Pfizer Inc. and its partner BioNTech SE agreed to double the supply of its Covid-19 vaccine to the US, as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc in many nations. The U.S. government agreed to pay Merck & Co. $ 356 million for tens of thousands of doses of an experimental treatment.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, imposed tougher regulations on an entire strip of England in an effort to curb the mutant coronavirus strain that is spreading rapidly across the country. Coronavirus deaths in Germany increased in 986, the highest number since the onset of the pandemic.
South Korea and the Philippines have moved to temporarily suspend flights from the UK, while Japan is tightening entry regulations for people traveling from Britain. Air travel from Britain to France resumed after a two-day hiatus, albeit with eligibility restrictions and a virus testing requirement. Italy discovered the new Covid-19 strain in an infected person, with no apparent links to the UK
Why the UK‘s The mutated coronavirus is worrying: QuickTake
Main developments:
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NY extends eviction moratorium (1:10 pm NY)
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he will extend the state’s moratorium on evictions, which expires Sunday.
Cuomo also urged federal officials to do more to stop or contain the spread of the new Covid-19 variant reported in the UK, such as blocking flights from that country or requiring these passengers to give negative evidence. before boarding planes.
Meanwhile, the state is talking to the Buffalo Bills football team about using quick tests to allow 6,700 fans to enter the team’s next playoff game.
The state Department of Health “proposes testing before the game and tracking contacts to see what the effect was,” Cuomo said of the plan, which has not been finalized. Health officials remain concerned about creating involuntary situations where large numbers of fans gather without masks.
Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said the state would work with the team to test all fans. Masks will be needed at all times. “We will have evidence of a negative result before entering,” he said. “My concern is that we can control how fans enter the stadium, but the parts are where this virus can spread.”
Spain will vaccinate 2.3 million in 12 weeks (13:05 NY)
Spain plans to vaccinate about 2.3 million people over a 12-week period starting December 27th. Spain will receive 4.5 million doses of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines arriving in batches weekly from December 26, Health Minister Salvador Illa said on Wednesday. The vaccine campaign will mark the beginning of the end of the pandemic just as cases begin to rise again in Spain after a steady decline in the infection rate in recent months, he said.
Severe allergic reaction reported in New York (12:05 pm NY)
One of the more than 30,000 health workers in New York City who have received the Covid-19 vaccine so far has had a serious adverse reaction.
City Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi declined to identify the worker, who said he was treated for anaphylaxis after receiving Pfizer’s shot and is in stable condition.
The reaction was a “single but serious adverse event with a health worker, who had a significant reaction,” Chokshi said. These reactions are uncommon in vaccines, which are generally very safe, he told a news conference on Wednesday.
“For the large number of New Yorkers who have allergies, the Covid vaccine will be safe for you,” Chokshi said. “If you have had an allergic reaction to a vaccine or any medication you took by injection, it is important that you have a conversation with your doctor before you get vaccinated.”
Jay Varma, Blasio’s health advisor, said small risks must be balanced against the risks of infection, which include deaths and long-term complications.
UK reports record number of cases (11:30 am NY)
The UK reported the newest cases of coronavirus since the pandemic began, as it sent more areas of the country to their most severe level of virus restrictions.
Nearly 40,000 new cases of the virus were reported on Wednesday and 744 new deaths were recorded within 28 days after a positive test, the highest since the end of April.
“The rapid rise in cases is hugely worrisome,” Yvonne Doyle, medical director of Public Health England, said in an emailed statement, warning that each new case is someone who could be very ill.
Earlier on Wednesday, the UK government said more areas of England would introduce its level 4 virus restrictions and said it had found new cases of a second type of a more infectious Covid-19 strain.
New York applies quarantine to arrivals (11:05 am in New York)
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city will strictly enforce quarantine rules for all travelers arriving in the city during the holidays, particularly those in the UK, where a new one has been detected. highly contagious Covid-19 strain.
All visitors arriving at New York City airports will fill out forms to be forwarded to the state. All travelers will also receive an order from the city health department to quarantine it by certified mail to their home or hotel. He said all travelers in the UK will have sheriff’s delegates visiting their homes and hotels. Visitors can avoid prolonged quarantine by testing before traveling and after arriving, he said.
