COVID-19 Outbreak: Weekly Global Report for Friday, January 29, 2021
AdvaMed recognizes that its members, particularly those with global government affairs responsibilities, are tracking COVID-19 related developments around the world to assess the public health and economic impacts on their businesses. Knowing that companies are consuming information from a variety of sources, AdvaMed's global team would like to provide members with a weekly snapshot of the key statistics, policy developments and advocacy initiatives underway in our priority markets. If you have any suggestions, we welcome your feedback.
Global
- Weekly COVID-19 statistics: global cases topped 101 million. Deaths around the world have exceeded 2.18 million. The countries with the most reported cases continue to be the U.S. (25.6 million), India (10.7 million), and Brazil (8.9 million).
- U.S. cases exceeded 23.2 million with deaths increasing to 408,000.
- Staff Contact: Ralph Ives (rives@advamed.org).
China
- Overview: With the Lunar New Year travel period having already begun, the government has taken a host of steps aimed at reducing the spread of the virus. Last week, the National Health Commission issued complex quarantine and testing requirements that will likley deter travel. The Sinovac vaccine has a much lower efficacy rate than previously reported, according to Brazilian researchers who conducted the clinical trials.
- Weekly COVID-19 statistics: China’s total COVID cases now stand at 99, 698 an increase of 1,154 cases compared to the previous week. Deaths now stand at 4,813, an increase of 12 compared to last week. So far in January, most new cases have been locally transmitted.
- Hebei outbreak: 26 million residents in Hebei are still required to stay at home. Experts said Hebei’s outbreak has possibly revealed holes in the country’s coronavirus prevention strategy for villages, as many rural patients chose to treat themselves rather than go immediately to a hospital for a proper diagnosis.
- Cases in neighboring Beijing: Beijing carried out a second round of mass nucleic acid testing in Daxing District on Jan. 26, in an effort to contain the latest COVID-19 resurgence. Meanwhile. the Beijing government is tracking down and investigating anyone who entered the city from abroad beginning on Dec. 10. Over 1 million people in Beijing have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine according to the city’s health commission.
- Beijing tightens entry requirements: from Jan. 28 until March 13, Beijing will require people arriving from low-risk areas in China to show negative COVID-19 test results, tightening curbs ahead of the Lunar New Year and the annual parliament meetings in early March known as the “Two Sessions.” People entering the capital from those areas will need to undergo a 14-day health observation period after arrival.
- Travel rules related to Lunar New Year holiday: China’s National Health Commission announced last Wednesday that people traveling over the holiday period will need to show a negative test issued up to seven days before their departure. Such travelers then need to observe a 14-day quarantine while at home, during which they need to take a COVID-19 test every seven days. Many observers speculated that the highly complex and strict procedures could dissuade many people from returning to the rural areas during the holiday.
- State Council notice: in light of the recent outbreaks, the State Council last Wednesday ordered cities with less than 5 million residents to be able to complete testing in two days, and cities with more than 5 million residents must be able to complete testing in three to five days with provincial and national support. For anti-epidemic controls in villages nationwide, the State Council said pharmacies in villages must register information of people suffering from fever. Any late reporting or concealment will incur punishment, the notice states.
- Vaccine roll-out: On December 31, China approved the Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine, the country’s first for general use. Results from ongoing Phase 3 clinical trials showed an efficacy rate of 79 percent. However, the lack of details by Chinese regulators and Sinopharm has raised concerns in some circles. According to the National Health Commission, 23 million Chinese citizens have received the vaccine as of Jan 27.
- Hiccup in second vaccine: earlier this month, Brazilian researchers celebrated results showing 78% efficacy for the vaccine developed by Beijing-based Sinovac. However, the Brazilian research institute conducting the trials apparently released only partial results, creating unrealistic expectations. Updated results show an efficacy rate of around 51%. Indonesia and Pakistan have approved the Sinovac-developed vaccine for emergency use.
- Updated estimates on 2020 hospital visits: according to the National Health Commission, the total number of hospital visits/medical consultations in January through September 2020 reached 3.9 billion, a decrease of 15.3% over the same period in 2019. It is important to note that this percentage decrease has gotten progressively smaller since June, perhaps indicating Chinese patients have become more comfortable in visiting medical institutions in the second half of 2020.
