COVID-19 Outbreak: Weekly Global Report for Friday, November 20, 2020
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 56.6 million, a 4 million increase over the previous week. Deaths around the world surpassed 1.35 million. The countries with the most reported cases continue to be the U.S. (11.6 million), India (9 million), and Brazil (6 million).
- U.S. cases exceeded 11.6 million with deaths increasing to 251,000.
- Staff Contact: Ralph Ives (rives@advamed.org).
China
- Weekly COVID-19 statistics–China’s total COVID cases now stand at 91,918 (an increase of 143 over the previous week). There were no reported deaths over the previous week, leaving the death count unchanged at 4,742. Almost all new cases have been linked to foreign arrivals.
- Anecdotal evidence suggests that hospitals have been gradually resuming elective/regular surgeries and operations appear to be at 80-90% of pre-COVID levels, with this range varying by particular medical condition of the patient and geographical area.
- China reportedly has four coronavirus vaccine candidates in the third and final stage of clinical trials.
- Government attention has largely turned towards preventing a second wave outbreak, with imported frozen food now considered the major risk vector. The smattering of recent transmissions linked to frozen food indicate the government is right to be cautious, but scientific experts remain divided over contaminated frozen food in fact causing new transmissions. Last week, the State Council issued its Work Plan for the Preventive and Comprehensive Disinfection of Imported Cold Chain Food, mandating that the packaging of all imported cold food must be disinfected before distribution.
- The State Council announced that China will launch a public health campaign this winter to step up the control of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. The campaign will involve improving public health facilities, orchestrating sanitation efforts, and creating contingency plans for local outbreaks.
- Both Chinese nationals and foreigners traveling to China are now required to present negative nucleic acid and serum IgM antibody tests taken within the 48 hours prior to departure. Passengers transiting through a third country or territory will be required to undergo a second round of the same tests within that country or territory before continuing their journey. All tests must be verified by the local Chinese embassy or consulate, which will then grant passengers a green health code to be presented upon boarding.
- China’s economy expanded 4.9 percent in Q3, falling short of widespread analyst expectations of 5.5-6% growth. Manufacturing output in October reached a 10-year high according to an independent PMI tracker by Caixin, with exports remaining resilient compared to earlier this year. Domestic consumption, while rising in recent months, is subdued relative to the growth in 2019.
- The General Administration of Customs released October import and export data, showing exports increased 11.4 percent year-on-year, the fastest growth rate in 19 months, while imports rose at 4.7 percent. Export growth was in part fueled by continued demand for medical supplies as the pandemic worsens in other parts of the world. Underwhelming growth in imports was largely attributed to decreased demand for key industrial commodities, such as crude oil and coal.
- U.S.-China relations remain strained. The Phase One trade deal remains intact and has emerged as a key area of cooperation. China continues to make record buys of U.S. farm products, most notable soybeans and corn.
- Staff Contact: Kyle Churchman (kchurchman@advamed.org)
India - Diwali Holiday in India this week
Japan
- Weekly COVID-19 statistics – 126,644 reported cases and 1,966 reported deaths compared to 114,537 reported cases and 1,886 reported deaths the previous week.
- Japan is experiencing a surge of cases. It had over 2,000 new cases daily on Wednesday and Thursday for the first time since the pandemic began.
- The increase in cases in Japan appears to be having some impact on return to procedure as many hospitals are struggling to deal with the increase in COVID patients, but the evidence so far is anecdotal.
- Revenues for clinics continue to decline from a year ago, but the rate of decline is easing. Revenues dipped by 16.5% in May, 6.8% in July, and 4.9% in August.
- The pandemic has had a severe impact on Japan’s hospitals. Nearly 70% of Japan’s hospitals are now operating in the red.
- Japan will conditionally exempt business travelers and returnees from its 14-day quarantine policy, which was imposed on all arrivals from overseas to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The change will cover both Japanese nationals returning from overseas business trips and foreign residents with valid residence permits in Japan, with no restrictions on their overseas travel destinations. However, the change will only apply to residents of Japan who are planning to spend no more than seven days at their overseas destinations.
- Under the revised policy, Japan will also relax entry restrictions for travelers from Australia, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Macau, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, where the pandemic is considered to be kept relatively under control. Such travelers will be exempted from testing upon arrival as long as they observe a 14-day quarantine and don’t use public transport during that period.
