(Bloomberg) —
President Joe Biden’s push to begin offering third doses of Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine faces the first of two crucial tests when advisers to the Food and Drug Administration meet to discuss whether booster shots should be offered to most Americans. Researchers from Israel told a panel that it’s unclear how long the benefit of such a shot would last.
Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine declined in protection against hospitalization after four months, while Moderna Inc.’s remained stable, U.S. researchers found. The average daily death toll from Covid-19 in the U.S. has risen above 2,000, increasing almost ninefold in less than three months as the delta wave extends into autumn.
The U.K. government eased testing requirements for fully vaccinated people arriving in England, removing a significant barrier to travel and boosting airlines and tourism firms.
Key Developments:
- Global Virus Tracker: Cases pass 227.2 million; deaths exceed 4.6 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 5.85 billion doses administered
- Alpine party town where Covid raged sparks court fight
- How the pandemic left British households $1.2 trillion richer
- How small-business owners can prepare for the next pandemic
- Can your boss force you back to the London office?: Q&A
Pfizer Protection Wanes Faster: Study (1:17 p.m. NY)
Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine declined in protection against hospitalization after four months, while Moderna Inc.’s remained stable, U.S. researchers found in an analysis of data from 21 US hospitals across 18 states.
Two doses of either vaccine provided more protection against hospitalization than the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the study found, though Pfizer’s advantage over J&J narrowed over time, according to the study published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with collaborators across the country. All three vaccines provided substantial protection after four months — Moderna’s was 92% effective against hospitalization by then, with Pfizer’s at 77% and J&J at 68%.
France Hits Vaccine Target Later Than Hoped (12:57 p.m. NY)
France has given the first dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 to 50 million people, President Emmanuel Macron said in a Twitter post on Friday. The country initially aimed to reach this milestone at the end of August.
Belgium Agrees to Mixed Covid Rules (12:40 p.m. NY)
Belgium’s regional governments agreed to divergent virus rules starting next month. An obligation to wear masks in bars, restaurants and stores will be abolished in Flanders, the wealthier Dutch-speaking region in the north, while the Brussels capital region and southern Wallonia will keep it mandatory. The Brussels government is also working on the use of a proof of vaccination, recovery or negative test to gain access to certain venues. In Belgium’s capital, only 51% of the population is fully vaccinated. Flanders has a vaccination rate of 78%, Wallonia is at 67%.
U.K. to Simplify International Travel (12:02 p.m. NY)
The U.K. government eased coronavirus testing requirements for fully vaccinated people arriving in England, removing a significant barrier to travel and boosting airlines and tourism firms.
Those who’ve had two shots will be exempt from a pre-departure test before flying from nations that aren’t high risk, while screening after arrival will be downgraded to quicker and cheaper lateral-flow tests, the Department for Transport said Friday.
A so-called traffic-light system used to categorize countries will also be replaced, with a single “red list” for locations where infection rates are high and “simplified measures for the rest of the world,” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said in a message on Twitter.
Israelis Uncertain Over Booster Longevity (11:54 a.m. NY)
Researchers from Israel told a panel of U.S. vaccine experts weighing a potential Covid-19 booster dose from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE that it’s unclear how long the benefit of such a shot would last.
A big part of the case for booster shots is data from Israel showing that, in the short term, a third dose of the vaccine dramatically lowered infections and severe illness in the short term in people over age 60 and older.
However, it isn’t yet clear whether the enhanced protection boosters could provide would be short-lived, or if the benefit would be lasting.
Colorado Hospitals Under Strain (11:35 a.m. NY)
Regional hospital capacity in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is shrinking as Covid-19 admissions rise to the highest this year, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported. David Steinbruner, chief medical officer at hospital chain UCHealth, said: “This is extremely worrisome, considering we are also about to enter flu season.” The state recently activated a Combined Hospital Transfer Center to help rural and metropolitan hospitals place patients, the newspaper said.
FDA Advisers Begin Pivotal Booster Meeting (11:25 a.m. NY)
President Joe Biden’s push to begin offering third doses of Pfizer Inc.’s coronavirus vaccine faces the first of two crucial tests Friday when advisers to the Food and Drug Administration meet to discuss whether booster shots should be offered to most Americans.
The meeting is taking place as an extraordinary public debate plays out among administration officials, pharmaceutical executives, scientists, public health experts and global activists about whether boosters are even needed, and whether those doses would do more good being sent to poorer nations whose residents haven’t received even a single shot.
Fight at NYC Restaurant Over Vaccine Proof (11 a.m. NY)
Three women visiting from Texas beat up an employee of the popular restaurant Carmine’s in New York City on Thursday night after she asked them for a vaccine card, a police spokeswoman said.
