(Bloomberg) — AstraZeneca Plc’s antibody cocktail was found to be 77% effective in preventing symptomatic illness in high-risk people, in a key trial that could expand the range of drugs available to vulnerable groups.
Israel has approved offering a third dose of the vaccine to people aged 40 and above as the number of daily new cases remains stubbornly high. Meanwhile, Denmark plans to recommend a third shot from next week for those with weaker immune systems.
President Joe Biden defended his push for booster shots, amid criticism that the move is unfair to other nations still struggling to procure first doses. Apple Inc. became the latest U.S. company to delay plans for office openings, underscoring the challenges businesses still face in returning to normal.
Key Developments:
- Global Tracker: Cases top 210 million; deaths pass 4.4 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 4.85 billion doses administered
- Surging delta cases reverse the world’s march back to the office
- Delta’s spread sends U.S. overseas flyers where rules are fewest
- Nursing homes prep for staff vaccine mandate, booster shots
- South African mines join effort to temper next coronavirus wave
Immunocompromised Danes Set for Third Shot (8:16 a.m. NY)
Denmark plans to recommend a third dose from next week to its citizens with weaker immune systems, the country’s health authority said in a statement. The country has one of the highest vaccination rates in Europe with about 68% of its population being fully vaccinated and 75% having received the first shot.
Israel Expands Third Doses to Over 40s (7:42 a.m. NY)
Israel has approved offering a third dose of the vaccine to people aged 40 and above as the number of daily new cases remains stubbornly high. The broader age bracket allowed 49-year-old Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to receive a booster shot on Friday morning.
“We’re seeing profound effectiveness, efficacy of the vaccines,” Bennett said. “It’s working, it’s safe and it’s the way to defeat this virus.”
Earlier this week, a top Israeli health care provider said initial results of a study have shown that a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine given to Israelis over 60 has been 86% effective. More than 1.2 million people have already received a third dose.
Indonesia Still Tops Tally of Daily Deaths (6:13 a.m. NY)
The world’s fourth-most populous country continues to chart the highest daily deaths, with 1,348 fatalities on Friday, even as new cases have slowed. The government says the number of deaths isn’t reflective of the current situation as many happened days or weeks ago and have only just been reported. Infections have mostly eased and the country added the fewest new cases this week since mid-June.
Singapore Seeks to Expand Vaccinated Travel (6:04 a.m. NY)
Singapore is seeking to add more countries to its vaccinated travel lane program in a signal to the world it’s committed to reopening.
After starting to allow vaccinated visitors from Germany and Brunei from next month, the city-state will “work from there to see which countries and how we can go about it,” Minister of Transport S. Iswaran said in an interview.
Hanoi Stay-Home Order Extended (5:11 p.m. HK)
Hanoi will extend its stay-home order until 6 a.m. Sept. 6, Tuoi Tre newspaper reports. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked AstraZeneca to quicken deliveries of vaccines that are on order for the country
Philippines Infections Rise by Record (5:05 p.m. HK)
Infections rose by a record on Friday, a day before movement restrictions in the capital are relaxed to allow more businesses such as retail shops to reopen. Infections climbed by 17,231, with more than a quarter of those tested for the virus found positive, health department data showed. Infections have exceeded 1.8 million, while deaths rose 317 to top 31,000. Nearly three-fourths of the nation’s intensive care unit beds are occupied.
Delta Accounts for 90% of New Turkish Cases (5 p.m. HK)
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca says the delta variant now accounts for around 90% of new cases in Turkey. Koca cites a surge in delta plus its spread. Turkey announced 19,320 new cases on Thursday, reporting 216 fatalities, the highest since May 22. The country of 84 million people administered a total of 87.2 million doses with over 55% of the adult population having received two shots.
Cathay Staff Must Get Shots (3:10 p.m. HK)
Cathay Pacific will require all staff and contractors working inside Hong Kong airport’s restricted area to be vaccinated by Oct. 1, Hong Kong Economic Times reports, citing an internal notice.
Astra Cocktail Works for High-Risk Groups (2:38 p.m. HK)
AstraZeneca Plc’s antibody cocktail was found to be 77% effective in preventing symptoms in high-risk people in a key trial that could expand the range of drugs available to vulnerable groups.
