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Japan is likely to achieve herd immunity to COVID-19 through mass inoculations only months after the planned Tokyo Olympics, even though it has locked in the biggest quantity of vaccines in Asia, according to a London-based forecaster. "Japan looks to be quite late in the game," Rasmus Bech Hansen, the founder of British research firm Airfinity, told Reuters. "They're dependent on importing many (vaccines) from the U.S. And at the moment, it doesn't seem very likely they will get very large quantities of for instance, the Pfizer vaccine."

Asian shares were on the defensive on Monday as rising COVID-19 cases and doubts over the ability of vaccine makers to supply the promised doses on time soured risk appetite. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was barely changed at 718.72. Japan's Nikkei fell 0.1%.

Australia's therapeutic goods regulator has conditionally approved the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use after determining that it met strict standards for safety, quality and efficacy, the federal government said on Monday. The Therapeutic Goods Administration's (TGA) provisional approval is for people aged over 16, and a priority group of Australians would receive their first of two doses of the vaccine once received from the drugmaker, the government added. "I welcome the TGA's approval of the Pfizer vaccine, with our own Australian experts finding it is safe, effective and of a high standard," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement.

The tally of vaccine doses is for both Moderna Inc's vaccine and one by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech as of 6 a.m. EST (1100 GMT) on Sunday, the agency said. A total of 2,567,018 vaccine doses have been administered in long-term care facilities, the agency said. According to the tally posted on Jan. 23, the agency had administered 20,537,990 doses of the vaccines.

In this Motley Fool Live video recorded on Jan. 13, 2021, healthcare and cannabis bureau chief Corinne Cardina and Fool.com writer Keith Speights discuss why Pfizer's future looks better in 2021. Corrine Cardina: Let's talk about its stock, so the biggest difference between the ones we've talked about Moderna, BioNTech: Pfizer has a dividend. Keith, you actually wrote an article about Pfizer as an investment, I'm going to post it in the chat for everyone, but can you give us the highlights of why Pfizer was so flat in 2020, despite this huge exciting news and what you think about it for 2021?

Zambia has been allocated 8.7 million doses of the 270 million COVID-19 vaccines secured this month by the African Union (AU), and this may rise to 25 million doses by December 2021, the Zambian mission at the AU said on Sunday. "If member states have to buy individually, they have to wait until July 2022, but through this mechanism, we can access the vaccines by April 2021," Zambia's ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU, Emmanuel Mwamba said in a statement.

Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) has a long and storied history of deal-making. In this Motley Fool Live video recorded on Jan. 13, 2021, Healthcare and Cannabis Bureau Chief Corinne Cardina and Fool.com writer Keith Speights discuss what kind of deals to expect from Pfizer over the next few years. Corinne Cardina: Let's move on to number 3 of the stocks we are diving into, Pfizer.

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Belgium will receive less than half the number of COVID-19 vaccines it had expected from AstraZeneca in the first quarter, the country's vaccine taskforce said on Saturday. Belgium had been expecting 1.5 million doses of the vaccine, which has still to be approved, by March, but would instead get around 650,000 doses. Reuters reported on Friday that AstraZeneca had informed European Union officials it would cut deliveries of the vaccine by 60% to a total 31 million doses in the first quarter due to production problems.

