(Bloomberg) — Israel will require teachers to present negative Covid-19 tests or proof that they’re fully vaccinated to be allowed to enter schools from next month, or face deductions from their pay. Those who have recovered from the virus in the past six months will be exempted.
Thailand is weighing a reduction in its quarantine period for vaccinated visitors to one week, while Singapore’s cases are rising faster than the government expected. Australia’s Victoria state saw a record in daily cases, while an outbreak in New South Wales appeared to be slowing.
U.S. regulators authorized a booster dose of Pfizer Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine for people at age 65 and over. Anthony Fauci said earlier that he expects mRNA vaccines to be administered as a three-dose regimen.
Key Developments:
- Global Virus Tracker: Cases pass 229.4 million; deaths exceed 4.7 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 6.03 billion doses administered
- FDA to clear third Pfizer dose for older, at-risk Americans
- Fauci sees three doses as the eventual standard for mRNA vaccines
- Understanding the debate over Covid booster shots: QuickTake
- Dubai turns page on Covid with hottest jobs market in two years
- Alpha, delta and more. Why virus variants cause alarm: QuickTake
Israel Sets Conditions for Teachers (6:38 a.m. NY)
Israel will require that teachers present negative Covid-19 tests or proof that they’re fully vaccinated to be allowed to enter schools from next month, according to a letter sent Thursday by the Education Ministry to principals.
Educators who don’t comply won’t be permitted to teach remotely and they won’t be paid for the days they’re absent, the ministry said. Those who recovered from the virus in the past six months will be exempted from the requirement.
Africa CDC Queries U.K. Policy (6:21 a.m. NY)
The U.K.’s refusal to recognize Covid-19 vaccines administered in most parts of the world tells other countries it isn’t ready to work internationally on ways to end the pandemic, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
A person in Africa who received a vaccine distributed by the U.K. won’t be recognized as such by the donor country. “If you send us vaccines and we use those vaccines, and you say you don’t recognize people that have been immunized, it sends a very challenging message for us,” John Nkengasong, the Africa CDC’s director, told reporters Thursday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
EU to Decide on Booster (6:05 a.m. NY)
The European Medicines Agency expects to make a decision on a possible booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at the beginning of October, Reuters reported, citing an unidentified person familiar with the matter.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday amended the emergency authorization for the vaccine to allow a single booster dose for some individuals.
South Africa Mines Vaccinate Workers (5:40 p.m. HK)
South Africa mining companies have fully vaccinated slightly more than 203,000 of the industry’s workers, said Roger Baxter, chief executive officer of Minerals Council South Africa, the industry lobby group for big producers.
The council aims to fully vaccinate 80% of mining staff by the middle of November, Baxter said. South Africa’s mining industry employs more than 450,000 workers and contributes about 8% to national gross domestic product.
Malaysia Death Toll Drops (3:38 p.m. HK)
Malaysia said its average daily Covid death rate is declining amid an increase in the number of people who have been partially or fully vaccinated.
The average number of fatalities in the last seven days — based on actual date of death — dropped to 106 from 251 in the past month, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said in parliament on Thursday. Total Covid bed usage is down to 10,321 from 14,942 on Aug. 23, he said, adding there were 1,114 patients in the intensive care unit versus 1,542 on the same day in August.
Thailand Plans Halving Quarantine (2:48 p.m. HK)
Tourism-reliant Thailand is planning to slash a mandatory quarantine period for vaccinated international travelers to seven days to boost its economy as a wider reopening is seen delayed by a low vaccination rate.
The reduction in quarantine from the current 14 days will help boost Thailand’s economy and tourism, according to Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control. If a shorter isolation period is approved by the nation’s Covid-19 task force, it could be effective from October 1, he said.
Alaska to Ration Health Care (2:11 p.m. HK)
Alaska is now the second place in the U.S. to activate statewide crisis standards of care, amid a Covid surge that’s straining hospital capacity in areas that have most resisted vaccination.
It follows Idaho, which last week extended health care rationing statewide as authorities there said they didn’t have enough resources to adequately treat patients in its hospitals. Some Montana health providers have done the same. A common thread in all three states is that less than half the populations have been fully vaccinated, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
AstraZeneca to Help Imperial With RNA Technology (2 p.m. HK)
AstraZeneca Plc and an Imperial College London startup will work together to develop a potential next generation of mRNA technology to fight cancer and other diseases beyond Covid-19.
The drugmaker will make a “sizable” investment in the company, called VaxEquity, and provide milestone payments of as much as $195 million, funding as many as 26 drug targets, said Robin Shattock, the professor leading the research at Imperial. The pair plans to develop both vaccines and therapies, using an approach known as self-amplifying RNA.
U.S. Olympians Need Shot for Winter Games (11:23 a.m. HK)
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee said all athletes and team staff using its training facilities must be fully inoculated by Nov. 1., and that any athletes trying to compete at the Winter Games in Beijing will need to show proof of vaccination, the New York Times reported.
Ardern Urges Vaccination (10:16 a.m. HK)
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she wants the country to become one of the world’s most vaccinated countries.
Once a very high level of inoculation is achieved, authorities won’t need to turn to the strictest form of lockdown in the event of an outbreak, she told a press conference. The government is still trying to stamp out a current outbreak in Auckland, with 15 new cases reported in the city on Thursday.
Singapore Sees Cases Rising Faster (10:14 a.m. HK)
Virus cases are rising faster in Singapore than the government originally projected but the situation remains under control, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told a Straits Times sister publication.
The Southeast Asian city-state had 1,457 new virus cases as of noon Sept. 22, the Ministry of Health said — a higher per-capita rate than New York, and just below that of London, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
China Reports 28 Local Covid Cases (8:56 a.m. HK)
China reported 28 local cases on Thursday, as a new cluster emerged from the northern city of Harbin while an existing outbreak across the country in Fujian province started to taper. Harbin found eight more infections, as the city of 10 million underwent mass testing. In Fujian, cases started decreasing amid stringent curbs that have included a lockdown of Xiamen, home to 4.5 million people. The costal city reported 17 cases on Thursday, while Putian — where the latest outbreak started — saw cases dwindle to three.
Taiwan’s Medigen Plans Phase-3 Trial (8:54 a.m. HK)
The board of Taiwan’s Medigen approved a phase-3 clinical trial of its vaccine in Europe, the firm said in statement to the Taiwan stock exchange on Wednesday. There are expected to be as many as 4,000 people participating in multiple countries, the Taipei Times reported, citing a company spokesman.
Duterte Taps Military to Assist Hospitals (8:43 a.m. HK)
President Rodrigo Duterte told the police and the military to augment hospital staffing in Metro Manila, as hundreds of health workers have Covid and the Philippines — a global supplier of nurses — is experiencing a “dearth of supply.”
Record Cases for Australia’s Victoria (7:36 a.m. HK)
Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, reported a daily record of 766 virus infections on Thursday. Authorities have struggled to bring the state’s current delta surge under control, despite months of lockdown in Melbourne. The outbreak has doubled in size to more than 10,000 cases in about eight days.
Meanwhile, the delta outbreak in Australia’s most populous state — New South Wales — appears to be slowing, after a months-long lockdown and mass vaccination rollout.
FDA Authorizes Third Pfizer Dose (7:35 a.m. HK)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a third booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech SE vaccine for people of age 65 and older and individuals with a high risk of getting severe Covid. The added shots have to be administered at least six months after completion of the primary series.
Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said the step would allow people including teachers, daycare staff, health care and grocery workers to get a third dose.
“I want to make this clear: The introduction of booster doses will not impact our ability to meet existing global supply commitments,” Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla tweeted.
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