Headlines
• UK R0 now 0.7-1.1
• Moderna cuts deliveries to France (25%) and Italy (20%)
• Emirates suspends all flights out of the UK
• Novartis to produce Pfizer vaccine
World news
• Large-scale trials in the UK of a new vaccine by Novavax have shown it to be 89% effective. The vaccine is also the first to demonstrate in trials that it works against the new variant that emerged in Kent. The UK has already ordered 60 million doses.
• The French economy was down 8.3% in 2020. However, in the final three months of 2020 the contraction was a far slower 1.3%, according to official figures.
• The European Commission has published a redacted version of its contract with drug-maker AstraZeneca for the Covid vaccine amid, a row over supplies.
• A single dose vaccine developed by Janssen is 66% effective
• Portugal has tightened its coronavirus lockdown, banning all non-essential travel abroad and hiring foreign medics.
• France’s health ministry has announced supplies of the Moderna vaccine expected during February will be reduced by 25%. Moderna will deliver 20% fewer vaccines to Italy than promised in the week starting 7 February.
• The UK’s R number is now at 0.7-1.1.
• Novartis has agreed to help produce the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Once a final agreement is reached, Novartis plans to begin production in spring, with the vaccine ready to be shipped in the autumn.
• Greece has postponed plans to reopen all high schools next month.
• Emirates has suspended all flights out of the UK, effective from 1pm today.
