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Global Covid-19 cases rose for a fifth straight week, while the death toll continued to accelerate. More than 3 million people in the U.S. were vaccinated for the third day in a row, as the inoculation drive picks up pace.
Brisbane, Australia’s third most-populous city, will enter a three-day lockdown due to an outbreak of the U.K. strain of the virus. Maharashtra, which encompasses Mumbai, asked authorities to prepare for another lockdown if a resurgence isn’t reined in.
U.S. officials expressed concern about the way a pivotal report examining the origins of the pandemic was crafted, including the possibility that the Chinese government had a hand in writing it. German Chancellor Angela Merkel threatened to assert federal control over measures to stem the pandemic. The EU will block exports of AstraZeneca vaccines if the company fails to deliver doses bought by the region on time.
Key Developments:
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Venezuela Proposes to Pay for Vaccines with Oil (11:19 a.m. HK)
Venezuela will pay for Covid-19 vaccines with oil shipments as an alternative if government funds frozen in banks abroad are not available, President Nicolas Maduro said on state TV.
Venezuela is working on two scenarios to pay for the United Nations’ Covax system, which is lobbying for the unfreezing of government foreign accounts via legal and diplomatic claims and the payments with oil.
Thailand Defers Work-Permit Plan for Property Investors (10:57 a.m. HK)
Thailand’s plan to issue work permits to foreigners investing $1 million or more in properties, in order to attract high-net worth individuals and investors, has been deferred, according to Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. The plan is proposed under the Thailand Elite, a “pay to stay” visa program for affluent expats, investors and long-stay groups.
Sinovac Developing Updated Shots for Variants (10:52 a.m. HK)
Sinovac has started developing updated versions of its inactivated vaccine against the South African and Brazillian strains of coronavirus, company general manager Gao Qiang said at a briefing in Beijing on Sunday. Work has begun on a vaccine against the South African strain, while the company is waiting for the Brazilian strain to arrive.
Only a small-scale clinical trial is needed to confirm the new vaccines’ ability to elicit an immune response in humans before mass manufacturing, according to Gao.
U.S. Airs Concerns About WHO Virus Origin Report (9:19 a.m. HK)
Top Biden administration officials expressed concern about the way a pivotal report examining the origins of the pandemic was crafted, including the possibility that the Chinese government had a hand in writing it.
The Geneva-based World Health Organization has said the findings from its mission to Wuhan, China, in early 2021 will be ready in a few days.
Antony Blinken
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
The U.S. has “real concerns about the methodology and the process” of the report, including that the Chinese government “apparently helped to write it,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on CNN.
Chile’s Pinera Seeks Election Delay Due to Virus (9:09 a.m. HK)
Chile’s government will ask congress to postpone April’s highly anticipated elections as policy makers struggle to halt the country’s most severe virus wave yet.
“The entire world is witnessing a new outbreak of coronavirus, and new and more contagious variants have appeared,” President Sebastian Pinera said in a televised speech.
Chile’s decision points to deepening concern over a rapid surge in cases and hospitalizations since the start of March. Pinera’s administration imposed a full lockdown on the capital city of Santiago and neighboring districts starting Saturday to slow the spread of the pandemic.
Australia’s Brisbane to Enter 3-Day Lockdown (7:43 a.m. HK)
Brisbane, Australia’s third most-populous city, will enter a three-day lockdown from 5 p.m. local time Monday due to an outbreak of the U.K. strain of the coronavirus.
Residents will only be able to leave their homes for food, exercise, essential work and medical reasons, Queensland state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuktold reporters. Mask wearing in public will become compulsory for people in the rest of the state and home gatherings limited to 30 people, the premier said, after announcing 4 new cases of community transmission.
Britons Urged to Stay Safe as England Takes Easing Steps (7:23 a.m. HK)
People exercise along the River Thames in London on March 28.
Photographer: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images
Britons are being urged to follow the rules or risk a resurgence of the coronavirus as England takes a much-anticipated step toward exiting restrictions that have pummeled the economy and curtailed civil liberties.
Starting Monday, six people, or two households, can gather outdoors and outdoor sports facilities such as tennis and basketball courts will be allowed to reopen. It’s the second in a series of steps the government hopes will see all lockdown curbs removed by June 21.
Biden Tweets on Expanded Eligibility (6:26 a.m. HK)
President Joe Biden said most U.S. states are meeting his goal of opening up vaccinations to all adults by May 1, while pointing out four that haven’t: New York, South Carolina, Arkansas and Wyoming.
Asked why cases have crept up again in the U.S., Biden told reporters on Sunday that “apparently people are letting their guard down.” He said he’ll meet with his pandemic response team on Monday and “get a better sense.”
