EU hopes Sputnik V vaccine will be approved in bloc – latest updates

Friday, February 5, 2021:

EU hopes Sputnik V vaccine will be approved in bloc

The European Union's top diplomat has expressed hope that the vaccine developed by Russia will soon be used across the 27-nation bloc.

During a visit to Moscow, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said the country's Sputnik V vaccine is "good news for the whole mankind."

The vaccine was approved by the Russian government in August and many foreign governments have expressed interest in buying doses.

Britain records over 1,000 deaths, new cases decrease

Britain has recorded 1,014 deaths, up from 915 a day earlier, government data showed, while 19,114 new cases of the virus were reported, a decrease on Thursday's total.

The data also showed that 10.97 million people had been given their first dose of a vaccine against the virus.

Italy reports over 14,00 new cases

Italy has reported 377 deaths against 421 the day before, the Health Ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 14,218 from 13,659 the day before.

Some 270,507 tests were carried out in the past day, virtually stable compared with a previous 270,142, the ministry said.

Italy has registered 90,618 deaths since its outbreak emerged last February, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the sixth-highest in the world. 

The country has reported 2.61 million cases to date.

Turkey reports over 7,000 new cases

Turkey has recorded 7,901 new cases and 110 daily deaths over the past 24 hours, Health Ministry data showed.

Since the pandemic first began Turkey has reported total confirmed cases at 2,516,889 and 26,577 fatalities.

According to the ministry, 142,538 tests were carried out over the day.

WHO: Understanding virus origins will take years

A member of the World Health Organization-led team visiting the central Chinese city of Wuhan has said he has been surprised by the complexity of getting to the origins of the pandemic and that years of research lay ahead.

Dominic Dwyer, a microbiologist and infectious diseases expert, said the team in Wuhan had received the access it requested from Chinese authorities as it tries to understand the early days of the novel coronavirus outbreak first identified in Wuhan.

"Everybody knows how it really exploded out of Huanan market in Wuhan, but the key is what was happening around that time and before," Dwyer said.

The origin of the coronavirus has become highly politicised following accusations that China was not transparent in its early handling of the outbreak. Beijing has pushed the idea that the virus could have originated elsewhere.

Hungary says first Chinese jabs can be given this month

Hungary has plans to begin administering the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine to its citizens later this month, the government said.

Hungary broke ranks with the EU last month by becoming the first bloc member to approve and order both Sinopharm and Russia's Sputnik V jab, in quantities of five million and two million doses respectively.

The Chinese shipment "is enough for 2.5 million people," Gergely Gulyas, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff, told a press briefing in Budapest.

"That is enough for 250,000 people in each of February, March and April, and then the rest of the contracted amount after April," he said.

Oxford says vaccine with AstraZeneca works against UK variant

AstraZeneca and Oxford University's vaccine has similar efficacy against the British coronavirus variant as it does to the previously circulating variants, the university said.

"Data from our trials of the ChAdOx1 vaccine in the United Kingdom indicate that the vaccine not only protects against the original pandemic virus, but also protects against the novel variant, B117, which caused the surge in disease from the end of 2020 across the UK," said Andrew Pollard, chief investigator on the Oxford vaccine trial.

UK: R number falls to 0.7-1.0, virus epidemic is shrinking

The estimated virus reproduction "R" number for Britain is between 0.7 and 1.0 and the pandemic is shrinking, the Health Ministry has said.

The R number had fallen slightly from 0.7-1.1 last week, and in England the rate was estimated to be at 0.7-0.9.

"These estimates mean we are now confident the epidemic is shrinking across England, though it remains important that everyone continues to stay at home in order to keep the R value down," the ministry said in a statement.

The UK growth rate was estimated at -5 percent to -2 percent, compared to -5 percent and 0 percent last week, meaning the number of new infections was shrinking by up to 5 percent every day. 

