COVID-19 Outbreak: Weekly Global Report for Friday, July 16, 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 reached a total of 189 million cases. Deaths around the world have exceeded 4 million. The countries with the most reported cases continue to be the U.S. (33.9 million), India (31.1 million) and Brazil (19.2 million).
- U.S. cases exceeded 33.98 million with deaths increasing to 608,000.
- Staff Contact: Ralph Ives (rives@advamed.org).
China
- Overview: Despite a massively efficient vaccine roll-out since May, the Chinese government has given no indication it intends to change its current COVID playbook of closed borders, strict quarantine for foreign arrivals, and aggressive lockdowns when flareups return. Beijing remains ever cautious as variants circulate and the efficacy of China’s vaccines is questioned. Many businesses expect that China may retain stringent travel restrictions through February 2022, when Beijing will host the Winter Olympics. Chinese regulators this week completed an expert review of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine developed by Germany's BioNTech and Fosun Pharma. Chinese authorities plan to use the vaccine, which goes by the brand name Comirnaty, as a booster shot for those people who have received an inactivated-virus vaccine—i.e., nearly the entire Chinese population.
- Status of vaccination campaign: Over one billion Chinese citizens have received at least one COVID vaccine dose to date, accounting for one-third of total global vaccinations. China’s CDC has revised upwards its threshold to reach herd immunity from 70% to 80-85%. Several local governments in China are planning to bar residents who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 from accessing public venues, stirring controversy as the country makes a push for herd immunity. In recent days, a dozen counties and cities in the eastern provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi set late-August deadlines for people 18 years or older to complete a two-shot vaccine regimen, according to similarly worded online statements. Many of them also set dates in late July by which unvaccinated people would be barred from entering schools, libraries, prisons, nursing homes and inpatient facilities at hospitals without a valid medical exemption.
- Weekly COVID-19 statistics: China’s total COVID cases now stand at 104,194, an increase of 225 cases over the previous week. The number of reported deaths remained unchanged over the previous week, at 4,848.
- China’s vaccines and approval date: Sinopharm (approved Dec. 31, 2020); Sinovac’s CoronaVac (approved on Feb. 5); CanSino Biologics and a second Sinopharm vaccine (both approved in April). Three other vaccines have been approved in May and June.
- China approves Sinovac vaccine for children: China is the first major country to grant vaccine approval for children as young as three. Singapore, Hong Kong and some U.S. states have so far authorized COVID-19 vaccines for children 12 years and above. When exactly this 3 to 17-year-old age group will receive their first doses is unclear.
- Post-COVID healthcare system upgrade: China will provide funding to build new institutions and infrastructure to fight infectious diseases and improve healthcare, the state planning body said in a "five-year plan" for the sector. The central government will subsidize the construction of new "prevention bases" for infectious disease and new grassroots medical facilities across the country, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in the plan, published this Thursday. It said China was facing difficult healthcare challenges, including new emerging infectious diseases, the increasingly heavy burden of chronic illnesses as well as the growing need for mental health services. "The public health system is in urgent need of improvement, and the ability to prevent, control and treat major epidemics is not strong," it warned. High-quality medical resources are also insufficient and not evenly distributed, and there are also gaps when it comes to treating women and children, it added.
- BioNTech vaccine: Chinese regulators this week completed an expert review of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine developed by Germany's BioNTech and Fosun Pharma and the shot is now in the administration review stage, Caixin reported. China hasn't approved any COVID-19 vaccine developed overseas but has greenlighted several domestic brands. Chinese authorities plan to use the vaccine, which goes by the brand name Comirnaty, as a booster shot for people who have received inactivated-virus vaccines, people close to regulators told Caixin. Most people in China have received inactivated-virus vaccines made by Sinovac and state-owned Sinopharm Group that have demonstrated lower efficacy than mRNA vaccines.
