20 February 2021
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Actions by Governments
- As parts of Canada relax COVID-19 measures, health officials warn of spring resurgence (NationalPost.com)
- B.C. residents less likely to follow COVID-19 restrictions than the rest of Canada, survey finds (CTV News)
- Can Mario Draghi Turn Italy Around? (Spiegel Online)
- China’s coronavirus vaccines: for many countries, it’s not political, it’s the only choice (South China Morning Post)
- Coronavirus variants could fuel Canada’s third wave (Global News Canada)
- Covid-19 impact: How people in the UAE adopted new habits (Gulf Business)
- Germany is ready for ‘new chapter’ in transatlantic relations (Mail Online UK)
- India ranks third in vaccine coverage (India Today)
- Italy probes vaccine scams even as officials court offers (San Diego Union Tribune)
- Lockdowns don’t save lives and Sweden is all the proof you need (Citizen.co.za)
- New Zealand begins COVID-19 vaccinations program, Australia starts Monday (NationalPost.com)
- New Zealand quarantine-free travel into Australia to resume (Radio New Zealand)
- Poland considering COVID-19 restrictions at Czech, Slovak borders -minister (Mail Online UK)
- Poland’s struggle for media freedom needs support (Hamilton Spectator)
- Portugal’s emergency services workers bumped down vaccine priority list (Mail Online UK)
- Sun, sea… and Spain’s ongoing pandemic pain (part 1) (France24)
- Sweden’s ski resorts want to stay open despite rising coronavirus infections (Politico.eu)
- TUI fly (Belgium) resumes B737 MAX flights (CH-Aviation)
- The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (NationalPost.com)
- Turkey begins COVID-19 vaccination of prisoners (shanghaisun.com)
- UK – Boris Johnson is spending the weekend finalising his lockdown roadmap plans (Manchester Evening News)
- UK – Matt Hancock acted ‘unlawfully’ over pandemic contracts (BBC)
- UK – Rishi Sunak faces backlash after delaying business rates review (Mail Online UK)
- UK – UK government broke the law by failing to disclose PPE contracts, court rules (Mail Online UK)
- UK – What restrictions could be lifted first ahead of Boris Johnson’s roadmap announcement (Liverpool Echo)
- US – Arizona to send federal money to counties for virus testing (San Antonio Express-News.com)
- US – CDC Study: Serious Adverse Reactions Following Coronavirus Vaccinations Are Rare (US News & World Report)
- US – California lawmakers reach $6.5B deal on reopening schools (The Hill)
- US – California loosens rules for youth sports during pandemic (Tacoma News Tribune)
- US – Cold, lack of water overwhelm Texas hospitals more than COVID-19 did (NationalPost.com)
- US – Daily coronavirus updates: Despite positive trends in COVID-19 numbers, 138 Connecticut municipalities remain in ‘red alert’ category (Hartford Courant)
- US – Downward trend in Nevada’s key COVID-19 metrics exceeds a month (Las Vegas Review Journal)
- US – Illinois passes 2 million coronavirus vaccine doses administered (Chicago Sun-Times)
- US – In-person criminal jury trials to resume in Minnesota courts (TwinCities.com)
- US – Poll: How frustrated are you with the Massachusetts coronavirus vaccine rollout? (Boston Herald)
- US – Severe Winter Weather In Texas Will Impact Many Supply Chains Beyond Chips (Forbes.com)
- US – Super-COVID surge fears: UK variant cases have QUADRUPLED in Florida (Mail Online UK)
- US – The team built on this research by examining SARS-CoV-2 variants #B117 #B1351 #B11248 for overlap with the identified epitopes from the prior study & found that virtually all CD8+ T-cell responses should recognize the variants, which should partly mediate protection from disease. (NIAIDNews – Twitter)
- US – U.S. Senate to know next week if COVID-19 bill can include minimum wage hike -Sanders (Mail Online UK)
- US – U.S. nears 500,000 coronavirus deaths, slower than predicted by CDC (Atlanta Journal And Constitution)
- WHO’s latest situation report (WHO)
Actions by Companies
- Absa expects profits to fall by more than half (ENCA)
- Accor to open luxury hotel at Duxton Hill (The Straits Times All News)
- Airtel DTH exit a blip in Warburg Pincus’ blockbuster India story (Business Standard India)
- AstraZeneca to produce coronavirus vaccine doses in Japan for 40 million people (Ani News)
- Biden blames Trump over coronavirus vaccines during visit to Pfizer plant (The Straits Times All News)
