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International News

Swiss Re raises $ 775 mn Cat bond for California Earthquake Authority, to protect Californians against earthquakes

“Swiss Re’s mission as a company is to make the world more resilient. We’re delighted to partner with CEA which has been helping to protect Californians from the financial consequences of earthquakes for almost 25 years,“ said Jonathan Isherwood, Swiss Re’s CEO Reinsurance Americas and Regional President.

“Only around 13% of Californians who purchase residential insurance also have earthquake protection. It’s not a matter of if, but when, the next one strikes. This transaction supports CEA’s ability to extend financial protection to a greater number of California residents who are highly exposed to earthquakes.“

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U.S. breaks daily record for coronavirus cases with over 84,000 new infections

Health experts have not pinpointed the reason for the rise but have long warned that colder temperatures driving people inside, fatigue with COVID-19 precautions and students returning to schools and colleges, could promote the spread of the virus.

The United States has the most cases in the world at 8.5 million and the most fatalities with 224,000 lives lost. The United States has reported over the past week an average of 60,000 new cases per day, the highest seven-day average since early August.

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Countries battle rising coronavirus cases as WHO sees ‘exponential’ rise

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had on Friday warned that “too many countries are seeing an exponential increase in Covid-19 cases and that is now leading to hospitals and intensive care units running close to or above capacity — and we’re still only in October.”

“We urge leaders to take immediate action to prevent further unnecessary deaths.”

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AstraZeneca resumes U.S. COVID-19 vaccine trial and next week J&J prepares to do same

AstraZeneca said that it is not unusual for some trial participants to fall ill during large scale vaccine trials but that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reviewed all safety data from the trials globally and deemed it safe to continue testing the vaccine.

AstraZeneca trials in the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa resumed last month even as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continued its investigation into the case.

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Insurers drop appeal against UK COVID-19 payout ruling on three policies

appeals linked to the Resilience, Eaton Gate Retail, and Eaton Gate Pubs & Restaurants policies have now been dropped, legal documents show, raising hopes that hundreds of vulnerable businesses could see their claims processed without further delay.

A spokesman for RSA, one of the largest of the six insurers, said it would work with broker Marsh to make interim payments where appropriate.

Businesses across the world have been locked in disputes with insurance companies over pandemic-related payouts.

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Number of South Koreans dying after flu shot rises, prompts vaccine worries

South Korea’s vaccines come from a variety of sources. Manufacturers include local drug makers GC Pharma, SK Bioscience and Ilyang Pharmaceutical Co, along with France’s Sanofi and Britain’s Glaxosmithkline. Distributors include LG Chem Ltd and Boryung Biopharma Co. Ltd., a unit of Boryung Pharm Co. Ltd..GC Pharma, LG Chem, SK Bioscience and Boryung declined to comment. Ilyang Pharmaceutical, Sanofi and GSK could not immediately be reached for comment.

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