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CDC Eases Mask Rules for Vaccinated People: Virus Update
(Bloomberg) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said those who are fully-vaccinated can shed their masks and resume both indoor and outdoor activities.To drive vaccinations, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is offering vouchers for a Shake Shack burger or sandwich for residents who got their shots, while Six Flags Entertainment Corp. will give away 50,000 tickets to its Illinois theme parks to newly vaccinated residents in the state. Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, is keeping a stay-home order in force into early June.CureVac NV and GlaxoSmithKline Plc said early data from laboratory tests of their second-generation Covid-19 vaccine suggests good protection against some virus variants. A survey in the European Union found increased hesitancy after the AstraZeneca shot’s pause.Key DevelopmentsGlobal Tracker: Cases top 160 million; deaths exceed 3.3 millionVaccine Tracker: More than 1.36 billion doses have been givenU.S. teen vaccine drive turns to schools, doctors to get shots outMuch-maligned Sinovac shot getting greater acceptanceJapan seeks to ease Olympics fears with no-infection test eventsWhere are we in the quest for coronavirus treatments?Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click CVID on the terminal for global data on cases and deaths.Peru to Receive 700,000 Pfizer Doses (2:11 p.m. NY)Peru will receive 700,000 doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine this Thursday, the largest batch received to date by the Andean country, Health Minister Oscar Ugarte said on his Twitter account.“We are satisfied because it is the first time that in a single day that amount of doses has arrived in our country,” Ugarte saidCDC Eases Mask Rules (2:10 p.m. NY)The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said those who are fully-vaccinated can shed their masks and resume both indoor and outdoor activities. “We have all longed for this moment” to get back to some form of normalcy, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said.The change represents the latest loosening of public-health guidance aimed at encouraging vaccination and emphasizing the shots’ benefits, and comes on the heels of a previous relaxation of guidance from the agency in the past several weeks regarding wearing masks outdoors.The shift is based on a growing body of evidence that vaccines work in real-world settings and protect against virus variants, Walensky said. About 59% of American adults have received at least one shot, and the Covid-19 vaccine made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE was cleared for use in children ages 12 to 15 years old this week. New daily Covid-19 cases, meanwhile, have been declining for weeks.Six Flags to Offer Tickets to Boost Illinois Vaccinations (1 p.m. NY)Six Flags Entertainment Corp. will offer 50,000 tickets to its theme parks in Gurnee and Rockford, Illinois to newly-vaccinated state residents, Governor J.B. Pritzker said.The value of the tickets is $4 million, the company said.Ontario Extends Stay-Home Order (12:21 p.m. NY)Ontario Premier Doug Ford extended the province’s stay-at-home order until at least June 2, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported. Restrictions on outdoor recreation will be lifted on that date.“The situation is slowly trending in the right situation,” CBC quoted Ford as saying. “Make no mistake, we’re not out of the woods yet.” He said the goal is for Ontario to have “the most normal July and August as possible.”Romania Eases Restrictions (11:44 a.m. NY)Romania will lift a nightly curfew on May 15 and face masks in open spaces will no longer be mandatory, President Klaus Iohannis said Thursday. Private events such as weddings will be allowed with limited capacity after June 1, provided that attendees are vaccinated.New cases have declined and vaccinations have increased in Romania, putting the country on track to cover 75% of the population in another seven months, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.U.S. Teachers’ Union to Back Fall Reopening (11:15 a.m. NY)The president of one of the largest U.S. teachers’ unions planned to call for a full reopening of public schools by the fall. Randi Weingarten’s announcement for the American Federation of Teachers marks a shift by a prominent voice opposing a return to in-person, full-time instruction.“Conditions have changed,” Weingarten said in prepared remarks for a speech on Thursday. “We can and we must reopen schools in the fall for in-person teaching, learning and support. And keep them open. Fully and safely five days a week.”Philippines Eases Restrictions in Manila (10:54 a.m. NY)The Manila metro area and surrounding provinces will shift to the second-lowest level of curbs called “general community quarantine” until the end of May, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Thursday. The easing for the region, which is the country’s economic engine, follows a worse-than-expected contraction in the last quarter.Singapore School Halts In-Person Classes (10:52 a.m. NY)A Singapore elementary school switched to home learning through Tuesday after a students tested positive, the Education Ministry said in a statement cited by broadcaster CNA.The Yio Chu Kang Primary School student was infected by a household member and not at the school, according to the statement.De Blasio: Burger, Sandwich For Vaccination (10:40 a.m. NY)New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said people who get a vaccine will get a voucher for a burger or sandwich from Shake Shack Inc. For those already vaccinated, people can get a free order of French fries after showing a vaccination card.The mayor appealed to parents to get their kids vaccinated as the city opened up shots for ages 12 to 15 in a bid to “get kids off of Zoom.” The city will also reopen some of its festivals, including the Governors Ball.Colorado Nursing Homes Reported Hit (10:40 a.m. NY)Covid-19 outbreaks are increasing at Colorado nursing homes, accounting for six deaths last week, the Denver Post reported Thursday. Cases