November 24 coronavirus news

Russia said Tuesday that its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine is more than 91% effective, according to the latest data from its ongoing Phase 3 trials.

Data obtained 28 days after the first dose and seven days after the second dose showed the vaccine was 91.4% effective, according to a press release published on the Sputnik-V Twitter account.  

Preliminary data obtained 42 days after the first dose -- 21 days after the second dose -- indicates the vaccine’s efficacy could be higher than 95%.  

The Gamaleya National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology hopes to publish the data from the Phase 3 trials in an international medical journal following a peer review, the statement continued. 

Some experts have accused Russia of cutting corners with its vaccine development -- a claim Moscow has denied.

The calculations were based on the analysis of data of 18,794 volunteers who received both the first and second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine or placebo. 

The latest interim analysis came after 39 confirmed Covid-19 cases among Phase 3 trial participants who received the vaccine or a placebo, according to the press release from the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Gamaleya Institute. 

The statement added there were no unexpected adverse events during the trials and monitoring of participants is ongoing. 

Around 40,000 volunteers are taking part in the Phase 3 trials in Russia, of which more than 22,000 volunteers were vaccinated with the first dose and more than 19,000 with the first and second doses, according to the statement.  

As the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaches, US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams shared three things he thinks about when it comes to having a safer holiday gathering – but he emphasized the safest gathering only includes immediate household members.

For preparation, Adams said people should do everything they can – starting right now – to limit their exposure to others outside their household.

"You should also tell people who are at higher risk – older people with chronic medical conditions – ‘Look, let’s do it next year. Keep it small this year. Let’s keep Grandma safe,’" he said.

For separation, gatherings should be set up to maintain six feet of social distancing and have a limited number of guests – ideally less than 10.

Finally, when it comes to ventilation: "Outside is better than inside," he said, mentioning that temperatures in Washington, DC, will allow for an outdoor Thanksgiving celebration. Ceiling fans should be turned on and HVAC systems on continuous, he said.

"These are things you can do to have a safer gathering," Adams said. "Even though I want you to remember the safest gathering is with the immediate members of your household."

A man has been fined by police in the French region of Brittany after being caught breaking lockdown with a written statement saying that he was going out to “smash a guy’s face in,” the local police chief told CNN. 

The 39-year-old man was hiding behind a car early Saturday morning, and appeared to be drunk, when he was spotted by a police patrol. Officers questioned him and discovered that he was carrying a flick-knife, police said. The police checked his explanation for being outside -- a legal requirement during France's lockdown -- and the man had written:

Under French lockdown restrictions people are allowed outside for one hour of exercise per day and no farther than one kilometer from their homes. 

The man was fined $160 for breaking the lockdown and $175 for being drunk in a public space.

On Monday, the man was questioned about carrying the flick knife. He told police “he did not intend to hurt the guy with it.”

Getting a negative Covid-19 test isn’t a reason to relax precautions, US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said on “Fox and Friends” Tuesday.

Adams explained that it takes, on average, five days – but can take up to 14 – after a person has been exposed to the coronavirus for them to develop symptoms.

He said he wants people to continue following the three W’s: wearing a mask, washing your hands, watching your distance.

China said on Tuesday it "took the lead" in inviting World Health Organization experts to the country to "carry out cooperation on the traceability of the coronavirus."

WHO officials on Monday announced that an international team of scientists will be traveling to China "in due time" to continue an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian said in a regular press briefing Tuesday that since the Covid-19 outbreak, "China and the World Health Organization have always maintained communication and cooperation on the issue of virus traceability."

WHO officials "look forward to making progress" on the investigation, not only into the animal origins of the virus but also into how the virus can jump from species to species, said Dr. Mike Ryan, director of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme.

Malaysia's biggest glove maker, Top Glove, has temporarily shut down more than a dozen of its factories after a Covid-19 outbreak.

