EU Approves Vaccine Passports; Italian Discos: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- The European parliament approved vaccine passports, a move aimed at easing travel. The European Union and the U.S., meantime, are set to back a renewed push into investigating the origins of Covid-19, according to a document seen by Bloomberg News.

New cases in Russia surged above 10,000 on Wednesday to the highest in more than three months as skepticism toward domestically-developed vaccines undermined attempts to corral the pandemic. In Italy, discos may begin reopening in early July.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s adviser Anthony Fauci issued a warning about the delta variant that was first identified in India. The World Health Organization said the strain is markedly easier to transmit and more virulent than previous mutations.

Key Developments:

Indonesia Cases at 3-Month High (5:36 p.m. HK)

Indonesia recorded 7,725 new cases on Wednesday, the most since February, and the government warned that infections could keep increasing until July. Southeast Asia’s largest economy is banking on a mass vaccination program to curb the pandemic. President Joko Widodo called on his officials to accelerate the plan to administer 1 million shots a day by July.

Weather Less Important Than Rules (5:16 p.m. HK)

Temperature changes do have an effect on the coronavirus’s spread, but far less than measures such as social distancing and lockdowns, according to a new study from Imperial College London. Scientists who compared transmission across the U.S. concluded that both lower temperatures and higher population density led to higher Covid transmission. The findings suggest governments shouldn’t abandon policies that limit interactions when the weather turns warm, the researchers said.

Italian Discos May Open in July (4:37 p.m. HK)

Italy may allow discos to gradually re-open from early July, the country’s Health undersecretary Andrea Costa said in a TV interview with SkyTG24. “Club owners will be asked to follow a national protocol, but I believe that target is reachable,” Costa said. “We are talking about a sector which provides work for over 100,000 people.”

Russian Cases Top 10,000 (4:20 p.m. HK)

New cases in Russia surged over 10,000 on Wednesday to the highest in more than three months as widespread skepticism toward domestically-developed vaccines undermines attempts to corral the pandemic. The growing number of cases is unusual among countries that offer adults universal access to a vaccine, and belie official statements that the situation is nothing to worry about.

G-7 to Discuss Virus Origin Hunt (3:32 p.m HK)

Leaders of the Group of Seven nations meeting on June 11-13 are expected to discuss a renewed push from the U.S. among others into investigating the origins of Covid-19 after conflicting assessments about where the outbreak began, according to a European Union official who declined to be named on confidential preparations. The leaders expect transparency on its origins, the official added.

In a draft statement, countries at a separate EU-U.S. summit due next week aim to “call for progress on a transparent, evidence-based, and expert-led WHO-convened phase 2 study on the origins of COVID-19, that is free from interference,” according to a document seen by Bloomberg.

Malaysia in Vaccination Drive (3:18 p.m. HK)

Malaysia will begin vaccinating workers involved in key economic sectors, including manufacturing, transportation and energy, as it seeks to boost the pace of daily inoculations, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said on Monday.

Vaccination for industries will begin on June 16 and the government will distribute more doses in Selangor, the nation’s most industrialized state, Khairy said. More than 150,000 doses of Covid vaccines were given on Wednesday, the highest daily rate so far, and in line with the government’s target of 150,000 doses a day by the end of June, before raising it to 200,000 doses next month.

Europe’s Vaccine Passports (3:15 p.m. HK)

The European Parliament approved the introduction of mutually recognizable certificates that will allow quarantine-free travel within the bloc. As a final step, the certificates need to be approved by the EU governments.

They should be operating across all 27 EU member states by July 1 and will offer proof their holders have been inoculated against the coronavirus, have recovered from the illness or have a recent negative test.

Another Shot Gets Nod in China (3:01 p.m. HK)

The Covid-19 vaccine developed by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences is available for emergency use in the country, Science and Technology Daily reported. The vaccine can induce those immunized to generate antibodies that can neutralize strains from different sources, it said. Output capacity of the vaccine is expected to rise to as much as 1 billion doses per year by the end of 2021.

Malaysia Vaccinating Key Workers (2:50 p.m. HK)

Malaysia will begin vaccinating workers involved in key economic sectors, especially those operating during the lockdown, according to Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. These critical sectors include manufacturing, exports, utilities, logistics, transportation, and energy. Vaccination for industries will begin on June 16 at Petronas’ Pengerang Intergrated Petroleum Complex.

Taiwan Apology on Covid (2:12 p.m. HK)

Taiwan’s premier apologized for a second time in two days as the government comes under increasing pressure over its failure to keep the coronavirus at bay.

After taking fast action in the early stages of the global pandemic that kept the island largely Covid free throughout 2020, the government has come in for increasing criticism after a recent surge in cases exposed weaknesses in preparations. It also underlined a lack of vaccines.

Korea Eyes Travel Bubbles (1:09 p.m. HK)

South Korea is seeking travel bubble agreements with Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Guam and Saipan that will allow group trips as early as July for fully vaccinated people, according to its Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Under the proposal, the bubbles would be limited between Incheon airport and a designated airport in the second country. It would mark the first step in the recovery of South Korea’s tourism and airline markets, the ministry said.

Tesla, Gold Vaccine Prizes in HK (12:57 p.m. HK)

Getting vaccinated for Covid-19 in Hong Kong could mean winning a Tesla or even a pile of gold as as the city’s tycoons and their companies look to incentivize the shots and help boost a sluggish inoculation rate. Incentives from local businesses appear to be creating a bounce in the vaccine uptake. About 34,600 people reserved slots for shots from BioNTech SE and China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. vaccinations in the 24 hours to 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to a government statement.

