Texas Cruise Outbreak; CDC Panel Backs Third Shot: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- A panel of CDC advisers unanimously backed a recommendation that people in the U.S. with weakened immune systems should get three shots of Covid vaccine. Houston’s main school district defied Texas Governor Greg Abbott and voted for a mask requirement when classes resume in less than two weeks. 

Chicago Public Schools, the third-largest U.S. school district, will require all employees without a medical or religious waiver to get Covid-19 vaccinations. Three teachers and a teacher’s assistant in Florida’s Broward County died of Covid-19 this week, NBC 6 reported, citing the teachers’ union president.

The Belize Tourism Board said that 27 vaccinated people tested positive this week on Carnival Corp.’s Carnival Vista, which sailed from Galveston, Texas.  

Key Developments:

CDC Signs Off on Third Dose for Some in U.S. (2 p.m. NY)

Advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted in favor of a recommendation that people with weakened immune systems should get three shots of Covid vaccine, a key step for protection of the vulnerable population.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded emergency use authorizations for vaccines from Moderna Inc. and the partnership of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE late Thursday to include the extra dose. Organ transplant recipients and patients considered to be similarly immunocompromised will be eligible for the extra shots.

Dutch to Lift Social Distancing Rules (1:25 p.m. NY) 

Social distancing rules in the Netherlands will be lifted on Sept. 20, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Friday, as new coronavirus cases in the country decline.  

“It is important to continue on this road and not be surprised once again,” Rutte told a news conference. He cited a previous easing in July that led to a peak in infections and the reintroduction of some restrictions.

University students will be allowed to attend in-person classes starting Aug. 30, with some restrictions on class sizes.

Canada Mandates Shots for State Workers (1:10 p.m. NY)

Canada’s government announced plans to require vaccinations for employees in the federal government and the transportation sector, as well as for travelers.

The plan will begin “early fall” for public sector workers, it was announced at a press conference with Dominic LeBlanc, minister for intergovernmental affairs, and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra.

Alghabra said air, rail and cruise ship passengers will have to be vaccinated. The plan is to implement regulations no later than the end of October.

Oklahoma City Schools to Mandate Masks (12:40 p.m. NY)

Resisting a new law, Oklahoma City Public Schools, the largest school district in the state, announced Friday it is requiring masks on school property as Covid-19 cases increase, the Oklahoman newspaper reported. It’s the second Oklahoma school district to defy the state law. In the first three days of school this week, active cases in the Oklahoma City district rose four to 119, Superintendent Sean McDaniel said.

Judge Rules In Favor of Evictions Ban (11:50 a.m. NY)

A federal judge in Washington ruled that a temporary U.S. ban on evictions in parts of the country hit hardest by the coronavirus can continue, a major victory for the Biden administration’s efforts to extend protections as the delta variant spreads.

In a ruling Friday, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich rejected a plea by two landlord groups to block a moratorium by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was set to last until Oct. 3. The decision extends protections against eviction that expired July 31 and were in doubt after the Supreme Court indicated in June that only Congress could continue the policy.

Outbreak on Carnival Cruise in Belize (11:38 a.m. NY)

The Belize Tourism Board said that 27 people tested positive for Covid-19 on Carnival Corp.’s Carnival Vista this week, according to a statement on its website.

They were all vaccinated and were mostly asymptomatic or had “mild” symptoms, according to the statement, which said that 99.98% of crew and 96.5% of passengers were vaccinated on the vessel with 2,895 guests and 1,141 crew. The Carnival Vista sailed from Galveston, Texas, a coastal city near Houston.

The most recent surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows at least 25 cruise ships have recently reported Covid-19 cases.

Chicago Schools Require Shots for Employees (11:32 a.m. NY)

Chicago Public Schools will require all employees who do not have a medical or religious exemption to get Covid-19 vaccinations and provide proof by Oct. 15, the third-largest U.S. school district said in a statement Friday. Students are due back full-time in-person on Aug. 30 and testing will continue during the school year for staff with a documented exemption, according to the statement.

“This new policy enhances the district’s comprehensive reopening plan and ensures that students and staff can confidently learn in-person,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in the statement. “Taking this step will further our citywide vaccination efforts and build on our progress in slowing and stopping the spread of Covid-19.”

Moscow Hit Record Deaths in July (11:02 a.m. NY)

Moscow reported a record 6,583 deaths linked to the coronavirus, according to the Russian capital’s Health Department.

