COVID-19 Outbreak: Weekly Global Report for Friday, October 9, 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 36.3 million, a 2.2 million increase over the previous week. Deaths around now slightly above the 1 million mark. The countries with the most reported cases continue to be the U.S. (7.6 million), India (6.8 million), and Brazil (5 million).
- U.S. cases exceeded 7.3 million with deaths increasing to 212,000.
- Staff Contact: Ralph Ives (rives@advamed.org).
China
- Weekly COVID-19 statistics –China’s total COVID cases now stand at 90,689 (an increase of 143 over the previous week). There were no reported deaths compared to the previous week, leaving the death count unchanged at 4,739 . Almost all new cases have been linked to foreign arrivals.
- China has just wrapped up its “Golden Week” holiday (Oct 1-8) to celebrate the anniversary of the PRC’s founding and the mid-Autumn festival. Initial reports show that domestic tourism demand was weaker than anticipated.
- 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.
- Various indicators suggest September was a good month for China’s economy. Manufacturing output is on par with pre-COVID levels and exports remain resilient compared to earlier this year.
- 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, with the Commerce Dept recently issuing new export controls against one of China’s largest chip manufacturers, SMIC. 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 – 6,832,906 total cases, 902,425 active cases/105,526 deaths as compared to 6,310,267 total cases, 940,705 active cases/98,678 deaths last week. India's COVID-19 caseload crossed 68 lakh after 78,524 more tested positive in the past 24 hours.
- The first wave of the coronavirus disease appears to be receding for the first time across the country, with cases seeing a steady drop for three consecutive weeks now. This has meant that India’s doubling rate — the number of days it takes for the number of infections to double — has seen a drastic improvement in the past month. On Wednesday, it stood at 60 days, as against 32.6 days on September 7.
- The Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness for Innovation (CEPI), a global initiative to develop vaccines against emerging epidemics, has named Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), an autonomous institute of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), as part of the Global Network of Laboratories for centralized assessment of Covid-19 vaccine candidates that are under development.
- The Government will launch a campaign from today to spread awareness on the measures people need to follow to check the spread of coronavirus, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said. Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, September 7 on the decisions taken by the Union Cabinet, he said till the time a vaccine is available, people need to wear masks, maintain distance and sanitise hands as part of efforts to check the spread of the virus.
- The Government on Tuesday, September 6 removed export curbs on N-95 masks, to promote outbound shipments of the product. "The export policy of N-95/FFP-2 masks or its equivalent is amended from restricted to free category, making all types of masks freely exportable," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. In August, a monthly export quota of 50 lakh units was fixed for N-95/FFP2 masks or its equivalent for issuance of export licences to eligible applicants.
- The Drugs Controller General of India has given permission for conducting Phase-1 human clinical trial for an "antisera" that was developed by injecting inactivated SARS-CoV-2 in horses and can be a potential treatment for Covid-19, ICMR officials said on Tuesday, September 6.
- The testing capacity in the country has been ramped up at a significant pace to reach over 7.7 crores in October from just one in January this year, according to Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW). The MoHFW also said that the increased pace of testing has led to “early identification, prompt isolation and effective treatment of Covid-19 cases.
- India and South Africa have demanded waiver from certain provisions of the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights for the prevention, containment and treatment of Covid-19 to the World Trade Organization, a move if accepted would open up the patents and intellectual property of key Covid drugs and vaccines. “As new diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines for COVID-19 are developed, there are significant concerns, how these will be made available promptly, in sufficient quantities and at affordable prices to meet global demand.
- The Government on Monday, September 5 had appointed three eminent economists Ashima Goyal, Jayanth R Varma and Shashanka Bhide as members of the rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee of the RBI. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is expected to announce monetary policy on October 9 during the next meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) scheduled during October 7 to October 9, 2020," the RBI said in a release.
- A latest study conducted by US-based Centre for Disease, Dynamics and Economic Policy (CDDEP) in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu has revealed that not all individuals infected with Covid-19 transmit the virus, stating children as active transmitters. The study, titled ‘Epidemiology and transmission dynamics of Covid-19 in two Indian states’, was published in the September 30 edition of ‘Science’ magazine.
- Staff Contact: Abby Pratt (apratt@advamed.org).
Japan
- Weekly COVID-19 statistics – 81,315 reported cases and 1,550 reported deaths compared to 78,322 reported cases and 1,503 reported deaths the previous week.
- The daily growth in new cases is dropping significantly compared to several weeks ago.