(Bloomberg) -- Governor Andrew Cuomo said more vaccines are on the way for New York, though he said the bigger challenge is getting skeptical Black and Latino residents to take the shot. U.S. governors are stepping up complaints that the federal government is not giving them enough vaccine. California reported a 30% drop in new Covid-19 cases compared with the state’s 14-day rolling average. Fatalities in the U.S. dropped below 4,000 for the first time in three days.A doctors’ group in the U.K. has urged the government to review the 12 weeks allowed for people to receive a second dose of the vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE. The manufacturer suggests 21 days. Meanwhile, France’s top health authority recommends doubling that three-week gap as a way to stretch supplies and speed inoculations.Key Developments:Global Tracker: Cases exceed 98.4 million; deaths pass 2.1 millionVaccine Tracker: More than 60.3 million shots given worldwideTo revive Manhattan, Wall Street offers help with vaccinationsBiden’s 100-day vaccine goal was nearly met before he arrivedHong Kong has imposed its first Covid lockdown in KowloonWhy the mutated coronavirus variants are so worrisome: QuickTakeSubscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click CVID on the terminal for global data on cases and deaths.U.S. Governors Plead for More Vaccine (2:53 p.m. NY)U.S. governors are stepping up their complaints that the federal government is not giving them enough vaccine -- and it could be months before they inoculate those currently eligible.“I’m not as worried about running out as I am about not getting enough,” New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said Friday on CNN. He said he could use as much as four times the 100,000 doses the state now is allotted a week.On Saturday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said it would take 17 weeks to get through the 7 million New Yorkers eligible to receive the vaccine. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts said on Friday the general population may have to wait four months before being eligible for a vaccine.“Supply is our primary issue,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear tweeted Saturday.France Cases Steady; Vaccinations Top 1 Million (2:56 p.m. NY)France registered 23,924 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, nearly unchanged from the previous day.Prime Minister Jean Castex said the number of vaccinations passed the 1 million mark on Saturday, a goal that had been set for the end of the month. The government has come under criticism for the slow rollout of the campaign, which the country’s top health authority advised earlier could be sped up if the delay between the first and second injections is extended to six weeks. This would free up doses for a larger number of people.New California Cases Tumble Below Average (2:15 p.m. NY)California reported a 30% drop in the number of new Covid-19 cases yesterday compared with the state’s 14-day rolling average, while the number of deaths edged up. California added 22,972 new cases versus the state’s 14-day rolling average of 33,126. Deaths climbed by 593, above the 503 average, to 36,361, according to the health department’s website. The state’s 14-day positivity rate was 10%, its best showing in a month. California has administered almost 40 million tests in total.Uruguay, Chile Set to Begin Vaccinations (2:10 p.m. NY)Uruguay has signed its first vaccine deals with Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE and Sinovac Biotech Ltd. as the spread of coronavirus in the small South American nation gathers pace.The government will purchase 2 million doses from Pfizer and 1.75 million from Sinovac, with delivery scheduled for March, President Luis Lacalle Pou said in a news conference on Saturday.Chile will take delivery of 4 million shots from Sinovac next week, allowing the country to begin mass vaccination of its 18-million population, said President Sebastian Pinera. Half the doses will arrive on Jan. 28 and the other half on Jan. 31, Pinera said in a televised address late Friday.Birx Says Inaugural Security Could Prove Superspreader Event (1:59 p.m. NY)Dr. Deborah Birx, who served as coordinator of the Trump administration’s Coronavirus Task Force, warned in an interview set to air Sunday that events surrounding Wednesday’s inaugural proceedings could prove to be a so-called superspreader event.