The daily number of new coronavirus cases in the US was under 100,000 for a third consecutive day on Tuesday, the first time that’s happened since the week of November 2.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began recommending that Americans wear a cloth mask over a medical mask to slow the spread of Covid-19. 

A World Health Organisation panel recommended AstraZeneca’s vaccine for all adults over 18, paving the way to speed up inoculations in developing countries.

Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to gradually reopen Germany’s shuttered hairdressers, schools and stores, even as she raised concerns over a renewed spike in infections.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases exceed 107 million; deaths pass 2.34 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 138 million shots given worldwide
• A humble medical device could help speed U.S. vaccination effort
• Covid brought booze to your door, making delivery worth billions
• U.K. airports warn 11th-hour confusion threatens quarantine plan
• Why the mutated coronavirus variants are so worrisome: QuickTake

Merkel sets course for looser curbs in Germany

Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to gradually reopen Germany’s shuttered hairdressers, schools and stores, prodded into a faster easing despite her concerns over a renewed spike in coronavirus infections.

As the country’s coronavirus outbreak steadily recedes, authorities on Wednesday set guidelines for opening up the economy if the trend continues. The plan will start with states able to open schools and daycares.

Hair salons can open at the beginning of next month, while other measures – which were slated to expire on February 14 – were extended until March 7, even though the German leader urged a more cautious approach.

New Jersey governor in quarantine

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy canceled in-person events and placed himself in quarantine after a family member tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to his communications director, Mahen Gunaratna.

New York arenas can reopen with limits

New York’s large venues and stadiums can start reopening on February 23 with testing requirements and capacity limits, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

The announcement follows “unparalleled success” with a pilot programme for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, when 7,000 fans were allowed to attend games after testing negative for Covid-19.

Barclays Center will be one of the first to reopen on February 23 for the Brooklyn Nets basketball game versus the Sacramento Kings, Cuomo said on Wednesday at a virus briefing.

Venues with over 10,000-person total capacity must adhere to a 10% capacity limit. All attendees must show proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of the event. Face coverings, social distancing and temperature checks are required, along with assigned and socially distanced seating.

In related news, Cuomo said the federal government will cooperate with New York to deliver vaccines to socially vulnerable communities. Two mass-vaccination sites in Queens and central Brooklyn will open the week of February 24, each capable of administering 3,000 doses a day.

Teva in talks to make vaccines, CEO says

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is in talks with Covid-19 vaccine makers about helping to produce and distribute shots as demand rises for immunisations.

The generic drug giant is offering to dedicate its manufacturing capacity in the US, Europe and beyond to aid with mass-immunisation efforts geared at combating the pandemic, Chief Executive Officer Kare Schultz said on Wednesday.

Astra shot backed by WHO for all adults

A World Health Organisation panel recommended AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine for all adults over 18, paving the way to speed up inoculations in developing countries.

The recommendation may encourage more countries to use the vaccine broadly, after some European Union members advised against giving it to the elderly, citing insufficient trial data. The shot’s effect in older people is expected to be the same as for younger recipients, said Alejandro Cravioto, chairman of the WHO expert panel, in a briefing.

The move is good news for developing countries, many of which are waiting to administer their first shots as wealthier countries have already inoculated millions of residents. AstraZeneca, which developed the vaccine with the University of Oxford, has pledged significant supplies to Covax, a facility that aims to distribute vaccines equitably around the world.

CDC study shows benefit of two masks

Wearing a cloth mask over a medical mask can boost protection from aerosolised particles and slow the spread of Covid-19, a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

The finding, part of the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, also examined the efficacy of modifications made to improve the fit of a medical mask.

The study is likely to provide the basis for new mask guidance from the CDC. The agency hasn’t yet recommended double-masking because it was waiting to gather evidence on the practice, government officials have said.

US cases slow to November level

The daily number of new coronavirus cases in the US was under 100,000 for a third consecutive day on Tuesday, the first time that’s happened since the week of November 2, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. On January 5, the US posted a record 405,982 new infections after a holiday season.

EU approves 23 more vaccine export requests

The European Union said it has approved a further 23 requests to ship Covid-19 vaccines to other parts of the world under the bloc’s new export-licensing regime, bringing the total to 27.

The disclosure on Wednesday by the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, follows its announcement last week that it had endorsed four vaccine shipments from the bloc – two to Canada and one each to Japan and the UK.

AstraZeneca explores options to speed output

AstraZeneca and IDT Biologika signed a letter of intent to raise European vaccine manufacturing and secure long-term supply capacity. The companies said they are “exploring options to accelerate output” of the finished AstraZeneca vaccine in the second quarter of 2021.

Asthma drug cuts hospitalisations

AstraZeneca’s asthma treatment Pulmicort reduced the need for urgent care and hospitalisation of Covid-19 patients in a small study, joining a handful of potentially promising treatments for the disease.

Early treatment with the inhaled drug, also known as budesonide, reduced the relative risk of such interventions by 90% over the 28-day study period, according to research from the University of Oxford, Astra’s partner in developing a Covid-19 vaccine.

Lithuania takes ‘big risk’ with reopening

Lithuania will relax lockdown rules and allow small shops and beauty salons to reopen from February 15. Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said the government is “taking a big risk” and rules could be reversed if the situation deteriorates. The Baltic nation will keep restrictions on movement between municipalities, while schools, bars and restaurants will stay closed.

Don’t book summer breaks, UK says

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it’s “too soon” for people to start booking summer holidays. His comments reflect a shift in tone in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government since evidence emerged suggesting virus variants may make vaccines less effective.

“People shouldn’t be booking holidays right now – not domestically or internationally,” Shapps told BBC Radio. “We don’t know where we’ll be up to in terms of the decline in cases, deaths, vaccinations. And not just the vaccination programme here, but the vaccination program internationally, because people will be going outside of our borders.”

Biden’s schools push faces union rebuff

President Joe Biden’s push to reopen US schools is running headlong into his pledge to support teachers, who are demanding more coronavirus testing, vaccinations and other safety measures before returning to classrooms.

The president has pledged to follow the science as he nudges schools toward welcoming more students back to class, while also enjoying broad support from teachers and their unions. First Lady Jill Biden, a teacher herself, welcomed the heads of the two top teachers’ unions to the White House on the administration’s first full day in office. DM

— With assistance by Mark Schoifet, Naomi Kresge, Natalie Lung, Rachel Chang, Thomas Penny, and Stacie Sherman.

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