
<p id="h-topline"><strong>TOPLINE</strong> South Africa has dropped plans to roll out the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine after a new analysis suggests the shot provides “minimal protection” against mild disease from the new variant circulating in the country—the country will possibly sell the doses and instead distribute the unauthorized Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine to frontline healthcare workers, a move that runs counter to advice from experts who believe the shot is still of value in preventing severe disease.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Health Minister Zweli Mkhize <a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-news-coronavirus-pandemic-africa-south-africa-coronavirus-vaccine-3f54526ca5bfca84eadfaeaea5ade5d5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a> South Africa had abandoned plans to use the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as it “does not prevent mild to moderate disease” caused by the variant circulating in the country.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The rollout was first suspended Sunday after a small study that had not undergone peer review and did not evaluate the vaccine’s protection against severe disease, a key metric of success, suggested it provided “minimal protection” against mild disease from the variant.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Instead, Mkhize said South Africa might <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-safrica-idUSKBN2AA0G2?taid=602387f7496f1e00010ad0aa&amp;utm_campaign=trueanthem&amp;utm_medium=trueanthem&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sell</a> or swap its 1.5 million Oxford-AstraZeneca shots—something he said has been discussed with the Covax alliance for equitable vaccine distribution worldwide, through which South Africa has acquired some of its shots—and deploy the Johnson &amp; Johnson single-shot vaccine to frontline healthcare workers.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The World Health Organization, along with the study’s lead author and a number of other health organizations, has <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-08/astra-s-covid-shot-still-useful-in-variant-hit-areas-who-says" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">urged</a> South Africa not to dismiss the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot too soon, stressing its ability to help prevent severe cases of the disease. </li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Though the Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine has not been authorized for use in any country yet, Mkhize said it is safe and was in the process of being approved in South Africa and would be initially distributed as part of an “implementation study.”</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“The Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine has been proven effective against the 501Y.V2 variant and the necessary approval processes for use in South Africa are underway,” Mkhize said.</li></ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC&nbsp;</h4>



<p>Shabir Madhi, lead investigator of the study prompting the policy change and a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-09/s-africa-s-madhi-says-astrazeneca-vaccine-should-be-used" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">urged</a>&nbsp;the country not to be “reckless” in how it deals with the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot. “It’s going to have global repercussions,” he added.&nbsp;“The toss-up is going to be between no vaccine or a vaccine that’s got a high likelihood of preventing severe disease and death,” he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/02/08/965390228/why-south-africa-is-putting-the-astrozeneca-vaccine-on-hold" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h4>



<p>A new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/02/03/astrazeneca-vaccine-helps-slow-covid-19-transmission-first-dose-76-effective-for-at-least-three-months-study-finds/?sh=14c3d9de1745">study</a>&nbsp;has found that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine could lead to a significant drop in the spread of Covid-19 in the U.K.. As well as slowing the spread of the virus, scientists found a single dose of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine is 76% effective in preventing symptomatic infection after three months of receiving the shot, a finding that validates the U.K. government’s current approach of delaying the second dose.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



<p>The emergence of new Covid-19 variants capable of evading, at least partially, the protection conferred by vaccines is another indication the novel coronavirus could be a permanent fixture in the future. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/un-news-vaccine-may-not-work-variants-7950427023f7883e0c2d33998aafb279" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;Monday that South Africa’s decision is “a reminder that we need to do everything we can to reduce circulation of the virus with proven public health measures” and that vaccine manufacturers will need to adjust their vaccines going forward. Several, Oxford-AstraZeneca included, are already&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/02/03/next-gen-vaccine-for-covid-19-mutants-will-be-ready-by-fall-astrazeneca-says/?sh=3a78fd947b94">developing</a>&nbsp;booster shots to account for the new variants.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h4>