“Right now in the District of Columbia, there are National Guard troops here from every state in the union, probably, young individuals who are most likely to have asymptomatic infection if they do get infected,” Birx said in a preview of an exchange with Margaret Brennan on CBS News’ “Face The Nation.” “And they’re congruently living and eating maskless, 25 to 30,000 of them from all over the United States.”Birx, an internationally recognized AIDS researcher and former U.S. Army physician, said in the same interview that she “always” considered quitting her White House role as efforts to contain the pandemic became increasingly politicized.Sweden Weighs Norway Travel Ban (1:06 p.m. NY)Sweden will likely introduce a ban on travel from Norway after the government there imposed strict measures around Oslo to suppress the spread of a more contagious variant of the virus. Dagens Industri reports that the Swedish Interior Minister Mikael Damberg is working on a ban, and a decision will be made shortly.Doctors Seek U.K. Review of Shot Delay (12:21 p.m. NY)The British Medical Association said the U.K. should “urgently review” its decision allowing a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine as much as 12 weeks after the first, instead of the shorter gap recommended, the Associated Press reported.The doctors’ group said there was growing concern in the medical profession about the delay, noting that no other nation has adopted the U.K.’s approach, the AP said, citing a statement.The U.K. has administered 5.38 million first doses of vaccines overall and 467,000 second doses through Jan. 21, according to its Covid dashboard. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday that a new variant of the virus that has emerged in the country may be deadlier than initially thought.Italy’s Conte Attacks Pfizer, AstraZeneca for Vaccine Delays (12:08 p.m. NY)Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that delays in vaccine consignments by Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca Plc are “unacceptable,” renewing threats of legal action against the drug makers that so far have found little traction among European peers. In a Facebook post on Saturday, Conte said the companies are breaching their contracts with “direct impact on the life and health of citizens.”Italy’s vaccination campaign, which had been one of Europe’s fastest, slowed down after a 29% decline in vial consignments of Pfizer vaccine this week. From next week, the company will further reduce deliveries in light of the fact that each vial is used for six doses rather than five. AstraZeneca, whose vaccine is set for approval by the EU’s medicine agency on Jan. 29, confirmed that it will be able to deliver 3.4 million doses to Italy in the first quarter, less than half of the 8 million originally planned, according to Conte’s statement.Italy is set to ease restrictions for Milan and the surrounding Lombardy region from Sunday, after new data submitted by the local government showed that the country’s financial capital had been classified as “high risk” by mistake. Milan will move to the so-called orange level, the second of Italy’s three-tier system of virus curbs. Shops will reopen but restaurants, bars and gyms will remain closed.U.K. Hospitalizations Drop for Third Day (11:14 a.m. NY)People being treated for Covid-19 in U.K. hospitals fell for a third day, to 37,899 on Jan. 21. Another 33,552 positive cases were reported on Saturday, about 5,000 below the average over the previous seven days. Deaths were above the weekly average at 1,348. More than 5.86 million people have received a first dose of vaccine.Cuomo Seeks to Overcome Vaccine Skepticism (11:10 a.m. NY)A day after saying New York was running out vaccines, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the coming week’s supply has begun to arrive from the federal government -- and he encouraged hesitant minorities to take it.