Lockdown still needed in Denmark to combat new variant

One in five new cases in Denmark has been infected with the more contagious British variant in the last week of January, preliminary data showed, prompting experts to say lockdown restrictions were still necessary to curb the epidemic.

Denmark instituted hard lockdown measures in December after seeing infections rise exponentially and in particular to curb the spread of the new B117 variant, first identified in Britain.

The variant, which Danish authorities say could be up to 50 percent more infectious, is expected to become the dominant one by mid-February.

PM: Czechs may use vaccines not registered in EU 

The Czech Republic may consider using vaccines not yet registered in the EU to speed up inoculations, Prime Minister Andrej Babis has said, on a trip to Hungary, which has given emergency approval to Russian and Chinese vaccines.

He said he had also spoken about the issue with German officials, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, who he said wanted Russian or Chinese vaccines to be given European approval.

European Union countries' governments are facing a reckoning over vaccination programmes that have lagged far behind the United States and former EU member Britain.

Ukraine secures 12M AstraZeneca, Novavax vaccine doses
Ukraine has secured, from the Serum Institute of India, 12 million vaccine doses developed by AstraZeneca and Novavax, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office said in a statement.

US Senate passes Biden's $1.9T Covid aid package

The US Senate early Friday passed a budget plan that would allow for passage of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package in coming weeks without Republican support.

Vice President Kamala Harris broke a 50-50 tie by casting a vote in favour of the Democratic measure, sending it to the House of Representatives for final approval.

Separate, more detailed legislation still would have to be crafted and passed to carry out Biden's coronavirus-relief bill, which also could provide more time for negotiations with Republicans.

Hungary to receive first shipment of Sinopharm vaccines this month

Sinopharm will deliver to Hungary enough vaccines to inoculate 250,000 people in each month between February and April, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff said.

Gergely Gulyas also told a government briefing that in May Sinopharm would deliver enough vaccines to inoculate 1.75 million people.

Hungary announced in January that it had reached a deal with Sinopharm, becoming the first EU country to purchase a Chinese vaccine. 

Malaysia reports 3,391 new cases, 19 deaths

Malaysia on Friday reported 3,391 new cases, raising the cumulative total to nearly 235,000 cases.

Health officials also reported 19 new deaths, bringing total fatalities to 845.

In an earlier post on Twitter, the health ministry said it has detected one case of the more contagious B.117 variant of in a Malaysian who had returned from the United Arab Emirates. 

Data prove mutations are more infectious -German official

Recent data from Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands have shown that the analysed mutations are more infectious, the head of Germany's Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases said.

The data have shown that the reproduction rate of infections - or 'R' - was around 0.5 higher, Lothar Wieler said at a news conference.

Pfizer withdraws application for emergency use in India

Pfizer Inc has withdrawn an application for emergency-use authorisation of its vaccine in India that it has developed with Germany's BioNTech, the company told Reuters on Friday.

The US company, which was the first drugmaker to apply for emergency use authorisation of its vaccine in the country, had a meeting with India's drugs regulator and the decision was made after that, the company said.

"Based on the deliberations at the meeting and our understanding of additional information that the regulator may need, the company has decided to withdraw its application at this time," it said in a statement to Reuters, adding it will in the future look to resubmit its application with the additional information that the regulator requires.

French hospital federation president calls for new lockdown

Frederic Valletoux, president of the French hospital federation, called for a new national lockdown to deal with the situation, in the latest sign of tensions between the government and health officials on the issue.

Valletoux, who is also mayor of Fontainebleau just south of Paris, told LCI TV that while the situation in hospitals was under control for now, it remained "very tense" in many areas.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday that the situation in France remained fragile but there was no need for a new lockdown at present, although several leading French medics have said a new lockdown might be necessary.

Russia reports 16,688 new cases, 527 deaths

Russia reported 16,688 new cases across the country on Friday, including 2,032 in Moscow, taking the national tally to 3,934,606 since the pandemic began.

Authorities confirmed 527 deaths in the last 24 hours, pushing the official death toll to 75,732. 

