China Outbreak Spreads; Sweden Plans Boosters: Virus Update

China Outbreak Spreads; Sweden Plans Boosters: Virus Update
Bloomberg News
·8 min read

(Bloomberg) -- A large part of Sweden’s population is likely to be offered a third vaccine dose in 2022, while Greece’s health minister said the country may start giving boosters for vulnerable groups in September.

China’s outbreak continued to spread with additional infections in various areas including Wuhan, where the pandemic first emerged. The capital city of Beijing will ban train passengers from 23 regions considered high risk, and the Haidian district were many tech companies are based recommended that people work from home.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong will allow vaccinated tourists from all but 10 places to enter the city starting next week, a significant relaxation of some of the world’s tightest border curbs.

Key Developments:

Global Tracker: Cases top 198.9 million; deaths pass 4.23 millionVaccine Tracker: More than 4.16 billion doses administeredHospital staffing shortages rise sharply in Florida as beds fillCovid disguises chronic scarcity of workers for U.K. recoveryAre Covid shots working? What the real world tells us: QuickTakeHere’s what major U.S. companies have said about latest policies

Beijing Train Passenger Bans (4:45 p.m. HK)

The Chinese capital city will ban train passengers from 23 regions considered at high risk for the virus, including Zhengzhou, Nanjing, Yangzhou, Shenyang and Dalian, according to a local government briefing.

Greece, Sweden Plan Booster Shots (4:05 p.m. HK)

A large part of Sweden’s population is likely to be offered a top-up dose of a vaccine next year, according to the Public Health Agency, with some risk groups potentially getting their shots this autumn.

The agency also said vaccinations in coming years are likely to be made using one or two mRNA vaccines and, potentially, also an adjuvant protein-based vaccine as a complement. It estimated access to shots will be good for the foreseeable future.

Separately, Greece is ready to start administering third doses for vulnerable groups, the elderly or for those with compromised immune systems starting in September once the vaccination commission gives the green light, Health Minister Vasilis Kikilias said Tuesday.

Beijing Tech District Takes Measures (3:50 p.m. HK)

The Haidian district of Beijing, where a Covid case was reported Monday and where many Chinese tech companies are based, has recommended that people work from home and asked scenic spots to limit visitors to 60% of their capacity, the district said in its official WeChat account Tuesday.

Vietnam to Approve Remdesivir: VnExpress (3:19 p.m. HK)

Vietnam’s health ministry is expected to approve Gilead Sciences Inc.’s remdesivir as a Covid-19 treatment, VnExpress reported, citing Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son.

U.K. PM Blocks Watchlist for Countries: Telegraph (3 p.m. HK)

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has blocked the creation of a controversial “amber watchlist” for foreign countries, the Telegraph reported.

The extra category in the government’s travel traffic-light system would have left popular vacation spots under threat of imminently turning red, forcing even the fully vaccinated to quarantine in hotels on their return.

China Reports More Local Cases (11:25 a.m. HKT)

China reported 61 confirmed cases and 23 asymptomatic infections on Tuesday, as the outbreak that originated with a flight from Moscow continues to spread around the country. Cases were discovered in several regions and in Beijing, where local authorities have discouraged people from traveling.

Wuhan has reported eight infections, the first cluster in the city since China brought the initial outbreak there under control through a strict lockdown more than a year ago. Given the level of attention Wuhan attracts both in China and abroad, the importance of the Covid response cannot be overemphasized, Hubei Governor Wang Zhonglin said in a statement posted on the provincial government’s website late Monday night. Wuhan will conduct citywide testing.

China’s financial hub Shanghai also detected one case -- a worker handling foreign cargo at the city’s airport. Authorities have identified 43 close contacts.

Vietnam Seafood Fallout (10:34 a.m. HKT)

South Vietnam’s seafood production has plunged to 40%-50% of pre-pandemic times with about 70% of companies in the sector temporarily closed because of spiking infections, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers.The association predicted seafood production for the region could drop further, sinking to 30% of pre-pandemic levels.

Hong Kong’s New Risk Tiers (7:46 a.m. HKT)

Hong Kong’s condensed risk designation system for overseas travel will take effect on Aug. 9, splitting countries into high, medium and low risk. The changes mean residents will be able to return from high-risk areas like the U.K, India and the Philippines.

