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The rate of coronavirus outbreaks in the U.S. continued to decline as the country’s week-to-week average dropped to its lowest level in nearly four months. Meanwhile, a top Biden administration official warned Americans not to become complacent about rapidly declining cases of coronavirus as a potentially deadly variant spreads across the country.
The UK has confirmed its plan to reopen schools from early next month as the country’s vaccination program reaches its first target.
New Zealand’s most populous city, Auckland, will close for three days after three members of one household diagnosed the virus. Hong Kong plans to begin its vaccination program in early March.
Important developments:
- Global Tracker: business exceeds 108.5 million; deaths pass 2.3 million
- Vaccine detection: more than 172 million shots given worldwide
- US spotlight: Covid cases drop in severely affected states, announcing more improvement
- Emergence of variants that cause sparks all-in-one Covid vaccines
- What to know about severe reactions to Covid vaccines: Quick recording
Sign in to a daily update of the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis Team here. Click on CVID on the terminal for global data on cases and deaths.
Do not wait for virus, warns CDC Head (09:50 NY)
According to Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans should not become complacent about cases that quickly fall into coronavirus, as a potentially deadly variant is spreading in the US.
In the US, more than 1,000 cases of the strain first identified in the UK have been seen with infections in at least 39 states, Walensky said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, one of the three scheduled interviews. said. It is about 40 to 50% more transmissible and early data “suggested that increased illnesses and deaths may in fact be.”
Even with more than 52 million vaccines administered in the US, the country still sees nearly 100,000 cases a day – although infections, hospitalizations and deaths have been steadily declining since January peaks.
UK confirms vaccine reached (09:40 NY)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed that his government has achieved its goal of immunizing everyone over the age of 70, along with people living or working in nursing homes, health workers and those most vulnerable to Covid-19.
Johnson will announce his “roadmap” to gradually unlock the country in the coming months on February 22nd.
“In England, I can tell you that we have now offered jabs to everyone in the first four priority groups, the people who are probably seriously ill with the coronavirus, and to the first target we have set ourselves,” he said in a statement. video posted to his Twitter account.
Earlier on Sunday, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced that schools in England may reopen early next month.
Raab said on Sky that “we can bird confident that we will be able to begin the process of opening schools on the eighth. ”
US infection rate lowest since October (08:00 NY)
Confirmed new U.S. cases of Covid-19 dropped to about 84,000 on Saturday compared to an average of 97,240 for the seven days ending Friday – the country’s lowest week-to-week average since late October, according to data released by the Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. .
While testing nationwide declined slightly, the positive test rate dropped from more than 13% early this year to less than 6%, according to JHU data.
Nevertheless, the U.S. added 3,433 deaths on Saturday, compared to an average of 3,058 during the previous seven days. The latest death toll is likely to be inflated by revised numbers in Ohio after an earlier count.
Lebanon gives first vaccines (7 hours NY)
Lebanon administered its first shot of Covid-19 vaccine on Sunday, with an intensive care unit and a 93-year-old comedian receiving the first doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, the Associated Press reported.
The country began its vaccination campaign a day after receiving the first vaccine. The head of the intensive care unit at the country’s main hospital to fight the virus, Mahmoud Hassoun, was the first to receive the vaccine, while Salah Tizani, a famous Lebanese actor named Abu Salim, was the first among the elderly. . members of the public.
Denmark ready for regular testing, long-term border control (06:45 NY)
Denmark must be ready to handle Covid-19 for a long period of time, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in an interview with the newspaper Berlingske.
Frederiksen proposed a “massive testing strategy” to keep society open. This model requires Danes to get used to being tested several times a week.
She also referred to longer-term border control to prevent new mutations from spreading.
Sweden holds vaccination target at end of June (06:15 NY)
Sweden’s public health agency has maintained its goal of vaccinating everyone in the country through the Midsummer celebrations in June.
State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said in a Swedish public radio interview that reaching the target in May and June will be a tough race, and it depends a lot on the delivery of vaccines on time. Tegnell also said it would be difficult to see relaxed restrictions for large public gatherings before that time.
Hong Kong plans to launch vaccinations in March (06:00 NY)
Hong Kong could begin vaccinations for Covid-19 in early March if all goes according to plan, the city’s civil service secretary Patrick Nip said.
