Merkel Sees Worst German Spike; Pfizer’s 100% Data: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- The latest surge in Covid-19 infections in Germany is worse than anything the country has experienced so far, Chancellor Angela Merkel said, calling for tighter restrictions. Austria, which went into its fourth national lockdown on Monday, is threatening fines of up to $4,000 for people who refuse the jab once mandatory inoculations kick in next year.

Pfizer-BioNTech said their vaccine demonstrated 100% efficacy against COVID-19 in adolescents 12 to 15 in a longer-term analysis, with no serious safety concerns identified.

In Hong Kong, JPMorgan Chase & Co. offered to reimburse employees up to $5,000 to compensate for their quarantine stay as the financial hub sticks to its zero-Covid policy. Australia will allow students and overseas workers to enter from the start of December and New Zealand will shift to a new alert system as it moves away from the use of lockdowns.

Key Developments:

Merkel Says Germany Spike Worst So Far (7:00 a.m. NY)

Chancellor Angela Merkel said the latest surge in Covid-19 infections is worse than anything Germany has experienced so far and called for tighter restrictions to help check the spread.

Merkel told officials from her CDU party Monday that the situation is “highly dramatic” and warned that hospitals would soon be overwhelmed unless the fourth wave of the virus is broken, according to a person familiar with her remarks.

Pfizer Shot Shows More Positive Data (6:45 a.m. NY)

A longer-term review of trial data showed that the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 shot remains highly safe and effective in adolescents aged 12 through 15, the companies said in a statement Monday. They will use the updated data to seek full regulatory clearance for the vaccine in those ages in the U.S and elsewhere, according to the statement.

No one who received two 30-microgram doses of the shot tested positive for Covid during a period that stretched from a week after the second dose to about four months later, the companies said. By contrast, 30 people who received placebo shots tested positive. Side effects remained “generally consistent” with other safety data for the product, the companies said.

The updated analysis involves 2,228 trial participants, with data collected between November 2020 and September, the statement said. The results come amid heightened scrutiny over how often the shot -- as well as another messenger-RNA vaccine from Moderna Inc. -- lead to heart inflammation problems. These rare events are listed as potential side effects of both products.

Austria Threatens Fines for Vaccine Holdouts (6:00 a.m. NY)

Austria, which woke up on Monday to its fourth national lockdown since the start of the pandemic, is threatening fines of up to 3,600 ($4,000) for people who refuse shots once mandatory inoculations kick in next year. 

The drastic measures are aimed at trying to curb a surge in infections that has left the government scrambling for solutions. Through mid-December, Austrians will only be allowed to leave home for work, essential shopping and exercise. Restrictions may last longer for the unvaccinated. The lockdown is meant to put a brake on infections before mandatory vaccinations kick in from February. That would be the first such policy in Europe, where governments have mostly kept inoculations voluntary. 

Pockets of violence were seen across Europe over the weekend, from Belfast to Zagreb, in response to various anti-Covid measures taken by governments desperate to put the pandemic behind them. Police in Brussels turned water cannon on protesters to disperse an unruly crowd. 

Thailand Gets More Doses From the U.S. (5:49 a.m. NY)

The U.S. donated 1 million Moderna vaccine shots to Thailand. The latest delivery comes on top of the 1.5 million doses donated to the Southeast Asian nation in July.

“While the first tranche of vaccines helped Thailand contain the Covid-19 outbreak, this second tranche will help Thailand reach its goal of vaccinating 70% of the population by January, paving the way for the country’s economic recovery,” Michael Heath, the U.S. Charge d’Affaires to Thailand, said in a statement Monday.

Iran Deaths Fall (5:41 a.m. NY)

Iran’s daily deaths fell below 100 for the first time in more than seven months, the latest health ministry data showed. 

The country reported 97 fatalities from the disease over the last 24 hours, the lowest since April 1. The number of cases rose by 5,427 to more than 6 million while the total death toll reached 129,053.

Danes Turn Pessimistic as Restrictions Return (6:00 p.m. HK) 

Denmark’s consumers turned pessimistic for the first time in seven months in November after the Nordic country re-introduced some restrictions to fight a rising infections.

Daily infections are up by a factor of about 10 since the country, which has been among the most resilient to the pandemic, ended restrictions in September. 

Kenya Restricts Access for Unvaccinated (3:17 p.m. HK)

Kenya will require people seeking government services to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus from Dec. 21 as authorities move to increase inoculation before the year-end holiday season. 

The government will restrict in-person services at the revenue, transport, ports, immigration and education agencies, Health Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said. The state will also limit access to hospitals, prisons, game parks as well as hotels, bars, restaurants and businesses that attend to 50 people or more in a day, Kagwe said in a statement.

South Africa Cases Begin to Climb (2:58 p.m. HK) 

South African coronavirus cases are beginning to climb, the positivity rate of tests is increasing and an analysis of wastewater shows that the disease is once again becoming more prevalent in some areas. 

On Nov. 20, the number of confirmed cases over a 24-hour period rose to 887, the highest since Oct. 14, and on Nov. 21, 3.4% of tests returned a positive result, according to government data. If maintained over a seven-day period, that would be the highest proportion of people testing positive since the week ended Sept. 26.

Scientists working with the government have predicted that a fourth wave of coronavirus infections could begin in December. Still, they said it will likely be less severe than previous resurgences because about a third of South African adults are fully vaccinated and between 60% and 70% of the population may have already been infected.