- China’s own mRNA vaccine: China’s first messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccine, is expected to start phase three tests in many overseas countries later this month, the chief executive officer of Suzhou Abogen Biosciences, the vaccine’s developer, said this week. Together with Chinese clinical contract research organization Tigermed, Abogen is preparing to conduct overseas Phase III clinical trials using 28,000 volunteers in countries including Mexico, Columbia and Pakistan. The vaccine can be stored at temperatures of between two and eight degrees centigrade for at least seven months, making it convenient for mass distribution. The clinical trials will not select specific variants, and will also not reject any strains, Ying told Yicai Global. The Suzhou, eastern Jiangsu province-based firm is also developing a separate mRNA vaccine candidate that will target the variants that were first found in South Africa and India.
- Vaccine diplomacy: Chinese pharmaceutical companies including Sinopharm and Sinovac signed agreements to supply millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines with international NGOs. Sinopharm has signed a longer-term agreement to provide up to 120 million doses by the end of 2021 for participating countries and territories in the COVAX program. It is the seventh supply agreement UNICEF has signed for COVID-19 vaccines after agreements with other vaccine suppliers including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Human Vaccine. Meanwhile, GAVI announced on the same day it had signed two advance purchase agreements with Sinopharm and Sinovac to provide up to 550 million COVID-19 vaccines to the COVAX program. The new deals include up to 170 million doses of the Sinopharm shot and up to 380 million shots of the Sinovac vaccine, through to the middle of 2022, the statement said.
- Dispute over COVID-19’s origins: In a rare departure from his usual deference to powerful member countries, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this Thursday that getting access to raw data had been a challenge for the international team that traveled to China earlier this year to investigate the source of COVID-19. Tedros also said there had been a “premature push” to rule out the theory that the virus might have escaped from a Chinese government lab in Wuhan - undermining WHO’s own March report, which concluded that a laboratory leak was “extremely unlikely.”
- China’s Economy: The Chinese economy expanded by 7.9% in the three months ending June compared with a year earlier, according to government statistics released this week. Monthly readings of industrial output, retail sales, fixed-asset investment and urban unemployment all met or topped expectations in June, keeping China on track to meet the official full-year growth target of 6% or more. But beneath the robust growth numbers lurk mounting risks for the economy, including an expected tapering off in global demand for Chinese goods, slower investment in manufacturing and real estate, and the threat of fresh COVID-19 outbreaks that could weigh on domestic consumption.
- S.-China relations: Earlier this week, several media outlets reported that U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman would travel to Japan and South Korea next week, with China as the last stop. Sherman would be the highest-ranking Biden administration official to visit China so far, and observers widely considered the visit as laying the groundwork for a Biden-Xi meeting later this year at the G-20. However, Sherman’s itinerary—released on Thursday by the State Department—excludes mention of a China stop. The Financial Times is reporting that the PRC Foreign Ministry is not offering a meeting with Sherman’s No. 2 counterpart in the Foreign Ministry, leading to a kerfuffle overall protocol. This week, the Biden administration issued an expanded business advisory for Xinjiang and a new business advisory for Hong Kong that may have angered Beijing.
- Staff Contact: Kyle Churchman (kchurchman@advamed.org)
India
- Weekly COVID-19 statistics – 30,986,803 total cases, 432,041 active cases/411,989 deaths/ discharged 30,143,850 (John Hopkins & MoHFW) as compared to 30,708,570 total cases, 460,704 active cases/405,028 deaths/ discharged 29,843,825 (John Hopkins & MoHFW) last week. 391,340,491 people have been vaccinated.
- Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Wednesday, July 14, said that the slow pace of procurement and vaccine administration by Private COVID Vaccination Centers (PCVC) is a cause of ‘serious worry.’ A high-level meeting chaired by Rajesh Bhushan with health secretaries and senior immunization officials of 15 States/UTs of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Delhi, Punjab and Haryana to review the status and progress of vaccine procurement by Private COVID Vaccination Centers (PCVC).
- The drug price regulator capped the trade margin of five widely-used medical devices, particularly for management of Covid-19, like pulse oximeter, blood pressure monitoring machine, nebulizer, digital thermometer and glucometer at 70%. The move is expected to result in a significant drop in MRP of these products that are in high demand with many Covid patients under home isolation and treatment needing regular monitoring of blood pressure, blood sugar and oxygen level as well as fever, etc.
- The government has exempted basic customs duty on imports of specified API/ excipients for Amphotericin B and raw materials for manufacturing Covid test kits. In a notification dated July 12, the Finance Ministry said the basic customs duty exemption on raw materials for manufacturing Covid test kits would be till September 30, 2021.