The city’s Covid-19 mortality rate as of Aug. 1 was 4% when accounting for all fatalities where the virus was detected, it said.
Even so, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin dropped restrictions limiting the number of workers allowed in offices Friday, saying the number of hospitalizations has dropped by more than half since peaking in late June.

Health Workers Strike in Morocco Amid Spike (10:55 a.m. NY)

Thousands of nurses and health workers went on strike Friday in Morocco, forcing several vaccination centers to halt one of Africa’s most advanced vaccination drives. The National Health Workers Federation said the strike was mainly a reaction to an “assault” on a nurse and a trainee nurse earlier this week by a security official inside a vaccination facility in Casablanca and also to secure better terms for the sector’s employees. The stoppage coincides with a spike in deaths and new cases in the north African kingdom.

Alabama Hospital Reports Record Sick Kids (10:50 a.m. NY)

An Alabama children’s hospital reported 22 Covid-19 inpatients, the most since the pandemic began, including five on ventilators. Children’s of Alabama said its previous peak was 13 virus patients, during the last surge in January.

“This marked increase is due to the community spread of the delta variant that is impacting younger people, including children,” the Birmingham hospital said in a statement on Thursday. “The threat to Alabamians is serious.”

Alabama has the lowest rate of vaccination in the U.S. after Mississippi, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.

Houston Schools Vote for Masks (9:56 a.m. NY)

The board of the Houston Independent School District, the seventh-largest U.S. school system with nearly 200,000 students, voted Thursday to require masks for students and teachers in class and on buses when classes begin Aug. 23. The vote came in defiance of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s order barring officials from requiring masks.

“There are teachers out there who go home every day and think, ‘What are we bringing home to our families?’” school board member Elizabeth Santos said.

About three dozen people lined up outside the meeting with signs both protesting and supporting the mandate. One sign said, “Stop Tyranny,” and a person dressed as the Grim Reaper appeared with a sign saying, “Unmask Your Kids.”

Four Florida Educators Die in a Week (9:50 a.m. NY)

Three teachers and a teacher’s assistant in Florida’s Broward County have died of Covid-19 this week, South Florida’s NBC 6 reported, citing teachers’ union president Anna Fusco. They were infected over summer break and at least three of the four were not vaccinated.

The news comes as Broward is defying Governor Ron DeSantis to require masks in schools and as the district prepares for the start of classes next week. Fusco didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

England R Number Range 0.8 to 1.0 (8:44 a.m. NY)

England’s estimate for its Covid-19 reproduction number is 0.8 to 1.0, according to data from the U.K. government dated Aug. 13. An R value between 0.8 and 1.0 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between eight and 10 other people.

U.K. Angers S. Africa Tourism Industry (7:21 a.m. NY)

South Africa’s main inbound tourism industry body is lobbying U.K. politicians to remove the country from its so-called coronavirus travel Red List, which it says is incompatible with scientific evidence and is wrecking relations between the nations.

South Africa Has Vaccine Demand Headache (7:07 a.m. NY)

South Africa’s biggest challenge to meeting a target of vaccinating two-thirds of the adult population has shifted from a shortage of supply to a lack of demand.

“We are sitting in a situation where we don’t have a vaccine constraint, at least for the next two months,” Nicholas Crisp, a deputy director-general in the Department of Health, said in an online briefing on Friday. “Now we need vaccine demand.”

Indonesia Finds Sinovac Shot Less Effective (7:04 a.m. NY)

Indonesia found that Sinovac Biotech Ltd.’s vaccine was less effective at protecting against death and severe illness in April to June, compared with the previous three months.

Meanwhile, the government administered 1.3 million first doses of vaccines and 1.5 million of second shots on Friday, the largest number in a single day so far. Indonesia is seeking to boost its mass inoculation program to reach 2.5 million doses given out each day in August and September, more than double its target for July.

Germany Says U.S. Among High-Risk Countries (6:52 a.m. NY)

The German government has elevated Turkey, U.S. and Israel to high-risk status, Funke media group reported, citing unidentified officials. Germany also raised Montenegro and Vietnam to high-risk.

Portugal is no longer classified as a high-risk area, except for Lisbon and the Algarve. People entering Germany from affected countries must quarantine for 10 days if they can’t show proof of vaccination or recovery from illness.

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