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☆ Hong Kong residents rush to get vaccinated ahead of China border reopening
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People queue at a community vaccination centre, ahead of an expected border reopening with China, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Hong Kong, China, January 4, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone SiuHONG KONG, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Hong Kong residents have swamped clinics to get vaccinated against COVID-19 ahead of the expected reopening of the city's border with mainland China, which some people fear will bring a surge of infections to the financial hub. The number of people getting a fourth shot jumped more than 100% this week from a week earlier. Many mainlanders have been asking on social media about how to get an mRNA vaccine in Hong Kong. A Hong Kong resident surnamed Tsoi said she was relieved to have made a booking for BioNTech's second-generation booster.

☆ Biotech investor Brad Loncar shares 10 predictions for 2023, including a hot new cancer target, Nobel Prize winners, and a biotech founder running for president
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Andrew Dunn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Loncar shared his 2023 forecast, including new drugs, Nobel Prize winners, and more globalization. Brad Loncar isn't expecting a miraculous rebound for the biotech industry in 2023. In an interview with Insider, Loncar shared 10 predictions for biotech in 2023, ranging from Nobel Prize winners and presidential runs to hot cancer targets and bankruptcy worries. 2022 was a rough year for the biotech industry, which once again underperformed the stock market. The industry runs to the next super-hot cancer target: Claudin 18.2In cancer research, drug companies are always on the hunt for the next promising target.

☆ EU offers China free vaccines as COVID-19 infections surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 3 (Reuters) - The European Union has offered free COVID-19 vaccines to China, the EU executive said on Tuesday, as infections there surged following Beijing's relaxation of its "zero-COVID" policies. China has not responded to the offer yet, a spokesperson for the European Commission told journalists at a regular briefing. He did not specify the amount of vaccines the EU was offering or their manufacturers. "In view of the COVID situation in China, (Health) Commissioner Stella Kyriakides has reached out to her Chinese counterparts to offer EU solidarity and support," he said. Last month, Germany shipped 11,500 BioNTech (22UAy.DE) COVID vaccines to German companies and embassy and consulate locations in China for use by German nationals there.

The subvariant of omicron, named XBB.1.5, has raised concerns about another potential wave of Covid cases following the busy holiday travel season. The CDC projected Friday that about 40% of confirmed U.S. Covid cases are caused by the XBB.1.5 strain, up from 20% a week ago. There’s no indication it causes more severe illness than any other omicron virus, Dr. Barbara Mahon, director of CDC’s Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, told NBC News. The XBB.1.5 is a relative of the omicron XBB variant, which is a recombinant of the omicron BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 subvariants. Yet, only 37.5% of that age group has received the most recent omicron booster, according to the most recent CDC data.

☆ Western Covid Medicine to China’s Rescue
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

One conceit of Chinese leader Xi Jinping is that the West is in terminal decline and the Communist Party is destined to dominate the world in technology and politics. So don’t expect the Party media to celebrate the country’s emergency acceptance of Western Covid medicine. Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Co. said Tuesday that Chinese users of its health app can now sign up to get doses of the Western-made BioNTech mRNA vaccine in Hong Kong. That’s happy news for affluent Chinese passport holders who can hop a flight to Hong Kong or nearby Macau, where vaccine tourism has been booming since Mainland infections began to rise.

☆ Fosun app lets China users get BioNTech COVID vaccines in Hong Kong
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The BioNTech logo is seen at the booth of Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) at the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, China September 3, 2021. REUTERS/Florence LoHONG KONG, Dec 27 (Reuters) - China's Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group (600196.SS) said users of its mobile health app in China can now register to take COVID-19 booster shots in Hong Kong using BioNTech's (22UAy.DE) vaccine. BioNTech and its partner for China - Fosun - were granted approval for their COVID-19 vaccine that is adapted for the BA.4 and the BA.5 subvariants of Omicron for people aged 12 and older in Hong Kong, the German company said on Dec. 23. The vaccine is the first and currently only variant-adapted vaccine available as a booster dose for individuals 12 years and older that has been granted approval in Hong Kong, BioNTech said at the time. A shipment of BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines meant for German nationals in China arrived at the German embassy in Beijing last week as cases in China soared after policymakers dropped nearly all of previous epidemic control protocols.

