(Bloomberg) — Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE said a pair of studies confirmed three doses of their Covid-19 vaccine produce antibodies that can neutralize the omicron variant. Australia’s most-populous state extended restrictions a month as the current wave of infections shows signs of peaking.
In Japan, the speed of the latest outbreak is creating a shortage of tests and spurring a change in how the virus is handled. People who have close contact with a Covid patient and later became symptomatic can be considered infected even without a test.
Beijing eased a testing requirement for the Winter Olympics despite a growing number of cases associated with the games. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is imposing a vaccine mandate on its Hong Kong employees, requiring all staff to get their shots before entering its offices as the city grapples with an outbreak.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases top 354.7 million; deaths pass 5.6 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 9.94 billion shots administered
- U.S. posts most virus deaths in 11 months, but peak may be near
- Olympic athletes use chartered flights to get to China safely
- Living with Covid proving tough for a gridlocked world economy
- Is Covid becoming endemic? What would that mean?: QuickTake
Goldman Imposes Vaccine Mandate (1:58 p.m. HK)
Goldman Sachs’ vaccine mandate for Hong Kong employees will come into effect Feb. 24, according to an internal memo confirmed by a spokesman.
Hong Kong is in the process of implementing a vaccine mandate, obligating people to have been inoculated before they can enter restaurants and other public venues.
The financial hub has continued a zero-tolerance approach along with mainland China, a strategy that’s now triggering increasingly aggressive measures as the more transmissible omicron and delta variants have emerged.
New Zealand Plans Phased Reopening (12:29 p.m. HK)
New Zealand will proceed with plans to start a phased reopening of the border from the end of February even as the infectious omicron variant starts to take hold in the community.
The initial phase will allow New Zealanders living in Australia to return home and undertake self-isolation rather than a lengthy stay in a managed isolation hotel. In December, the government pushed out the original start date of Jan. 17 citing the need for more people to be boosted to combat omicron.
China Battles Virus in Xinjiang and Beijing (11:36 a.m. HK)
Xinjiang has emerged as the latest battleground in China’s effort to eliminate Covid-19. A total of 22 infections, 16 of which are asymptomatic, have been found at Horgos, a city in the province that borders Kazakhstan, China’s health commission reported. In the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, 12 new infections were also reported.
Meanwhile, a cluster of delta-variant infections in Beijing that has been linked to a cold chain storage facility grew by six to 52, authorities said Monday. The city’s Fengtai District, home to 2 million resident and where most of the cases have been found, started a second round of mass testing and residents have been asked to remain at home until the results are in.
Hong Kong Hotel Quarantine Criticized (11:22 a.m. HK)
Hong Kong’s onerous system of hotel quarantine for travelers was meant to stop infection from seeping into a largely virus-free city. Instead, it’s become a spreading ground, seeding an omicron outbreak that’s led to thousands of people being locked down and calls for reform of the controversial setup.
An outbreak at a public housing estate of over 200 confirmed and preliminarily positive cases on Monday has been traced to a traveler who caught omicron while undergoing 21 days of isolation at a hotel in Kowloon. While she entered the hotel Covid-free, the pathogen was transmitted to her from an infected person staying at the same hotel.
Covid Outbreak Hits Ship Heading to Tonga (10:46 a.m. HK)
Almost two dozen crew on board an Australian Navy ship on its way to provide relief to the Pacific island of Tonga have been diagnosed with coronavirus, potentially hampering aid efforts to the Covid-free nation.
Australia’s Defense Minister Peter Dutton said 23 personnel on the HMAS Adelaide had been infected, in an interview on Sky News on Tuesday. The ship left from Brisbane on Friday with a 600-strong crew as well as humanitarian and medical supplies to assist Tonga in the wake of a volcanic eruption.
South Korea Sets Record as Omicron Spreads (9:03 a.m. HK)
South Korea’s daily virus cases exceeded 8,500 for the first time due to a surge in the omicron variant, which now accounts for more than half of all infections, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Deaths and severe hospitalizations have been declining despite the spike in cases.
Health authorities and experts have warned the cases may jump to 20,000-30,000 a day in February and March if omicron infections continue the current growth rate. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum advised against travel during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.
Vietnam Further Eases Entry Rules (8:44 a.m. HK)
Foreigners and Vietnamese holding permanent or temporary residence cards, visas and visa exemptions may enter Vietnam without prior approval from government authorities or undergoing pre-clearance procedures, the country’s Department of Immigration said in a statement on its website.
Foreign tourists who want to visit Vietnam are still restricted to special tours approved by the government.
Singapore and Indonesia Form Travel Bubble (8:39 a.m. HK)
The arrangement, which is open to fully-vaccinated and insured visitors and covers people traveling by sea between Singapore and Nongsapura Ferry Terminal in Batam and Bintan Telani Port, will help boost tourism and other parts of the economy, according to Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto.
The islands were popular weekend getaways for Singapore residents prior to the pandemic but overseas visitors have slumped over the past couple of years. Both Singapore and Indonesia are following a strategy of trying to live with the virus, opening their borders more freely to those who are eligible.
New South Wales Extends Restrictions (5:43 p.m. NY)
New South Wales, Australia’s most-populous state, extended Covid-19 restrictions by a month. Density limits and a ban on singing and dancing will continue in hospitality venues and masks will remain mandatory in all indoor settings outside the home until Feb. 28.
The move comes as health officials say the current wave of cases in the state is showing signs of peaking, with intensive care cases coming down and hospitalizations plateauing. NSW, home to more than 8.2 million people, had 2,943 Covid-19 hospitalizations and 183 ICU admissions on Tuesday, with 29 deaths.
WHO Official Sees Europe Entering ‘New Phase’ (1 p.m. NY)
The World Health Organization said Europe is entering a “new phase” of the pandemic. Hans Kluge, WHO’s regional director for the continent, said in a statement that omicron offers “plausible hope for stabilization and normalization” but that it’s “far too early to relax.”
Citing omicron’s milder symptoms, lower risk of hospitalization and the efficacy of vaccines, Kluge said he is still concerned about the number of unvaccinated people across the globe who are “helping to drive transmission.”
He said 2022 must be the “year of vaccine equity in the European Region and beyond.” The WHO’s European region encompasses 53 countries with varying vaccination rates and health-care systems.
Pfizer, BioNTech: 3 Doses Neutralize Omicron (7:29 a.m. NY)
Pfizer and BioNTech said a pair of laboratory studies confirmed that three doses of their Covid-19 vaccine produce antibodies that can neutralize the omicron variant.
Published in the peer-reviewed journal Science, the studies also indicate that immunity provided by T-cells after two shots of the vaccine may still protect against severe disease.
A third study published on the pre-print server bioRxiv without peer review also showed restoration of antibodies, but indicated that their ability to neutralize omicron decreases by as much as two times over four months.
The partners said they’re now planning human trials of an additional dose of the original shot as well as a vaccine express-designed for the omicron variant.
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