U.S. Sets Death Record; NYC Halts Shots for Snow: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) --

The U.S. recorded more than 95,500 Covid-related deaths in January, the worst monthly total since the pandemic began, though fatalities this month are expected to be lower. A major snowstorm forced New York City to halt vaccinations for two days.

Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold crisis talks with pharmaceutical executives, regional German leaders and European Commission officials Monday to speed up the continent’s stuttering vaccination push.

In a shot of welcome news before the meeting, Bayer AG agreed to produce CureVac NV’s experimental coronavirus vaccine to help speed up the rollout of a promising shot. Meanwhile, Valneva SE, a French vaccine developer, said the U.K. government exercised an option to order 40 million extra doses of its shot for next year.

Key Developments:

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Dubai Tightens Restrictions (11:20 a.m. NY)

Dubai imposed a new set of restrictions Monday, requiring restaurants and cafes to close by 1 a.m. It also asked hotels to operate at 70% capacity, and indoor venues like cinemas to operate at 50%. The government also vowed tougher penalties for violators. Those measures are to remain in effect until the end of the month.

The UAE has seen a rise in coronavirus cases as it accelerates its vaccination drive. It has so far administered 3.4 million doses.

Denmark to Reopen Elementary Schools (11:15 a.m. NY)

Denmark will send its youngest pupils back to school next week following a drop in Covid-19 infections, broadcaster TV2 reported, citing unidentified sources familiar with the matter.

Denmark’s schools, restaurants and non-essential stores have been closed since Christmas. According to TV2, the government is expected to announce later on Monday that children aged 6 to 10 will be able to return to their classrooms on Monday, Feb. 8. All other restrictions are expected to be kept in place until the end of the month.

Though overall cases of coronavirus have been falling steadily in January, health officials are concerned about the spread of the more infectious British variant.

Fake Test Results for Sale, Europol Warns (11 a.m. NY)

An Irish organized crime gang is behind a scheme to forge coronavirus test results for people traveling between countries, according to Europol.

Europol has received “intelligence on the alleged use of a mobile application by the Rathkeale Rovers Mobile Organised Crime Group which allows members of the organised crime group to manually falsify test results,” the law-enforcement group said in a statement Monday.

EU Nations Tighten Rules for Arrivals (11 a.m. NY)

European Union governments agreed to tighten rules for travelers to the bloc by requiring them to get a Covid-19 test within 72 hours of departure, highlighting concerns about new virus variants. The move covers essential and non-essential travelers to the EU except “transport and frontier workers,” officials said on the condition of anonymity because the deliberations on Monday in Brussels were confidential.

Diplomats also decided to open the door for member countries to impose self-isolation, quarantine and contract-tracing obligations for as many as 14 days after arrival from outside the EU, according to the officials. The deal among EU member-country envoys still needs formal approval -- a step that is usually a formality.

Snow Forces NYC to Postpone Shots (10:45 a.m. NY)

A massive snowstorm has shut down most of New York City and all vaccination appointments will be canceled on Monday and Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

“We need to keep people safe,” de Blasio said in a briefing on Monday. “We know we can reschedule appointments very quickly.”

New York City continues face shortages: The city has fewer than 43,000 doses on hand for first vaccinations. New York has another 310,000 shots on hand reserved for second doses. The city has administered more than 815,000 doses since it began its vaccine campaign last December.

U.S. Recorded Most Deaths in January (10:40 a.m. NY)

The U.S. recorded the worst monthly death toll from the pandemic in January, more than 95,500, but fatalities in February are likely to be lower, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. That’s because the seven-day average of daily confirmed cases at the end of last month dropped to about 151,000, a level last seen in November and down from a peak of nearly 282,000 in early January. Confirmed cases in January were 6.2 million, down from from 6.4 million in December.

Puerto Rico to Limit Shots for First-Responders (10:30 a.m. NY)

Puerto Rico will quit providing vaccines to first-responders for four weeks to focus on the island’s seniors.

Health Secretary Carlos Mellado Lopez said he will be signing an order Monday restricting the island’s vaccine supply to people 65 and older -- save a handful of clinics that are providing vaccines to teachers.

Mellado said first-responders can resume getting shots after the four-week period is over. The change doesn’t affect medical personnel, most of whom have already been vaccinated.

The decision comes amid reports that some people not eligible for the limited number of vaccines were passing as first-responders.

EU Official Confident Drugmakers to Deliver Doses (10 a.m. NY)

The chief European Union negotiator for the EU’s agreements securing a total of around 2.3 billion vaccine doses for member countries says the drugmakers will meet their delivery pledges.

“These are companies that have started the production, they are ramping up production -- we have found that there were a few glitches -- but let me say I have full confidence that they will deliver according to schedule,” Sandra Gallina told a European Parliament committee on Monday in Brussels. “They have committed to that.”

Gallina is director-general for health in the European Commission, the 27-nation EU’s executive arm.

No Masks, No Social Distancing (7:11 a.m NY)

The Isle of Man, a small island that sits between Great Britain and Ireland, removed all of its coronavirus restrictions on Monday, leaving it surrounded by countries under lockdown.

