Germany Says Astra Shot Helps Elderly; Biden Goals: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel backed a relaxation of coronavirus restrictions despite a stubbornly high infection rate, acknowledging that many Germans are weary of curbs on daily life.

The country’s health minister said AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine works well in the elderly, suggesting Germany will follow France is endorsing the shot for those above 65.

U.S. President Joe Biden said that the U.S. may have enough vaccine for every adult American by the end of May. He said he hopes the nation can return to normal a year from now.

Key Developments:

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Mixed Vaccine Trials Enlist Patients (4:51 p.m. HK)

The University of Oxford clinical trials combining vaccines from AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech to see if the mix can provide a better immune response are fully enrolled.

The study finished recruiting its 830 participants last week, according to Matthew Snape, the Oxford investigator leading the trial. All participants are over 50 years of age. The Astra and Pfizer vaccines will be given in different orders on two dosing intervals, four and 12 weeks apart, with initial data expected around June.

Stockholm Hit by Spike in Virus Infections (3:16 p.m. HK)

In Sweden’s capital, the rate of coronavirus infections doubled over the past three weeks. The surge in new cases comes as the government warns that Sweden might need to enforce legislation enacted earlier this year, allowing the authorities to impose what would be the country’s first lockdown.

With the current infection rates, the capital area has seen a rise in the number of people “so seriously ill that they are in need of hospital care,” Johan Bratt, the acting health and medical care director for the Stockholm region, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Germany Says Astra Shot Works in Elderly (3:12 p.m. HK)

New data from the U.K. and Scotland show that Astra’s vaccine “works very, very well” in people aged 65 and older, according to German Health Minister Jens Spahn.

Spahn asked the commission that advised limiting the vaccine’s use to younger people to make a swift decision on whether to recommend it for all adults now, as France did earlier this week. A decision could come in the next few days.

“If we could inoculate the over 65s with AstraZeneca it would really speed things up and above all protect those who are particularly vulnerable more quickly,” Spahn said in an interview with ARD television.

Turkey Sees Surge in Infections (2:30 p.m. HK)

Turkey reported 11,837 new infections on Tuesday, the highest daily figure since early January.

The government earlier this week announced a relaxation of lockdown and social-distancing measures, with each of the country’s provinces put into one of four color-coded tiers.

Japan May Extend Tokyo Emergency (12:40 p.m. HK)

Japan is considering extending by two weeks the virus emergency in the Tokyo region now set to expire on March 7, TV network FNN reported, in a bid to further rein in the pace of infections.

FNN, citing an unidentified person, said the central government could make its decision as early as Thursday. The report came as Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and the leaders of the three prefectures adjacent to the capital were planning to ask Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government for an extension of about two weeks, Kyodo News reported.

Sinopharm Completes Kid Tests: Times (11:12 a.m. HK)

Sinopharm completed vaccine clinical trials for groups aged three to 17 and will submit the data for approval, the Global Times reported in a tweet, citing Yang Xiaoming, chairman of the Chinese drugmaker’s China National Biotec Group.

Brazil Hits Coronavirus Deaths Record (7:40 a.m. HK)

Brazil reported a record daily number of deaths as a resurgence of the virus fills up hospital beds and pushes local governments to call for more drastic measures to curb the contagion.

The Health Ministry reported 1,641 people died from the disease in the last 24 hours. Brazil is among the hardest-hit countries globally.

Australia Extends Its Border Shutdown (7 a.m. HK)

Australia’s international border will remain shut for at least another three months, as the government considers the pandemic situation overseas an “unacceptable public health risk.”

The human biosecurity emergency period will be extended to June 17. The provisions include required pre-departure testing and masks on international flights, restrictions on cruise vessels and outbound travel for Australians.

Hong Kong Man Dies After Getting Vaccine (6:15 a.m. HK)

Hong Kong’s health authority is investigating whether the death of a 63-year-old man is related to the vaccine, it said late Tuesday.

The man was immunized on Feb. 26, developed shortness of breath two days later and went to a hospital. He died on the same day.

Biden Sees ‘Back to Normal’ in a Year (4:55 p.m. NY)

President Joe Biden said he hopes the U.S. would be back to normal “by this time next year” but said he’d been cautioned not to provide a specific date “because we don’t know for sure.”

He announced that Merck & Co. will help make Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot vaccine -- a collaboration between rivals aimed at ramping up the pace of inoculations that will help provide enough supply for every adult in the U.S. by the end of May.

Biden also called for state and local governments to prioritize teachers for vaccinations, as he pushes for schools to reopen safely with full-time classroom instruction.

Texas, Mississippi Are Opening Up (3 p.m. NY)

Texas Governor Greg Abbott lifted the mask mandate and other pandemic restrictions amid declining hospitalizations and infection rates in the second-largest U.S. state. Mississippi also loosened its rules, CNBC reported.

Effective March 10, all businesses will be allowed to open at 100% of capacity, Abbott said during a media briefing in Lubbock on Tuesday. His executive order allows county judges to reinstate anti-virus rules should hospitalizations surge.

Abbott’s pandemic measures have drawn the ire of his conservative electoral base, which saw them as government overreach, and may have wounded any presidential aspirations. He received 0% of the vote in a presidential straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference this past weekend.

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