(Bloomberg) — U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said the government is “keeping a very close eye” on rising case rates in the country. A crisis expert from the World Health Organization is meeting with authorities in Romania, which reported a record 561 virus deaths in 24 hours.
New Zealand also had its highest daily case tally, a day after an Auckland lockdown was extended for at least another two weeks.
There is growing momentum around people returning to the office, according to the head of Barclays Plc, who said most of the bank’s U.S. employees are back. Indonesia said Covid-19 may be endemic by January, while a pair of elderly travelers are being scrutinized as the possible cause of China’s latest cluster.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases top 241.2 million; deaths surpass 4.9 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 6.71 billion shots given
- India’s 1 billion vaccines hide a worrying disparity
- Powell’s breakthrough Covid death is rare event, data show
- Alpha, delta and more. Why virus variants cause alarm: QuickTake
- How a millennial with long Covid made doctors listen (podcast)
U.K. Signs of Rising Deaths, Hospitalizations (7:42 a.m. NY)
“We’re starting to see indications that hospitalizations and death rates are increasing,” U.K Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman, Max Blain, told reporters Tuesday. “Clearly we are keeping a very close eye on rising case rates. The most important message for the public to understand is the vital importance of the booster program.”
At the cabinet meeting of government ministers on Tuesday, Johnson stressed that current measures are keeping the virus under control, according to Blain.
Roche Slides After Partner Says Drug Failed (7:29 a.m. NY)
Roche shares fell after partner Atea Pharma said its Covid-19 drug failed in a study. Roche signed a pact with the U.S. drug company in October 2020 to jointly develop a potential oral treatment.
Czech Government to Debate Measures (7 a.m. NY)
The Czech government will on Wednesday debate measures to stem the accelerating spread of the virus, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said. The nation of 10.7 million had 2,521 new cases in 24 hours, the most since April and almost double the number a week ago.
Romania Reports Record Cases, Deaths (6:54 a.m. NY)
Romania reported its highest number of deaths from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, forcing the country to seek assistance from the WHO in an attempt to limit the burden on overwhelmed hospitals.
The country, which has the European Union’s second-lowest vaccination rate, reported 561 fatalities in the past 24 hours. New infections, at almost 19,000 since Monday, also reached a new high.
A crisis expert from the WHO is meeting with the Romanian authorities to try to find solutions to the escalating situation.
Putin to Skip G-20, Take Part by Videolink (6:50 a.m. NY)
Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate in next week’s Group of 20 summit in Rome via videolink, the Kremlin said. Putin told Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi of his plans in a phone call Tuesday. Chinese President Xi Jinping has indicated he may also take part in the Oct. 30-31 Rome G-20 summit remotely.
Finland Health Officials Recommend Boosters (6:49 a.m. NY)
Finland’s health authorities recommended offering third vaccinations to people over the age of 60, people staying in assisted-living facilities and those at risk of severe illness.
Most of Barclays’s U.S. Workers Back in Office (4:39 p.m. HK)
Barclays Plc’s return to the office is well underway — in New York, at least.
“In the U.S., the vast majority of our people are back in,” Chief Executive Officer Jes Staley said in an interview Tuesday with Bloomberg Television. Staff are required to be vaccinated to return to the office and in New York more than 90% are, according to Staley.
While Staley said that flexible working was “here to stay,” he said there was growing momentum around people returning to the office.
U.S. Raises Travel Warning for Singapore (3:44 p.m. HK)
The U.S. raised its travel warning for Singapore to the highest level on Monday, advising people to avoid visiting the Southeast Asian country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention increased the risk rating to Level 4 from Level 3, according to its website.
WHO Scheme Seeks $10 Antivirals: Reuters (2:25 p.m. H.K.)
The Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, a World Health Organization-led program, is seeking to buy antiviral drugs for patients with mild symptoms for as little as $10 per course, Reuters reported, citing a draft document. The ACT-A document says it aims to reach a deal by the end of November to secure the supply of an “oral outpatient drug.”
Merck & Co.’s experimental pill molnupiravir is likely to be one of the drugs. The program aims to deliver about 1 billion COVID-19 tests to poorer nations, and get drugs to treat as many as 120 million patients globally, out of about 200 million new cases it estimates in the next 12 months, according to the report.
Couple Linked to China Cluster (12:40 p.m. H.K.)
A rule-breaking elderly couple enjoying China’s tourist sites have become the focus of the country’s latest Covid-19 cluster, prompting a massive contact tracing and testing exercise. The two retired university lecturers from Shanghai started a holiday trip with several others in early October and were found to be infected days later in Shaanxi Province, according to media reports.
