(Bloomberg) — Citigroup Inc. will require all U.S. employees be vaccinated against Covid-19 as a condition of their employment, citing new orders from President Joe Biden.
Florida sued the Biden administration over vaccine mandates for federal contractors, the latest in a wave of Republican pushback against the president’s orders to fight the pandemic. New York City said it will temporarily outlaw days off for sanitation workers as needed ahead of anticipated employee shortages stemming from a vaccine mandate that goes into effect next week.
Merck & Co. is planning to make at least 20 million treatment courses of its closely watched Covid-19 antiviral next year, on top of 10 million it expects to make by the end of 2021.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases top 245.2 million; deaths surpass 4.97 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 6.9 billion shots given
- The best and worst places to be as reopening picks up: Resilience Ranking
- Maori slam New Zealand’s plan to open up at 90% vaccination rate
- Australia braces to open borders and face life After Covid Zero
Citi Requires Vaccines for All U.S. Workers (1:02 p.m. NY)
Citigroup Inc. will require all U.S. employees be vaccinated against Covid-19 as a condition of their employment, citing new orders from President Joe Biden.
The Wall Street giant asked staffers to submit proof of vaccination by Dec. 8, and said those who comply will receive $200 as a “thank you,” according to a memo to staff Thursday seen by Bloomberg News. Citigroup set Jan. 14 as the final cut-off for workers to upload vaccine cards, to give unvaccinated staff more time to get shots.
Citigroup told employees in August that anyone returning to offices in the New York area and other major U.S. cities would have to be vaccinated. The new policy expands that requirement to all workers in the U.S.
U.K. Removes All Countries From Red List (12:20 p.m. NY)
The U.K. removed all seven remaining countries from its Covid-19 red list, effectively ending a mandatory hotel quarantine requirement for any arriving travelers.
The highest-risk category will remain in place to protect public health, and U.K. officials are prepared to add countries back if necessary, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Thursday on Twitter.
The seven countries — Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Haiti, Panama, Ecuador and Peru, will be removed on Nov. 1, Shapps said.
Florida Sues U.S. Over Vaccine Mandates (12:15 p.m. NY)
Florida sued the Biden administration over vaccine mandates for federal contractors, the latest in a wave of Republican pushback against the president’s orders to fight the pandemic.
In a federal lawsuit filed Thursday in Tampa, the state called vaccination requirements for government contractors a “radical intrusion on the personal autonomy of American workers.” It alleges that the administration issued the mandate based on a law that doesn’t give it such power.
Among the defendants is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, which has a large presence in the state through the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island.
Vaccination Doesn’t Stop Spread (12 p.m. NY)
People inoculated against Covid-19 are just as likely to spread the delta variant of the virus to contacts in their household as those who haven’t had shots, according to new research.
In a yearlong study of 621 people in the U.K. with mild Covid-19, scientists found that their peak viral load was similar regardless of vaccination status, according to a paper published Thursday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases medical journal. The analysis also found that 25% of vaccinated household contacts still contracted the disease from an index case, while 38% of those who hadn’t had shots became infected.
NYC Bans Time Off for Sanitation Workers (11:49 a.m. NY)
New York City said it will temporarily outlaw days off for sanitation workers as needed ahead of anticipated employee shortages stemming from a vaccine mandate that goes into effect next week.
The sanitation department also will require Sunday shifts and move to a 12-hour schedule for workers to “create additional capacity,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a briefing Thursday.
The city last week said it would require all municipal workers to be vaccinated by 5 p.m. Friday and eliminate a test-out option. Those who aren’t vaccinated will be put on unpaid leave. So far, 67% of sanitation workers are vaccinated.
Singapore Cases Fall From Record (11:35 a.m. NY)
Singapore recorded a total of 3,432 new cases as of noon on Oct. 28, including nine imported infections, down from the record number of 5,324 on the day before, according to the Ministry of Health.
WHO Says G-20 Faces Test on Vaccines (11:25 a.m. NY)
Some 82 countries at risk of not being able to vaccinate at least 40% of their population by the end of this year — a goal the World Health Organization has set — only because of a lack of supply, WHO senior adviser Bruce Aylward said.
Those 82 countries only need an additional 550 million doses to hit that target. Between now and the end of 2021, about 3 billion doses of vaccine will be manufactured, he added.
“The big question to the G-20 is, are they going to say, ‘here’s where those 550 million doses are going to come from’ because those 20 countries control the global vaccine supply,” Aylward said at a briefing on Thursday. “This is a very solvable problem. The numbers are not daunting. It’s an issue of the will and the manufacturers cooperating to make sure doses go where they’re needed.”
U.S. Buys More Kids’ Doses (11:19 a.m. NY)
The U.S. government has purchased an additional 50 million doses of the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine in a push to secure supply for kids, the companies said in a statement on Thursday. All the doses will be delivered by April 30, 2022.
To date, the U.S. has cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for those 12 and older. The Food and Drug Administration is poised to clear the shot at a lower dose for those ages 5 through 11 imminently, paving the way for a pediatric vaccination campaign in early November. The latest supply agreement includes doses for children under 5, who are not yet eligible for vaccination. Pfizer and BioNTech aim to read out data on the cohort before the end of the year.
Merck’s Antiviral Drug Plans (9:11 a.m. NY)
Merck & Co. is planning to make at least 20 million treatment courses of its Covid-19 antiviral next year, on top of 10 million it expects to make by the end of 2021. The company and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP are seeking U.S. authorization of molnupiravir.
