(Bloomberg) -- Switzerland joined Spain and the U.K. in suggesting that the coronavirus pandemic may be shifting to an endemic phase. A U.S. study found that almost all teenagers who needed intensive care for Covid-19 were unvaccinated, bolstering the case for the shot in youths. 

China postponed two political meetings in the port city that borders Beijing over its sudden Covid-19 outbreak, a move that’s raising concern whether the Olympics and annual national legislative meetings can go ahead smoothly.

Covid infection rates are falling in London, raising hopes that the omicron outbreak is in retreat. Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologized for attending a gathering during the country’s first lockdown, saying he thought it was a work event. 

Key Developments: 

• Virus Tracker: Cases top 315.3 million; deaths pass 5.5 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 9.57 billion shots administered
• China faces mounting economic damage from Covid-zero policy
• For emerging economies, new Covid wave spawns new thinking
• Omicron has workers ready to quit rather than return to office
• N95 mask prices hit ‘ridiculous’ highs on CDC advice speculation

BioNTech Still Talking With China (5:20 p.m. NY)

Vaccine maker BioNTech SE hasn’t given up on securing approval for its mRNA Covid-19 shot in mainland China, despite a monthslong delay and the country doubling down on homegrown inoculations. 

“It is continued dialog with the Chinese authorities,” Sean Marett, the German drug developer’s chief commercial officer, said at JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s annual health care conference this week. “It’s difficult to predict when we will get approval, but China remains for us extremely important.” Chief Strategy Officer Ryan Richardson said there was significant interest in mRNA shots in China, but the key was working out how to “open up the regulatory pathway.”

Speculation the shot developed with Pfizer Inc. would get the greenlight in mainland China in mid-2021 hasn’t borne out, with the government instead throwing its weight behind a locally developed mRNA vaccine from Kunming-based Walvax Biotechnology Co. 

It’s hard to tell when, if ever, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be approved for mainland China since regulators haven’t publicly said why it’s being held back, analysts say. That’s proven problematic for Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co., the Chinese company that secured the rights early in the pandemic to distribute the vaccine in Greater China. 

Study Bolsters Case for Vaccine in Youths (5 p.m. NY)

Almost all teenagers who needed intensive care for Covid-19 were unvaccinated, according to a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, bolstering the case for using the Pfizer-BioNTech shot in youths.

The vaccine prevented 98% of ICU visits and 94% of Covid-related hospitalizations in the real-world study of more than 1,000 adolescents ages 12 to 18 in 23 states. The research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a network of 31 hospitals is one is one of the most detailed yet showing that vaccines can prevent severe Covid complications in teenagers.

Illinois Hospitals Face Surge in Patients (3:45 p.m. NY)

Illinois has never had so many Covid-19 patients hospitalized as its seen in recent days. Currently, more than 7,100 people in the state are hospitalized due to the virus and the vast majority are unvaccinated, said Ngozi Ezike, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Only 9% of the state’s hospital intensive-care unit beds remain available, and a key reason is fewer available medical and health-care workers. Governor J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday announced that he’s deploying more than 2,000 workers to assist hospitals hardest hit by the most recent surge.

Italy Readies Pandemic Aid Package (1:45 p.m. NY)

Italy’s government is working on a spending package that won’t require revising the budget to expand the deficit, people familiar with the matter said.

The measures could be announced as early as next week and would bring targeted relief to sectors hit by the surge in Covid-19 infections, such as tourism, the people said, asking not to be named discussing confidential plans. The package will also be used to refinance furlough programs for workers hit by the pandemic.

U.S. Orders 500,000 More Astra Doses (1:40 p.m. NY)

The U.S. government is in talks with AstraZeneca Plc to order 500,000 doses of its coronavirus antibody drug, used by vulnerable people before exposure to the virus to prevent severe illness.

Jeff Zients, Biden’s Covid-19 response coordinator, said Wednesday that the administration and AstraZeneca are “in the process of ordering” the doses, which are aimed at immunocompromised people. The new order will push the total U.S. purchase to above 1 million doses, all due by the end of March, Zients said. 

