Greece Lifts Curbs; India Daily Cases Top 200,000: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- India reported more than 200,000 new infections on Thursday -- its highest one-day surge since the pandemic broke out. A senior official in Japan’s ruling party indicated that canceling the Tokyo Olympics was an option as cases in the city rose to the highest in more than two months.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel ended discussion of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine without taking a vote, while J&J itself said it continues to believe in the positive benefit-risk profile of its Covid-19 shot.

Greece plans to lift a seven-day compulsory quarantine for visitors from the European Union and five other countries including the U.S. and U.K. as of next week, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Key Developments:

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German Hospitals Near Breaking Point (5:39 p.m. HK)

Germany’s health-care system is getting stretched to the brink, with many hospitals overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients and rising case numbers pointing to tougher days ahead.

The occupancy rate in intensive-care units rose to 88% on Wednesday, the highest in more than a year. Some hospitals need to “significantly reduce” elective procedures and relocate stable patients to other parts of the country to cope, said Lothar Wieler, head of Germany’s Robert Koch Institute public health agency.

“The situation is getting dramatically worse,” Wieler said at a press conference Thursday as Germany reported 31,117 new cases, the most since mid-January.

Malawi to Destroy 16,440 Expired Vaccines (4:49 p.m. HK)

Malawi will destroy 16,440 doses of AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine after they expired, Ministry of Health spokesman Joshua Malango said. The expired vaccines form part of a shipment of 102,000 doses donated by the African Union and had just three weeks until expiry when they were delivered.

Billionaire Sends Oxygen for Indian Covid Fight (4:43 p.m. HK)

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani is diverting oxygen produced at his refineries to help India battle a savage coronavirus outbreak that’s paralyzed the commercial capital as daily new infections spike by a record.

Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd., which operates the world’s biggest refining complex in western India, has started supplying oxygen from Jamnagar to Maharashtra at no cost, according to a company official, who asked not to be identified due to internal policy. The western state will get 100 tons of the gas from Reliance, Eknath Shinde, urban development minister, said in a tweet.

Greece to Lift Quarantine Status for Visitors (4:09 p.m. HK)

Greece plans to lift a seven-day compulsory quarantine for visitors from the European Union and five other countries including the U.S. and U.K. as of next week, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The April 19 move is part of a gradual re-opening of a tourism sector that’s one of the country’s most important, said the person, who asked not to be named as the decision hasn’t been announced. The industry accounts for about a fifth of the Greek economy and more than a quarter of jobs.

Japan Official Opens Door to Canceling Olympics (4 p.m. HK)

A senior official in Japan’s ruling party indicated canceling the Tokyo Olympics was an option as the country struggles with a surge in coronavirus cases less than 100 days before the Games are due to begin.

Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, said that if it was determined to be impossible to hold the Olympics, they would have to be canceled, in an interview with TV broadcaster TBS that was released Thursday.

Ireland Still on Track to Ease Restrictions (3:54 p.m.)

Ireland is “on track to ease restrictions as planned on May 4,” Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told RTE Radio. The country is still scheduled to give a first dose of vaccine to 80% of adults by the end of June, he said.

Tokyo Governor Mulls State of Emergency (2:35 p.m. HK)

Coronavirus cases in Tokyo rose to the highest in more than two months as the city struggles to contain the latest surge, with just 99 days to go before the city is set to host the Olympic Games.

Tokyo posted 729 cases on Thursday, a 34% increase from the same day last week, and the most in a single day since Feb. 4, when the city was under a state of emergency. Governor Yuriko Koike said that if measures imposed on Monday failed to stop the spread, she would have to consider requesting another emergency declaration.

Earlier, a senior official in Japan’s ruling party indicated that canceling the Olympics was an option, according to a media report. Toshihiro Nikai, the secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said that if it was determined to be impossible to hold the Games, they would have to be canceled, according to local newswire Jiji.

On Thursday, Taro Kono, Japan’s vaccine czar and administrative reform minister, signaled the possibility of holding the Olympics without spectators, according to Kyodo.

Philippines to Continue J&J Vaccine Talks (2:05 p.m. HK)

The Philippines said Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine suspension won’t affect ongoing supply negotiations, according to Philippine vaccine czar Carlito Galvez in a mobile-phone reply to questions.

The Philippine government has signed an agreement for the supply of 10 million Sputnik V vaccine doses from Russia’s Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Galvez said.

