Tag: Covid

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Health

Covid masks mandates ought to be final measures lifted

Covid mask mandates should be last measures lifted

Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Friday that he believes the governors are right to begin easing Covid restrictions on businesses as long as the mask guidelines remain in place.

“I think it is advisable to leave the masks in place as this is the last thing we lift,” said the former Food and Drug Administration commissioner on Squawk Box.

Gottlieb made his comments a day after Connecticut Democratic Governor Ned Lamont announced a relaxation of restrictions due to take effect this month. This includes, among other things, the lifting of capacity restrictions for restaurants, churches, hair salons and retail stores from March 19. Lamont, however, retains the nationwide mask mandate. Texas and Mississippi – two republican governor-led states that recently lifted pandemic restrictions – are also removing their mask mandates.

Gottlieb said he found Lamont’s approach the right one given the advances in Covid vaccinations. Gottlieb, a Connecticut resident, was on a pandemic advisory team for Lamont.

“I think it’s the kind of thing we have to do across the country, at least provide a map of where we are going if the situation continues to improve without ever taking our foot off the brakes,” said Gottlieb. who headed the FDA in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2019.

Coronavirus cases in America have fallen sharply from their peak in January, which coincided with the continued roll-out of Covid vaccinations to a larger segment of the country’s population. At the same time, senior health officials have urged U.S. citizens to avoid complacency, warning that more contagious variants of the virus are threatening to undermine the nation’s progress.

“So much can change in the next few weeks,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky this week. “How that works is up to us. The next three months are crucial.”

Dr. White House chief medical officer Anthony Fauci told CNN on Thursday that the resetting of restrictions was “inexplicable” at the moment.

Gottlieb – a member of Pfizer’s board of directors who makes a Covid vaccine – said the emerging strains of the virus are important in keeping an eye out for states that intend to relax restrictions. The B117 variant, first discovered in the UK, grows in Connecticut, Gottlieb said. “If the situation changes, they will surely re-evaluate it.”

Lamont’s withdrawal of Connecticut restrictions is vastly different from the action taken by Texas GOP Governor Greg Abbott, who declared his state “100% OPEN” in a tweet earlier this week.

In Connecticut, performing arts venues and cinema capacity will continue to be capped at 50%. Additionally, dining rooms in restaurants must close at 11 p.m. ET.

Gottlieb said personally he would continue to avoid eating indoors, an attitude he maintained during the pandemic. “I will certainly be going to restaurants in the course of March, but I will eat outside,” said Gottlieb. “It just doesn’t seem like a risk worth taking for me.”

At the same time, Gottlieb said that the general risk dynamics for Covid had changed significantly due to the introduction of the vaccine.

As of Thursday, around 16% of the US population had received at least one dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses, while the recently approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single shot.

About 21% of Connecticut residents have received at least one dose of vaccine, according to the CDC.

“Connecticut has done a lot better than most states at getting vaccines into the elderly,” added Gottlieb. “You have taken an age-based approach. You have been very successful in vaccinating from 65 years of age. As the general vulnerability of the population decreases, you can lean forward a little.” Age is one of the biggest risk factors for developing severe Covid and possibly dying.

“If we now have 1,000 infections in the state, that’s a big difference from 1,000 infections 10 months ago when none of the state’s vulnerable residents were vaccinated,” said Gottlieb. “I think you need to try to find a way that will allow people to gradually return to normal activities.”

Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC employee and a member of the boards of directors of Pfizer, genetic testing startup Tempus, healthcare technology company Aetion, and Illumina biotech. He is also co-chair of the Healthy Sail Panel for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean.

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Health

Biden Covid staff holds briefing as extra states carry pandemic restrictions

Biden Covid team holds briefing as more states lift pandemic restrictions

[The stream is slated to start at 11 a.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.]

President Joe Biden’s Covid-19 Response Team is holding a press conference Friday on the coronavirus pandemic that infected more than 28 million Americans and killed at least 520,356 people in just over a year.

On Thursday, Connecticut Democratic Governor Ned Lamont said some of the state’s businesses will be allowed to return to full capacity starting March 19. The move follows similar actions from Texas and Mississippi, both led by Republican governors.

