(Bloomberg) — U.S. regulators are set to authorize a third dose of Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine for people 65 and over. Anthony Fauci said he expects mRNA vaccines to be administered as a three-dose regimen.
Singapore reported 1,457 Covid-19 cases and restricted hospital visits to preserve capacity amid rising infections. Myanmar expanded vaccine eligibility to include people older than 55. Malaysia will allow interstate travel once 90% of the adult population is fully vaccinated.
U.S. President Joe Biden called on other nations to help vastly expand production of shots and treatments to help end the pandemic. He said the U.S. will buy an another 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to donate abroad.
Pregnant women who get mRNA jabs pass high levels of antibodies to their babies, according to a study. A shot developed by Sichuan Clover Biopharmaceuticals Inc. was found to be 79% effective against the delta strain, the first Chinese vaccine to offer clear efficacy data against the variant causing resurgent waves of infections around the world.
Key Developments:
- Global Virus Tracker: Cases pass 229.4 million; deaths exceed 4.7 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 6.03 billion doses administered
- Thailand says Pfizer spurs top response after Sinovac, Astra jab
- FDA to clear third Pfizer dose for older, at-risk Americans
- Fauci sees three doses as the eventual standard for mRNA vaccines
- Alpha, delta and more. Why virus variants cause alarm: QuickTake
FDA to Authorize Third Pfizer Dose for Some (6:05 a.m. HK)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to authorize a third booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech SE vaccine imminently, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The expected emergency clearance will be for people 65 and older, those most susceptible to severe disease and people whose jobs put them at risk, the person said.
An announcement is planned for Wednesday, the person said.
UN Says Delegate Tested Positive (5:20 a.m. HK)
The United Nations said a delegate who was in the main hall of the General Assembly on Tuesday morning tested positive. While the UN didn’t identify which country the delegate represented, heads of state speaking in the hall at that time included Biden and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro.
Two members of Bolsonaro’s delegation — including Brazil’s health minister — have tested positive while in New York.
UN staff who might have been in contact with the infected person “will be notified individually and guided through next steps,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. New York officials had called on the UN to enforce stricter requirements on visiting delegates, but the organization hasn’t required proof of vaccination to enter its buildings.
NYC’s Vaccine Mandate for Teachers Cleared (5:06 a.m. HK)
New York City’s requirement for teachers to be vaccinated was cleared by a state judge following a legal challenge from labor unions.
New York State Supreme Court Justice Laurence L. Love vacated a temporary restraining order that had stopped the vaccine mandate from being enforced while the case is being litigated.
Fauci Envisions Three-Dose Standard (3:55 p.m. NY)
Future administration of mRNA vaccines like Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Inc.’s will likely require three doses from the start, instead of two doses plus a booster, Fauci said.
If implemented as the top infectious disease expert predicted, the third shot would become part of the primary series, potentially changing the vaccine label and plan for administering shots altogether.
Mormons Make Masks Mandatory in Temples (2:20 p.m. NY)
The top leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday ordered mandatory use of face masks in its temples around the globe and again called for members to get vaccinated, citing the Mormon church’s history in prior pandemics.
Biden Calls on Wealthy Nations to Step Up (1:15 p.m. NY)
Biden called on other nations to help vastly expand production of coronavirus vaccines and treatments in order to end the pandemic, in a virtual summit he hosted Wednesday.
Biden said the U.S. will buy another 500 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine for donation abroad, pushing the total U.S. donation pledge above 1.1 billion doses.
The summit’s attendees included the leaders of the U.K., Canada, South Africa and Indonesia, private-sector figures and representatives of non-governmental organizations. Biden led one of four sessions, on vaccinating the world, while Vice President Kamala Harris was set to lead another.
MTA to Boost Enforcement of Subway Masks (1 p.m. NY)
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it will increase enforcement of its mask-wearing policy as new data show compliance is waning on subways, buses and commuter trains.
Compliance was nearly universal in the early days of the pandemic but has fallen to about 87% on the city’s subways, MTA Chief Safety Officer Pat Warren said, according to WABC-TV.
Riders will get one warning from MTA Police to wear a mask, and if they don’t, they will get a summons, Warren said.
Vaccinated Pregnant Women Pass on Protection (9 a.m. NY)
Pregnant women who get mRNA vaccines pass high levels of antibodies to their babies, according to a study published in American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology – Maternal Fetal Medicine on Wednesday.
The study — one of the first to measure antibody levels in umbilical cord blood to distinguish whether immunity is from infection or vaccines — found that 36 newborns tested at birth all had antibodies to protect against Covid-19 after their mothers were vaccinated with shots from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna.
Romania Approves Booster Shots (8:36 a.m. NY)
Romania approved booster shots from Pfizer and Moderna for those who were fully vaccinated at least six months earlier, Prime Minister Florin Citu said on Wednesday. Shots will begin on Sept. 28.
The eastern European nation, one of the least vaccinated states in the EU, recently had more than 700,000 doses expire, even though it’s in the midst of the biggest wave of cases and hospitalizations since December.
China Covid Shot Effective Against Delta (8:31 a.m. NY)
A vaccine developed by Sichuan Clover Biopharmaceuticals was found to prevent 79% of cases of any severity caused by the delta variant in late-stage trials, making it the first Chinese shot to offer clear efficacy data against the strain.
Remdesivir Averts Hospitalization in Study (8:30 a.m. NY)
Early treatment with Gilead Sciences Inc.’s remdesivir kept high-risk patients out of the hospital in a late-stage international trial that supports administering the medicine to individuals recovering at home.
A three-day course of the injectable antiviral, also known as Veklury, was associated with an 87% reduction in hospitalizations in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 562 patients, Gilead said Wednesday. The data are slated for release at a virtual medical meeting on Sept. 29.
Malaysia Sets Vaccine Threshold for Travel (8:10 a.m. NY)
Malaysia will resume interstate travel to help revive domestic tourism once 90% of the adult population is fully vaccinated, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said in a statement on Wednesday. The announcement came a day after the country met its target of fully inoculating 80% of adults.
Moscow Reopens Wards as Cases Soar (7:43 a.m. NY)
Moscow reopened Covid-19 wards as new cases rose 24% over the last week, Ria Novosti reported Wednesday, citing Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova. Hospitalizations were up 15%, she said. The spike comes after President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party claimed a resounding victory in parliamentary elections last weekend that opponents said were tainted with widespread fraud.
Singapore Restricts Hospital Visits (6:13 a.m. NY)
Singapore will curb hospital ward visits for a month, among several measures put in place in order to preserve hospital capacity as cases rise, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.
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