Coronavirus Global Updates, Feb 05:::: Russia-China Vaccine Partnership; India Covax Haul: Virus Update

Fri Feb 5 12:52:00 CAT 2021

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Coronavirus Global Updates, Feb 05:::: Russia-China Vaccine Partnership;
India Covax Haul: Virus Update

 <https://www.nicozdiamond.co.zw/> 

Zimbabwe COVID19 Update

COVID-19 update: As at 04 February 2021, Zimbabwe had 34 171 confirmed
cases, including 27 759 recoveries and 1 288 deaths.

Russia-China Vaccine Partnership; India Covax Haul: Virus Update

Russian Vaccine Team in Talks With China on Combination Trial 

Fresh off global validation of their Covid-19 vaccine's extraordinary
effectiveness, Russian developers are
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-05/russian-vaccine-team-in-
talks-with-china-on-combination-trial> in talks with China's CanSino
Biologics Inc. to test a combined regimen of their shots to better protect
against new virus strains, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund, a partner in the Sputnik V vaccine
program, forged a preliminary agreement with the Tianjin-based vaccine
developer and Petrovax Pharm Llc, owned by billionaire Vladimir Potanin, to
conduct tests in Russia, four people said, declining to be identified as the
information isn't public. Petrovax is Cansino's Russian partner.

Israel Extends Lockdown, Will Ease Some Restrictions From Sunday 

Israel's cabinet voted overnight to
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-05/israel-extends-lockdown-
will-ease-some-restrictions-from-sunday> extend the country's lockdown to
Sunday morning from Friday, and agreed to begin gradually reopening parts of
the economy next week.

Starting Feb. 7, restrictions on movement will be lifted while certain
businesses will be able to reopen. Ministers will meet Sunday to further
discuss the country's exit plan from its third lockdown.

Hungary's Most Vulnerable to Get Vaccine By Mid-March: Orban 

Hungary could gradually start its
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QO1MKWT0G1KZ> return to normality
as soon as this spring with inoculation of the most exposed groups taking
place by March 15, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday. While research
into Chinese shots is still ongoing, the use of Russia's Sputnik V could
potentially start next week, Orban told state radio station Kossuth in a
weekly interview. Besides joint European Union procurement of shots produced
by Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc., Hungary has approved AstraZeneca Plc's
vaccine, as well as ones from China and Russia.

Israel's Pioneering Covid Vaccination Program Offers Key Lessons 

Israel, with the highest proportion of citizens vaccinated against Covid-19
in the world, found it took three weeks for the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE shot
to start curbing new cases and hospitalizations.

Researchers in the Middle Eastern country reported
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-05/israel-s-pioneering-covi
d-vaccination-program-offers-key-lessons> preliminary observations Wednesday
from a national immunization program that began Dec. 20. Improvement in the
number of new cases and hospitalized patients occurred 21 days following the
vaccination campaign, the scientists said, noting that the real-life effect
of vaccines may take longer than what was demonstrated in clinical trials.

AstraZeneca Applies for Japan Vaccine Approval: Report 

AstraZeneca  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QO1ML9DWX2Q3> applied
to Japan's health ministry Friday for approval for its Covid-19 vaccine,
Nikkei reported, without attribution. The company still needs to submit
clinical data in March, the report said.

French, German Leaders Comment on Lockdowns 

French Prime Minister Jean Castex said it's not possible to ease Covid-19
restrictions yet, but the situation
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-04/france-says-new-lockdown
-not-justified-at-the-moment> doesn't justify imposing a fresh lockdown.

"We have kept the epidemic under control while preserving the economic and
social life of our country as much as possible," Castex said Thursday in a
weekly news conference to update the nation on the health situation and
examine whether current measures are effective.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview with RTL
Media Group it's still too soon to ease the lockdown in Europe's largest
economy, even as the pandemic shows signs of ebbing. She'll meet regional
German leaders next week to discuss whether to continue current
restrictions, which include shuttered bars, restaurants and most retailers,
beyond Feb. 14.

Lancet Study Recommends Weekly Testing in U.S. 

Until vaccines are widely available, weekly Covid-19 testing plus a two-week
isolation period for positive cases may be the most cost-effective strategy
to tackle the spread of the virus in the U.S. when transmission is high, a
<https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(21)00002-5/
fulltext?utm_campaign=tlcoronavirus21&utm_content=153377515&utm_medium=socia
l&utm_source=twitter&hss_channel=tw-27013292> study by The Lancet found.

Even monthly testing across the U.S., requiring 12 million tests a day,
would be more cost-effective than the current approach of testing only
people with symptoms and their close contacts, the medical journal said.

Von der Leyen Acknowledges Vaccine-Strategy Flaw 

Ursula von der Leyen said she underestimated the complications that can
arise in the production of coronavirus vaccines, Sueddeutsche Zeitung
reported, citing an interview with the European Commission president.