But senior U.S. health officials, including the director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Rochelle Walensky, warn against withdrawing public health measures too early. They say it could reverse the current downtrend in infections and delay the nation’s recovery from the pandemic.

Read CNBC’s live updates for the latest news on the Covid-19 outbreak.

– CNBC’s Noah Higgins-Dunn contributed to this report.

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Health

Some LGBTQ Folks Are Saying ‘No Thanks’ to the Covid Vaccine

Some LGBTQ People Are Saying 'No Thanks' to the Covid Vaccine

To date, around 54 million people in the United States have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, of which nearly 28 million have been fully vaccinated. At Callen-Lorde and other medical centers that treat many LGBTQ patients, health care workers have reported higher demand for the vaccine in white patients than in those with skin color.

According to a study by the Williams Institute published in February, LGBT people of color were twice as likely to test positive for Covid-19 as non-LGBT white people. Although blacks are at higher risk of contracting the disease, experts say that this population is particularly concerned about the vaccine. In a study published this month in Vaccines magazine, 1,350 men and transgender women who were predominantly identified as gay or bisexual reported the likelihood of receiving a Covid-19 vaccine. The black participants expressed significantly more vaccine reluctance than their white counterparts, according to the study.

Healthcare workers face the same resistance from their patients. “Some people just said literally, ‘Well, no – Trump was involved in getting this vaccine going, so I’m not going to get the vaccine,” said Jill Crank, a nurse at Johns Hopkins Community Physicians in Baltimore.

Studies show that all population groups, including those in the medical profession, have concerns about the Covid vaccine. According to a survey published in December by KFF (formerly Kaiser Family Foundation), about three in ten healthcare workers are reluctant to get the vaccine, compared to about a quarter of the general population.

Dezjorn Gauthier, 29, a black transgender man who lives about 20 minutes from Milwaukee, said that while he can’t get the vaccine, he doesn’t want it.

“It’s a no-go at the moment,” said Gauthier, a model and business owner who has Covid-19 antibodies because he contracted the coronavirus last year. The vaccine has been developing “so fast and so fast that I am just a little hesitant,” he said, adding that he was also unsure of the vaccine’s ingredients. “There is a fear in the church.”

Updated

March 5, 2021, 2:50 p.m. ET

For members of the LGBTQ community, and especially for people of color, the hesitation is partly due to the already existing distrust of the medical facility, according to the experts.

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Health

CDC examine finds easing masks mandates led to increased Covid circumstances and deaths

Reopening indoor dining is a 'reckless decision,' virologist says

Patrons Sari and Peter Melendez enjoy lunch at Katz’s Delicatessen, the famous delicatessen store founded in 1888, on the first day of returning to indoor dining for New York City during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on Dec. February in New York 2021.

Brendan McDermid | Reuters

The relaxation of mask mandates and the reopening of restaurants have led to an increase in Covid-19 cases and deaths as the agency urges states not to aggressively lift health restrictions, according to a new study by the CDC.

According to the study, which examined the county’s data between March and December, mask mandates implemented by local governments were able to slow the spread of the virus from around 20 days after they were implemented.

“Allowing local restaurants was associated with an increase in daily growth rates of COVID-19 cases 41 to 100 days after implementation and an increase in daily growth rates of deaths 61 to 100 days after implementation,” the US researchers wrote Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Masking mandates and restricting local dining at restaurants can help limit the transmission of COVID-19 through the community and lower the growth rates in cases and deaths.”

The study found that mask requirements were associated with a decrease in the daily growth rate of Covid-19 cases and deaths by more than 1 percentage point 20 days after they were implemented. Eating in restaurants was associated with an increase in the case growth rate of 41 to 60, 61 to 80 and 81 to 100 days after the restrictions were lifted by 0.9, 1.2 and 1.1 percentage points, respectively, according to the study.

The researchers added that these measures will be important in preventing highly transmissible variants of the coronavirus from spreading undiminished, which could lead to more cases, hospitalizations and deaths, medical experts have warned.

“This report is an important reminder that with current levels of Covid-19 in communities and the continued spread of communicable virus variants that have now been identified in 48 states, strict preventative measures are essential to put an end to it.” Pandemic, “CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a White House Covid-19 press conference on Friday.