“Our bigger problem is the acceptance, especially among the Black and the Latino community,” Cuomo said on Saturday at a vaccine center in Brooklyn. “Why? Because they are skeptical. They are skeptical of a vaccine approved by the Trump administration.” He said New York had done its own reviews and that the vaccines are safe.The state reported 13,786 new cases, continuing a trend of lower infections since hitting a record of almost 20,000 on Jan. 14. The statewide positive test rate dipped slightly to 5.26%, as did hospitalizations to 8,802. Another 144 people died.Portugal Reports Record Cases, Deaths (10:15 a.m. NY)Portugal on Saturday reported 15,333 new cases of Covid-19, surpassing the previous daily record announced Wednesday and bringing the country’s total to 624,469. The government also reported a record 274 daily fatalities, bringing the total 10,194. The number of patients in intensive-care units rose by five to 720. The country’s national health service has a capacity of about 1,200 intensive-care beds.While confinement measures are in place, travel will be allowed on Sunday for voting in the presidential election. In Portugal, the president is mainly a figurehead and policy is set by the prime minister and his government.Bolsonaro Drops in Polls Amid Pandemic Toll (10 a.m. NY)Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s approval rating dropped the most since he took office in 2018, weighed down by the pandemic’s death toll and confusion surrounding a national vaccination plan.Bolsonaro, who scoffed at masks and echoed baseless theories about the virus voiced by former U.S. President Donald Trump, polled 26% in an Ideia survey for Exame published Friday, compared with 37% last week. His popularity fell to 37% in a Datafolha poll from 31% in December.Germany Sees 3 Million Vaccine Doses in Feb. (9:20 a.m. NY)German Health Minister Jens Spahn said he expects 3 million vaccine doses to be delivered to the country in February, despite production problems by AstraZeneca Plc. “Unfortunately, this will be less than expected”, Spahn told the Sunday edition of the tabloid Bild. He re-affirmed his pledge that all German citizens will be offered a vaccine by the end of summer.Broadcaster Larry King Dies (8:20 a.m. NY)Larry King, the broadcast interviewer who became the star of a top-rated U.S. cable talk show, has died at age 87 in Los Angeles, according to a statement on his Twitter account. The cause of death wasn’t provided, but he had recently undergone treatment for Covid-19.France Mulls Extending Dosage Interval (7:09 a.m. NY)France’s top health authority is recommending a doubling of the time between the two required Covid-19 vaccine shots as a way to stretch supplies and inoculate as many people as possible. Giving the second injection six weeks after the initial one would allow at least 700,000 more people to be protected during the first month. The French advice follows guidance two days ago by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that said follow-up doses could be given up to six weeks later if it’s not feasible to get them in the recommended interval.Swedish PM Admits Strategy Fell Short (6:56 p.m. HK)Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said his government should have taken more aggressive steps and moved more quickly to stop the spread of the pandemic, and he takes full responsibility for the initial strategy that led the country to suffer a disproportionately high number of deaths.In an interview with Dagens Nyheter, Lofven said the government’s response to the spread of the virus among the elderly was inadequate, and that testing should have begun earlier.“As prime minister, I take full responsibility for the strategy that we have,” Lofven said.France Aims for 15 Million Inoculations by June (6:20 p.m. HK)France is sticking to a goal of inoculating 15 million people by June, despite hiccups with the roll-out of vaccines, French Industry Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said Saturday in an interview on France Inter radio.“I am reasonably confident that we will surpass this target,” she said. “We aren’t experiencing delays in deliveries of Pfizer dosages.”The EU is facing fewer deliveries from Pfizer Inc. and German partner BioNTech SE after the companies said they needed to modify a factory in Belgium. Another supplier, AstraZeneca Plc, on Friday said deliveries to the EU of its vaccine will initially be slower than expected due to lower production at a manufacturing site. France passed the threshold of 3 million Covid-19 cases on Friday.Norway Locks Down Oslo (5:27 p.m. HK)Norway is imposing the strictest measures since March 12 in the area around the capital in an attempt to suppress infections of the more contagious coronavirus variant.All shops, cinemas, restaurants and churches will be closed and the service of alcohol banned until Jan. 31, Health Minister Bent Hoie announced in a webcast speech on Saturday. Amateur sports and leisure activities won’t be allowed.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

