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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he would volunteer for trials of Russia's Covid-19 vaccine
From CNN’s Alex Stambaugh
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte meets members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases in Manila, Philippines on July 30. Robinson Ninal Jr./Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division via APPhilippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he has confidence in the Russian coronavirus vaccine and is willing to volunteer in trials.
“I will volunteer to receive it in public. I will be the first to be experimented on,” Duterte said during his address to the nation late Monday broadcast by state-run RTVM.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday announced the approval of a coronavirus vaccine for use, claiming it as a "world first.”
Several US health leaders and vaccine experts have expressed skepticism about whether the vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective. No data from human trials of the vaccine has been released, and it has not yet gone through large Phase 3 trials.
"I believe that the vaccine that (Russia has) produced is really good for humanity,” Duterte said, “By December... we will hopefully have a Covid-free December."
Duterte went on to say that his country would get priority access to the vaccine because of its relationship with Russia.
US reports more than 46,000 new Covid-19 cases
The United States recorded 46,808 new Covid-19 infections and 1,074 additional deaths on Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally.
As of Tuesday, a total of 5,141,208 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the US, and at least 164,537 people have died from the virus, according to JHU.
The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.
CNN is tracking US coronavirus cases here:
America is not in a Covid-19 vaccine race with Russia, US health chief says
From CNN’s Jen Christensen
Alex Azar, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), speaks during an executive order signing ceremony on lowering drug prices in Washington on July 24. Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesUS Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Wednesday that coronavirus vaccine development is “not a race to be first,” responding to Russia's approval of what it claims to be the "world's first" Covid-19 vaccine.
Azar noted that two of the six Covid-19 vaccines that the US government has invested in entered Phase 3 clinical trials weeks ago, while the Russian vaccine is now only beginning that step of the process. The data from the initial trials in Russia has also not been disclosed, he said.
Comparing Operation Warp Speed, the US government’s Covid-19 vaccine effort, to the Apollo mission to land humans on the moon, Azar said this “once in a generation type initiative” should produce a safe Covid-19 vaccine by the end of the year.
Under Operation Warp Speed, the US government has six vaccines under contract.
“The United States is committed that any vaccine that we would distribute would be safe and effective and meet the Food and Drug Administration's gold standard for authorization or approval.”
China reports 25 new coronavirus cases
A customs officer wearing a protective suit works in a mobile Covid-19 testing laboratory at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on August 7, in Shanghai, China. Yin Liqin/China News Service/Getty ImagesChina recorded 25 new Covid-19 cases Tuesday -- 19 fewer than the previous day, the National Health Commission (NHC) said in a statement Wednesday.
The new infections include nine locally transmitted cases and 16 imported cases.
All of the local cases were reported in the far western region of Xinjiang, according to the NHC.
The country also detected 20 new asymptomatic cases on Tuesday, the health agency said. In China, asymptomatic cases are not included in the total tally of confirmed cases.
China has so far recorded 84,737 coronavirus cases, including 4,634 deaths, according to the NHC.
Australian state reports highest daily increase in coronavirus deaths
From CNN's Angus Watson in Sydney and Isaac Yee in Hong Kong
A member of the Australian Defence Force carries a batch of swab samples taken from members of the public at a drive-through coronavirus testing station in the Melbourne suburb of Fawkner on July 2. William West/AFP via Getty ImagesAustralia’s Victoria state recorded 21 new deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours -- the largest single-day spike in fatalities since the pandemic began, the state's Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday.
The new casualties bring Victoria's total coronavirus death toll to 267.
The department also announced 410 new Covid-19 cases, raising the total number of infections in Victoria to 15,251.
Mexico reports nearly 1,000 new Covid-19 deaths
From journalist Karol Suarez in Mexico City
Mexico identified 926 new deaths from the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, taking the total number of fatalities to 53,929, the country's Health Ministry reported.
The country holds the third-highest coronavirus death toll in the world, after the United States and Brazil, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally.
Mexico's Health Ministry also recorded 6,686 new infections Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases to 492,522.
CNN is tracking worldwide coronavirus cases here:
New Zealand election date in doubt after new coronavirus cases emerge
From CNN's Isaac Yee
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to media during a press conference at Parliament on August 12, Wellington, New Zealand. Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesNew Zealand will defer the dissolution of Parliament "by at least a few days," which would allow it to reconvene if needed, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced at a news conference Wednesday.
