(Bloomberg) — Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE are starting a study of a Covid-19 vaccine that targets the omicron variant, enrolling participants in a clinical trial that will evaluate the shot’s ability to prompt an immune response in adults.
The World Health Organization’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus moved closer to serving a second five-year term after securing the group’s nomination.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is imposing a vaccine mandate on its Hong Kong employees, requiring all staff to get their shots before allowing access to its offices. Beijing is finding the delta variant spreading more widely than omicron.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases top 355 million; deaths pass 5.6 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 9.94 billion shots administered
- Few employers to drop vaccine mandate after Supreme Court rebuke
- Olympic athletes use chartered flights to get to China safely
- Almost half the world trails IMF vaccine targets to end pandemic
- Is Covid becoming endemic? What would that mean?: QuickTake
Germany’s Bavaria Loosening Curbs (9 a.m. NY)
Bavaria has become one of the first of Germany’s 16 states to begin loosening some pandemic restrictions, despite a seven-day Covid-19 incidence rate of almost 1,000 per 100,000 people.
The regional government will allow half capacity at cinemas and theaters and sporting events, up from a quarter now. Testing rules will also be eased, with rapid antigen tests now accepted in some cases where previously PCR tests were required.
Switzerland Coping With Omicron (8:57 a.m. NY)
An estimated 100,000 people get infected every day in Switzerland, including unreported cases, according to Patrick Mathys from the Federal Office of Public Health.
The situation in hospitals remains stable and it’s highly unlikely that omicron will overwhelm ICU units during this wave. Still, it’s too early to ease restrictions, he said. Switzerland, with a population of about 8.5 million, last week extended a working-from-home requirement until the end of February.
WHO’s Tedros Nominated for New Term (8:54 a.m. NY)
The World Health Organization’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus moved closer to serving a second term after securing the group’s nomination.
The WHO’s executive board’s nomination on Tuesday paves the way for his official reappointment in May. A director-general can be reappointed once, meaning Tedros is eligible for an additional term of five years. Tedros was the only candidate to be proposed.
Connecticut to Reconsider School Masks (8:50 a.m. NY)
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said he wants to take a “second look” on requiring masks in schools in February, but that masks are still necessary as the omicron surge continues.
He said the state is about “a week or so behind New York, but we’re dropping very fast,” according to a television interview with Fox5. The state, where roughly 11% of tests are coming back positive, now requires staff and residents of nursing homes to get boosted, while requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test for visitors.
Pfizer Starts Trial of Omicron Vaccine (6:45 a.m. NY)
Pfizer Inc. said it is starting a study of a Covid-19 vaccine that targets the omicron variant, exploring its use in previously vaccinated younger and middle-aged adults as well as those who haven’t received another coronavirus shot.
The New York-based drugmaker and its German partner, BioNTech SE, said in a statement on Tuesday that they had enrolled the first participants in a 1,420-person clinical trial involving healthy adults age 18 to 55. The study will also examine the shot’s safety and potential side effects.
Denmark Lifts Last Curbs (6:44 a.m. NY)
Denmark will remove the last of its virus restrictions after the Nordic country’s hospitals proved able to handle a surge in cases, the Jyllands-Posten newspaper reported, citing people in the government it didn’t identify.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is due to unveil a plan to end the lockdown on Wednesday at a presentation in Copenhagen, according to the newspaper.
EU Travel Rules to Focus on Vaccinations (6:20 p.m. HK)
The European Union is aiming to make travel within the bloc easier by adopting a new system of Covid-related travel rules based more on a person’s vaccination status than on where they are coming from.
Travelers with a valid digital Covid certificate — showing vaccination, recovery from the disease or a recent test — shouldn’t be subject to additional restrictions, following recommendations adopted by EU member states on Tuesday. Exceptions will still be allowed for travelers from particularly high-risk zones.
Delta Spreading in Beijing (5:15 p.m. HK)
Beijing is finding delta spreading more widely than omicron, despite the latter being a more infectious variant.
The cluster set off by omicron has appeared to be disrupted, with only six infected and no further reported in the past two days, while a delta cluster originating from a cold chain storage facility continues to fester, with 12 more infections reported in the 24 hours through 4 p.m. Tuesday, officials said at a briefing on Tuesday.
That brings total infections since earlier this month to 67 in the Chinese capital, which will host the Winter Olympic Games next month.
Israeli Panel Recommends Fourth Shot (3:39 p.m. HK)
A panel of Israeli health experts has recommended offering a fourth dose of coronavirus vaccine to all adults age 18 and over.
The dose would be administered only to those who received the vaccine at least five months earlier or recovered from coronavirus at least five months before, the Health Ministry said in a text message. The ministry’s director-general, Nachman Ash, would have to approve the recommendation for it to go into effect.
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.
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 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.
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.
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