Worldwide News

1  Finland suspends Moderna

Finland has joined other Nordic countries in suspending or discouraging the use of Moderna‘s COVID-19 vaccine in certain age groups because of an increased risk of heart inflammation, a rare side effect associated with the shot.

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare said Thursday that authorities won’t give the shot to males under age 30. They will be offered the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine instead. The government agency said it found that young men and boys were at a slightly higher risk of developing myocarditis.

The move by Finland followed similar decisions by three neighbouring countries on Wednesday. Sweden suspended the use of Moderna for people under 30, Denmark said those under 18 won’t be offered the Swiss-made vaccine, and Norway urged those under 30 to get the Pfizer vaccine instead.

2  Singapore expands quarantine-free travel

Singapore is opening its borders to more countries for quarantine-free travel as the city-state seeks to rebuild its status as an international aviation hub, and prepares to reach a “new normal” to live with COVID-19.

From October 19 fully vaccinated people from eight countries, including the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark, will be able to enter the island without quarantining if they pass their COVID-19 tests.

The government announced measures to help locals adjust to the strategy of living with the virus, such as allowing most infected people to recover at home. Singapore’s travel program for fully vaccinated people began in September with Germany and Brunei, and will include South Korea from next month.

3  Called to allow vaccine use in aged five to 11

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE have asked US regulators to authorise emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine for children ages five to 11, a group for whom no shot is currently allowed. 

The US Food and Drug Administration has set a date of 26 October for its panel of outside advisers to meet and discuss the application, making it possible for children in this age group – numbering around 28 million – to begin receiving the two-dose Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine shortly afterward.

“With new cases in children in the US continuing to be at a high level, this submission is an important step in our ongoing effort against COVID19,” Pfizer wrote on Twitter.

The vaccine already has won US emergency use authorisation in teens ages 12 to 15 and is fully approved by regulators for people ages 16 and up.

4  Redress world COVID vaccine imbalance

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has called for $8bn in funds to ensure that COVID-19 vaccinations can be fairly distributed across the world and give all countries a way out of a pandemic that has killed more than five million people.

Speaking at an event with the World Health Organization (WHO) to launch a new global vaccination strategy, Guterres said on Thursday the inequitable distribution of jabs was dangerous because it could give rise to new variants and lead to more deaths.

The UN secretary-general urged G20 leaders who are due to meet later this month to deliver on their “desire to get the world vaccinated”.

5  New Zealand braces for rising Covid cases 

New Zealand is bracing for increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases after recording 94 new infections over the weekend, while pandemic modellers say that if the government stays its current course new cases will quickly top 100 a day.

“We are on the exponential growth curve,” an epidemiologist and public health professor, Michael Baker, said. “If you look at the trend, it’s clearly going up in Auckland, and it’s not just the total cases but also the unexplained cases, which suggests transmission in the community is increasing.”

Baker said that if the government kept its current restrictions, or loosened them further by reopening schools, as announced last week, “there’s only one way it can go and that’s up”.

6  Getting flu with Covid doubles risk of death

People who catch flu and Covid at the same time this winter are twice as likely to die than those who only have coronavirus, according to the UK Health Security Agency chief executive, Dr Jenny Harries.

The former deputy chief medical officer for England warned that the UK faces an “uncertain” winter – with both flu and Covid-19 circulating for the first time – and urged people to take up both the coronavirus and flu jabs if eligible.

Asked how worried the public should be about flu this winter, she told Sky’s Trevor Phillips On Sunday: “We should be worried about flu each winter. I think people still don’t realise it can be a fatal disease.