<p>Other countries in the region may follow South Africa’s lead in swapping the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for something else. On Tuesday, the health minister for neighboring eSwatini&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-eswatini/update-1-eswatini-will-not-use-astrazeneca-vaccine-after-safrica-trial-data-idUSL1N2KF2DZ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;it would no longer use the vaccine.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-news-coronavirus-pandemic-africa-south-africa-coronavirus-vaccine-3f54526ca5bfca84eadfaeaea5ade5d5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">South Africa scraps AstraZeneca vaccine, will give J&amp;J jabs</a>&nbsp;(AP)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/02/08/south-africa-halts-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-after-study-shows-minimal-protection-against-local-variant/?sh=2016bf78461a">South Africa Halts AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine After Study Shows ‘Minimal Protection’ Against Local Variant</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/02/08/965390228/why-south-africa-is-putting-the-astrozeneca-vaccine-on-hold" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Why South Africa Is Putting The AstraZeneca Vaccine On Hold</a>&nbsp;(NPR)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-safrica-idUSKBN2AA0G2?taid=602387f7496f1e00010ad0aa&amp;utm_campaign=trueanthem&amp;utm_medium=trueanthem&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">South Africa says selling or swapping AstraZeneca doses are options</a> (Reuters)</p>



<p><em>By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff</em></p>


South African Minister Zweli Mkhize conducts an inspection of King Dinuzulu Hospital

South Africa Abandons Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine In Favor Of Unapproved Johnson & Johnson Shot


<p id="h-topline"><strong>TOPLINE</strong> A Covid-19 vaccine candidate from Novavax offers strong protection against a more contagious coronavirus variant first discovered in the United Kingdom, but it’s somewhat less effective against a rapidly spreading mutation from South Africa, according to <a href="https://ir.novavax.com/news-releases/news-release-details/novavax-covid-19-vaccine-demonstrates-893-efficacy-uk-phase-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">early data</a> released Thursday, marking the latest vaccine to face some efficacy issues as new strains of the virus evolve.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



<p>Novavax’s vaccine, which hasn’t been approved for use yet, was 89.3% effective in the United Kingdom, according to data from a phase 3 trial in that country (it was 86% effective against the new U.K. variant and 96% effective for&nbsp;<a href="https://ir.novavax.com/static-files/e8c12211-6544-4106-b8fb-2b74a9a01265" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">other forms</a>&nbsp;of the virus).</p>



<p>In a smaller study in South Africa, a country dominated by a highly contagious new coronavirus variant, the vaccine was just 49.4% effective, though its efficacy jumped by more than 10 points for patients who are HIV-negative.</p>



<p>Following the announcement, Novavax’s&nbsp;<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/NVAX?p=NVAX&amp;.tsrc=fin-srch" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">share price</a>&nbsp;rose 29.2% in after-hours trading to $173.11.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h4>



<p>Novavax says it’s working on a new version of the vaccine that could offer stronger immunity against the South Africa variant, and it&nbsp;<a href="https://ir.novavax.com/static-files/e8c12211-6544-4106-b8fb-2b74a9a01265" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hopes to launch trials</a>&nbsp;in the second quarter of this year. Still, in a conference call Thursday, executives cast the South Africa results as proof its vaccine offers some protection against an increasingly common strain of the virus.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



<p>In recent months, more contagious new coronavirus strains have torn through the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa and quickly spread to dozens of other countries including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/01/28/more-contagious-uk-coronavirus-strain-has-been-detected-in-over-half-of-us-states/">the</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2021/01/25/first-known-case-of-brazilian-covid-19-variant-identified-in-us/">United</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/01/28/first-us-cases-of-south-africa-coronavirus-strain-discovered-in-south-carolina/">States</a>. Some experts are concerned existing vaccines could offer less protection against new forms of the virus. Novavax isn’t the only vaccine developer to watch these new variants closely:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/01/25/960341384/moderna-finds-covid-19-vaccine-less-effective-against-variant-found-in-south-afr" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Moderna</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/pfizer-vaccine-only-slightly-less-effective-against-key-parts-south-n1255959" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pfizer</a>&nbsp;say their vaccines (which are currently being distributed in the United States) appear to be slightly less effective in South Africa than in the United Kingdom, leading Moderna to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/01/25/moderna-launches-trial-for-covid-19-vaccine-booster-to-tackle-south-african-strain/?sh=57ae6970737b">start developing</a>&nbsp;a booster to improve immunity against the South Africa variant.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h4>