German biotech BioNTech (NASDAQ: BNTX) was one of them. In this Motley Fool Live video recorded on Jan. 13, 2021, Healthcare and Cannabis Bureau Chief Corinne Cardina and Fool.com writer Keith Speights discuss what 2021 might have in store for BioNTech. BioNTech stock went up 148 percent in 2020.

Italy will have to rethink its COVID-19 vaccination plans if supply problems persist, a senior health official said on Saturday. The country had already had to cut its daily inoculations by more than two thirds because of delays in deliveries of shots from U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc, Franco Locatelli, the head of Italy's higher health council, told a press conference. Now that AstraZeneca Plc has also warned of cuts in deliveries to its doses - even as they await clearance for use in the bloc - Italy might have to redraw its national roll out at the end fo the month, he said.

Pfizer's (NYSE: PFE) and Moderna's (NASDAQ: MRNA) COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out -- but not as smoothly as hoped. In this Motley Fool Live video recorded on Jan. 13, 2021, Healthcare and Cannabis Bureau Chief Corinne Cardina and Fool.com writer Keith Speights discuss the biggest hurdles for COVID-19 vaccinations so far. Corinne Cardina: We're starting to see the vaccination be expanded beyond that initial priority group, which was healthcare workers and long term care residents and staff.

France's top health advisory body on Saturday recommended doubling the time between people being given the first and second COVID-19 vaccinations to six weeks from three in order to increase the number getting inoculated. The gap between the first and second injection in France is currently three weeks for people in retirement homes, who take priority, and four weeks for others such as health workers. The Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS) said spacing out the two required vaccinations of the Pfizer/BioNtech and Moderna vaccines would allow the treatment of at least 700,000 more people in the first month.

One has a top COVID-19 treatment, the other has a top COVID-19 vaccine. Which stock will come out on top.