"We focused very much on the development of a vaccine," she said. "In
retrospect, we should have thought more about the challenges of mass
production in parallel."

Celltrion Treatment Gets Conditional Approval in Korea 

South Korea's drug safety ministry
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QO1I7OT1UM1G> approved Celltrion's
Covid-19 treatment for high-risk patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms.
The approval is under the condition that Celltrion submits results of its
Phase 3 clinical trial.

Pfizer Withdraws Emergency Use Request in India: Report 

Pfizer has  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QO1IRCDWLU6E> withdrawn
an application for emergency-use authorization of its Covid-19 vaccine in
India, Reuters reporter Krishna Das tweeted, citing an unidentified
spokeswoman. Pfizer reportedly made the decision after understanding what
additional information India's regulator requires.

Philippines to Require Masks in All Vehicles 

The Philippines will make it mandatory to wear masks inside all vehicles,
even for passengers from the same household, the Transport and Health
Departments said in a statement. Only drivers traveling alone may remove
masks, while violators face fines, according to the statement.

Brazil in Talks for 20 Million More Sinovac Shots: Reuters 

Brazil in talks to buy
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QO1I8ODWX2PT> 20 million more doses
of the Sinovac Biotech coronavirus vaccine, Reuters reported, citing an
interview with Sao Paulo governor Joao Doria. The order will be on top of
100 million vaccine doses secured by Butantan biomedical institute, Doria
said.

Valneva Eyes Head-to-Head Advanced Trial For Vaccine 

Valneva SE is looking at running a
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-05/valneva-eyes-head-to-hea
d-advanced-trial-for-covid-19-vaccine> head-to-head trial with an approved
Covid-19 vaccine for advanced tests of its own shot in the U.K., where the
rapid rollout of immunizations could make it hard to conduct a conventional
study using a placebo.

The French pharmaceutical company is in discussions with regulators about
whether volunteers in the control arm of the trial, planned to start in
April, could be given a coronavirus shot that has already been authorized,
Chief Executive Officer Thomas Lingelbach said. The company is planning to
enroll about 4,000 people in its late-stage trials in the U.K. and aims for
approval in the last quarter of 2021.

U.K. Variant Found in Melbourne Before Australian Open 

More than 500 members of the Australian Open tennis cohort received negative
Covid-19 test results Friday after a quarantine hotel worker
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-05/u-k-variant-found-in-mel
bourne-case-as-tennis-players-cleared> contracted the virus. Host city
Melbourne had all but eliminated the virus until a local case of the B.1.1.7
variant was detected in a worker at a hotel where players quarantined.

The isolation for more than 24 hours of players, officials and support staff
who were staying at the Grand Hyatt added to already disrupted preparation
for the tournament, which begins Feb. 8.

AMLO Says in Good Health While Recovering From Covid 

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said a Covid antigen test he
took returned a  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QO1CSRT0G1L4>
negative result. AMLO, as the president is commonly known, posted a video
online saying he's in good health as he
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-30/mexico-s-amlo-says-criti
cal-stage-of-his-covid-has-passed> recovers from Covid-19.

India Gets Lion's Share of Covax Shots Despite Tepid Demand 

India is set to receive the
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-05/india-gets-lion-s-share-
of-covax-shots-despite-tepid-demand> largest numberof Covid-19 vaccine doses
-- 97.2 million shots -- in the first tranche of distribution from the World
Health Organization's Covax initiative, despite the fact that supply in the
country currently appears to outstrip demand.

The Covax initiative, aimed at creating equitable global access to Covid
vaccines especially for developing countries, is planning to distribute
337.2 million doses at the end of this month, the first delivery of some 2
billion shots it's ordered so far.

According to an interim
<https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/act-accelerator/covax/
covax-interim-distribution-forecast.pdf?sfvrsn=7889475d_5> distribution
forecast published Wednesday, the second-biggest tranche of 17.2 million
shots will go to Pakistan, followed by 16 million doses to Nigeria and 13.7
million to Indonesia. North Korea will receive 2 million shots.

The large allocation to India is likely to raise eyebrows given that the
country currently seems to have plenty of shots, but few takers. Only around
half of those eligible to get vaccinated in its inoculation drive have come
forward, and local media reports say that India producer Serum Institute of
India is
<https://thewire.in/government/vaccination-drive-covishield-serum-institute-
stockpile-lying-idle-government-procurement-pushing-covaxin> sitting on over
55 million doses and has temporarily halted production.

Post-Coup Myanmar Kicks Off Vaccination Drive 

Myanmar is set to kick off vaccination for the general public Friday,
starting with townships with the highest number of infections and mortality
rate, according to Khin Khin Gyi, director of emerging infectious disease at
the Ministry of Health and Sports. The initial phase will prioritize those
65 and above.

Myanmar's military, which seized power in a coup earlier this week, has
vowed to inoculate 38.4 million people 18 and older by the end of this year.
The administration expects the first batch of 30 million doses of
AstraZeneca vaccine ordered from the Serum Institute of India to arrive next
week and 27 million doses from the Covax facility from March.