<p>Seasonal flu vaccines often have efficacy rates below 50%, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/2019-2020.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">data</a>&nbsp;from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h4>



<p>Novavax says it plans on starting the approval process with regulators soon. The Gaithersburg, Md.-based biotech company, which specializes in vaccines, will likely ask for authorization in the United Kingdom first, executives said, and it has begun speaking with regulators in the United States, where a phase 3 trial&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/phase-3-trial-novavax-investigational-covid-19-vaccine-opens" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">kicked off last year</a>&nbsp;and is&nbsp;<a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04611802?term=novavax&amp;draw=2&amp;rank=2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">expected to wrap up</a>&nbsp;in March. Novavax has&nbsp;<a href="https://ir.novavax.com/news-releases/news-release-details/novavax-announces-16-billion-funding-operation-warp-speed" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">agreed to produce</a>&nbsp;100 million doses for U.S. patients, part of a deal struck through Operation Warp Speed last year.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h4>



<p>“We look forward to continuing to work with our partners, collaborators, investigators and regulators around the world to make the vaccine available as quickly as possible,” Novavax CEO Stanley Erck said in a statement Thursday.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<p><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/novavax-vaccine-is-89-effective-against-covid-19-in-u-k-study-11611867720" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Novavax Vaccine Is 89% Effective Against Covid-19 in U.K. Study (Wall Street Journal)</a></p>



<p><em>-by Joe Walsh, Forbes Staff</em></p>


Middlesbrough Pharmacy Rolls Out Covid Vaccine Programme

Novavax Covid Vaccine Is Highly Effective Against U.K. Variant But Struggled In South Africa, Data Shows


<p id="h-topline"><strong>TOPLINE</strong> With optimism rising that an end to the coronavirus pandemic is in sight as shipments of Pfizer’s vaccine began Sunday, Bill Gates warned in a television interview that the U.S. was far from out of the woods yet and is facing what is likely to be the deadliest period over the winter.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



<p>“Sadly the next four to six months could be the worst of the pandemic,” Gates, the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has committed significant resources to the quest for a vaccine, told CNN on Sunday.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Trucks pulled out of Pfizer’s factory in Michigan on Sunday laden with the first shipments in an initial distribution round of around 3 million doses, and Food And Drug Administration Dr. Stephen Hahn&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSotu/status/1338132165515730946?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;during a television interview Sunday he expects the first shots to be administered on Monday.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Healthcare workers and nursing home residents&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2020/12/01/cdc-panel-health-workers-and-nursing-homes-should-get-first-covid-vaccine-doses/">will get the vaccine first</a>, and it won’t be until the spring or summer before shots are widely available.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>For that reason, health officials&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/08/covid-vaccines-fauci-says-virus-could-be-under-control-in-back-half-of-2021.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">say</a>&nbsp;the virus is not likely to be under control in the U.S. until the “back half of 2021”—as Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said—when most of the population, around 75%, is vaccinated, generating an “umbrella of herd immunity.”</p>



<p>“In the near term, it’s bad news,” Gates went on, citing an Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation&nbsp;<a href="https://covid19.healthdata.org/global?view=resource-use&amp;tab=trend&amp;resource=all_resources" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">model</a>&nbsp;that shows the U.S. could suffer more than 200,000 additional deaths by April 1, 2021 from the virus.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h4>



<p>Pfizer’s vaccine will arrive at 145 distribution locations on Monday throughout all 50 states, with 425 more receiving shipments on Tuesday, and 66 on Wednesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-d4525c56fd2606f1c0dae46ac3c96405" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to the Associated Press</a>. It will take up to three weeks for the first round of doses to be shipped out to all government-identified vaccine sites. The vaccine is being apportioned by state population.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h4>



