In Brief : Vaccinated nurse tests positive for Covid-19

SACRAMENTO • A nurse in California tested positive for Covid-19 more than a week after receiving Pfizer's vaccine, an ABC News affiliate reported on Tuesday, but a medical expert said the body needs more time to build up protection.

Mr Matthew W., 45, said in a Facebook post on Dec 18 that he had received the Pfizer vaccine. Six days later on Christmas Eve, he became sick after working a shift in the Covid-19 unit, the report said.

Dr Christian Ramers, an infectious disease specialist with Family Health Centres of San Diego, said: "We know from the vaccine clinical trials that it's going to take about 10 to 14 days for you to start to develop protection."

REUTERS

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Taiwan to buy 20 million doses of vaccine

TAIPEI • Taiwan has agreed to buy almost 20 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, including 10 million from AstraZeneca, the government said yesterday, adding that it had confirmed the island's first case of the new British variant of the disease.

The island's Central Epidemic Command Centre said that apart from buying from AstraZeneca, it had agreed to buy 4.76 million doses from global vaccine programme Covax. The first vaccines are expected to arrive in March at the earliest.

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said Taiwan's first case of the new coronavirus variant discovered in Britain was a person who arrived back on Sunday from Britain, and was in hospital in stable condition.

REUTERS

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Sydney tightens curbs after new cluster found

SYDNEY • The authorities restricted movement and tightened curbs on gatherings in Australia's biggest city yesterday, hoping to avoid a coronavirus "super spreader" event during New Year's Eve celebrations after finding a second cluster of infections.

Household gatherings in Sydney are limited to five people, while the maximum number of people allowed to gather in public is capped at 30.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the restrictions would take effect from midnight yesterday until further notice. She reported 18 new cases yesterday, with nine of them part of an outbreak in the city's northern beaches that has grown to more than 100 people over the past week.

REUTERS