Judge hands Amazon a setback in New York lawsuit over COVID-19 shortfalls

Bloomberg

WHO Sees Pandemic on Wrong Path; U.S. Vaccine Pace: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) — The pandemic is on the wrong trajectory after six straight weeks of increased cases, according to a World Health Organization officer, who said “vaccines will not end the pandemic.”The U.S. recorded 4 million vaccine doses on Friday, returning the pace of inoculations almost to the level before a post holiday lull, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE said they would ask regulators in the U.S. and elsewhere to allow use of their vaccine in adolescents ages 12 to 15.The European Union’s drug regulator has started a review to assess blood clots in people who received Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. A Johns Hopkins University professor said AstraZeneca Plc’s shot is still safe “overall” even as some countries limit its use.Key Developments:Global Tracker: Cases pass 134.5 million; deaths 2.9 millionVaccine Tracker: More than 748 million shots given worldwideWHO chief says political will missing for equitable vaccinationEurope finds some rare successes in its struggle to defeat CovidChina’s bid to ramp up vaccinations hindered by supply shortagesSubscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click CVID on the terminal for global data on cases and deaths.CureVac Could Win EU Shot Approval in May (10:04 a.m. HK)CureVac NV could win European Union approval for its vaccine as early as May, sooner than expected, a German newspaper cited a company spokesman as saying.“We’re already very far advanced in the third phase of clinical trials and are awaiting data for the final application package,” CureVac spokesman Thorsten Schueller told Augsburger Allgemeine. “We hope the approval will come in May or June.”CureVac’s boosters include Elon Musk, who deleted a Twitter post on Friday saying that the biotech sounded to be “a few months away from regulatory approval.”Covid Hampers St. Vincent Evacuation (7:33 a.m. HK)Covid-19 is hampering efforts to evacuate people from the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent, where the La Soufriere volcano began erupting Friday morning.St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said efforts to move an estimated 20,000 residents who live near the volcano were underway. But the pandemic is causing delays. Hotels that are being turned into refugee centers are asking that people be vaccinated, a request that Gonsalves said was “not unreasonable.”U.S. Vaccinations Climb (7:05 a.m. HK)The U.S. recorded 4 million vaccine doses on Friday, returning the pace of inoculations almost to the level before a post holiday lull, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.It was the third straight day of increases, with the seven-day average now at 3.03 million doses a day. So far, 179 million doses have been administered. At this pace, it’s estimated to take another 3 months to cover 75% of the population.Brazil Health Agency Meets Ambassadors (6:54 a.m. HK)Antonio Barra Torres, the head of Brazilian health regulator met with Russian Ambassador to Brazil Alexey Labetskiy to clarify pending issues for the approval of the Sputnik V vaccine. Torres addressed the requests for import and emergency use of Sputnik V, stressing the agency awaits the fulfillment of legal requirements to move ahead with the analysis.In a separate videoconference with the Indian Ambassador to Brazil Suresh Reddy, Torres discussed ways for the regulatory agencies of both countries to collaborate and improve the exchange of information regarding the Covaxin vaccine.J&J Symptoms No ‘Reason for Concern’ (5:37 p.m. NY)The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is working with health departments in four states to evaluate symptoms experienced after Johnson & Johnson vaccinations but has “not found any reason for concern,” a spokeswoman said in a statement.“Many people don’t have any side effects after Covid-19 vaccines, but some…