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The OutbreakNovember 2020Issue the Eleventh

Three vaccines report strong results in a month of hope

A month of strong vaccine trial results lifts hopes, while Delhi marks Diwali in what its leaders call a third wave.

Operation Warp Speed headquarters, the US effort to develop, make and distribute Covid-19 vaccines, 12 November.
Operation Warp Speed headquarters, the US effort to develop, make and distribute Covid-19 vaccines, 12 November.Photograph by E. J. Hersom, U.S. Department of Defense, Nov. 12, 2020 · Public domain (US government work)

NEW YORK, Monday 30 November.—Moderna said today it would ask US regulators for emergency authorisation of its coronavirus vaccine, capping a month in which three vaccine makers reported strong results from their trials.

The first came on 9 November, when Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said an interim analysis of 94 cases showed their vaccine was more than 90 per cent effective. “Today is a great day for science and humanity,” said Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s chairman and chief executive. On 18 November Pfizer reported final results showing 95 per cent efficacy and said it would seek US emergency authorisation within days.

Moderna followed on 16 November with 94.5 per cent in an interim analysis of 95 cases, only five of them in people given the vaccine. All 11 severe cases were in the placebo group. “We are going to have a vaccine that can stop COVID-19,” said Moderna’s president, Stephen Hoge.

Today is a great day for science and humanityAlbert Bourla

On 23 November AstraZeneca said the vaccine developed at Oxford averaged 70 per cent, rising to 90 per cent when a half dose was followed by a full dose, in an analysis of 131 infections in trials in Britain and Brazil. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it “incredibly exciting news”.

Moderna said it would also apply to the European Medicines Agency. Regulators in Europe, Canada, Switzerland, Britain and Israel had already begun reviewing its data.

For this year, Pfizer and BioNTech expect to supply up to 50 million doses worldwide, and Moderna about 20 million ready to ship in the US.

Pfizer and BioNTech (press release, reproduced by Cambridge Network), Nov. 9 · Reuters (via Daily Maverick), Nov. 16 · Moderna (press release, reproduced by BioSpace), Nov. 16 · Reuters (via The Star, Kenya), Nov. 18 · ARY News, reproducing Reuters, Nov. 23 · Moderna (press release, reproduced by BioSpace), Nov. 30

Delhi declares a ‘third wave’ as Diwali crowds fill the markets

Clay lamps and figurines on sale at a market stall as Diwali shoppers buy supplies, 14 November.
Clay lamps and figurines on sale at a market stall as Diwali shoppers buy supplies, 14 November.Photograph by Alokjain19883105, Nov. 14, 2020 · CC BY-SA 4.0

NEW DELHI, Saturday 14 November.—Delhi marks Diwali today under a ban on firecrackers and in what its chief minister calls a third wave of the coronavirus.

“Delhi has witnessed a jump in the number of COVID-19 cases. I think we can call it a third wave,” Arvind Kejriwal said on 4 November. On 8 November the capital recorded 7,745 new cases, the most for any Indian city so far, and on Thursday it reported a record 104 deaths. Many hospitals have run out of intensive care beds.

At a riverside crematorium in east Delhi, an ambulance driver told Reuters: “There’s a sudden increase in deaths.” He thought pollution and crowding might be to blame.

Delhi has witnessed a jump in the number of COVID-19 cases. I think we can call it a third waveArvind Kejriwal

“Corona cases have increased due to festival season and pollution. It was decided to ban crackers in Delhi,” Mr Kejriwal tweeted. The National Green Tribunal has banned firecrackers across the capital region until 30 November.

Still the shoppers came. “I had gone to the market and there is a lot of crowd because of Diwali. So I think it (coronavirus) may spread more,” said Payal Jha, a 20-year-old student.

The Tribune (PTI), Nov. 4 · Citizen Matters (Bengaluru/Delhi), Nov. 12 · Reuters (via The Morung Express), Nov. 13 · The Quint, Nov. 5 · Associated Press (via News4Jax), Nov. 13 · The Tribune (PTI), Nov. 13

Singapore and India ready themselves for a vaccine

SINGAPORE, Monday 30 November.—Singapore does not intend to vaccinate its entire population, depending on the vaccine, and will approve only those judged safe and effective, a minister told the government task force’s press conference on 10 November.

“Ultimately, the safety of Singaporeans is our top priority,” a task force spokesperson said. The Ministry of Health has set up an Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination, and Moderna said today that Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority is among the regulators already reviewing its vaccine.

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi toured Zydus Cadila, Bharat Biotech and the Serum Institute on Saturday, a one-day trip to Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Pune to review their vaccine work. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said this month that India hopes to complete final trials of Covaxin in a month or two.

Mothership.sg, Nov. 10 · Moderna (press release, reproduced by BioSpace), Nov. 30 · Onmanorama, Nov. 28

Hong Kong travel bubble put off on the eve of launch

SINGAPORE, Monday 30 November.—The air travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong, due to begin on 22 November, was deferred by two weeks the day before it was to start, after cases rose in Hong Kong.

Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung announced the delay on Facebook after speaking to Hong Kong’s commerce secretary, Edward Yau. Under the agreed rules, the bubble would be suspended for two weeks if the seven-day average of unlinked cases passes five in either city.

“This is a sober reminder that the Covid-19 virus is still with us, and even as we fight to regain our normal lives, the journey will be full of ups and downs,” Mr Ong said.

This is a sober reminder that the Covid-19 virus is still with us, and even as we fight to regain our normal lives, the journey will be full of ups and downsOng Ye Kung

Singapore’s own count stays low. Today the Ministry of Health reported one locally transmitted case, in the community, and four imported cases.

Mothership.sg, Nov. 21 · Ministry of Health, Singapore, Nov. 30

In Brief

A quieter Deepavali in Little India

SINGAPORE, Saturday 14 November.—Little India was quieter than usual on the eve of Deepavali, with no bazaars, trade fairs or stage concerts allowed. Police stood where crowds gathered, and a few stalls on Campbell Lane stayed open past midnight. Much of the last-minute shopping has moved online.

Mothership.sg, Nov. 14, 2020.

WHO says case growth slows but deaths climb

GENEVA, Tuesday 24 November.—Around four million new cases were reported worldwide in the week to 22 November, the World Health Organization said. The global acceleration in cases has slowed, but deaths continue to rise, with more than 67,000 in the week.

World Health Organization, Nov. 24, 2020.

Start The Outbreak from issue one tomorrow

Wayback Wire · No. 11 · November 2020