|  | | | | | | | | | What you need to know about the coronavirus today | | | | | | Supermarket chain Aldi to pay U.S. workers who get COVID-19 vaccination
German supermarket chain Aldi became the latest firm in the grocery sector to offer incentives for U.S. employees getting a COVID-19 vaccine, saying it would give up to four hours of pay to those who choose to receive inoculations.
The retailer, which has more than 2,000 stores in 37 U.S. states, said it would cover costs associated with vaccine administration and implement on-site vaccination clinics at its warehouse and office locations.
Dollar General Corp last week offered frontline employees a similar incentive after they get the vaccine, while grocery delivery company Instacart said it would pay $25 to more than half-a-million gig workers if they chose to take time off to get vaccinated.
China's COVID outbreak worst since March 2020
China is battling the worst outbreak of COVID-19 since March 2020, with one province posting a record daily rise in cases, as an independent panel reviewing the global pandemic said China could have done more to curb the initial outbreak.
State-backed tabloid the Global Times on Tuesday defended China’s early handling of COVID-19, saying no country had any experience in dealing with the virus.
“Looking back, no country could perform perfectly in facing a novel virus... No country can guarantee they won’t make mistakes if a similar epidemic occurs again,” it said.
Germany to extend lockdown to mid-Feb
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to agree with regional leaders to extend a lockdown for most shops and schools until mid-February as part of a package of steps to try to rein in the coronavirus, sources said.
New infections have been decreasing in recent days and pressure on intensive care units has eased slightly, but virologists are worried about the possible spread of more infectious variants of the virus.
“It is likely that we will agree on a two-week extension,” said one person involved in the talks, confirming a report in Bild daily. The existing lockdown runs until Jan. 31.
EU to share surplus COVID-19 vaccines with poorer nations
The European Union wants to set up a mechanism that would allow the sharing of surplus COVID-19 vaccines with poorer neighboring states and Africa, the EU health chief said, in a move that may undercut a WHO-led global scheme.
The EU, with a population of 450 million, has already secured nearly 2.3 billion COVID-19 vaccines and candidates from six companies, although most of them still need regulatory approval.
Track the global spread with our live interactive graphic here. | | | | | | | | Breakingviews - Corona Capital: Chinese M&A, Logitech, Lindt Outbound Chinese acquisitions in 2020 tumble to their lowest level since 2008 and Logitech benefits from hordes of home-workers. Catch up with the latest pandemic-related financial insights here. | | | | | | | | Reuters reporters and editors around the world are investigating the response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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