• South Africa is experiencing a second wave of coronavirus cases, with exponential increases in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal; Health Minister Zweli Mkhize anticipates a higher peak than during the first wave. The country expects to receive coronavirus vaccines in mid-2021. Source
• The United Arab Emirates approves and registers Sinopharm’s coronavirus vaccine, which the Ministry of Health says is 86% effective; the announcement was met by silence from the Chinese government and the state-owned company. Sources 1,2
• Canada grants an Interim Order for the emergency use of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. Source
Two people with severe allergies experience an anaphylactoid response after receiving their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine; both have recovered. England’s MHRA, which plans to investigate these adverse events, advises not to vaccinate people with a history of significant allergic reactions, including people who have been advised to carry an adrenaline autoinjector – and that vaccination facilities must have available resuscitation measures. Previously, the MHRA announced that it anticipated adverse reactions among 50,000 to 100,000 people per every 100 million vaccine doses given over the next six to 12 months. Source
• Bloomberg publishes an analyses of national vaccine orders, including deals between countries and focusing on confirmed purchases; it found that that Australia, Canada and the UK have ordered several times the number of vaccine doses needed to cover their populations, while the US is ranked behind the 27 countries in the European Union who have jointly pre-ordered vaccines. Source
