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Pfizer vaccine appears effective against coronavirus variant found in Britain — study

Wesley Wheeler, President of Global Healthcare at United Parcel Service (UPS) holds up an example of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine vial during a Senate hearing on the logistics of transporting a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C., US, Dec. 10, 2020. — SAMUEL CORUM/POOL VIA REUTERS

FRANKFURT — The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is likely to protect against a more infectious variant of the virus discovered in Britain which has spread around the world, according to results of further lab tests released on Wednesday.

The encouraging results from an analysis of blood of participants in trials are based on more extensive analysis than those released by the US drug maker last week.

Last week, Pfizer said a similar laboratory study showed the vaccine was effective against one key mutation, called N501Y, found in two highly transmissible new variants spreading in Britain and South Africa.

The latest study, posted on bioRxiv.org but not yet peer reviewed, was conducted on a synthetic virus with 10 mutations that are characteristic of the variant known as B117 identified in Britain.

Among the 11 authors of the study are Ugur Sahin and Oezlem Tuereci, co-founders of BioNTech. Mr. Sahin is chief executive and his wife Ms. Tuereci is chief medical officer.

It provides further hope as record numbers of daily deaths from COVID-19 are reported in Britain, which is believed to be driven by the more transmissible variant. It also means vaccine development would for now not have to start all over again.

But the virus needs to be continuously monitored to check that changes maintain protection by vaccines, the study said.

For the test, blood samples drawn from 16 vaccinated participants in prior clinical trials were exposed to a synthetic virus called pseudovirus which was engineered to have the same surface proteins as B117, as characterized by 10 hallmark mutations.

The antibodies in the blood of the volunteers given the vaccine, known as Comirnaty, or BNT162b2, neutralized the pseudovirus as effectively as the older coronavirus version that the product was initially designed for.

Experts said the findings were reassuring and not surprising and results from similar studies on the South African variant would be keenly watched.

“This makes it very unlikely that the UK variant will escape from the protection provided by the vaccine,” said Jonathan Stoye, a specialist in virus science at Britain’s Francis Crick Institute. “It will be interesting to carry out the same experiments with the South African variant.”

BioNTech has said it plans to publish a more detailed analysis of the likely effect of its vaccine on the South African variant within a few days.

The world is pinning its hopes on vaccines to rein in the coronavirus, first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019, as many countries impose tighter and longer lockdowns to try to bring the pandemic under control.

VARIANTS AND VACCINES
The variants are said by scientists to be more transmissible than previously dominant ones, but they are not thought to cause more serious illness.

“The South African strain has been detected in the UK — albeit currently in small numbers — but does seem to be increasing in recent weeks,” said Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine at Britain’s University of East Anglia.

“Variants with this mutation could reduce vaccine efficacy, though most likely all current vaccines would still be highly effective.”

Experts have called for continued testing to establish whether vaccines will protect people as the virus mutates. COVID-19 has killed more than 2 million people worldwide.

Preparation for potential COVID-19 vaccine strain changes would be “prudent,” the study said on Wednesday.

The Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the one from Moderna, Inc, which both use synthetic messenger RNA technology, or mRNA, can be quickly adapted to address new mutations in the coronavirus if necessary. Scientists have suggested the changes could be made in as little as six weeks.

AstraZeneca, Moderna and CureVac are also testing whether their respective shots will protect against the fast-spreading variants. They have not released the results of those tests. — Reuters

China to impose virus testing on Lunar New Year travelers

SHANGHAI/BEIJING — China plans to impose strict COVID testing requirements during the Lunar New Year holiday season, when tens of millions of people are expected to travel, as it battles the worst wave of new infections since March 2020.

Millions of residents in Hebei province surrounding Beijing, the northeastern Jilin province and Heilongjiang have been put into lockdown in recent weeks amid what is the worst wave of new infections since March 2020.

Authorities are asking people to stay home during the Lunar New Year holidays in February as part of the efforts to prevent another debilitating outbreak.

A total of 144 new cases were reported on Jan. 20, the National Health Commission said on Thursday, matching the total reported on Jan. 14 and marking the highest number of daily infections since March 1. This still remains a fraction of what China saw during the height of the outbreak in January-February 2020, however.

Of the 126 new local infections, Heilongjiang accounted for 68 while Jilin reported 33. Hebei, which had so far seen the biggest spike in cases this month, reported 20 new cases, and Beijing reported two cases.