Hungary may start vaccinations next week - PM Orban

Hungary may start inoculating people with Russia's Sputnik V vaccine next week after it granted emergency use approval to the shot last month, the first in the European Union, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio.

Under a deal signed last month, Russia will ship 2 million doses of the vaccine to Hungary in the coming three months, enough to inoculate 1 million people. Hungary received the first 40,000 doses of Sputnik last week, enough to vaccinate 20,000 people.

Australian Open relief as all players, staff test negative

An Australian Open testing blitz has revealed no new cases, organisers said, putting preparations for the Grand Slam tournament back on track after a Covid scare.

Preparations for the year's opening tennis Grand Slam were thrown into disarray when a worker at one of the designated tournament hotels became infected with the virus.

"All tests conducted on AO (Australian Open) quarantine participants yesterday have returned negative results," said a tweet on the tournament's official Twitter account.

More than 1,000 players, coaches and officials flew into largely virus-free Australia last month, sparking debate over the whet her the tournament should be held during a pandemic.

South Korea grants conditional approval for Celltrion’s antibody treatment

South Korea granted conditional approval to Celltrion Inc's Covid-19 antibody treatment, drug safety minister Kim Gang-lip told a news conference.

The ministry has decided to authorise the drug under the condition of submission of the third clinical trial results, Kim said. The antibody drug is the first locally made treatment in the country to win such approval. 

Brazil to buy 20M more doses of CoronaVac

Brazil is in talks to buy an additional 20 million doses of the vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech, the governor of Sao Paulo told Reuters in a Thursday interview, in a show of confidence in the shot.

The order, which has not been previously reported, will come on top of the 100 million doses of the vaccine, known as CoronaVac, already secured by Sao Paulo's Butantan biomedical institute, Governor Joao Doria said.

The state-run institute led mass clinical testing of the vaccine in Brazil and is now filling and finishing doses for a national immunisation program, with plans for 100% domestic production in early 2022. The only other shot approved for emergency use in Brazil is the AstraZeneca vaccine.

South Korea advises caution on AstraZeneca's vaccine for elderly

A panel of South Korean advisers has urged caution over the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine for people older than 65, citing a lack of data, the food and drug safety ministry said.

A decision to limit use of the vaccine, which is on track to become the first approved by South Korea, could complicate an inoculation campaign that puts priority on medical workers and the elderly.

The national pharmaceutical panel has cleared the vaccine for those older than 18, but advised caution on its use for those over 65, the director general of a national safety evaluation body said.

"The panel advised to offer the drug to people over 18, as Europe had recommended, but advised caution over the decision to inoculate those over 65, since no sufficient data has yet been collected," said the official, Lee Dong-hee.

Israel extends lockdown to Sunday, will ease it slowly

Israel has extended its third lockdown to Sunday, at which point nationwide curbs will be eased slowly, it announced in a government statement.

The decision was made on Friday hours before the lockdown was due to expire, following disputes between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition partner, Defence Minister Benny Gantz, over its duration, efficacy and patchy enforcement.

The latest lockdown was imposed from December 27, shortly after Israel began the world's fastest vaccination drive. The twin measures have only moderately reduced deaths and serious illness, given the spread of highly contagious variants.

Starting at 7 am (0500 GMT) on Sunday, curbs on travel within and between towns will be lifted, workplaces that do not receive customers can be reopened, and admission allowed at open-air nature reserves and parks, the government statement said.

Germany's confirmed cases rise by 12,908

The number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 12,908 to 2,264,909, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed. 

The reported death toll rose by 855 to 60,597, the tally showed.

Thailand reports 586 new cases, no new deaths

Thailand reported 586 new cases, taking its total infections to 22,644.

No new deaths were reported, the country's task force said at a briefing. Thailand has recorded 79 deaths since a year ago. 

Mexican president says he's in good health, recovering from Covid-19

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Thursday in a video message that he is "in good health and recovering" from Covid-19 after announcing on January 24 he had tested positive.

