At Least 5 Killed In Fire At Factory In India That Makes Covid Vaccine

AP: 5 Killed In Blaze At Indian Producer Of COVID-19 Vaccine
At least five people were killed in a fire that broke out Thursday at a building under construction at Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, officials said. The company said the blaze would not affect production of the COVID-19 vaccine. He said there would be no reduction in vaccine manufacturing because the company has other available facilities. The company said the fire was restricted to a new facility it is constructing to increase the production of COVID-19 vaccines and ensure it is better prepared for future pandemics. (Maqbool, 1/21)

Reuters: India's Vaccine Diplomacy In South Asia Pushes Back Against China
India will give millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccine to South Asian countries in the next few weeks, government sources said on Thursday, drawing praise from its neighbours and pushing back against China’s dominating presence in the region. (Miglani and Sharma, 1/20)

The Washington Post: China Pushes Conspiracy Theories To Discredit Western Vaccines, Muddy Coronavirus Origins 
Europe and Australia should reject the "hasty" American vaccines linked to elderly deaths, Chinese scientists say. Western media refuses to investigate the dangers of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, fumed a state television anchor. The coronavirus could be a plot involving former U.S. defense secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, suggested a state media editor. And the real origin of the virus? Perhaps the U.S. Army's Fort Detrick should be investigated, intoned a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman. One year after the coronavirus was first widely reported in China, the country’s state media and officials are again pitching a flood of theories about its origins (not China) and which vaccines are safe (not American). (Shih, 1/20)

AP: Peru Doctors On Hunger Strike Over Pandemic Work Conditions
At least four doctors began a hunger strike Wednesday as a protest against the substandard working conditions that Peru’s medical workers say they have faced in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. The hunger strike in Peru’s capital, Lima, is the latest action by health care workers asking the government to improve their work environment. Medical personnel have been protesting for a week just as a second wave of coronavirus cases is hitting the country. (1/20)

In news from Europe —

Bloomberg: U.K. Suffers Deadliest Day With Some Hospitals ‘Like A War Zone’
The U.K. suffered its worst day in the pandemic on Wednesday, with more than 1,800 deaths recorded in 24 hours, as Boris Johnson’s chief scientific adviser warned some hospitals now look “like a war zone.” The record daily toll takes the total number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive test in the U.K. to 93,290. Almost 40,000 patients are now receiving treatment in U.K. hospitals. England is in its third national lockdown and similar measures are in place across the U.K., but while the restrictions have started to bring infection rates down, officials say the death rates and pressures on the National Health Service will continue to grow. (Ashton and Capel, 1/20)

The Wall Street Journal: Europeans Clash With Pfizer, BioNTech Over Covid-19 Vaccine Deliveries 
Tension is rising between European authorities and Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE after officials said the companies had unexpectedly cut their deliveries of Covid-19 vaccines and put their immunization schedules at risk. The Italian government asked the country’s attorney general to study whether it can take legal action after Pfizer cut deliveries of its vaccine for this week by 29% as it retools its Belgium factory, a government spokeswoman said Wednesday. (Pancevski and Legorano, 1/20)

The Washington Post: Europe’s Growing Mask Ask: Ditch The Cloth Ones For Medical-Grade Coverings
Faced with new, more contagious, strains of the coronavirus and a winter surge in cases, European nations have begun to tighten mask regulations in the hope that they can slow the spread of the virus. Germany on Tuesday night made it mandatory for people riding on public transport or in supermarkets to wear medical style masks: either N95s, the Chinese or European equivalent KN95 or FFP2s, or a surgical mask. (Morris and Noack, 1/20)

AP: Portugal Sets Records In One Of World's Worst Virus Surges
Portugal’s new daily COVID-19 cases jumped to more than 14,600 to set a new national record Wednesday, as the country weathers one of the worst pandemic surges in the world. Health authorities officially reported 14,647 new infections — about 3,600 more than the previous daily record set four days ago. The surge shows no sign of easing, with the government and health experts predicting it will peak next week. (Hatton, 1/20)