- Dr.Reddy's Laboratories Ltd has informed that it will strengthen the commercial roll-out of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in the coming weeks. Cleared that neither the ongoing soft commercial launch nor work towards its ramp-up in India have been put on hold, in a statement. "Starting initially in Hyderabad, the soft launch roll-out of Sputnik V has scaled up speedily and reached cities and towns all over India
- Serum Institute of India (SII) will start production of Sputnik vaccine at the company's facilities in September, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said on Tuesday, July 13. "The first batch of Sputnik vaccine is expected to be produced at SII's facilities in September," RDIF said in a statement.
- SpiceHealth, a healthcare company founded by SpiceJet promoters Ajay Singh and Avani Singh, has launched COVID-19 vaccination centres by tying up with major hospitals in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Bihar and Jharkhand. "The company has launched vaccination centres at Delhi's Aashlok Hospital and Paras Hospitals in four states," a company statement said.
- India's full rollout of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine will have to be put on hold until the Russian producer provides equal quantities of its two differing doses, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd said on Monday, July 12. Dr. Reddy's had received about 3 million first doses by June 1 and about 360,000 doses of the second by early this month, the company and the Indian government have said.
- Eminent veteran virologist T Jacob John believes that a third wave of Covid-19 across the country is unlikely unless there is an outbreak of a more dangerous and infectious variant than the Delta mutant. “The extent of population that is unexposed to the virus during the last two waves and vaccination coverage will determine the next wave,” former head of departments of clinical virology and microbiology at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore.
- Pharma firm FDC Ltd on Monday, July 12 said it has launched oral suspension of Favipiravir to treat mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in the country. This prescription-only Favenza oral suspension is currently available at all retail medical outlets and hospital pharmacies across India, FDC said in a statement. Convenient loading dosage of the oral suspension helps reduce dosage frequency, it added.
- Healthcare major Abbott on Monday, July 12, said it has launched Covid-19 home test kit in India for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in adults and children with or without symptoms at a price of Rs 325 for a single test kit pack. The company will deliver millions of Panbio Covid-19 rapid antigen tests, available for self-use, to ease the burden on healthcare systems in urban and rural India, Abbott said in a statement.
- The drug regulator will be considering emergency use approval for Covid vaccines developed by Zydus Cadila for children above 12 this week. The regulator's subject expert committee (SEC) will examine data submitted by Cadila, reported Sushmi Dey.
- India has submitted a proposal to the US, granting legal indemnity as demanded by Massachusetts-based vaccine maker Moderna for shipping its Covid-19 vaccine, albeit with certain conditions, said people aware of the matter. The proposal, which has been further sent to Moderna, will be taken up by its board of directors and once approved, will allow immediate import by India of about seven million doses of the company’s vaccine, they said.
- The Central government on Thursday, July 08, announced a Rs 23,000 crores emergency response package to combat Covid-19. Addressing a press conference, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that the fund will be used to ensure the availability of medical oxygen, critical medicine and infrastructure to deal with the transmission of Covid-19 among children. "In April 2020, Rs 15,000 crores were given as emergency Covid response fund.
- French pharmaceutical company Sanofi and its British partner GSK (GlaxoSmithKline plc) received approval for their Phase 3 clinical study in India, to assess the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity of their adjuvanted recombinant-protein COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The global, randomised, double-blind Phase 3 study will include more than 35,000 volunteers aged 18 years and older across sites in the US, Asia, Africa and Latin America.
- Drug firm Mankind Pharma on Thursday, July 08, said it has received licence from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to manufacture and market oral 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), used for the treatment of COVID-19. 2-DG was developed by the Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE), Gwalior. The clinical trials were conducted by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of DRDO, in association with Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Mankind Pharma said in a statement.
- Staff Contact: Abby Pratt (apratt@advamed.org).
Japan
- Weekly COVID-19 statistics – 831,792 reported cases and 15,033 reported deaths compared to 814,533 reported cases and 14,933 reported deaths the previous week.