JPMorgan to Reimburse $5,000 to Quarantined H.K. Staff (1:53 p.m. HK)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. is offering to reimburse Hong Kong employees up to $5,000 to compensate for their quarantine stay as the financial hub sticks to its zero-Covid policy. 

All Hong Kong-based employees who are executive directors and below may claim the amount for a single quarantine stay. The offer covers personal trips undertaken by employees visiting immediate family members, including spouses, domestic partners, children, parents and grandparents, according to an internal memo. A Hong Kong-based spokeswoman confirmed the content.

The move comes after Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon touched down in Hong Kong last week after receiving an exemption from the city’s stringent quarantine, which can be as long as 21 days in designated hotels. During his visit, he highlighted that the restrictions were making it harder for JPMorgan to retain talent.

U.K. Adds Sinovac, Others to Approved Travel Vaccines (12:28 p.m. HK)

The U.K. has added Sinovac-CoronaVac, Sinopharm Beijing and Covaxin to its list of approved vaccines for travel into the country, according to the Department for Transport and Department of Health and Social Care’s guidance.

Vietnam Expects to Vaccinate All Adults by Year’s End (12:23 p.m. HK)

Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed local officials to accelerate Covid-19 shots in order to fully vaccinate all adults age 18 and older this year, surpassing the nation’s inoculation target, the cabinet’s news portal reported.

The nation will have enough vaccine doses this month to administer two shots to its entire adult population against the virus by the end of the year, according to the report, which also cited Deputy Premier Vu Duc Dam. Vietnam had targeted fully vaccinating at least half of people age 18 and older by the end of December and 70% of its entire population by the end of March, 2022. 

New Zealand Plans New Alert System (11:50 a.m HK)

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the country will shift into a new alert system to manage Covid-19 on Dec. 3, a step that moves away from the use of lockdowns and will allow all businesses to operate.

All of New Zealand will move into the Covid-19 Protection Framework at midnight on Dec. 2, making Dec. 3 the first day the so-called traffic-light system will be operational, Ardern told a news conference Monday in Wellington. A key difference between the current alert level system and the new one is that vaccine passes will be required to enter places like bars, gyms and restaurants. 

India Set to Resume Supplies to Covax, ET Says (10:33 a.m. HK) 

The Indian government has allowed the Serum Institute of India Ltd. to start Covid-19 vaccine exports to the Covax global sharing body, the Economic Times reported, citing people it didn’t identify.

Serum Institute, the world’s largest vaccine maker, will export 5 million doses, and Nepal will receive the first lot of Covishield vaccine Nov. 24, the newspaper said.

Biden Vaccinations Coordinator Departing (10:29 a.m. HK)

White House Vaccinations Coordinator Bechara Choucair is leaving the administration to return to the private sector, he said in a message Sunday to Bloomberg News.

Choucair’s last day will be Monday. He joined President Joe Biden’s team during the transition last year and was charged with accelerating the nascent Covid-19 vaccination effort Biden inherited upon taking office in January.

Choucair, a former Chicago health commissioner and senior executive at Kaiser Permanente, is departing after the U.S. expanded access to vaccines for all people over age 5 and widely approved booster doses for adults.

U.K. Expands Boosters to Avoid New Restrictions (9 a.m. HK)

The U.K. government is extending its coronavirus booster program, part of an effort to avoid following other European nations into imposing new restrictions to control the virus.

From Monday, everyone over age 40 will be invited to have a third dose of the vaccine. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the hope is that by bolstering immunity within the population, the number of serious cases that require hospitalization will be limited. Britain has already delivered 15 million booster jabs covering a quarter of the population.

“It’s very sad to see cases rising, surging, in certain parts of Europe,” Javid said in an interview with Trevor Phillips on Sky News on Sunday. “What’s made a real difference here in the U.K. is our booster program.”

Australia to Allow Overseas Students to Enter (8:43 a.m. HK)

Australia will allow fully vaccinated eligible visa holders to enter the nation from Dec. 1 without needing to apply for a travel exemption.

Eligible visa holders include skilled workers and students, refugee visa holders, temporary working holiday makers and people with provisional family visa holidays. Australia will also allow fully vaccinated citizens from Japan and Korea to enter.

Singapore Cases, Community Infections Fall (7:37 a.m. HK)

Singapore reported fewer total cases and community infections were below 2,000 for the fourth straight day as the country moves to relax some restrictions.

The city-state reported 1,670 new cases as of noon on Nov. 21, compared to 1,931 a day earlier, according to the Ministry of Health. Community infections were 1,577 with the other 80 found in immigrant worker dormitories. The weekly community infection rate in the city state has stayed below 1 in 18 out of the past 19 days.

Singapore will allow five people from different households to sit together at restaurants from Monday as it also increases the limit on social gatherings to five people from two. 

More Calls for Compulsory Vaccination in Germany (1:44 p.m. NY)

A debate in Germany over whether to impose compulsory vaccinations is picking up steam after Austria last week became the first European country to take the controversial step.

Schleswig-Holstein Premier Daniel Guenther said he’d be open to the measure if Germany can’t manage to escape the pandemic without it, according to an interview with Die Welt. Tilman Kuban, head of the youth wing of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc, wrote in the same newspaper that he’s in favor of “de facto” mandatory vaccinations. The country’s association of pediatricians also urged compulsory shots for all adults.

Other politicians have said they’re skeptical that the move would be possible. Members of the Social Democrats will discuss the option in an internal call with medical experts on Monday, Die Welt said.

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