SummarySummary Companies COVID infections may peak next week- Chinese health officialChina reports no new COVID deaths for 3rd dayOverstretched health system braces for more severe casesBEIJING/SHANGHAI, Dec 23 (Reuters) - China is expecting a peak in COVID-19 infections within a week, a health official said, with authorities predicting extra strain on the country's health system even as they downplay the disease's severity and continue to report no new deaths. China reported less than 4,000 new symptomatic local COVID cases nationwide for Dec. 22, and no new COVID deaths for a third consecutive day. Authorities have narrowed the criteria for COVID deaths, prompting criticism from many disease experts. Experts say China could face more than a million COVID deaths next year. NO DATAThe World Health Organization has received no data from China on new COVID hospitalizations since Beijing lifted its zero-COVID policy.

☆ BioNTech starts human trial to test malaria vaccine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationBERLIN, Dec 23 (Reuters) - BioNTech (22UAy.DE) on Friday initiated an early-stage study to evaluate its experimental malaria vaccine in humans, the German drugmaker said. The Phase 1 trial is expected to enrol 60 volunteers in the United States with no history of malaria to assess the vaccine candidate at three-dose levels. Known as BNT165b1, it is the first vaccine candidate from BioNTech's malaria project, which will also establish vaccine production in Africa. Another keenly-watched effort is a malaria vaccine from Oxford University. BioNTech's malaria vaccine effort is based on its mRNA technology, which was employed during the pandemic to quickly develop COVID-19 vaccines, by prompting the human body to make a protein that is part of the pathogen, triggering an immune response.

Experts say China could face more than a million COVID deaths next year. Authorities in Sanya on the southern Hainan island have lined up 18 pharmacies to distribute free drugs. mRNA VACCINES FOR GERMANSIn China, only deaths caused by pneumonia and respiratory failure after contracting COVID are being classified as COVID fatalities. Germany said it has sent its first batch of BioNTech (22UAy.DE) COVID vaccines to China to be administered initially to German expatriates. China has nine domestically developed COVID vaccines approved for use.

☆ BioNTech ships COVID shots to China for use by Germans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BioNTech said it is working with Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (600196.SS) to deliver the shots to greater China, with availability expected in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang and Chengdu. China would need to approve expanding access beyond the about 20,000 German nationals, the source said on Wednesday. "Most of Chinese here got the BioNTech vaccine, the vaccine that was first available. SinoVac vaccine was not available in Europe," a first-generation Chinese expatriate who has lived in Europe for more than a decade told Reuters. The expatriate, who asked to remain anonymous to protect their family in China, said that the government there might only make BioNTech shots available to Chinese nationals if it came to the worst-case scenario.

☆ Fact Check-COVID vaccinations did not ‘inject people’ with the next pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

There is no evidence to support a claim that COVID-19 vaccinations were a ploy to inject people with an infectious disease that will lead to a new pandemic. Fact sheets for the Janssen (J&J) and Novavax COVID-19 vaccine are available (here ) (here ). Ingredients described in the fact sheets for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines include mRNA, lipids, sucrose and tromethamine, a chemical (here) (page 3), (here) (page 34). There is no evidence of the COVID-19 vaccines containing any substance that could cause an infectious disease pandemic. All vaccine ingredients, pharmacology and toxicology for COVID-19 vaccines approved in the United States are published online.

"I can confirm a shipment of the BioNTech vaccine is on its way to China," the person told journalists in Berlin. In return, Chinese citizens in Europe can be vaccinated with China's SinoVac (SVA.O), the spokesperson said. Experts predict that the country of 1.4 billion people could face more than a million COVID deaths next year. China is stuck between rising Covid-19 cases and stalled vaccination ratesNO WESTERN SHOTSChina has nine domestically developed COVID vaccines approved for use, more than any other country. While the shots became available in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, the regulatory review for mainland China has not been concluded.

