COVID-19 Outbreak: Weekly Global Report for Friday, October 16, 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 38.7 million, a 2.4 million increase over the previous week. Deaths around are about to approach the 1.1 million mark. The countries with the most reported cases continue to be the U.S. (7.9 million), India (7.3 million), and Brazil (5.1 million).
• U.S. cases exceeded 7.9 million with deaths increasing to 217,000.
• Staff Contact: Ralph Ives (rives@advamed.org).

China

• Weekly COVID-19 statistics –China’s total COVID cases now stand at 90,881 (an increase of 192 over the previous week). There were no reported deaths for two weeks in a row, leaving the death count unchanged at 4,739. Almost all new cases have been linked to foreign arrivals.
• Following the discovery of a dozen new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19, the Qingdao municipal government announced plans to test all nine million of its residents within five days. Qingdao—located in China’s eastern Shandong provinces—has decided not to issue a city-wide lockdown, preferring targeted quarantine measures around the local hospital linked to the new infections.
• The Chinese government appears convinced that imported frozen food can carry the virus. The Beijing city government urged companies to halt imports of frozen food from countries that have been severely hit by the pandemic.
• New indicators suggest September was a very good month for China’s economy. Manufacturing output is on par with pre-COVID levels and exports remain resilient compared to earlier this year. In addition, China last month posted its strongest import data since last December.
• China reportedly has four coronavirus vaccine candidates in the last stage of clinical trials. Beijing officially joined the WHO’s COVAX initiative on Oct. 9, perhaps to help aid in the marketing of Chinese-made vaccine shots.
• 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.
• U.S.-China relations remain strained but analysts do not expect further tension before the U.S. election on November 3. 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

• Weekly COVID-19 statistics – 7,301,870 total cases, 812,390 active cases/111,266 deaths as compared to 6,832,906 total cases, 902,425 active cases/105,526 deaths last week. While 62,93,524 patients have recovered from the virus, active cases in the country dropped by nearly 13,000 to 8,28,889 infections, according to the data collated from various state governments.
• The Union Health Ministry has initiated the process of importing liquid oxygen as part of its preparedness to meet any unforeseen shortage during the winter when the country may witness an increase in Covid-19 cases leading to a rise in demand for oxygen.
• India’s drug regulator has allowed Mylan to expand the indication of remdesivir “for moderate Covid-19 patients” after the global drug major approached it with a proposal seeking the expansion.
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday, October 13 issued guidelines for the management of co-infection of Covid-19 with other seasonal epidemic-prone diseases. With the aim of providing clear guidelines on prevention and treatment of co-infections of coronavirus with other diseases.
• India's drug regulator declined a proposal from Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd to conduct a large study in the country to evaluate Russia's Sputnik-V Covid-19 vaccine and has asked it to first test the vaccine in a smaller trial.
• Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan in a press conference on Tuesday, October 13 said that a subgroup under the National Expert Committee on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 has already mapped the existing cold chain presently being utilised under the government's immunisation programme and has also made a projection of the additional requirement for effective distribution of the vaccine.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has lauded India's Aarogya Setu mobile application for helping health departments to identify Covid-19 clusters. "Aarogya Setu app from India has been downloaded by 150 million users, and has helped city public health departments to identify areas where clusters could be anticipated and expand testing in a targeted way," WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a media briefing.
• Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Sunday, October 11 said that Feluda test will soon be rolled out to test Covid 19 in India. "Based on tests in over 2,000 patients during the trials at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) and on testing in private labs, the test showed 96% sensitivity and 98% specificity,” he said.
• Staff Contact: Abby Pratt (apratt@advamed.org).