Tokyo Survey Shows 0.91% Have Covid Antibodies 

A  <https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000734482.pdf> survey conducted by
Japan's Health Ministry in December found 0.91% of people in Tokyo have
Covid-19 antibodies, up from 0.1% in a June tally. The survey showed a rate
of 0.58% in Osaka and 0.54% in Aichi prefecture.

House Dems to Meet Biden After Senate Move on Stimulus 

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other U.S. House of Representatives leaders will
meet with President Joe Biden on Friday after the Senate backed by 99-1 a
non-binding call to
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-04/romney-proposes-expandin
g-child-tax-credit-stimulus-update> oppose stimulus checks going to
"upper-income taxpayers" -- part of the complex process of preparing Biden's
$1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief plan for passage through Congress.

The amendment to the fiscal 2021 budget resolution doesn't define the income
cutoff for stimulus checks, but serves as a test vote for senators to gauge
support on tightening the requirements.

FDA Limits Emergency Use Authorization for Plasma 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration revised its Emergency Use
Authorization for convalescent plasma, limiting its use to hospitalized
patients early in the disease. The convalescent plasma used must contain
high levels of antibodies.

The EUA was updated based on data from more recent clinical trials since the
original order was issued in August, the agency said in a statement. The
original authorization produced an embarrassing episode for then-FDA
Commissioner Stephen Hahn, who had to walk back comments he made
exaggerating the benefit of convalescent plasma. Plasma with low levels of
antibodies has not been shown to be helpful in treating Covid-19 and is no
longer authorized for use in treatment, the FDA said.

Canada Extends Cruise-Ship Ban to February 2022 

Canada extended its
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-05/canada-says-no-cruises-u
ntil-2022-shutting-down-alaska-trips> ban on cruise ships through February
2022 because of Covid-19, effectively shutting down popular summer trips to
Alaska for another year. The prohibition will allow authorities to focus on
vaccine rollout and limit the spread of new variants, the government said in
a statement.

The decision is a setback for an industry trying to get back in business
after being in dry dock for almost a year. While Alaska is one of the
industry's top destinations, the ban will also affect New England cruises
that travel north to Montreal and other stops.

China Gets Northern Outbreak Under Control 

China appears to have controlled a virus resurgence in its northern regions,
with new local cases reported at just six Friday, from 135 on Jan. 14.
Overall, China's winter wave -- concentrated in the provinces of
Heilongjiang, Jilin and Hebei -- numbers more than 2,000 infections.

While there were concerns that infections would seep into the Beijing ahead
of Lunar New Year and national political meetings scheduled for March, the
capital has recorded only 44 cases so far. Still, officials remain on high
alert and have discouraged travel during the Lunar New Year holiday that
starts Feb. 11, while tightening restrictions on people entering Beijing.

U.K. to Start Mandatory Quarantine for Travelers Feb. 15 

The U.K. will require travelers from coronavirus hot spots to quarantine
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-04/u-k-seeks-advice-from-au
stralia-on-how-to-quarantine-travelers> starting Feb. 15, the government
said, adding flesh to a policy first announced last month.

Arrivals from countries on the U.K.'s travel ban list will be required to
isolate for 10 days in government-approved accommodation, the Department for
Health and Social Care said Thursday. The government is seeking bids from
hotels near airports and ports to support the program.

FDA Says Variants Won't Mean Back to Square One 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working with industry to ensure
that updated vaccines for Covid-19 variants are deployed as quickly as
possible, Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock said. The option of
"streamlined" clinical trials for altered vaccines is under discussion, she
said.

"We do not believe there will be the need to start at square one with any of
these products," Woodcock said. "We do not want to create obstacles to
getting these tools to the frontlines."

The FDA is building on experience with vaccines for other evolving
infections diseases, such as the flu, she said.

J&J Seeks Emergency Vaccine Clearance in U.S. 

Johnson & Johnson asked U.S. drug regulators to clear its experimental
Covid-19 vaccine for
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-04/j-j-seeks-emergency-clea
rance-for-covid-19-vaccine-in-u-s> emergency use, setting up what's likely
to be a fast-moving review process that could lead to millions more doses
becoming available for the immunization drive within weeks.

The drugmaker said Thursday it had filed an application for emergency-use
authorization with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The shot would
give the U.S. a third vaccine to try to halt a pandemic that has killed more
than 450,000 Americans.

The agency scheduled a Feb. 26 meeting where outside advisers will consider
the request and make a recommendation about whether to grant it. While their
decision isn't binding, it would be unusual for the FDA to reject the
experts' advice.

INVESTORS DIARY 2021

Company

Event

Venue

Date & Time

Companies under Cautionary

ART

PPC

Dairibord

Starafrica

Fidelity

Turnall

Medtech

Zimre

Nampak Zimbabwe

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been compiled from sources believed to be reliable, but no representation or
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