The 67-year-old president, who was a heavy smoker until suffering a major heart attack in 2013, also said that he had tested negative in an antigen test earlier in the day.

Lopez Obrador gave no details on whether he was now free from the virus.

New Zealand resumes refugee intake as virus fears ease

New Zealand said it will start receiving refugees again this month, nearly a year after it shut its borders to stop the spread of the pandemic.

A group of 35 refugees will arrive in February, with about 210 refugees expected to enter the country by June 30, Immigration New Zealand and officials said.

"With health protocols in place and safe travel routes, we are ready to welcome small groups of refugee families as New Zealand residents to this country, to begin their new lives," Fiona Whiteridge, general manager for refugee and migrant services at Immigration New Zealand, said in a statement.

All arrivals will have to complete a 14-day stay in government managed isolation facilities.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's government increased the country's refugee intake during its first term from 1,000 people a year to 1,500, starting from July 2020.

But arrivals were put on hold in March last year after the outbreak of the pandemic, except for a small number of priority emergency cases.

Panama seeks 3M doses of Russia's vaccine

Panama's government is seeking 3 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine for 1.5 million people, hoping to receive them by March, a letter of intent signed by the country's Health Ministry showed.

The Central American nation has one of the highest numbers of confirmed infections in the region and said recently it had allocated $56 million to purchase a total of 5.5 million doses for about 80% of its population. It was not immediately clear if Sputnik V was part of that allocation.

"Our geographical position makes us one of the most important centers for connectivity by air, land and sea in our region, and has exposed us to greater risk than other countries," said the letter seen by Reuters.

"The government of Panama through its pharmacy and drug regulatory authority is ready to issue an emergency use license for the Sputnik V vaccine."

The letter, dated Wednesday, is signed by Health Minister Luis Francisco Sucre and addressed to the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which is responsible for marketing the vaccine abroad.

Brazil registers over 1,200 deaths for third straight day

Brazil has registered 56,873 new cases of Covid-19 and 1,232 deaths, according to data released by the nation's Health Ministry.

The South American country has now registered 9,396,293 total confirmed cases and 228,795 deaths from the virus. It was the third day in a row Brazil reported over 1,200 coronavirus deaths.

Mexico reports 1,682 new deaths

Mexico's health ministry has reported 1,682 new confirmed deaths from Covid-19, bringing the total in the country to 162,922.

Johnson & Johnson asks FDA to authorise Covid vaccine 

US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson has filed an application with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting emergency use authorisation for its single-dose Janssen Covid-19 vaccine candidate. 

"Today's submission for Emergency Use Authorization of our investigational single-shot Covid-19 vaccine is a pivotal step toward reducing the burden of disease for people globally and putting an end to the pandemic," Dr. Paul Stoffels, vice chairman of the Executive Committee and chief scientific officer at Johnson & Johnson, said in a statement. 

"Upon authorization of our investigational Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, we are ready to begin shipping," said Stoffels.  

While Pfizer and Moderna require two doses of their vaccines to be effective, Johnson & Johnson's only requires one dose.  

According to the company, the new vaccine can remain stable for two years at -4°F (-20°C), at least three months of which can be stored in most standard refrigerators at temperatures of 36°F–46°F (2°-8°C).

UK starts mandatory hotel quarantine from Feb 15 

UK residents returning from countries on the government's red list will have to remain in quarantine at hotels from February 15.

Self-isolation for residents and nationals coming back to the UK from all countries in South America and southern Africa, Portugal and the United Arab Emirates will be mandatory for 10 days. 

The returning passengers will be placed in government-approved hotels and they will pay the cost of the stay out of their own pockets. 

The new policy, first announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month, aims to stem the flow of new variants in the country, which has already suffered the worst death toll in Europe. 

More than 7,000 people died of the coronavirus in UK within the past week, including 915 fatalities announced Thursday. 

The total death toll in the country stands at 110,250.