“It also serves as a warning against premature lifting of these preventive measures,” said Walensky.

Senior U.S. health officials have repeatedly warned in recent weeks that the emergence of the new variants, particularly strain B.1.1.7 first identified in the UK, could reverse the nation’s success in containing its outbreak.

The USA reported a daily average of around 62,950 new cases in the past week. This is a significant decrease from the high of nearly 250,000 cases per day reported by the US in January. This comes from a CNBC analysis of the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The drop in cases has since lost steam, a worrying trend that has left infections at alarming levels that could rebound if the variants go into effect, senior health officials warn.

“There is a light at the end of this tunnel, but we have to be prepared that the road in front of us may not be slippery,” said Walensky.

Some states have resigned their economies despite requests from the Biden administration, including White House chief medical officer Dr. Anthony Fauci, urged local leaders to wait a few more weeks for cases to show signs of further decline and for more vaccines to be administered.

“I don’t know why they’re doing this, but it’s certainly bad advice from a public health perspective,” Fauci told CNN on Wednesday when asked about states lifting their Covid restrictions. The scene recalls last summer when states began lifting restrictions too early, followed by a spate of cases across the American sun belt.

“What we don’t need right now is another increase,” said Fauci.

Texas, Mississippi, and Connecticut all moved this week to allow companies to resume operations in their states at full capacity. Both Texas and Mississippi also decided to lift their statewide mask mandates, despite state governors urging residents to continue covering their faces.

On Thursday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced that she would lift her state’s mask mandate from April 9. She said that while this was the right thing to do, she respected those “who object and believe this is a step too far in going beyond government.” “”

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Health

San Diego Zoo Apes Get an Experimental Covid Vaccine

San Diego Zoo Apes Get an Experimental Covid Vaccine

The San Diego Zoo gave nine monkeys an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Zoetis, a large veterinary drug company.

In January, a group of gorillas in the zoo’s Safari Park tested positive for the virus. Everyone is recovering, but the Zoo asked Zoetis for help vaccinating other monkeys. The company provided an experimental vaccine that was originally developed for pets and is now being tested in mink.

Nadine Lamberski, conservation officer and animal health officer at San Diego Zoo Global, said the zoo vaccinated four orangutans and five bonobos with the experimental vaccine, which is not intended for use in humans. Among the orangutans vaccinated was a monkey named Karen, who made history when she became the first orangutan to undergo open heart surgery in 1994.

Dr. Lamberski said a gorilla in the zoo should also be vaccinated, but the gorillas in the wildlife park had a lower priority because they had already tested positive for infections and had recovered. She said she would vaccinate the gorillas in the wildlife park when the zoo received more doses of the vaccine.

Mahesh Kumar, senior vice president of global biologics at Zoetis, said the company is increasing production, largely due to the pursuit of a license for a mink vaccine, and will provide more doses to San Diego and other zoos if possible. “We have already received a number of inquiries,” he said.

Infection in monkeys is a major concern for zoos and conservationists. They are easily susceptible to human respiratory infections and the common cold virus has caused fatal outbreaks in chimpanzees in Africa. Genomic research has shown chimpanzees, gorillas and other monkeys are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the pandemic. Laboratory researchers use some monkeys, like macaques, to test drugs and vaccines and develop new therapies for the virus.

Updated

March 5, 2021, 8:37 a.m. ET

Scientists are concerned not only about the threat the virus poses to great apes and other animals, but also about the potential of the virus to enter a wildlife population that could become a permanent reservoir and emerge at a later date around the world Re-infecting people.

Infections with mink farms have caused the greatest horror so far. When Danish mink farms were destroyed by the virus, which can kill mink as well as humans, a mutated form of the virus emerged from the mink and re-infected people. This variant has shown resistance to some antibodies in laboratory studies, suggesting that vaccines may be less effective against them.

According to the World Health Organization, this virus variant has not been found in humans since November. However, other variants have emerged in people in several countries, proving that the virus can become more contagious and, in some cases, affect the effectiveness of some vaccines.