- The number of new infections in the Tokyo metropolitan area is spiking as Japan prepares to host the Olympics later this month. The Prime Minister announced that Tokyo will reinstitute emergency measures through August 22. Spectators will not be allowed at Olympic events in and around the capital.
- Japan had been making good progress ramping up its vaccination efforts, but it now faces a shortage of vaccines. Over 19 million Japanese are fully vaccinated (out of a total population of 126 million) and nearly 30% of the population had received at least one dose as of July 12. Prime Minister Suga said that his goal is to complete all vaccinations by November.
- Japan provided final approval to the Moderna vaccine and the Astra Zeneca vaccine on May 21. The Pfizer vaccine was approved in February. J&J submitted its application for approval of its vaccine on May 24. It is expected to be approved and available for use around the beginning of 2022.
- Moderna will provide 50 million doses of the vaccine by September. It is being used at mass vaccination centers in Tokyo and Osaka, as well as elsewhere. AstraZeneca has contracted to provide 120 million doses, which the government will stockpile for later use.
- 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.
- Prefectural governments are urging hospitals to open up more Covid-19- dedicated beds, which is putting further pressure on patients to avoid elective surgeries.
- The Japanese government continues to maintain its controls on foreign nationals entering the country. Reciprocal business travel arrangements that were forged with China, South Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam remain suspended. While Tokyo’s restrictions on foreign entries except for returning nationals remain in place, the government will make exceptions for athletes entering the country for the upcoming Olympic Games.
- Staff Contact: Phil Agress (PAgress@AdvaMed.org).
Korea
- South Korea’s numbers are up again, sufficiently so that it could be called a spike (last week’s number is in parens) with 1,600 new daily cases (762). The country’s numbers are increasing and concerning but remain overall low. There could be extended lockdown repercussion if the trend continues.
- Korea has increased to 173,511 total cases, 14,952 active cases (a significant increase in active cases) with 2,050 deaths. Total cases per million population have remained low compared to most of the world but Korea is now spiking a bit above the 3k threshold with 3,381 cases per million. (S. Korea ranks as one of the lowest among the more highly populated countries). Deaths per million remain comparatively low as well at just 40.
- South Korea has administered 15,836,992 first doses (30.8% of the population) and 6,183,732 second doses (12.0% of the population) of the COVID-19 vaccine.
- South Korea is closer than ever to a lockdown in its second pandemic summer, as large increases of new COVID-19 cases continue for nearly a week on end. Korea counted 1,600 more cases Thursday, down slightly from the record high of 1,615 cases set the previous day. Nearly 70 percent of the freshly logged cases were traced to Seoul and its surrounding areas.
- For two weeks starting Monday, the wider Seoul area was under the strictest restrictions available under the country’s four-tier social distancing system. After 6 p.m., all social gatherings larger than three people are banned. Gyms and restaurants can only remain open until 10 p.m. Bars, nightclubs and other places considered to be high risk cannot operate at all. The constraints on businesses and daily life dictated by the tier are the harshest form of social distancing Koreans have endured since the pandemic began. For now, the rules are set to end on July 25.
- While the fourth tier is not a lockdown in a true definition of the word, it’s been widely called a “near-lockdown” or “soft lockdown” due to the unprecedented restrictions on in-person activities put in place. The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s spokesperson Son Young-rae said, “The idea is that you shun all travel and gatherings that aren’t essential.” Health officials have said that the intense social distancing will not be necessary for long.
- Two key promises were made in a series of Ministry of Health and Welfare briefings held Wednesday and Thursday. About 8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines will arrive in Korea before the end of this month, to hopefully speed up the painfully slow rollout. Additionally, the latest wave will more or less come under control in two weeks.
- As new cases in the greater Seoul area account for 80 percent of the daily caseload, the country implemented a semi-lockdown in the region that centers on banning gatherings of more than two people after 6 p.m.
- Under the highest social distancing measures of Level 4, entertainment establishments, including nightclubs and bars, are ordered to shut down in the capital area, while restaurants are allowed to have dine-in customers only until 10 p.m.
