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A senior US health official told a Senate committee that he expects COVID-19 vaccines to be in place for many months and that most Americans could get vaccinated no later than July 2021, while Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday kicked off a final 60,000-person campaign. trial of a single injection vaccine.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * For an interactive graph that tracks global spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.
* For a US-centric tracker with a state-by-state and county map, open https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser. * Eikon users, see MacroVitals cpurl: //apps.cp./cms/? Navid = 1592404098 for case tracking and news summary.
EUROPE * The French government is expected to present a new color-coded map of regions where the coronavirus situation is deteriorating, paving the way for local authorities to tighten restrictions, in Paris in particular.
* Switzerland has quarantined the entire student body of one of its leading hotel management schools, following a COVID-19 outbreak linked to one or more parties. * Germany added regions from 11 European countries to the list of destinations that it classifies as coronavirus risk zones, giving a further blow to hopes of a revival in tourism, as many countries prepare for a possible second wave of infections .
ASIA-PACIFIC * Organizers of the delayed Tokyo Olympics will require COVID-19 testing for non-Japanese athletes and other participants upon arrival.
* Indonesia reported 4,465 new cases on Wednesday, its biggest daily increase. * Australia’s coronavirus hot spot in Victoria is considering easing restrictions earlier than previously noted, as Melbourne’s two-week average of new infections dropped below 30.
AMERICAS * New York City officials said they were working to address an increase in COVID-19 cases in parts of Brooklyn and Queens that was generating “a lot of concern.”
* Canada’s liberal government promised major new investment and policy initiatives to help the country recover from the pandemic, saying “this is not the time for austerity.” MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* The United Arab Emirates reported its highest daily number of infections since the start of the pandemic with 1,083 new cases. * Ethiopia agreed to purchase 1.5 million test kits to be manufactured in a factory newly built there by BGI Group of China.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday launched a 60,000-person trial of an experimental single-shot COVID-19 vaccine that, if proven effective, could simplify delivery of millions of doses compared to major two-dose rivals .
* Britain will host clinical trials in which volunteers are deliberately infected with the new coronavirus to test the efficacy of vaccine candidates, the Financial Times reported. * Brussels is close to concluding preliminary talks with US vaccine manufacturer Novavax for its possible COVID-19 injection.
* The head of the US Food and Drug Administration said at a hearing in the US Senate that the agency will examine the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, downplaying the role of the Trump administration in your authorization process. ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Stocks fell and the dollar traded near two-month highs as the data reaffirmed lingering concerns that new restrictions to counter coronavirus infections will hurt the economic recovery. * US business activity cooled in September, with gains in factories offset by a setback in service industries, suggesting a loss of momentum in the economy as the third quarter draws to a close and COVID-19 persists.
