U.S. Hits 300 Million Doses With Covid in Retreat: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) --

The U.S. passed the milestone of administering more than 300 million vaccine doses. New cases and deaths continue to plunge and are back to the levels just after U.S. states began imposing restrictions in March 2020.

The U.K. will accelerate its vaccination program in a bid to stay on its path out of lockdown, the Telegraph reported. Meanwhile, civil servants are drawing up contingency plans to delay the June 21 easing of virus restrictions, the Financial Times reported.

China authorized the emergency use of Sinovac Biotech Ltd.’s coronavirus vaccine for children, becoming the first major country to grant approval for those as young as three. Singapore canceled its Formula One race for a second year because of the pandemic.

Key Developments:

Global Tracker: Cases exceed 172.7 million; deaths pass 3.7 millionVaccine Tracker: More than 2.09 billion doses administeredBribing people to get vaccinated just might be working in the U.S.Why the mutated coronavirus variants are so worrisome: QuickTake‘Covid zero’ risks being ‘Covid limbo’ amid slow vaccine uptakeIs Covid still a threat in a vaccinated world?

Two More Cases in Australia’s Victoria State (7:18 a.m. HK)

Australia’s Victoria state recorded two more local Covid infections, amid an outbreak that sent its largest city, Melbourne, into lockdown.

United Mandates Shots for New Hires (6:58 a.m. HK)

United Airlines will require new hires to prove they’ve been vaccinated against Covid-19, CNBC reported, citing a note to the airline’s staff.

The Chicago-based company will require external candidates with job offers made after June 15 to confirm they’ve been fully vaccinated by their start date. In mid-May, Delta announced it would require new hires to be vaccinated.

Golfer Rahm Withdraws After Positive Test (6:49 a.m. HK)

Spanish golfer Jon Rahm withdrew from the PGA’s Memorial golf tournament at Muirfield Village, Ohio, after receiving news of a positive Covid-19 test moments after finishing a blazing 64 in the third round.

Rahm, the world number three, looked to be in a great position to take home the $1.67 million first-place check but received the news after walking off the 18th green with a six-shot lead going into the Sunday’s final round. On a CBS broadcast he could be seen recoiling in anguish. Earlier on Saturday Rahm had a hole in one while finishing his second round.

In a statement, the PGA said Rahm, 26, had been subject to contract tracing protocols and daily tests after coming into close contact with a person who’d tested positive. He returned negative results daily Tuesday through Friday, but tested positive on Saturday, according to the PGA.

Brazil Deaths Continue to Slow (5:52 p.m. NY)

Brazil’s death toll declined for the seventh time in eight weeks to 11,474, about half the level of a peak reached two months ago, according to Health Ministry data. With more than 470,000 deaths since the pandemic, Brazil has the second-highest toll after the U.S.

Weekly new cases rose slightly to about 436,000, compared with a peak of almost 540,000 in March. Another 66,017 cases were reported on Saturday, for a total 16.9 million.

U.S. Passes 300 Million Vaccine Doses (5:07 p.m. NY)

The U.S. passed the milestone of administering more than 300 million vaccine doses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Saturday. Another 1.15 million doses were recorded, for a seven-day average of 938,000, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.

The pace of vaccination has slowed to the lowest level since January. President Joe Biden has set a goal to administer at least one dose to 70% of adults by July 4. That number is now 63.4%, according to the CDC.

N.Y. Positive Rate Continues to Fall (3:12 p.m. NY)

New York state’s positive test rate declined to a record for the seventh consecutive day. The 0.54% rolling seven-day average is among the lowest positive rates in the U.S.

The number fell to 0.73%, the lowest since the beginning of the pandemic, on May 29 and has steadily declined since. It has dropped for 61 consecutive days, Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.

Cuomo reported 761 new cases and 14 deaths.

Idaho Underreported School Cases (2:25 p.m. NY)

Idaho’s schools reported only about half the number school-aged children who tested positive statewide for Covid-19, according to an analysis by the Idaho Statesman newspaper. Schools reported 8,660 known cases between September 2020 and May 2021, though the analysis of state data show more than 16,000 children tested positive in that period.

The newspaper said the discrepancy likely made it harder for Idaho’s schools to handle the crisis and could make it more difficult to plan for the next year. The main problem, the newspaper said, was that testing laboratories, health care providers and parents were not required to pass along to schools when a student tested positive.

California’s Positive Rate Stays Below 1% (1:25 p.m. NY)

California’s seven-day average positive test rate was 0.8%, according to the state’s health department website. The rate has remained below 1% since May 17. The state reported 1,157 new Covid-19 cases yesterday, a rate of 2.0 new cases per 100,000. There were 63 deaths. California has administered more than 38.2 million vaccines in total.

Vietnam Outbreak Hits Factory Area (10:47 a.m. NY)

More than half of Vietnam’s new infections were reported in Bac Giang province, home to Apple Inc. and Samsung suppliers along with almost a quarter million factory workers from outside the province. New locally acquired infections were 246, and three people died, the government reported Saturday. Total infections are 8,541, with 53 fatalities.

About 150,000 vaccine doses have been administered to factory workers in Bac Giang, two days ahead of schedule, the health ministry said without specifying how many more plant workers there will be inoculated.

The northern province plans to send tens of thousands of factory workers back home to reduce transmission risk at dense quarantine facilities and areas under social distancing, newspaper Tuoi Tre reported.

U.S. Outbreak Continues to Weaken (7:17 a.m. NY)

The U.S. recorded almost 17,000 new infections on Friday, in a week with a third of the cases of a month ago. Another 600 people died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg, in a week in which fatalities dropped by more than half from the level of two months ago.

Singapore Cancels F1 Race Again (7:13 a.m. NY)

Singapore called off its Formula One Grand Prix race in October amid the pandemic. The cancellation for a second year is due to “ongoing safety and logistic concerns brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic,” promoter Singapore GP Pte said Friday. Formula One reiterated it will continue to work with all promoters during this “fluid time and have several options for additional races.” It didn’t elaborate.

Indonesia Cases at Two-Month High (5:41 p.m. HK)

Indonesia added the most new Covid-19 cases since April 4, with authorities reporting 6,594 confirmed infections on Saturday. Southeast Asia’s largest economy is imposing restrictions on all 34 provinces until June 14, in an effort to contain a spike in new virus cases after the Eid al-Fitr celebrations in May.

U.K. to Step Up Second Doses: Telegraph (4:15 a.m. HK)

The U.K. will accelerate its vaccination program so it can stay on its path out of lockdown, the Telegraph reported. People 40 years and older are set to get their second vaccine dose within eight weeks, instead of 12.

The time between doses has already been cut for people in the U.K. over the age of 50 to help keep a lid on the spread of the virus. Ministers hope that accelerating the pace will help to keep the planned June 21 lifting of restrictions, the newspaper said.

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