CDC Moves to Stem Future Threats; Cigna Mandate: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- The Biden administration will start offering booster shots in late September. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will launch a new outbreak analysis and forecast center, picking a group of outsiders from academia and the private sector to lead the new initiative. 

One of Israel’s top health-care providers said initial results of a study show that a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine given to Israelis over 60 has been 86% effective. Pope Francis issued a public service announcement promoting vaccination.  

New Zealand found six additional infections as it began a nationwide lockdown, all connected to a single delta case discovered Tuesday with a link to Australia. 

The virus is spreading throughout Sydney even though Australia’s largest city has been in lockdown for almost two months. South Korea wants 70% of its population vaccinated by the end of September, accelerating one of the lowest inoculation rates among major Asian economies. 

Key Developments:

WHO Concerned Over Roche Drug Shortage (12:15 p.m. NY)

The World Health Organization and Unitaid expressed concern over yesterday’s statement from Roche Holding AG that warned of a global shortage in the drug Actemra.

In a joint statement, WHO and Unitaid welcomed Roche’s measures to address the shortage but called on the company to ensure “equitable allocation” of Actemra to all countries.

Additionally, the two public health organizations encouraged Roche to “facilitate technology transfer and knowledge and data sharing” to broaden access to the drug.

In June, the WHO recommended Actemra as treatment for severe cases of Covid-19. The drug, whose generic name is tocilizumab, was initially produced for arthritis but has been found to decrease the risk of death in Covid in patients.

In an email Wednesday, Roche said it “is in the midst of discussions with WHO and we are committed to support access” in low- and middle-income countries.

Cigna Requires Vaccinations (11:35 a.m. NY)

Cigna Corp. will require U.S. workers to be vaccinated before returning to in-person work, the health-care giant said. People who work remotely will need to be fully immunized against Covid-19 before entering worksites starting on Sept. 7. Employees who must work on-site, including medical providers and pharmacists, will have to be fully vaccinated or provide two negative Covid tests each week starting Oct. 18, the company said.

Cigna had about 73,700 employees at the end of 2020, according to company filings, with 89% based in the U.S.

De Blasio Doesn’t See Student Shot Mandate (11:30 a.m. NY)

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said he doesn’t anticipate imposing a vaccine mandate on schoolchildren ahead of the Sept. 13 public school start. He said that 56% of 12-to 17-year-olds, or about 300,000 kids, have received their first shot. De Blasio declined to say whether or not he would impose a vaccine mandate on teachers, who are required to submit to weekly testing if they aren’t vaccinated.

The city said it has been stockpiling shots in anticipation of the ability to give booster shots. The city has 750,000 doses in stock and has the ability to order more.

South Africa Infection Rate as High as 80% (10:20 a.m. NY)

As many as four out of five South Africans may have contracted the coronavirus, indicating that the country may be one of the world’s hardest-hit nations, the chief actuary at Africa’s biggest health insurer said. Emile Stipp, the actuary at Discovery Health, based his calculations on the country’s case-fatality rate and excess deaths, a measure of the number of fatalities compared with an historical average. They are thought to provide a more accurate picture of the impact of the pandemic than the official toll.

CDC Creates Center to Forecast Outbreaks (9:37 a.m. NY)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created a new center designed to provide early warnings and real-time data on disease threats and outbreaks. The CDC said the move was addressing a critical need to improve the U.S. government’s ability to forecast and model emerging health threats. 

Funded by the American Rescue Plan stimulus package, the new department will use data to help public health decision-makers mitigate the effects of disease threats. 

Israel Pfizer Booster Shows 86% Efficacy (9:33 a.m. NY)

Initial results show vaccine effectiveness of 86% for people age 60 and above who received a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine, according to a study by Israel’s Maccabi health care services.

Kids Sue Texas Over Ban on School Masks (9:07 a.m. NY)

More than a dozen disabled Texas children sued Governor Greg Abbott in federal court to overturn his ban on universal masking in schools, calling the rule a threat to their safety and a violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act and President Joe Biden’s Covid-recovery economic stimulus act.

The children’s challenge against Abbott, who has used a wheelchair since becoming a paraplegic in a running accident decades ago, was filed the same day the governor revealed he’d contracted a breakthrough case of Covid-19.

Greece Approves Booster for Vulnerable (8:49 a.m. NY)

Greece’s national vaccination committee approved booster shots for immune-suppressed individuals and other vulnerable groups. The country will start to administer the third vaccines in early September, senior Health Ministry official Marios Themistocleous said. 

The number of new cases is expected to peak at the end of September or in early October, he said.

Earlier, Greece prolonged a curfew and other restrictions in the Heraklion and Chania areas of Crete, the country’s largest island, until Aug. 25. The measures were also introduced in the Rethymno district. Greece on Tuesday had its third-biggest daily jump in Covid cases.

Pope Urges Vaccinations in Video (7:25 a.m. NY)

Pope Francis issued a public service announcement dedicated to the people of Latin America that promotes the benefits of vaccination. 

“Being vaccinated with vaccines authorized by the competent authorities is an act of love,” as is helping others to do so, he said. 

Singapore Extends Shot Eligibility (6 a.m. NY)

Singapore will offer vaccinations to short-term visa pass holders, according to the Ministry of Health.