Jakarta Accelerates Vaccinations (11:34 a.m. HK)

Indonesia’s capital will let those aged 18 years and older to start getting vaccinated against Covid-19 as the government seeks to speed up its inoculation program. Indonesia has administered more than 40 million shots so far, with the doses given to priority groups including health workers, civil servants, the elderly and those with disabilities. Southeast Asia’s largest economy seeks to give out 1 million shots a day to reach its goal of inoculating more than 180 million people to reach herd immunity.

Indian Miner’s Vaccine Plea (10:20 a.m. HK)

Coal India Ltd., one of the nation’s biggest employers, has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to help accelerate the vaccination of its work force after the deaths of almost 400 staff from Covid-19.

The plea for more shots comes as Modi’s administration has come under intense criticism for the handling of India’s deadly second virus wave and botched vaccine rollout. The country -- which has the second-highest number of Covid cases in the world -- has seen its health infrastructure break down over the past two months, with major cities running out of oxygen and hospitals flooded with patients.

Melbourne Lockdown to Ease (10:12 a.m. HK)

Melbourne’s two-week lockdown will ease as authorities in Australia’s second-most populous city bring a Covid-19 cluster under control. The city’s stay-at-home order will lift from Friday, Victoria state Acting Premier James Merlino told reporters. Retail stores and schools will re-open and outdoor gatherings will be allowed with a maximum of 10 people. The city’s 5 million people have been forced into lockdown four times since the pandemic began for a total period of more than 140 days.

Hong Kong Extends Social Distancing (8:51 a.m. HK)

Hong Kong will extend social distancing measures until June 23, according to a government statement. “A number of local cases with the N501Y mutant strain have been recorded in Hong Kong recently, and the source of infection has yet to be identified,” a government spokesman said. Under pressure from Beijing, Hong Kong’s government has taken increasingly extreme measures to prevent another wave taking hold in the city. Residents returning to the city are currently subject to a two-to-three week quarantine stay in a hotel on a select list, unless they are coming from mainland China.

Delta Strain More Virulent, Says WHO (7:55 a.m. HK)

The delta variant of coronavirus that first arose in India appears markedly easier to transmit and more virulent than previous mutations, including the alpha strain that emerged last year in the U.K., according to the World Health Organization’s weekly update.

People infected with the delta variant were 2.6 times more likely to land in the hospital. They were also more likely to spread the virus to others, the WHO said. Two studies suggest Covid vaccines may be less effective against the delta strain, which is now found in 74 countries, up by about a dozen from a week ago.

Singapore Cases Down as Curbs Eyed (7:47 a.m. HK)

Singaporean authorities found four locally transmitted coronavirus infections on Tuesday, extending a streak of low daily virus counts since the start of the week. The decline in cases comes ahead of a possible easing of restrictions after June 13.

Still, Covid-19 sequencing has revealed the emergence of the delta variant as the country’s major local virus strain. And only one of the four cases Tuesday was linked to earlier infections, government data showed, underscoring the difficulty of completely eradicating a recent outbreak.

U.S. to Set Up Groups on Global Travel (6 a.m. HK)

The Biden administration is forming expert working groups with Canada, Mexico, the European Union and the U.K. to determine how best to safely restart global travel, Reuters reported, citing a White House official. The groups will be led by the White House Covid Response Team and the National Security Council. They will also include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as other agencies

Maldives Extends Curfew (5:05 p.m. NY)

Maldives extended a 16-hour curfew and other restrictions to a third week even as active cases fell to the lowest since April 29. The island nation expects to receive next month 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine made in Singapore. It has administered about 485,000 doses, enough to cover 65.2% of its population, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.

Pharmacist Jailed for Vaccine Tampering (3:15 p.m. NY)

A Wisconsin man was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison for tampering with vaccine doses at the hospital where he worked, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.

Steven R. Brandenburg, 46, of Grafton, pleaded guilty on Feb. 9, to two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products with reckless disregard for the risk that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury. According to court documents, Brandenburg purposefully removed a box of Covid-19 vaccine vials manufactured by Moderna Inc. — which must be stored at specific cold temperatures to remain viable — from a hospital refrigeration unit during two successive overnight shifts in late December 2020.

According to his plea agreement, Brandenburg stated that he was skeptical of vaccines in general, and the Moderna vaccine specifically, and had communicated his beliefs about vaccines to his co-workers.

Germany Said Near Digital Vaccine Certificate (2:15 p.m. NY)

Germany’s launch of a digital vaccine certificate could be imminent, with Handelsblatt reporting that IBM will probably activate the technical infrastructure on Wednesday. The German newspaper cited a letter from the head of digital at the Federal Ministry of Health. Digital certificates will be available for citizens at “many” regular pharmacies starting June 14, according to a separate release by the ABDA Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists on Tuesday.

U.S. Eases Dozens of Travel Warnings (1:50 p.m. NY)

The U.S. State Department is easing travel advisories for dozens of nations including many in Europe, such as France and Germany. The department changed its travel warnings Tuesday for many nations from level 4, or “do not travel,” to level 3, “reconsider travel,” according to the department’s website. The State Department’s travel advisories aren’t binding but can help guide airlines on their own restrictions. Other countries often reciprocate for American citizens based on the department’s advisories.

Fauci Warns on Delta Variant (1:40 p.m. NY)

U.S. health officials said Tuesday that the more harmful Covid-19 variant known as delta has surged in the U.K., a country with high vaccination levels, in a warning to states as inoculation fades across the U.S.

Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden on the pandemic, said at a news briefing that the delta variant that was first reported in India now accounts for more than 6% of cases being sequenced in the U.S. while in the U.K. it has overtaken the alpha variant that originated there.

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