Coronavirus Global Updates, Mar 23 :::: Thailand Cases Jump , Hungary Runs Out of Doctors and Astra Data Concern

Tue Mar 23 12:03:09 CAT 2021

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Coronavirus Global Updates, Mar 23 :::: Thailand Cases Jump , Hungary Runs Out of Doctors and Astra Data Concern

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Zimbabwe COVID19 Update

COVID-19 update: As at 22 March 2021, Zimbabwe had 36 684 confirmed cases, including 34 315 recoveries and 1 514 deaths. To date, a total of 43 294 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19. 

Hungary Runs Out of Doctors; Astra Data Concern: Virus Update

Germany will  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-22/merkel-agrees-lockdown-extension-in-pandemic-setback-for-germany> impose a drastic five-day lockdown over the Easter break to try to reverse a wave of Covid-19 infections. Chancellor Angela Merkel said the European Union shouldn’t impose a general vaccine export ban, while London and Brussels  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-22/eu-seeks-to-break-deadlock-with-u-k-over-astrazeneca-vaccines> edged toward breaking their deadlock over AstraZeneca Plc’s shots.

Meanwhile, the leading U.S. agency on infectious diseases said Astra may have released  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-23/astra-may-have-given-outdated-details-on-vaccine-says-u-s-body> outdated information about its vaccine trial, dealing a potential setback to a shot that has faced questions over its safety and effectiveness.

Progress in fighting the pandemic is showing signs of stalling. While fatalities in the U.S. and U.K. ease, places like India and eastern Europe are seeing a resurgence. Hungary has  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/QQEWA5T0AFBG> run out of doctors and nurses to deal with Covid-19 patients, forcing hospitals to put out a call for untrained volunteers. Brazil continues to be a hot spot, with cases topping 12 million.

Hong Kong Dashes Hopes for Looser Rules 
Hong Kong’s government has  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-23/hong-kong-dashes-business-leaders-hopes-for-looser-covid-rules> dashed business leaders’ hopes for a near-term easing of the city’s quarantine measures, signaling in a private meeting that any relaxation would require a dramatically higher vaccination rate and prolonged drop in local cases.

Hungary’s Doctors Plead for Tougher Curbs 
Hungary has run out of doctors and nurses to deal with Covid-19 patients, forcing hospitals to put out a call for volunteers without any medical training. The country reported a record 252 daily coronavirus deaths, with doctors urging the government to implement tougher curbs.

Ukraine also reported a record 333 new Covid fatalities.

Cheap Steroid Drug Saves 1 Million Lives 
The steroid medicine dexamethasone has saved as many as 1 million lives globally as doctors prescribed it for coronavirus patients struggling for oxygen, according to new data from NHS England.

Researchers at the University of Oxford first showed that the drug cut the risk of death in June, prompting a change in clinical practice worldwide for severely ill patients. The medicine, a cheap product used for decades to treat allergies and skin conditions, has saved an estimated 22,000 lives in the U.K. alone, the NHS said  <https://www.england.nhs.uk/2021/03/covid-treatment-developed-in-the-nhs-saves-a-million-lives/> in a paper looking at how the health service responded to the pandemic.

U.K. Unemployment Up Less Than Expected 
U.K.  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-23/u-k-unemployment-rose-less-than-expected-in-january-lockdown> unemployment rose less than expected during a national lockdown to control the coronavirus as a government furlough program preserved jobs. The number of people looking for work rose 11,000 to 1.7 million, taking the jobless rate to 5%, the Office for National Statistics said. Economists expected the rate to rise to 5.2%.

Regeneron Cocktail Cuts Hospitalizations 70% 
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-23/regeneron-antibody-cocktail-lowers-hospitalization-rate-by-70> said it would apply for U.S. authorization for a lower dose of its Covid-19 antibody cocktail, after data from a final-stage trial showed early use of the drug reduced hospitalizations and deaths by 70%.

Malaysia, Singapore Vaccine Certification
Malaysia and Singapore are  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-23/malaysia-singapore-working-on-reciprocal-vaccine-certification> working toward reciprocal vaccination certification as the Southeast Asian neighbors plan to restore cross-border travel. Operational details, including the application process involved for entry and exit between the two nations will be discussed further.

Covid Patients Should Postpone Surgery: Study 
Surgery should be delayed seven weeks for people who test positive for Covid-19 to reduce the risk of dying, according to the COVIDSurg Collaborative, an international group of 15,000 surgeons reviewing the likelihood of complications from elective surgery in coronavirus cases. Using data from 140,727 patients in 1,674 hospitals across 116 countries, the group found patients are more than 2.5 times more likely to die after surgery if the operation was performed within six weeks of a SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis.

Astra Data May Be Outdated: U.S. Agency 
AstraZeneca may have released  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-23/astra-may-have-given-outdated-details-on-vaccine-says-u-s-body> outdated information about its Covid-19 vaccine trial, giving an “incomplete” view of the efficacy of the shot, the leading U.S. agency on infectious diseases said.

The Data and Safety Monitoring Board expressed concerns to the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases about the information released about the testing results.

“We urge the company to work with the DSMB to review the efficacy data and ensure the most accurate, up-to-date efficacy data be made public as quickly as possible,” said the group, which is headed by Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official.

Thailand Cases Jump 
Thailand reported 401 new cases on Tuesday, the highest daily increase since Feb. 6, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Philippines Eyes J&J, Russian Vaccines 
The Philippines may sign a supply deal this week with Johnson & Johnson, from which the nation plans to buy 5 million doses, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said Monday night. Talks with Russia’s Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology will also start this week for the supply of as many as 15 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine.

