Senin, 14 Desember 2020
PM Lee's address on Phase 3, S'pore's Covid-19 vaccination plans - The Straits Times
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2020-12-14 13:22:16Z
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'Reconsider holiday travel', Japan's PM Suga warns, as COVID-19 cases spike - CNA
TOKYO: Japan's prime minister on Monday (Dec 14) urged citizens to reconsider their holiday travel plans and suspended a controversial domestic tourism campaign as the country battles record numbers of coronavirus infections.
Yoshihide Suga also pledged more support for medical workers and institutions overwhelmed by the country's third wave of cases, and promised expanded subsidies for restaurants and other struggling businesses.
Suga, who took office in September, has seen his approval ratings plunge in recent weeks in part over his handling of the new wave of cases and his refusal to heed calls to halt the Go To travel campaign.
But on Monday night he reversed course under increasing pressure, including from medical advisers to the government.
READ: Japan preparing to send military nurses to areas hit hard by COVID-19
"We have decided to take strongest steps possible in order to stop the spread of the infections ... so that all of you can welcome the New Year in peace and quiet," Suga told a special cabinet-level meeting on anti-pandemic measures.
He said the travel subsidy programme would be suspended between Dec 28 and Jan 11, with the halt coming into effect earlier for hardest-hit areas, including the capital Tokyo.
He also urged the public to reconsider plans to visit relatives during the holiday season.
"I ask (the public) to carefully reconsider travel plans to return to home towns. I ask for your help so that all of us can spend a calm and quiet New Year," he said.
READ: COVID-19: Tokyo governor to call for restraint in travel during upcoming holidays
The call came as Japan sees rising infections - standing around 3,000 new cases per day - with doctors and nurses warning they are overwhelmed.
A poll by national broadcaster NHK found 81 per cent of respondents had no plans to travel or visit their parents during the new year period, traditionally a busy travel time in Japan.
Japan has been less hard-hit than many countries - with 177,960 infections and 2,584 deaths recorded since the first case in January - and has avoided the strict lockdowns seen elsewhere.
With cases falling over the summer, the government launched campaigns to encourage travel and eating out, but these have been under fire as infections have risen, hitting daily records.
The cabinet's approval rating has plunged 17 points in the last month, to 40 per cent, according to an opinion poll released on Sunday by the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.
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2020-12-14 12:14:18Z
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[LIVE HD] COVID-19: PM Lee Hsien Loong says Singapore to move to Phase 3, vaccines on the way - CNA
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2020-12-14 10:46:17Z
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COVID-19 vaccinations free for all Singaporeans, long-term residents: PM Lee Hsien Loong - Yahoo Singapore News
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2020-12-14 09:12:00Z
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Minggu, 13 Desember 2020
US Electoral College set to confirm Biden win as Trump fights on - CNA
WASHINGTON: Long a mere formality, a vote on Monday (Dec 14) by members of the Electoral College to formally recognise Joe Biden as the next US president has taken on unusual import this year with Donald Trump stubbornly refusing to admit defeat.
The results of the Nov 3 vote have been certified by each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia; the Democrat won with a record 81.3 million votes, or 51.3 per cent of those cast, to 74.2 million, and 46.8 percent, for the Republican president.
READ: Trump lashes out at Supreme Court, Barr as efforts to overturn election fizzle
But in the United States, the occupant of the White House is chosen by indirect universal suffrage, with each state allocating its electors - whose numbers are essentially based on population - to the candidate who carried the state.
The results confirm an easy victory for Biden, with 306 of the 538 electoral votes, to 232 for Trump, with 270 required for election.
Electoral College members meet Monday to formalise the process, though the electors actually meet separately in each state.
Biden will then deliver a speech in the evening to celebrate the latest confirmation of his win and "the strength and resilience" of US democracy - a clear jab at Trump's unprecedented stance.
Electors are local political officials or activists, civil society figures or friends of candidates.
