Coronavirus Global Updates, Jan 05: More Than One Million Russians Vaccinated

Tue Jan 5 13:03:24 CAT 2021

Zimbabwe COVID19 Update

COVID-19 update: As at 04 January 2021, Zimbabwe had 15 829 confirmed cases, including 11 716 recoveries and 384 deaths. 

More Than One Million Russians Vaccinated 
More than a million Russians have been vaccinated with the homegrown Sputnik V Covid-19 shot, RIA Novosti newswire reported, citing Alexander Gintsburg, head of Russia’s Gamaleya research center for epidemiology and microbiology. About 100,000 doses of the vaccine are being shipped daily to clinics, and no negative side effects have so far been recorded, RIA said, citing Gintsburg.

U.K. Boosts Grants for Businesses 
U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak rolled out 4.6 billion pounds ($6.2 billion) of new support to help businesses forced to close during the pandemic.

Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will be entitled to one-off top up grants of as much as 9,000 pounds to tide them over until the spring, the Treasury said in a statement Tuesday. That’s on top of existing grants of as much as 3,000 pounds per month for companies required to shut their doors because of coronavirus restrictions.

The additional aid comes after business groups demanded more support in the wake of new restrictions announced by Johnson. It adds to the 280 billion pounds it has cost the government so far to tackle the virus and support firms and workers through the pandemic.

Hungary Deaths Pass 10,000 
Hungary’s coronavirus  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-05/hungary-s-covid-19-deaths-pass-10-000-in-challenge-to-orban> death toll surpassed 10,000 after fatalities spiraled during the pandemic’s latest surge, posing a challenge for Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s quest to clinch a fifth term in elections next year.

The eastern European country registered 103 deaths on Monday, taking overall Covid-19 related fatalities to 10,080, according to government data published on Tuesday. Deaths rose following a summer lull as Orban delayed tough virus curbs despite warnings from doctors.

Indonesia’s President to Be Vaccinated 
President Joko Widodo is set to be vaccinated against the coronavirus on Jan. 13, kicking off Indonesia’s inoculation program.

Jokowi, as he’s commonly known, will receive the shot along with public and army representatives as a way to build confidence in the vaccines, said Heru Budi Hartono, head of the presidential secretariat. The event will be televised, he added.

Switzerland May Extend Restrictions 
Switzerland may extend the closure of bars and restaurants until the end of February from Jan. 22, Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger reported. The nation’s Federal Council is due to decide on the measures at a meeting tomorrow, while existing restrictions such as the closure of gyms and museums may also be extended, the paper said.

Germany Seen Lengthening Curbs 
Germany is poised to extend its lockdown beyond Jan. 10 as Chancellor Angela Merkel discusses the curbs with regional officials on Tuesday. Europe’s biggest economy added 12,320 new infections in the 24 hours through Tuesday morning, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. It recorded an additional 957 deaths.

Tokyo’s ‘Serious Cases’ at Record 
Tokyo confirmed 1,278 new virus cases Tuesday, the second-highest on record, as the government prepares to declare a state of emergency for the city and its neighboring prefectures following a meeting by a committee of virus experts. The capital’s total serious cases rose to 111, the highest ever, taking up half the available beds.

Singapore Travel Talks; Thai Spread 
Singapore is in negotiations to establish potential travel lanes with Vietnam, Thailand and France, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing wrote in reply to a parliamentary question.

Separately, Thailand will curb travel between regions seen at higher risk from a new wave of coronavirus infections and will extend a nationwide state of emergency to contain the virus spread till the end of February.

Thailand reported 527 new virus cases on Tuesday, taking its total to 8,966. A majority of the new cases in recent weeks were tied to a seafood market in Samut Sakhon province near Bangkok and local transmissions have now been reported from 56 provinces, an official said.

Qantas Expands Ticket Sales 
Qantas Airways has started taking bookings for international flights from July 1. Ticket sales for Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, which had been set to start in March, have been pushed back to July, while other destinations like London have been brought forward from October, Australia’s national carrier said. New Zealand is the only overseas destination to which Qantas is currently flying.

South Korea Says Virus Has Peaked
South Korean President Moon Jae-in says the spread of coronavirus is being slowly contained after reaching a peak, considering the reproduction rate is falling.