Denmark killed up to 17 million minks, wiping out its mink farming industry. Thousands of minks have died in the United States, and one wild mink tested positive for the virus.

Although many animals, including dogs, domestic cats, and big cats in zoos, have been infected with the virus through natural spread and others have been infected in laboratory experiments, scientists say widespread testing has found the virus in no animal in any animal other than the one mink .

National Geographic first reported on vaccinating the monkeys at the San Diego Zoo.

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Business

Troops who decide out of Covid vaccine are ‘a part of the issue’

Troops who opt out of Covid vaccine are 'part of the problem'

A paratrooper assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team prepares for an airborne operation May 7 at Fort Bragg, NC.

Spc. Hubert Delany III | US Army

WASHINGTON – The White House Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday that U.S. service members who are eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine but opt ​​out are inadvertently “part of the problem” of the pandemic’s extension.

“You are part of the solution to this outbreak,” Fauci told a virtual audience during a town hall with Blue Star Families, a nonprofit that addresses issues facing military families.

“Because through an infection, although you may not know it, you may accidentally pass the infection on to someone else even though you have no symptoms,” said Fauci. “In reality, like it or not, you are spreading this outbreak. Instead of being part of the solution, you are innocent and inadvertently part of the problem by not getting vaccinated.”

“You have to think about your own health, which is really very important, but you have to think about your social responsibility, including people you are personally close to as well as other family members of other people,” said Fauci.

Last month, the Pentagon admitted that about a third of U.S. military service members refused to take the voluntary coronavirus vaccine.

U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt.Felicia White, a supervisor at Camp Kinser Post Office, has her arm disinfected to receive her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa on March 2, 2021 at Camp Foster.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Zachary Larsen | US Marine Corps

When asked if the military leadership was disappointed with the revelation, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters last month that the decision to take the vaccine is ultimately up to each member of the force.

“Everyone is different and we want – what the secretary wants – the men and women in the department to make the best and most informed decisions for them and for their health and the health of their families,” said Kirby, adding to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin got the vaccine.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Northern Military Command, responsible for the Pentagon’s coronavirus efforts, has hired thousands of service members to help vaccinate communities across the country.

Last week Austin began his first official trip since rising to the top of the Pentagon to meet with military commanders overseeing the Covid-19 response effort in California.

Austin also visited a FEMA vaccination center in Los Angeles, the first to be manned by both active military teams and National Guard personnel.

Active Duty Soldiers and the Army National Guard prepare to receive a sham vaccine recipient during an exercise at California State University in Los Angeles on February 14, 2021.

US Army Capt. Daniel Parker | US Army

Austin said the Pentagon was committed to relaying factual information to the armed forces in order to build trust.

“There is a certain amount of suspicion and I think we have to work hard together to dispel rumors and provide facts to people,” Austin told reporters who travel with him. “And my experience is that when people are armed with the facts, they tend to make the right decisions.”

“My advice to everyone is, I mean, this saves lives. And it’s not just about saving our lives, it’s about saving the life of our partner, the neighbor, and in the military we live from teamwork and we have to think You also to our teammates, “he added.

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Business

‘I fear we’re getting numb’ to Covid numbers

How CVS and other retailers will dole out any surplus Covid vaccine doses

Richard Besser, who served as the deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under former President Barack Obama, said he feared people will discount Covid numbers if governors decide to reopen their states.

“In Texas, where they lifted the mask mandate, less than 10% of the people have been vaccinated and the levels are higher than last summer when they first put the mandates on,” Besser said. “I worry these numbers are going a little numb, and we don’t remember the fact that over 2,000 people die from Covid every day in America.”

Texas and Mississippi governors announced Tuesday that they were lifting mask mandates and allowing companies to reopen at full capacity.

“Now is the time to open Texas 100%,” said Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott.

Connecticut governor, Democrat Ned Lamont, announced Thursday that some of his state’s businesses will be allowed to operate at full capacity again from March 19.

Besser told CNBC’s The News with Shepard Smith that states should follow the CDC’s lead and take into account the concerns of Director Rochelle Walensky, who said she was still “deeply concerned” about the virus.