The community of about 85,000 people will not ask for social distancing, mandate masks or restrict socialising. Schools will reopen and everyone can return to work. The island has just 15 active coronavirus cases. In a bid to retain its freedom, travel onto the island for non-residents is banned.

Malawi Secures AstraZeneca Vaccines (7:00 am NY)

Malawi has secured doses of AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine through the Covax initiative to inoculate its population, the government said.

The first consignment of the vaccine is expected to arrive in the South-East African country at the end of February in readiness for the rollout in March, said President Lazarus Chakwera, who leads the nation of about 19 people.

Merkel to Convene Vaccine Crisis Talks (4:45 p.m. HK)

Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold crisis talks in a bid to speed up Europe’s vaccination push. The video call this afternoon in Berlin comes after Ursula von der Leyen, the commission president, announced that AstraZeneca will deliver 9 million additional vaccine doses to the European Union in the first quarter.

Germany’s contagion rate ticked up on Monday to 90.9 infections per 100,000 people over the past seven days from 90.2 on Sunday. The government has said the level needs to be below 50 to ease restrictions.

Separately, Germany’s vaccine oversight authority will change its view on using AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 shot for people over the age of 65 if the data warrants, Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

Bayer to Help CureVac Produce Its Covid-Vaccine (4:20 p.m. HK)

Bayer AG agreed to produce CureVac NV’s experimental coronavirus vaccine to help speed up the roll out of a promising shot that’s in advanced clinical tests.

The move extends Bayer’s current pact with CureVac beyond simply helping with regulatory clearances and global distribution. It follows commitments from fellow European pharma giants Sanofi and Novartis AG to put their manufacturing capacities behind scaling up Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s Covid-19 injection.

U.K. Exercises Option for 40 Million Valneva Doses (4:10 p.m. HK)

Valneva SE, a French vaccine developer, said the U.K. government exercised an option to order 40 million extra doses of its experimental coronavirus shot for next year.

The commitment brings the size of the U.K.’s order to 100 million doses, Valneva said. Britain could still buy 90 million more doses for delivery between 2023 and 2025, bringing the value of the contract to as much as 1.4 billion euros ($1.7 billion) if all the options are exercised.

Singapore Seeks Law to Allow Tracing Data for Crime Probes (2:51 p.m. HK)

Singapore tabled a bill on Monday in parliament to formalize the use of contact tracing data in criminal investigations for serious offenses, after it was revealed that such information was used for that purpose in a murder case.

The law will specify that public sector agencies can use personal contact tracing data recorded in digital contact tracing systems only for the purpose of contact tracing, except where there is a need for police officers and law enforcement officers to use the data for criminal investigations and proceedings in respect of serious offenses, according to the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office in a statement on Monday. Such offenses include murder, terrorism, kidnapping and serious sexual offenses.

Tokyo Reports Fewest New Cases Since December (2:29 p.m. HK)

Tokyo reported 393 new infections as an easing trend in the Japanese capital continues. While Mondays typically bring lower tallies, the number is the smallest reported for a Monday since Dec. 21, and represents a significant drop from a Monday peak of 1,219 cases on Jan. 11. The seven-day moving average of new cases has declined to about 850 from 1,812 three weeks ago.

Despite the improving situation, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga looks set to extend a state of emergency this week for major metropolitan areas.

Astra Boosts Dose Deliveries Amid Chaotic EU Rollout (1:11 p.m. HK)

AstraZeneca Plc will deliver 9 million additional vaccine doses to the European Union in the first quarter of this year as the bloc tries to get its chaotic inoculation drive on track.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Twitter Sunday that the drugmaker would start deliveries one week earlier than scheduled and expand its manufacturing.

Biden Invites GOP Senators to Meet on Stimulus Offer (10:18 a.m. HK)

President Joe Biden has invited a group of 10 Republican senators to meet with him in the coming days to discuss their alternative plan for Covid-19 economic stimulus, the White House said Sunday evening.

The GOP lawmakers offered a $600 billion proposal early Sunday in a letter to Biden, responding to the $1.9 trillion plan he laid out more than two weeks ago and which Republicans have rejected.

South Korea Sees Smallest Rise of Cases in 10 Weeks (9:01 a.m. HK)

South Korea reported 305 new cases over the last 24 hours, the lowest number in 10 weeks. Still, South Korea on Sunday said it will extend social-distancing restrictions for another two weeks, as new infections resurged last week and reversed a downward trend.

U.K. Meets Vaccine Milestone (8:19 a.m. HK)

The U.K. is set to confirm that residents at every eligible care home in England have been offered a Covid-19 vaccine, even as a dispute over exports from Europe raises concern over supplies.

Jabs have been offered to eligible residents of more than 10,000 homes where possible, official figures are set to show later Monday. The announcement comes after reassurances yesterday by International Trade Secretary Liz Truss that the nation’s supply of vaccines is secure and the country will stick to its rollout timetable.

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