The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed infections, rose to 113 from 58 a day earlier.

In a notice posted online, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said people returning to rural areas from other provinces over the Lunar New Year period would have to produce a negative COVID-19 test taken within seven days.

A majority of China’s 280 million rural migrant workers usually travel home to their villages at this time of year.

Those that work with imported cold chain products, or quarantine facility workers, among other groups, would also have to produce a test, even if they remained in the same province, said the notice.

Rural areas’ epidemic control, as well as infections spread via imported frozen goods, have been blamed by officials as weak links partially responsible for the current outbreaks.

An announcement from an NHC official during a Wednesday news conference had suggested everyone returning home would have to take a test. Official media Xinhua then published an article urging officials to clarify details “as soon as possible.”

The total number of confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in mainland China now stands at 88,701, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,635.  Reuters

Tilapia is the ideal pandemic food — DoST

“What we need now, especially this pandemic, is food for poor households. Tilapia is a great commodity to our culture,” said Eduardo V. Manalili, director of the Inland Aquatic Resources Research Division of the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DoST-PCAARRD). — NEWS 5/SHYLA FRANCISCO

The nile tilapia, introduced in the country because of its adaptability and ability to grow fast, promotes food security amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Tilapia is a hardy fish, a fast grower, and is preferred by Filipinos,” said Eduardo V. Manalili, director of the Inland Aquatic Resources Research Division of the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DoST-PCAARRD),  in a recent presentation on commercially caught fishes. “What we need now, especially this pandemic, is food for poor households. Tilapia is a great commodity to our culture.”

“We introduced tilapia because it’s easy to breed and easy to grow and now it’s the second most important fish next to milkfish,” said academician Rafael D. Guerrero III, a member of the Agricultural Sciences Division of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) Philippines. Native fishes like hito on the other hand, are carnivorous. “They feed on other fishes. It takes about seven kilos of other fish to produce one kilo of them.” 

The tilapia industry provides valuable income and an affordable source of animal protein for the growing population, particularly those that depend on agriculture and fishing for livelihood. A June 2020 World Bank report states that, although poverty among farmers and fisherfolk has fallen over time, it remains far higher than the national average, and nearly three times greater than poverty among urban households. 

Apart from the nile tilapia, common carp and mudfish round out the top three most important commercially caught freshwater fishes in 2017 with a value of over P3 billion pesos, according to 2018 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). All three species are introduced (or evolved in one environment and then introduced by humans into another), with the nile tilapia accounting for half of the total value. 

Market study statistics from the same government body show that there was a 75.2% increase in tilapia fish catch between 2005 and 2017. 

MAJOR THREATS
Freshwater fishes are more vulnerable to extinction than marine fishes, said Mr. Guerrero, because they’re closer to man. Among the freshwater fishes caught in the country, silver perch has the highest depletion rate, whereas tawilis—a freshwater sardine found only in Lake Taal, Batangas—is the most critically endangered endemic species. 

Pollution, drainage of wetlands, channeling of rivers, forest deforestation, sedimentation, invasive species, and overharvesting are the major threats to freshwater fishes. 

Government initiatives, such as BASIL, or the Balik Sigla sa Ilog at Lawa, have been put in place to address these issues. Provided with a budget of P209.28 million for five years (from 2018 to 2022), BASIL aims to revive the fisheries of lakes, rivers, and reservoirs located in upland and land-locked areas where there is a deficiency of fish. — Patricia B. Mirasol

Klook pushes domestic tourism to help combat ‘wanderlust withdrawal’

Travel and leisure booking platform Klook has partnered with domestic destinations and local tourism organizations to offer Filipinos a way to combat “wanderlost”—or wanderlust withdrawal.

The lack of travel as a result of the pandemic has taken a toll on Filipinos, according to an Asia-Pacific study commissioned by Klook. Out of the 13 markets surveyed between November 5–12, 2020, Filipinos ranked highest on wanderlust withdrawal symptoms.

More than 1,000 respondents from the Philippines participated in the study, which found that Filipinos are torn between visiting family (89%) and escaping from them (73%). Klook attributed the contradictory results to individuals who wish they had personal downtime after being confined with family members over the lockdown. 

Filipinos also expressed unhappiness about not being able to travel with friends to create happy memories (93%), as well as constantly looking at past travel photos (81%) since they cannot travel.

