Coronavirus digest: US winter storms delay vaccine drive

Extreme winter weather across the US has delayed the shipment of nearly 6 million vaccine doses this week, White House officials said on Friday. 

A combination of power outages and icy roads in areas of the country not accustomed to winter storms has left vaccine doses stuck in distribution hubs, with workers unable to process shipments and road closures keeping trucks from reaching vaccination centers. 

US shipping companies UPS and FedEx have experienced logjams at hubs in Louisville. Kentucky and Memphis, Tennessee. 

President Joe Biden said the weather was "slowing up the distribution" while touring a Pfizer plant in Michigan on Friday, but expressed optimism that vaccinations would soon get back on track. 

White House coronavirus response adviser Andy Slavitt told CNN that on Saturday, authorities would "ship more doses than states have ever received before."

He said the backlogged doses should be delivered over the next several days, and the pace of vaccinations will recover.

Europe 

Germany-based pharmaceutical company BioNTech has denied media accusations of price gouging of its COVID-19 vaccine — developed jointly with US manufacturer Pfizer.

Founder Ugur Sahin told German newspaper Bild that in July, it calculated a price for all industrialized countries with corresponding large order volumes.

"The prices were between €30 and €15, depending on the order quantity," he said. 

According to reports from German public media broadcasters NDR and WDR and daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, the EU Commission received a strictly confidential bid from Pfizer and BioNTech last summer, offering their vaccine for a price of €54.08 ($65.4) per dose, for a purchase of 500 million doses.

Only in November, according to the reports, both sides agreed on €15.50 per dose.

Ireland will not consider re-opening its hospitality industry before mid-summer due to the high number of COVID-19 infections, Prime Minister Micheal Martin has said.

Bars, restaurants, cafes and hotels have been closed for much of the past 12 months. Ireland's latest lockdown has been in place since later December.

Denmark has temporarily closed smaller border crossings with Germany to stop the spread of the fast-spreading "UK variant," which was detected in the northern city of Flensburg.

The closures were introduced Friday night. Larger border crossings will remain open, however, with increased checks, according to the Danish Justice Ministry.

Dutch lawmakers voted Friday to maintain a nighttime curfew, rejecting a ruling this week by a lower court that the measure lacked legal justification. 

The lower court had sided with an anti-lockdown group that opposes the 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. curfew. It was passed on January 23, and triggered large street protests. 

Care home residents in England will be able to see one regular visitor beginning on March 8.

The easing of restrictions comes as elderly residents were offered the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccines, with nearly 17 million doses given so far in the country.

Visitors will have to take a COVID-19 test before visiting, wear personal protective equipment, and avoid contact beyond holding hands.

Middle East

Israel's Health Ministry said the rate of COVID-19 infections declined 95.8% among people who received both shots of Pfizer's vaccine.

The vaccine was also 98% effective in preventing infections that prompted fever or breathing problems and 98.9% effective in preventing hospitalizations and death, the ministry added.

The findings were based on data collected through February 13 from Israelis who had received their second inoculation at least two weeks previously. 

Asia-Pacific

New Zealand began its vaccination campaign Saturday, with a rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine.

"Today, we kick off the largest immunization program in our history, by vaccinating the first of our border workforce, a critical step in protecting everyone in Aotearoa," said New Zealand health minister Ashley Bloomfield, using the country's indigenous Maori name.

New Zealand expects it will take one year to vaccinate its population of 5 million.

Australia will begin its vaccination program on Monday. The country hopes to vaccinate all of its 25 million residents by October.

Americas

Mexico will receive its first shipment of the Chinese Coronavac vaccine on Saturday, and the Russian Sputnik V vaccine is expected to arrive Monday. Both shipments are expected to contain 200,000 doses. Health officials have said the shipment will be used in low-income neighborhoods of Mexico City.

Hugo Lopez-Gatell, the official leading Mexico's response to the pandemic, says he has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The US-Mexico and US-Canada land borders will remain closed to non-essential travel through at least March 21, the one-year anniversary of the restrictions, the US government said Friday.

The restrictions were extended by 30 days and confirmed by Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair.

mvb, wmr,kbd/aw (dpa,Reuters, AFP, AP)