Covid-19 Pandemic: Live Updates and News for Jun. 15, 2021

There was positive news on the vaccine front, with two-dose shots from Pfizer Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc proving highly effective at preventing hospitalization of those with Covid-19’s delta variant, according to health authorities in England. Novavax Inc.’s vaccine candidate showed strong efficacy, including against variants, in a large trial. Pfizer is examining cases where fully vaccinated people caught Covid-19 to decide if and when boosters are needed.

Singapore plans to reopen schools in stages from the end of June as vaccinations among children increase. But Indonesia tightened curbs on movement and on the number of people allowed in offices. The Philippines is keeping Manila under the second-loosest restrictions, while tightening rules in more than a dozen areas.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson delayed plans to lift pandemic curbs until July 19 because of a surge in the delta variant. Modeling showed hospital admissions could reach similar levels to the first wave of infections in spring 2020, or a peak of more than 3,000 a day, if social-distancing rules were ended as planned on June 21.

Key Developments:

Singapore Plans to Open Schools in Stages (9:02 a.m. H.K.)

Singapore, one of the first countries to authorize the use of Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine for children aged 12 and above, plan to resume face-to-face instruction in schools on a staggered bases from June 28.

“Close to 90% of our students have signed up for vaccination, and 1 in 3 of them have already received their first dose of the vaccine,” Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said in a Facebook post on Monday. “Going forward, we must combine vaccination with increased testing and rapid isolation of potential infection clusters to keep our schools open and safe.”

Indonesia Tightens Rules Amid Resurgence (8:50 a.m. H.K.)

Indonesia said offices can only have staff equivalent to 25% of capacity, down from 50% previously, and said schools and places of worship must shut in areas deemed most at risk. The curbs will stay in place until June 28, with the police and military ensuring compliance, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said Monday.

New daily cases reached 9,868 on Sunday, the most since February, and the government has warned of a resurgence after many people traveled for the Eid al-Fitr holiday despite a ban on doing so.

Philippines Tweaks Curbs as Cases Stay High (8:40 a.m. H.K.)

Manila and Bulacan province will remain under so-called “general community quarantine” with “some restrictions” until June 30, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said in a recorded briefing Monday night.

The neighboring provinces of Rizal, Laguna and Cavite — which host some export manufacturers — will be put under the same quarantine status, but with “heightened restrictions”. A stricter quarantine classification will be imposed on more than a dozen areas including Davao City, the economic center of Mindanao Island.

Rampant Variant Derails U.K.’s Plan to Lift Curbs (7:50 a.m. H.K.)

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson pushed back his plan to lift coronavirus restrictions by four weeks as the more infectious delta variant spreads rapidly across the U.K.

The government was forced to act after modeling showed hospital admissions could reach similar levels to the first wave of infections in spring 2020 — a peak of more than 3,000 a day — if Johnson stuck to his schedule to end social-distancing rules on June 21. In a televised briefing on Monday, he said there was no choice but to delay his plan until July 19.

“The objective of this short delay is to use these valuable, crucial weeks to save thousands of lives — lives that would otherwise be lost, I’m afraid — by vaccinating millions more people as fast as we can,” he said.

Japan Expands Large-Site Inoculations, NHK Says (7:30 a.m. H.K.)

Japan’s defense ministry has decided to expand the age group of those getting vaccinations at large sites from Thursday, public broadcaster NHK reported, without identifying the source of its information.

Those aged 18 and above from across the nation will be eligible, though they will require vouchers from local authorities. The ministry’s official decision on the matter will come Thursday.

Okinawa May Extend Emergency, TV Says (7:20 a.m. H.K.)

An expert panel in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa prefecture sees the need to extend a state of emergency due to expire on June 20, broadcaster TV Asahi reported, without attribution. Although daily infections are declining, the medical system remains strained and the prefecture’s government will decide whether to ask the central authority for an extension.

Pfizer to Study Whether Boosters Are Necessary (6:50 a.m. H.K.)

Pfizer Inc. will examine cases of fully vaccinated people who contracted Covid-19 to determine whether and when a booster shot is necessary.

“We will be looking at real world data to help us understand when we might see a change in vaccine effectiveness,” David Swerdlow, clinical epidemiology lead for Pfizer Vaccines, said at the Precision Medicine World Conference.

More than 10,200 Covid-19 vaccine breakthrough cases have been reported in the U.S. as of April 30, although it’s rare for fully vaccinated people to get infected.

WHO Chief Cites Urgent Need for More Shots (1:05 p.m. NY)

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the Group of Seven’s recent pledge of 870 million Covid-19 vaccine doses, but said more shots are needed quickly.

The steep increase in Covid-19 cases in Africa is “especially concerning” because it’s the region with the least access to vaccines, diagnostics and oxygen. That increases the continent’s mortality rate among critically ill patients, despite having fewer reported cases than other regions.

New variants have substantially increased transmissions, “meaning the risks have increased for people not protected,” he said. “Right now the virus is moving faster than the global distribution of vaccines.”

The more transmissible variants also means that curbs may need to be more stringent and applied for longer in areas where vaccination rates remain low, he said.

NYC Plans Parade for Front-Line Workers (11 a.m. NY)

NYC Launches $100 Bonus for Vaccine Referrals (11 a.m. NY)

New York City will launch a $100 referral bonus program for community groups to boost the rate of vaccinations, which have slowed in recent weeks, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Monday.

For every unvaccinated person an organization brings in to get a Covid-19 shot, the community group gets $100 per person, up to $20,000, de Blasio said. The program will start on Wednesday.

De Blasio is trying to reach a goal of 5 million vaccinated by the end of June, which he warned earlier this month that the city might not hit. Only 3.9 million people are fully vaccinated, with 4.5 million receiving at least one dose.

Vaccines Show Protection Against Variant (10:15 a.m. NY)