Earlier this week, city restaurants were required to enforce a rule that diners indoors must show proof of having received at least one dose of vaccine. At Carmine’s, the request escalated into a “verbal dispute,” then blows to the server that caused redness, bruising and a broken necklace, the spokeswoman said.
The women, from the Houston area, were charged with assault.
U.S. Average Daily Deaths Rise Above 2,000 (10:49 a.m. NY)
The average daily death toll from Covid-19 in the U.S. has increased almost ninefold in less than three months as the delta wave extends into autumn.
The seven-day average of fatalities reached 2,203 on Thursday, the highest level since February and up from 251 on July 1, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. More than 670,000 Americans have succumbed to the virus so far, a little more than half of them last year.
On the inoculation front, vaccinations have slipped recently and the U.S. has given out enough shots to cover about 60% of its population, according to the Bloomberg vaccine tracker. Confirmed infections are still averaging more than 150,000 a day. If current trends hold 2020’s death toll will be surpassed in 2021 — a time when vaccines became widely available in the nation.
WHO Urges Vaccine Equity at UN (10:43 a.m. NY)
The World Health Organization urged leaders attending the United Nations General Assembly to guarantee access to Covid vaccines and other life-saving tools.
In a press release issued on Friday, WHO said its targets of vaccinating 40% of every country’s population by the end of 2021, as well as 70% by mid-2022, was achievable with “genuine commitment” from countries and manufacturers.
Additionally, the agency called on world leaders to ensure the world is better prepared for future pandemics, highlighting a need to break from the “cycle of ‘panic and neglect’ seen after previous health emergencies.”
Swiss Tighten Rules for Unvaccinated Travelers (9:05 a.m. NY)
Switzerland is toughening the rules for unvaccinated travelers after returning holidaymakers over the summer drove a rise in infections.
Those who aren’t inoculated or haven’t recovered from the virus will need to present a negative test upon arrival as of Sept. 20, the government said. They will then need to get another test after four to seven days.
Zimbabwe Requires Vaccinations for State Workers (9 a.m. NY)
Zimbabwe published a rule that gives state employees until mid-October to be fully vaccinated, failing which they will be banned from workplaces without pay. Civil servants who oppose being inoculated will face “disciplinary proceedings for refusal to obey a lawful instruction,” according to a notice published Friday in the government gazette.
Third Shots Introduced for Vulnerable Finns (7:52 a.m. NY)
Finland decided to start giving third vaccinations to severely immunocompromised people with immediate effect, and said plans were being drawn up for giving third jabs to those treating Covid patients, elderly people resident in care homes and their carers.
EU Upholds Recommendation on Astra 2nd Dose (6:47 a.m. NY)
European Medicines Agency’s human medicines committee says there’s no evidence that delaying a second dose of AstraZeneca’s vaccine Vaxzevria has any influence on the risk of TTS. EMA maintains recommendation to continue giving a second dose of Vaxzevria within 4 to 12 weeks of the first, in line with product information.
Indonesia May Reopen Bali Next Month (6:42 a.m. NY)
Indonesia could start to welcome foreign tourists to Bali next month if its declining case count can be sustained.
The government could allow direct international flights to the resort island or require foreigners to come in through the capital Jakarta first, said Luhut Panjaitan, coordinating minister for maritime and investment affairs who’s overseeing the pandemic response. Foreign travelers would be allowed entry depending on the Covid conditions in their origin countries.
More Home Recoveries in Singapore (5:49 p.m. HK)
Singapore has made home recovery the default for certain patients this week and plans to include more age groups, the government said on Friday, in a further sign the country was looking to transition to living with the virus.
Home recovery has started for suitable patients aged below 50 from Sept. 15. The government plans to widen the group from Saturday to include fully-vaccinated people aged 69 and below who can self-isolate.
HIV Link to Child Deaths in South Africa (5:37 p.m. HK)
South Africa should consider vaccinating adolescents after data showed that the most common underlying cause of death among infected youngsters during the ongoing third wave was HIV infection. “Given the high prevalence of HIV among adolescents in South Africa, efforts should be considered to vaccinate” those with underlying conditions that put them at increased risk of severe Covid-19, the country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases said in a report this week. Giving shots to those between 15 and 18-years-old “may need to be prioritized to close the immunity gap,” the NICD said.
India’s Not Considering Vaccine Exports (3:54 p.m. HK)
India won’t resume vaccine exports until its domestic requirements are met, a senior government official said Friday, belying WHO expectations that the world’s largest inoculation manufacturing nation would resume supplies soon to Covax, the equitable vaccine initiative.
India had been shipping doses to poorer nations as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much-touted vaccine diplomacy push until earlier this year. But in April, the government moved to prioritize its own population and halted exports as the delta virus variant hit.
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