- Starting Thursday, most areas outside the greater Seoul area will be placed under the second-highest restrictions, in which gatherings of more than eight people are banned around the clock, according to health authorities. The ceilings, however, vary depending on provincial governments' policies. Non-capital regions have been under the lowest social distancing scheme with no ceiling on gatherings. Restaurants are allowed to operate until midnight at Level 2. Some regions, including the central administration city of Sejong, along with North and South Jeolla provinces, will be under Level 1 distancing.
- But Korea has been put on edge due to rising variant cases and soaring untraceable infections.
- Baek Young-ha, head of the ministry’s vaccine procurement program, said Thursday that “supplies due for arrival over the remainder of July are roughly 8 million doses,” adding that these have been “agreed upon with pharmaceutical companies,” namely, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. “The vaccine shipments are coming in on a weekly basis,” he said. Lee Ki-il, another senior official at the ministry, said a day prior that “the COVID-19 situation here is predicted to stabilize in two weeks.” “For just the next two weeks, refrain from nonessential outings and social events,” he said. Some experts are skeptical that two weeks will be sufficient.
- Hundreds of small-business owners took to the streets Wednesday night, denouncing the government for once again putting their livelihoods at risk in its drive to contain COVID-19 with strict social distancing rules. With limits on private gatherings that continued since last year, coupled with the most recent minimum wage increase, small-business owners are asking the government for monetary support and to relax restrictions on business operations to boost consumption. To make their demands heard, a committee comprising 22 small-business owners’ associations staged a drive-through rally for two hours from Yeouido, western Seoul, to streets of Jongno-gu, central Seoul.
- South Korea has secured enough vaccines to inoculate some 100 million people in a country of 52 million. The vaccines are made by five pharmaceutical firms -- AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen, Moderna and Novavax. "Experts say the COVID-19 outbreak will not end immediately and will continue for some time, and numerous variants are expected to proliferate," Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae said. "The government is thoroughly preparing to secure vaccine bottles for next year."
- Foreigners arriving at South Korean airports face a mandatory 14-day quarantine procedure and must present a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) coronavirus test taken within 72 hours of their departure to the nation. However, starting July 1, some people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in countries other than Korea will be exempt from the 14-day self-quarantine requirement, meaning they can move around freely as soon as they enter the country. A similar exemption has been in place since May for those who were vaccinated in Korea.
- The new exemption applies only to people who were fully vaccinated at least two weeks before traveling to Korea. It also applies only to those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine that is approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization. The list includes those from Pfizer, Janssen, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and Covishield. All international arrivals still have to show a negative result from a COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departing for Korea. Without one, you can still be refused entry.
- The exemption also only applies to those visiting Korea for business or academic purposes, for the public interest or to visit immediate family members. Otherwise, you still have to self-quarantine for two weeks upon entry. Immediate family members are defined as spouses, lineal ascendants or descendants, and lineal ascendants or descendants of spouses. You will have to fill out forms and prove your intent to visit them. The necessary forms are available online from Korean embassies and consulates abroad or other government agencies.
- Those coming from countries experiencing the spread of certain COVID-19 variants are also ineligible for this exemption. As of June, those countries were South Africa, Malawi, Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Equatorial Guinea, Brazil, Suriname, Paraguay and Chile. The list could change depending on the global situation.
- Resources: http://ncov.mohw.go.kr/en/.
- Staff Contact: Joseph Gatewood (jgatewood@advamed.org).
ASEAN
Cases
- ASEAN now has 5,846,738 reported cases and 111,498 reported deaths compared to 5,311,990 reported cases and 102,287 reported deaths last week.
- ASEAN remains in the midst of a sharp spike in cases and deaths. The number of new cases last week set a record for the ninth week in a row.
- Indonesia: Indonesia is suffering from a major surge in COVID-19 cases driven by a surge in travel following the post-Ramadan holidays. The number of new cases over the past week far surpassed the weekly record it set the previous week. Authorities plan to increase hospital capacity by 40% in Jakarta, while hotels will be converted into isolation centers. The government announced a six-week extension of stricter social restrictions, including tighter restrictions on movement and air travel, the closure of malls, a work-from-home policy for non-essential workers, reduced public transportation capacity, and requirements for vaccines or COVID-19 tests for domestic air travelers. Indonesia is now reporting 2,726,803 total cases and 70,192 total deaths compared to 2,417,788 total cases and 63,760 total deaths the previous week. Indonesia accounts for 63% of total deaths in ASEAN since the start of the pandemic.