- Bolsonaro appoints army reserve general to head Petrobras (France24)
- Carnival CEO predicts ‘most, if not all’ of cruise fleet will return to seas this year (FOXBusiness.com)
- DP World, UAE Region, JAFZA to take part in Gulfood 2021 (WAM.ae Business)
- Fairer welfare threatens the status quo (Bangkok Post)
- Foxconn chairman says he expects ‘limited impact’ from chip shortage on clients (Channel NewsAsia)
- Fresno residents owe $48 million to PG&E amid coronavirus pandemic. Is there any relief? (Fresno Bee)
- Hajdu says Canada in talks with Pfizer over update to freezer requirements (Global News Canada)
- Hermes sales rise over 15 as shoppers remain loyal to premium luxury brands despite pandemic (Moneycontrol.com)
- Hermès Shows Little Wear From Pandemic (WSJ.com: Markets)
- Hong Kong facing 15 new Covid-19 cases, Sinovac vaccine ‘safe for stable elderly’ (South China Morning Post)
- Hong Kong facing about 15 new cases, expert says Sinovac vaccine safe for elderly in stable health condition (South China Morning Post – News)
- How IHG Hotels & Resorts Reinvented Itself During The Pandemic (Forbes.com)
- ICRA reaffirms AAA stable for Axis Bank’s infra bonds, debentures (Ani News)
- Ikea arm to set up first shopping mall in India for Rs 5,500 cr (Business Standard India)
- Israel Discount Bank Selects Wolters Kluwer’s C… (ADVFN Deutschland)
- Johnson & Johnson submits COVID-19 vaccine to WHO for emergency use listing (FOXNews.com)
- Manila releases advance payment for AstraZeneca (Manila Times)
- Medical experts: Sinovac vaccine suitable for people aged over 60 (China Daily Asia)
- Norwegian Air secures extension to court protection (Irish Times)
- Petrobras CEO ‘under pressure’ over fuel hikes (Deutsche Welle)
- Pfizer first dose 85 per cent effective after 2-4 weeks: Study (Today Online)
- Pfizer seeks to store vaccine at higher temperatures, easing logistics (NationalPost.com)
- Pfizer to double vaccine roll out as Biden assures shots for all by July (Business Standard India)
- Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine significantly reduces transmission, Israeli studies find (South China Morning Post)
- Renault crashes to €8bn loss – with more pain to come (Telegraph)
- Rev Canon Ian Ellis: ‘The coronavirus has forced all of us into rethinking our core values’ (Belfast Telegraph)
- Tencent raises $8.3 billion with its biggest offshore syndicated loan (Business Standard India)
- Walmart Beats Bias Suit Over COVID-19 Shopping Hours (Law360)
- Walmart is slowing its healthcare push (Business Insider)
- Yamaha Motor R&D India MD ended the pandemic year with a 1500 km road trip to Kanyakumari (Economic Times)
Drugs, Treatments & Vaccines
- Association between mental illness and COVID-19 in South Korea (Lancet)
- Biden administration, vaccine makers scramble to outflank coronavirus variants (Washington Post)
- Chicken-derived antibody shows potent neutralizing capacity against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro (News-Medical.Net)
- Coronavirus mutations put vaccines in race to reduce amount of virus worldwide (MSNBC)
- Delayed second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine: innovation or misguided conjecture? (Lancet)
- Delayed-onset myocarditis following COVID-19 (Lancet Respiratory Medicine)
- EDITORIAL: Coronavirus vaccine works wonders in Israel (Las Vegas Review Journal)
- EXPLAINER: How have storms affected COVID-19 vaccinations? (star-telegram.com)
- Inslee signs $2.2B COVID-19 relief bill for vaccines, schools (seattlepi.com)
- Juvenile inflammatory rheumatic disease associated with higher antibody responses to seasonal coronaviruses (News-Medical.Net)
- MAb for symptomatic COVID-19 in correctional facilities: an important opportunity (Lancet)
- No Cure without Care — Soothing Science Skepticism (New England Journal of Medicine)
- Pfizer and BioNTech Coronavirus Vaccine Effective After 1 Dose, Can Last 2 Weeks (Nasdaq)
- Rationale to continue approving placebo-controlled COVID-19 vaccine trials in LMICs (Lancet)
- The Daily: When Will Kids Get the Coronavirus Vaccine? (NYT.com Main News)
- ‘Take the vaccine’: Biden tells Americans to get Covid-19 shot as he blames ‘predecessor’ for failing to mobilise (The Independent)
Societal & Economic Impact
Geopolitical Impact
Cybersecurity Impact
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