Covid-19 Pandemic: Live Updates and News for Nov. 19, 2020 - Bloomberg

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The metropolis of Tokyo is raising its virus alert to its highest level, following reports of record high new daily cases, Governor Yuriko Koike told a meeting of virus experts. She is urging people to keep year-end parties small.

New coronavirus cases in Tokyo reached 534 on Thursday, bringing the cumulative total to 36,256. Japan’s daily Covid-19 cases rose to a record of more than 2,000 on Wednesday, according to local media tallies, while infections in Tokyo jumped by 493, surpassing a previous daily high set in August.

U.S. deaths from the coronavirus surpassed 250,000, marking a grim milestone as the nation struggles to contain a new surge in cases. South Australia began one of the world’s toughest lockdowns, with even outdoor exercise and dog-walking banned as the state tries to contain a cluster of Covid-19 infections.

New York City said it will shut schools after infections crossed a critical threshold. Pfizer Inc. said a final analysis of clinical-trial data showed its vaccine was 95% effective, paving the way for the company to apply for the first U.S. regulatory authorization for a coronavirus shot within days.

Key Developments:

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Moderna Vaccine Production Gearing Up (1 p.m. Hong Kong)

Lonza Group AG made its first commercial batch of the main ingredient in Moderna Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate in the U.S. last week and plans to start European production by the end of the month, Chairman Albert Baehny said.

Lonza’s effort is key to ensuring a smooth rollout of Moderna’s vaccine, should the shot prove to be safe as well as effective. In contrast to pharma giant Pfizer Inc., its closest U.S. rival in the race for a Covid shot, the biotech has no other marketed products and has never had to build out distribution channels for a medicine.

“We have access to the raw materials; we have access to the people,” Baehny said in an interview. The main challenge is “to optimize as much as possible.”

South Korea Poised to Tighten Curbs if Daily Virus Cases Top 200 (10:47 a.m. Hong Kong)

South Korea may review raising the social distancing steps further to level 2 if the average daily number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases exceeds 200 for a week in the greater Seoul area, Edaily says, citing Sohn Young-rae, a health ministry spokesman.

South Korea earlier this week raised the social distancing in greater Seoul to 1.5 level, taking effect from Thursday. Level 1.5 measures allow 30% of the fans into sports stadiums; some events with more than 100 people are restricted.

Under Level 2, schools stay open with limits on how many students can attend in-person classes. Restaurants and shops can remain open with strict virus control protocols, incluing keeping customer entry logs.

The gain in number of newly confirmed cases exceeded 300 for a second day, with South Korea reporting 343 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours versus 313 a day earlier, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Outdoor Exercise, Dog-Walking Banned in South Australia (9:44 a.m. Hong Kong)

In the state for the six days, only one person from a household will be allowed to leave home each day, and only for essential reasons, authorities said. Schools, universities, cafes and restaurants are closed, weddings and funerals are banned and mask-wearing is mandatory.

“We want to go hard, go early, but get out of it as quickly as we can,” State Premier Steven Marshall said of the measures.

Twenty-three people in the state capital Adelaide have been infected after a cleaner at a hotel used to quarantine people arriving from overseas was exposed to the virus, and health authorities say the “circuit breaker” measures are necessary to avoid a wider outbreak.

Australia Hiring Soared in October as Victoria Lockdown Eased (9:07 a.m. Hong Kong)

Australian employers unexpectedly added tens of thousands of jobs in October as Victoria state’s tough Covid restrictions began to lift and a recovery in the rest of the country gathered pace. Employment soared by 178,800 last month versus an expected 27,500 decline, data from the statistics bureau showed Thursday.

U.S. Nursing Homes Back in Focus With Pandemic Redoubling (8:24 a.m. Hong Kong)

States reported over 29,000 new infections last week in places such as nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, the steepest uptick since at least May, according to Covid Tracking Project data. State leaders, public-health experts and owners are sounding the loudest alarms over the spike in nursing homes and long-term care, where cases were falling until September. Visits from families traveling for the holidays also threaten to exacerbate the outbreak.

Tokyo Getting Ready to Deal With 1,000 Daily Cases (7:29 a.m. Hong Kong)

Governor Yuriko Koike, speaking in a TV program Wednesday, said Tokyo will enhance virus measures with daily cases hitting 1,000 in mind. She said it’s possible the number of positive cases will rise, according to Japanese broadcaster FNN. Regarding store closures, Koike says the government needs to thoroughly assess its present effect even if it was effective at the time of the request.

U.S. Virus Deaths Top 250,000: Johns Hopkins (5:55 p.m. NY)

U.S. deaths from the coronavirus surpassed 250,000, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The tally is the highest in the world and comes as the country is struggling with a new surge in cases from coast to coast.

New York state has the most U.S. deaths, at more than 34,000, according to Johns Hopkins. Texas is second, followed by California and Florida.

People load bodies into a refrigerated temporary morgue trailer at the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s office on Monday.

Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Vaccine Freezers Seen Ready for Rollout (5 p.m. NY)

Freezers required to store Covid-19 vaccines are in place at health systems that are preparing to administer the initial doses once the shots receive a green light from regulators, U.S. health officials said Wednesday.

The federal government will have 40 million doses ready to distribute by the end of December should vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc. and its partner BioNTech SE, and Moderna Inc. receive emergency-use authorizations, said Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser of Operation Warp Speed, the effort to expedite the development and distribution of coronavirus vaccines.

NYC Dealt Double Blow With Schools, Subway Cuts (4:40 p.m. NY)

New York’s recovery from the coronavirus outbreak suffered twin blows with the announcement of citywide school closings and the warning of massive cuts to public-transit service.

Parents of hundreds of thousands of kids must find alternative child-care arrangements or adjust their work schedules by Thursday, after Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city had reached a 3% positivity rate that triggered a temporary halt to in-class instruction.

Workers also face the prospect of longer commutes, after New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it will have to slash subways and buses by 40% and chop commuter rail service by half if aid doesn’t come from Washington.

Murphy Warns N.J. Daily Cases Could Double (3:05 p.m. NY)

New Jersey has reported daily cases in excess of 4,000 three times this week, and Governor Phil Murphy said Wednesday that some modeling showed at least double that number to come.

Phil Murphy

Photographer: David ‘Dee’ Delgado/Bloomberg

Murphy has lowered gathering limits to 10, from 25, for many indoor activities, and on Nov. 23 the outdoor crowd cap will be 150 people, rather than 500. “The steps we just announced over the past couple of weeks already should have some sort of an impact” on that 8,000- to 10,000-cases-per-day projection, he said at a news briefing in Trenton.

Statewide virus sampling on Nov. 14 showed 10.88% positivity. Southern New Jersey towns were highest, at 12.16%, while those in the northern part of the state reported 11.13% and central, 10%.

France’s ICU Patients Fall Most Since May (2:30 p.m. NY)

France reported 28,383 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, with the weekly pace of infections again heading lower after an increase the previous day. Positive tests accounted for 16.2% of all testing, down more than 3 points from a week ago. Hospitalizations and the number of severely ill patients in intensive-care units both fell for a second day, with ICU occupation falling the most since May 20. Deaths linked to the virus, which trail other indicators, increased by 425 to 46,698.

Italy Deaths Hit Seven-Month High (12 p.m. NY)

Italy registered 753 deaths related to Covid-19 on Wednesday, the biggest daily increase in over seven months. New daily virus cases rose to 34,282 from 32,191 on Tuesday.

Covid-19 patients at the Casalpalocco Clinical Institute in Rome. Italy deaths reached a seven-month high when it registered 753 deaths on Wednesday

Photographer: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images

In the region around Milan, infections are slowing. New cases in Lombardy fell by about 10% versus Tuesday to 7,633, which is also about 7% lower than 7-days ago. Governor Attilio Fontana has said some restriction could be eased at the end of the month if the trend continues in coming weeks.

Turkey Sees Most Deaths Since April (11:30 a.m. NY)

Turkey reported 116 new deaths from coronavirus on Wednesday, its highest daily count since April. The latest data brought Turkey’s total death toll to 11,820, according to the Health Ministry.

Turkey stopped reporting all coronavirus cases in July, and has since only reported “patients” who both test positive and display symptoms. On Wednesday there were 4,215 new patients. On Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a weekend curfew between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.

German Finance Minister Defends Measures (11:15 a.m. NY)

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz defended the government’s latest measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, saying they are accepted by most of the population of Europe’s largest economy.

Olaf Scholz

Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

Scholz spoke to Bloomberg Television after thousands of people demonstrated in Berlin against legislation approved by parliament Wednesday that expands government powers to tackle the pandemic.

“Containing the virus is critical,” Scholz said, citing polls that he said show some 80% of citizens back Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition in their efforts to stem the spread of the disease.

Over 900 Mayo Clinic Staff Contract Covid (10:30 a.m. NY)

More than 900 Mayo Clinic staff have contracted Covid-19 in the past two weeks, according to a report Tuesday in the TwinCities Pioneer Press.

Ninety-three percent of staff who contracted the virus did so in the community and the majority of those who contracted the virus at work did so while eating in a break room with a mask off, the newspaper reported, citing a briefing with a dean of clinical practice in Rochester, Minnesota.

CureVac CEO Sees Enough Vaccine Capacity (9:27 a.m. NY)

There will be enough capacity to vaccinate the world until the end of next year, CureVac CEO Franz-Werner Haas told Bloomberg Television in an interview. How long protection lasts and what effect vaccines have on different immune systems remain to be seen, he said, reiterating that it’s good to have more than one shot. Haas said the development of vaccine stability will increase.

WATCH: CureVac CEO Franz-Werner Haas discusses progress on the biopharmaceutical company’s Covid-19 vaccine and scale-up for its production.

Source: Bloomberg)

— With assistance by Reed Stevenson

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