Coronavirus Global Updates, Feb 20 :::: Ireland Reports First Cases of Brazil Variant and Sticky German Incidence Rate Creeps Up

Sat Feb 20 13:46:10 CAT 2021

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Coronavirus Global Updates, Feb 20 :::: Ireland Reports First Cases of
Brazil Variant and Sticky German Incidence Rate Creeps Up 

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

Zimbabwe COVID19 Update

COVID-19 update: As at 19 February 2021, Zimbabwe had 35 710 confirmed
cases, including 31 972 recoveries and 1 430 deaths.

Russia Has Third Vaccine; German Incidence Rate Up: Virus Update

We're tracking the latest on the coronavirus outbreak and the global
response.
<http://link.mail.bloombergbusiness.com/join/4wm/coronavirus-signup?source=a
rticle> Sign up here for our daily newsletter on what you need to know.

Russia became the first country with three approved Covid-19 vaccines as it
registered an inoculation by the state-run Chumakov Center, even as Phase 3
safety trials won't begin until March.

Germany's incidence rate inched up again on Saturday, bringing a steady
decline since before Christmas to a halt. Mexico, which has the world's
third-highest Covid-19 death toll, expects 10 million vaccine doses from
China's  <https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/SVA:US> Sinovac Biotech Ltd. by
the end of May.

Group of Seven industrialized nations
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-19/g-7-pledges-continued-fi
scal-support-for-economies> pledged to sustain government spending to help
economies recover from the pandemic. The group is also giving a
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-18/johnson-plans-to-donate-
surplus-u-k-vaccines-to-poorer-nations> major boost to Covax, the global
initiative to fund vaccinations in poorer countries.

Russia Gets Third Vaccine 
The first 120,000 doses of KoviVac will be available next month, Prime
Minister Mikhail Mishustin said in a televised meeting with officials on
Saturday.

As many as 20 million doses will be made this year, Chumakov's director
general, Aydar Ishmukhametov, said.

As many as 3.2 million Russians have received a first dose of vaccine, the
RBC news website reported Saturday, citing regional health data.

Hungary Becomes First in EU to Authorize Sinopharm Covid Vaccine 
Hungary became the first European Union nation to grant approval for the use
of a Chinese Covid-19 vaccine amid efforts by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's
government to cut short what authorities described as the start of a third
wave of the pandemic.

The nation's drugs regulator published the documentation for the Sinopharm
vaccine late Friday, clearing the way for authorities to start administering
it from next week.

Sticky German Incidence Rate Creeps Up 
Germany's seven-day Covid-19 incidence rate per 100,000 people inched up
again Saturday in the latest evidence that a steady decline since a peak
before Christmas has ground to a halt.

The rate rose to 57.8, from 56.8 on Friday, according to the RKI
public-health institute, and has been stuck at around that level for a week
after falling from close to 200 on Dec. 22. The government has said a rate
of 50 or below is manageable and may allow a cautious easing of lockdown
restrictions including shuttered schools and non-essential stores.

Indonesia Extends Movement curbs 
Indonesia extended movement curbs in several areas after signs that the
measures helped contain the coronavirus outbreak.

The restrictions are  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QOT5ZGDWX2PV>
extended until March 8 in dozens of cities and regencies across Java and
Bali, said Airlangga Hartarto, coordinating minister for economic affairs.
People can't leave affected areas after 8 p.m., offices and restaurants are
limited to a maximum of 50% capacity and schools will continue to hold
online classes.

Mexico Expects Sinovac Vaccines 
Mexico expects to receive 200,000 Sinovac vaccinations on Feb. 20, another
800,000 on Feb. 28, and 3 million in March, April and May for a total of 10
million doses,  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QOSZE0DWRGGP> said
Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell.

Mexico on Friday reported a daily rise of 857 Covid-19 deaths, bringing the
total to 178,965.

AstraZeneca to Make Doses in Japan: Report 
AstraZeneca Plc plans to produce vaccines in Japan and will begin local
distribution as soon as it receives government approval, national
broadcaster NHK
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-20/astrazeneca-to-produce-c
ovid-19-vaccines-in-japan-nhk-reports> reported, citing an interview with an
official at the drugmaker's Japan unit.

The Japanese government signed a contract with the company to procure enough
vaccines for 60 million people, NHK said. AstraZeneca applied to the health
ministry for vaccine approval earlier this month, the Nikkei reported.

Argentina Minister in Vaccine Scandal 
Argentine President Alberto Fernandez told Health Minister Gines Gonzalez
Garcia to  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QOSMW0DWRGG0> step down
after a veteran journalist revealed he received a Covid-19 vaccine ahead of
schedule by personally asking the minister for help. Carla Vizzotti,
currently secretary of health access, will
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QOT0PVDWX2PT> replace Gonzalez.

Reporter Horacio Verbitsky told a radio station he'd received a vaccine at
the health ministry following a personal request to Gonzalez. Local
newspaper Clarin reported that other government allies had also received a
vaccine ahead of schedule.

Australia to Roll Out Vaccines Monday 
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said authorities will start giving
vaccinations from next week.

"We're ready to go," Morrison
<https://www.facebook.com/scottmorrison4cook/posts/3995716987139341> posted
on Facebook early Saturday. "Our vaccine program is on track and the rollout
starts Monday."