Most are unknown to the wider public, though national personalities occasionally take part - like Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump in the 2016 election but who will vote Monday in New York to confirm President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
NO TRUMP CONCESSION
Although there have been a few "faithless electors" in past years - who cast votes for someone other than the candidate who won their state - there have never been enough to change an election outcome.
So Biden's victory will become all the more official on Monday.
READ: Trump finally gives his administration green light to proceed with Biden transition
But Trump, still the legal occupant of the White House until Jan 20, has continued to make baseless assertions that the November vote was the "MOST CORRUPT ELECTION IN US HISTORY," as he tweeted yet again on Sunday.
He added: "How do states and politicians confirm an election where corruption and irregularities are documented throughout?"
In fact, his campaign has not been able to document any widespread fraud, and its legal challenges to the vote - in dozens of suits, heard by scores of judges - have virtually all been dismissed, often in scathing language.
AN ULTIMATE HUMILIATION
In an ultimate humiliation, the US Supreme Court - despite having a conservative majority assured by three Trump appointees - on Friday bluntly refused to even consider two Republican challenges to the vote.
Large numbers of Republican lawmakers are on record as backing Trump's false claims of fraud.
READ: Trump and 17 states back Texas bid to undo his election loss at Supreme Court
Some may finally be willing to recognise Biden's victory once the Electoral College ratifies it.
But with polls showing that as few as one in four Republican voters accept the election results as valid, Trump is not expected to give in anytime soon.
"WE HAVE JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT!!!" he tweeted.
This weekend, when asked on Fox News whether he would attend Biden's inauguration on Jan 20 - as demanded by protocol and centuries of tradition - the former real estate magnate snapped, "I don't want to talk about that."
The president might yet seek to use America's drawn-out transition process in one last attempt to reverse the outcome: some elected officials allied with Trump have speculated about contesting the result on Jan 6 when Congress is to formally validate the Electoral Congress tally.
Such a maneuver is given virtually no chance of succeeding.
Regardless, Trump's struggle against a repeatedly confirmed result seems sure to leave Biden facing a steep challenge with the country more divided than ever.
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2020-12-14 02:32:46Z
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Commentary: Concerns over severe allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines don't outweigh benefits of vaccination - CNA
SYDNEY: Two people in the United Kingdom have experienced an allergic reaction to the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
This led the UK medicines regulator to issue precautionary advice earlier this week that “people with a significant history of allergic reactions” should not be given this vaccine for now.
This is an appropriate cautious move. The advice may change once we understand more about what caused these reactions.
Both people reportedly had known allergies and carried adrenaline autoinjectors, suggesting they had a prior history of severe allergic reactions, such as anaphylaxis, a severe and rapid form of allergy.
READ: UK issues anaphylaxis warning on Pfizer vaccine after adverse reactions
At this stage, we do not have many further details about the reported allergic reactions to the vaccine.
An advisory panel to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended the authorisation of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for emergency use. If the FDA grants this approval, it would be the third country behind the UK and Canada to do so.
HOW COMMON ARE THESE TYPES OF REACTIONS?
Severe allergic reactions to vaccines are extremely rare, with anaphylaxis occurring after approximately one per million vaccine doses.
Most reactions reported as possible allergic reactions to vaccines are most likely not true allergies.
Regardless, every person is normally asked about their medical history by their immunisation provider, including whether they have any known allergies, especially to a vaccine or its ingredients, before being vaccinated.
As almost all severe allergic reactions occur within 15 minutes of exposure to the trigger, it is common around the world to monitor patients for at least 15 minutes after vaccination.
READ: US FDA advisory panel votes in favour of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine
In Australia, it is recommended that any facility where vaccinations are delivered is equipped with the equipment and trained staff to recognise and treat allergic reactions. This applies to all vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines.