Dec 21 (Reuters) - China may be struggling to keep a tally of COVID-19 infections as the country experiences a big spike in cases, a senior World Health Organization official said on Wednesday, amid concerns about a lack of data from the country. "In China, what's been reported is relatively low numbers of cases in ICUs, but anecdotally ICUs are filling up," WHO's emergencies director Mike Ryan said. "I wouldn't like to say that China is actively not telling us what's going on. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseThe WHO said it was ready to work with China to improve the way the country collects data around critical factors such as hospitalisation and death. China has nine domestically developed COVID-19 vaccines approved for use, more than any other country, but they have not been updated to target the highly infectious Omicron variant.

☆ Germany should help China-EU ties develop 'not subject to third party' -Xi
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Dec 20 (Reuters) - China and Germany should work together to foster good relations between Beijing and the European Union without any interference by a third party, President Xi Jinping told Germany's president in a phone call on Tuesday, state media reported. Xi was also quoted by state broadcaster CCTV as telling Frank-Walter Steinmeier that China hopes Germany can provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory operating environment for Chinese enterprises in Germany, the EU's largest market. "Leading the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations is a direction that China and Germany should work together for," Xi said, according to CCTV. BioNTech would be the first non-Chinese coronavirus vaccine to be administered in China as Beijing has hitherto insisted on administering domestically produced vaccines. Reporting by Ella Cao and Meg Shen, editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] People line up at a makeshift fever clinic set up inside a stadium, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Beijing, China December 19, 2022. "We stand ready to help any country in the world with vaccines, treatments, anything else that we can be helpful with," he said. "We want China to get COVID right," Blinken said earlier this month. “China faces a very challenging system in reopening,” Powell said, adding that its manufacturing, exporting and supply chain remain critical. Officials set up health centers and apps that told people with symptoms how to avoid infecting others, he said.

☆ Concession awards mark a reset for Macao casinos
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Contessa Brewer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

With mandatory quarantines lifted, ferry and airline service resuming, and licenses renewed, casinos hope 2023 marks a new beginning for the world's preeminent gambling destination, Macao. The Macao government awarded six companies new 10-year concessions to operate their integrated casino resorts. This month, Macao has seen an increase in tourism from mainland China from visitors trying to get an mRNA Covid vaccine. A rise in Covid infections around China caused November gaming revenue in Macao to fall 23% from October and plummet 99% from November 2019 pre-pandemic levels, according to government data. Fitch estimates Singapore will achieve 80% of its pre-pandemic gaming revenue in 2022, and 95% in 2023.

☆ China Meheco to distribute Pfizer's COVID treatment in China
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Alessandro DiviggianoHONG KONG, Dec 14 (Reuters) - China Meheco Group Co Ltd (600056.SS) said on Wednesday it signed an agreement with Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) to import and distribute the U.S. drugmaker's oral COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid in mainland China, as the country braces for a surge in COVID patients after scaling back its "zero COVID" policy. The agreement is valid between Dec. 14 and Nov. 30, 2023, China Meheco said in a filing to the Shanghai stock exchange. Pfizer last year said it could produce up to 120 million courses of Paxlovid this year. As of Nov. 30, Pfizer had shipped almost 37 million courses of Paxlovid to 52 countries around the world, it said in a statement. The U.S. government announced a deal on Tuesday to buy an additional 3.7 million Paxlovid courses for nearly $2 billion, supplementing the 20 million courses already purchased by the United States.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Moderna, First Solar, Pinterest, Norwegian Cruise Line and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Vials with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine labels are seen in this illustration picture taken March 19, 2021. Moderna – The drugmaker saw its stock soar 19.6% after the company issued promising data about its cancer treatment. First Solar – The solar stock added 4.5% following an announcement on Monday that it will replace Fortune Brands Home & Security in the S&P 500 . Pinterest – Shares of the social media company climbed 11.9% after Piper Sandler upgraded Pinterest to overweight from neutral. Norwegian Cruise Line – The cruise giant shed 2.8% after UBS downgraded the stock to neutral from buy.

☆ POTS, a debilitating heart condition, is linked to Covid and, to a lesser degree, vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Berkeley-Lovelace-Jr.Jpg | Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Research published Monday has confirmed a link between a Covid infection and a debilitating heart condition called POTS, or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, that has been diagnosed in some patients with long Covid. POTS was also linked, to a lesser degree, to Covid vaccination with an mRNA vaccine, according to the new study. He also said that the link between POTS and Covid vaccination needs to be confirmed with further studies. Other vaccines have also been linked to POTS in early accounts, but further research did not establish a causal link. The link between an infection — including Covid — and POTS, however, is more well-established.

