(Bloomberg) — AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid vaccine showed 82.4% effectiveness with a three-month gap between two shots, according to a new study that bolsters the U.K.’s controversial decision to adopt the extended dosing interval. Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine provided strong protection in an interim analysis of an advanced clinical trial.
Officials in France, Sweden and the Netherlands report increased spread of the British variant. EU officials expect a vaccine surge in the second quarter, and France said it anticipates it will to be able to give a shot to every adult who wants one by the end of summer. Netherlands was forced to extends it lockdown while Scotland set a border quarantine for travelers from abroad.
U.S. President Joe Biden plans a wide-ranging review of supply chains amid shortages of essential medical gear. His administration also will test a program to provide coronavirus vaccines directly to pharmacies, as officials try to ratchet up the pace of inoculations.
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U.S. Looks to Prevent Supply Shortages (6:40 a.m. HK)
U.S. President Joe Biden will order a government-wide review of critical supply chains in an effort to reduce U.S. reliance on countries such as China for essential medical supplies and minerals, according to people familiar with the matter.
The administration’s goal is to protect government and private sector supply chains to prevent future shortages and limit other countries’ ability to exert leverage over the U.S., according to an administration official.
U.K., EU in Irish Border Spat Over Vaccine (6:30 a.m. HK)
U.K. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove condemned the European Union’s threat to impose border checks on Northern Ireland, warning that it had provoked anger on all sides of the political divide.
Faced with a shortage of coronavirus vaccines, the EU threatened on Friday to limit exports from the bloc by imposing border controls. It retreated within hours, after the plan emerged and drew condemnation from both unionists and nationalists as well as the Irish government.
Southern Africa Needs Vaccines, Group Says (5:35 a.m. HK)
Doctors Without Borders said Southern Africa is in dire need of vaccine doses, and called for more-equitable distribution of shots with health workers and people at highest risk given priority.
“Health workers in Mozambique, Eswatini, and Malawi are currently struggling to treat escalating numbers of patients with little prospect of receiving a vaccine to protect themselves or others from the virus,” the group said in a statement.
France Sees Vaccines for All by Summer’s End (5:05 a.m. HK)
French President Emmanuel Macron said that based on contracts secured at a European level, France will be able to offer the Covid-19 vaccine to all adults who want it “by the end of summer.”
All nursing home residents who want to the shot will have it by early March, representing about 500,000 people, he said. Macron called on the French to keep up preventive measures, test and isolate, saying the vaccination won’t end a lockdown or relieve pressure on hospitals. “The virus is circulating at great speed,” he said.
France’s National Authority for Health declined to recommend giving AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine to people age 65 and over, a spokesperson said.
Puerto Rico Officials Isolating After Test (4:45 a.m. HK)
Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi and San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero are both in isolation after Romero tested positive for Covid-19.
On Twitter Tuesday, Romero said an antigen test came back positive, and he was waiting for the results of a more-reliable PCR test. The governor’s office said Pierluisi, who had recently met with Romero, was isolating as a precaution.
Dutch Lockdown Extended Until March (2:52 a.m. HK)
The lockdown in the Netherlands will be extended until March 2, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on Tuesday.
Despite decreasing infections since Christmas, Rutte warned of “an inevitable third wave” because the British mutation accounts for about two-thirds of all new infections. A relaxation of measures would have been possible if it weren’t for the British variant, he said.
Rutte did announce a reopening of elementary schools from Feb. 8, stating that the risk is limited. The night-time curfew will remain in place until Feb. 10, and Rutte said his government will decide early next week whether an extension is needed.
Ireland Reports Death Record as Surge Eases (2:10 a.m. HK)
Ireland recorded 101 virus related deaths on Tuesday, the highest since the pandemic began, health authorities said. The nation had battled one of the world’s worst outbreaks last month, which is now showing signs of easing. Daily infections dropped to 879, the lowest in over a month.
Astra Shot Shows 82% Efficacy With 3-Month Gap (2 a.m. HK)
AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid vaccine showed 82.4% effectiveness with a three-month gap between two shots, according to a new study that bolsters the U.K.’s controversial decision to adopt the extended dosing interval.
The vaccine also may significantly reduce transmission of the virus, according to analysis of trial data by the University of Oxford, which developed the vaccine with the U.K. drugmaker. Swabs taken from volunteers in the U.K. arm of the trial showed a 67% reduction in transmission after the first dose, the report showed.
U.S. to Test Direct Delivery to Drugstores (2 a.m. HK)
President Joe Biden’s administration will begin Tuesday to test a program to provide coronavirus vaccines directly to pharmacies, as they try to ratchet up the pace of U.S. inoculations.
Biden’s team will announce Tuesday that they’ll ship roughly 1 million doses per week directly to pharmacies as a trial run, according to two people familiar with the plans. The people asked not to be identified ahead of the announcement.
The program will expand as vaccine supply allows, the people said. It’s distinct from a planned 5% increase in shipments that the Biden administration revealed to states in a call with governors Tuesday morning, one person said.
NYC Mayoral Candidate Yang Tests Positive (12:15 a.m. HK)
New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang tested positive on Tuesday for Covid-19 after facing criticism for aggressive in-person campaigning. He said he was experiencing mild symptoms and would quarantine in accordance with public health guidelines.
Yang, a former Democratic candidate for president, had come under criticism for vigorous in-person campaigning, which included multiple outdoor lunches, subway rides and campaign events. He previously halted in-person events last month after a campaign staff member tested positive.
CDC May Recommend Two Masks, Fauci Says (11:20 p.m. HK)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control may recommend wearing two masks — one over the other — to keep at bay the more contagious variants of the coronavirus, according to Anthony Fauci.
The agency doesn’t yet have the data to make any formal recommendation, he said Tuesday during a Washington Post event. Still, “it makes common sense” to increase protection, said Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease expert.
Scotland Tightens Quarantine Rules (11:17 p.m. HK)
Scotland will tighten rules for anyone coming into the country in an effort to further suppress coronavirus infections as the government in Edinburgh set out an initial road map out of lockdown.
“We intend to introduce a managed quarantine requirement for anyone who arrives directly in Scotland, regardless of which country they’ve come from,” First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament.
Evidence of Spread of U.K. Variant Seen (9:30 p.m. HK)
In the Netherlands, health agency RIVM estimates that about two-thirds of newly infected people last week had the U.K. variant.
Sweden’s Public Health Agency, meanwhile, said random checks suggest it’s also seeing an increased spread of the British variant. It was found in almost 11% of 2,220 samples analyzed. In the Paris region, an analysis of positive tests found the strain accounted for 15% to 20% of cases last week, up from around 6% in the first week of January.
EU Sees Vaccine Surge With New Contracts (8:56 p.m. HK)
The EU predicted a surge in the domestic supply of Covid-19 vaccines during the second quarter and said the bloc had authorized exports of the shots to the U.K. and Canada.
“We expect that in the second quarter we should be receiving 300 million doses and, of course, more if other vaccines come on stream,” European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer told reporters on Tuesday in Brussels.
Meanwhile, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said he had a video-conference meeting with AstraZeneca Plc CEO Pascal Soriot, who reiterated a commitment to boost production in Europe to meet the EU’s delivery schedule for vaccines.
Russian Vaccine Protects Patients in Early Test (8:35 p.m. HK)
Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine provided strong protection against Covid-19 in an interim analysis of an advanced clinical trial, while its backers said it appears to work against new strains.
The vaccine was well-tolerated and also worked among the elderly, according to the peer-reviewed findings, which were published Tuesday in the medical journal The Lancet. Sputnik V showed efficacy of 91.6%, validating claims by the developers last year.