WHAT TYPES OF ALLERGENS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
People can be allergic to a wide range of substances (called allergens), including foods and medications. If someone has a known allergy to a vaccine ingredient, they may be advised not to have that vaccine.
The Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine does not contain any ingredients that commonly cause allergic reactions, and the full list of ingredients has been published by the UK medicines regulator.
It is likely the two people who may have had an allergic reaction after the Pfizer vaccine will be reviewed by an allergy/immunology specialist. If found that they truly had anaphylaxis they would be unlikely to be given the second dose of the vaccine.
However in some situations, people who have had allergic reactions after one dose may be able to receive further doses of the same vaccine using a specialised approach, such as graded dosing, which can avoid triggering a reaction.
This approach has not yet been reported for any COVID-19 vaccine.
AREN’T CLINICAL TRIALS SUPPOSED TO PICK UP ISSUES LIKE THIS?
People with a history of severe allergic reaction to a vaccine or to any ingredient of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine were not included in the late phase clinical trial for this vaccine.
This is a precaution designed to protect the safety of the trial participants. Clinical trials usually focus on healthy people without underlying medical conditions, although the Pfizer phase 2/3 trial allowed enrolment of people with stable pre-existing chronic conditions.
READ: Commentary: A vaccine is on the horizon. But most Singaporeans are adopting a wait-and-see attitude
Once the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine is well established in healthy people, it can then be offered to other populations, such as people with severe underlying medical conditions.
This trial includes more than 40,000 participants and has shown the vaccine to be safe and well tolerated, with no serious safety concerns. The incidence of allergic-type symptoms after vaccination was slightly higher in the vaccinated group at 0.63 per cent compared with the placebo group at 0.51 per cent, however it is not clear whether this slight difference is due to chance.
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH SIGNIFICANT ALLERGIES?
As to the implications of this latest news for people with significant allergies, it’s too early to tell. We still don’t know if these reports were true allergic reactions.
There is also no theoretical reason to suspect allergic reactions would be more common with COVID-19 vaccines than with other vaccines, even those using newer technologies.
As always, people should discuss their medical history with their vaccine provider, including any history of allergy.
Given COVID-19 vaccines will be delivered to millions of people around the world, it’s inevitable some adverse events will be reported. There is potential for an adverse reaction with any medication or vaccine, and that’s why people are monitored after being given a vaccine.
READ: Commentary: Let’s switch from wanting to be COVID-free to becoming COVID-vigilant
A consideration of the risks and benefits is always important when considering whether to have a vaccine.
More than 1.5 million people have died from COVID-19 so far, and thousands more are dying each day. The benefits of vaccination will far outweigh the risks, particularly for the priority population groups most vulnerable to COVID-19.
Ongoing monitoring of COVID-19 vaccine safety is also crucial and will allow us to detect side effects that may be very rare, or which may be related to an underlying medical condition.
Listen to infectious disease experts discuss what a COVID-19 vaccine rollout would look like on our Heart of the Matter podcast:
BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
Nicholas Wood is an Associate Professor, Discipline of Childhood and Adolescent Health at the University of Sydney and Ketaki Sharma is a Clinical Lecturer, Discipline of Childhood and Adolescent Health at the University of Sydney. This commentary first appeared in The Conversation.
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2020-12-13 22:03:01Z
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UK and EU extend Brexit talks after ditching deadline - CNA
BRUSSELS: The European Union and Britain ordered their negotiators back to work on Sunday (Dec 13) after agreeing to abandon a supposed make-or-break deadline for a post-Brexit trade pact.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Boris Johnson had said last week they would decide whether an agreement was possible by the end of Sunday, but agreed in a crisis call to "go the extra mile".
"Our negotiating teams have been working day and night over recent days," von der Leyen said in a video message, reading out a joint statement agreed with Johnson.
"We have accordingly mandated our negotiators to continue the talks and to see whether an agreement can even at this late stage be reached," the leaders said, without offering a new deadline.