Travelers who have been ordered to be quarantined will be offered assistance services, including free hotel stays and food delivery, if required. Violators will be subject to fines of $ 1,000 a day, the mayor said. Drivers arriving in the city will also be checked. Nearly 10,000 car stops have been made in recent weeks. These checks will be carried out more intensely during the holidays, the mayor said.
“If you violate quarantine, you will be endangering all the citizens of the city,” de Blasio said. “We will collect these penalties.”
Approval of Modern Shot in Canada (10:40 am NY)
Public Health Authorities of Canada approved Moderna Inc.’s coronavirus vaccine, the second licensed shot in a country that has more doses per person than anywhere else in the world.
Approval of the Modern feature will allow Canada to expand its vaccination campaign beyond initial inoculation sites in urban centers. Northern regions have specifically requested doses from the Massachusetts-based company due to lighter refrigeration requirements.
New York records most hospitalizations since May (10:35 am in New York)
New York City is experiencing the largest increase in Covid-related hospitalizations since May.
The number of people admitOn Monday it jumped to 224, above the city’s 200 early warning marker, from 196 the day before. The city’s average seven-day hospitalization rate is also rising, to 3.19 per 100,000.
During the peak of the outbreak earlier this year, New York had an average of 13 new admissions per 100,000 a day and more than 12,000 admissions at a time. As of Monday, about 2,200 were in city hospitals for Covid’s disease.
Merck in a $ 356 Million Deal with the US for Therapy (10:30 am NY)
The U.S. government agreed to pay Merck & Co. $ 356 million for tens of thousands of doses of an experimental treatment for severe Covid-19, adding to its arsenal of potential therapies at the same time as a massive vaccination effort begins.
Under the agreement, Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. accelerator of coronavirus therapies and vaccines, will fund manufacturing and ensure the supply of 60,000 to 100,000 doses of the drug, called MK-7110, by the end of June.
Johnson imposes tougher rules on Swath of England (10:20 am NY)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed it tougher regulations on a strip of England in an effort to control the rapidly mutating strain of coronavirus that is spreading across the country.
Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, most of Hampshire and the rest of Essex will now face the stricter rules of the government’s 4-tier system, starting at 12:01 p.m. December, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said at a news conference on Wednesday.
UK daily infection rate accelerates (9:50 am NY)
In the United Kingdom, cases increase by up to 6% a day, according to a new orientation. Last week, new daily infections increased by up to 4%. The most recent reproduction range or R number of the virus is 1.1-1.3, compared to 1.1-1.2.
Denmark requests 2.6 million additional doses of Pfizer / BioNTech (9:10 am NY)
Denmark ordered an additional 2.6 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine outside the European Union’s purchase agreement. Austria exercised the option to buy a million more shots.
Croatia said vaccinations will begin on December 27 with the first 9,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech. The 4.2 million country has ordered 5.9 million vaccine doses.
Pfizer and BioNTech SE agreed they supply an additional 100 million doses of their vaccine to the US. The deal puts the total number of doses to be delivered in the U.S. at 200 million, the companies said Wednesday. The drugmaker expects to deliver all doses to the U.S. vaccine and drug accelerator Operation Warp Speed by July 31st.
Italy finds a new line without a British link (7:15 am NY)
The new Covid-19 strain was found in an infected person in the Italian Adriatic region of Marche, Ansa reported, citing a virologist from Ancona Hospital. The person had no direct contact with the UK and is in quarantine. It is the first Italian case related to the new strain with no apparent British ties.
Thailand omits new cases among migrant workers (6 am NY)
Thailand reported 46 new cases on Wednesday, 89% less than Tuesday’s account, as it omitted new infections among migrant workers that formed the majority of cases in an outbreak reported earlier this week.
“We will not report the number of cases found during proactive search operations among migrant workers,” Taweesilp Witsanuyotin, a spokesman for the Covid-19 center, said on Wednesday, without revealing the reason for the omission.
– With the assistance of Mark Schoifet, Iain Rogers, Mariajose Vera, Peter Flanagan, Stacie Sherman, Henry Goldman, Charlie Devereux and Jennifer Kay