China Covid Zero Warning; Pfizer on Booster Assent: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- A top Chinese virologist warned the country risks economic collapse if local officials continue to pursue a so-called Covid Zero policy. Pfizer Inc. asked the U.S. to approve a third shot of its vaccine for all adults. 

China is in the midst of a fourth major outbreak driven by the delta variant, the broadest the country has seen since the pathogen first emerged in Wuhan in late 2019, with 20 out 31 provinces on the mainland reporting cases. Daily infections in the U.S. are still too high to pull back on mitigation measures such as mask-wearing, according to White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci.

Hong Kong ordered some airport workers to get a booster. An extra shot is also necessary for seniors in France who want to visit restaurants and museums. The requirement comes as cases rise in France and other European countries. Pfizer and BioNTech have filed for regulatory approval to use their vaccine on children aged 5-11 years old in Japan.  

Key Developments:

H.K. Raises Covid Risk Level for New Zealand (12:27 p.m. HK) 

Hong Kong raised the Covid risk level for New Zealand to medium from low with effect from Nov. 17, according to a government statement.

The New Zealand authorities have announced they will pursue a policy of ‘living with the virus’. “We note that the number of confirmed cases there has been increasing. As the risk of the importation of cases has heightened, we have to tighten the quarantine requirements for persons arriving at Hong Kong from New Zealand,” a government spokesman said. This will increase the hotel quarantine period for fully vaccinated travelers to 14 days from 7 days.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s border with mainland China could reopen with limited capacity in January, according to a Chinese official in the city, a breakthrough that would be a boost to the Asian financial hub’s economy.

U.S. Group Urges More U.S. Jabs to Vietnam (10:32 a.m. HK)

The American Apparel & Footwear Association, which represents more than 1,000 brands, urged the Biden administration to step up vaccine donations to Vietnam after the U.S. gave the country 15 million doses, Stephen Lamar, the group’s president and CEO, said.

Vaccinations are critical for Vietnam, the second-largest supplier of apparel, footwear and travel goods to the U.S. after China, to instill confidence in workers to return to factories, he said. 

Pouyuen Vietnam, a unit of one of the world’s largest makers of athletic shoes, is struggling to meet orders after 6% of its workforce quit amid the nation’s worst virus outbreak, according to a post on the Ho Chi Minh City Communist Party Committee’s website.

Auckland Students Back to In-Person Learning (8:30 a.m. HK)

Auckland and Waikato students in years 1 to 10 can return to face-to-face learning at schools on Nov. 17, New Zealand Education Minister Chris Hipkins said Wednesday.

Measures to help minimize the spread of Covid-19 will include mask wearing from year 4 up, ventilating classrooms, limiting the number of students on site and making sure groups of children distance from each other. Students in years 11 to 13 returned to school on Oct. 26.

Colorado Activates Hospital Crisis Plan (8:24 a.m. HK)

Citing burnout and dwindling ranks of workers, Colorado has activated a “crisis standards of care” hospital staffing plan giving the health care industry broad authority to fill personnel gaps as Covid-19 cases surge, officials said.  

The plan allows for such things as “just in time” training for employees to assume responsibilities beyond their normal role and level of certification, according to the state Department of Public Health and Environment.

“Staff shortages due to Covid-19 illness, increased workloads due to hospitals working at capacity, and staff burnout are all making working conditions difficult and often outside the scope of conventional care,” it said.

French Seniors Need Boosters for ‘Passport’ (4:30 a.m. HK)

People in France over the age of 65 will have to get a third booster shot to remain eligible for a vaccine passport needed to gain access to restaurants, museums, long-distance trains and other public places, President Emmanuel Macron said in a televised speech. The new rule takes effect on Dec. 15. Infections are rising in France and other European countries.

Fauci Seeks to Prevent Winter Surge (1:20 p.m. NY)

Stepping up the rate of vaccinations and boosters can help avoid a holiday surge in new cases that have dropped to a plateau of about 70,000 a day, White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci said.

While hospitalizations and deaths have fallen in the U.S., it’s far too early to pull back on mitigation measures such as mask-wearing, Fauci said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Balance of Power with David Westin.” 

“If we get the overwhelming proportion of unvaccinated people vaccinated, and we get those who are vaccinated and eligible to get a booster,” Fauci said, “we can go a long way to preventing a new surge as we go into the winter.”

Scotland Considers Tighter Restrictions (10:30 a.m. NY)

Scotland is looking at tightening Covid restrictions because of a high level of new cases as it hosts the United Nations climate summit in its largest city. 

The government expects case numbers to increase further in the coming weeks, partly due to the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, Deputy First Minister John Swinney told lawmakers on Tuesday. The administration in Edinburgh “cannot rule out” strengthening existing measures to avoid the need for any future lockdowns, Swinney said. 

NHS Staff Must Be Fully Vaccinated (9:15 a.m. NY)

National Health Service staff in England who work face to face with patients must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by April 1, Health Secretary Sajid Javid told Parliament. Only those who can prove they are fully vaccinated can be employed by the NHS. The decision follows a government consultation that had 34,000 responses, Javid said.

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