<p>The Pfizer vaccine must be stored at 94 degrees below zero, which has posed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielreed/2020/12/09/operation-warp-speed-now-comes-the-really-hard-part-delivering-10-billion-doxes-of-liquid-gold-quickly/?sh=5e2fcabe7e58">logistical issues</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h4>



<p>Hahn said Sunday he doesn&#8217;t think allergic reactions to the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine will be a &#8220;highly frequent issue&#8221;: “We do not think that this is a highly frequent issue that will arise, but we do want to be careful because vaccine safety, medical product safety is top of mind for us,” the FDA chief said.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“We do not think that this is a highly frequent issue that will arise, but we do want to be careful because vaccine safety, medical product safety is top of mind for us.” &#8211; FDA chief Dr. Stephen Hahn on the possibility of allergic reactions to the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CNNSOTU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CNNSOTU</a> <a href="https://t.co/SfsaJJYQsw">pic.twitter.com/SfsaJJYQsw</a></p>&mdash; State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1338132703909191682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h4>



<p>Asked to comment on President Trump’s executive order prioritizing Americans for vaccine shipments, Gates said: “Well, the extreme idea that everybody should die until we have the very last American vaccinated, that&#8217;s hardly the appropriate response.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bill Gates on Trump signing an executive order prioritizing the distribution of vaccines to Americans first: &quot;Well, the extreme idea that everybody should die until we have the very last American vaccinated, that&#39;s hardly the appropriate response.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/CcLT9uheSu">pic.twitter.com/CcLT9uheSu</a></p>&mdash; Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1338133587066032131?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h4>



<p>$1.75 billion. That’s how much the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated to the fight against Covid-19,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2020/12/10/bill-and-melinda-gates-foundation-injects-another-250-million-into-the-battle-against-covid-19/?sh=32b5535b12d4">according to Forbes</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2020/12/12/pfizer-covid-vaccine-expected-to-arrive-in-all-50-states-by-monday/?sh=4a0fd1ac467e">Pfizer Covid Vaccine Expected To Arrive In All 50 States By Monday</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2020/12/10/bill-and-melinda-gates-foundation-injects-another-250-million-into-the-battle-against-covid-19/?sh=32b5535b12d4">Bill And Melinda Gates’ Foundation Injects Another $250 Million Into The Battle Against Covid-19</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><em>by Jack Brewster, Forbes Staff</em></p>


2019 New York Times Dealbook

Gates Says Next 4-6 Months Could Be ‘Worst Of Pandemic’ As Vaccine Shipments Roll Out


<p>Since March, global hospitality groups like Marriott, Wyndham and Hilton have fought an uphill battle to stay above water in the pandemic economy. Chains have seen their occupancy rates and revenues collapse with the onset of the virus, prompting hotel closures and mass layoffs. As of September, the American Hotel and Lodging Association, an industry trade group,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ahla.com/sites/default/files/State%20Hotel%20Closures%20chart.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estimated</a>&nbsp;that American hotels had lost over 870,000 jobs, over a third of the total workforce, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/206546/us-hotels-occupancy-rate-by-month/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Statista estimates</a>&nbsp;that occupancy has declined nearly 32% this year.</p>



<p>Industry disruption is certain, but for the big players, weathering the storm is likely a temporary problem. In the long run, business travel will resume, families will vacation again and public events will reopen to fanfare. People will find reasons to return to hotels. And by relying on their massive franchisee networks and light capital expenses, hotel groups can likely break even despite a low occupancy rate.</p>



<p>The greater challenge is in the short term: How do you convince customers in the middle of a global pandemic that it’s safe to stay in a hotel?</p>



<p>“Over 70% of our guests were paying more attention to the cleanliness of their own spaces,” says Phil Cordell, Hilton’s global head of new brand development, who helped lead their sanitation efforts. “It’s part emotional, part logical. How are we going to tackle that?”</p>