DOMESTIC TRAVEL RECOMMENDATIONS
With the mass deployment of vaccines and the possibility of cross-border travel still at least a few months away, Klook has drawn up a list of domestic destinations as an alternative to international travel. 

These local offerings, curated through partnerships with local tourism organizations, highlight activities that are already open to visitors and comply with Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) regulations and local government unit rules. 

The list includes unlimited rides in Enchanted Kingdom (P711); a staycation in Shangri-La Boracay Resort (P16,305); a heritage walking tour in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar (P1,200); and a pampering session at Luljetta’s Hanging Gardens Spa (P895).

The destinations in the list have, at the minimum, safety protocols that include reduced capacity, temperature checks, personal protective equipment for each staff, and regular sanitation. 

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, for its part, has a reservation-only protocol for day tours and check-in guests; thermal scanning and sanitation on entrance; signage to remind visitors of handwashing, physical distancing, and respiratory etiquette; scheduled sanitation; a maximum of six persons per guided tour; and a QR (quick response) code for menus. Guests who have checked in are also not permitted to leave the hotel premises until checkout time. 

Other select attractions, such as Cebu Ocean Park, have a Klook-powered Contact Tracing System that features QR code scanning with mobile number verification and entry timestamps to ensure database accuracy. The technology will soon be rolled out to other attractions as well. — Patricia B. Mirasol 

Nepal to turn Everest trash into art to highlight mountain’s garbage blight

Sagarmatha Next Centre—a visitors’ information center and waste up-cycling facility—said foreign and local artists will be engaged in creating artwork from waste materials and train locals to turn trash into treasures. Photo via Sagarmatha Next/Facebook

KATHMANDU — Trash collected from Mount Everest is set to be transformed into art and displayed in a nearby gallery, to highlight the need to save the world’s tallest mountain from turning into a dumping site.

Used oxygen bottles, torn tents, ropes, broken ladders, cans, and plastic wrappers discarded by climbers and trekkers litter the 8,848.86 meter (29,032 feet) tall peak and the surrounding areas.

Tommy Gustafsson, project director and a co-founder of the Sagarmatha Next Centre—a visitors’ information center and waste upcycling facility—said foreign and local artists will be engaged in creating artwork from waste materials and train locals to turn trash into treasures.

“We want to showcase how you can transform solid waste to precious pieces of art… and generate employment and income,” Mr. Gustafsson told Reuters.

“We hope to change the people’s perceptions about the garbage and manage it,” he said.

The Centre is located at an altitude of 3,780 meters at Syangboche on the main trail to Everest base camp, two days’ walk from Lukla, the gateway to the mountain.

It is due for “soft opening” to locals in the spring as the number of visitors could be limited this year due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions, Gustafsson said.

Products and artwork will be displayed to raise environmental awareness, or sold as souvenirs with the proceeds going to conservation of the region, he said.

Trash brought down from the mountain or collected from households and tea houses along the trail is handled and segregated by a local environmental group, the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, but the task in a remote region that has no roads is a huge challenge.

Garbage is dumped or burned in open pits, causing air and water pollution as well as contamination of soil.

Phinjo Sherpa, of the Eco Himal group involved in the scheme, said under a “carry me back” initiative, each returning tourist and guide will be requested to take a bag containing one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of garbage back to Lukla airport, from where the trash will be airlifted to Kathmandu.

In 2019, more than 60,000 trekkers, climbers and guides visited the area.

“We can manage a huge amount of garbage if we involve the visitors,” Mr. Sherpa said.

Everest was first climbed by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953.

Nearly 4,000 people have since made 6,553 ascents from the Nepali side of the mountain, which can also be climbed from the Tibetan side in China, according to the Himalayan Data base. — Gopal Sharma/Reuters

New COVID-19 variant defeats plasma treatment, may reduce vaccine efficacy

The new COVID-19 variant is 50% more infectious than previous ones, South African researchers said this week. It has already spread to at least 20 countries since being reported to the World Health Organization in late December.

JOHANNESBURG — The new COVID-19 variant identified in South Africa can evade the antibodies that attack it in treatments using blood plasma from previously recovered patients, and may reduce the efficacy of the current line of vaccines, scientists said on Wednesday.

Researchers are racing to establish whether the vaccines currently being rolled out across the globe are effective against the so-called 501Y.V2 variant, identified by South African genomics experts late last year in Nelson Mandela Bay.

