Merkel’s Vaccine Pledge; Japan Extends Emergency: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel promised all Germans a first vaccine dose by the end of September, as long as drugmakers stick to delivery commitments. Even if new shots aren’t approved, Germany will have sufficient supplies, she said after crisis talks with pharmaceutical executives and government officials.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is set to extend a state of emergency, while Hong Kong is threatening to knock down the doors of residents who don’t respond to authorities conducting mandatory-testing blitzes.

In the U.S., President Joe Biden intends to continue pushing for a large pandemic relief package even if he has to bypass Senate Republicans. More Americans have received at least one dose of a vaccine than have tested positive for the virus, a positive milestone.

Key Developments:

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U.K. Defends Delay to Quarantine (4:27 p.m. HK)

The U.K. defended the delay in imposing hotel quarantine for travelers arriving from virus hot spots, even as officials battle to contain the spread of a new variant from South Africa.

“The government is working on this initiative and wants to get it right,” Universities Minister Michelle Donelan told the BBC on Tuesday when asked why the policy has not been implemented. “It is a logistical effort.”

Russia’s Sputnik Gets Pakistan Approval (3:30 p.m. HK)

Russia’s Sputnik received approval for emergency use in Pakistan with local partner AGP Ltd., according to people familiar with the matter. It becomes the third approved vaccine in the South Asian nation, along with China’s Sinopharm and AstraZeneca Plc’s shot. Pakistan plans to start its vaccine campaign on Feb. 3.

Pakistan reported 1,220 new infections, the lowest daily amount in almost three months, according to the latest government data. The outbreak has infected about 546,000 people and killed more than 11,500.

EU Vaccine Strategy Is ‘Right Path’: Von Der Leyen (2:45 p.m. HK)

The European Union made the right choice when choosing companies for vaccine contracts out of 160 applicants, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview to several newspapers including Le Monde.

“I am convinced that the European vaccination strategy is the right one,” she said, adding that the development was “faster than expected.

Merkel Makes Summer Vaccine Pledge (2:30 p.m. HK)

Chancellor Angela Merkel promised all Germans a first shot of Covid-19 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 late Monday in Berlin after crisis talks with pharmaceutical executives, cabinet ministers, the country’s 16 state premiers and European Commission officials.

Hong Kong Threatens to Knock Down Doors (11:05 a.m. HK)

Hong Kong is threatening to knock down the doors of residents who don’t respond to authorities conducting mandatory-testing blitzes as the city tries to end a persistent winter wave of cases.

“The government can take legal action, including evicting or expelling individuals, or applying to the magistrate for a warrant to break into the unit,” the government said in a statement Tuesday.

Biden Will Push for Big Stimulus (10:45 a.m. HK)

President Joe Biden intends to continue pushing for a large pandemic relief bill, even if he has to bypass Senate Republicans, his press secretary said, hours after what one Republican senator called a “very productive” meeting Monday on stimulus options.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that “while there were areas of agreement” between Biden and the 10 GOP senators in the White House meeting, “the president also reiterated his view that Congress must respond boldly and urgently, and noted many areas which the Republican senators’ proposal does not address.”

Japan Set to Extend Virus Emergency by a Month (9:50 a.m. HK)

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is set to extend a state of emergency to March 7, as he seeks to control the coronavirus, Kyodo News and other local media reported.

Suga will make the formal move Tuesday after a meeting of an advisory panel beginning at 1:30 p.m., Kyodo said, citing an unnamed source close to the matter. The extension comes as recorded Covid-19 infections have fallen from peaks hit in early January, when the month-long measure was first imposed, but not enough to warrant an end to the emergency that was due to finish Feb. 7.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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