N.Y. to Shift Doses; Germany May Extend Lockdown: Virus Update

N.Y. to Shift Doses; Germany May Extend Lockdown: Virus Update
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(Bloomberg) -- AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine is about as effective against the new strain of the virus that emerged in the U.K., according to its co-developer, the University of Oxford. Germany is likely to extend its lockdown for another two weeks when Chancellor Angela Merkel and state government leaders meet next week, people familiar said.

President Joe Biden’s insistence on another outsize relief package was bolstered on Friday with a surprisingly weak January employment report. New York state will reallocate unused hospital-worker vaccines to those with medical comorbidities.

Russian vaccine developers are in discussions with China’s CanSino Biologics Inc. to test a combination of their shots aimed at better results. Hungary, the first EU country to approve Russian and Chinese vaccines, could start returning to normality this spring, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.

Key Developments:

Global Tracker: Cases exceed 105 million; deaths near 2.3 millionVaccine Tracker: More than 119 million shots given worldwideManhattan office prices seen falling as much as 30% in a yearThe $9.2 trillion price tag for failing to vaccinate the worldBrace yourself: Long-haul travel may not get going until 2023

Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click CVID on the terminal for global data on cases and deaths.

Greece Tightens Curbs (1:21 p.m. NY)

The Greek government tightened restrictions on movement by citizens as the number of new cases and people hospitalized increased in the last days.

An existing national nighttime curfew will now begin at 6 p.m. during the weekend instead of 9 p.m. in so-called red areas that are considered higher risk, including the two largest cities of Athens and Thessaloniki and their greater regions.

Astra Vaccine Effective Against Variant, Study Shows (1:13 p.m. NY)

AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine is about as effective against the new strain of the virus that emerged in the U.K. as against the initial version, according to a study by the shot’s co-developer, the University of Oxford.

Protection against symptomatic infection was comparable for the new variants well as the earlier strain, according to the study, which analyzed swabs taken from volunteers from October through mid-January. The findings are disclosed in a preprint version of the study that wasn’t peer-reviewed.

Denver Scientists Get Approval for Antibody Test (12:54 p.m. NY)

The University of Denver announced its scientists received emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for a Covid-19 antibody test designed to predict the severity of virus symptoms. “This antibody test has more test points than others that have been approved by the FDA,” said Lotta Granholm-Bentley of the university’s Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging. “Other tests check for only a few viral antigens, whereas this one could test for as many as a dozen.” The university said the test could also be used to identify asymptomatic individuals.

German Lockdown Likely to Be Extended (12:39 p.m. NY)

Germany is likely to extend its lockdown for another two weeks when Chancellor Angela Merkel and state government leaders meet next week, people familiar with the discussions said.

Chancellery officials in Berlin have concluded it’s too early to lift the restrictions even though new infections are declining, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions aren’t public.

WHO Calls on Countries to Share Vaccines (12:31 p.m. NY)

Countries should share their vaccine doses once they’ve inoculated their health staff and elderly, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a briefing. He also called on companies to partner up to boost manufacturing and to share full dossiers with the WHO for emergency use listings.

More than three-quarter of administered vaccinations are in just 10 countries that account for almost 60% of global GDP, he said. Around 130 countries, with 2.5 billion people, are yet to administer a single dose.

N.Y. to Reallocate Unused Hospital-Worker Doses (12:22 p.m. NY)

New York state will reallocate unused hospital-worker vaccines to those with medical comorbidities starting Feb. 15, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

Hospital-worker vaccination rates reached 75% as of Feb. 4, from 63% on Jan. 18, Cuomo said Friday at a press briefing. Hospitals have one more week to vaccinate their staff, and then unused doses will be shifted to local health departments to give to those with medical conditions that put them at higher risk, he said.

Biden to Deploy Troops (11:27 a.m. NY)

President Biden will send approximately 1,000 troops across the country to assist states with mass vaccination sites, said Andy Slavitt, a senior adviser to the White House Covid-19 response team. The first deployment will head to California next week.

Dutch Limit Vaccine to People Under 65 (10:50 a.m. NY)

The AstraZeneca vaccine will initially be used for people aged 60 to 64 as well as for long-term care workers, Dutch Health Care Minister Hugo de Jonge said in a letter to parliament. The Health Council advised on Thursday that the vaccine should not be used for people over 65.

Biden’s Go-Big Push on Stimulus Gets Help (10:37 a.m. NY)

President Joe Biden’s insistence on another outsize Covid-19 relief package was bolstered on Friday with a surprisingly weak January employment report and action in the Senate to smooth the legislative path for his proposal.

Private-sector payrolls barely grew in January, while the restaurant and lodging sector logged almost 600,000 in job losses over the past two months, the Labor Department reported Friday. While the jobless rate dipped to 6.3%, that was partly because some Americans gave up looking for work.