- Malaysia: Malaysia set four daily records for new COVID cases over the past week. The country has extended its nationwide lockdown indefinitely amid a continuing high caseload. Only essential businesses, such as supermarkets and medical clinics, may operate. Schools and shopping malls are closed and only two people per household may venture out to buy essentials or for medical services, with movement limited to a 10km radius. Reported cases have grown from 808,658 to 880,782 over the past week. Total deaths have grown from 5,903 to 6,613 over that timeframe.
- Thailand: The number of cases reported by Thailand has grown more nearly 13-fold since April 1. The country is experiencing new daily records of COVID fatalities, and beds designated for patients in critical condition at all state-run hospitals in Bangkok are now fully occupied with COVID-19 infected patients. Thailand is converting several airport terminals into field hospitals. A 14-day lockdown of Greater Bangkok began on July 12 as Thailand continues struggling to contain its third and deadliest COVID-19 wave. Restaurants, markets, convenience stores, and public transit will operate with shortened hours of operation, and shopping malls will close except for certain essential tenants such as supermarkets, banks, pharmacies, and eateries. Private and public sector workers are being encouraged to work from home. Reported cases grew from 308,230 to 372,215 over the past week and reported deaths have increased from 2,462 to 3,032 over that time.
- Philippines: The Philippines is now reporting 1,490,665 total cases, up from 1,455,585 last week. Total reported deaths have increased from 25,650 to 26,314 over that time.
- Cambodia: The number of reported cases has grown more than 26-fold in Cambodia since April 1. Reported cases increased to 63,615 from 57,103 over the past week. Reported deaths grew from 798 to 986 over that period.
- Vietnam: Vietnam experienced five successive days of a record number of COVID cases last week. Ho Chi Minh City is the new epicenter of the fourth COVID-19 wave and has suspended dozens of daily flights and announced strict curbs on movement and gatherings for 15 days that went into effect on July 9. Hanoi has also imposed movement restrictions, and as of July 13, suspended non-essential services amid the rising COVID-19 threat. The number of reported cases has grown over 14-fold since April 1. Cases of COVID-19 infection grew from 23,385 to 38,239 over the past week. The total number of deaths grew from 102 to 138.
- Singapore: Singapore slightly relaxed COVID precautions amid low infection rates. The relaxed measures include a reopening of gyms and in-restaurant dining in groups of two. Working from home remains the default. Reported cases increased slightly from 62,652 to 62,804 over the past week. The total number of deaths increased remained at 36.
- Laos: Laos reported a growth in total cases from 2,400 to 2,976 over the past week. It has reported 3 deaths from COVID since the outset of the pandemic.
Vaccinations
- Indonesia is currently in the second stage of vaccinations following the vaccination of medical workers in the first stage. It reportedly has 76 million doses of the vaccine on hand. It is administering the Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines. Only 5.6% of the population is fully vaccinated.
- Indonesia has secured orders for 600 million doses of vaccine from four producers. This includes between 13.7 million and 23.1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX system. President Jokowi has set a target of finishing the vaccination process within this year.
- Malaysia approved both AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines for emergency use on March 2. Mass vaccinations began on February 24 using the Pfizer vaccine and the government aims to vaccinate 80% of its 32 million population by next February. So far, it has fully vaccinated 12% of its population. One million doses of the Pfizer vaccine donated by the U.S. arrived in Malaysia on July 5.
- Malaysia has agreed to buy 25 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine. It has also signed agreements for 18.4 million doses of vaccines produced by Russia's Gamaleya Research Institute and China's Sinovac.
- The Philippines began its immunization program after receiving its first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine (600,00 doses of Sinovac Biotech's CoronaVac, donated by China). It is due to receive another 25 million doses of CoronaVac this year.
- However, there is little public support for the inoculation drive. Polls show that fewer than one third of Filipinos are willing to be vaccinated due to fears of the potential side effects. Currently, only 3.4% of the population is fully vaccinated.
- Singapore is on track for two-thirds of its population to have received their first vaccine dose by early July and aims to have two-thirds fully vaccinated by August 9. Currently, 41.5% of the population is fully vaccinated.