Japan

• Weekly COVID-19 statistics – 92,238 reported cases and 1,663 reported deaths compared to 81,315 reported cases and 1,550 reported deaths the previous week.
• The growth rate in the number of daily cases is increasing, raising concerns in the government that a mini-surge may be beginning.       However, the number of actual cases is extremely small compared to the U.S.
• The Japanese government is planning to gradually lower its travel entry restrictions for at least ten countries and regions that have low coronavirus infection rates including Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. The revised restrictions are still expected to require foreign nationals from the relevant locations to undergo a two-week quarantine period after arriving in Japan. The government is also reportedly considering limiting the number of entries to 1,000 per day and plans to expand testing capacity in various airports. 
• The pandemic has had a severe impact on Japan’s hospitals. Nearly 70% of Japan’s hospitals are now operating in the red.
• According to a survey conducted by the Japan Public Hospital Federation of 1,481 member hospitals, patient visits in May 2020 were down by 24.9 percent, compared with one year ago.
• The majority of new cases are in Tokyo and are affecting people in their 20s and 30s.
• Japan currently has an entry ban in place for 111 countries and regions, with foreign travelers who have been to any of those areas within the last two weeks being turned away.
• However, reports indicate that Japan is planning to re-open entry for foreign travelers who intend to stay in the country for more than three months, with entries likely limited to 1,000 people per day.
• 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 up a bit this week, with 110 new cases per day. This remains low compared to most countries but is a significant spike from last week. South Korea ranks 80t^h in the world in cases.
• There are 24,988 total cases, 1,467 active cases, and 487 deaths. Korea is reporting 1 death per day.   
• The country's daily number of new COVID-19 infections has bounced back to three digits due mainly to an outbreak at a geriatric hospital in Busan in addition to other sporadic infection clusters in the Seoul metropolitan area, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Thursday.
• South Korea relaxed some rules on social distancing from Monday, allowing nightspots to re-open and spectators to attend sports events, after new coronavirus cases edged lower in recent weeks.
• The KDCA said the nation added 110 cases for Wednesday, up from 84 identified for the day before and raising the total caseload to 24,988. The hospital infections came after the government lowered social distancing guidelines to their lowest ― Level 1 ― Monday, based on the belief that the country's coronavirus situation had been showing signs of a slowdown.
• Police on Thursday announced a decision to ban large-scale outdoor rallies planned by a conservative civic group critical of the Moon Jae-in government around Gwanghwamun Square, downtown Seoul. According to police officials, Seoul's Jongno Police Station has notified the "August 15 emergency civic response committee" of its decision not to permit its Gwanghwamun rallies planned for Sunday and Oct. 25, citing risks of coronavirus transmissions.
• South Korea will resume offering free seasonal flu shots, a month after suspending the program amid safety concerns over mishandled vaccines during storage.
• According to the current fiscal management plan, South Korea’s national debt is projected to rise by more than 400 trillion won ($344 billion) in 2017 to 1,070 trillion won in 2022, the final year of Moon’s five-year presidency. The country’s national debt as a percentage of its annual gross domestic product, which stood at 37.7 percent in 2019, is estimated to reach 51.2 percent in 2022. If left unchecked, the figure is forecast to exceed 75 percent by 2030. This has led the Finance Ministry to announce a plan to rein in excessive fiscal expenditure. Under the proposed rules, Korea’s national debt-to-GDP ratio would be kept at 60 percent and the deficit in its consolidated fiscal balance could not exceed 3 percent of GDP. Global rating agencies have put the appropriate level of the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio at slightly over 40 percent.
