Variants Spread in U.S.; EU Seeks Vaccine Detente: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. officials and public-health experts are raising alarms about rising Covid-19 cases in some regions, with particular concern about the role variants are playing. States including New York lowered age limits for vaccine eligibility.

AstraZeneca Plc plans to seek U.S. approval for its shot after better-than-expected trial results bolstered confidence about the safety and efficacy. European Union leaders are aiming to break their deadlock with the U.K. over deliveries of the vaccine by sharing a Dutch plant’s output.

Germany will extend its lockdown for another four weeks, highlighting Europe’s struggles to contain the pandemic. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he plans to get vaccinated on Tuesday.

Key Developments:

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Brazil Bankers Urge Action as Cases Top 12 Million (6:12 a.m. HK)

Top financial executives in Brazil urged political leaders to do more to fight the coronavirus as cases in the country topped 12 million.

Figures including billionaire brothers Pedro and Joao Moreira Salles, co-owners of Itau Unibanco Holding, and Credit Suisse Group AG’s chief in Brazil, Jose Olympio Pereira, called the country “the global epicenter of Covid-19” in an open letter. The outlook, the group said, is becoming more alarming as health-care systems collapse amid a “desolate” economic and social situation.

EU Leaders Seek to Break Vaccine Deadlock (4:15 p.m. NY)

European Union leaders are aiming to break their deadlock with the U.K. over deliveries of AstraZeneca’s vaccine by sharing a Dutch plant’s output, according to diplomats familiar with the matter. The appeal stems from the EU’s view that the drugmaker had double booked its production and that both Brussels and London have valid claims.

Earlier, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he’s “reassured” that the EU is not seeking a vaccine blockade, as government and opposition politicians showed rare united front on the issue. Both sides were critical of the bloc over reports it plans to restrict exports of vaccines to its former member.

”I’m reassured by talking to EU partners over the last few months that they don’t want to see blockades,” Johnson said in a pooled interview with broadcasters Monday. “That’s very, very important.”

Austria Keeps Lockdown in Most of Nation (2:15 p.m. NY)

Austria canceled plans to further reopen the economy around Easter after surging Covid cases threatened to overwhelm hospitals, especially in Vienna and the surrounding regions in the east of the country.

N.Y. Lowers Vaccination Age to 50 (1:40 p.m. NY)

New York will lower its vaccination age to 50 from 60 on Tuesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced in a tweet.

Meanwhile, Arizona joined a growing list of states that are expanding vaccine eligibility to anyone over age 16. The change, which affects Maricopa, Pima and Yuma counties, will take place Wednesday at 8 a.m., Governor Doug Ducey said in a statement.

Merkel Agrees to Extend German Lockdown (1 p.m. NY)

Chancellor Angela Merkel and regional leaders agreed to extend Germany’s lockdown until April 18 after Covid-19 contagion rates nearly doubled in a month. The move, which comes as infections reach levels that could trigger more stringent measures, is a blow to pandemic-weary Germans, who opinion polls suggest have become increasingly disgruntled with the government’s handling of the crisis.

CDC Director Warns of Possible Surge (11:45 a.m. NY)

Americans must recommit to wearing masks and taking other Covid-19 mitigation measures to avoid a new surge of the virus in the U.S., the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Rochelle Walensky said cases have begun to rise slightly again, while hospital admissions remain stable and deaths continue to decline. Variants, which are in some cases more contagious or more dangerous, continue to spread, she said.

Walensky repeated a warning that states are lifting restrictions too early, and called on Americans to continue to wear masks, avoid crowds and wait to travel, even if they’ve been vaccinated.

Switzerland Clears J&J Vaccine (11:40 a.m. NY)

Switzerland gave Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Covid-19 vaccine a green light, having already approved the drugs from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. However, the Swiss government hasn’t bought any doses of J&J’s vaccine on the grounds that it would have been delivered too late. AstraZeneca’s application is also still pending after officials requested more data from late-stage trials in North America and South America.

Putin to Get Covid-19 Vaccine on Tuesday (8:57 a.m. NY)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he plans to get vaccinated on Tuesday, more than three months after Russia started mass inoculations to protect the population from the pandemic.

“Vaccination is of course a free choice of each individual, a personal decision of each person,” Putin said Monday at a televised video-conference with officials and executives on boosting inoculation production. “I intend do it tomorrow.”

New Jersey to Pause Reopenings as Cases Rise (8:52 a.m. NY)

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said the state will pause further rollbacks of pandemic restrictions as its case count surges to the highest in the nation.

Capacity at New Jersey’s restaurants, gyms, salons, and other recreational facilities increased to 50% on Friday as Murphy eased rules put in place over a year ago to stem the coronavirus outbreak. The number of people allowed at gatherings has also more than doubled to 25 indoors and 50 outdoors.

Fauci Says Russian Shot Looks ‘Quite Effective’ (7:57 a.m. NY)

Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. expert on infectious diseases, said the data on the Sputnik V vaccine developed in Russia looks good and leads him to believe that it’s “quite effective.”

“I’ve taken a look at some of the reports. It looks pretty good,” Fauci, director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Monday during the Hugh Hewitt radio show.

In August 2020, Fauci said he was skeptical of the vaccine after the Russian government approved it after only two months of trials.

Niger Begins Vaccinations With Sinopharm (6:34 a.m. NY)

Niger will begin its vaccination program this week after receiving a donation of 400,000 doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine. The country aims to vaccinate 60% of its population of 23 million, President Mahamadou Issoufou said when the first batch of shots was received.

Just like its West African neighbors, Niger has been largely spared from a deadly second wave of the virus, reporting 4,918 cases and 185 coronavirus-related deaths as of March 21. Niger reported its first case of Covid-19 on March 19 last year.

India to Increase Gap Between Two Astra Shots (6:23 a.m. NY)

Vaccine panels in India recommended extending the gap between first and second shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine from 4-6 weeks to 6-8 weeks, after examining scientific evidence and concluding that “it appears protection is enhanced” if the second dose if administered later, according to a government statement.

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