U.S. Officials Warn of Surge; Japan Travel Ban: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- A coordinated vaccination campaign was under way in Europe, just days after the European Union cleared a shot developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE. The U.K. could clear AstraZeneca's vaccine as early as this week.

Top U.S. health officials warned of a post-Christmas surge in infections, as cases slowed amid scattered holiday reporting. Concern about the mutated strain first detected in Britain grew in Asia. China asked airlines to suspend passenger flights with the U.K., while Japan will ban the entry of most foreigners through the end of January.

Why the U.K.'s Mutated Coronavirus Is Fanning Worries: QuickTake

Key Developments:

Global Tracker: Cases pass 80.7 million; deaths surpass 1.76 millionVaccine Tracker: More than 4.4 million shots givingRead more on Europe's vaccine campaignSouth Korea holds off on highest alert as growth in cases slowsSingapore expert committee backs Pfizer-BioNTech vaccineBenefits lapse for millions as Trump fails to sign relief billSoutheast Asia vaccine rollout: Who will get what, when

Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg's Prognosis team here. Click CVID on the terminal for global data on coronavirus cases and deaths.

© via BloombergCovid-19 Vaccine Tracker

Saudi Arabia to Allow Foreigners to Leave Kingdom (7:46 a.m. HK)

Saudi Arabia's aviation authority has allowed airlines to resume flights to transport foreigners out of the kingdom, state television reported. The decision excludes countries dealing with the new variant of Covid-19 and crew members of flights landing in the kingdom are not allowed to leave their planes, according to the report.

Saudi Arabia also extended the suspension on international flights and the closure of its border crossing for another week over concern about the new coronavirus strain, state-run Saudi Press Agency reported separately. Flights for foreigners who want to leave the country and cargo were excluded from the move, according to the report.

Massachusetts Reports Most Deaths Since June (5:46 p.m. NY)

Massachusetts reported 100 fatalities, the most since the beginning of June, according data from the state and Johns Hopkins University. The state also reported a total of 2,156 hospitalizations, the highest since late May, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project. As in many states, both testing and new cases have slowed during the holiday. The state reported 2,973 cases, the fewest since the first week of December.

U.K. Poised to Clear AstraZeneca Shot (3:09 p.m. NY)

The U.K. is poised to approve the vaccine produced by AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford, giving the country another powerful tool to fight the pandemic as concern mounts over rising infections.

Britain's drug regulator could clear the shot for use as early as this week, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential. AstraZeneca Chief Executive Officer Pascal Soriot and U.K. health officials had previously said they hoped for approval by the end of the year.

California Hospitalizations Climb to Record (2:57 p.m. NY)

© Getty Images via BloombergSan Bernardino Area Hospital Continues To Deal With Increase In Covid Cases

The lobby of Providence St. Mary Medical Center, which has been converted into a care space to treat Covid-19 patients in Apple Valley, Dec. 23.

Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty Images

California's hospitalizations climbed to a new high after the state added 50,141 cases, one of the highest levels since a record two weeks ago.

The number of cases now totals 2.1 million. It also added 237 new deaths, bringing the total fatalities to 24,220.

California has imposed a stay-home order for most of the state, and is expected to extend the notice for cities including Los Angeles and San Diego when it ends Monday with almost no intensive-care unit beds available.

Gottlieb Says Invest More in Vaccination Efforts (2:52 p.m. NY)

The U.S. needs to invest more in getting Covid vaccines out into the community once the first tranche, designated mostly for health care professionals and workers and residents in nursing homes, is finished, said former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb.

So far almost 2 million doses have been administered in the U.S., according to a state-by-state tally compiled by Bloomberg News. Gottlieb said some states have struggled to absorb the doses they've been allocated, and that the effort will move into "hard to vaccinate populations" in January.

"I think they'll get up and running and get better systems in place to distribute these vaccines more efficiently," Gottlieb said on CBS. "They're going to turn to CVS and Walgreens to start distributing them in the community, and that's a pretty big footprint."