(Bloomberg) -- AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine won approval from Thailand, becoming the third company to clear regulatory requirements for use in Southeast Asia.Thousands of people in Singapore and Indonesia have already received the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE and Sinovac Biotech Ltd. vaccines, and their neighbors are signing more deals to procure supplies. China is also giving free vaccines to countries like the Philippines and Cambodia.Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s biggest and most populous economy, started its coronavirus vaccination program on Jan. 13, with President Joko Widodo taking the first Sinovac jab as the race to immunize people against Covid-19 gains pace.Wealthier but smaller Singapore -- the first in Southeast Asia to start an official Covid-19 vaccination program -- began inoculating healthcare workers with the Pfizer shot on Dec. 30. Its prime minister got his first dose on Jan. 8 and more than 60,000 individuals have received theirs as of Jan. 22.​Strategies are evolving across the region as different supply deals are sealed. In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte says he will take a Russian or Chinese vaccine, but his government’s first approval was for the Pfizer shot and the country says it’s close to a deal with Moderna Inc.Indonesia, which is battling the worst outbreak in Southeast Asia, ended 2020 by switching up who’s on its priority list for shots -- focusing on the elderly first instead of the young as previously announced. It was the earliest in the region to receive a vaccine shipment with a Sinovac supply in December.Some countries are also involved in vaccine development and manufacturing, a testament to the variety of strategies employed by Southeast Asian nations. Here’s how the region of more than 650 million people is dealing with differing fiscal, demographic and distribution challenges in their vaccine strategies.INDONESIASTRATEGY:Indonesia seeks to vaccinate 181.5 million people -- about two-thirds of the population -- by March 2022 and President Widodo has called on the cabinet to complete the program by end-2021.The nation expects its vaccination program to cost more than 73 trillion rupiah ($5.2 billion). It plans to be able to vaccinate 16 million people a month; the initial phase of inoculations will target 1.3 million health workers and 17.4 million public workers nationwide during the first quarter of 2021.The country will offer free vaccines to people. With about 13,000 community health centers and 9,000 hospitals across the country, the government says it will be able complete its targeted vaccination to achieve mass immunity.The world’s fourth most populous nation is banking on both Western and Chinese vaccines, ordering 125.5 million doses from Sinovac, 50 million from AstraZeneca Plc and another 50 million from Novavax Inc., while developing 57.6 million of its own Merah PutihIt is now requesting 108 million free doses from the GAVI alliance, after previously saying it was seeking 54 million from the global vaccine facilityTalks are also on with Pfizer Inc. for 50 million doses and loaned cold storage facilities for the vaccineTIMELINE:January, 2021: Sinovac (More than 132,000 healthcare workers given shots)President Widodo got his first dose of the Sinovac shot on Jan. 13 along with public and army representatives, which kicked off Indonesia’s inoculation programIndonesia gave the first dose to 60,815 people in the first week of its mass inoculation drive. As of Jan. 22, more than 132,000 healthcare workers had been given shotsChina’s Sinovac Biotech shipped 3 million doses of vaccines to the country in December; the local food and drug regulator approved them for emergency use in JanuaryEven before the regulator’s approval, the government started distributing the vaccines to its 34 provinces spread across the world’s largest archipelagoSinovac has shipped raw material for 45 million doses to be manufactured by Indonesia’s PT Bio Farma in January. The state firm aims to produce 24 million doses a monthPT Bio Farma plans to also produce shots for other countries through the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations as early as the fourth quarter, according to Indonesia’s state-owned enterprises ministry. Bio Farma will produce 100 million doses a year for CEPI.2Q 2021: AstraZenecaIndonesia will get the AstraZeneca vaccines delivered in stages starting from as early as April through the first quarter of 2022The deal also includes the option for the country to purchase an additional 50 million doses.MALAYSIASTRATEGY:Malaysia’s government aims to get as many people inoculated within a year of getting the first batch of vaccines in February, Science Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said in mid-January.The nation’s vaccination program will focus on healthcare workers, the elderly and those with chronic diseases, while individuals under 60 will get immunized by or after the third quarter, he said, adding the immunization drive will be staggered over 18 months.Malaysia is spending $504 million to buy enough shots to cover 26.5 million people, or about 80% of its population. It will start vaccinations from February, according to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.The country will have a “slight extra” stockpile of vaccines as only those 18 years old and above will be inoculated. The excess vaccines will be administered to migrant workers, expatriates, and non-Malaysian residents, the cost of which must be borne by their employers.Pfizer vaccines will probably be administered to those in urban areas due to the need for ultra-cold storage, while AstraZeneca vaccines will be deployed to rural areas.Malaysia is set to secure 6.4 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the Covax facility, and another 6.4 million directly, enough to inoculate 20% of the country’s population, according to the science and technology minister. The first batch is expected in the second quarter of 2021The country in January agreed to buy an additional 12.2 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, an