<p>For hotels, sanitation during coronavirus has proven an organizational and PR hurdle, mandating new supply chains, a full overhaul of cleaning practices, strategic partnerships and a tightly controlled public narrative. And while some of the changes are likely to be temporary—breakfast buffets, though taboo now, will surely return—others will be long-lasting.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For Wyndham Hotel Group, which owns hotel brands including Wyndham, Days Inn and Ramada Inn, decision-making power in the early stages of the pandemic were devolved to a small operations team that scrambled to make sure its franchisees had cleaning basic worked with its suppliers to drop-ship cleaning supplies directly to them.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Trust eroded right away and had to be rebuilt,” says Mike Mueller, Wyndham’s head of brand operations. “Before, it was taken for granted that things were clean. All of the sudden that became the number one amenity.” Bottles of hand sanitizer and sanitary wipes, proudly displayed, became visual shorthand for a safe, tightly run ship.</p>



<p>Hilton ran a similar program for its franchisees, shipping sanitation care packages, courtesy of Lysol, to all of its locations globally. (If prominently displaying a bottle of Purell in your lobby is a hint, Hilton’s pandemic-era partnership with the iconic disinfectant spray is something slightly less subtle.) “The Americas were easy, Western Europe was fairly easy, but the further east you went in Europe, the harder it became,” says Cordell. “Russia, the -stan countries—those were the difficult ones.”</p>



<p>Public-facing brand partnerships were also at the forefront of Hilton’s larger pandemic response. In April, the company announced its partnership with the Mayo Clinic to develop its new sanitation program. The InterContinental Hotel Group, whose properties include Regent Hotels and Holiday Inn, also partnered with the Cleveland Clinic to develop its new “Way of Clean” regimen, while Marriott brought experts from Purdue University and Cornell on to its Covid-19 sanitation advisory board.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Despite the variety of voices, their recommendations have been similar: Make cleaning supplies and masks readily available, find food and beverage alternatives to traditional hotel dining and clean vigorously between customers’ stays, but scale back on housekeeping during visits to allay anxieties over having strangers in their rooms. (Housekeepers, one of the groups whose employment has suffered most during the coronavirus pandemic,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/11/travel/coronavirus-hotel-housekeeping.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">have noted</a>&nbsp;that the new processes have made their work more difficult.)</p>



<p>More creative problem-solving is likely to have mixed results. In April, Marriott announced that it would supply its locations with electrostatic sprayers, tools that spray a positively-charged disinfectant mist that adheres to surfaces. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7275188/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>&nbsp;from the Cleveland VA Medical Center found that while the sprays are effective, costs may be prohibitive: In September, when Marriott announced a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usitt.org/news/marriott-providing-exclusive-offer-electrostatic-sprayers-sanitizing-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">last call</a>&nbsp;for subsidized devices, a small handheld sprayer went for $1,227, while a larger backpack-size version cost $2,543. Meanwhile at Hilton, plans are underway to test UV light-emitting robots to assist in cleaning. Simpler fixes, like mobile check-in apps that limit face-to-face exposure at the front desk, have been widely implemented and are more likely to last the test of time.</p>



<p>“I think expectations are going to change and evolve,” says Cordell. “We’ve got to be quicker on our feet than ever before.”</p>



<p>&#8211;<em>By Christian Kreznar, Forbes Staff</em></p>


Tag: coronavirus and hotels

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

South Africa Abandons Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine In Favor Of Unapproved Johnson & Johnson Shot

Novavax Covid Vaccine Is Highly Effective Against U.K. Variant But Struggled In South Africa, Data Shows

Gates Says Next 4-6 Months Could Be ‘Worst Of Pandemic’ As Vaccine Shipments Roll Out

With Occupancy Down 32% Due To Covid-19, Here’s How Hotel Chains Are Trying To Convince Customers It’s Safe To Stay