South Africa Weighs Reinstating Alcohol Ban (2:44 p.m. NY)

South Africa is considering reinstating a total ban on liquor sales as the number of Covid-19 infections surge over the summer holiday season, a person familiar with the discussions said.

Restrictions on alcohol sales have been implemented to various degrees since one of the world's most stringent lockdowns was imposed in March, in part to lower hospital admissions from vehicle accidents and alcohol-related violence. Still, the government lost tax revenue as a result of an initial bar on any sales and liquor traders and bars fired workers.

Norway Detects Two Cases of Coronavirus Mutation (2:23 p.m. NY)

Norway has detected the new strain of the virus in two people who traveled from the U.K. in December, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said in a statement on its website. The statement did not disclose the people's nationality.

Turkey Says Vaccines From China Delayed at Customs (1:15 p.m. NY)

© Getty Images via BloombergHealth Care Workers Battle Coronavirus Surge As Turkey Awaits Vaccine

Medical workers assist a Covid-19 patient in Istanbul, on Dec. 10.

Photographer: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Sinovac Biotech Ltd. shipments of Covid-19 vaccines expected to begin Sunday will be delayed by "one or two days," citing disruptions at Chinese customs.

The delay is due to new coronavirus cases in Beijing including at the city's customs, Koca said in a tweet. Turkey has agreed to purchase 50 million doses from the Chinese company and is planning an extensive inoculation campaign following an emergency certification. It also inked an agreement with Pfizer Inc. partner BioNTech SE for 4.5 million doses, with an option to raise it to 30 million.

Germany Suffers Vaccination Blip Over Temperature (11:39 a.m. NY)

The vaccine rollout was postponed in some German cities after doubts emerged about whether the Pfizer-BioNTech shots had been kept cold enough during transit.

The Bavarian cities of Coburg, Lichtenfels, Kronach, Kulmbach, Bayreuth, Hof and Wunsiedel were all affected, according to a statement posted on the Lichtenfels website. The vaccine needs to be kept in ultra-cold storage at around minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-70 Celsius).

"When reading the temperature monitors in the centrally procured cool boxes, doubts arose about compliance with the cold chain," the statement said. "If there is only the slightest indication that the vaccine does not meet the quality criteria 100%, the batch will not be used."

Fauci, Giroir Warn of Post-Christmas Surge (10:47 a.m. NY)

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S.'s top infectious disease doctor, said experts are studying whether vaccines will work against the new strain of the coronavirus beginning to spread from the U.K. He said on CNN's State of the Union that viruses mutate "all the time" and that most mutations don't have much significance.

But, he added: "You take something like this very seriously."

Fauci also warned that the worst is yet to come for the pandemic and said there still is a chance for a "surge upon a surge" with people traveling for the holidays. He said the U.S. is at a "very critical point" in combating the pandemic.

Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir told "Fox News Sunday" that a post-Christmas rise in infections "really depends on what the travelers do when they get where they're going."

"We know the actual physical act of traveling in airplanes, for example, can be quite safe because of the air purification systems," he said. "What we really worry about is the mingling of different bubbles once you get to your destination."

France Inoculates First Citizen (6:22 p.m. HK)

A 78-year-old woman living in a care home in Sevran, just outside Paris, was the first person to receive the vaccine in France, local media reported. President Emmanuel Macron celebrated the news with a tweet: "We have a new weapon against the virus: the vaccine. Continue to stick together."

Next week, vaccinations will be rolled out to 23 establishments in the Paris, Lyon and Tours areas, as well as the northern tip of France. This will also involve elderly care home residents and older staff at risk.

The French Health Ministry expects the current available vaccines to be effective against the new Covid-19 variants circulating mainly in the U.K. and South Africa. The first two stages of vaccination, covering 15 million people considered a priority, are expected to take six months, before vaccines are rolled out more widely.

China to Suspend U.K. Flights (5:33 p.m. HK)

China's Civil Aviation Authority has asked airlines to suspend connections with the U.K. from Dec. 28 to Jan. 10, citing the new variant. The local government in Beijing is calling for stricter Covid-19 controls and prevention measures after the Chinese capital reported five local cases on Saturday.

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