appointments for hospital visits.

Spain Infections Near Record High (2:43 a.m. HK)

New coronavirus infections in Spain hovered near a record high as a third wave continues to grow following a relaxation of restrictions on movement over the holiday period. New virus cases rose to 18,462 on Wednesday compared with 15,660 on Tuesday. That was near the all-time record of 18,504 on Jan. 21. The infection rate rose to 900 per 100,000 people while hospitalizations fell slightly to 24%. of available beds.

IOC Confidence on Tokyo Games Grows (2 a.m. HK)

The International Olympic Committee remains “fully concentrated and committed” to holding the Tokyo Olympic games on July 23 this year, President Thomas Bach said in a press briefing on Wednesday.

Bach said the IOC is “gaining even more confidence from the effectiveness of the countermeasures” to combat the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Norway Sets Strict Border Controls (1:45 a.m. HK)

Norway put in place the strictest border controls since March to reduce the risk of the more infectious variant of the virus taking hold. Foreign nationals that aren’t residents of Norway and don’t have close family in the country will be denied entry from Thursday night, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said at a press conference in Oslo.

Cuomo Lifts Some Hot-Spot Restrictions (1:07 a.m. HK)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, saying the “holiday surge is over,” lifted restrictions in hot spot areas across the state. He kept curbs in two areas of the Bronx, Manhattan’s Washington Heights, an area of Queens, and in Newburgh.

In those areas, known as “yellow zones,” non-residential gatherings are restricted to a maximum of 25 people, residential gatherings are limited to 10 people, and houses of worship can operate at 50% capacity. Nonessential businesses can remain open and indoor and outdoor dining is allowed with certain restrictions. Schools can remain open for in-person learning with increased testing.

Cuomo said he will be speaking with health officials and Mayor Bill de Blasio about potentially reopening indoor dining in the city. The state will announce a plan for city restaurants by the end of the week.

NYC Will Get Vaccine Supply Boost (11 p.m. HK)

New York will receive 17,000 additional vaccine shots next week, increasing supply in a city that has the capacity to vaccinate 500,000 a week if it had enough doses, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

The federal government should invoke the Defense Production Act to require Merck to start manufacturing vaccines created by Pfizer or Moderna, after Merck scrapped plans for its own shot, de Blasio said. He also called on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to allow cities to use hundreds of thousands of vaccines now instead of keeping them in storage for second doses weeks away, the mayor said.

“The ability to use those second doses that can’t be used for weeks, let’s put them into play now,” the mayor said.

The city reported 279 Covid-19-related hospital admissions as of Monday an increase from 234 the previous day. New cases on a seven-day average totaled 4,621 as of Monday, down from 5,218 the previous day. The positivity rate from testing stood at 8.08% on a seven-day average, its lowest rate since late December.

U.K. Imposes Quarantine at Border (10:30 p.m. HK)

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said schools will stay closed until at least March 8 as he tightened U.K. border rules to require all travelers arriving from virus hot spots to quarantine for 10 days.

The premier is drawing up a longer-term blueprint for lifting the lockdown, in which a return to face-to-face teaching will be prioritized.

France Holds Off On New Lockdown (10:15 p.m. HK)

The French government is delaying a decision to lock down the country, hoping that a curfew will contain the virus. President Emmanuel Macron “has asked for additional analysis” before deciding on any new restrictions, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday.

Christophe Castaner, head of Macron’s party at the National Assembly, told Le Parisien newspaper there was a risk of “civil disobedience” in France, should a new lockdown be imposed.

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