Inhalable Covid Vaccine Enters Trial In China

CNBC: China Is Starting Clinical Trials Of A Covid Vaccine That Can Be Inhaled
China’s CanSino Biologics will be starting clinical trials for a Covid-19 vaccine that is administered through inhalation next week, the company’s co-founder and Chief Executive Xuefeng Yu told CNBC on Sunday. Efficacy rates for China’s Covid vaccines have been found to be lower than those developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Earlier this month, the director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control publicly acknowledged that Chinese vaccines “don’t have very high protection rates” and that they were considering giving people different Covid shots to boost vaccine efficacy. (Lee, 4/19)

Politico: Made-In-China Pills Come With Unwanted Side Effects For The EU 
What do you do when the country you rely on for your life-saving medicines is the one you consider your systemic rival? Every day, many tons of chemicals are churned out in Chinese factories, which are then processed and synthesized into the molecules that are the active ingredients for everyday drugs. They leave the ports on the country's eastern seaboard and journey thousands of kilometers in cargo ships until they reach Europe, where they're put into packaging and sent to hospitals and pharmacies across the continent. (Martuscelli, 4/15)

In other global coronavirus news —

AP: EU To Purchase 100 Million More Vaccine Doses
Pharmaceutical company BioNTech and its U.S. partner Pfizer say they will provide 100 million more doses of their coronavirus vaccine to the European Union this year. The two companies said Monday that the 27-nation group’s executive Commission exercised an option to purchase the additional doses, bringing the total number of shots to be delivered to the EU in 2021 to 600 million. (4/19)

Reuters: Canada’s Ontario To Expand Use Of AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine As Epidemic Rages 
The Canadian province of Ontario will begin offering AstraZeneca’s (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday to people turning 40 or older this year, according to a government source. The change will broaden access to vaccines as a third wave of infections threatens to overwhelm hospitals in Canada's most-populous province, and should make it easier to use doses that in some cases have been accumulating at pharmacies. (Martell, 4/18)

CNBC: Covid: Chile's Coronavirus Cases Hit Record Levels Despite Vaccine Rollout
Chile’s vaccination campaign against the coronavirus has been one of the world’s quickest and most extensive, but a recent surge in infections has sparked concern beyond its borders. Almost 40% of the South American country’s total population have now received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to statistics compiled by Our World in Data, reflecting one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. (Meredith, 4/19)

Bloomberg: India Bans Oxygen To Most Industries To Meet Hospitals’ Demand
India has barred the supply of oxygen to many industries to meet rising demand from hospitals which are under pressure from a surge in coronavirus infections in the country. Clinical demand for the gas has increased to 60% of India’s production and is expected to rise further, the Ministry of Health said in a statement late Sunday. The nation reported a record 273,810 new infections on Monday. (Sanjai and Pradhan, 4/19)

Fox News: Israel Drops Outdoor Mask Mandate With 80% Of Adults Vaccinated
Israel has dropped its outdoor mask mandate as it closes in on total immunization of its adult population against the coronavirus, according to reports. Instituted almost a year ago at the start of the pandemic, Israel required masks outdoors for non-exercise activities. The mandate has ended as of Sunday. Israel hosts a population of 9.3 million, but the nation has aggressively pursued vaccination of its adult population: close to five million people – or around 80% of the adult population – has been vaccinated, according to Reuters. (Aitken, 4/18)

In travel updates —

AP: Australia-New Zealand Travel Bubble Opens With Joy, Tears
As the passengers walked a little dazed through the airport gates, they were embraced one after another by family members who rushed forward and dissolved into tears. Elation and relief marked the opening of a long-anticipated travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand at the Wellington Airport on Monday. Children held balloons and banners and Indigenous Maori performers welcomed the arrivals home with songs. (Perry, 4/19)

CBS News: Macron Says France "Finalizing" Plans To Ease Restrictions For Vaccinated Travelers
France is finalizing plans to lift restrictions for Americans traveling to the country who have received their COVID-19 vaccines, French President Emmanuel Macron said, as the nation grapples with another surge in coronavirus cases.  (Quinn, 4/18)