Ireland Reports First Cases of Brazil Variant 
Irish authorities identified the so-called Brazilian variant in the country
for the first time, the latest strain to appear there. The three cases of
the P1 variant that have been found were all associated with travel, the
health ministry said in a statement.

The B.1.1.7 strain, which is often referred to as the U.K. variant, accounts
for about 90% of cases in Ireland now, and authorities believe its increased
transmissibility is contributing to a slowing reduction in case numbers.

Biden Blames Trump Over Vaccines 
President Joe Biden on Friday
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-19/biden-to-visit-pfizer-va
ccine-plant-as-u-s-shots-accelerate> slammed Donald Trump for failing to
secure enough Covid-19 shots as he toured a Michigan facility where Pfizer
Inc. is manufacturing its vaccine.

"My predecessor -- as my mother would say, God love him -- failed to order
enough vaccines," Biden said, repeating criticism he's repeatedly made of
his predecessor. "Failed to mobilize the effort to administer the shots.
Failed to set up vaccine centers."

In remarks delivered at the facility, Biden sought to reassure the public
that the shots are safe.

Dutch Curfew Is Backed by Lawmakers 
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte won parliamentary backing for a
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-19/disputed-dutch-curfew-is
-backed-by-lawmakers-in-win-for-premier> contested nighttime curfew to
contain the coronavirus, capping a roller-coaster week that tested his
popularity less than a month before a general election.

The legislation passed by the Senate late Friday in The Hague means the
nighttime curfew, which began on Jan. 23 and triggered riots in Dutch
cities, can stay in place through early March.

Pfizer Head Says It Will Double Output 
Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said Friday that the company
will
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-19/pfizer-to-expand-product
ion-capacity-suppliers-for-covid-doses> expand manufacturing and work with
new suppliers to ramp up production of the Covid-19 vaccine it developed
with BioNTech SE.

Appearing at a Pfizer plant in Michigan with President Joe Biden, Bourla
said the company will employ additional capacity at its Kalamazoo site to
produce the shot's formulation as well as a component of the vaccine, known
as lipids, which help deliver the genetic material into the body. The drug
giant also will increase lipid production capabilities at its plant in
Groton, Connecticut, and add on so-called fill-finish capacity at its site
in McPherson, Kansas.

He said he expects the number of doses, which average 5 million a week, "to
more than double."

Texas Blackouts Lead to a Record Vaccination Drop 
Winter weather and power outages had a chilling effect on Texas's
vaccination effort, one large enough to drag down inoculation trends
nationwide.

On Thursday alone, the state administered 118,417 fewer doses than on the
same day a week earlier, according to the
<https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distributio
n/> Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. The seven-day average plummeted 31% in the
past week to 89,324, the sharpest drop of the pandemic, the data show. At
its Feb. 12 peak, Texas was giving an average 134,688 doses a day.

Toronto Lockdown Extended 
Ontario's government has
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-19/no-reprieve-for-canada-s
-financial-capital-as-lockdown-extended> scrapped plans to allow more
businesses to reopen in Toronto after city officials warned it would be a
deadly mistake.

Stay-at-home orders will remain in place until at least March 8 in Canada's
largest city and financial center, as well as two other regions of the
province. Toronto had been expected to return to less-stringent measures on
Feb. 22, allowing for limited opening of some retail businesses that have
been closed to in-person activity since November.

G-7 Leaders to Help Fund Vaccine Access 
Leaders from the U.S., Germany, the European Commission, Japan, and Canada
have committed $4.3 billion in new investments to fund the development and
equitable rollout of coronavirus tests, treatments and vaccines needed to
end the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a WHO statement.

Idaho Reports Case of South African Variant 
Idaho health authorities confirmed the state's first known infection with
the B.1.351 variant of SARS-CoV-2 discovered in South Africa. The patient,
an adult male who resides in southwest part of the state, traveled abroad
and "is thought to have been exposed before returning to Idaho," according
to the state's Department of Health and Welfare.

Including the Idaho case, the variant has now been found in at least 11 U.S.
states and in 22 people, according to
<https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant-cases.html>
data from the CDC. The strain is considered more transmissible, and existing
vaccines have shown a reduced efficacy against them.

U.S. Has Backlog of 6 Million Doses Amid Winter Storms 
Snow and freezing temperatures have led to a
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-19/u-s-has-backlog-of-6-mil
lion-vaccine-doses-amid-winter-storms> backlog of 6 million Covid-19 vaccine
doses in the U.S. after a three-day delay in shipping, Andy Slavitt, a
senior White House adviser on the virus, said Friday at a Covid-19 task
force briefing.

There are 2,000 vaccination sites in places without power and the U.S. is
holding doses initially bound for those sites until power is restored,
Slavitt said. The weather has kept delivery workers home and closed roads
across the U.S. as Texas and the East Coast experienced snow and ice.
Slavitt said he expects the backlogged doses to be delivered next week at
the latest.

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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Faith Capital (Pvt) Ltd for general information purposes only and does not
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been compiled from sources believed to be reliable, but no representation or
warranty is made or guarantee given as to its accuracy or completeness. All
opinions expressed and recommendations made are subject to change without
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suitable for all investors. Securities of emerging and mid-size growth
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