Norway Reports Four Serious Allergic Reactions (9:31 a.m. NY)

The Norwegian Medicines Agency said four serious allergic reactions have been reported in the country following inoculations with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Norwegian and European medicines regulatory authorities are “monitoring this situation closely” as “no serious allergic reactions were detected in the major vaccine studies” that served as the basis for authorization of the shot, it added. The agency has assessed 282 suspected adverse reactions, or 0.25% of the first dose recipients totaling 112,080.

Republic of Congo to Get Vaccine From China (9:15 a.m. NY)

The Republic of Congo will receive a donation of 100,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines from China.

The shots will be sufficient for 50,000 people, Chinese Ambassador Ma Fulin said in a broadcast by state-owned Tele Congo after a meeting with Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso. Ma didn’t say which vaccine would be provided.

U.K. to Offer Vaccine to Over-50s by May (9:10 a.m. NY)

The U.K. said it plans to offer all over-50s a first dose of vaccine by May, the first time that Boris Johnson’s government has set a target for the next stage of its vaccination program.

The plan was included in an announcement that local and mayoral elections will go ahead on May 6, after they were delayed by a year due to the pandemic.

Finland Plans Electronic Vaccination Certificates (9 a.m. NY)

Finland is planning to issue electronic vaccination certificates for those inoculated against Covid-19, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health said on Friday. The plan is for the certificates to be accessible via a mobile phone, bar code or a QR code, and they could be printed on paper, the authorities said.

U.K. Strain Found in Samples From March (7:15 a.m. NY)

Mutations that are part of the fast-spreading coronavirus strain found in the U.K. emerged months earlier than the variant was identified, underscoring the need for faster monitoring of the virus’s changes, according to a study led by BioNTech SE’s chief executive officer.

Some of the 17 mutations that characterize the more infectious strain -- eight of which are on the spike protein -- were found as early as March and April, according to a report whose authors include BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin. It analyzed about 150,000 sequences collected from around the world through early October.

CureVac to Supply Variant Vaccines to U.K. (7:03 a.m. NY)

CureVac NV and the U.K. plan to collaborate on the development of vaccine candidates against coronavirus variants, with the government securing 50 million doses of any successful shot.

The German biotech firm will work with Britain’s vaccines taskforce in assessing mutated strains that emerge, and clinical studies in the U.K. may be expedited for faster regulatory clearance, according to a statement Friday.

Hungary Aims to Vaccinate Vulnerable by March (6:36 a.m. NY)

While research into Chinese shots is still ongoing, the use of Russia’s Sputnik V could start next week and all Hungarians over 60 who registered for vaccination would receive it by the middle of next month, Orban said on state radio.

Besides the joint EU procurement of shots from Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc., the nation of almost 10 million has approved vaccines made in Russia and by China’s Sinopharm. AstraZeneca Plc’s jab has also received clearance, with first deliveries due next week. Its use will be limited to those younger than 60.

Italy To Begin Shots for People Under 55, Ansa Says (6:42 p.m. HK)

Italy is planning to begin its vaccination campaign for people under 55 years of age on Tuesday, Ansa news agency reported. The first doses from AstraZeneca are due to arrive Saturday, virus emergency chief Domenico Arcuri said Friday.

Germany Says Covid Vaccines Are Equal for Younger People (6:41 p.m. HK)

German authorities called for trust and wide use of all three Covid-19 vaccines approved in Europe, with rollout of the AstraZeneca Plc shot planned to start this weekend.

Germany will use the Astra shot for people aged 64 and younger, while older people continue to get vaccinations from partners Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc. “This will enable us to double our vaccinations in February,” Health Minister Jens Spahn said at a press conference in Berlin, though he warned that shortages of shots will continue until the second quarter.

U.K. to Start Hotel Quarantines (6:20 p.m. HK)

Arrivals from countries on the U.K.’s travel ban list will be required to isolate for 10 days in government-approved accommodation, the Department for Health and Social Care said in a statement late Thursday. Officials are seeking bids from hotels near airports and ports to support the program.

Computer May Be Able to Predict Covid Death Chance (6:06 p.m. HK)

Using patient data, artificial intelligence can make a 90% accurate assessment of whether a person will die from Covid-19 or not, according to new research at the University of Copenhagen.

Body mass index, gender and high blood pressure are among the most heavily weighted factors. The research can be used to predict the number of patients in hospitals, who will need a respirator and determine who ought to be first in line for a vaccination.

Israeli Vaccines Took Three Weeks to Start Curbing Spread (3:44 p.m. HK)

Israel, with the highest proportion of citizens vaccinated against Covid-19 in the world, found it took three weeks for the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE shot to start curbing new cases and hospitalizations.

Researchers in the Middle Eastern country reported preliminary observations Wednesday from a national immunization program that began Dec. 20. Improvement in the number of new cases and hospitalized patients occurred 21 days following the vaccination campaign, the scientists said, noting that the real-life effect of vaccines may take longer than what was demonstrated in clinical trials.

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