• Australia is in talks with Japan, South Korea, Singapore and South Pacific nations on reopening travel as coronavirus infections ease
• The number of recipients of unemployment benefits in South Korea saw the sharpest increase among people in their 20s this year. According to the Korea Employment Information Service, the number of recipients came to 711,471 in August, up 56.4 percent from 454,630 in December 2019. The first case of the novel coronavirus in Korea was reported in January 2020.
• 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.
• Korea appears to be moving toward implementation of a proposal that would potentially reduce the price of certain cardiac and peripheral stents. 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 810,445 reported cases and 19,792 reported deaths compared to 751,254 reported cases and 18,429 reported deaths the previous week.
• For the past five weeks, the ASEAN region has seen more than 50,000 new cases each week, with the vast majority of those accounted for by Indonesia and the Philippines.  However, Myanmar has recently suffered a sharp outbreak, with cases rising from 900 in early September to more than 31,000. Yangon is the country’s COVID-19 hotspot, reporting between 1,000 and 1,900 cases per day for the past week.
• The Philippines and Indonesia account for 94.8% of the deaths from COVID-19 in the region. Indonesia’s total COVID-19 deaths now exceed 12,000, the highest level in East Asia.  The Philippines reported 6,497 deaths.
• Cambodia, and Laos have each reported zero deaths, while Brunei has reported 3 deaths, and Singapore has reported 28 deaths (despite having over 57,000 cases). Thailand has reported 59 deaths, up by one from last week.
• 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.
• Malaysia has imposed an entry ban on citizens of countries recording more than 150,000 cases of COVID-19. International chambers of commerce, including AmCham and EuroCham, have urged the Malaysian government to reconsider the entry ban.
• 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 government has lifted measures requiring doctors and healthcare workers in the public and private sectors to limit their movements across healthcare institutions. 
• 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.
• 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.
• For the first time since February, Singapore’s Ministry of Health reported no new local COVID-19 cases on October 13. Though four imported cases were reported, the absence of community or worker dormitory cases was a milestone.
• Singapore and Indonesia announced a green lane between the two countries aimed at keeping essential business going. Applications for travel, which will include strict health protocols and controlled itineraries, will be accepted beginning October 26. 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 and Japan agreed to launch a Reciprocal Green Lane for essential business and official travel between the two countries on September 18.
• Singapore and Hong Kong have agreed to establish a bilateral air travel bubble which will exempt travelers from quarantines or stay-home notices.
• Thailand is planning to reopen its borders to tourism. Visitors will be subjected to domestic quarantine while in Thailand and should be tested for COVID at the beginning and end of their stay.
• 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.
• 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. In Western Europe, cases are spiking worst in the UK, France and Spain. The UK and France are showing the highest numbers of new cases, with Spain a fair margin behind. Italy and the UK remain the worst in the EU for number of deaths, but France and Spain are now compiling stats to make them almost equal to Italy in deaths. Although not in the EU, Russia's reported numbers on COVID are problematic with 1,354,163 and just 23,491 reported deaths.  By comparison, Italy, with much fewer (381,602) cases, reports 36,372 deaths.

