(Bloomberg) — The origins of the coronavirus pandemic are still uncertain and a lack of cooperation from China is hampering the effort to ever know the truth, the U.S. Intelligence community said in a report released Friday.
President Joe Biden said his administration is considering whether to start booster shots of the vaccine as soon as 5 months after people receive a second dose. Soon after Biden made the comments, a White House official said there had been no change in the plan to administer boosters after eight months.
A judge blocked Florida from enforcing Governor Ron DeSantis’s ban on mask mandates in schools, clearing the way for educators to require face coverings in classrooms without the threat of retaliation by the state.
Apple Inc. is making its strongest push yet for employees to get vaccinated, urging all U.S. workers to get shots as soon as possible now that the Food and Drug Administration has started formally approving the injections.
Key Developments:
- Global Tracker: Cases top 215 million; deaths pass 4.47 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 5.11 billion doses administered
- Sky could be the limit for surcharges on unvaccinated workers
- The worst places to be as delta spreads are in southeast Asia
- The hybrid work revolution is already transforming economies
- September promised return to normal that continues to elude U.S.
U.S. Probe of Covid Origins Inconclusive (3:36 p.m. NY)
The origins of the coronavirus pandemic are still uncertain and a lack of cooperation from China is hampering the effort to ever know the truth, the U.S. Intelligence community said in a report released Friday.
Four components of the intelligence community said — with low confidence — that the outbreak was likely linked to exposure to an infected animal, according to an unclassified summary of the report submitted to President Joe Biden this week and released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
One component of the intelligence community assessed with moderate confidence that the outbreak was associated with a research lab in China. As of a few months ago, two elements backed the animal theory while one backed the lab theory.
Russia Monthly Deaths Hit Record (2:38 p.m. NY)
Russia’s death toll from Covid-19 in July grew to 50,421, the highest monthly total since the epidemic began, amid spreading infections from the delta variant and continued public resistance to vaccination campaigns.
The number of deaths associated with the virus last month was more than double initial figures reported by the government’s Covid-19 task force, according to Federal Statistics Service data released late Friday.
Apple Pushes for Employee Vaccinations (2:33 p.m. NY)
Apple Inc. is making its strongest push yet for employees to get vaccinated, urging all U.S. workers to get shots as soon as possible now that the Food and Drug Administration has started formally approving the injections.
The iPhone maker launched a new internal web page, sent a memo to employees and is hosting internal talks as part of the campaign.
“Apple is asking everyone who has access to the vaccine and is able to get vaccinated to do so as soon as you can,” the company said in the memo, which was sent to staff Thursday evening.
Biden Weighs Speeding Up Booster Timeline (2:26 p.m. NY)
President Joe Biden said his administration is considering whether to start booster shots of the coronavirus vaccine as soon as 5 months after people receive a second dose. Soon after Biden made the comments, a White House official said there had been no change in the plan to administer boosters after eight months.
Biden nonetheless said he talked with infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci about the possible timeline change earlier in the day, signaling his interest in studying the issue.
Illinois’s Cases High But Growth Slowing (1:25 p.m. NY)
Illinois’s case counts remain significantly higher than a few months ago but the weekly growth rate has slowed, according to state data reported Friday. Over the past week, the state has recorded 25,636 new confirmed and probable cases, up 3.9% from the 24,682 reported on Aug. 20, the state department of public health said on its website. The state reported a weekly case increase of 16% on Aug. 20 and 27% in the week through Aug. 13.
Canada Approves Moderna for Young Teens (1:12 p.m. NY)
Canada has approved the use of Moderna Inc.’s vaccine for people 12 and over. Previously only the Moderna vaccine was approved for adults in Canada. Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine is already approved for those 12 and over in country.
IMF Delays Office Return, Requires Vaccines (12:54 p.m. NY)
The International Monetary Fund delayed plans to have staff return to its Washington headquarters to January amid rising Covid-19 cases, and said it requires all employees seeking to enter the buildings be vaccinated.
“In light of the unpredictable length and severity of this new Covid-19 wave, the current phase of the return has been extended until early January 2022, when the situation will be re-assessed,” a spokesman for the fund said by email Friday. “IMF headquarters’ offices are currently open on a voluntary basis to staff members who are vaccinated and agree to regular Covid-19 testing.”
Florida Mask Ban Blocked (12:40 p.m. NY)
A judge blocked Florida from enforcing Governor Ron DeSantis’s ban on mask mandates in schools, clearing the way for educators to require face coverings in classrooms without the threat of retaliation by the state.
Judge John C. Cooper issued the statewide ruling Friday after a four-day trial that included testimony from health experts and parents in Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit in Tallahassee.
The judge said he decided not to issue an injunction against DeSantis himself, saying, “I think the governor will follow the law.”
