(Bloomberg) — The U.S. State Department lowered its India travel advisory to its second-lowest level of “exercise increased caution” after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the South Asian nation now has “moderate level of Covid-19.”
In the U.S., the number of people dying with Covid-19 in hospitals is hitting previous highs in some hot-spot states with low-to-average vaccination rates, upending hopes the virus has become less lethal. Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE submitted early-stage data to U.S. regulators showing that a third dose of their vaccine led to higher levels of protective antibodies when given eight to nine months after the initial regimen.
In Asia, Thailand extended curbs in Bangkok and other hot spots while Indonesia allowed more malls to reopen in Java and Bali even as it lengthened restrictions on the islands.
Key Developments:
- Global Tracker: Cases top 207.4 million; deaths pass 4.36 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 4.7 billion doses administered
- Where are we in the quest for Covid treatments?: QuickTake
- U.S. scales back India travel warning
- Pfizer and BioNTech filed early data on boosters’ protection
- Covid hospital deaths hit previous peaks in hot-spot areas
New Zealand Film Industry Hit (8:12 a.m. HK)
New Zealand’s planned phased reopening of borders in early 2022 has come too late to save the nation from losing one of its world-famous attributes, the filming location of “Lord of the Rings,” as crews deem the nation’s stringent quarantine requirements untenable.
Indonesia’s New Cases Lowest Since June (8:08 a.m. HK)
The country reported 17,384 confirmed infections on Monday, the least since June 23. One in five people tested were found to have the virus, a sign of insufficient testing. Indonesia continues to top the world’s tally of daily deaths, with 1,245 fatalities reported on Monday.
More cities on Java and Bali islands will be allowed to reopen shopping malls for people who are vaccinated with capacity limits, as the government extends virus curbs until Aug. 23.
Indonesia will also allow some export-oriented companies to operate with 100% workforce on site using two shifts and strict health protocol, in a bid to find a way to reopen the economy without worsening its coronavirus outbreak. That program will involve 390,000 workers.
The government is preparing roadmaps to reopen other sectors, including education and tourism, as it gears up to live with the virus for a few more years. It will focus on accelerating vaccination, stepping up testing and tracing, while enforcing mask mandates. Indonesia aims to administer 100 million total vaccine doses as of the end of the month, from 83 million so far. Indonesia will also lower the maximum price for real-time polymerase chain reaction testing.
Singapore Teen Gets $166,000 (8:06 a.m. HK)
Singapore is giving S$225,000 ($166,000) to a 16-year-old boy who is recovering from a cardiac arrest after having his first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, in order to help defray the costs of his medical care, the Ministry of Health said in a statement Monday.
The patient, who had required intensive care, is recovering steadily and will likely be discharged in the coming weeks, according to the statement. However, he will likely require outpatient rehabilitation for some time before he can return to school and resume other activities.
Thailand Virus Fight Needs More Money (8:04 a.m. HK)
Thailand’s central bank governor called for an additional 1 trillion baht ($30 billion) in government spending to counter coronavirus, saying the blow to the economy from the pandemic is greater than from the Asian financial crisis in 1997.
Meanwhile, Thailand will extend the closure of non-essential businesses and movement controls in its virus hotspots, including the capital Bangkok, until the Covid outbreak shows clear signs of easing.
CoronaVac’s Side Effect (6:45 a.m. HK)
People vaccinated with CoronaVac face a small increased chance of developing a temporary facial paralysis known as Bell’s palsy, according to scientists, but the benefits of getting the shot still outweigh the risks.
Nearly 5 in 100,000 more people may experience Bell’s palsy after the CoronaVac jab produced by Sinovac Biotech Ltd. than you would expect to see in the population, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. The study, conducted in Hong Kong, compared Bell’s palsy rates reported within 42 days of either receiving the CoronaVac or the locally-produced Pfizer Inc. vaccine. The study found two more people per 100,000 were likely to suffer from the side effect than normal after the Pfizer shot, though cautioned more research was needed.
The authors of the study led by Ian Chi Kei Wong, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, recommended its continued use in protecting people against Covid-19 noting that “Bell’s palsy remains a rare, mostly temporary, adverse event.”
MGM Resorts’s Vaccine Mandate (6:30 a.m. HK)
MGM Resorts International, the largest casino operator on the Las Vegas Strip, is now mandating Covid-19 vaccinations for all of its salaried employees. Staff that works exclusively at home is exempt. The company is working on ways to vaccinate more of its hourly staffers: housekeepers, bartenders and dealers who are typically represented by unions.
Las Vegas resorts have pushed vaccinations in part because earlier this year state regulators allowed them to open at higher levels of capacity based on their share of inoculated workers. Wynn Resorts Ltd. said 82% of its staff had received the shots, an unusually high number, in part due to them operating an on-site clinic for the vaccinations.
Wyoming Hospitalizations Highest Since January (5:45 a.m. HK)
In Wyoming, where less than half of adults are fully vaccinated, Covid-19 hospitalizations are at the highest since January, the Casper Star-Tribune reported.
