Johnson Is ‘Very Optimistic’; Czech ICUs Strained: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he’s “very optimistic” that England’s restrictions on social contact will end in June, and airline bookings have started to surge in Britain.

Meanwhile, the U.K.’s finance minister is planning more economic aid after pandemic curbs pushed up unemployment. There is growing evidence on the effectiveness of vaccines, and AstraZeneca Plc’s antibody cocktail showed promising signs against variants in early testing.

Hong Kong is relaxing a limit on gatherings, and Thailand may waive quarantines for vaccinated visitors to help revive tourism. Czech hospitals are nearing “total exhaustion” as intensive care units fill with Covid-19 patients, an official said.

Key Developments:

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Israel to Supply Only Some Vaccines to Others (7:24 a.m. NY)

Israel won’t be able to supply a significant amount of vaccine to others that have asked for help, at least until its own inoculation drive is completed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Tuesday. Symbolic amounts will go for Palestinian Authority medical teams and other countries that have asked for help, it said.

Macy’s Reinstates Guidance (7:18 a.m. NY)

Macy’s Inc. reinstated guidance after withdrawing it last March as Covid-19 shutdowns hit the retail sector, predicting this will be a “recovery and rebuilding year” for the department store.

One in Four in Lagos May Have Had Covid (6:39 a.m. NY)

One in four people in Africa’s biggest city may have had Covid-19. A survey conducted by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research showed that 23% of people in the West African nation’s commercial hub of Lagos, which has a population of 21 million people, have been infected. That’s far above the official estimate of 152,616 cases in the whole of Nigeria.

Germany Extends Border Controls (6:38 a.m. NY)

People traveling to Germany from the Czech Republic and the Austrian province of Tyrol face border controls until at least March 3 after restrictions were extended by eight days, news agency DPA reported, citing a spokesman for the interior ministry.

The measures have been in place since Feb. 14 to stem the spread of aggressive variants. The new end date for the border controls coincides with a scheduled meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and state premiers to discuss next steps in Germany’s fight against the pandemic.

Airline Bookings Surge on U.K. Reopening Plan (6:34 a.m. NY)

U.K. holidaymakers have begun showering airlines with summer bookings after Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined a roadmap for air travel to return.

EasyJet Plc ticket sales more than quadrupled in the hours after Johnson said Monday that international trips may restart as soon as May 17. Tour operator TUI AG said holiday bookings to Spain, Turkey and Greece jumped sixfold overnight, while Ryanair Holdings Plc cited Italy as another popular destination.

Johnson ‘Very Optimistic’ on June Reopening (6:12 a.m. NY)

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he’s “very optimistic” that England’s restrictions on social contact will end on June 21 but there is no guarantee, according to a pooled interview on Sky TV. The vaccine roll-out has “made all the difference,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is set to spend billions of pounds in extra support for the economy over the next four months, as pandemic curbs pushed unemployment to its highest level in almost five years.

Czech ICUs Near ‘Total Exhaustion’ (6 a.m. NY)

Czech hospitals are nearing “total exhaustion” as beds at intensive care units become overwhelmed with Covid patients, forcing hospitals to curb other care and possibly seek help from neighboring countries, a government official said.

Hong Kong to Relax Gathering Limit (5:48 p.m. HK)

Hong Kong will allow public gatherings of up to four people starting Wednesday at midnight, according to a government statement. The current limit is two people. The move reflects how cases have continued to ease, and the need for society to resume social and economic activities, a spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said.

Around 70,000 Hong Kong residents have made appointments to receive their Covid-19 shots, filling up all available slots between Feb. 26 and March 11, according to a statement. Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip told reporters he expects the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine to arrive in one or two days.

EMA Evaluates Remdesivir for Certain Cases (5 p.m. HK)

A European Medicines Agency panel will evaluate Gilead Sciences Inc.’s application to extend the use of Veklury, also known as remdesivir, to include treating adults with Covid-19 who don’t require supplemental oxygen, according to a statement.

Thailand Mulls No Quarantine for Vaccinated (3:21 p.m. HK)

Thailand may scrap mandatory quarantine for visitors vaccinated against Covid-19 as a way to revive tourism, according to Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha. Foreigners visiting Thailand may be allowed to skip the two-week isolation if they furnish vaccination certificates, but authorities will still track them.

Separately, Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration approved Sinovac Biotech Ltd.’s vaccine for local emergency use. The country, which aims to inoculate 50% of its population by year-end, has already approved AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine for emergency use.

Astra Antibody Trials Show Promise (1 p.m. HK)

AstraZeneca Plc’s antibody cocktail has proved effective against variants of the virus in early testing, a potentially key development for vulnerable populations unable to receive vaccines.

The combination of monoclonal antibodies taken from Covid-19 convalescent patients held up against new strains first identified in the U.K. and South Africa in extensive laboratory testing, Mark Esser, Astra’s head of microbial sciences, said in an interview.

Japan Eyes Emergency End Outside Tokyo (8:52 a.m. HK)

Japan is planning to lift the state of emergency outside the Tokyo area a week earlier than planned, with falling numbers of cases easing the strain on hospitals, local media reported Tuesday. The government is considering lifting the emergency in six prefectures including Osaka and Kyoto at the end of the month, according to reports. The decision could come as soon as Friday.

Mumbai Cautioned With Lockdown Threat (8:20 a.m. HK)

The chief minister of the Indian state of Maharashtra, which includes the financial capital of Mumbai, warned that new regional localized lockdowns could be imposed after the number of daily cases rose to almost 7,000 on Sunday, accounting for about half the entire country’s reported infections.

Uddhav Thackeray said that he will monitor the situation in the state over the next two weeks. So far India has avoided a large-scale second wave since a September peak of nearly 100,000 cases a day. The country began its vaccination drive last month, but with only 11 million people inoculated so far, is lagging behind a target to inject 300 million people by August.

Argentina Vaccine Scandal Widens (8:04 a.m. HK)

Argentina’s government released the names of dozens of officials and allies who secretly got vaccinated against Covid-19 in an apparent violation of the country’s guidelines, attempting to contain a growing political scandal.

The list of about 70 people disclosed on Monday by the government includes leaders from the ruling Peronist party, mid-level government officials and family members who received the shots. The release comes after President Alberto Fernandez fired his health minister, Gines Gonzalez Garcia, on Friday, when the preferential access to the vaccine was made public.

Biden Marks 500,000 U.S. Virus Deaths (7:30 a.m. HK)

President Biden marked “a truly grim, heartbreaking milestone” of 500,000 Americans killed by the coronavirus during a candle-lighting ceremony Monday at the White House.

“That’s more Americans who’ve died in one year in this pandemic than in World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War combined,” Biden said in a televised address before the ceremony. “That’s more lives lost to this virus than any other nation on Earth.”

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