Italy Tells Sicilians to Wear Mask Outdoors (12:05 p.m. NY)
Italy’s government expanded the mask requirement for residents of Sicily to outdoor activities and limited restaurants to seating four people per table, with an exemption for families.
While daily cases are increasing on the Mediterranean island, nationwide infections remain relatively low with 7,826 reported on Friday. That compares with levels of more than 25,000 in Italy in March. Another 45 people died of causes related to Covid-19.
Storm Heads Toward Covid-Wracked U.S. South (10:39 a.m. NY)
Louisiana Children’s Medical Center will put its six New Orleans-area hospitals into lockdown Sunday morning in anticipation of a storm that’s forecast to become Hurricane Ida.
Ida is headed toward New Orleans just as Louisiana and surrounding states buckle under rising Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations.
Louisiana currently has more than 2,700 Covid patients in hospitals, according to the state’s department of health. Meanwhile, Ida’s top winds could reach 115 miles (185.07 kilometers) per hour when it comes ashore and small towns on the U.S. Gulf coast have already told residents to evacuate.
“To have these disasters layered on top of each other is a big strain,” said Kevin Smiley, a professor at Louisiana State University who studies disasters and health.
Nebraska Limits Elective Surgery (10:45 a.m. NY)
Facing hospital staff shortages aggravated by Covid-19, Nebraska is limiting elective surgeries that can be delayed four or more weeks and easing some personnel licensing requirements, the Omaha World-Herald reports. Governor Pete Ricketts, a Republican, said the declaration isn’t specific to Covid-19 and that hospital staffing “was a challenge we had before the pandemic.”
U.K. Scientists Predict School Spread (10:30 a.m. NY)
The U.K. government’s scientific advisers said Covid-19 cases are likely to rise exponentially among children when schools resume next month after the summer holidays.
Most U.K. children haven’t been vaccinated against coronavirus and it would be “sensible” for the government to plan for “high prevalence” in schools by the end of September, according to a document dated Aug. 11 that was released on Friday by the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.
New China Shot Works Against Serious Illness (7:43 a.m. NY)
A vaccine from China’s Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products Co. showed 82% effectiveness against serious Covid-19 infections.
In late-stage clinical trials, the vaccine — dubbed ZF2001 — has been shown as 92.93% effective against the alpha variant and almost 78% against the more-infectious delta version, the company said Friday.
Scotland Reports Record Infections (7:39 a.m. NY)
Scotland reported a record number of daily coronavirus infections after restrictions were lifted and schools reopened.
There were 6,835 cases in the past 24 hours, more than at any time since the pandemic began and twice the number a week ago, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said at a briefing on Friday.
One third of new cases in Scotland are among those people who are vaccinated, she said. The numbers don’t bode well for the rest of the U.K. as the bulk of school pupils in England prepare to return early next month.
Germany Says Spain No Longer High Risk (6:43 a.m. NY)
Germany’s Robert Koch Institute removed Spain and the Lisbon metropolitan area from its Covid-19 high-risk list. Chile is also no longer considered high risk, the institute said.
China Gives Booster Shot Go-Ahead (5 p.m. HK)
China has approved additional shots for people at high risk of contracting Covid-19.
Those at risk – including workers at health care and quarantine facilities, patients with weak immune systems, aviation and customs workers and people over the age of 60 – are eligible for a booster shot six months after they are fully vaccinated, said Zheng Zhongwei, who heads the task force overseeing Covid-19 vaccine research and development
Denmark to Phase Out Last Pandemic Curbs (4:52 p.m. HK)
As of Sept. 10, Danes will no longer have to present their so-called corona passports at public events, the government said in a statement on Friday.
“The epidemic is under control and we have record high vaccination rates,” Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said.
Chinese Shots Hold Up Against Delta: Study (3:30 p.m. HK)
China’s inactivated vaccines maintained their protective power during a recent Covid-19 outbreak in the province of Guandong, providing evidence of their ability to stave off the delta variant.
The immunizations from state-owned Sinopharm and Sinovac Biotech Ltd. had a combined effectiveness of 70% against pneumonia caused by Covid and completely protected against severe disease caused by the delta variant, according to a pre-print study from researchers with the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The paper hasn’t yet been reviewed by outside experts.
Previous Covid Prevents Delta Better (2 p.m. HK)
People who recovered from a bout of Covid-19 during one of the earlier waves of the pandemic appear to have a lower risk of contracting the delta variant than those who got two doses of the vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE.
The largest real-world analysis comparing natural immunity — gained from an earlier infection — to the protection provided by one of the most potent vaccines currently in use showed that reinfections were much less common. The paper from researchers in Israel contrasts with earlier studies, which showed that immunizations offered better protection than an earlier infection, though those studies were not of the delta variant.
People given both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were almost six-fold more likely to contract a delta infection and seven-fold more likely to have symptomatic disease than those who recovered.
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