- Japan will also lift the rule requiring the submission of a negative test result for travelers who will spend less than 14 days at their destination from any of the 11 regions.
- The pre-arrival PCR test requirement will remain in place for 152 countries and regions still covered by the entry restrictions.
- Japan's Ministry of Health has adopted priority regulatory review procedures for new COVID-related medical devices.
- Japan will ban purchases from foreign companies of advanced medical device companies that are deemed essential to the national security in the fight against Covid-19. This measure is based on concerns about China but applies to companies from all countries. The government aims to ensure stable supply of essential devices that are vulnerable to contamination by infection, such as implants and dialyzers.
- Staff Contact: Phil Agress (PAgress@AdvaMed.org).
Korea
- South Korea’s numbers are slightly increased again from where they were last week. Korea reported 343 new cases today, 293 were locally transmitted and 50 were from overseas sources. Still, Korea is doing well compared to most countries. Health authorities will raise social distancing requirements if they cannot achieve lower numbers in the next couple of weeks.
- While Korea’s numbers remain low compared to other countries, the government is increasingly concerned about the difficulty to get the numbers back below 100 new cases per day. South Korea ranks 90th in the world in number of cases.
- South Korea has 29,654 total cases, 3,058 active cases, 498 deaths, and reporting 2 deaths per day. The daily case count for new cases has hovered around 100 for several weeks but has now spiked to 343.
- New clusters of infections continue to pop up in connection to everyday spaces such as cafes, restaurants, karaoke rooms, schools, workplaces and indoor sports facilities, as well as hospitals and nursing homes, which complicates health authorities’ efforts to identify and trace sources of infections. One new cluster of infections was traced to a social gathering among students from a prominent university in the Sinchon area.
- Other new clusters were traced to religious facilities in southern and northern Seoul, with 12 and 24 infections reported, respectively. Their respective first cases were reported Monday and Sunday.
- According to the KDCA, the largest portion of locally transmitted infections reported for the past two weeks were from Seoul with 34.9 percent, followed by Gyeonggi Province with 23.9 percent and Gangwon Province with 6.4 percent.
- The R number -- the average number of secondary infections produced by a single infected person -- is estimated at about 1.5, according to the KDCA. “We are at a critical juncture facing a mass spread of the virus,” said Health Minister Park Neung-hoo at a briefing, citing a spike in virus cases both in the Seoul metropolitan area and outside the region. “Virus infection prevention-related fatigue and insensitivity could make our achievement (in curbing spread of the virus) in vain.”
- With the COVID-19 pandemic weighing on the airline industry, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Thursday that the government would help local airliners launch international flights without landing. “To support the ailing airline industry and fuel the mood for spending, we have decided to pursue adoption of a new type of traveling -- international flights without landing,” Hong, who doubles as deputy prime minister said in a meeting of economic-related ministers. The special flights would allow local carriers to enter airspace above other countries, but return without landing. It would be similar to the “flights to nowhere” programs that the local airlines have been promoting, but with a global destination.
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is likely to visit Seoul next week for talks with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, diplomatic sources said Thursday, a trip likely to stress bilateral cooperation ahead of a leadership change in the United States. The agenda for the ministerial talks is expected to include the countries' efforts to arrange a visit to South Korea by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Seoul's push to host a trilateral summit among the leaders of South Korea, China and Japan.
- South Korea's health agency said Thursday that a total of 107 people, most of whom were elderly, died after receiving seasonal flu vaccines. The deaths had stoked public anxiety over the safety of such vaccines, but the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said 106 of those deaths have very limited relation with the flu shots. The remaining case is under investigation. Of the total, 48 people were aged over 80, followed by 40 in their 70s, 10 under 60 and nine in their 60s, the KDCA said.
- The health authorities have repeatedly said they have found no direct link between flu shots and deaths, urging people to get flu vaccinations before the onset of winter amid the coronavirus pandemic. Public anxiety has heightened over the safety of flu vaccines after some vaccine bottles -- part of the country's free inoculation program -- were exposed to room temperature during distribution. The authorities, however, said there was no safety issue.
- So far, more than 13.05 million South Koreans have received free state flu shots, out of about 19 million people, for 66.7 percent coverage to date.