- WHO team investigating COVID: China on Jan. 14 finally permitted entry to the WHO researchers investigating the origins of COVID-19. The Chinese government had previously blocked their arrival, claiming visas for some members of the group had not yet been approved.
- China’s economy in 2020: The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released economic data for 2020, showing a 2.3 percent increase in annual GDP. While China was the only major economy to record growth in 2020, there remain several problems in the real economy. Low consumption levels, widening inequality and the dominance of less productive state firms may weigh on the sustainability of the recovery, with many analysts predicting longer-term stagnation if the government fails to implement appropriate measures to address these structural issues.
- S.-China relations: in its early months, the Biden administration is pursuing “strategic patience” in its approach to China. Practically speaking, the administration will make no sudden moves to either target or engage China, while in the meantime engaging allies and conducting a thorough policy review. Biden cabinet nominees uttered tough language towards China in their confirmation hearings this week, however, perhaps indicating the Biden administration’s overall approach may not be too dissimilar from the that of its predecessor.
- Staff Contact: Kyle Churchman (kchurchman@advamed.org)
India
- Weekly COVID-19 statistics – 10,702,031 total cases, 173,740 active cases, 153,847 deaths (John Hopkins & MoHFW) as compared to 10,395,938 total cases, 228,083 active cases, 150,336 deaths last week. 2,355,979 people have been vaccinated. The daily Covid-19 recovered cases in India have been surpassing daily new cases from the last 20 days, while the total active cases stand at 1,76,498 comprising just 1.65 per cent of the total infections, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday, January 27.
- As India rolls out one of the world’s biggest inoculation programs, some health-care and other frontline workers are hesitating because of safety concerns over a vaccine that has yet to complete phase III trials. As of Monday, only about 56% of people eligible to get the shot have stepped forward in a nation with the world’s second-worst Covid-19 outbreak.
- India’s first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, effectively neutralises the more infectious UK variants of SARS-CoV-2 virus, reducing the possibility of the mutant virus escaping the body’s defence system. This was stated by Covaxin developer Bharat Biotech on Wednesday following a research conducted by the company along with experts from National Institute of Virology (NIV) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
- In a twist to the Covaxin story, eight doctors from the Mumbai region rejected the Serum Institute’s Covishield vaccine and took shots of Covaxin instead at JJ Hospital on Wednesday, January 27.
- 3L get vaccinated on Day 12, five states account for 79%. While Rajasthan topped the list for the day with 71,632 recipients receiving the shots, Madhya Pradesh vaccinated 60,194 people. Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh together accounted for 44% of total 2,99,299 recipients immunised against Covid-19 across the country on Wednesday. Karnataka – which has vaccinated the largest number of health workers so far – vaccinated 33,124 recipients, accounting for around 11% of the day’s total count.
- The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) that advises the Indian drug regulator has asked vaccine maker Bharat Biotech to first conduct phase-I trials of its chimpanzee adenovirus vectored Covid-19 intranasal vaccine, codenamed BBV154, on 75 volunteers to ascertain its safety and immunogenicity before seeking approval for phase-II trials.
- Tata Medical & Diagnostics, a newly formed subsidiary of Tata Sons, is said to have started initial discussions with US company Moderna for a partnership to launch its Covid-19 vaccine in India. Tata could team up with the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), the government’s key R&D organisation, to carry out clinical trials of Moderna’s vaccine candidate in India.
- Reliance Group has signed a USD 15 million deal with Israeli company Breath of Health (BOH) to distribute the company's swift Covid-19 breath testing system throughout India, a media report here said. According to the agreement, the Indian corporate giant will purchase hundreds of systems from the Israeli company in a deal valued at USD 15 million and will use them to conduct millions of tests a month at a cost of USD 10 million per month, business portal Calcalist reported.
- The makers of two ayurvedic Coviid-19 remedies have said that the treatments have been found to work better than the standard medicines in a comparative trial. "A clinical trial was conducted in India to monitor the outcome of a combination treatment for Covid. An Ayurvedic Remedy called ‘Immunofree’ by Corival Life Sciences, and a Nutraceutical called ‘Reginmune’ by Biogetica is found to work better in a comparative clinical trial against Standard of Care," said a statement.
- Staff Contact: Abby Pratt (apratt@advamed.org).
Japan
- Weekly COVID-19 statistics – 381,139 reported cases and 5,514 reported deaths compared to 352,689 reported cases and 4,886 reported deaths last week.