are also rising at assisted-living facilities and elementary schools, the Post reported.UAE Allows Pfizer-BioNTech for Adolescents (10:18 a.m. NY)The United Arab Emirates allowed the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for ages 12 to 15, based on clinical studies and local evaluation, the state-run WAM news agency reported. With about 11.4 million shots administered, the UAE is set to cover 75% of its population in another two months if the pace holds up, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.African Testing Declines as Variants Spread (9:11 a.m. NY)The African Union’s health agency urged countries on the continent to increase testing for the coronavirus as more states report different variants of the disease.Testing dropped 21% last week, John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an online briefing Thursday.Six African nations including South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco, Uganda and Kenya have reported the B.1.617 strain that is devastating India and which initial studies show spreads more easily. That’s in addition to the 24 African nations that reported cases of the B.1.1.7 mutation found last year in the U.K., with the same number of countries reporting the B.1.351 variant first identified in South Africa in 2020.EU Vaccine Hesitancy Rose After Astra Pause (7:42 a.m. NY)Vaccine hesitancy increased in the European Union after the suspension of AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine, with more than a third of adults in the bloc indicating they were unlikely to get immunized from Covid-19, according to a Eurofound online survey.After several EU countries suspended use of Astra’s shot in mid-March, 34% of respondents in February and March said they were hesitant to take the vaccine. Before the pause, 25% said they were “rather unlikely” or “very unlikely” to get it.CureVac, GSK Report Positive Lab Data (7:35 a.m. NY)CureVac NV and GlaxoSmithKline Plc released positive early data from laboratory testing of their second-generation Covid-19 vaccine, with signs the shot could also provide good protection against some variants of the virus.Preclinical studies showed strong immune responses in rats, with significant neutralization of variants first discovered in the U.K., South Africa and Denmark, CureVac said in a statement Thursday. Human trials are expected to start in the third quarter.Billionaire’s South Africa Vaccine Tech Pledge (7:19 a.m. NY)U.S. biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong will give an initial 3 billion rand ($213 million) to South Africa, the country of his birth, to help with the transfer of new technology for Covid-19 vaccines and other therapies.The African continent accounts for only about 1.5% of globally administered shots, data from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.Serb Cash Vaccine Incentives Working (6:56 a.m. NY)The Serbian government’s pledge to pay 3,000 dinars ($31) to those receiving vaccines helped speed up inoculation to almost 24,000 people a day from around 8,000 before the offer was announced on May 5, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday.Among the first on the continent to launch mass vaccination in January with shots from China, Russia and western drugmakers, Serbia faced a slowdown amid skepticism toward vaccines, even as it offered its citizens the choice of four different jabs.Angola Approves Single-Dose Sputnik Light (6:40 a.m. NY)Angola’s Ministry of Health approved the use of Russia’s single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine against the coronavirus, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund.The Sputnik Light is the first component of the Sputnik two-dose vaccine, which Angola approved in March, the fund said in a statement. Russia’s state-run wealth fund backed the vaccine’s development and is in charge of the inoculation’s international rollout.Seychelles Says Covid Cases Easing (6:25 a.m. NY)Seychelles, which has vaccinated a greater proportion of its population against Covid-19 than any other nation, said a surge in cases of the disease is easing.While the number of active cases has risen to 2,739, from 2,486 on May 10, the seven-day rolling average of infections has fallen to 178 from 322 about a week ago, the health ministry said.Singapore Cases at 10-Month High (5:12 p.m. HK)Singapore’s virus cases in the local community rose to the highest since July last year as authorities found more infections from an existing cluster at Changi Airport, raising concerns that an air travel bubble with Hong Kong may get delayed again.Of the 24 cases discovered, 17 were linked to a cluster at Changi Airport, the Health Ministry said. This brings the total number of cases linked to the airport to 42.China Sets Up New Health Body (4:34 p.m. HK)China announced a new disease prevention and control agency under the aegis of its top health body, in what is its biggest move yet to address gaps that caused critical delays in sounding the alarm about Covid-19 when it first emerged in Wuhan in late 2019.The new National Disease Prevention and Control Bureau will draft policies regarding infectious disease control and provide guidance on the surveillance of epidemics, among other public health mandates, state news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday.German New Cases Decline Further (2:24 p.m. HK)Germany’s new infections decreased, with 6,590 cases reported Thursday. German authorities have become increasingly optimistic that Europe’s largest economy can loosen restrictions, including on outdoor dining and domestic tourism.Rush for Vaccines After Taipei Outbreak (2:11 p.m. HK)A rising number of Covid-19 infections is prompting thousands of members of the hesitant Taiwanese public to get vaccinated. A record 16,180 people received vaccinations Wednesday, with 36 confirmed cases since Tuesday. That outbreak prompted the government to reimpose restrictions on large gatherings for the first time since last summer, although it sees a smaller chance of further raising the Covid-19 alert level, the Apple Daily reported, citing the health minister.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