“This lineage exhibits complete escape from three classes of therapeutically relevant monoclonal antibodies,” the team of scientists from three South African universities working with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) wrote in a paper published in the bioRxiv journal.

“Furthermore, 501Y.V2 shows substantial or complete escape from neutralizing antibodies in COVID-19 convalescent plasma,” they wrote, adding that their conclusions “highlight the prospect of reinfection… and may foreshadow reduced efficacy of current spike-based vaccines.”

The 501Y.V2 variant is 50% more infectious than previous ones, South African researchers said this week. It has already spread to at least 20 countries since being reported to the World Health Organization in late December.

It is one of several new variants discovered in recent months, including others first found in England and Brazil.

The variant is the main driver of South Africa’s second wave of COVID-19 infections, which hit a new daily peak above 21,000 cases earlier this month, far above the first wave, before falling to about 12,000 a day.

Convalescent blood plasma from previous patients has not been shown to be effective when administered to severely ill patients requiring intensive care for COVID-19, but it is approved in several countries as an emergency measure.

British scientists and politicians have expressed concern that vaccines currently being deployed or in development could be less effective against the variant.

The paper said it remained to be seen how effective current vaccines were against 501Y.V2, which would only be determined by large-scale clinical trials. But results showed the need for new vaccines to be designed to tackle the evolving threat, it said. — Reuters

NutriAsia and Papa team up with DepEd to teach students about proper nutrition

Proper diet and nutrition are crucial in young children’s formative years. These foster proper development for children, leading to good health, intelligence, and behavior, thus giving them better chances in succeeding later in life.

In light of this, NutriAsia and Papa forged a partnership with both Marylindbert International and the Department of Education (DepEd) for the school year 2020-2021, the Pinggang Pinoy Pina-Sweet Sarap Comprehensive School Program advocacy. It is a special module that teaches the importance of having the right diet and nutrition. Advocated by Papa Banana Catsup and Papa Spaghetti Pack, the program aims to educate Grade 1 and 2 Filipino students about how keeping a good diet with the right nutrition lead to proper and healthy development.

“With the Pinggang Pinoy Pina-Sweet Sarap Comprehensive School Program, we have a whole plan ready for teaching young Filipinos how to keep a proper diet and take in the nutrients they need,” said NutriAsia President and COO Angie Flaminiano. “We hope to be a part of their good growth and development and, in turn, the Philippines’ growth as well. ”The Pinggang Pinoy program will be launched in 30 participating schools across the country, namely in Regions I, X, XI, and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

School children from Regions I, X, XI, and the Cordillera Administrative Region received DepEd workbooks and Papa products for a truly unique learning experience

The NutriAsia and Papa Pinggang Pinoy Pina-Sweet Sarap Advocacy Program are divided into three stages. The first stage is an in-classroom module and the second stage will involve cooking demonstrations and activities that will show students and parents how to prepare healthy snacks. Advocates Papa Banana Catsup and Papa Spaghetti Pack revealed that the culminating activity will involve a cooking contest that will challenge students, teachers, and parents to create unique recipes.

Papa’s advocacy of helping educate Filipinos in the classroom and beyond has also led them to produce edutainment Facebook videos for NutriAsia’s HomeSchool Program. These videos can be viewed at https://nutriasia.com/homeschool/

For more information and updates on Pinggang Pinoy and NutriAsia’s other initiatives, visit the official website at www.nutriasia.com, and follow NutriAsia on Facebook.

Biden White House pledges data, transparency, respect for free press

WASHINGTON — The press secretary of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., held her first news conference on Wednesday, seven hours after Mr. Biden’s inauguration, vowing to bring truth and transparency back to government.

Jen Psaki, who served as the chief spokeswoman at the State Department under former President Barack H. Obama, told reporters she had a “deep respect for the role of a free and independent press in our democracy.”

Marking a contrast to former President Donald J. Trump and his top aides’ treatment of what they called “the fake news media,” Ms. Psaki pledged professional, civil exchange.

“There will be moments when we disagree, and there will certainly be days where we disagree for extensive parts of the briefing even, perhaps,” she said. “But we have a common goal, which is sharing accurate information with the American people.”

Mr. Biden plans to “bring transparency and truth back to the government to share the truth, even when it’s hard to hear,” she said.

Ms. Psaki said she expected to hold daily briefings at the White House on weekdays, and to make available health officials to explain efforts to get the COVID-19 pandemic under control.