Brazilians Protest Restrictions (5:55 p.m. NY)
Protesters took to the streets of Rio de Janeiro on Sunday in response to restrictions curbing crowds on beaches, restaurants and bars, even as daily deaths and new infections reach the highest point of the nation’s outbreak. Dozens of demonstrators waving Brazilians flags and chanting, “we want to work,” marched down the main drag along the iconic Copacabana Beach, capping a week in which Brazil passed the milestone of 300,000 registered coronavirus deaths.
Texas Patient Tally Hits 6-Month Low (4:33 p.m. NY)
Virus hospitalizations in Texas dipped to a six-month low, according to data released Sunday, more than two weeks after a statewide mask mandate and other restrictions were lifted. Thus far, dire warnings that Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to relax anti-pandemic restrictions earlier this month would lead to a deadly fourth wave have failed to become manifest.
U.S. Vaccinations in Higher Gear (4:24 p.m. NY)
More than 3 million people in the U.S. were vaccinated for the third day in a row, as the inoculation drive picks up pace, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. Another 3.3 million doses were recorded Sunday, compared with the average of 2.7 million over the last week. So far 143 million doses have been administered. At the current pace it will take an estimated four months to cover 75% of the population.
Merkel Threatens to Take Over Covid Fight (3:50 p.m. NY)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel threatened to assert federal control over measures to stem the Covid-19 pandemic, picking a legal fight that reflects the gravity of the latest surge in infections.
In an extraordinary turn of events, Merkel said she may use federal law to regain the initiative after rescinding a wide-ranging lockdown for the Easter holidays amid a storm of criticism. She expressed exasperation with what she described as broken commitments by the leaders of Germany’s 16 states.
“We can’t go on like this,” Merkel said in an interview with ARD television. “I’m declaring a watershed -- and I’m not done thinking about it, either.”
China Picks UAE to Produce Shots (2:16 p.m. NY)
The Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine.
Photographer: Raul Sifuentes/Getty Images
China is partnering with the United Arab Emirates to make millions of doses of its state-backed Sinopharm vaccine, in a deal that takes manufacturing of the shot overseas for the first time and deepens Beijing’s influence in the Middle East.
A newly-created joint venture between Sinopharm CNBG and Abu Dhabi-based G42 aims to produce up to 200 million doses annually at a new plant that will become operational this year, the companies said in a statement. Production on a smaller scale has already started at an existing Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries PSCplant with a capacity of 2 million doses per month.
Marriott Calls for Vaccine Passes (12:37 p.m. NY)
The new chief executive of hotel group Marriott International Inc. called for the U.S. and other countries to do more to create something akin to a vaccine passport to unlock international travel.
In an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation” Anthony Capuano, who took over as CEO of Maryland-based Marriott in February, said he was concerned that no one was coordinating current efforts to develop a system to allow international travel for people who have been vaccinated. “We need a comprehensive and global solution for it to be effective,” Capuano told CBS.
N.Y. Cases Tick Up (12:22 p.m. NY)
New York state reported 9,395 new cases, the largest daily increase since early February. Average daily cases rose about 3% over the last seven days compared with the previous week.
Hospitalizations decreased slightly, to 4,529, according to a statement from Governor Andrew Cuomo. While that number has been relatively stable in recent weeks, the state still has the most Covid-19 hospitalizations in the nation, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Italy to Ease Some Curbs (11:49 a.m. NY)
Italy reported 19,611 new cases and 297 deaths on Sunday, reflecting a 7.2% positive test rate. New cases in the country remain stable as some regions, including the one around Rome, are set to slightly ease restrictions starting Tuesday.
Deputy health minister Pierpaolo Sileri said the slower rate of increase in new infections shows that tight restrictions introduced by Mario Draghi’s government are showing the first results.
Mumbai Region Faces Lockdown (11:01 a.m. NY)
The government of Maharashtra, which encompasses Mumbai, asked authorities to prepare for another lockdown if a resurgence in infections isn’t reined in and residents flout rules. Hospital facilities are quickly reaching capacity, with a fifth of isolation beds already filled up, it said in a statement Sunday. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asked officials to prepare for food and supplies of other essentials. “There should not be any kind of confusion among the people once a lockdown is announced,” he said.
A health worker takes a compulsory nasal swab sample at a beach in Mumbai on March 27.
Photographer: Sujit Jaiswal/AFP/Getty Images
EU Makes Astra Ultimatum (7:28 a.m. NY)
The EU will block AstraZeneca exports if the company fails to deliver the doses bought by the region on time, according to Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner in charge of fixing the bloc’s vaccination drive.
AstraZeneca has met about 30% of its commitment to deliver 70 million doses to the EU in the second quarter, Breton said on RTL radio Sunday.“As long as AstraZeneca doesn’t make good on its obligations, everything that’s produced on European soil is distributed to Europeans,” he said.
— With assistance by Jeff Sutherland
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