Earlier, the country reported 715 new cases over the past 24 hours versus 1,020 the previous day, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s website. Total deaths passed the 1,000 mark, reaching 1,007.

U.S. Says Too Early for Dose Changes 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration delivered a clear rebuke to health officials attempting to alter the timing and dosage of Covid-19 vaccines.

The agency, in a statement late Monday, urged that vaccines be given according to how the FDA has authorized them after a key U.S. official proposed cutting dosage levels for Moderna Inc.’s shot as a way to immunize more people. Governments and health officials have also considered extending the length of time between doses or mixing and matching vaccines.

Australia Tests in the Outback 
Australian authorities appear to be on top of controlling virus clusters in its two-most populous states, for now. New South Wales on Tuesday recorded four new locally acquired cases from the day before, while Victoria had three.

Still, New South Wales authorities are concerned after an 18-year-old Sydney man tested positive after traveling to Outback areas including Broken Hill for a camping trip. Testing clinics are being set up in the remote towns he visited.

Minnesota to Relax Restrictions 
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will announce a loosening of virus restrictions on indoor dining and other settings Wednesday, according to a report from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that cited the governor’s spokesman. The statement cited an improvement in case numbers “following the pause on activities around the holidays.”

Duterte Warns on Vaccine Probe
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he will not allow members of his security team to face a congressional probe for their use of an unauthorized vaccine, warning legislators of a “crisis” if they push through with an investigation.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque earlier in the day said his agency will investigate how unauthorized Covid-19 vaccines were given to Duterte’s security team and reportedly to thousands of Chinese workers. Duque was reacting to a media report that around 100,000 Chinese nationals working in the Philippines have been vaccinated as early as November even as regulators have yet to approve any vaccines for use in the Philippines.

Texas Sees Surge in Hospitalizations 
Coronavirus hospitalizations in Texas climbed to 20% of capacity on Monday as 12,961 Texans, another record, sought medical care.

Eighteen of the state’s 22 trauma-service areas reported hospital occupancy rates of more than 15%, a threshold set by Governor Greg Abbott for potentially imposing more lockdown measures. Seven of the areas are reporting fewer than 10 available intensive-care beds, with two saying they have none left.

Monday saw 15,978 new virus cases, short of last week’s record of more than 26,000.

New York has case of virus variant 
New York State has found its first case of the U.K. variant of coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. A man in his 60s who lives in Saratoga County in upstate New York tested positive for the B117 variant, Cuomo said. The man had not traveled recently, which suggests it was the result of community spread, Cuomo said on a conference call.

Johnson Hits England With Full Lockdown 
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a third coronavirus lockdown across England, shutting schools and ordering the public to stay at home, amid warnings that the National Health Service is being pushed to the breaking point.

The full emergency lockdown will start immediately and last until at least Feb. 15, potentially devastating retail and hospitality businesses and threatening to push the economy into a double-dip recession, as medics try to get a grip on the pandemic.

Moderna Lifts Vaccine Output Outlook 20% 
Moderna Inc. said it will make at least 600 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine in 2021, with a goal of finishing the year with as many as 1 billion doses produced. The shares rose.

The announcement increased the bottom end of the company’s production forecast by 100 million doses. Moderna is “continuing to invest and add staff” to produce the two-shot vaccine, according to a statement by the Cambridge, Massachusetts biotech company on Monday.

Ireland to Suspend Some Hospital Services 
Ireland will start suspending non-essential hospital services, in an effort to preserve capacity to handle surging coronavirus cases. The country reported a record 6,110 new cases Monday, with six deaths.

“This is a really serious situation that demands immediate action,” Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan told reporters in Dublin.

People with flu-like symptoms should now assume they have Covid-19, he said, while the positivity rate is now at about 20%. The government may delay reopening schools until the end of January, state broadcaster RTE reported. Schools are due to open on Jan. 11.

NYC Ramps Up Vaccination Program 
New York City aims to materially speed up the pace of Covid-19 vaccinations, expanding the groups of people it gives the shots to beyond health-care workers to include educators and first responders in the next few weeks, Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a briefing Monday.

De Blasio said he expects the city to administer 400,000 vaccinations a week at 250 sites by the end of January. The city has only administered around 100,000 doses since it began vaccinating residents about three weeks ago.

The city will also make new groups eligible beginning Jan. 11, including home-care workers, hospice employees and more nursing home staff.

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