(Bloomberg) — New study data showed Pfizer Inc.’s experimental Covid-19 pill was highly effective at keeping patients out of the hospital but less adept at erasing milder symptoms often associated with breakthrough infections.
A separate study in South Africa showed that two shots of the Pfizer vaccine could offer 70% protection against hospitalization with the omicron variant. The World Health Organization said Africa experienced fewer deaths during the continent’s recent Covid surge.
Italy will require travelers from other European Union countries to provide a negative Covid-19 test, and Scotland is tightening restrictions.
Hong Kong issued quarantine-free rules for limited business trips to mainland China, while its tightened policy for travelers from the U.S. causes more angst. Cases jumped in Australia’s most-populous state, and the Asian Development Bank cut its economic growth forecast.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 270.8 million; deaths top 5.3 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 8.48 billion shots given
- The high-stakes effort to prevent the next pandemic (Podcast)
- Drugmakers race to create omicron booster in 100 days
- Two weeks into the omicron outbreak: where to from here?
- Latte sales dip as bankers stay home: Pret Index
Scotland to Tighten Restrictions (9:45 a.m. NY)
The Scottish government is tightening Covid-19 restrictions as the omicron variant takes over as the dominant strain across the U.K.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said new guidelines will urge no more than three households to mix during the Christmas period. There will be a legal requirement for businesses to take more steps to stop transmission, such as screens and social distancing in retail outlets. It will also be a legal duty for employers to allow staff to work from home where possible.
Italy to Require Testing of EU Travelers (9:45 a.m. NY)
Italy will require travelers from other European Union countries to provide a negative Covid-19 test, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
The requirement will come into force on Dec. 15, the people said, asking not to be named discussing confidential decisions. Prime Minister Mario Draghi is set to introduce the new restrictions at a cabinet meeting later in the day.
Italy is set to extend its government’s emergency powers until March 31 as the country faces a new rise in Covid-19 cases ahead of the Christmas holiday season.
Pfizer Covid Pill Stops Hospitalizations (6:45 a.m. NY)
New study data showed Pfizer Inc.’s experimental Covid-19 pill was highly effective at keeping patients out of the hospital, but less adept at erasing milder symptoms often associated with breakthrough infections.
In one study, its treatment, Paxlovid, failed to meet the primary goal of reducing self-reported symptoms in 673 adults at standard risk of developing Covid-19 complications. The drug showed a trend toward reducing hospitalizations in the group by 70%, however.
In a second study, the treatment remained 89% effective in preventing hospitalizations in high-risk unvaccinated people when used within 3 days of the appearance of symptoms.
The complicated results suggest that the pill remains likely to become a standard treatment for Covid patients at risk of developing severe disease.
Fewer Deaths in Africa Covid Surge (6:34 p.m. HK)
A surge in new Covid-19 cases in Africa in the past week is causing fewer deaths than previously, the World Health Organization said.
Still, more waves could be building up as updated forecasts predict that the continent may not achieve its 70% vaccination target until August 2024, the global health body said in a statement on Tuesday. Cases are doubling every five days, the shortest period reported this year, while the number of deaths dropped 19%, it said.
Singapore to Ease Workplace Rules (6:17 p.m. HK)
Singapore will loosen some workplace rules as the city-state sees Covid-19 infections easing off their peak, even while it braces for a potential “omicron wave.”
As many as 50% of fully vaccinated individuals who can work from home will be allowed to return to the office from Jan. 1, the Ministry of Health said in a statement Tuesday, although social gatherings at the workplace still aren’t allowed.
Johnson’s U.K. Booster Rollout Struggling (6:07 a.m. NY)
Boris Johnson’s strategy for tackling a U.K. surge in omicron infections is already facing setbacks, as medics warn of bottlenecks and staffing shortages in the vaccine booster program.
Amid reports of hours-long queues at walk-in centers, doubts are growing over how realistic the goal is as the number of daily infections hits 200,000. The government’s online booking platform has repeatedly crashed, and the Times newspaper reported National Health Service leaders as saying the year-end deadline is unlikely to be met.
Pfizer Stops 70% Omicron Hospitalizations (5:44 p.m. HK)
A two-shot course of Pfizer Inc.’s vaccination may offer 70% protection against being hospitalized with the Covid-19 omicron variant, South Africa’s largest medical-insurance provider Discovery Ltd. said.
The protection is maintained across age groups and in the face of a range of chronic illnesses, Ryan Noach, the chief executive officer of Discovery Health Ltd., said at a briefing Tuesday. Two doses are 33% effective against omicron infection.
Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine appears to be preventing severe disease from the omicron variant, said the co-lead of a South African study.
France May Tighten U.K. Testing Rules (3:52 p.m. HK)
France is considering tightening Covid testing rules for travelers coming into the country from the U.K., French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on France Info radio. Attal said a decision could be made in a few days.
France currently requires travelers from the U.K. to provide proof of a negative Covid test taken less than 48 hours from departure.
Indonesia Shot Targets to Include Children (3:07 p.m. HK)
Indonesia is increasing its total vaccination target to 231.6 million, after adding more than 30 million children to those who are eligible for Covid-19 jabs, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said at a parliamentary briefing Tuesday. The government wants at least 40% of the population to be fully vaccinated by the end of the year.
Omicron Severity Seen Masked in South Africa (3:07 p.m. HK)
Leading scientists cautioned that the level of immunity against the coronavirus among South Africa’s population due to earlier infections may be masking the severity of illness.
Hospitalization rates in South Africa have risen since the discovery of the omicron variant last month, though at a much slower pace than in previous waves, even as cases are rising more rapidly. The number of deaths has also been lower.