- The total number of infections has doubled over the past six weeks. Hospitals in COVID-hit regions are severely strained, with some reportedly on the brink of collapse. The Chair of the Japan Medical Association said that Japan doesn’t have enough doctors and nurses to deal with the caseload.
- Japan adopted a State of Emergency in Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures through at least February 7 due to the surge in cases. It also adopted a state of emergency in seven additional prefectures around the country.
- Under these declarations, the relevant prefectural governors will ask people to stay at home after 8 p.m., while restaurants, pubs and cafes that serve alcoholic beverages are requested to serve them only from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and close by 8 p.m.
- The central government has asked companies to reduce the number of workers going to the office by 70% and facilitate telecommuting and staggered commuting hours.
- In addition, under the States of Emergency, physicians now have the option, in consultation with patients, of postponing procedures if they feel their hospital’s bed will be needed for COVID-19 patients.
- Japan confirmed that the UK variant of the virus has been found in the country and has banned all foreign tourists from entering Japan as a result.
- In addition, Japan temporarily suspended an arrangement allowing business travelers from 11 Asian countries and regions to enter Japan, effectively banning the entry of nonresident foreign travelers. This suspension will be in effect through February 7. Japanese and foreign nationals with valid legal statuses are permitted to return to the country under the latest entry restrictions.
- Japan has contracted with Pfizer for 120 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to be delivered in the first half of 2021, and for enough vaccine for 72 million people by the end of 2021. Approval of the Pfizer vaccine is expected around February 2021. Pfizer is currently conducting a small-scale trial of the vaccine in Japan. Japan has also contracted for 50 million doses of the Moderna vaccine and 120 million doses of the Astra Zeneca vaccine. Astra Zeneca will manufacture 90 million of those doses in Japan.
- Vaccinations are not expected to begin in Japan until late February.
- Japan announced that it plans to inoculate its entire population with a COVID-19 vaccine by the time the Olympics start in July 2021.
- It has asked local governments to make arrangements to allow 30-40 million elderly citizens to be vaccinated by the end of March. About 10,000 healthcare workers who work with COVID-19 patients should receive the vaccine by the end of February, and around 3 million other healthcare workers will receive it by mid-March.
- Hospital beds are running low in many of the hardest hit regions.
- Kanagawa Prefecture’s Governor requested nearly 60 hospitals to postpone non-essential surgeries for one month on January 5 in order to free up beds for Covid-19 patients.
- According to a recent survey, 44% of advanced medical care hospitals are experiencing significant postponements of procedures due to patients’ concerns about COVID-19.
- The pandemic has had a severe impact on the financial situation of Japan’s hospitals. Nearly 70% of Japan’s hospitals are now operating in the red.
- Japan's Ministry of Health has adopted priority regulatory review procedures for new COVID-related medical devices.
- Staff Contact: Phil Agress (PAgress@AdvaMed.org).
Korea
- South Korea’s numbers currently are persistent but not increasing dramatically. They are reporting 497 new cases, up from 401 last week. New deaths are back to more in line with prior experience at 8 per day. South Korea continues to avoid the dramatic spikes that many other countries are experiencing.
- South Korea has 76,926 total cases, 9,524 active cases, with 1,386 deaths, reporting 8 deaths per day. Total cases per million population have remained low compared to most of the world at just 1,500 (S. Korea ranks as one of the lowest among the more highly populated countries). Deaths per million remain comparatively low as well at just 27.
- The South Korean government has unveiled its long-awaited plan for vaccinating the public, with the rollout set to kick off in a few weeks. The first doses will be offered to front-line health care workers in the Seoul area, where the active outbreaks have been concentrated, starting next month. From March, older adults and workers at long-term care homes and other congregate settings and first responders, including contact tracers, will be getting the jabs. Next in line are adults aged 65 or older, residents of group homes and the rest of health care personnel, who can expect their inoculations in May. Then comes the turn for essential workers such as police officers, firefighters and educators and adults with medical conditions in July. Some of the high-risk medical conditions being considered for priority vaccination are diabetes and heart and lung diseases.
- Koreans who are under 50 and healthy may be able to get their shots in the last few months of the year. The government vowed that all Koreans would eventually be vaccinated in phases except for pregnant women and children under 18, unless future trial results demonstrate otherwise.