Casper’s Wyoming Medical Center, the state’s largest, was caring for 33 virus patients Monday, about 15% of its capacity, the newspaper said. A rural hospital in Cody re-opened a special eight-patient Covid-19 unit and it was full over the weekend. In the state capital, Cheyenne Regional Medical Center is caring for 27.
Just under 43% of adults and less than 16% of children over 12 are fully inoculated in Wyoming, the Star-Tribune reported. The state’s population is about 580,000.
Vaccine Hesitancy Costing Steelworkers Bonus (4:45 p.m. NY)
The second largest American steelmaker is struggling to meet a vaccine threshold that would give a $3,000 bonus to each worker.
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. promised a $1,500 bonus to all of their 25,000 employees who receive a jab, with the cash bonus increasing to $3,000 if an individual’s work site hits 75%, according to company spokeswoman Patricia Persico. The program is based on vaccination rates per site, with “more than” 20 of 46 locations above the 75% rate. The company-wide rate is about 60%.
The Cleveland, Ohio-based producer isn’t way behind its efforts for the incentive program, which expires Aug. 21, and it expects vaccinations this week to be even better, Persico said Monday in an email. United Steelworkers President Tom Conway said the company has been struggling to get unionized workers vaccinated.
CDC Panel Reviews Boosters Next Week (4:40 p.m. NY)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet Aug. 24 to discuss additional doses of Covid-19 vaccine, including booster shots.
Earlier Monday, Pfizer and BioNTech said they submitted early-stage data to U.S. regulators showing that a third dose of their Covid-19 vaccine led to higher levels of protective antibodies when given eight to nine months after the initial regimen.
Deaths Hit Previous Peaks in Hot Spots (2:25 p.m. NY)
The number of people dying with Covid-19 in hospitals is hitting previous highs in some hot-spot states with low-to-average vaccination rates, upending hopes the virus has become less lethal.
In Florida, an average of about 203 people a day are dying in the hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, matching the state’s November 2020 peak, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data. That’s a daily average of about nine per million residents, the data show.
Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri have also seen deaths among patients with Covid-19 soar in the past two weeks.
CDC Lowers Travel Advisory for India (2 p.m. NY)
The CDC lowered its travel advisory for India one notch to Level 2, citing a “moderate level of Covid-19.”
Verizon Delays Return to Office (1 p.m. NY)
Verizon Communications Inc. said it’s delaying its return to office for two months to Nov. 1. Previously, employees were told to start coming into the office on a hybrid basis after Labor Day on Sept. 7.
The New York-based telecom, which has been encouraging employees to wear masks and get vaccinated, is considering whether to make the shots mandatory for all employees but didn’t give a timeframe for when it might address the issue again.
D.C. Requires Shots for Health-Care Workers (12:50 p.m. NY)
All health-care workers in the District of Columbia must have received at least the first dose of Pfizer Inc. or Moderna Inc. vaccine, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson shot by Sept. 30, Mayor Muriel Bowser said.
Pfizer Submits Third-Dose Data to FDA (11:35 a.m. NY)
Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE said they have submitted Phase 1 trial data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a third dose of their Covid-19 vaccine. The companies said in a statement that people who received a third dose of their mRNA vaccine showed “a favorable safety profile and robust immune responses.”
Pfizer Taps Bond Market for Vaccine Expenses (10:55 a.m. NY)
Pfizer Inc. is tapping the U.S. investment-grade market with a sustainability bond that will help fund Covid-19 vaccine expenses, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The note, due in 2031, may yield 0.75 percentage points above Treasuries, said the person, who asked not to be identified as the details are private.
Proceeds from the sale are marked for research and development expenses and the manufacturing and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines. The New York-based pharmaceutical company sees the vaccine bringing in $33.5 billion of revenue this year, which would make it one of the top-selling medicines ever.
NYC to Require Vaccines for Museums, Zoos (10:05 a.m. NY)
New York City plans to require visitors to its museums and other cultural institutions to be vaccinated, the New York Times reported, citing an unidentified city official.
The policy will require that visitors and employees at the city’s museums, concert halls, aquariums and zoos be vaccinated, the newspaper said. Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to make the announcement at his briefing Monday morning.
J&J to Require Shots for All U.S. Staff (8:27 a.m. NY)
Health-care giant Johnson & Johnson said it will require all U.S.-based employees and contractors to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 effective Oct. 4. J&J has more than 40,000 employees across the U.S., many of whom have been critical to the development of a single-dose coronavirus vaccine. J&J added that individuals with medical conditions or other reasons not to be vaccinated will be able to seek accommodations.
J&J is “committed to following the science and to taking appropriate measures to support the health and well-being of our employees and contractors, as well as to uphold our responsibilities to the communities in which we live and work,” the company said in an emailed statement. “As Covid-19 continues to devastate families and cause untold hardship, the data shows getting vaccinated is critical to helping end the pandemic.”
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