Molnupiravir has become one of the most highly anticipated coronavirus medications, as the pill is relatively cheap to make and easy to transport. Merck said the treatment could bring in as much as $7 billion in global sales through 2022, including as much as $1 billion in revenue this year if it’s authorized in December.
U.S. Posts Weakest Growth of the Recovery (8:45 a.m. NY)
U.S. economic growth slowed more than expected in the third quarter to the softest pace of the pandemic recovery period as snarled supply chains and a surge in cases throttled spending and investment. Gross domestic product expanded at a 2% annualized rate following a 6.7% pace in the second quarter.
Inovio Shot in WHO-Sponsored Trial (6:21 a.m. NY)
The World Health Organization confirmed to Inovio that the company’s vaccine candidate is one of two vaccines being tested in a large Phase 3 clinical trial that’s funded, sponsored, and conducted by the organization.
Hungary Allows Vaccine Mandates (5:27 p.m. HK)
Hungary will allow companies to enforce Covid vaccines on staff as a condition of employment, as the number of cases surges and the vaccination program stalls. The government will also demand that public-sector workers receive a shot, while compulsory mask-wearing will be re-introduced on public transport from next week.
Israel Needs More Shots, Tourist Safeguards (5 p.m. HK)
Israel must do more to break down vaccine resistance and implement tougher safeguards as foreign tourists start returning next month, or risk a fifth Covid wave, public health experts are warning.
“What we did last time was open and then we were passive and did almost nothing — no enforcement, no good genetic surveillance — and gradually we lost control,” said Nadav Davidovitch, head of Ben-Gurion University’s School of Public Health and a member of the expert panel advising the Israeli government.
Tourists tentatively are to start returning on Monday, pending final government approval, but guidelines the government has released so far apply only to vaccination and testing requirements.
EU, U.K. Recognize Each Other’s Certificates (6.19 a.m. NY)
The European Commission has decided to give equivalence to the U.K.’s Covid-19 certificate. The move was reciprocated by the U.K., which will accept the EU certificate for travel.
Japan Set to Approve Boosters for All (6:08 a.m. NY)
A panel of advisers to Japan’s health ministry recommended making booster shots available to everyone in the country who has already been fully immunized, Kyodo News reported. The plan is for recipients to get their booster shot at least eight months after their second dose.
Germany Urges Elderly to Get Boosters (2:58 p.m. HK)
Germany needs to press ahead with providing booster shots to the elderly to prevent more sickness and deaths amid a new surge in cases, according to the head of the country’s vaccine commission.
“It certainly won’t be as dramatic as the start of the pandemic, because the protection from vaccination won’t disappear from one day to the next,” Thomas Mertens, the chairman of the government’s standing committee on vaccination, said on DLF radio.
Germany recorded more than 28,000 new cases on Wednesday, the biggest daily increase since April. Deaths exceeded 100 for a third straight day, taking the total to 95,485. Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday that she’s concerned about the latest surge and its potential to overload the nation’s hospitals.
Thailand Cuts GDP Forecast as Covid Bites (2:23 p.m. HK)
Thailand’s economy is set to expand this year at a slower pace than previously forecast as it reels from the impact of its deadliest Covid-19 outbreak. The Finance Ministry lowered its gross domestic product forecast to 1% from 1.3% predicted in July. The economy may expand 4% next year, also lower than the 5% pace seen earlier.
CDC Issues Guidelines on Fourth Shot (1:54 p.m. HK)
Americans with cancer, organ transplants and other conditions that weaken their immune systems could get a fourth vaccine shot to add protection against the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Moderately and severely immunocompromised adults who are fully vaccinated and received a booster dose may get an additional shot six months later.
Taiwan to Remove Limits on Gatherings (11:52 a.m. HK)
Taiwan’s government will ease some Covid controls from Nov. 2 as the local situation has stabilized, Cabinet spokesperson Lo Ping-cheng said at a briefing in Taipei. The cap on the number of people allowed in gatherings will be removed, while masks will be required. Dining will be allowed on trains, domestic flights and ships, as well as movie theaters.
Vietnam to Lift Quarantines for Tourists (11:44 a.m. HK)
Fully-vaccinated international travelers arriving in some cities in Vietnam won’t be required to quarantine if they test negative on starting next month, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported. The areas include Phu Quoc, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam, Danang, Quang Ninh.
Australians 18 and Over to Get Booster (11:42 a.m. HK)
Australians aged 18 and over who have received two doses at least six months ago are now eligible to have a booster shot, according to a joint statement from Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Health Minister Greg Hunt. Vaccines will be available starting on Nov. 8.
Antidepressant May Reduce Hospitalizations (10:31 a.m. HK)
A generic antidepressant appears able to reduce the risk that Covid will land an infected patient in the hospital, according to a Brazilian study published in Lancet Global Health.
Nearly 11% of those given fluvoxamine twice a day for 10 days needed emergency medical care for at least six hours or were hospitalized, compared with almost 16% of those given a placebo. The pill is significantly less expensive than other treatments such as Merck & Co.’s new antiviral, selling for less than a dollar a day.
China Cases Fall (9:08 a.m. HK)
China reported 23 new local confirmed Covid-19 infections on Oct. 27 in Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Beijing, Ningxia, Heilongjiang, Shandong and Sichuan, the National Health Commission said in a statement. Nationwide, China reported 54 infections on Wednesday, the most in a single day since the latest outbreak began last week.
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