Hong Kong Delivers Treats to Bankers (1:40 p.m. HK)
Officials at Hong Kong’s central bank are going out on their own in trying to quell the growing anger in the city’s financial community, delivering care packages to those ensnared by one of the world’s strictest quarantine regimes.
According to a spokesperson at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, senior executives have “from their own pockets” sent “confectioneries to a handful of executives under quarantine as a token of personal regards,” partially confirming an earlier report by the Hong Kong Economic Times.
In an interview with the local media outlet released Monday, HKMA Chief Executive Eddie Yue said that the authority had put together a team to deliver “wine and gourmet food” to quarantined finance workers in hopes of making them “less angry with Hong Kong.” The spokesperson refrained from giving more specifics on the efforts or the scope of the program.
ANA Reduces Flights on Recovery Delay (1:35 p.m. HK)
Japan’s ANA Holdings Inc. revised its plan for international flight operations from Jan. 12 through March 26 as it expects further delays in demand recovery. The move affects 3,024 flights on 38 routes, leaving the operation rate for the period at 23% of its initial fiscal 2020 plan, the airline said.
ADB Cuts Developing Asia GDP Outlook (9:35 a.m. HK)
The Asian Development Bank cut economic growth forecasts for developing Asia, as the emergence of the omicron variant and rising coronavirus infections globally show the pandemic is far from over.
The region’s gross domestic product will expand 7% this year, down a notch from the 7.1% forecast in September, the ADB said in its Asian Development Outlook Supplement released Tuesday. The expansion will mark a course reversal from last year’s 0.1% contraction, and will moderate to 5.3% in 2022 — slower than the 5.4% previously estimated.
China Reports Another 55 Cases (9:25 a.m. HK)
China reported 55 domestic infections on Tuesday, with most cases coming from the eastern province Zhejiang. The flareup there is the latest of a slew of clusters that form and ebb across the country, extending authorities’ fight to curb the virus’ spread to nearly two months.
The flareup in Zhejiang has spawned nearly 200 cases over the past 10 days and spread across three cities in the province, including provincial capital Hangzhou. The virus’ spread has caused factories in those cities to halt production while local authorities said they will extend cross-country travel restrictions for some of the virus hot spots to mid-March.
Malaysia Conditionally Approves Ronapreve (9:20 a.m. HK)
Malaysia’s Drug Control Authority has granted conditional registration for the Ronapreve Covid-19 treatment, Health Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a statement. The product is a collaboration between Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Roche Holding AG.
Singapore to Vaccinate Children in Waves (9:15 a.m. HK)
Singapore plans to vaccinate children 5-11 years old in multiple waves, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said in a Facebook post.
If Singapore’s pediatric Pfizer-BioNTech doses arrive on schedule, older children in Primary 3 through Primary 5 grades will be vaccinated first, from the end of this month, and younger ones will follow in early 2022, Chan said. Booking of vaccination slots could open as soon as next week. The government will also ease restrictions on school activities and sports as more children get vaccinated, he added.
Vaccine Passports Help Boost Protection (8:50 a.m. HK)
Vaccine passports that restrict access to venues from restaurants to museums can help countries with low vaccination rates combat resistance to shots, a study published on Monday showed.
Covid passes, which generally require proof of inoculation, recovery from Covid-19 or a negative test, boosted vaccinations 20 days prior to and 40 days after being introduced in places like France, Israel, Italy and Switzerland which started with below-average inoculation rates, according to research published in The Lancet.
Myanmar Aims to Produce Covid Vaccine From January (8:10 a.m. HK)
Myanmar is cooperating with neighboring China to produce 5 million Covid vaccine doses a month, starting from January, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said at a meeting on Monday.
“We expect to surpass our target of vaccinating half of our adult population by the end of this month,” he was quoted as saying on state-broadcaster MRTV.
Manchester United Match Postponed Amid Outbreak (8:05 a.m. HK)
Manchester United’s match at Brentford FC that was set for Tuesday has been postponed amid a Covid outbreak within Manchester’s squad, the Premier League said.
Hong Kong Lays Out Rules for Business Travel to China (7:55 a.m. HK)
Hong Kong’s financial regulator unveiled rules for quarantine-free business travel to the Chinese mainland, laying out some of the first details in the long-awaited plan to re-open the border.
Travel will initially be limited, with only staff or directors of a licensed corporation who have regional roles and whose main purpose is to travel to nearby Guangdong province to manage mainland business allowed to pre-register, Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission said late Monday on the first phase of the plan. Each company may submit one pre-registration, and it will be limited to just two executives each calendar month.
Cases Surge in Australia’s Biggest State (7:30 a.m. HK)
Australia’s most-populous state has recorded its highest daily Covid-19 infection tally in more than two months as authorities battle the fast-spreading omicron variant, even as New South Wales readies to remove almost all restrictions.
The state recorded 804 new virus infections in the 24 hours to 8 p.m. Monday, a 50% jump from the day before, officials said in statement Tuesday. It’s the largest tally since Oct. 2, when its largest city Sydney was in the midst of a months-long lockdown to combat the delta variant.
California Reimposes Mask Mandate (6:50 a.m. HK)
California will require face masks in all indoor public settings for one month, starting Wednesday. Many of the state’s most populous counties already have such requirements. California also will tighten rules for indoor events with more than 1,000 attendees, blocking entrance to any unvaccinated people who don’t show a negative test result taken within one or two days, depending on the type of test. The state currently allows attendance for anyone with a negative test taken within three days.
The measures come as California’s case rate has jumped to 14 infections per 100,000 people from 9.6 around Thanksgiving. Vaccinations have lagged in many of the state’s rural counties, leaving residents vulnerable to the delta and now omicron variants of the disease. But the new restrictions aren’t a prelude to another round of business shutdowns, said Mark Ghaly, California’s health and human services secretary.
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