The first batch of vaccines from German firm BioNTech SE should arrive by the end of this month, Nip said, according to a transcript of his comments to government-provided reporters. Vaccinations will be administered by prior reservation, he said.
The government will offer the shots at community vaccination centers in 18 districts of Hong Kong, said Nip, who is in charge of Covid-19 vaccinations in the city.
Hong Kong has banned the use of vaccines introduced last month by BioNTech and Pfizer Inc. developed, approved. The city reported 12 new virus cases on Sunday.
Swiss Business Group calls for reopening of viruses (18:45 HK)
The influential Swiss business group Economiesuisse has called for the mitigation of some coronavirus restrictions starting in March, which is putting pressure on the Swiss government.
Economists and the Association of Swiss Employers said the Swiss federal government should reopen non-essential stores, allow outdoor gatherings of more than five people and that restaurants should serve outside next month. The mitigation of restrictions would reduce the damage to the Swiss economy, the groups in a statement Sunday.
Health Minister Alain Berset is expected to announce the government’s plan to reduce restrictions on February 24. The Swiss government closed restaurants, banned outdoor gatherings of more than five people, encouraged people to work from home and closed non-essential shops. to stop the spread of the virus.
Politicians from Swiss cantons, including Wales, Geneva, Zug and Friebourg, also called on the government to reopen non-essential shops in March, the newspaper SonntagsZeitung reported on Sunday.
Thailand finds South Africa variant (18:30 HK)
Thailand has detected the first case of the South African variant of the Covid-19 virus strain in a Thai citizen who returned to the country from Ethiopia to Tanzania, the Ministry of Health said on Sunday.
The official, a 41-year-old man, spent two months in Tanzania before returning to the country and is currently in a state quarantine, officials said at a briefing. Thailand on Sunday reported 166 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the country’s total tax to 24,571, according to the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration.
Serbia delivers vaccines to North Macedonia (17:00 HK)
A shortage of shots resulted in a former Yugoslav republic having to donate 4,680 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to another member of the former federation, in a typical case of Balkan solidarity.
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, has transferred the vaccines to the North MacedoniaPremier Zoran Zaev at the mutual border on Sunday, the first batch of 8,000 vaccines for the southern neighbor. Both countries are striving to join the European Union, but have not yet received any vaccines from the bloc.
Serbia has managed to buy more than 1.8 million shots directly from drugmakers, and has shared them with neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina and North. Macedonia.
Japan approves Pfizer vaccine (16:20 HK)
The Japanese government formally approved the Covid-19 vaccine through Pfizer Inc. approved. This is the first time that shots have been fired against the coronavirus, and Japan is expected to begin vaccinations this week.
The government has agreed to buy the vaccine from Pfizer for 72 million people this year, and the first group arrived on Friday. On Sunday, Tokyo reported 371 new cases of Covid-19, remaining below 500 cases eight consecutive days.
UK shutters who are skeptical are looking for restrictions at the end of April: Sky (15:55 HK)
A group of MPs excluded by the lock told British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that coronavirus restrictions in the country should be lifted completely by the end of April, Sky News reported. The Covid Recovery Group wrote to Johnson, saying there would be “no justification” for the restrictions to continue once all people over 50 have been vaccinated against the virus, according to Sky.
More than 60 backbencher conservatives have reportedly backed the letter, urging the prime minister to commit to a timetable for ending the closure, the news service said.
Auckland start three-day lockout (14:40 HK)
Auckland, the most populous city in New Zealand, will start with a rapid closure of three days from midnight after three people from the same household were diagnosed with the virus.
The alert level for the rest of New Zealand will rise to level 2, which requires social distance and indicates the risk of community transmission.
The source of the cases is not yet known, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a media conference late Sunday. The government has decided to take a “cautious approach that has served us so well in the past”, she said.
New Zealand was one of the most successful countries in the fight against the virus, and last year at one stage passed 100 days without a case, thanks to border closures and a strict nationwide lockdown.
Saudi Arabia expands curbs over eating, entertainment (13:15 HK)
Saudi Arabia has extended restrictions on events, entertainment and dining in restaurants and cafes by 20 days. The kingdom imposed the restrictions earlier this month, along with suspending the entry of foreigners from 20 countries. 337 new virus cases were reported on Saturday, as well as four deaths.
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