- Under the plan, 1.3 million people will be vaccinated by March, 9 million by June, and the rest of the 33.25 million in the following months. In other words, over 75 percent of the vaccines will be distributed in the latter half of the year. “The government intends to carry out the COVID-19 vaccinations as planned to reach herd immunity by November,” Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Commissioner Jung Eun-kyeong told a news briefing. “Through the vaccinations we hope to achieve two things: to protect health and lives and to begin the journey back to normal.”
- Korea has so far obtained vaccines for up to 56 million people. Of those, the doses for 10 million people would come from AstraZeneca, 10 million from Pfizer, 20 million from Moderna, 6 million from Janssen and 10 million from the WHO-led COVAX scheme.
- Health authorities said they will decide whether to extend or lower the current social distancing level on Saturday, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday slated for Feb. 11-13. The Level 2.5, the second highest in the country's five-tier scheme, has been applied in the greater Seoul area, with Level 2 in other areas. Private gatherings of five or more have been banned across the country, while the operation of restaurants has been limited after 9 p.m.
- Korea plans to expand the proportion of in-person classes and make improvement to virtual learning to ensure its students are better served when the new school year begins in March.
- South Korea’s current snowballing budget deficit, fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic “can be offset by gradual consolidation” in coming years, the International Monetary Fund said Thursday. The remark by Andreas Bauer, Korea mission chief at the IMF, apparently aims to alleviate concerns surrounding the nation’s government debt surged by four rounds of supplementary budgets implemented to finance COVID-19 relief programs.
- South Korea’s Prime Minister has pledged to place top policy priority on turning 2021 into the "original year" of overcoming the pandemic and thanked the people for related cooperation so far. He noted that the "biggest credit in the nation's battle against the pandemic goes to the public," lauding the people for uniting in the spirit of solidarity and cooperation in times of crises. South Korea reported its first confirmed COVID-19 case on Jan. 20, 2020. The nation has often been cited among the world's most successful countries in the battle against the pandemic.
- The government is slated to provide a plan to prevent the kinds of hospital bed shortages it has experienced over the past year. At one point in December, 595 patients in Seoul were waiting at home for hospital beds to open up after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Between December and mid-January, at least 11 patients in the capital area died waiting for treatment for more than a day.
- South Korea continues to impose suspension of direct flights from Britain until at least February 11.
- Foreigners arriving at South Korean airports must present a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) coronavirus test taken within 72 hours of their departure to the nation.
- Foreigners from Britain and South Africa who fail to present negative PCR test results will be banned from entering the nation, and incoming Korean nationals without test results will be isolated in temporary living facilities for two weeks upon their arrival in the nation, the KDCA said.
- Health authorities will continue to conduct further tests, known as next-generation sequencing, on infected people from Britain and South Africa to detect the mutant virus and are set to implement strengthened measures on those from abroad.
- South Korea’s movement toward implementation of a proposal that would potentially reduce the price of certain cardiac and peripheral stents has been at least temporarily postponed. A December meeting that was scheduled to occur to discuss the proposal has been postponed. AdvaMed is in touch with members and the medtech association in Korea and has had several discussions with the US Government on this topic. We have sent a letter to the health ministry expressing opposition to the proposal.
- We have submitted a letter in response to a recently issued request for comments on the proposal for potential implementation of pricing controls on stents. Please contact Joseph Gatewood (jgatewood@advamed.org) if you have an interest in this matter and are not already engaged.
- Resources: http://ncov.mohw.go.kr/en/.
- Staff Contact: Joseph Gatewood (jgatewood@advamed.org).
ASEAN
- Weekly COVID-19 statistics – ASEAN now has 1,970,045 reported cases and 43,731 reported deaths compared to 1,826,491 reported cases and 40,738 reported deaths last week.
- The vast majority of cases are in Indonesia, the Philippines, and more recently Myanmar and Malaysia. Indonesia surpassed 1 million cases last week and the Philippines has reported over 518,000 cases.
- Indonesia’s total COVID-19 deaths have reached 29,311, the highest level in East Asia. The Philippines reported 10,481 deaths.
- Myanmar continues to experience a major surge that started in September. It is now reporting 138,368 total cases. The number of deaths is 3,089.