• New daily cases, which tend to show which countries are increasing in COVID incidence are as follows:  Spain 11,970 (up dramatically from 6,645 per day last week); Italy 8,804 (up from 3.678 last week); Germany 3,356 (down from 3,993 last week); France 22,591 (up from 18,746 last week); UK 18,980 (up from 14,162 last week); Belgium 8,271 (up from 2,088 last week), Russia 13,754 (up from 11,115 last week).  France. Spain and UK are experiencing the worst spikes in Europe. Italy has this week spiked again, but at a lower level than France, Spain or UK. Germany’s numbers decreased slightly.   
• New deaths per day (which tend to lag any increased infection rates) remain low and are as follows:  Spain 209; Italy 43; Germany 31; France 104; UK 137; Belgium 33. Russia is reporting 239 new deaths per day. All of these are increases from last week’s numbers.
• Europe has recorded its highest ever weekly number of new Covid-19 cases, the World Health Organization has said, warning that relaxing coronavirus restrictions in Europe could lead to death rates "four to five times higher than those in April". The WHO estimates that more than 280,000 lives could be saved across the continent by February 2021 if 95% of people wore face masks, and strict controls of social gatherings were applied.
• WHO's Dr Hans Kluge stated that the restrictive measures being taken in numerous countries were "absolutely necessary", given the constant surge of coronavirus cases. Kluge warned that even more drastic steps could be taken if the pandemic does not recede and called for countries to be "uncompromising" in their attempts to control the virus. COVID-19 being spread mostly in homes, indoor spaces and communities who are failing to comply with protection measures, he added. "These measures are meant to keep us all ahead of the curve and to flatten its course," Kluge said, while wearing a mask. "It is therefore up to us to accept them while they are still relatively easy to follow." "The evolving epidemic in Europe raises great concern," he went on. "But we should not hold back with relatively smaller actions in order to avoid the same very painful damaging actions we saw in the first peak."
• The WHO also noted that the increasing number of daily reported cases is bringing a corresponding rise in hospital admissions. However, although daily cases are two to three times higher than they were in April, the number of deaths is "five times fewer". WHO attributes this to increased testing compared to the spring, as well as a higher number of cases among younger and less vulnerable people.
• The EU imposed sanctions on Thursday on six individuals and one entity it believes were involved in the poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny. The individuals are some of the highest-ranking officials in Russia, including the head of domestic intelligence services, a deputy government minister and a deputy chief of staff in President Vladimir Putin's office. The decision comes after a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Tuesday and nine days after the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed that the substance used to poison Navalny was Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent.
• The EU prohibition against inbound travelers from the US, Russia and Brazil based on COVID concerns remains in place. Inbound travel is permitted from any of 15 approved countries and the list is updated every two weeks. The EU recommended member states gradually lift the travel restrictions for the following countries: Japan, Canada, Georgia, Australia, Montenegro, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.
• European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has gone into self-isolation due to COVID concerns.
• The Czech Republic will start building capacity for Covid-19 patients outside of hospitals, officials said on Thursday, as the country faces the fastest rate of infections in Europe.
• The Spanish government has declared a state of emergency to keep Madrid in partial lockdown as countries across Europe struggle to deal with the continuing surge in new coronavirus cases. Spain’s Socialist-led cabinet on Friday finally lost patience with the Madrid regional government’s refusal to obey its calls for greater action in and around the capital, where infection rates are more than twice the national average. Salvador Illa, the national health minister, said the state of emergency was needed to protect people in Madrid and to stop the pandemic spreading into other regions.
• In Brexit news, French President Emmanuel Macron said fishermen cannot be the sacrifices of Brexit as he arrived at the EU summit on Thursday. Part, but not all of the summit’s focus will be on the difficult negotiations between the UK and EU over a post-Brexit trade deal. Among the blockages to a deal, is the battle for control of fishing rights. Several well-placed sources have indicated the EU is willing to walk away from a deal if it does not meet their ‘red lines.’ One of these is fishing rights. EU leaders are set to call for post-Brexit trade talks to continue beyond the end of the week - the deadline suggested by Boris Johnson.
• Boris Johnson has said the UK can "more than live with" a no-deal scenario after the transition period expires at the end of the year, even calling it a "good outcome". But failure to strike a trade deal would bring disruption on both sides of the English Channel. The British auto industry says the consequences of new tariffs and other barriers would be devastating.
