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Trump Official Says Manufacturing Process for COVID Vaccine Already Under Way

VOA News

   With the number of confirmed coronavirus infections around the world
   topping 13 million, including more than 570,000 deaths, the United
   States says it expects to start producing potential vaccine doses by
   the end of the summer, even as more and more governments are imposing,
   or re-imposing, strict quarantine and social distancing guidelines to
   blunt the spread of the disease.

   The U.S.-based cable financial news channel CNBC reported Monday that a
   senior Trump administration official told reporters the manufacturing
   process is already underway even though they aren't sure which vaccine
   -- if any -- will work. The official is quoted as saying they are
   already buying equipment, securing manufacturing sites, and acquiring
   raw materials.

   CNBC says two companies involved in the development of a potential new
   vaccine, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, are expected to begin
   late-stage human trials for potential vaccines by the end of the month.

   Social distancing
   A set of new social distancing measures that took effect Tuesday in
   Hong Kong includes mandatory face masks for people using public
   transportation, with violators subject to fines up to $645 ($5,000 in
   Hong Kong currency). Restaurants are banned from offering indoor dining
   after 6 p.m., and gyms, movie theaters and karaoke bars are once again
   ordered to shut down, in response to a new order announced by Chief
   Executive Carrie Lam that limits group gatherings from 50 people to
   four.

   The new guidelines have forced the closure of Hong Kong Disneyland,
   which had just reopened last month.

   The Asian financial hub reported 52 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on
   Monday, including 41 that were locally transmitted, prompting
   authorities to issue a warning of a potential large-scale outbreak. The
   city has reported more than 1,500 total coronavirus cases since the
   start of the pandemic.

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