Hong Kong to Remove Exemptions; China’s Challenge: Virus Update
(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong will remove most quarantine exemptions, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said.
Coronavirus outbreaks in China are flaring more frequently than ever, raising questions about how long the nation can persist with the so-called Covid Zero strategy that’s leaving it increasingly isolated.
The U.S. will require overseas travelers to provide proof of full vaccination in addition to a recent negative test, as it loosens restrictions on Nov. 8. Covid hospitalizations in the country dropped to the lowest since July 31.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases top 244 million; deaths surpass 4.95 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 6.88 billion shots given
- Covid waves hitting faster than ever challenge China’s hard line
- Cheaper at-home Covid tests get ‘Shark Tank’-like treatment from NIH
- U.S. issues new pandemic rules for incoming travelers
- How the Dead Are Helping the Living (Podcast)
Hong Kong to Remove Exemptions (10:14 a.m. HK)
Hong Kong will soon announce arrangements to cancel most of the quarantine exemptions for overseas and mainland travelers, Lam said at a briefing. Only some essential exemptions like those for cross-border truck drivers will remain. The move aims to give confidence to China to start border reopening with Hong Kong soon.
Grim October for China (9:18 a.m. HK)
China’s economy is showing signs of a further slowdown with car and housing sales dropping again this month even as exports continue their strong performance. That’s the outlook from Bloomberg’s aggregate index of eight early indicators for October. Economic growth was already lower last quarter, partly due to a higher base of comparison from a year ago, but also dragged down by power shortages, repeated Covid outbreaks, and turmoil in the housing sector.
China reported 29 confirmed local covid cases Oct. 25
Taiwan Won’t Use Up Homewgrown Medigen (9:16 a.m. HK)
The 5 million doses Medigen vaccine ordered by the government are unlikely to be used up, Taipei-based United Daily News reported, citing Health Minister Chen Shih-chung’s comments to lawmakers. Taiwan’s government had earlier placed an order with Medigen for 5 million doses with an option for 5 million more. The government won’t order additional doses if the first batch isn’t used up.
Vietnam Virus Concerns (8:54 a.m. HK)
Vietnam’s Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long warned about the risks of another outbreak tied to large numbers of workers returning to rural provinces from southern virus-hit areas, according to a post on the health ministry’s website. Long instructed local officials to monitor returnees from Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding industrial provinces of Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Long An.
Queensland Allows International Students (8:38 a.m. HK)
Australia’s Queensland has announced that international students will be allowed back into the state to study in 2022.
They will be required to be fully vaccinated and to quarantine at a new government facility at Wellcamp, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said. The state recorded two new Covid-19 cases in the community on Tuesday.
Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, posted 282 cases and its second-most populous, Victoria, had 1,510.
Indonesia Braces for More Cases (7:55 a.m. HK)
Indonesia is bracing for a potential upsurge in infections with almost 20 million people estimated to travel in Java and Bali for the year-end holidays. The Southeast Asian nation is on alert as its previous Covid-19 spikes have been preceded by long holidays. New cases had spiked after millions of people traveled and gathered with families to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in May. Infections have since gone down sharply after the government expanded testing and reimposed stringent lockdown measures across the country. Indonesia added 460 cases on Monday, the lowest since May 26, 2020.
South Korea Growth Slows (7:01 a.m. HK)
South Korea’s economic expansion cooled last quarter as a renewed virus outbreak prompted authorities to impose their toughest social distancing restrictions to date. The gross domestic product gained 0.3% in the July-to-September quarter, decelerating from 0.8% in the second quarter and slower than the 0.6% predicted by economists.
United Airlines Says Unvaccinated Pilots Costing It Millions (6:25 a.m. HK)
United Airlines Inc. told a federal judge the company is spending millions on paid leave for unvaccinated pilots because their colleagues “refuse to risk their safety” by flying with them.
The leave is costing United about $1.4 million every two weeks, United argued in a filing on Friday in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas.
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman on Monday still extended until Nov. 8 a temporary restraining order he imposed earlier this month barring the airline from placing unvaccinated workers with a religious or medical objection to its mandate on unpaid leave.
NYC Police Union Sues to Block Mandate (3:30 p.m. NY)
New York City’s police union sued to block a vaccine mandate for municipal workers that Mayor Bill de Blasio implemented last week.
The mandate was “far broader and more coercive” than similar measures taken by the federal government and other states and municipalities at a time when infection rates are declining, the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York Police said in a lawsuit filed Monday in state court in Staten Island.
U.S. Issues New Travel Rules (2:50 p.m. NY)
The Biden administration issued new rules for travelers to the U.S. on Monday requiring proof of full vaccination in addition to a recent negative test.
People from countries with low supplies of vaccines who aren’t traveling on tourist visas, and those under 18, will be exempt from the vaccine requirement, senior administration officials said.
U.S. citizens and residents returning from abroad who aren’t vaccinated will have to obtain a negative test within a day of their flight, the officials said.
The new rules taking effect Nov. 8 represent the biggest change to U.S. travel policy since the start of the pandemic. The procedures replace a system that flatly barred most foreign nationals coming directly from major markets including Europe, India, Brazil and China.
Covid Bigger Risk to Brain Than Vaccines (11:05 a.m. NY)
Covid-19 is more likely than vaccines to cause rare neurological conditions, according to a study published in the Nature Medicine journal.
The study, led by the University of Oxford, analyzed the health records of 32 million people in England to identify the risks of developing rare brain conditions before and after testing positive, or receiving the first dose of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca Plc or Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE jabs.
Rare cases of such complications led many countries to restrict the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to older age groups.
NYC Mayor Gets Moderna Booster After J&J (10:45 a.m. NY)
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio got a Moderna booster shot during his daily press briefing on Monday, part of his effort to encourage New Yorkers to get an extra dose. De Blasio, who previously got a Johnson & Johnson shot, said New York has administered roughly 227,000 boosters but that the city is still trying to get millions of people to get their first shots. About 5.5 million people are fully vaccinated, or about 66% of the city’s residents, according to city data.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul also received a booster shot as the cameras were rolling, at an event in Binghamton.
Moderna Kids Shot Shows Strong Results (10:10 a.m. NY)
Moderna said that its vaccine showed a strong immune response in younger children in a late-stage clinical trial, paving the way for submission to regulators for clearance in those aged six to under 12.
An interim analysis showed a protective antibody response from children in the study, Moderna said Monday. Participants received two 50 microgram doses -- half that initially given to adults -- spaced 28 days apart.
Health officials are aiming to get immunizations to younger children before the holiday season, when travel and indoor activity can bring an increased risk of infection. As more adults are vaccinated, children are now making up a greater proportion of U.S. cases amid the spread of the delta variant.
Beijing to Quarantine Unvaccinated Athletes (6:51 a.m. NY)
China plans to quarantine athletes competing at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics for 21 days if they have not been vaccinated.
Exceptions may be granted for athletes and team officials on a case-by-case basis for medical reasons, according to the first version of the “Playbooks” that were released by the Beijing organizing committee, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee. These rules also apply to stakeholders including officials, sponsors and media.
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