☆ China to allow German expats to use German COVID-19 vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Dec 10 (Reuters) - The Chinese foreign ministry said China and Germany had reached an agreement on providing "German vaccines" to German nationals in China, after the German Chancellor recently said that BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine would be used by German expatriates. Relevant arrangements will be discussed and determined by the two sides through diplomatic channels, Mao Ning, a spokeswoman at the Chinese foreign ministry told reporters on Friday at a regular press conference. On Nov. 4, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on his visit to Beijing, announced an agreement to let expatriates in China use the COVID-19 vaccine from Germany's BioNTech. BioNTech's (22UAy.DE) COVID vaccine would be the first non-Chinese coronavirus vaccine to be administered in China, although to just German nationals, as Beijing had until now insisted on administering domestically produced vaccines. Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ S&P 500, Nasdaq snap losing streaks after jobless claims rise
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( David French | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Wall Street's main indexes had come under pressure in recent days, with the S&P 500 shedding 3.6% since the beginning of December on expectations of a longer rate-hike cycle and downbeat economic views from some top company executives. Such thinking had also weighed on the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC), which had posted four straight losing sessions prior to Thursday's advance on the tech-heavy index. Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidNine of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors rose, led by a 1.6% gain in technology stocks (.SPLRCT). The S&P 500 posted 15 new 52-week highs and three new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 82 new highs and 232 new lows.

☆ Fact Check-A video of news headlines over time is not proof COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective or a ‘scam’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Users on social media are sharing a video of news headlines and portions of articles on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness over time without context to question whether the vaccines ever worked. Initial clinical trials for Pfizer’s vaccine showed 95% efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 (here) while Moderna trials showed 94% efficacy (here). CONTEXT COUNTSEarly in the viral video, headlines touting 100% efficacy refer to small trials or specific outcomes. He added that these results are not indicative of vaccine effectiveness for all groups of people, which can vary. A video of news headlines is not proof the vaccines are ineffective or a scam.

☆ Children as young as 6 months can now receive an updated Covid-19 vaccine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Jamie Gumbrecht | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Children as young as 6 months are now eligible to receive an updated Covid-19 vaccine. The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized updated Covid-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech for use in children from ages 6 months through 5 years. Not all young children are eligible to receive an updated vaccine:Children age 6 months through age 5 who received the original, two-dose Moderna vaccine are eligible to receive a single booster of the updated bivalent Moderna vaccine two months after completing the primary vaccine series. Children age 6 months through 4 years who haven’t started their three-dose primary series of the Pfizer vaccine or received the third dose will receive the updated Pfizer vaccine as the third dose of the primary series. The data to support giving an updated bivalent booster dose for these children are expected in January.

☆ U.S. FDA authorizes bivalent COVID shots for kids as young as 6 months old
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The amended authorization on Thursday from the Food and Drug Administration allows use of Moderna's bivalent shot as a booster in children 6 months through 5 years of age, two months after their initial vaccination. Children who have completed their initial three-dose vaccination with Pfizer's original shot are not yet eligible to receive the bivalent booster, the agency said. The regulator added that data supporting use of Pfizer/BioNTech's bivalent shot as a booster in this age group is expected in January. Moderna's vaccine for children under 6 is a two-dose, 25 microgram vaccine, with the shots given about four weeks apart. Overall, 39.7 million people in United States have received a bivalent booster as of Nov. 30, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed.

☆ FDA expected to decide on Pfizer RSV vaccine for older adults by May 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide by spring whether to approve Pfizer's vaccine to prevent respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, in adults ages 60 and older. Pfizer, in a statement Wednesday, said the FDA has accepted its RSV vaccine candidate for review under an expedited process that reduces the approval process by four months. RSV is a common respiratory virus that causes cold like symptoms in most people, but it can result in severe illness in infants and older adults. Between 60,000 and 120,000 older adults are hospitalized with RSV every year and 6,000 to 10,000 older adults die from the virus. Pfizer's vaccine candidate was about 86% effective in preventing severe lower respiratory tract illness, defined as three or more symptoms.

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