India’s Covaxin Gets Nod; China Vaccine Diplomacy: Virus Update
(Bloomberg) -- The World Health Organization granted emergency authorization to a vaccine co-developed by India’s medical-research agency and local manufacturer Bharat Biotech International Ltd.
Hong Kong’s government has approved booster shots for high-risk groups starting this month, including people over 60 and those with weakened immune systems. China’s vaccine diplomacy is helping its drugmakers go global, a dramatic ascent for the nation’s pharmaceutical industry.
A leading candidate in Chile’s presidential race tested positive, as did National Football League star Aaron Rodgers and the mayor of Los Angeles.
Germany’s health minister renewed his plea for widespread boosters in Europe’s biggest economy, saying doctors should start administering them to all adults even if the country’s vaccine commission hasn’t recommended that step. Moscow will end a partial lockdown on Nov. 7 after its mayor said the disease trend has stabilized.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases surpass 247.9 million; deaths top 5 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 7.1 billion shots given
- China’s vaccine diplomacy helps its drugmakers go global
- U.S. Covid-19 recovery hits a bump as winter draws near
- Covid-19 Impact: Best of Bloomberg Intelligence
Chile Presidential Candidate Gets Positive Test (5:21 p.m. NY)
Chilean presidential candidate Gabriel Boric tested positive on Wednesday, sidelining the top left-wing contender less than three weeks before voters head to the polls.
He had suspended activities including a scheduled television appearance on Tuesday and underwent a PCR test after saying he had a fever. Boric, who gained prominence as a student protest leader, has placed at or near the top of all new polls.
Separately, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who is in Glasgow for the COP26 climate summit, also tested positive. He arrived via a commercial flight to London on Sunday, and then took a train to Glasgow on Monday with other mayors, according to a spokesman. Garcetti has posted on social media photos of himself unmasked with world leaders.
Biden Calls Vaccine for Kids ‘Giant Step’ (4:25 p.m. NY)
U.S. President Joe Biden called approval of vaccines for children ages 5-11 a crucial step in the fight against the pandemic, and said a campaign to deliver the shots will fully ramp up next week.
“For parents all over this country, this is a day of relief and celebration,” Biden said Wednesday at the White House.
China’s Vaccine Diplomacy Helps Its Drugmakers Go Global (4 p.m. NY)
The pandemic made China the world’s top exporter of Covid-19 vaccines, mostly to nations that haven’t been able to afford or procure more effective ones from the U.S. and Europe.
Now the country is using that newfound leverage to make an aggressive overseas push for its vaccines against other diseases.
Packers QB Rodgers Tests Positive (11:50 a.m. NY)
Green Bay Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers has tested positive and will miss the team’s next game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, according to ESPN.
Rodgers is unvaccinated, meaning he will miss a minimum of 10 days even if he tests negative, the NFL Network reported.
Germany’s Spahn Renews Boosters Call (8:40 a.m. NY)
German Health Minister Jens Spahn renewed his plea for widespread boosters, saying doctors should start administering them to all adults, even if the country’s vaccine commission hasn’t recommended that step.
Boosters are already approved for all adults in Europe. Germany is struggling to prevent another painful wave as infections surge and hospitals fill up again. While the independent vaccine commission is still mulling the costs and benefits of widespread boosters, there’s sufficient data from Israel and elsewhere that rolling them out swiftly and widely can stop a rising tide of infections, Spahn said.
Moscow Mayor to Lift Lockdown (8:35 a.m. NY)
Moscow will end its partial lockdown on Nov. 7, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, ending speculation the Russian capital would extend non-working days amid a continuing spike in cases.
“In Moscow, the disease trend has stabilized,” Sobyanin said in televised comments. “The non-working days won’t be extended from Monday.”
The seven-day moving average of new daily infections in Moscow hit a four-month high on Tuesday, reaching over 7,000, before dipping slightly Wednesday. Nationwide, Russia reported a record number of new cases and deaths this week. Authorities Friday reported the largest total number of deaths in any September since World War II.
WHO Approves India’s Homegrown Shot (8:34 a.m. NY)
The WHO granted emergency authorization to a vaccine co-developed by India’s medical-research agency and local manufacturer Bharat Biotech International Ltd., ending a months-long wait that added to controversy around the homegrown shot.
The WHO approved the vaccine’s use in people age 18 and older on a two-dose schedule with four weeks between shots, according to a statement on Wednesday. Covaxin joins a range of WHO emergency-cleared shots from AstraZeneca Plc, China’s Sinopharm Group Co. and Sinovac Biotech Ltd., Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE , Johnson & Johnson and Moderna Inc.
The agency’s nod is a welcome endorsement for Covaxin’s manufacturer. The Hyderabad-based company has been beset with problems since it partnered with the state-funded Indian Council of Medical Research last year to develop the inoculation.
Russia One-Shot Vaccine Found Safe (5:10 p.m. HK)
Russia’s one-shot Sputnik Light vaccine is safe and induces a strong immune response, according to a study published in the Lancet.
The vaccine’s developers say it’s highly effective when used on a standalone basis or as a booster. Sputnik Light is the first component of the Sputnik V vaccine, whose international rollout has been slowed by production delays, especially of its second dose.
Slovenia Infections at Record (5:03 p.m. HK)
Daily infections in Slovenia climbed to a record of 3,456 on Tuesday, with a positivity rate of 44.8%, increasing the pressure on the government to act to curb the spread. With the number of hospitalized patients needing intensive care approaching critical levels, additional restrictive measures are expected following a government session on Thursday.
Indonesia Shortens Christmas Holiday (4:33 p.m. HK)
Indonesia is cutting its Christmas public holiday by one day and banning civil servants from taking leave during the festive season to curb mobility, according to a circular letter from the communications ministry.
The government is bracing for nearly 20 million people to travel across the country, risking a possible coronavirus resurgence. Previous spikes have followed long weekends and public holidays.
Hong Kong to Start Booster Shots (4:03 p.m. HK)
Hong Kong’s government has approved giving out booster shots for high-risk groups, including those over the age of 60 and the immuno-compromised, Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan said at a briefing.
The city will roll out booster shots Nov. 11 and bookings will start Nov. 5, Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip said at the briefing. The government will start the program with high-risk groups who got the Sinovac vaccine.
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