- 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, 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 now back in double digits at just 69 new cases per day. This remains low compared to most countries. South Korea ranks 80th in the world in cases.
- There are 24,422 total cases, 1,532 active cases, and 427 deaths. Korea is reporting 2 deaths per day, down from 6 last week.
- South Korean trade chief Yoo Myung-hee’s run for the World Trade Organization director general post will face its next decision Tuesday in Switzerland, with the second round of the selection process coming to a close. The second round will see two candidates selected for the final round, the timeline for which has not yet been decided. As the race heads to a close, Yoo appeared to be in with a good chance, with the European Union choosing to back Yoo and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria‘s former finance minister.
- Samsung Electronics on Thursday announced an earnings surprise for the third quarter of this year, posting the largest operating profit in two years. The company said in its preliminary earnings report that it would register 66 trillion won ($57.01 billion) in revenue and 12.3 trillion won in operating profit for the July to September period.
- South Korea will resume offering free seasonal flu shots in phases next week, 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.
- 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.
- Disease prevention authorities and the police are on high alert once again as mass rallies are scheduled to be held in downtown Seoul over the long weekend starting Friday. While the authorities maintain that outdoor rallies are still inappropriate due to COVID-19, organizers of protests against the Moon Jae-in administration are seeking to get court approval like they did for the Aug. 15 Liberation Day rallies. The Seoul Administrative Court is set to review on Thursday a request filed by the organizers who call themselves the “Aug. 15 emergency committee” to suspend the execution of the Seoul mayor’s and police prohibition of rallies. The committee argues that it doesn’t make sense that outdoor rallies around Gwanghwamun and Seoul City Hall are prohibited for eight months when subways, airports and restaurants are crowded. “The (ban on rallies) seriously infringes on the Constitutional rights for assembly and association,” they said in their appeal to the court.
- 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 639,327 reported cases and 15,619 reported deaths compared to 585,394 reported cases and 14,304 reported deaths the previous week.
- The Philippines and Indonesia account for 97.5% of the deaths from COVID-19 in the region. Indonesia’s total COVID-19 deaths now exceed 10,000, the highest level in East Asia. The Philippines reported 5,127 deaths.
- Cambodia, and Laos have each reported zero deaths, while Brunei has reported 3 deaths, Singapore has reported 27 deaths (despite having over 57,000 cases), and All of these totals are unchanged from the previous week. Thailand has reported 58 deaths, up by one from last week.
- Myanmar experienced nearly a doubling of new cases and its death toll has risen from 46 to 130. Yangon has become the center of the country’s epidemic. The government has imposed a nationwide ban on dining in restaurants and tea shops, and Yangon adopted a stay-at-home order requiring all employees to work from home.
- Vietnam’s outbreak in Danang several weeks ago followed 100 days without any locally transmitted cases and led to its first COVID-19 fatalities (35 reported to date). Following strong measures to contain the outbreak, the number of cases in Vietnam grew by only 3 over the past 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.
- Indonesia has lifted the ban on export of medical devices for COVID-19 purposes. At the same time, President Jokowi has called for an end to PPE imports as the country is capable of manufacturing them locally. Indonesia has produced its own rapid test called RI-GHA COVID-19.
- In Indonesia, Jakarta returned to lockdown after its Governor confirmed that the capital is in crisis and needs tougher measures to battle COVID-19.
- 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.
- Singapore announced an easing of some COVID-19 restrictions, including on business travel. A new business travel pass for senior executives with regional or international responsibilities is being piloted. 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 maintains agreements with Australia, Brunei, China, Malaysia, and Korea on fast-lane arrangements for essential travel.
- Singapore and Japan agreed to launch a Reciprocal Green Lane for essential business and official travel between the two countries on September 18.
- 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.
- Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) approved another extension of the state of emergency nationwide until September 30.
- 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 and France. The UK and France are showing the highest numbers of new cases, with France almost catching up with Spain in total number of deaths. Italy and the UK have the worst numbers in the EU for total deaths. Italy new cases are increasing but remain at a much lower rate than many comparators, like UK, France Spain. Italy is lower this week in new cases than Germany. Spain leads the EU in cases and the UK leads the EU in deaths, followed by Italy and France. Although not in the EU, Russia's reported numbers on COVID are problematic with over a million cases (1,248,619) and just 21,865 reported deaths. By comparison, Italy, with much fewer (33,940) cases, reports 36,061 deaths. |
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