Live Updates: Chinese COVID-19 Vaccine Trials in Brazil Halted After 'Major Incident', Reports Say

The Brazil National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) has temporarily halted trials of the Coronavac coronavirus vaccine of China's Sinovac lab in connection with a "serious incident," Globo reported.

“National Health Surveillance Agency ANVISA has temporarily suspended human testing of the Chinese vaccine Coronavac due to 'a serious adverse effect,'" the publication said, citing Anvisa’s statement.

Anvisa was notified of a serious side effect in one of people taking part in the trials on October 29, according to a statement quoted by the media, but details of the incident were not provided.

"Serious incidents" are defined as death or potentially fatal effects, disability, hospitalization, transmission of infection through a medical device, or a clinically significant event.

Moscow has registered 68 deaths of patients infected with COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing the Russian capital's death toll to 7,429, the city's coronavirus response center said in a statement on Monday.

"Another 68 patients, who were diagnosed with pneumonia and tested positive for the coronavirus infection, died in Moscow," the center said.

There will be enough doses of a coronavirus vaccine for most vulnerable populations by in the second quarter of 2021 the latest, Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser to the WHO director-general, told the resumed World Health Assembly on Monday.

"In diagnostics, we are in a position to massively expand testing globally. In therapeutics, we have sufficient tools right now to substantially reduce the risk of dying from this disease. And in the area of vaccines — even with the news of today especially — we are on the verge of having the readiness in place to roll out doses for highest-risk populations in the late first quarter of next year or early second quarter," Aylward said.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States jumped from 9 million to 10 million in just 10 days, data from the Johns Hopkins University revealed on Monday.

The US had confirmed 10,018,278 cases of COVID-19 by mid-afternoon, up from 9 million on October 30, the data showed. The death toll, meanwhile, had reached 237,742, according to the data.

"Germany is ready to explore all possible options to make WHO stronger but in the end, this will only be possible if the 194 members of this organisation take on more financial responsibility", German Health Minister Jens Spahn told the World Health Organisation's decision-making body.

In an address to the assembly, which reconvened on Monday following a reduced session in May, Spahn said there was a discrepancy between how member states spoke of the need for a well-functioning WHO and their willingness to commit to its financing.

"Let us open our eyes. Are $490 million in membership fees per year adequate to fulfill WHO's mandated role? Hardly", he said.

"There is initial positive data on its effectiveness, which is very encouraging as of today", head of the German health ministry, Jens Spahn, said at a press conference.

According to him, it is necessary to wait for confirmation of the data, which would indicate that this vaccine is going to change the situation with the pandemic. At the same time, the minister stressed that it is too early to talk about the registration of the vaccine. He said that now there were talks about registration in the US, and the process in the EU will run in parallel.

"Secretary Carson has tested positive for the coronavirus", chief of staff Coalter Baker said as quoted by ABC News. "He is in good spirits and feels fortunate to have access to effective therapeutics, which aid and markedly speed his recovery."

"The Russian Health Ministry has tasked us with monitoring the efficacy of Sputnik V vaccine among people who were vaccinated as part of a wider trial. Our data indicate that it is also more than 90 per cent effective. One more effective vaccine is good news for everyone", head of the national therapeutical research centre, Oksana Drapkina, told reporters.

We welcome the encouraging vaccine news from @pfizer & @BioNTech_Group & salute all scientists & partners around the 🌍 who are developing new safe, efficacious tools to beat #COVID19. The 🌍 is experiencing unprecedented scientific innovation & collaboration to end the pandemic!

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) November 9, 2020

Pfizer also said it expected to produce up to 50 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021.

Biden, who said in a statement that he learned of the progress of the Pfizer vaccine program on Sunday night from his public health advisers, congratulated the company but called for continued use of masks and social distancing practices — measures Trump has played down.

"It is important to understand that the battle against COVID-19 is still months away", Biden said. "Even if that is achieved, and some Americans are vaccinated later this year, it will be many more months before there is widespread vaccination in this country. Americans will have to rely on masking, distancing, contact tracing, hand washing, and other measures to keep themselves safe well into next year. Today’s news is great news, but it doesn’t change the fact."

Great news from @pfizer & @BioNTech_Group on the successful results of their latest clinical trial for a #COVID19 vaccine. European science works!@EU_Commission to sign contract with them soon for up to 300 million doses.

Let's keep protecting each other in the meantime.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) November 9, 2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Biden campaign's facility overseeing the transition of power in the United States to Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced in a press release on Monday a new advisory board that will guide the new government's response to COVID-19.

On Sunday, Biden called the fight against the coronavirus pandemic a priority of his administration and promised to put together a team of experts to advise the new US government.

"Today, the Biden-Harris Transition announced the formation of the Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board, a team of leading public health experts who will advise President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, and the Transition’s COVID-19 staff", the press release read.

The team is composed of a "diverse and experienced group of doctors and scientists" who have previous experience in tackling public health crises as part of a government, according to the press release.

"Dealing with the coronavirus pandemic is one of the most important battles our administration will face, and I will be informed by science and by experts", Biden was quoted as saying in the press release.

The board will work by engaging with state and local officials to determine what steps should be taken to address the continuous spread of the virus, the need for urgent relief for working families and the racial disparities pertaining to the matter, as well as the reopening of schools and businesses in a safe and effective manner, as stated in the press release.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia has registered a new single-day record of 21,798 COVID-19 cases, up from 20,498 yesterday, bringing the total to 1,796,132, the federal response centre said on Monday.

The previous record of 20,582 cases was reported on 6 November.

"In the past 24 hours, Russia has confirmed 21,798 COVID-19 cases in 84 regions, of which 5,849 (26.8 percent) were detected with people showing no clinical symptoms", the response centre said, adding that the case count has reached 1,796,132.