20 November 2020

• Sinopharm announced that nearly one million people in China, including government personnel, students and people who traveled outside of the country, were given its experimental vaccine in July, and claims that “….there has not been a single case of infection after inoculation”. Source
• Pfizer applies to the US FDA for emergency use authorization of its coronavirus vaccine, which will allow groups at high risk (such as healthcare workers and nursing home residents) to get the vaccine; an advisory committee meeting is scheduled for December 10. Emergency approval could be granted by mid-December. Pfizer is also seeking approval for the vaccine in Australia, Britain, Canada, Europe and Japan, and plans to “… submit immediately” to “… other regulatory agencies around the world.” Sources 1,2
• The US reports a record-breaking total of nearly 200,000 coronavirus cases. Source
• China reports locally transmitted coronavirus cases in Shanghai and Tianjin and initiates aggressive testing in both port cities to contain the virus. Source
• Iran shuts non-essential businesses and public places in 160 cities and imposes additional restrictions on travel for two weeks as its deputy health minister for research and development, Dr. Reza Malekzadeh, resigns in protest over his boss’s mishandling of the crisis. Source
• In Mexico, coronavirus deaths exceed 100,000. Source
• Oleksandr Komarida, Ukraine’s head of pharmaceutical supply department at the Health Ministry, reports a doubling of over-the-counter and prescription antibiotic sales since the pandemic began. Doctors have been needlessly prescribing antibiotics to over half of all people with COVID-19, raising concerns about furthering drug resistance. Source

Return to the timeline