• Private providers in the UK have been asked to apply to a new procurement framework worth up to £10bn, from which NHS organizations will purchase additional capacity for up to four years. The framework represents a key element of the NHS England’s plans to cope with coronavirus over winter, by outsourcing significant amounts of routine activity to independent hospitals.
• The UK government’s new rules have created a three-tier system with increasing restrictions depending on the designated alert level. There are detailed rules applicable to each tier too numerous to list here. But here is a brief overview: Tier 1 is a medium level of restriction meaning socializing in groups larger than 6 is prohibited both indoors and outdoors, and some events generally allowed with size restrictions; Tier 2 is a high level of restriction with prohibitions against socializing with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor setting and more significant restrictions on outdoor settings. Restaurant and bars continue to remain open, with restrictions as do schools and universities; Tier 3 is the highest level of restriction with indoor contact limited to those in your household or support bubble in any indoor setting and at most hospitality venues, schools and universities remain open, travel to be avoided, pubs are bars only allowed to function as restaurants.  
• The UK Secretary of State for Health announced that millions of people in London, Essex, York and other areas face tougher Tier 2 COVID measures from Saturday. Talks are continuing between the Government and local leaders over the expansion of the strictest coronavirus restrictions to more parts of England.
• The proportion of COVID-19 positive patients who die after being admitted to hospitals has fallen dramatically between the first and second waves of the pandemic.
• London has tightened restrictions after coronavirus cases skyrocketed across the UK capital, the government has confirmed. The new measures, set to come into effect from 00.01 on Saturday morning, will ban different households from gathering indoors and will advise against the use of public transport. Pubs and restaurants will be able to stay open, but households cannot mix and establishments will need to stick to a 10 pm curfew. Meetings in private gardens and other outdoor spaces will also be limited to groups of six people - a measure dubbed the "rule of six" in the UK.
• ABHI is conducting a comprehensive analysis of the re-start of elective procedures in each Trust and Health Board in the UK. The results can be found here: https://www.abhi.org.uk/membership/members-area/updates/2020/july/the-restart-of-planned-care/.
• In Germany, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for disease control reported 5,132 new cases within 24 hours in Germany on Wednesday. The number has since decreased to just over 3,300. However, the number of deaths from Covid-19 has also increased sharply in 24 hours – from 13 reported on Tuesday to 43 on Wednesday. Germany, long seen as having managed the pandemic better than most European countries, is on heightened alert after the recent spikes in the number of new daily cases.
• Germany has announced tougher new restrictions on public life as it enters a "decisive" stage in its efforts to combat a surge in coronavirus infections.       The federal and state governments have agreed on "considerable restrictions" on contact between citizens in view of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. The measures, which include limits on the number of people at private gatherings and a curfew for bars and restaurants in areas deemed hotspots, were agreed following an eight-hour meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country's 16 state premiers. "I am convinced that what we do now will be decisive for how we come through this pandemic," Merkel said. "We are already in a phase of exponential growth, the daily numbers show that," she added.
• Merkel appealed to the country's younger citizens, urging them to avoid parties for now so that they can enjoy life later. "We must call especially on young people to do without a few parties now in order to have a good life tomorrow or the day after," she said.
• The German government has released a document detailing how it plans to deal with the coronavirus pandemic in the colder months. In the paper, the government thanked people living in Germany for sticking to Covid-19 restrictions, as well as health workers for their "great performance" in tracking, tracing and treating infections. "Germany has coped well with the challenges of the SARS-Cov2 pandemic thanks to the committed cooperation of all social actors and, above all, the citizens," the paper said. "In recent weeks, however, the number of infections has risen again in large parts of Germany, particularly in some large cities and metropolitan regions." The government and states have agreed that the infection figures "must be kept low in autumn and winter" so that contact tracing and infection control "remains possible", and vulnerable groups can be protected.
• France on Wednesday became the latest European country to toughen anti-coronavirus measures, imposing a curfew in Paris and eight other cities from Saturday, while Germany and Ireland also ramped up restrictions. "We have to act. We need to put a brake on the spread of the virus," President Emmanuel Macron told public television, announcing a shutdown between 9:00 pm and 6:00 am that will remain in force for as long as six weeks. Other major French cities such as Lyon, the Mediterranean port of Marseille and southwestern Toulouse will similarly impose curfews, with around 20 million people affected in all, out of a total population of some 67 million.