order that will see Malaysia securing 25 million doses in total of the vaccine. That’s enough to cover 39% of the population, according to the health ministryMalaysia’s Pharmaniaga Bhd. and China’s Sinovac signed an agreement for 14 million dosesThe government is in final negotiations with CanSino Biologics Inc. for 3.5 million doses, and for 6.4 million shots of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, Khairy said. The deals will involve local companies that can provide fill-finish manufacturing capacityThe nation is in talks with Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, Khairy saidMalaysia was due to conduct its first vaccine trial involving 3,000 volunteers in late January. It would be a phase-III trial on a vaccine candidate developed by the Institute of Medical Biology Chinese Academy of Medical SciencesMalaysia signed an agreement with China in October to be given priority access to Covid-19 vaccines that China develops.TIMELINE:1Q 2021: PfizerThe government has already secured 12.8 million doses from Pfizer-BioNTech SE in a deal signed in late 2020. The first delivery of the shots is due before the end of February, Khairy saidPfizer will deliver to Malaysia one million doses in the first quarter of 2021, 1.7 million in the second, 5.8 million in the third and 4.3 million in the final three months of the yearThe agreement with Pfizer covers 6.4 million people and is contingent on the vaccine being approved by the U.S. FDA and Malaysia’s regulatorMalaysia has negotiated with Pfizer an option to boost its purchases to cover another 20% of its population1Q 2021: SinovacChina’s Sinovac signed an agreement to supply 14 million doses to Malaysia, which may be ready for distribution by the end of March.MYANMARSTRATEGY:Myanmar expects to start inoculating its nearly 55 million population at the end of January. Frontline health workers and key government officials will be prioritized in the first phase of vaccination, to be followed by vulnerable groups such as those older than 65 years.Myanmar’s Covid vaccination fund now has $267.1 million, and well-wishers continue cash donations, de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said. The government expects more than 40% of Myanmar’s population to be inoculated by the end of this year.The government has also been cooperating with GAVI, the vaccine alliance, to get shots for 20% of its population through the Covax facility.The Southeast Asian nation is also planning to allow the private sector to import WHO-approved vaccines later this year.Other than the AstraZeneca deal it has signed, Myanmar also expects vaccines from Chinese developers to arrive in early 2021, with some doses from the Covax facility expected before April 7.TIMELINE:January, 2021: AstraZenecaMyanmar ordered 30 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced under license by Serum Institute of India to vaccinate 15 million peopleIt will begin vaccinations by the end of January, with another 1.5 million doses donated by India arriving Jan. 22The rollout will start with 750,000 people.PHILIPPINESSTRATEGY:The Philippines plans to buy 148 million vaccine doses to inoculate up to 70 million people this year, or more than half of its population.The nation is eyeing 82.5 billion pesos ($1.7 billion) in vaccine purchases that it plans to fund with financing from multilateral agencies, state-owned banks and companies and bilateral sources, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said.A number of mayors in Metropolitan Manila have separately drafted plans to provide shots to their constituents while waiting for guidelines on how local government units can purchase the vaccines, according to Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez, who also heads the Metro Manila Council of mayors.Priority for vaccinations will be given to medical frontliners and workers in industries deemed critical, including low-income groups and those identified as at risk.The government has signed deals for 30 million doses of the Covovax vaccine from the Serum Institute of India, and for 17 million doses from AstraZenecaIt is also in talks with Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Sinovac Biotech and Russia’s Gamaleya research institute, according to GalvezThe Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology had offered 25 million dosesThe country plans to buy 25 million doses from Sinovac, expecting the first shipment to arrive as early as February. It has allowed the Chinese company to hold clinical trials in the nation for its coronavirus vaccine, which President Duterte prefers to be inoculated with, officials saidThe Philippines is nearing a deal with Moderna for as much as 20 million vaccine doses. A supply deal with Moderna will likely be finished in JanuaryThe nation is also expecting to receive fewer doses from the World Health Organization-backed Covax Facility, Galvez saidChina will also donate 500,000 coronavirus vaccine doses to the PhilippinesPfizer has been approved for emergency use by the local FDA, while Gamaleya, AstraZeneca and Sinovac have applied for the same authorizationIndia-based Bharat Biotech International Ltd. has applied for emergency use authorization in the Philippines for its coronavirus vaccine, ABS-CBN News reported, citing the Food and Drug Administration head.TIMELINE:1Q 2021: Sinovac, Sputnik VVaccinations could start as early as the first quarter of 2021 using Sinovac and Russia’s Sputnik V shots, according to GalvezSinovac, Sputnik V are yet to receive the local FDA approval.May, 2021: AstraZenecaThe country will receive as early as May 2.6 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines purchased by local companies which pooled about800 million pesos to buy 3 million shots.SINGAPORESTRATEGY:The city-state has set aside roughly S$1 billion ($754 million) for vaccines, tapping the likes of Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc., Moderna Inc., Pfizer and Sinovac for supplies. It estimates it should have enough for its around 5.5 million-strong population by the third quarter of 2021.The city-state is prioritizing healthcare workers, the