Meanwhile, the nation’s Food and Drug Administration has recommended to resume the use of AstraZeneca Plc.’s Covid-19 vaccines on persons below 60 years old, its head Eric Domingo said. Blood clotting incidents are “very rare,” he said.

Hong Kong to Offer Vaccines to Under 30s (1:15 p.m. HK)

Hong Kong expanded eligibility for Covid-19 vaccines to all residents aged 16 and older, local media reported, in the government’s latest attempt to boost a low inoculation rate by making the shots widely accessible.

Residents aged 16 and above will be allowed to receive BioNTech SE vaccines, while those older than 18 will also be able to opt for shots made by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd., the South China Morning Post reported, citing a government source. Bookings for the expanded group could start next week, according to local broadcaster TVB.

Macau Suspends Delivery of Astra Vaccine (1:05 p.m. HK)

Macau has suspended the delivery of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, Teledifusão de Macau reports, citing Health Bureau Director Lo Iek Long. The Macau government’s request was agreed by AstraZeneca.

Malaysia’s Covid Infection Rate Climbs (1:00 p.m. HK)

Malaysia’s coronavirus is spreading at its fastest rate since at least March, days after the government warned the country may be on the cusp of a fourth wave at the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

The so-called “Rt” rate -- the reproduction number that shows how quickly the virus multiplies -- was 1.14 as of April 14, according to Health Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah on Twitter. Malaysia added 1,889 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, the most since March 5.

India Single-Day Infections Top 200,000 (11:55 a.m. HK)

India reported more than 200,000 new infections on Thursday -- its highest one-day surge since the pandemic broke out -- as a deadlier new wave grips the world’s second worst-hit country.

With 200,739 new cases, the outbreak in the South Asian nation has gone past 14 million. Casualties rose to 173,123 while more than 114 millionvaccine doses have been administered, according to latest data from India’s health ministry.

Thailand Mulls Imposing Partial Lockdown (10:20 a.m. HK)

Thailand is considering imposing a partial lockdown in Bangkok and other provinces after coronavirus cases rose by a record this week, the Bangkok Post reported, citing Natthapon Nakpanich, secretary general of the National Security Council.

The government’s commission will discuss with the health ministry the proposal for a partial lockdown along with other possible measures this Thursday, the report said. Thailand reported a record 1,543 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday.

N.Z. Regulator Seeks More Janssen Data (10:10 a.m. HK)

New Zealand medicines regulator Medsafe said it has requested additional information from Janssen ahead of making a decision about whether to approve the company’s Covid-19 vaccine. Medsafe expects to provide an update on the Janssen approval process in the next two to three weeks

J&J Continues to Believe in Vaccine (9:25 a.m. HK)

Johnson & Johnson said it continues to believe in the positive benefit-risk profile of its Covid-19 vaccine.

“The safety and well-being of the people who use our products is our number one priority, and we strongly support awareness of the signs and symptoms of this extremely rare event to ensure the correct diagnosis, appropriate treatment and expedited reporting by health care professionals,” Scientific Director Paul Stoffels said in a statement.

The company plans to proactively delay the rollout of the vaccine in Europe and pause vaccinations in all Janssen Covid vaccine clinical trials while it updates guidance for investigators and participants.

Qantas Domestic Passenger Traffic Bouncing Back (9:15 a.m. HK)

Qantas Airways Ltd. said its passenger traffic in Australia has almost completely recovered, highlighting the potential for speedier travel rebounds than previously expected more than a year into the pandemic.

Capacity on domestic routes will top 90% of pre-Covid levels this quarter, the airline said in a statement Thursday, up from its previous forecast of reaching 80%. Low-cost unit Jetstar will have even more capacity than before the pandemic. Qantas said it has seen “extremely strong” demand for leisure trips and a return of business travel, which is back to about 65% of normal.

Argentina Restricts Buenos Aires Area Mobility (8:30 a.m. HK)

Stores in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area cannot open earlier than 9am and must close by 7pm local time for the next two weeks beginning April 16, President Alberto Fernandez said in a televised statement.

Argentina needs to restrict social gatherings due to Covid-19 spike in Buenos Aires metropolitan area, Fernandez said

Singapore Uncovers Small Covid Cluster (8:20 a.m. HK)

Singapore’s latest community case of Covid-19 infection widened a new cluster in the city state to four patients, according to the health ministry.

The lone reported community case that added to this cluster is a 44 year-old male Papua New Guinea citizen, with a short-term visit pass, who arrived from Australia on March 25 for a work project, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The linked spread of Covid-19 is the first after the ministry’s announcement on March 25 that there were no open clusters of infections.

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