Pfizer says study confirms positive results for anti-Covid pill; California reintroduces mask mandate

Los Angeles: Authorities in California said on Tuesday they were reinstating mask mandates in all indoor public spaces to try to curb the resurgence of Covid-19 in recent weeks.

The mask mandate, which will come into force Wednesday, applies to all individuals, whether vaccinated or not. Los Angeles, San Francisco and other counties in California reintroduced the mask-wearing rule locally several months ago.

But other counties, such as Orange and San Diego, which are very heavily populated, had stuck with state-wide rules that masks only needed to be worn in certain public spaces such as airports, hospitals or schools but not in shops, restaurants or cinemas.

California’s Health Secretary Mark Ghaly said the rapid rise in Covid-19 cases had prompted the new rule. There has been a 47 percent increase in cases since the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of November.

The number of new daily cases of coronavirus in California has risen from 9.6 per 100,000 to 14 per 100,000 during that time. Ghaly said that wearing a mask could help prevent a repeat of last winter’s high rates of infection and death.

"This is a critical time where we have a tool that we know has worked and can work," Ghaly said. "As we look at the evidence that masks do make a difference, even a 10 percent increase in indoor masking can reduce case transmission significantly." The mask mandate will remain in place until January 15.

California has also clamped down on unvaccinated people wishing to attend gatherings of more than 1,000 people in an enclosed space. Unvaccinated attendees will have to provide a negative Covid-19 test taken less than 24 or 48 hours (depending on the type of test) earlier, as opposed to 72 hours previously.

California’s announcement came the same day that similar restrictions were imposed in New York City.Meanwhile, Pfizer said on Tuesday that clinical trials confirmed its anti-Covid pill reduced hospitalisations and deaths among at-risk people by almost 90 percent when it was taken in the first few days after symptoms appear.

The results are based on trials of more than 2,200 people and back up findings announced last month from preliminary trials. The drug maker also said the treatment appears to be effective against the Omicron variant.

"This news provides further corroboration that our oral antiviral candidate, if authorised or approved, could have a meaningful impact on the lives of many, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement, saying the new drug, called Paxlovid, could "save lives."

The trial showed that the pill reduced the need for hospitalization in high-risk adults with Covid-19 by 89 percent if the treatment was given within three days of symptom onset and by 88 percent if given within 5 days, according to the company.

And lab data shows that the pill appears will be also effective in treating people infected with the Omicron variant, according to Pfizer’s statement. "We are confident that, if authorised or approved, this potential treatment could be a critical tool to help quell the pandemic," Bourla said.

In a related development, Russia on Tuesday admitted that its homegrown Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine had not yet been approved by the World Health Organisation because Russian authorities had not provided enough data.

In August last year, Sputnik V became the world’s first approved coronavirus vaccine, when Russian authorities gave it the green light for domestic use ahead of large-scale clinical trials.

"We still haven’t provided certain information that needs to be provided for certification because we had a different understanding of what information it had to be and how it should be provided," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Meantime, the Netherlands will close primary schools next week and extend a night-time lockdown until January 14 as fears grow over the Omicron coronavirus variant, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday. Schools will close from December 20, a week before the Christmas holidays were due to start, Rutte told a press conference.

Earlier, the British government on Tuesday urged its own MPs not to rebel against new coronavirus restrictions, insisting the country was in a race to prevent the Omicron variant spiralling out of control.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing potentially the largest backlash from within his own ranks since he won an emphatic election victory in December 2019, putting him under further pressure after a string of recent scandals.