The dissolution of Parliament was scheduled to take place on Wednesday in a key step toward holding a national election on September 19.
The announcement comes after New Zealand confirmed four new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases Tuesday, breaking the 102-day streak the country had gone without recording a local infection.
All four of the cases were found within one household in South Auckland, and none of them had recently traveled outside of New Zealand, according to New Zealand's Director-General of Health Dr. Ashley Bloomfield.
Elderly homes closed: Ardern also announced Wednesday that all retirement homes in New Zealand will be closed off in a bid to protect “vulnerable ” communities from the spread of coronavirus.
Ardern said all aged care facilities would be closed to everyone but staff and essential deliveries from noon local time Wednesday.
Mass testing: Speaking at the same news conference, Bloomfield said health officials have prepared “to test tens of thousands of people in the coming days, so we can see if there are anymore cases of Covid-19 in the community.”
He added that New Zealand has over 270,000 coronavirus tests in stock, with the ability to process 12,000 tests per day.
Back into lockdown: Auckland, the most populous city in New Zealand, was placed under level 3 restrictions following the confirmation of the new cases Tuesday. All non-essential businesses, including restaurants and bars, are closed, and residents are only allowed to leave home for essential activities such as grocery shopping. Schools in Auckland will also be closed for three days.
The rest of New Zealand went into level 2 restrictions, where businesses can remain open as long as they follow public health guidelines.
"I've taken it myself": Russian CEO says he has administered Covid-19 vaccine to his family
From CNN's Leinz Vales
Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) with CNN's Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. CNNKirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is funding the coronavirus vaccine research approved in Russia said Tuesday the rollout of the drug "will be very gradual."
"We're not going to give it to 10 million people tomorrow," Dmitriev told CNN's Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. "It's going to be a very gradual, careful rollout going forward."
Developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute, the vaccine has been named Sputnik-V, a reference to the surprise 1957 launch of the world's first satellite by the Soviet Union. It has yet to go through crucial Phase 3 trials where it would be administered to thousands of people.
"We can say that it works," Dmitirev told Gupta. "I've taken it myself. I've given it to my parents, to my wife."
The announcement of the Russian coronavirus vaccine has been met with worldwide skepticism.
The World Health Organization said in a statement about the Russian vaccine that "accelerating vaccine research should be done following established processes through every step of development to ensure that any vaccines that eventually go into production are both safe and effective."
Cooper asked Dmitriev, "To those who are saying that this vaccine was rushed. You said it was proven. How has it been proven effective?"
"According to Russian law, when you have a pandemic, when you have epidemia like this, you can do phase three concurrently with launching to high-risk groups, which we are doing. We believe that's exactly the right approach, and this approach makes sense. And the rest of the world knowing some of the science behind our vaccine really likes what they see. We received 1 billion doses preorder already for the vaccine. I think time will tell the success of the Russian approach.
Russia has released no scientific data on its testing and CNN is unable to verify the vaccine's claimed safety or effectiveness.
Fauci says he seriously doubts Russia has proven new vaccine is safe and effective
From CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 31. Kevin Dietsch/Pool/AFP via Getty ImagesDr. Anthony Fauci, the US' top infectious disease expert, said he seriously doubts Russia has proven its coronavirus vaccine is safe and effective after Moscow said it had approved a drug for use Tuesday.
“I hope that the Russians have actually, definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective. I seriously doubt that they've done that,” Fauci told Deborah Roberts of ABC News for a National Geographic event to broadcast Thursday. A portion of the interview was posted by National Geographic on Tuesday.
Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that having a vaccine and proving that a vaccine is safe and effective are two different things.
Fauci said that if and when Americans hear announcements from countries like Russia or China about vaccine development, they have to remember that the United States has certain safety and efficacy standards in place. Makers of the Russian vaccine have not yet released any data from human trials.
The US Food and Drug Administration has said that it will only approve a vaccine if it meets a 50% efficacy requirement.
In a statement emailed Tuesday, the World Health Organization said it is in touch with Russian scientists and authorities and looks forward to reviewing details of the trials. According to WHO, there are 28 vaccines in human trials around the world.