- South Korea maintains its 2-week quarantine for all other incoming international travelers and a requirement for all inbound flights to check passengers' temperatures. Anyone with a temperature over 37.5 degrees Celsius (99.5 Fahrenheit) is denied entry. Korea has not issued any guidance on an exemption that is supposedly available. Korea has indicated all US inbound travelers will be tested for symptoms prior to being moved to quarantine.
- 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. We have received word that the 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. 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 1,085,757 reported cases and 25,700 reported deaths compared to 1,027,035 reported cases and 24,563 reported deaths the previous week.
- ASEAN has seen more than 50,000 new cases for each of the past nine weeks, with the vast majority of those accounted for by Indonesia, the Philippines, and more recently Myanmar and Malaysia. Indonesia surpassed 483,000 total cases and the Philippines has reported over 413,000 cases.
- Myanmar continues to experience a surge that started in September. It added nearly 9,000 cases over the past week and is now approaching 73,500 total cases. The number of deaths is 1,650.
- The Philippines and Indonesia account for 91.8% of the deaths from COVID-19 in the region. Indonesia’s total COVID-19 deaths have reached 15,600, the highest level in East Asia. The Philippines reported 7,998 deaths.
- Cambodia and Laos have each reported zero deaths, while Brunei has reported 3 deaths, and Singapore has reported 28 deaths (despite having over 58,000 cases), and Thailand has reported 60 deaths. All of these are unchanged from the previous week.
- 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.
- In Malaysia, schools and entertainment venues have been closed in much of the country and a ban on inter-state trave has been reinstituted.
- Malaysia has imposed an entry ban on citizens of countries recording more than 150,000 cases of COVID-19.
- The Malaysian government relaxed its recent entry ban on expatriate and professional visit pass holders from 23 countries, provided they receive approval from the Malaysian Immigration Department and a support letter from the Malaysian Investment Development Authority.
- Malaysia and Singapore partially reopened their border on August 10. Both governments have agreed to implement a Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) and Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA). The RGL will enable cross-border travel for essential business and official purposes between both countries and the PCA will allow residents of Singapore and Malaysia who hold long-term immigration passes for business and work purposes in the other country to enter the country for work.
- Malaysia is considering fully reopening the Malaysia-Singapore border for daily commuters in January 2021 if conditions warrant.
- Starting November 18, Singapore will require 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.
- The Singapore Government is looking into phase 3 of reopening by end of 2020 if the number of COVID-19 community cases remain low. Phase 3 is expected to further relax social distancing measures.
- Singapore and Indonesia announced a green lane between the two countries aimed at keeping essential business going. Applications for travel include strict health protocols and controlled itineraries. Singapore also maintains agreements with Australia, Brunei, China, Malaysia, and Korea on fast-lane arrangements for essential travel.
- 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 and Australia’s Victoria State.
- Singapore and Japan agreed to launch a Reciprocal Green Lane for essential business and official travel between the two countries.
- Singapore and Hong Kong have agreed to establish a bilateral air travel bubble which will exempt travelers from quarantines or stay-home notices.
- The Philippines has extended the implementation of the general community quarantine (GCQ) in Metro Manila and six other areas for another month.
- 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. The government is considering reducing the quarantine period to 10 days.
- The Thai Government adopted a fifth phase of lockdown easing, allowing most daily activities and businesses to resume. It has 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 is allowing the resumption of international air routes with six countries – China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cambodia, and Laos. Visitors must test negative three days prior to departure and will be tested again upon arrival in Vietnam.
- Vietnam and Japan have lifted mandatory quarantine for short-term visits for businessman and officials. However, there will be strict testing and medical surveillance protocols in place.
- Staff Contact: Phil Agress (pagress@advamed.org)
Europe
There is continued and more aggressive spiking in the case rates across the EU including Central and Western Europe. Cases continue to spike in the EU, with France, Italy Poland and the UK showing the highest numbers of new cases. Germany’s new case rate has also risen to 20,536. The UK has experienced the most deaths, followed by Italy and France (virtually even) and Spain. Italy and the UK have had the most deaths, followed by France. Belgium’s spike is still persistent but not as severe as last week. Belgium has very high case and death rates as expressed in cases per million and deaths per million. Although not in the EU, Russia's reported numbers on COVID remain problematic with 1,836,960 new cases and just 31,593 reported deaths. By comparison, Italy, with much fewer (1,028,423) cases, reports 32,960 deaths |
|