WHO in Wuhan; Japan’s ‘Go To’ Domestic Travel Push: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- In Wuhan, China, a team of investigators is focusing on early cases, touring hospitals and visiting the market where the coronavirus was first found, the World Health Organization said. The Covid Tracking Project plans to stop its data collections.

Japan should look to reinstate its domestic travel incentive program as soon as March to shore up the tourist industry, Hiroshige Seko, Upper House secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, said in an interview with Bloomberg News. A study last month indicated the campaign may have spread the coronavirus and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to extend the emergency by a month to March 7.

More Americans have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine than have tested positive for the virus. 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.

Key Developments:

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U.K Virus Variant Found in Ho Chi Minh City Patient (9:15 a.m. HK)

Vietnam confirmed a Ho Chi Minh City patient has tested positive for the U.K. variant of the coronavirus, the health ministry’s newspaper Suc Khoe Doi Song reported, citing gene sequencing results from a local hospital and a research unit under Oxford University.

The patient attended a wedding party with a cousin in Hai Duong province who had tested positive for the virus before arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, the newspaper reported. Researchers said the variant found in the Ho Chi Minh City patient most likely triggered an outbreak in Chi Linh City of Hai Duong province last week.

Japan Should Restart ‘Go To’ Travel Push in March (9 a.m. HK)

Japan should look to reinstate its domestic travel incentive program as soon as March to shore up the tourist industry, a senior ruling party official said, even after a study last month indicated the campaign may have spread the coronavirus.

Hiroshige Seko, Upper House secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, said in an interview with Bloomberg News that the “Go To” travel program should be brought back after the emergency declaration is lifted. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to extend the emergency by a month to March 7.

China Is Helping Serbia Get Ahead on Vaccines (7:30 a.m. HK)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic puts his country’s status as continental Europe’s frontrunner in getting vaccines into people down to one thing: looking east as well as west.

The Balkan country may look like an unlikely success story as the neighboring European Union gets mired in a fiasco over vaccinations. Yet Serbia’s history of balancing its geopolitical interests is paying off at a critical time.

U.S. Reaches a Pandemic Milestone (6 a.m. HK)

More Americans have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine than have tested positive for the virus, an early but hopeful milestone in the race to end the pandemic.

As of Monday afternoon, 26.5 million Americans had received one or both doses of the current vaccines, according to data gathered by the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. Since the first U.S. patient tested positive outside of Seattle a year ago, 26.2 million people in the country have tested positive for the disease, and 441,000 have died.

Covid Tracking Project to End Data Collection (4:50 a.m. HK)

The Covid Tracking Project, a widely cited resource that compiles figures on coronavirus cases, testing, hospitalizations and deaths and is staffed by a small army of volunteers, said on Monday that it would stop compiling data next month.

In a posting on the group’s website, co-founders Erin Kissane and Alexis Madrigal said the site would release its final daily data update on March 7, the one-year anniversary of its launch. Covid Tracking, which is supported by The Atlantic magazine, will continue to do documentation, analysis and archival work for two months before closing in May, they said.

Merkel Vows to Offer Germans Vaccine by End of Summer (4 a.m. HK)

Chancellor Angela Merkel promised all Germans a vaccine by the end of September, as long as drugmakers stick to their delivery commitments.

Even if new shots aren’t approved, Europe’s largest economy will have sufficient supplies despite earlier delays, the German leader said on Monday after crisis talks with pharmaceutical executives, state premiers and European Commission officials.

South Africa Secures Additional Doses (3:50 a.m. HK)

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said his administration has secured millions of additional coronavirus vaccines to help bring the disease under control and eased a ban on alcohol sales after a two-month spike in cases abated.

The country will remain on virus alert level 3, but liquor stores will be allowed to resume trading between Mondays and Thursdays and bars and restaurants can sell alcohol again throughout the week. Beaches, parks, dams and lakes that were closed in Covid-19 hot spots late last year will be reopened, a night-time curfew will be shortened by three hours and religious gatherings will be permitted.

N.Y. Has Fewest New Cases Since December (3:25 a.m. HK)

New York state reported 8,508 new Covid-19 cases for Jan. 31, the first time new infections have been below 10,000 since late December, Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a tweet. The state also reported 141 new Covid-19 deaths.

Separately, Cuomo said a briefing he would be open to making the coronavirus vaccine available to restaurant workers but said it’s not possible with the current supply coming from the federal government.

The state has administered 1.96 million vaccinations to date but only receives about 300,000 doses from the federal government each week, he said. Currently 7 million people are eligible, including health-care and essential workers, and those age 65 and over.

Portugal ICUs at 94% Capacity (2:05 a.m. HK)

Portugal, which is facing one of world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks, now has an occupancy rate of about 94% at its intensive-care units, Secretary of State for Health Antonio Lacerda Sales said.

Austrian Retail Reopening (2 a.m. HK)

Austrian retail opens for business from Feb. 8, albeit under strict Covid measures. Consumers need an FFP2 mask and 20 square meters space in order to shop. Schools will partially reopen two days a week for kids who test negative. Those seeking a haircut need a negative test within 48 hours before booking an appointment. Hotels, bars and cafes? Out of luck. The next review is scheduled for Feb. 15.

WHO: China Mission Focusing on Early Cases (1:50 a.m. HK)

The team of international scientists investigating the origins of the coronavirus is focusing on early cases and is having “very good discussions around that,” World Health Organization officials said Monday.

“They’re having very productive discussions with their Chinese counterparts, they’re visiting hospitals and had a good visit to the market, seeing first-hand the stalls and walking through,” said Maria van Kerkhove, the group’s technical lead officer on Covid-19.

The coronavirus was first found in people who shopped or worked at a so-called wet market in the central city of Wuhan, where live animals were sold.

Italy Reports Fewest New Cases Since October (1:01 a.m. HK)

Italy registered the lowest daily increase in virus cases since Oct. 14 on Monday, with 7,925 new infections, down from 11,252 the day before. The country reported 329 deaths, from 237 on Sunday. The Italian government has eased restrictions for most of regions in the country, including the Rome and Milan areas, as of Feb. 1.

Dubai Tightens Restrictions (12:20 a.m. HK)

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.

Fake Test Results for Sale, Europol Warns (12 a.m. HK)

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 organized crime group to manually falsify test results,” the law-enforcement group said in a statement Monday.

EU Nations Tighten Rules for Arrivals (12 a.m. HK)

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 (11:45 p.m. HK)

A massive snowstorm has shut down most of New York City and all vaccination appointments will be canceled on Monday and Tuesday.

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 (11:40 p.m. HK)

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.

Philippines Negotiating for 178 Million Vaccine Doses (11 p.m. HK)

The Philippines is negotiating for 178 million coronavirus vaccine doses, enough to inoculate 92 million people, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said.

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