Bloomberg
(Bloomberg) -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he will have an announcement next week on high schools, the last tranche of the public education system whose students are still in remote learning. Vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. is ebbing, including among Black Americans, according to Pew Research. Maine will ease restrictions in anticipation of summer tourist season. Canada licensed Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, making it the fourth shot authorized in the country struggling to keep up with inoculations.Australia asked the European Union to review a decision by Italy to block a shipment of AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine to the country. Germany reported the largest rise in new cases in a month as the country grapples with the spread of mutations.Key Developments:Global Tracker: Cases pass 115.8 million; deaths exceed 2.5 millionVaccine Tracker: More than 279 million shots given worldwideU.S. states give in to lure of reopening, defying health warningsWho’s eating indoors in NYC? Millennials ordering pricey wineVaccinated workers get more office benefits than holdoutsWhere we are in hunting for the origin of Covid-19Subscribe 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.WHO to Release Full China Report (12:45 p.m. NY)The World Health Organization will release their summary and full report into the origins of the virus at the same time around March 14-15, WHO official Peter Ben Embarek said in a briefing. He said it makes sense to issue them at the same time as they follow each other.Mike Ryan, head of the WHO health emergencies program, addressed a media report that an interim report had been scrapped. “There was never a plan to release an interim report,” he said. The Wall Street Journal reported that the WHO team probing the origins of Covid-19 is planning to scrap an interim report on its trip to China as tensions grow with the Biden administration over the level of Chinese cooperation with investigators. NYC Aims to Open High Schools (12:24 p.m. NY)New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he will have an announcement next week on high schools, the last tranche of the public education system whose students are still in remote learning a year after the pandemic shut down in-person learning.“I want literally every kid to be able to come back to every school,” de Blasio said Friday on his weekly radio show with WNYC’s Brian Lehrer.New York City is planning for a full September return to school, de Blasio said. Parents who are not comfortable sending their kids back will still be given the option of continuing online-only, though the mayor hopes that isn’t the case. “I do not foresee blended being a part of the equation anymore,” de Blasio said. “We will be fully open in September.”Maine Relaxes Rules (12:20 p.m. NY)Governor Janet Mills loosened Maine’s virus restrictions Friday in anticipation of the summer tourist season. Visitors from Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island will be added to the list of states exempt from testing and quarantine rules, as will people who have either had Covid-19 or are vaccinated.The changes also allow greater numbers to gather both indoors and outdoors. Mask wearing and social distancing will be maintained. “This plan will protect the health of Maine people and visitors alike and support Maine’s economy during our critical tourism season,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. Vaccines, Tests Donated to Africa (11:57 a.m. NY)Ghana, the first country to receive vaccines through the World Health Organization-backed Covax program, received a donation of 50,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the Government of India, Ghana’s ministry of foreign affairs said on Friday.Portugal will donate 60,000 test kits to its former African colonies of Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau and Sao Tome and Principe. Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau will each receive 20,000 tests on Friday while Sao Tome and Principe will get the remaining 20,000 PCR tests on Saturday, Portugal’s health ministry said in a statement on Friday.Italy Passes 3 Million Cases (11:43 a.m. NY)Italy’s total cases reached 3 million Friday, with daily infections reaching a 3-month high of 24,036. Daily fatalities remained below 300, far from the peak of almost 1,000 last year.There were more than 1,000 new intensive care patients in the past five days, taking the total to 2,525 and putting some hospitals under pressure, especially in Bologna in central Italy. The country is approaching the alarm threshold of 250 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, said the head of Italy’s public health institute Silvio Brusaferro.U.S. Warming to Vaccines: Survey (11:27 a.m. NY)Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. is ebbing, including among Black Americans, while partisan differences in people’s intention to get vaccinated is widening, according to Pew Research.While 39% said in November they probably or definitely wouldn’t get a shot, that number declined to 30% in a Feb. 16-21 poll published Friday. Among U.S. adults, 69% are receptive to a vaccine, including 19% who have already gotten at least one dose. That compares with 60% in November, when no vaccine was authorized yet in the U.S.About three-quarters agree that widespread vaccination would help the economy, though Republicans are less prone to that view than Democrats. Black adults are almost twice as likely than Whites to view the disease as a major threat to their personal health. The share of Black adults saying they plan to get vaccinated or already have rose to 61% from 42% in November.Serbia Shuts Non-Essential Business (10:41 a.m. NY)Serbia is shutting down all non-essential businesses for 42 hours, form Saturday noon until Monday morning, to try to counter rising infections and to ensure unimpeded vaccinations. The only retail allowed to operate