- Thailand began a mass vaccination program using the AstraZeneca vaccine on June 7. Currently, 4.8% of its citizens have been fully vaccinated. Thailand has granted emergency use authorization for the Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac vaccines, although only the latter two are actually available. Thailand announced it is on track to receive six million AstraZeneca vaccine doses this month.
- Thailand's Food and Drug Administration has approved Siam Bioscience as a manufacturing facility for the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine. Thailand plans to export the vaccines to eight Southeast Asian countries.
- Vietnam’s health ministry said the country will have nearly 125 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines this year. The total includes 5 million doses from Moderna, 20 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, and 31 million doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer. Vietnam will also acquire 30 million AstraZeneca doses and 38.9 million doses through the Covax initiative. The U.S. shipped 2 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to Vietnam in July. The country has fully vaccinated less than 1% of its population to date. Meanwhile, a Vietnamese pharmaceutical company has begun second phase trials on a coronavirus vaccine.
- Cambodia has fully vaccinated 24% of the population, making it the second-highest country with total inoculation in Southeast Asia, after Singapore.
Travel
- Singapore has suspended its Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) arrangements with Malaysia, Germany, South Korea, and Brunei due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. The move does not affect Singapore’s Periodic Commuting Arrangement with Malaysia, which includes longer-term workers and business travel.
- Singapore and Hong Kong agreed to postpone their travel bubble that had been scheduled to start May 26 due to an outbreak of cases in Singapore.
- Indonesia has closed its border to foreign nationals to mitigate the increased spread of COVID-19. The 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.
- Thailand’s Prime Minister announced in mid-June his goal of fully opening the country to foreign visitors within 120 days to pave the way for economic recovery. As of April, Thailand reduced its mandatory quarantine from 14 to seven days for foreigners arriving in the country who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Vaccinations must be administered within three months of the travel period and visitors will still be required to show negative COVID-19 test results within three days of their departure. Those not yet inoculated but with coronavirus-free certificates would be quarantined for 10 days.
- Vietnam has temporarily restricted the entry of foreigners and overseas Vietnamese to focus on COVID-19 preventative measures. It has also increased the quarantine period for incoming travelers and close contacts of confirmed cases to 21 days.
- Staff Contact: Phil Agress (PAgress@AdvaMed.org)
Europe
- The story in Europe this week is the dramatic spikes in daily cases that are being seen in the UK, Russia and Spain. In Russia the issue is more persistence at a higher level than spiking. Positive or holding trends are continuing in many of the larger European countries, including France, Italy, Germany and Belgium. Daily fatalities in the UK have significantly increased from prior weeks. Russia daily fatalities continue to spike. In contrast, Italy, France and Germany are all showing more stability in daily case rates (while France has increased it remains at a much lower level than UK, Spain or Russia).
- Increases in new cases per day (New Daily Cases) tend to benchmark increasing COVID incidence. We’ve put the new daily case numbers in the chart below. Additionally, here are the current figures with (two weeks) prior figures in parentheses. France 8,875 (2,457); Spain 26,390 (9,227)); Russia 23,827 (21,042 ); UK 42,081 (25,923, Italy 2,171 (773); Germany 1,629 (831); and Belgium 1,303 (1,072).
- In terms of total cases, see chart below for the specific numbers. Russia is now ahead of France. UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Ukraine Netherlands and Czech Republic round out the top 10 countries with the largest number of total cases in Europe.
- In terms of cases per million in Europe, Czech Republic remains 3rd highest in Europe with 155,653, but the rate of increase appears to be slowing. Sweden is 8th with 107,624. Belgium is 12th with 94,344, France is 14th with 89,108. Spain is 16th with 86,405, Italy is 28th with 70,848, and the UK is 21th with 76,662.
- Russia's reported numbers on COVID remain problematic at 5,857,002. Russia has moved again into the lead for most COVID cases in Europe. However, Russia reports one of the lowest death rates in the world at just 995 per million. By comparison, Germany, with more than 2 million fewer cases, reports 91,831 deaths and a death rate of 1,092 per million. Russia has authorized a one-shot Sputnik Light version of its Covid vaccine.
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