elderly and those in jobs or settings where risk of a super-spreading event is high -- such as the construction, marine and process sector, including migrant workers. For the elderly, it will begin with seniors aged 70 and above.The allocation of vaccines will largely be based on medical indications, suitability and availability, the health minister said in January.Singapore aims to vaccinate the entire adult population, though this will be voluntary. Vaccines will be free for all Singaporeans and long-term residents.Singapore is on track to have a total of eight vaccination centers by end-February. It is also seeking to set up 36 vaccination centers from February to inoculate its population, according to local mediaIn addition to those listed below, Moderna has concluded an agreement with the Ministry of Health to supply the country with its mRNA-1273 vaccineTIMELINE:4Q 2020: Pfizer (More than 60,000 shots given)Singapore started vaccinations on Dec. 30, 2020Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong got a first dose of the vaccine on Jan. 8, making him the first member of cabinet to get the coronavirus vaccine shotThousands of frontline staff in the aviation and maritime sectors are in line to get their jabs in JanuaryThe city-state received its first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Dec. 21. The shots are the only ones that had been approved by the Health Sciences Authority as of Jan. 22.More than 60,000 individuals have received their first dose of the vaccine as of Jan. 22, including staff working in healthcare, frontline and essential services, as well as staff and senior citizens in nursing homes. Some employees at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases have also received their second dose.Pilot vaccinations for senior citizens to start Jan. 27, and to be scaled up from mid-FebruaryEarly 2021: ArcturusArcturus and Singapore’s Economic Development Board have entered into a supply agreement for the right to buy the ARCT-021 vaccineArcturus may ship the first batch of the Covid-19 vaccine it’s developing with local scientists early 2021Results so far show that the vaccine could be effective as a single dose, the Straits Times reported, citing a professor who co-developed the vaccine with Arcturus.THAILANDSTRATEGY:Thailand wants to inoculate about 50% of its population by the end of this year.It has previously said it will allow private companies and hospitals to import and sell Covid-19 vaccinations as long as those shots have been approved by the nation’s Food and Drug Administration.Thailand’s health regulator endorsed AstraZeneca’s vaccine for emergency use, the health minister said on Jan. 21. It’s the first to win approval in Thailand, which also has ordered shots developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech.The Southeast Asian nation plans to distribute shots free of cost, while the imports by private firms would allow those who can afford to pay for inoculations along with non-Thais an alternative pathway to get shots.The government has so far approved plans to purchase a total of 63 million doses and the National Vaccine Institute is in talks with several manufacturers for additional supplies for delivery as early as the first quarter. The orders include the AstraZeneca vaccines, some of which will be produced locally by Siam Bioscience Ltd. through technology transferThe government expects to receive the first batch of the Sinovac vaccine in February, and it expects to roll out locally-produced AstraZeneca shots in MayIt has so far approved the orders of 2 million doses from Sinovac and 61 million doses from AstraZenecaNot wanting to rely solely on inoculations from abroad, Thailand is also developing its own anti-coronavirus shotAn mRNA vaccine research project is set to start the first phase of clinical trials in April and the second phase in June. The vaccines may be available by end-2021 after receiving emergency-use authorizationA DNA vaccine effort by Thailand-based BioNet-Asia is expected to start its first phase of human trials in Australia early 2021.TIMELINE:February, 2021: SinovacThe country has said it plans to roll out 200,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines in February, 800,000 in March, and 1 million in AprilFebruary, 2021: AstraZenecaThailand has an advance agreement with AstraZeneca to secure Covid-19 vaccines, which are expected to be distributed by mid-2021, the prime minister has saidThe government expects 50,000 doses to arrive in FebruaryThe government has ordered 61 million shots. The regulatory nod will also open the door for imports by private Thai companies for administering the doses to people who can afford to payThe country said early January it plans to roll out locally-produced AstraZeneca vaccines in MayUnder agreement with AstraZeneca, Siam Bioscience will produce vaccines at its facilities, and Thailand will receive technology transferThailand will supply coronavirus vaccines at “reasonable prices” to Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam when it begins production, Prayuth said.VIETNAMSTRATEGY:Vietnam is working on developing vaccines and will work with suppliers when vaccines are available, according to a spokeswoman at the foreign affairs ministry.It signed a deal with AstraZeneca to acquire about 30 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, Deputy Health Minister Truong Quoc Cuong said during a government briefing in JanuaryIt has also been negotiating to buy vaccines from Pfizer and companies from Russia and China, Cuong saidVietnam has four companies and institutes working on developing vaccines. Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology began its human vaccine trials Dec. 17. The Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals started human trials Jan. 21, according to the health ministry.TIMELINE:1Q 2021: AstraZenecaUnder the deal with AstraZeneca for about 30 million doses, Vietnam expects to receive vaccines each quarter this year, the deputy health minister said Jan. 4.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

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