China is the last holdout of several so-called Covid Zero countries seeking to eliminate the virus, and just days ago contained two separate delta outbreaks in its northeastern and coastal provinces. Now it’s grappling with another flareup. The couple traveled from Gansu, even though they had been told that their test results were abnormal, and headed to Shaanxi province, where they were tested again. While awaiting the results, they traveled around the provincial capital Xi’an and visited many scenic spots.
Their results came back positive, and Shaanxi has since reported several infections. Inner Mongolia, which they also visited, and Gansu both reported new cases today. A traveler from Gansu has also been found infected in Beijing, a district health commission said separately.
Zhuhai Lifts Quarantine for Macau Travelers (12:30 p.m. H.K.)
A quarantine requirement for people traveling from gambling hub Macau to the nearby mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai has been lifted from noon on Tuesday, the government said. Authorities said they want to dispel rumors that the scheduled travel resumption would be delayed due to the discovery of a suspected local Covid case. No such case has been found, the government said.
Still, travelers must still show negative Covid tests.
Latvia May Impose Lockdown as Cases Surge (11:30 a.m. HK)
Latvia plans to impose a four-week lockdown after a surge in cases threatened to overwhelm hospitals, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said, according to the Leta newswire.
The Baltic country will impose the stricter measures, including restrictions on schools, shops and public events, from Oct. 21 until Nov. 15, Leta reported. The government still must confirm the decision on the proposed measures.
New Zealand Reports Record Daily Cases (9:05 a.m. H.K.)
New Zealand reported 94 new community cases of Covid-19 Tuesday, with 87 in locked-down Auckland and seven in the Waikato region.
“I know the highs and low of cases are particularly hard on people,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “We are not powerless. We do have the ability to help keep cases as low as we can.”Ardern said the cases aren’t confined to one part of Auckland – they are spread across 124 suburbs – and that the age group with the highest proportion of today’s cases was the 39-and-under category, which is also the least vaccinated demographic.
Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said people aged 12 and over who are severely immuno-compromised will receive a third primary dose of the vaccine made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech Se, rather than a booster dose.
U.S. FDA to Allow Mix and Match for Boosters (8:30 a.m. H.K.)
The FDA will allow people to get a different vaccine as a booster than the one they originally received, people familiar said, confirming an earlier report in the New York Times.
The FDA is still considering the scope of the measure, including whether to allow the widespread mixing and matching of vaccines or whether to narrow the parameters of use, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity before any announcement. It’s expected to authorize Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters by Wednesday evening.
New Mexico Allows Hospitals to Ration Care (8:20 a.m. H.K.)
With Covid-19 stressing health care, the New Mexico health department will permit hospitals to ration care as needed, the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper reported Monday.
The move comes amid a stubborn Covid-19 case rate and hospital staffing shortages, the newspaper reported.
Moderna Sees Surge in Vaccine Availability (7:40 a.m. H.K.)
Moderna Inc. CEO Stephane Bancel says the world will soon be “soon be swimming” in vaccines as the supply of Covid-19 shots rises. Speaking at a health conference in Boston on Monday, Bancel recalled how the US earlier this year shifted within months from a scarcity to easily available shots in every pharmacy. “The same thing is going to happen around the world very soon, and my guess is two-to-three months,” he said.
In an interview with Bloomberg Television at the same conference, Bancel said that most of Moderna’s vaccine output next year would go to poorer countries. But Bancel said that simply sharing the technology with other companies in developing countries wouldn’t help produce vaccines faster, as mRNA is a new technology and there aren’t mRNA factories lying anywhere in the world.
India’s Has World’s Worst One-Two Shot Gap (7:10 a.m. HK)
India will soon have administered 1 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses, but the milestone masks a yawning gap between the number of people who have been fully inoculated and those that have had just one shot.
The country has only given two shots to 20% of its population of about 1.4 billion, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker. By comparison, 51% have had a single dose, making it one of the highest disparities in the world, the tracker shows. Neighboring China, the only nation to dish out more vaccine doses than India, has fully inoculated some 1.05 billion, or 75% of its citizens, as of late September.
Chicago Cops Lag on Shot-Status Mandate (5 a.m. HK)
Nearly one-third of Chicago Police Department employees have not reported their Covid-19 vaccination status to the city, defying Friday’s deadline to provide the information or risk unpaid leave.
About 64% of the department’s 12,770 employees have reported their vaccine status, according to data from city officials. The figures show that 6,894 say they’re fully vaccinated and 1,333 report they are not, according to the data. That’s the lowest reporting rate among the city’s departments.
About 4,500 from the department have not responded as mandated by the city amid a standoff between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge #7 President John Catanzara Jr.
Pfizer Seeks Canadian Approval for Kids’ Shot (5 a.m. HK)
Pfizer Inc. and partner BioNTech SE are seeking Canadian approval for their vaccine for children as young as 5. The country’s health regulator said it will “prioritize” the review.
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