Merkel Agrees Radical Easter Lockdown 
Chancellor Merkel and regional leaders agreed to put Germany into hard lockdown over Easter to try to reverse a “third wave” of infections fueled by faster-spreading mutations.

Under the radical plan, all stores will be shuttered from April 1 for five days, except for food stores which will open on April 3, Merkel said after a video call with the country’s 16 state premiers that lasted more than 11 hours. Citizens will be encouraged to remain at home, and private gatherings limited to one other household and a maximum of five people.

“We are now in a very, very serious situation,” Merkel said at a news conference that started just after 2:30 a.m. in Berlin. “The case numbers are rising exponentially and intensive-care beds are filling up again,” she said, adding that the number of infections must come down to allow the country’s vaccination campaign to start taking effect.

Separately, Merkel said the EU shouldn’t impose a general vaccine export ban. “We must be very careful with general export bans at this stage,” she said. “Instead we will have to look very closely at supply chains.”

Indonesia to Reopen Batam to Foreign Tourists 
Indonesia has added Batam and Bintan to a travel corridor arrangement with Singapore that would see foreign visitors back in the resort islands for the first time since the pandemic began last year, according to Indonesian Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno. Tourism sites in Nongsa in Batam and Lagoi in Bintan will be reopened on April 21, under very strict health protocols, Uno said in a March 20 statement on the ministry’s website.

Sinovac to Produce 2 Billion Vaccine Doses 
Sinovac Biotech Ltd. will be able to produce 2 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses annually soon, Chief Executive Officer Yin Weidong told a forum on Monday. The company has supplied 160 million shots globally so far, he said.

Sinovac’s vaccine produces higher levels of Covid-19 antibodies in children and adolescents compared to adults, Zeng Gang, the company’s medical director, said at the forum.

South Korean President Gets Vaccine 
South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in got inoculated with an AstraZeneca dose Tuesday, becoming the latest Asian leader to cast a vote of confidence in the vaccine.

Moon was vaccinated along with his spouse and nine other top Blue House officials, including National Security Advisor Suh Hoon and spokesman Kang Min-seok, in preparation for attending the G7 summit in the U.K. in June, the presidential office said in a statement. Since the first inoculations began late last month, AstraZeneca has been the predominant vaccine for South Koreans.

U.K. Marks Year Since Start of First Lockdown 
The U.K. is marking one year since the start of its first coronavirus lockdown, as the government reflects on the best and worst of its response to the pandemic.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will privately hold a minute’s silence Tuesday for more than 126,000 people who have died from Covid-19 in the U.K., the fifth-biggest death toll in the world according to Bloomberg’s Covid-19 tracker.

The country’s health service is pressing on with its vaccination program. More than half of all adults have received a first dose, by far the fastest rate in Europe.

Denmark to Ease More Restrictions 
Denmark will ease more restrictions next month and will end its lockdown entirely once all Danes over the age of 50 have been vaccinated by June, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.

Denmark will allow some businesses, including shopping malls and hairdressers, to open in stages next month, according to an agreement reached late Monday between the government and most parties in the country’s parliament. More children will also return to schools and restaurants will be allowed to serve outdoors.

EU Leaders Seek to Break Vaccine Deadlock 
European Union leaders are aiming to break their deadlock with the U.K. over deliveries of AstraZeneca’s vaccine by sharing a Dutch plant’s output, according to diplomats familiar with the matter. The appeal stems from the EU’s view that the drugmaker had double booked its production and that both Brussels and London have valid claims.

Earlier, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he’s “reassured” that the EU is  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-22/u-k-politicians-unite-in-criticism-of-eu-vaccine-export-threat> not seeking a vaccine blockade, as government and opposition politicians showed  <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-22/u-k-politicians-unite-in-criticism-of-eu-vaccine-export-threat> rare united front on the issue. Both sides were critical of the bloc over reports it plans to restrict exports of vaccines to its former member.

”I’m reassured by talking to EU partners over the last few months that they don’t want to see blockades,” Johnson said in a pooled interview with broadcasters Monday. “That’s very, very important.”

INVESTORS DIARY 2021

Company

Event

Venue

Date & Time

Old Mutual

analysts briefing

24/03/21 | 2:30pm

Willdale

AGM

Boardroom, Willdale Administration Block, Teneriffe, 19.5km peg Lomagundi Road, Mt Hampden

25/03/21 | 11am

TSL

AGM

Virtual |  <https://eagm.creg.co.zw/eagmzim/> https://eagm.creg.co.zw/eagmzim/ Login.aspx | in the Auditorium, Ground Floor, 28 Simon Mazorodze Road, Southerton

25/03/21 | 12pm

CFI

AGM

Farm & City Boardroom, 1st Floor Farm & City Complex, 1 Wynne Street

31/03/21 | 11am

Good Friday

02/04/21

Easter Sunday

04/04/21

Easter Monday

05/04/21

Independence Day

18/04/21

Public Holiday in lieu of Independence Day falling on a Sunday

19/04/21

Companies under Cautionary

ART

PPC

Dairibord

Starafrica

Fidelity

Turnall

Medtech

Zimre

Nampak Zimbabwe

DISCLAIMER: This report has been prepared by Bulls ‘n Bears, a division of Faith Capital (Pvt) Ltd for general information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for any securities. The information contained in this report has 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 notice. Securities or financial instruments mentioned herein may not be suitable for all investors. Securities of emerging and mid-size growth companies typically involve a higher degree of risk and more volatility than the securities of more established companies. Neither Faith Capital nor any other member of Bulls ‘n Bears nor any other person, accepts any liability whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this report or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith. Recipients of this report shall be solely responsible for making their own independent investigation into the business, financial condition and future prospects of any companies referred to in this report. Other  Indices quoted herein are for guideline purposes only and sourced from third parties.

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