• A special French court has ordered an investigation over the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis. Among those whose homes were searched include Philippe, Veran, his predecessor Agnes Buzyn, the head of the country's national health service Jerome Salomon, and Sibeth Ndiaye, a former government spokeswoman. Veran's office was searched as well. Salomon abruptly cancelled an early-morning live interview on French news channel BFM-TV due to "personal reasons," according to the network. A leading opposition member of the French parliament who was hospitalized with a severe case of coronavirus, said he was shocked by the searches.       "Do our citizens seriously believe that the shortages, which were real, were voluntary?”.
• The number of people being treated in French intensive care units for Covid-19 exceeded 1,500 on Monday for the first time since May 27, raising fears of local lockdowns being imposed across the country. The new figure of 1,539 is still almost five times lower than an April 8 high of 7,148 but also four times higher than a July 31 low of 371. And as there are normally more people hospitalized with different illnesses in the autumn than in the spring, health experts fear the hospital system will be quickly overwhelmed if nothing is done to contain the coronavirus.
• In Paris, all bars will be shut from October 6 for two weeks. Restaurants which serve food can stay open until midnight but will have to put in place new sanitary measures and register customer contact details.
• The southern French cities of Toulouse and Montpellier this week joined Paris, Marseille and four other cities in maximum alert status to fight back the coronavirus as Covid-19 cases in France hit a record level over the weekend.
• EasyCov, a French saliva test for Covid-19, has confirmed that it can be as effective as traditional nasal swabbing, France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) announced, marking a major step for a type of screening that is less intrusive, less expensive and much faster.
• If you are experiencing difficulties with exporting PPE from the EU, please let us know immediately. We have not seen any instances of this occurring since an initial incident was resolved.
• The proposed one-year suspension of implementation of the EU's MDR is now final.  The measure extends until May 26, 2021 the date of application of the current regulation but does not extend every target deadline referenced in the law.  It also creates the possibility of EU-wide derogations for specific medical devices.
• https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_718;
• https://www.medtecheurope.org/news-and-events/press/medtech-europe-welcomes-the-amendment-of-the-medical-devices-regulation-and-urges-similar-action-for-the-ivd-regulation/.
• AdvaMed's joint programs in Germany and the UK continue to provide COVID-19 updates and support on MDR implementation. We recently hosted joint webinars and working group calls with ABHI to give members the latest information.  
• Resources: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/enlll.
• https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/priorities/eu-response-to-coronavirus;
• https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public;
• https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en;
• https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/health/coronavirus-response/economy_en;
• https://www.abhi.org.uk/what-we-do/abhi-covid-19-hub/;
• https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_582;
• https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/en/press/2020/coronavirus.html;
• https://www.medtecheurope.org/covid-19-information-hub;
• https://www.medtecheurope.org/resource-library/european-industry-trade-and-supply-chain-needs-to-respond-to-covid-19/;
• https://www.medtecheurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03 European_Union_Emergency_Support_Instrument_for_the_healthcare_sector_-_questions_and_answers.pdf;
• https://www.medtecheurope.org/resource-library/eu-materials-covid-19/.
• Med Tech Europe White Paper on Companion Diagnostics under the IVDR:       https://www.medtecheurope.org/resource-library/joint-medtech-europe-efpia-white-paper-on-companion-diagnostics-under-the-ivdr/
• Staff Contact:  Joe Gatewood (jgatewood@advamed.org)

 Latin America

Regional

• Total COVID-19 cases up 4% and deaths up 4% over the previous week.

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS –COVID 19

• Argentina: Lockdown measures extended in provinces causes tension with governors.
• Bolivia: National agenda shifts focus to elections.
• Brazil: Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro publishes report on COVID-19 expenditure irregularities.
• Chile: Government promotes reform to Carabineros police force weeks before the plebiscite.
• Colombia: Government increases participation in COVAX mechanism.
• Ecuador: Minister of Finance steps down from office.
• Mexico: Government makes first payment to the GAVI Alliance for access to COVID-19 vaccines.
• Paraguay: Government announces reopening of airports from mid-October.
• Peru: A USD 21 million USD advance payment was made to the COVAX Facility mechanism.
• Uruguay: Concerns rise as the country reached its maximum weekly peak of COVID-19 cases.
• Staff Contact: Steven Bipes (sbipes@advamed.org)