Top US health officials have announced plans to start vaccinating Americans by mid-December, while the UK parliament has approved regional restrictions and the United Nations has urged all countries to designate seafarers as key workers against the backdrop of travel restrictions.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
EUROPE
* Securing a vaccine for all European countries will be a top priority for Portugal when it takes over the presidency of the European Union next January, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said.
* France said the number of people hospitalised for COVID-19 infections fell by more than 600 to go below the 28,000 threshold for the first time since November 4.
* Turkey's daily COVID-19 death toll hit a record high, as Turks braced for new restrictive measures.
AMERICAS
* The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will soon shorten the length of self-quarantine recommended to 10 days, or 7 days with a negative test, from the current 14-day period.
* Indigenous people, health workers and those aged 75 years and older will be at the front of the line to be vaccinated, Brazil's Health Ministry said as it unveiled a four-stage preliminary plan for national immunisation.
* Mexico's government was due to sign a contract on Wednesday with pharmaceutical company Pfizer for the delivery of its vaccine.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Japan aims to allow "large-scale" numbers of overseas visitors to attend next year's Tokyo Olympics without mandatory vaccinations or quarantine, provided they submit negative test results and download tracking apps, the Nikkei business daily reported.
* Tennis Australia (TA) expects to exhaust most of its $A80 million reserves to maintain funding to the sport as it deals with significant costs in staging the Australian Open.
* India may not need to vaccinate all of its 1.3 billion people if it manages to inoculate a critical mass and break the transmission of the coronavirus, government officials said.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Hamas's Gaza leader, Yehya Al-Sinwar, has tested positive for COVID-19, a spokesman for the Islamist militant group, which runs the Palestinian territory, said.
* Lewis Hamilton will miss the Sakhir Formula One Grand Prix in Bahrain after testing positive for COVID-19.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* Johnson & Johnson said health regulators in Europe and Canada had started a real-time review of its vaccine candidate after preliminary results showed that the shot triggered the production of antibodies and immune cells.
* Moderna Inc and Pfizer-BioNTech are in a tight race to launch their COVID-19 vaccines in Europe after both applied for emergency European Union approval.
* Serum Institute of India, which has partnered with AstraZeneca to manufacture its vaccine, will continue to test a two full dose regimen of the shot despite it showing a lower success rate than a half and full dose regimen in pivotal trials.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Asian shares shed early gains from a strong Wall Street lead on Wednesday, as some investors booked profits on a stellar run to record highs, but hope for additional US economic stimulus and a vaccine kept market sentiment well supported.
* The Bank of Japan is ready to extend beyond March a range of steps aimed at easing corporate funding strains, suggesting a decision could come as early as this month.
* Australia's economy rebounded sharply in the third quarter from a recession as consumer spending surged, though the country's top central banker signalled monetary policy will stay accommodative for a while.
Australian Associated Press