during the weekend lockdown will be groceries, pharmacies and gas stations.Colorado Urges Caution (10:34 a.m. NY)Colorado health officials reminded counties to comply with safety guidelines to avert a spring surge of the coronavirus. Nearby Texas this week dropped its restrictions. “We have all the tools available to us to avoid a spring wave -- a growing supply of vaccines, public health orders that allow us to operate more safely, and protocols that protect us every day -- let’s use them,” said Eric France, Colorado’s chief medical officer.Meantime, the Archdiocese of Denver directed Roman Catholics to avoid the new Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, the Denver Post reported. Abortion-derived are cells used in the manufacture of the vaccine. The directive is in line with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.Astra Shot Said to Work on Brazil Strain (9:39 a.m. NY)The vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University will not need to be modified to protect against the Brazil P1 variant, Reuters reports, citing a person familiar with the matter.Results come from a study by Oxford University, that has not yet been made public.Canada Approves J&J Vaccine (9:25 a.m. NY)Canada’s public health agency licensed Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine, making it the fourth shot authorized in a country struggling to keep up with its Group of Seven peers on inoculations.The approval, first reported by Canadian Broadcasting Corp., will be announced at a briefing by health officials in Ottawa Friday morning, according to a government official speaking on condition they not be named. Canada has an agreement to purchase 38 million shots from the New Jersey-based company.Russia Deaths Pass 200,000 (9:21 a.m. NY)Russia’s death toll from Covid-19 reached 37,107 in January, the third-highest monthly total, even as the government’s daily figures indicate the country has passed the peak of the epidemic. The data raises overall fatalities linked to the epidemic in Russia to just over 200,000 after the death toll for December was revised up.Despite being one of the first to announce a mass vaccination program in December, Russia is well behind other nations in the number of shots administered, at 5 million first doses and 2.5 million second ones compared to nearly 83 million in the U.S. and close to 22 million in the U.K.Swiss May Offer More Free Testing (8:38 a.m. NY)Switzerland is proposing to ramp up free testing for the public in schools and businesses in a bid to control infections while the economy reopens. The government wants to provide each member of the public with five cost-free tests a month. The initiative is expected to cost more than 1 billion francs ($1.08 billion) in 2021.Germany Vaccines Show Success (7:22 a.m. NY)Even as Germany’s sluggish Covid-19 vaccine campaign has left politicians arguing about who’s to blame, the first signs of success are starting to emerge.With priority given to seniors and nursing-home residents, the infection rate in people over the age of 80 has plummeted by about 80% since the start of the vaccine campaign in late December. Including younger seniors who haven’t been called up yet for a shot, the infection rate in people over the age of 65 has dropped by 64%.S. Africa to Miss Vaccination Target (5:08 a.m. NY)South Africa expects to miss its target of inoculating 1.5 million people by the end of this month because sufficient shots aren’t available.“We expect now only to complete 700,000 vaccines by end of March,” Deputy Health Minister Joe Phaahla said in an online briefing on Friday.Australia Protests Blocked Shots (5:36 p.m. HK)Australia asked the European Union to review a decision by Italy to block a shipment of AstraZeneca Plc’s coronavirus vaccine to the country and broached the topic in a previously planned call with the EU’s top trade official on Friday.Italy informed the European Commission that it would withhold the vaccine shipment, using a new rule that obliges member states to inform the EU executive of its decisions to stop vaccine exports outside of the bloc. The commission didn’t oppose Italy’s decision, an EU official said. The company declined to comment.“Australia has raised the issue with the European Commission through multiple channels,” Greg Hunt, Australia’s health minister, told reporters. “We have asked the European Commission to review this decision.”A French minister backed Italy’s decision and said other EU states could take similar measures.AmEx Sees Business Travel Changing (5:00 p.m. HK)There’ll be fewer transatlantic slogs for routine meetings, but more teambuilding exercises in sunny climes. Plus, just maybe, there’ll be more company-sponsored stints of telecommuting from the beach. That’s the scenario presented by Evan Konwiser, the executive vice president of product and strategy for American Express Global Business Travel.He predicts a re-envisioning of business travel that prioritizes experiential meetings—in-person bonding opportunities for scattered remote workers and trips that feel more like work perks than obligations.Denmark Expands Use of Astra Shot (4:33 p.m. HK)Denmark expanded the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to everyone above the age of 18, scrapping an earlier ban on people older than 65. The decision follows similar steps from Germany, France and Sweden.Denmark expects to have vaccinated all citizens above the age of 16 by July 18, the BT newspaper reported, citing local health authorities.German Cases Rise to Monthly High (2:24 p.m. HK)The number of new cases in Germany rose by 11,393 in the 24 hours through Friday morning, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That’s the biggest increase since Feb. 5.Germany’s health authority warned in a daily situation report that “due to the occurrence of different virus variants, there is an increased risk of a renewed stronger increase in the number of cases.”For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