Top Glove confirmed in a press release Monday that it had completed a “full screening” of about 5,700 workers at their hostels and that they were “committed to proceed” with the Ministry of Health’s recommended screening tests for the rest of their workers and staff in their factories in the town Meru, which has been the center of the outbreak.

The company added that since November 18, 16 of its facilities in Meru have temporarily stopped production and 12 others are operating at limited capacity. 

Malaysia's Health Ministry said a restricted movement control order had been implemented in factory workers’ dormitories and houses since November 17, affecting 5,900 people. But the ministry added that the factory's management employs around 13,000 people across 28 buildings. Government agencies were in discussions Monday around the proposed closure of more factories in stages.

All people who tested positive have been hospitalized and close contacts are under quarantine, the ministry added.

On Monday, Director General of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah said that at 1,884 positive cases, Malaysia had reported the highest daily number of cases since the outbreak arrived to the country.

In recent decades, Malaysia has emerged as a leading supplier of disposable gloves, due to its vast rubber plantations and government support for an industry that generates billions of dollars in sales each year. 

Market leader Top Glove said it produces around a quarter of the gloves used worldwide in its 46 factories, mostly in Malaysia.

Japan and China have agreed to resume business travel between the two countries by the end of the month.

In a joint press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday with the countries' respective foreign ministers, Japanese minister Toshimitsu Motegi said: "I am happy that we have agreed to start business track and residence track within this month. I hope this agreement will contribute to activate the economies of Japan and China as well as to promote mutual understanding."

"Business track" allows the entry of short-time business travelers without requiring a two-week quarantine under certain conditions to Japan.

Japan has resumed "business track" only with three countries: Singapore, Vietnam and South Korea. China is the biggest source of business travelers to Japan with 370,000 visited Japan from China on business purpose last year, according to Motegi.

This is the first face-to-face meeting between the foreign ministers of the second and third biggest economies in the world since the Covid-19 outbreak began. 

World Health Organization (WHO) officials on Monday announced that an international team of scientists will be traveling to China "in due time" to continue an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.

"We sent a pre-team of WHO staff to China over the summer to discuss with counterparts the nature in which the studies needed to take place. We've outlined Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies," Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, said during a media briefing in Geneva.

"The international team will travel to China, that is being discussed amongst the international team and the Chinese counterparts, and that will be arranged in due time," Van Kerkhove said.

WHO officials "look forward to making progress" on the investigation, not only into the animal origins of the virus but also into how the virus can jump from species to species, said Dr. Mike Ryan, director of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme.

"The real question is -- the original species barrier, where did that occur? And that is still unknown," Ryan said during Monday's briefing.

Ryan added that the investigation starts where the first Covid-19 case was identified -- in Wuhan, China -- and then scientists will follow wherever evidence leads them.

"The terms of reference for the investigations clearly lay out in Phase 1 the necessary epidemiologic and clinical and serologic and retrospective studies that need to be done to establish whether or not there's any evidence trail that will lead back," Ryan said. 

"It is like looking for a needle in the haystack sometimes," Ryan added. "This is not easy to achieve. So we will pursue those investigations over the next couple of months in Phase 1 and hopefully move on to Phase 2."

The number of new Covid-19 cases in Belgium continues to fall, but it is declining more slowly than in the first half of November, said Steven van Gucht, head virologist of the Belgian health authority, Sciensano.

“The peak of the second corona wave is now two weeks behind us and all indicators continue to evolve positively. We are currently seeing a further decline in infection rates, hospital rates, and mortality rates," he added.

Over the past week, an average of 3,672 new daily cases were registered in the country. This corresponds to a decrease of 28%, or a halving of the number of infections every 15 days. “This makes this decline less pronounced than in the first half of November, when it recorded a fall of almost 50% on a weekly basis or a halving every 7 days,” Van Gucht said. 

Belgium's strict lockdown measures were put in place on November 2 and are due to last until December 13, with a review this coming Friday. Local media are reporting the strict measures may well be kept in place for the Christmas holidays to avoid another wave.

Belgium has registered 559,902 Covid-19 cases so far, with a total of 15,755 deaths.