The U.S. and Singapore are among countries designated as medium risk, while Australia and New Zealand are the only ones classified as low-risk.

IMF Approves $650 Billion for Virus Fight (6:38 a.m. HK)

The International Monetary Fund approved the biggest resource injection in its history, with $650 billion meant to help nations deal with mounting debt and the fallout from the pandemic.

The creation of the reserve assets -- known as special drawing rights -- is the first since the $250 billion issued just after global financial crisis in 2009, with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva billing it as “a shot in the arm for the world” that will help boost global economic stability.

FDA Reviewing Shot ‘With Speed and Urgency’ (5:25 p.m. NY)

Peter Marks, head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration division reviewing Pfizer Inc.’s application for full approval of its vaccine, said in an interview that the agency is moving with urgency to reach a decision on the matter.

“I hope not to disappoint the president,” Marks said when asked if he will meet President Joe Biden’s timeline for approval by September or October. “Everyone here understands the need to do this with the same care and rigor that we always do, and also with speed and urgency, given that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic.”

Marks said the U.S. is experiencing a “very real fourth wave” and also spoke about how the FDA will decide whether booster shots are needed.

Cases Jump in Africa’s Biggest City (4:13 p.m. NY)

A jump in Covid-19 deaths over the past week in Lagos, Africa’s biggest city, is a “worrying trend” and steps need to be taken to reverse rising infection rates, said Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Nigeria’s Lagos State.

The positivity rate of those tested has risen eightfold to 8.9% over the past month and six people are dying on average every day at isolation centers in the city, he said in a statement on Monday. “The situation at hand should rightly alarm all of us,” he said.

Louisiana Reinstates Indoor Mark Mandate (4:10 p.m. NY)

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards reinstated an indoor mask mandate for everyone in the state age 5 and older.

“Louisiana is currently in the worst surge of the Covid-19 pandemic so far in terms of case growth rate, percent positivity and hospitalizations,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. The new mask mandate will stay in effect until at least Sept. 1.

GOP Senator Graham Tests Positive (3:25 p.m. NY)

Senator Lindsey Graham said he tested positive for Covid-19 despite being vaccinated, becoming at least the third member of Congress to recently report an infection.

The South Carolina Republican said in a statement that he began having “flu-like” symptoms on Saturday and that he will quarantine for 10 days.

Bay Area Reinstates Mask Mandate (3:14 p.m. NY)

San Francisco and its surrounding counties are reinstating mask requirements in indoor public spaces for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, after a surge in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks.

Seven counties in the Bay Area adopted the new orders, including Silicon Valley’s Santa Clara and San Mateo, along with the city of Berkeley. The mandate takes effect Tuesday at 12:01 a.m., health officials said in a statement Monday.

Facebook Inc., based in Silicon Valley’s Menlo Park, said separately Monday that it will require all people working at its U.S. campuses to wear masks.

Pakistan to Tighten Restrictions (2:02 p.m. NY)

Pakistan plans to tighten rules in bigger cities this month to avert a likely fourth coronavirus wave as the delta variant spreads. Curbs include closing markets at 8 p.m. and halving in-office attendance, Planning Minister Asad Umar said at a news conference Monday. The new rules run Aug. 3 to Aug. 31.

N.J. Orders Hospital, Jail Staff to Vaccinate (2 p.m. NY)

People who work in New Jersey state hospitals, nursing homes and jails must be vaccinated or face mandatory Covid-19 testing, Governor Phil Murphy announced.

Full compliance is required by Sept. 7, Murphy said Monday at a press briefing. Private employers are encouraged to implement tougher standards, he said.

U.S. Hits Biden 70% Goal a Month Late (1 p.m. NY)

Seventy percent of U.S. adults have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, a key milestone in the fight against the pandemic that the country hit nearly a month later than President Joe Biden had hoped.

After falling dramatically since April, the pace of U.S. vaccinations has recently accelerated due to the rapid spread of the delta variant of coronavirus. The U.S. was averaging more than 72,000 new infections a day in a delta-fueled resurgence of the virus as of Friday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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