The eligibility expansion includes special pass holders such as those on training work permits. Vaccinations will also be made available to eligible short-term visit pass holders who have been in Singapore for at least 60 days continuously.

Moderna Founder Says Annual Shots Possible (5 p.m. HK)

Moderna Inc. co-founder Noubar Afeyan envisions a time when Covid-19 shots could become routine.

“Public health officials are going to have to decide if everybody should get a booster shot,” he said in an interview on “The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations” that’s airing on Bloomberg TV on Wednesday. 

“My guess is that given enough time, we may well end up in a situation where we have, let’s say at a minimum, yearly vaccinations, just like the flu,” said Afeyan, who also serves as chairman.

Japan Cancels F1 Grand Prix for Second Year (4:20 p.m. HK)

Japan’s government canceled the Formula 1 Grand Prix for 2021 due to “ongoing complexities” from the pandemic, according to a statement from Formula 1.

China Clears Emergency Use of Sinopharm for Kids (3 p.m. HK)

China has approved the vaccine produced by the Wuhan institute of CNBG, an affiliate of Sinopharm, for emergency use in kids ages 3 to 17, the company said in a Wechat statement. In June, the nation gave the same approvals to Covid vaccines made by another Sinopharm affiliate and Sinovac.

Indonesia FDA Lets Biotis Produce Local Shot (2:10 p.m. HK)

Indonesia’s Food and Drugs Agency has authorized Biotis Pharmaceuticals Indonesia to develop the country’s own Covid-19 vaccine, according to Penny Lukito, head of the agency. Biotis is to partner with Airlangga University to develop and produce the shot, named Merah Putih vaccine, Lukito said in a press conference.

Biotis is in phase 2 clinical trials and will proceed with phase 3 soon, with the agency expected to grant emergency use authorization in the first half of 2022.

N.Z. Minister Doesn’t See Prolonged Outbreak (1:30 p.m. HK)

“A very prolonged outbreak” is not the working premise “at this time,” New Zealand Finance Minister Grant Robertson said at a news conference in Wellington after the RBNZ’s rate decision. 

New Zealand began a strict nationwide lockdown as it faces an outbreak of the delta variant, which on Wednesday was linked to the worsening crisis in neighboring Australia.

A further six cases have been identified in New Zealand, all connected to the single delta infection discovered Tuesday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters. That was the first community case detected since February.

Philippines Urges Use of Surgical Masks (12:20 p.m. HK)

The Philippines’ Health Department said it’s recommending the use of surgical instead of cloth masks, as the Southeast Asian nation fights the spread of delta. Cloth masks can still be used by those who don’t have access to medical-grade ones. To speed up vaccinations, the government has allowed shots for caretakers of the elderly and of those with weak immune systems. Infections have reached over 1.76 million, with nearly 12% of the population fully vaccinated.

Hong Kong’s Flip-Flop Creates Travel Chaos (9:50 a.m. HK)

Hong Kong’s quarantine about-face -- coming less than two months after it eased one of the world’s toughest Covid-19 border regimes -- is upending travel plans and causing chaos for hotels just weeks before the start of the school year and the end of the summer vacation period. 

Triggered, officials say, by growing concern about the delta variant, Tuesday’s reversal saw the scrapping of a new rule that allowed vaccinated residents returning from medium-risk locations to quarantine in a hotel for just one week, half the typically required time. The day before, countries including the U.S., Spain and France were classed as high risk, requiring a longer quarantine stay of 21 days. 

Poland to Provide Vietnam With Doses (9:35 a.m. HK)

Poland will provide Vietnam with more than 3.5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses, including a donation of 501,000 AstraZeneca Plc. shots, according to Vietnam’s government website, which cited Poland’s ambassador to Vietnam, Wojciech Gerwel.

Vietnam has received more than 19 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines from various sources, of which nearly 15.3 million doses have been administered. About 1.4% of residents in the country of 98 million people was fully vaccinated as of Monday.

Australian Cases Continue to Climb (9:15 a.m. HK)

New South Wales state recorded 633 new cases of the delta strain on Wednesday -- a 32% surge from the previous daily high recorded on Monday as the virus spreads throughout Sydney despite Australia’s largest city being in lockdown for almost two months.

“What the data is telling us in the last few days is that we haven’t seen the worst of it,” New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney. 

The outbreak is spreading away from the outbreak’s epicenter in Sydney into other areas of the nation, forcing more than half of Australia’s 26 million people into lockdown. They include Melbourne, which recorded 24 new cases on Wednesday, national capital Canberra, and more remote regions with high Indigenous populations. The surge in cases is increasing pressure on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to ramp up the nation’s tardy vaccination roll-out.

L.A. to Require Masks at Outdoor ‘Mega’ Events (9 a.m. HK)

Los Angeles will require universal masking at outdoor mega events regardless of vaccination status, according to health officials. Masks are required to be worn by everyone at all times except when actively eating or drinking at these events, said the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health in a statement. Outdoor mega events are outdoor events with crowds greater than 10,000 attendees.

Thailand Has Another Record Jump in Deaths (8.55 a.m. HK)

Thailand reported 312 fatalities, a fresh record single-day tally, as the nation’s total death toll passed the 8,000 level. There were 20,515 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours pushing total infections to 968,957, according to government data.

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