Stocks, European Futures Fall On Virus Setbacks: Markets Wrap

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Hong Kong suspends shots; Brazilian Death Rise: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) – Hong Kong and Macau have temporarily suspended Covid-19 vaccines manufactured by BioNTech SE due to a packaging error, which has dealt a blow to cities’ efforts to revitalize their virus-stricken economies. Loose caps and minor debris were found on the bottles, and the second dose schedule should not be affected, Hong Kong Health Director Constance Chan said at a briefing. Brazil reported more than 3,000 daily deaths for the first time when the virus swept its healthcare system. A more contagious strain from the Manaus Amazon region has spread rapidly since the New Year. President Jair Bolsonaro, who downplayed the severity of the pandemic, said the country was on the verge of vaccine self-sufficiency. His address met with louder than usual protests in many cities. European Union vaccine shipments to the rest of the world could face serious disruption under stricter rules due to be announced Wednesday. Guarantees that deliveries to around 90 countries will not be interrupted and that the protections of companies like Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. could be lifted, a senior EU official said. Pfizer, meanwhile, announced that human safety testing has begun on a new pill to treat coronavirus, which could be used at the first sign of disease. Key Developments: Global Tracker: Cases Pass 124 million; Deaths Exceed 2.73 Million Vaccine Hesitation Subscribe to a daily virus update from Bloomberg’s forecasting team here. Click CVID on the terminal for global data on cases and deaths. Stricter closure for Eastern Austria (2:49 p.m.) The densely populated eastern Austrian region around Vienna is geared towards closer closure during the Easter holidays, reported the Austrian press agency after a meeting of regional governments with Minister of Health Rudolf Anschober. The measures are due to be announced later, APA said. The more contagious and aggressive B.1.1.7 mutation of the virus has caused up to 95% of new infections in the area and is on the verge of an overwhelming intensive care unit. A planned easing of lockdowns was lifted for the entire nation on Monday. Japan Builds Virus Patient Database (2:27 p.m. HK) The Japanese government plans to create and manufacture a Covid-19 database of information and samples from about 10,000 patients, according to Yomiuri, it is available to companies and universities for research use without being attributed becomes. The data is expected to be available this summer. Pakistan to buy Chinese vaccines (2:23 p.m.) Pakistan bought 1 million Covid-19 vaccines from SinoPharm and 60,000 from CanSino in the first purchase of the cans, Reuters reported, citing Asad Umar, the planning minister who leads the country’s coronavirus response. Bulgarian daily cases at record high (1:13 p.m. HK) Bulgaria reported a record high of 4,851 daily coronavirus cases, with the number of patients in hospital and intensive care units also at its highest level ever. The country has seen a surge in new infections caused by the spread of the British tribe as it prepares for the April 4th general election. Malls, large stores, schools, gyms and restaurants all closed on Monday Vaccine Export Rules (11:37 a.m. HK) European Union vaccine shipments to the rest of the world could face serious disruption due to stricter rules due to be announced on Wednesday. The EU’s current export regime guarantees that deliveries to around 90 countries will not be interrupted and also offers protection for companies such as Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. that have fulfilled their obligations in Europe. Under tighter restrictions being worked out in Brussels, these two exemptions could be lifted, a senior EU official said. Hong Kong Vaccinations, Macau Halt (10:21 am HK) The Hong Kong and Macau governments announced on Wednesday that they had received notifications of vial packaging errors from the Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co., which has the right to view the recordings on the mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan to develop and market. BioNTech and Fosun Pharma have opened an investigation into the issue, saying there is no reason to believe product safety, China is at risk, according to the Macau government. China to speed up vaccinations: Xinhua (9:30 a.m. HK) China will speed up coronavirus vaccination to offer free admissions to the entire population, Xinhua reported, without giving a schedule. China had administered 80.5 million doses of coronavirus vaccines by March 22, and daily production had increased to about 5 million doses. New Zealand to Vaccinate Citizens for Urgent Travel (8:19 a.m. HK) The government stands ready to vaccinate people who need to travel outside of New Zealand urgently for compassionate reasons or for reasons of national concern, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said in a statement. Philippines Receives More Shots From China (8:14 a.m. HK) The Philippines received 400,000 China-donated Sinovac cans on Wednesday, a total of 1 million donations from Beijing on 1 million. Another 1 million government-purchased Sinovac shots and 979,200 shots donated by AstraZeneca are expected to arrive by the end of the month, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. Shanghai Offers Shooting to Foreigners (8:11 a.m. HK) Shanghai will allow foreigners in the city to start booking a Covid-19 vaccination from March 29, a city government statement said. The city will also allow all residents between 60 and 75 years of age to register for a shot and offer a domestically developed vaccine. Thompson Vaccine Might Receive China Test Nod (7:27 a.m. HK) The vaccine, jointly developed by Livzon Pharma’s division and the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, could be in China, according to a statement made to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange for Human Experiments China to be approved. Tokyo is due to request early closure of business (6:57 a.m. HK) in Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, and Saitama will continue to ask bars and restaurants to close until 9 p.m. until April 21, Asahi newspaper reported citing several unidentified local government officials. The governors of the prefectures will hold a joint meeting on Wednesday to decide on the extension. Brazil reports more than 3,000 daily deaths (6:39 a.m. HK) Brazil reported more than 3,000 Covid-19 deaths for the first time in 24 hours as the pandemic spread uncontrollably across the country and overwhelmed its healthcare system. The Ministry of Health said 3,251 people died on Tuesday, bringing the total since the pandemic started to 298,676, the second largest in the world. Cases of 82,493 and 12.13 million people have now been infected. Children to be shot as early as August (6:03 a.m.) Children in the UK could potentially start vaccinating as early as August, the Telegraph reported, citing two unidentified sources implicated in the plans. A source told the publication that August was the “earliest possible” start. The Telegraph presented the government plans as tentative. Congregation spokesman Heastie has Covid-19 (3:05 pm in New York). New York State Assembly spokesman Carl Heastie tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday, according to a statement from his office. The Democrat said he felt under the weather and had “extremely mild symptoms”. His positive test result comes amid negotiations on the state’s roughly $ 193 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2022, which begins April 1. Heastie said he plans to stay in Albany and work from where he lives. Dutch lockdown extended (2:45 p.m., NY) The lockdown in the Netherlands, including a nightly curfew, will be extended to April 20, Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters in The Hague. The move takes place after an increase in infections of 16% in the last week compared to the previous week, according to the RIVM health department. However, the Dutch government has decided to postpone the curfew start time by an hour in order to maintain the support of the Dutch public for the long-lasting, stringent measures. A notice not to travel abroad has been extended to May 15. J&J Partner Catalent to Manufacture Vaccines (1:47 p.m. New York) Millions more doses of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine are expected to be released after U.S. regulators cleared the way for contract manufacturers Catalent Inc. to help with making it. The Food and Drug Administration has cleared a Catalan facility in Bloomington, Indiana to manufacture the active ingredient in the single-dose vaccine, according to people familiar with the matter. Approval is expected to be announced on Tuesday. Pfizer will begin human trials of Covid pills (11:05 a.m. in New York) Pfizer Inc. announced that human safety testing of a new pill to treat the coronavirus has begun, the first sign of illness. If successful in studies, the pill could be prescribed early in an infection to block virus replication before patients get very sick. The drug binds to an enzyme called a protease to prevent the virus from replicating. Protease-inhibiting drugs have been successful in treating other types of viruses, including HIV and hepatitis C. Portugal reaffirms vaccination target (9:44 a.m. NY) Portuguese Minister of Health Marta Temido reiterated the country will meet the target of delivering a vaccine dose by the end of March at least 80% of those over 80 years of age. “If we had access to more vaccines, we would of course have the opportunity to vaccinate more people,” Temido told reporters. Fauci: Astra probably has a very good vaccine (8:47 am in New York) Very good vaccine, “said Anthony Fauci, the leading US infectious disease expert, in an interview with Good Morning America about the Astra shot when Responding to criticism from a US science agency that the drug manufacturer’s analysis contained old information. World is too optimistic about Covid: Farrar (8:28 am in New York) “This pandemic is far from over,” said Jeremy Farrar, an infectious disease specialist and director of Wellcome, the UK research foundation, said on one Conference of the ACT Accelerator, a program to distribute vaccines and diagnostics to low-income countries. “In my view, staying overly optimistic that there will be a single magic ball that will solve everything.” After a year, the world is closer to the start of the pandemic than its end as new waves happen around the world for more articles like this, visit us please go to bloomberg.com. Sign up now to stay up to date with the most trusted business news source. © 2021 Bloomberg LP