“Our recent declines seem to be stalling – at over 70,000 cases a day,” Walensky said during a press conference Monday at the White House. “With these new statistics, I am very concerned about reports that more and more states are rolling back the exact public health measures we have recommended to protect people from Covid-19.”

Besser’s old agency is expected to release new guidelines on Friday for people who are fully vaccinated. He advised host Shepard Smith that people should meet their expectations.

“I don’t think they will give the go-ahead to wholesale that many people are hoping for. There will be another downward trend and more people will be vaccinated than we currently have in the country,” Besser said.

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Health

Italy blocks shipments of AstraZeneca Covid vaccine

Italy blocks shipments of AstraZeneca Covid vaccine

Vial of AstraZeneca vaccine against coronavirus (COVID-19) on the first day of a mass vaccination by police and fire departments at the Wanda Metropolitan Stadium.

Marcos del Mazo | LightRocket | Getty Images

LONDON – The European Union intervened in the supply of coronavirus vaccines for the first time. Italy reportedly blocked delivery of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine to Australia on Thursday.

Reuters, citing two sources, reported that the British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca had asked Rome for permission to ship around 250,000 doses from its plant in Anagni, Italy. However, the Italian government refused. The Financial Times also reported the same story.

An AstraZeneca spokesman declined to comment when contacted by CNBC. A spokesman for the EU or the Italian Foreign Ministry was not immediately available to comment.

In January, the European Union temporarily controlled exports of vaccines made within the bloc after AstraZeneca and other supply problems were spat at. The EU has been under pressure from what critics are calling the slow adoption of Covid vaccines.

The European Commission, the body that runs the sales contracts, has been accused of not securing enough vaccines and the region’s medical agency has been criticized for taking too long to approve vaccinations that have given the go-ahead elsewhere have received.

The controls will last until the end of March and give EU member states the power to refuse to authorize exports if vaccine manufacturers fail to comply with contracts.

In January, AstraZeneca announced that it would deliver far fewer cans to the EU than originally expected in the spring due to production problems at its plants in the Netherlands and Belgium. Then on January 31, it announced it would dispose of an additional 9 million doses in the first quarter to make up for the deficit.

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Business

Alabama Gov. Ivey lifts statewide Covid masks mandate starting April 9

Alabama Gov. Ivey lifts statewide Covid mask mandate beginning April 9

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announces the renewal of a state ordinance mandating face masks in public during a news conference on July 29, 2020 in Montgomery, Ala.

Kim Chandler | AP

Alabama plans to overturn a statewide ordinance requiring people to wear masks in public on April 9, even if Governor Kay Ivey extends the state declaration of emergency for Covid-19 by 60 days.

“Let me be very clear that after April 9, I will no longer keep the mask order in effect,” said Ivey on Thursday.

Ivey extended mask orders and other health measures, which should expire on March 8, to give companies enough time to implement their own guidelines, she announced at a press conference. The governor urged residents to continue wearing face coverings even though the state will no longer mandate them.

“While I am convinced that a mask mandate was the right thing to do, I also respect those who object and believe that this was a step too far in going beyond government,” said Ivey.

The state’s expanded “Safer at Home” regulation, which now runs through April 9, allows restaurants and bars to operate without group size restrictions, although tables must meet additional sanitary requirements and remain 6 feet apart.

The ordinance allows senior centers to resume their outdoor activities, and hospitals and nursing homes can each welcome one additional visitor. The state’s public health declaration of emergency now expires on May 7th.

The governor noted that state hospitals have reported a 77% decrease in their weekly average number of daily Covid patients, about 686 people since peaking in mid-January. While Alabama is going in the “right direction,” Ivey said the expanded order will give the state more time to give residents their first dose of a vaccine.

According to recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just over 674,800 Alabama residents have received at least one dose of vaccine – nearly 14% of the total.

The Republican governor’s decision to lift the state’s mask mandate comes just days after both Texas and Mississippi announced similar moves on Tuesday. However, President Joe Biden and senior US health officials criticized the decision as a “big mistake”.

“We are on the verge of fundamentally changing the nature of this disease because we can get vaccines into people’s arms. … The last, the last thing we need is the Neanderthals’ thinking. That,” In the meantime Is everything ok. Take off your mask. Forget it. “It’s still important,” Biden told reporters on Wednesday.

