(Bloomberg) —
The Covid-19 vaccine booster shot proposed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE should be given to older Americans and those at high risk, a panel of expert advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. The move is a setback to a sweeping plan from the Biden administration to roll out booster shots to a broad population next week.
Some parts of Asia are moving to relax travel restrictions. Bangkok will waive quarantine for vaccinated international travelers after at least 70% of residents received two doses of Covid-19 vaccines, Governor Asawin Kwanmuang said. He estimates the Thai province could reach that target by Oct. 15. Indonesia could reopen Bali to foreign tourists next month if its declining Covid-19 case count can be sustained.
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 227.6 million; deaths exceed 4.6 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 5.85 billion doses administered
- A 3,700-mile sailing trip shows why strict quarantine is failing
- Alpine party town where Covid raged sparks court fight
- How the pandemic left British households $1.2 trillion richer
Honda Says Japan Output 60% Below Plan (11:42 a.m. HK)
Honda Motor Co. said its production lines in Japan are operating at about 40% of its initial plan for the August-September period because of chip shortages and delays in parts shipments due to coronavirus outbreaks overseas.
The Japanese automaker expects the impact to extend beyond this month and said the level of operations in early October will be about 70% of its initial plan, according to a statement on its website that notes the estimates are as of Sept. 14.
Singapore to Move Students to Virtual Classes (11:31 a.m. HK)
Singapore will move students through grades one to five — typically 7 to 11 years old — back to virtual learning as older ones take their national examinations later this month as a precaution against viral transmission.
The move is aimed at protecting children who aren’t medically eligible for vaccination, as well as reduce the number of students placed on quarantine orders or leave of absence prior to the exams, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said in a Facebook post.
Florida Adds Record Covid-19 Deaths for Week (8:02 a.m. HK)
Florida reported 2,468 additional Covid-19 deaths in its latest weekly report, the most ever in a similar period. The number was slightly above the previous record set last week, 2,448, indicating that fatalities in Florida, like new infections, are slowing.
FDA Panel Backs Pfizer Booster for 65 and Up (7:57 a.m. HK)
The Covid-19 vaccine booster shot proposed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE should be given to older Americans and those at high risk, a panel of expert advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said, rejecting a request for broader distribution.
While the recommendation isn’t binding, it’s a blow to the Biden administration’s plan to deliver third doses to all American adults in the coming weeks to stave off the virus’s spread. Pfizer had originally proposed approving a booster shot for everyone 16 and older. But the advisers rejected that idea out of concern that the data to support such a broad application was thin and there could be risks, especially for younger people.
Instead, the panel voted 18-0 in favor of an emergency-use authorization — a more limited clearance than a full approval — for people 65 and older or individuals at high risk of severe Covid-19.
Five in Oregon Hospitalized for Taking Ivermectin (6:43 a.m. NY)
The Oregon Poison Center said that 25 people were treated for taking the drug ivermectin, most often used to kill parasites in livestock, against Covid-19 between Aug. 1 and Sept. 14. Five were hospitalized and two were admitted to intensive care, the center said in a statement on Friday.
“Covid-19 is a devastating disease and can be very frightening, but the public does not need to use — nor should it use — unproven and potentially dangerous drugs to fight it,” Robert Hendrickson, the center’s medical director, said in the statement.
Hospitals and poison centers around the U.S., and particularly in areas with low rates of vaccination, have reported an increase of cases of poisoning by ivermectin, which is approved for human beings in lower doses against some parasites. It is not an anti-viral, and the FDA has strongly recommended against it to treat the coronavirus.
Algorithm Finds Vulnerable Among Vaccinated (6:30 a.m. HK)
A new algorithm can help identify fully vaccinated people who remain most at risk of hospitalization or death, according to a new paper in the British Medical Journal.
Researchers from the University of Oxford said the new QCovid risk prediction tool could potentially help doctors make informed decisions about who might be at risk of “serious“ outcomes despite vaccination and who might benefit from vaccine boosters or new treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies. The tool was developed by experts across the U.K. and is based on the data of 6.9 million people, of whom 5.2 million were fully vaccinated. The study did not distinguish between the types of vaccinations given.
GOP Senator Protests Change in Covid Drug Distribution (5:22 p.m. NY)
A change in how the federal government distributes Covid-19 monoclonal antibody treatments appears to be reducing how much of the supply a group of largely Republican-led states receive, said Tommy Tuberville, a Republican senator from Alabama, one of the states in question.
Tuberville said the change was singling out those states and suggested supply was being held back to “strongarm” states into vaccine mandates.
Under the new policy, which HHS announced early this week, the government will allocate drugs known as monoclonal antibody therapies to states, instead of hospitals being able to directly order them from distributors. An HHS spokesperson said it was intended “to ensure our supply of these life-saving therapies remains available for all states and territories, not just some.”
Apple Mandates Frequent Tests for Unvaccinated (2:40 p.m. NY)
Apple Inc. will begin mandating frequent testing for U.S. employees who aren’t vaccinated, while letting inoculated workers get checked less often.
The push, which begins next month, will apply to U.S. offices and stores, the company told employees at a meeting Friday. Apple said it’s assessing its policies on a country-by-country basis, but Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook urged workers to get the vaccine. The iPhone maker has gradually tightened Covid policies, while still stopping short of requiring all employees to get the shots.
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.
Israel 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.
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