- Cambodia and Laos have each reported zero deaths, while Brunei has reported 3 deaths, and Singapore has reported 29 deaths (despite having over 59,000 cases). These numbers are unchanged from last week.
- Thailand, which in mid-December had just over 4,000 cases of COVID-19, experienced a major surge that originated in a shrimp market southeast of Bangkok. It is now reporting over 15,465 cases ad 76 deaths. Thailand will begin vaccinations in late February.
- Indonesia has secured orders for 600 million doses of vaccine from four producers. Indonesia’s President has set a target of finishing the vaccination process within this year.
- Elective surgeries have resumed in Thailand and Vietnam.
- In Indonesia, provincial hospitals are resuming elective surgery with COVID-19 protocols in place.
- Malaysia maintains limits on elective surgery except in emergency cases.
- Singapore restricts most elective surgeries but allows certain procedures including cancer screening, surgical operations for advanced cataracts, flu vaccinations, and dental procedures.
- The Philippines extended its State of Calamity by a year to counter the pandemic. This extension will give national and local governments latitude to continue utilizing appropriate disaster relief funds and affords the government powers to monitor and control necessities and provide essential services to the affected populations.
- Hospitals in some parts of Indonesia, including Java and Bali, are on the brink of collapse as the nation passed one million confirmed cases.
- As of January 1, Indonesia has closed its border to foreign nationals to mitigate the increased spread of COVID-19. The border will remain closed until at least January 25. The new policy provides exemptions for holders of diplomatic visas and official visas related to foreign officials at the ministerial level, holders of limited stay permits, and permanent resident permits.
- Malaysia has adopted lockdown measures that will apply to most of the country as daily coronavirus cases in Malaysia continue to surge. Five essential sectors including construction, agriculture, and manufacturing will remain open with limited capacity, while interstate domestic travel will be banned and a number of businesses will be required to close under the Movement Control Order (MCO).
- The Philippines has imposed restrictions on travelers from the United States and 20 other countries where cases of the new COVID-19 variant were reported.
- Singapore is requiring travelers who are not Singaporeans or permanent residents entering Singapore from high-risk countries to take a COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours before their departure.
- Singapore is piloting a new business travel pass for senior executives with regional or international responsibilities. Travelers on this pass would need to keep to a strict itinerary while abroad. On returning to Singapore, they would have the option of a COVID-19 test in lieu of a stay-home notice and would need to self-isolate until the results are released.
- Singapore has lifted border restrictions for all visitors from mainland China, Taiwan, and Australia’s Victoria State.
- Thailand now allows long-term stay visitors, including business travelers and tourists, who will be able to remain in the country for up to 90 days (with up to two extensions possible). Visitors must be from a designated low-risk country, must undergo testing, and must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Thailand.
- Thailand has extended its nationwide state of emergency through February 28 and deferred a proposal to shorten the quarantine period for foreign tourists to 10 days to prevent a COVID-19 resurgence during the peak holiday season.
- Thailand lifted the ban on international flights and allows certain categories of individuals from Japan, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore to enter the country. The Civil Aviation Authority will still apply stringent international travel restrictions preventing the entry of tourists.
- Vietnam has banned flights from countries that have recorded the new COVID-19 variant. The country will limit inbound repatriation flights from January 10 until mid-February.
- Staff Contact: Phil Agress (PAgress@AdvaMed.org)
Europe
- Europe overall continues to struggle in its attempts to abate the virus, with many countries experiencing persistent or increased spiking (UK, France, Spain, and even Germany). Italy and Belgium seem to be making progress in getting its numbers and rate of increase to lower levels.
- In terms of new cases, Spain leads with 40,285, followed by France (26,916), UK (25,308), Russia (17,741), Germany (15,611), Italy (15,152) and Portugal (15,073). Italy’s numbers have been on a significant downward trend, while Spain and France remain high. Germany is having lower but persistent spiking.
- The UK leads Europe in deaths at 101,887 followed by Italy, France, Russia, Spain and Germany. (see chart below). Russia's reported numbers on COVID remain problematic with perhaps the highest number of total cases of any country at 3,774,672 (but now only slightly higher than the UK’s total) and 71,076 reported deaths (and reporting one of the lowest death rates in Europe at 487 per million). By comparison Germany with more than 1.5 million fewer cases (2,179,679) reports 55,358 deaths and a death rate of 660 per million.
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