Correction: This article has been updated to correct the date the Safer Home order will be fulfilled. It expires on April 9th ​​at 5 p.m.

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World News

Oil producers to assessment provide cuts amid Covid disaster

Oil producers to review supply cuts amid Covid crisis

LONDON – A group of some of the world’s most powerful oil-producing countries will discuss the next phase of production policy on Thursday amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Ministers representing OPEC and non-OPEC partners, an energy alliance sometimes referred to as OPEC +, have met via video conference to decide whether to increase crude oil production or keep it stable. A press conference is planned after the end of the meeting.

Analysts broadly believe that OPEC + will reverse some of the production cuts it made last year, although oil prices have risen on speculation that the group may choose not to increase supply.

The international benchmark’s Brent crude oil futures were trading at $ 65.33 a barrel in the early afternoon, up around 2%, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were trading at $ 62.48 and were thus 1.9% higher.

Crude oil futures have risen to pre-virus levels in recent weeks, driven by significant production cuts at OPEC + and the mass rollout of Covid-19 vaccines in many high-income countries.

OPEC de facto leader Saudi Arabia has publicly encouraged Allied partners to be “extremely cautious” about production policies and warned the group against complacency in order to ensure a full recovery in the oil market.

The non-OPEC leader Russia, meanwhile, announced that it would press ahead with a supply hike and last month claimed the market had already balanced out.

Energy analysts told CNBC earlier this week that OPEC + is expected to bring up to 1.3 million barrels a day back to market in April and possibly beyond.

Oil pumps, also known as “nodding donkeys”, are reflected in a puddle when they operate in an oil field near Almetyevsk, Russia on Sunday, August 16, 2020.

Andrey Rudakov | Bloomberg via Getty Images

Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects, told CNBC’s Squawk Box Europe on Thursday that reserve oil capacity was the group’s “biggest challenge”.

“I understand that it’s not just April that they’re talking about. (Saudi Arabia says) essentially to everyone, ‘Look, it’s April and May.’ Just like in January when they discussed the results in February and March, “said Sen.

Saudi Arabia knows that oil producers like Russia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates are ready to pump more oil into the market, she continued. However, Riyadh remains “laser-focused” to bring global oil stocks down to the industry five-year average and will therefore urge the group to reverse the cuts by May.

“Substantially different views and interests”

OPEC + initially agreed to cut oil production by a record 9.7 million barrels a day last year, before slashing cuts to 7.7 million and eventually 7.2 million from January.

OPEC King Saudi Arabia has since made voluntary cuts of 1 million from early February to March.

“The meetings that are characteristic of the typical departments within OPEC + will be a passionate debate, reflecting fundamentally different views and interests. Saudi Arabia remains the core force behind the market management strategy and is by far the most cautious of all member states,” said Saudi Arabia the analysts at Eurasia Group said in a research note.

“Complex and contradicting dynamics that have emerged in the past few days will make decision-making difficult, but overall the most likely outcome is a taper of about 1 million bpd, which includes a partial reversal of the previous 1 million bpd cut by Saudi Arabia would. “

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – 06/20/2018: The OPEC logo can be seen in the building of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna. The 174th OPEC meeting will take place on June 22, 2018 in Vienna. (Photo by Omar Marques / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images)

SOPA pictures | LightRocket | Getty Images

Ahead of Thursday’s meeting, OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo stressed the need to remain cautious as several ministers pushed for production quotas to be eased.

He warned that the Covid crisis still poses downside risks to the global economy and the distribution of vaccines that benefit the world’s richest nations could lead to an uneven recovery.

“The speculation is that Saudi Arabia might actually surprise the market by failing to return its two-month unilateral cuts of 1 million barrels / day it is holding from February to March 2021,” said Bjarne Schieldrop, chief commodities analyst at SEB, in a note.

“We assume that OPEC + will increase production by 1 to 1.5 million Bl / day in April 2021. If the group only grows by 1 million Bl / day, it would mean that Saudi Arabia unilaterally more than its fair share of the market withholding strain to further prop up the market, “added Schieldrop.