(Bloomberg) — U.S. regulators authorized a booster dose of Pfizer Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine for people aged 65 and over. Anthony Fauci said earlier that he expects mRNA vaccines to be administered as a three-dose regimen.
Thailand is debating reducing its quarantine period for vaccinated visitors to one week. Singapore signaled that virus cases were rising faster than it expected. Australia’s Victoria state saw a daily case record while an outbreak in New South Wales appears to be slowing, as the country battles the delta variant.
South African-born biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong is set to back Covid and cancer vaccines in the country.
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
- Alpha, delta and more. Why virus variants cause alarm: QuickTake
Soon-Shiong to Back Cancer, Covid Vaccines in South Africa (2:18 p.m. HK)
South African-born biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong will announce a plan to transfer technology for the manufacture of Covid-19 and cancer vaccines to the country. Soon-Shiong, who is based in California, will make the announcement at 5 p.m. local time together with President Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African presidency said in a statement late Wednesday.
Alaska Latest State to Ration Health Care As Covid Spreads (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. That’s below the national average for full vaccination, about 55%.
AstraZeneca to Help Develop Imperial’s New 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.
Thailand Mulls Week Quarantine for Vaccinated Visitors (1:23 p.m. HK)
Thai officials proposed reducing a mandatory quarantine period to just seven days — down from two weeks — for all vaccinated international travelers, according to Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control. Travelers with inoculation caccine certificates would still need to be tested for Covid upon arrival, and before departing quarantine.
U.S. Olympians Will Need Shot for Winter Games: NYT (11:23 a.m. HKT)
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.
The International Olympic Committee has not announced a vaccine requirement for the Beijing Olympics, scheduled to kick off on Feb. 4.
Ardern Wants New Zealand Among Most Vaccinated Nations (10:16 a.m. HK)
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she wants it 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 — Alert Level 4 — 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 Signals Cases Rising Faster Than It Expected (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 Amid Outbreak (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 Clinical Trial in Europe (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 up to 4,000 people participating in multiple locations and countries in Europe, 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.”
Read more here.
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 effort.
FDA Authorizes Third Pfizer Dose for Some (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 aged 65 and older and individuals with a high risk of getting severe Covid. The added shots are to be administered at least six months after completion of the primary series.
Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said the greenlight would allow people including teachers, daycare staff, healthcare 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 CEO Albert Bourla tweeted.
UN Says Delegate Tested Positive (5:20 a.m. HK)
The United Nations said a delegate who was in the main hall of the General Assembly on Tuesday morning tested positive. While the UN didn’t identify which country the delegate represented, heads of state speaking in the hall at that time included Biden and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro.
Two members of Bolsonaro’s delegation — including Brazil’s health minister — have tested positive while in New York.
UN staff who might have been in contact with the infected person “will be notified individually and guided through next steps,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. New York officials had called on the UN to enforce stricter requirements on visiting delegates, but the organization hasn’t required proof of vaccination to enter its buildings.
NYC’s Vaccine Mandate for Teachers Cleared (5:06 a.m. HK)
New York City’s requirement for teachers to be vaccinated was cleared by a state judge following a legal challenge from labor unions.
New York State Supreme Court Justice Laurence L. Love vacated a temporary restraining order that had stopped the vaccine mandate from being enforced while the case is being litigated.
Fauci Envisions Three-Dose Standard (3:55 p.m. NY)
Future administration of mRNA vaccines like Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Inc.’s will likely require three doses from the start, instead of two doses plus a booster, Fauci said.
If implemented as the top infectious disease expert predicted, the third shot would become part of the primary series, potentially changing the vaccine label and plan for administering shots altogether.
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