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Moderna in talks to set up UK research and manufacturing: reports say
Moderna Inc is reportedly in late stage talks with the UK government about investing in research and manufacturing and collaborating with the NHS on clinical trials, the Financial Times reports.
The US biotech company is close to agreeing a significant investment and, if concluded, the deal would be a “key element” of the UK’s post-Brexit strategy to become a global hub for the life sciences, according to a person familiar with the matter, the publication added.
UK health secretary Sajid Javid met with Stéphane Bancel, Moderna’s chief executive, for talks in Boston late last week.
“The UK is ideally placed to become a life sciences superpower, and collaboration with world leading companies is crucial to this,” Javid tweeted on Friday, alongside a photo of him and Bancel.
Moderna is considering sites in London, Oxford and Cambridge, to put it in prime position to collaborate on research into new vaccines and therapeutics with top scientists, one of the people told the publication.
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Hello it’s Samantha Lock back with you on the blog to bring you all the latest Covid developments from across the world.
Let’s jump in with the news that England has delayed the announcement of a plan to expand Covid vaccinations to all children aged five to 11 amid an apparent impasse between the government and its vaccinations watchdog.
While the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) made its decision more than a week ago, Downing Street is continuing to review the verdict. A decision is now expected to be announced on 21 February, when Boris Johnson unveils the government’s long-term Covid plan.
On the other side of the world, Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam has said an “onslaught” of Covid-19 infections has dealt a heavy blow and overwhelmed capacity to deal with the virus as daily cases surge to record highs.
“The onslaught of the fifth wave of the epidemic has dealt a heavy blow to Hong Kong and overwhelmed the city’s capacity of handling,” she said.
Daily infections have multiplied 13 times over the past two weeks, from about 100 cases at the start of February to more than 1,300 on 13 February, with authorities scrambling to control the deepening outbreak.
Here’s a more detailed snap of how Covid is unfolding across regions around the world.
Europe:
- The announcement of a plan to expand England’s Covid vaccinations to all children aged five to 11 has been delayed amid an apparent impasse between the government and its vaccinations watchdog. While the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) made its decision more than a week ago, Downing Street is reviewing the verdict. A decision is now expected to be announced on 21 February, when Boris Johnson unveils the government’s long-term Covid plan.
- A future variant of Covid-19 could be much more dangerous and cause far higher numbers of deaths and cases of serious illness than Omicron, leading UK scientists have warned. As a result, many of them say that caution needs to be taken in lifting the last Covid restrictions in England, as Boris Johnson plans to do next week.
- France has dropped its Covid testing requirement for vaccinated travellers arriving from the UK. The French interior ministry said that from 12 February, travellers will not need to test as long as they are vaccinated according to European regulations.
- Anti-vaxxers in France are reportedly buying fake vaccine passes online to get around the country’s Covid restrictions, which are often promoted on mainstream social media platforms, research has revealed.
- Demonstrators against Covid-19 restrictions in France and the Netherlands staged protests on Saturday inspired by the “freedom convoy” demonstrations in Canada. In France police fired teargas at demonstrators on the Champs Élysées in Paris shortly after a convoy protesting against restrictions made it into the capital. A convoy of vehicles from across the Netherlands also brought The Hague’s city centre to a standstill earlier in the day.
- Germany hopes the arrival of 34m Nuvaxovid (Novavax) doses in 2022 will convince many to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Around 4m doses should be delivered in the first quarter, a spokesperson for the health ministry said.
Asia:
- Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam has said an “onslaught” of Covid-19 infections has dealt a heavy blow and overwhelmed capacity to deal with the virus as daily cases surge to record highs. Daily infections have multiplied 13 times over the past two weeks, from about 100 cases at the start of February to more than 1,300 on 13 February, with authorities scrambling to control the deepening outbreak.
- Hong Kong authorities also said supplies of vegetables and chilled poultry to the global financial hub may be temporarily disrupted after some mainland goods vehicle drivers preliminarily tested positive for Covid-19. Hong Kong imports 90% of its food, with the mainland its most important source, especially for fresh food.
- Vietnam will remove its Covid-19 restrictions on international passenger flights with all markets starting 15 February with no limitation on the number of flights.
- South Korea will begin giving out fourth doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of the month and supply millions of additional home test kits to ease shortages amid a surge in Omicron infections, authorities confirmed on Monday.
- Singapore has granted interim approval for Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine with the first batch of the Nuvaxovid vaccine expected to arrive in the next few months, Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said on Monday.
- China’s medical products regulator has given conditional approval for Pfizer’s Covid-19 drug Paxlovid to treat adults who have mild to moderate Covid and high risk of progressing to a severe condition, making it the first oral pill specifically developed to treat the disease cleared in the country.
Americas:
- The busiest US-Canada border crossing has reopened after protests against Covid-19 restrictions cumulated in a six-day blockade. Canadian police cleared protesters from the Ambassador bridge linking the country to the United States on Sunday allowing North America’s busiest trade route to reopen.
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