(Bloomberg) — Authorities in Beijing halted classes at 18 schools in one district after a teacher was infected with Covid-19 as the city sticks with a Covid-zero strategy days before a key Communist Party meeting.
Pfizer Inc. raised its forecast for the year as it now expects $36 billion in revenue from its vaccine, having clinched supply agreements for 2.3 billion doses this year.
Bulgaria reported record daily Covid-19 deaths. A minister in Estonia resigned after coming under pressure over her vaccination status. Infections in Thailand declined to a four-month low and new cases fell in Australia’s two most-populous states as both nations ease international border restrictions.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases surpass 247 million; deaths top 5 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 7.09 billion shots given
- Kremlin politics are bad for Russia’s health
- Covid shots for kids will narrow racial vaccine gaps
- Ship queues worsen delays from Singapore to Piraeus
- Covid-19 Impact: Best of Bloomberg Intelligence
Pfizer Raises Forecast on Covid Shot (7:03 a.m. NY)
Pfizer Inc. raised its forecast for the year as it now expects $36 billion in revenue from its vaccine, having clinched 2.3 billion doses in 2021 supply agreements.
The top-selling Covid shot made with German partner BioNTech SE garnered $13 billion in third-quarter sales, more than analysts had expected.
Estonian Minister Quits Over Vaccination (6:14 p.m. HK)
Estonia’s Culture Minister Anneli Ott resigned after criticism from coalition partners that her incomplete vaccination schedule prevented her from attending public events tied to her role.
Ott, until recently the only unvaccinated Estonian government minister, told reporters on Tuesday that she had received her first dose and that she wasn’t against vaccines.
India Reports Lowest New Infections in Months (5 p.m. HK)
India reported 10,423 new infections on Tuesday — the lowest one-day gain since mid-February — as the country emerges from a virus wave that led to an unprecedented 400,000-plus cases a day in early May. The tally is now more than 34 million cases, the second-largest in the world, but an expanding vaccination effort is helping curb virus transmission.
Bulgaria Reports Record Deaths (2:52 p.m. HK)
Bulgaria, the European Union’s least-vaccinated country, reported a record 310 daily deaths. The Balkan country, where only about 21% of the population has had a Covid jab, on Oct. 21 limited most public leisure activities to those who are either vaccinated, have had the coronavirus, or test negative.
Hospitalizations are still on the rise and officials have warned that hospitals will soon run out of capacity.
Beijing Suspends Classes at 18 Schools (12:52 p.m. HK)
The Chinese capital suspended classes at 18 primary and middle schools in Chaoyang district after a teacher became infected, according to a local government briefing.
A key Communist Party meeting will be held next week in Beijing. The city reported four new local coronavirus cases on Tuesday morning.
New Zealand Area Locked Down Again (12:48 p.m. HK)
New Zealand put the north of its Northland region back into lockdown as the source of two new cases in the area remains unknown. The area moves back to Level 3 lockdown at midnight, initially through midnight Nov. 8.
Northland’s vaccination rate is lower than the rest of the country at just 79% for first doses, increasing the risk for 11,000 unvaccinated Maori in the region, according to Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins.
Vietnam’s $35 Billion Post-Covid Plan (10:34 a.m. HK)
Vietnam’s planning and investment ministry is considering a post-pandemic economic recovery package worth 800 trillion dong ($35.2 billion) in 2022-2023, Thanh Nien newspaper reported, citing a proposal submitted to the government.
The economic recovery package would be financed in part by off-budget state financial funds, government bond sales, foreign exchange reserves and loans from international lenders.
Thailand Cases at Four-Month Low (9:04 a.m HK)
Thailand reported 7,574 new cases, the lowest single-day tally since July 8, as Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy this week reopened its border to foreign tourists.
Thailand ended quarantine for vaccinated visitors from more than 60 countries to revive its tourism-dependent economy.
Australia Delays Easing Curbs for Unvaccinated (8:02 a.m. HK)
Australia’s New South Wales state pushed back the date when restrictions will be eased for unvaccinated people.
Instead of Dec. 1, those curbs will be eased on Dec. 15 or whenever the state reaches 95% double-dose coverage for people aged 16 and above, Premier Dominic Perrottet said Tuesday.
Cases Keep Dropping in Australian States (6:30 a.m. HK)
Cases continued to fall in Australia’s two most-populous states, as the country starts to reopen following more than 19 months of harsh restrictions. Victoria state on Tuesday reported 989 new cases, the first time below 1,000 since Sept. 29. New South Wales state recorded 173 new cases and the lowest seven-day average since Aug. 5.
Colorado Hospitals Near Rationing Care (5:30 a.m. HK)
Eighty percent of Colorado residents have received at least one vaccination, Governor Jared Polis announced Monday, while warning surging infections among the unvaccinated are bringing the state closer to rationing hospital care “in the next few days.”
“It’s the 20% who haven’t been vaccinated that are filling up our hospital wards,” Polis said at a news briefing in Denver. Nearby Idaho, a state with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S., is actively rationing hospital care.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Tests Positive (3:50 p.m. NY)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian tested positive, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Monday. Amirabdollahian is working from quarantine and his “general condition is good,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
Amazon Ends Mask Rule for Vaccinated Workers (3:20 p.m. NY)
Amazon.com said its vaccinated workers in the U.S. will no longer have to wear masks beginning on Tuesday, unless required to do so by federal or local rules.
The online retailer, the second largest U.S. employer after Walmart, in August ordered employees to resume masking up, regardless of vaccination status, as the delta variant spread.
Novavax CEO Sees Shot as ‘Ideal’ Booster (12:45 p.m. NY)
Novavax Inc.’s top executive said the company’s vaccine could be a good booster option for people who have received other shots as the drugmaker looks to ramp up output and gain approvals around the world.
“Our vaccine is ideal for boosting,” Chief Executive Officer Stanley Erck said in an interview on Monday with Bloomberg Television
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