Results from Astra’s study found no one in the trial who received the cocktail became serverely ill or died in relation to the disease, the company said in a statement Friday. The trial of 5,197 participants was looking at whether the drug could prevent infection in at-risk groups.
The outcome will be a big relief for Astra after another study testing whether the cocktail could prevent symptoms in people explicitly exposed to the virus failed in June.
Apple Delays Office Return to at Least January (12:54 p.m. HK)
Apple Inc. is delaying its return to corporate offices from October until January at the earliest because of surging Covid-19 cases, according to a memo sent to employees on Thursday.
Apple is the latest among U.S. companies announcing plans to keep workers at home. Charles Schwab Corp. said Thursday it has delayed a full return to the office until at least January. International Business Machines Corp. is temporarily closing its offices in New York City, saying current conditions don’t meet its health and safety protocols. PwC said it will postpone its reopening of U.S. offices until at least Nov. 1.
Sydney and New Zealand Extend Lockdowns (11:41 a.m. HK)
Sydney’s two-month long lockdown will be extended until at least the end of September as the delta variant outbreak in Australia’s most populous city worsens.
From Monday, mask-wearing will be mandatory when outside, except when exercising, in all regions throughout New South Wales, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. A curfew will be placed on areas of western Sydney hardest hit by the outbreak.
New Zealand extended a nationwide lockdown by four days after an outbreak of the delta strain of coronavirus spread outside the largest city, Auckland. The outbreaks are placing unprecedented pressure on the so-called Covid Zero strategy pursued by New Zealand and Australia since the start of the pandemic.
Japan’s Situation Threatens Health System (11:11 a.m. HK)
Japan is facing its worst outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic, as cases spiral out of control and strain the limits of the nation’s medical care system. The country recorded 25,156 new infections Thursday, the highest ever and more than 10 times the daily count a month earlier.
Japan’s top Covid adviser, Shigeru Omi, said earlier this week that the state of emergency in Tokyo is not necessarily effective, Jiji reported. Hospitals are facing a shortage of beds, forcing growing numbers of people to recover at home.
The worsening situation is putting pressure on the government. A new survey shows most Japanese firms want Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to be replaced, while polls show the public is dissatisfied with his handling of the pandemic.
U.S. Reviews Moderna Link to Heart Risk (10:55 a.m. HK)
U.S. federal health officials are investigating reports that Moderna’s vaccine may be linked to higher risk of a heart condition called myocarditis in younger adults than previously thought, according to the Washington Post, citing two unidentified people familiar with the matter. It’s too early to reach a conclusion, one of the people told the Post. Moderna didn’t immediately respond to the newspaper’s request for comment.
Curbs Leave H.K. ‘Trapped’: E.U. Chamber (10:06 a.m. HK)
A major business group has issued an unprecedented open letter warning Hong Kong’s leader that her strict quarantine rules leave residents trapped in the city, threatening its standing as a global finance hub.
The European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong sent the letter to Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Thursday, calling the city’s newly-tightened quarantine rules this week a “significant setback” following a quickly abandoned attempt to relax some of the world’s strictest requirements for inbound travelers.
Thailand Cases Top 1 Million (9:35 p.m. HK)
Thailand reported 19,851 new cases, taking cumulative infections past 1 million as the more contagious delta strain sweeps across the entire Southeast Asian nation. Still, new cases in the past 24 hours were the lowest since Aug. 10, official data showed Friday. The country has added about 750,000 new cases since the end of June alone.
South Korea to Maintain Social Distancing Level (7:43 a.m. HK)
South Korea will maintain current level 4 social distancing rules in the Greater Seoul area, and level 3 rules in other areas for another two weeks, according to Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum. However, restaurants and cafes in the Seoul area will be required to close at 9 p.m., an hour earlier than previously. And up to four people are allowed to meet at cafes and restaurants after 6 p.m. if the party includes two people who are fully vaccinated; currently, no gatherings of more than two people are allowed after 6 p.m.
Booster Review Pushed Back a Week (5:33 p.m. NY)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has pushed back by one week a meeting by a group of outside advisers who were set to review Covid booster shots as debate swells about the need for a third dose.
The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, originally scheduled to meet and possibly make a recommendation about the need for boosters on Aug. 24, is now set to convene the following week.
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