Fall in London Cases Raises Hope (11 a.m. NY)

Covid infection rates are falling in London, raising hopes that the omicron outbreak is in retreat.

Infections for the U.K. increased to 4.3 million in the first week of January, up from 3.7 million a week earlier, the Office for National Statistics said. England accounted for the bulk, at just over 3.7 million, and the highest infection rate at 1-in-15. 

But cases in London, which has been at the epicenter of the U.K. outbreak, dropped from 1 in 10 to 1 in 15. The hot spots are now the North West of England and Yorkshire and the Humber, where 1 in 10 people have Covid.

Signs that the virus may be retreating in the capital provide some hope that the worst may soon be over. A short, sharp surge in cases echoes the experience in South Africa, where omicron was first reported.

Swiss Add to Talk of Endemic Phase (10:30 a.m. NY)

Switzerland’s interior minister said the transition from pandemic to a stage where the country learns to live with Covid-19 like the flu may be in sight.

“We may be on the eve of a watershed, the transition from a pandemic phase to an endemic phase,” Alain Berset, whose ministry includes health, said at a media conference Wednesday.

Berset’s comments follow a call by Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday to consider treating the crisis differently, given that the omicron wave of infections hasn’t led to an equivalent surge in hospitalizations and deaths. Britain’s Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, told the BBC on Sunday the U.K. is “on a path towards transitioning from pandemic to endemic.”

Greece Extends Curbs by One Week (10:20 a.m. NY)

Greece is extending measures introduced to stem the spread of Covid-19 and the omicron variant by one week to Jan. 23, the country’s health ministry said Wednesday. The daily number of new coronavirus cases has fallen over the past week from a record high on Jan. 4 after the introduction on Dec. 29 of the measures that include the compulsory wearing of masks outdoors, and for restaurants, bars, cafes and nightclubs to close at midnight. 

A 100 euro ($114) fine for every month that people age 60 and over remain unvaccinated enters into force on Jan. 16.

Novartis Seeks Covid Drug Nod Before Last Test (8:09 a.m. NY)

Novartis AG will seek to bring its experimental Covid drug to patients without waiting for results from a large clinical trial, Chief Executive Officer Vas Narasimhan said. 

The Swiss pharma giant aims to request an emergency-use authorization for the compound with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration within the next month, Narasimhan said in an interview. A larger study to confirm promising data that emerged this week may be finished by the second half of the year. 

“Our aspiration at the moment is to see if we get an emergency-use authorization and interest from certain governments to even utilize the medicine during these waves that are ongoing,” Narasimhan said.

Scholz Says Unvaccinated Put Others at Risk (8:08 a.m. NY)

Chancellor Olaf Scholz issued a strong appeal for Germans to get vaccinated, saying failing to do so puts others at risk as the nation grapples with the fast-spreading omicron variant.

Speaking to parliament on Wednesday, Scholz reaffirmed his support for making shots compulsory for all adults, saying the measure is needed to ensure health-care services don’t get overwhelmed.

Denmark May Reopen Cinemas, Museums (7:35 a.m. NY)

Denmark’s government is set to propose the reopening of cinemas and museums from next week, despite record high daily infections.

The Nordic country shut down cultural venues before Christmas to halt the spread of the omicron variant. But with recent data suggesting that patients are less likely to have severe illness, Danish health experts recommend a slow return to normalcy.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen supports the recommendation, she told reporters in Copenhagen. The government is expected to announce its decision later on Wednesday pending support from a majority in parliament.

U.K.’s Johnson Apologizes About Office Party (7:15 a.m. NY)

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, under scrutiny for office parties that broke Covid rules, apologized for attending a gathering during lockdown on May 20, 2020, saying he thought it was a work event.  

Opposition politicians have called for Johnson’s resignation over the event, a “bring your own bottle” party at the height of a lockdown meant to stem the first pandemic wave.

Pfizer Says Covid Shot Safe With Other Vaccine (7:02 a.m. NY)

Pfizer said its Prevnar 20 pneumococcal vaccine and Covid shot were administered together to older adults in a clinical trial without adverse effects. The responses to Prevnar were similar whether the patients got a placebo or the pandemic injections. 

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