EU negotiator Michel Barnier and Britain's David Frost held talks late on Saturday and early on Sunday. They have been alternating between the capitals but a European official said that, for the moment, they would remain in Brussels.
READ: No deal on Brexit trade more likely than agreement: EU Commission chief
READ: UK PM Johnson says no-trade deal Brexit is 'very, very likely'
Speaking for himself, Johnson insisted that agreement was far from sure with less than three weeks to go until Britain leaves the EU single market at the end of the month.
"I'm afraid we're still very far apart on some key things, but where there's life there's hope," he said at Downing Street after briefing his cabinet about the call.
"The UK certainly won't be walking away from the talks. I still think there's a deal to be done if our partners want to do it," he added.
Johnson said Britain "would be as creative as we possibly can", confirming that he had sought anew to engage directly with Paris or Berlin but was rebuffed by the EU.
Reports suggested the two sides were exploring a potential deal on how to respond if their regulations diverge over time and threaten fair competition.
But Britain cannot compromise on the "fundamental nature" of Brexit, controlling UK laws and fisheries, the prime minister said.
Without a deal, cross-Channel trade will revert to World Trade Organization rules, with tariffs driving up prices and generating paperwork for importers, and the failed negotiation could poison relations between London and the continent for years to come.
READ: Nerves in Britain's financial sector at prospect of a 'no-deal' Brexit
"Either way, whatever happens, the UK will do very, very well," Johnson insisted.
NO STONE UNTURNED'
Ireland stands to lose out more than any other EU country if trade with its larger neighbour is disrupted, and cautiously welcomed the reprieve.
"Time to hold our nerve and allow the negotiators to inch progress forward, even at this late stage. Joint statement on Brexit negotiations is a good signal. A deal clearly very difficult, but possible," Foreign Minister Simon Coveney tweeted.
The hardline pro-Brexit faction in Johnson's own British Conservatives was unconvinced, however, and MPs fired their own tweets warning against any concessions.
Much of the text of a possible trade deal is said to be ready, but Britain and Brussels are wrangling over a mechanism to allow for retaliation if UK and EU laws diverge in a way that puts continental firms at a competitive disadvantage.
"The defence of the single market is a red line for the European Union," an EU source said. "What we have proposed to the United Kingdom respects British sovereignty. It could be the basis for an agreement."
READ: Shortages, jams and shutdowns: UK readies for Brexit 'no-deal' chaos
READ: Johnson tells UK to 'get ready' for no-deal Brexit collapse
On Saturday, Downing Street had said the government had a playbook that "maps out every single foreseeable scenario" for potential problems after Dec 31, and "no one needs to worry about our food, medicine or vital supply chains".
UNRESOLVED ISSUES
With less than three weeks until the UK’s final split from the EU, key aspects of the future relationship between the 27-nation bloc and its former member remain unresolved.
Progress came after months of tense and often testy negotiations that gradually whittled differences down to three key issues: fair-competition rules, mechanisms for resolving future disputes and fishing rights.
It has been four and a half years since Britons voted by 52-48 per cent to leave the EU and - in the words of the Brexiteers’ slogan - "take back control" of the UK’s borders and laws.
It took more than three years of wrangling before Britain left the bloc’s political structures on Jan 31. Disentangling economies that have become closely entwined as part of the EU’s single market for goods and services took even longer.
The UK has remained part of the single market and customs union during an 11-month post-Brexit transition period. That means so far, many people will have noticed little impact from Brexit.
BIG CHANGES FROM JAN 1
On Jan 1, it will feel real. New Year's Day will bring huge changes, even with a deal. No longer will goods and people be able to move between the UK and its continental neighbours.
Exporters and importers face customs declarations, goods checks and other obstacles. EU nationals will no longer be able to live and work in Britain without a visa - though that doesn't apply to the more than three million already there - and Britons can no longer automatically work or retire in the EU.
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2020-12-13 16:30:00Z
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