Oxford study reportedly suggests AstraZeneca vaccine is effective against the Brazil variant
A healthcare professional draws up a dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at the vaccination centre set up inside Brighton Centre in Brighton, southern England, on January 26, 2021.
Ben Stensall | AFP | Getty Images
Preliminary data from a University of Oxford study suggest the AstraZeneca vaccine is effective against the Brazilian variant of the Covid-19 virus, Reuters reported, citing a source.
The study indicates the Astrazeneca vaccine won’t need to be modified in order to protect against the variant. The Brazilian variant is believed to have originated in the city of Manaus in the Amazon, according to the Reuters source.
The news was encouraging coming in the wake of a prior study, in which early data suggested the AstraZeneca vaccine wasn’t as effective against the highly contagious South African variant.
—Terri Cullen
Dr. Gottlieb says mask mandates should be last Covid measures lifted
Dr. Scott Gottlieb calls Democratic Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s move to lift many Covid restrictions, while keeping the state’s mask mandate, a good compromise.
Gottlieb, a resident of Connecticut who served on Lamont’s pandemic advisory team, told CNBC Friday, “I think it’s the kind of thing we need to be doing around the country ... at least providing a map of where we’re heading if the situation continues to improve without taking our foot off the brake all at once.”
“Leaving the masks in place, having that be the last thing we lift, I think that’s prudent,” added former Food and Drug Administration chief Gottlieb.
Earlier this week, the Republican governors of Mississippi and Texas went a step further than Connecticut, ending all Covid restrictions, including mask mandates.
—Kevin Stankiewicz
Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC contributor and is a member of the boards of Pfizer, genetic testing start-up Tempus, health-care tech company Aetion Inc. and biotech company Illumina. He also serves as co-chair of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ and Royal Caribbean’s “Healthy Sail Panel.”
European airlines are overhauling the business after pandemic demand shock
Airlines in Europe are looking to sunshine and beaches as their route to making money again.
Lufthansa said on Thursday that it registered a 75% drop in the number of passengers between 2019 and 2020 — highlighting the devastating impact experienced by many airlines since Covid hit.
As European economies look at easing restrictions, airlines expect people to take vacation as soon as possible, after about a year of being stuck at home. In contrast, business travel is seen as taking longer to recover.
—Silvia Amaro
Jobs growth surges in February
U.S. hiring surged in February as Covid cases declined amid a vaccine rollout and economic activity picked up, CNBC’s Jeff Cox reports.
Nonfarm payrolls rose by 379,000 during the month, topping economists’ forecasts of 210,000 jobs. Unemployment fell to 6.2%.
—Sara Salinas
Movie theaters in New York City can reopen at 25% capacity today
Joseph Masher, COO of Bow Tie Cinemas and president of the National Association of Theater Owners of New York, joins CNBC’s “Worldwide Exchange” to discuss the reopening of theaters in New York City and how the industry can bounce back.
—Terri Cullen
Eventbrite CEO on getting involved with the vaccine rollout
Eventbrite is one company at the center of the vaccine rollout. The ticketing company is now helping schedule appointments, and the stock is at an all-time high on optimism of an economic recovery. Julia Hartz, Eventbrite CEO and co-founder, joined CNBC’s “Squawk Box” to discuss.
—Terri Cullen
Czech Republic asks for neighbors’ help with hospitalized Covid patients
A member of the medical staff treats a patient suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Slany Hospital in Slany, Czech Republic, October 13, 2020.
David W. Cerny | Reuters
The Czech Republic is asking for help from Germany, Switzerland and Poland in treating hospitalized Covid-19 patients, Reuters reports.
“The large number of newly infected patients has intensified pressure on the healthcare system and the number of patients requiring hospitalisation is growing,” Prague’s Health Ministry said in a statement, according to the report.
—Sara Salinas
Fauci says troops who opt out of Covid vaccine are inadvertently ‘part of the problem’
A Paratrooper assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, prepares for a Airborne Operation at Fort Bragg, N.C., on May 7.
Spc. Hubert Delany III | US Army
White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Thursday that U.S. service members who are eligible to get the Covid-19 vaccine but opt out are inadvertently lengthening the pandemic.
“In reality, like it or not, you’re propagating this outbreak. So instead of being part of the solution, you are innocently and inadvertently being part of the problem by not getting vaccinated,” Fauci explained to a virtual audience during a town hall with military families.
“You’ve got to think of your own health, which is really very important, but you got to think about your societal obligation, including people close to you personally as well as other members of families of other individuals,” Fauci added.
Last month, the Pentagon acknowledged that about one-third of U.S. military service members declined to take the voluntary coronavirus vaccine.
–Amanda Macias
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