Under Mr. Trump, the White House banned news organizations it viewed as too critical from briefings and moved to off-camera “gaggles” instead of daily televised news briefings.

During a virtual White House ceremony to swear in nearly 1,000 federal appointees and staff who do not need Senate confirmation, Mr. Biden on Wednesday emphasized public service and respect.

“If you’re ever working with me and I hear you treating another colleague with disrespect, talking down to someone, I will fire you on the spot,” he warned the staff. — Reuters

In hidden message on White House website, Biden calls for coders

WASHINGTON — The recently updated website for the White House of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., carried an invitation for tech specialists savvy enough to find it.

Hidden in the HTML code on https://www.whitehouse.gov/ was an invitation to join the US Digital Service, a technology unit within the White House.

“If you’re reading this, we need your help building back better,” the message said.

Former President Barack Obama launched the service in 2014 to recruit technologists to help revamp government services—for example by modernizing Medicare’s payment system or reforming hiring practices across government agencies.

Tech specialists join the Digital Service for typically one or two years. — Raphael Satter/Reuters

WHO plans slew of COVID-19 vaccine approvals for global rollout

BRUSSELS — The World Health Organization (WHO) plans to approve several COVID-19 vaccines from Western and Chinese manufacturers in coming weeks and months, a document published on Wednesday shows, as it aims for rapid rollouts in poorer countries.

COVAX, a global scheme co-led by the WHO, wants to deliver at least 2 billion COVID-19 doses across the world this year, with at least 1.3 billion going to poorer countries.

But it has so far struggled to secure enough shots due to a shortage of funds, while wealthy nations have booked large volumes of vaccines for themselves.

In the race to deploy shots, regulatory approvals are key to confirming the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, and to boosting output. But some poorer countries rely mostly on WHO authorizations as they have limited regulatory capacity.

The WHO is therefore “expediting” emergency approvals, according to a COVAX internal document seen by Reuters.

The COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) could be authorized by the WHO in January or February, the document says.

The same vaccine produced in South Korea by SK Bioscience could be approved by the UN agency in the second half of February, at the earliest, a provisional calendar published by the WHO on Wednesday shows.

As well as vaccines, regulators usually authorise their manufacturing processes in different plants.

SII chief executive Adar Poonawalla told Reuters last week he expected WHO approval “in the next week or two.”

AstraZeneca did not respond to requests for comment, while SK said it was not aware of the WHO’s approval timeline.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, developed with Oxford University, has already been given emergency approval in Britain, while decisions in the European Union and the United States are close.

COVAX has supply contracts with AstraZeneca and SII for about 400 million doses and an option for many more hundreds of millions, although the timing of deliveries is uncertain.

OTHER WESTERN SHOTS

The WHO authorized the vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech at the end of December.

WHO officials have said they are seeking a supply deal with the US pharmaceutical giant, which has already committed hundreds of millions of doses this year to several wealthy nations.

COVAX had not initially included the Pfizer/BioNTech shot in its shortlist for advance purchases.

Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment on whether a deal was close and whether it would involve only a limited number of doses this year.

The provisional approval calendar also shows the WHO is expected to approve Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, which is based on the same messenger RNA (mRNA) technology as Pfizer’s, at the end of February.

Moderna, whose vaccine is already approved in many Western countries including in the United States and the European Union, had no immediate comment.

The vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson (J&J), which has a non-binding agreement to supply COVAX with 500 million doses over an unspecified timeframe, is expected to get WHO approval in May or June at the earliest, the WHO document says.

J&J has not yet published results of its vaccine’s Phase III clinical trials, but the EU has said it expects the company to apply for approval as early as February.

A J&J spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

CHINA AND RUSSIA

The WHO is also considering possible quick approvals for two Chinese vaccines, the provisional calendar shows.

Sinopharm and Sinovac have filed their applications with the WHO, which is reviewing them and could make decisions on both in March at the earliest, it says.

Neither vaccine was shortlisted by the WHO for possible advance purchase deals. WHO approval does not automatically lead to purchases by COVAX. It could also facilitate the rollout in poorer countries that acquire the vaccines directly.

Sinopharm has filed applications for two COVID-19 vaccines, but the possible March approval concerns only the one developed by its Beijing-based affiliate, Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd (BIBP), which has already been widely used for inoculations in China.

Sinovac has yet to release global results of its Phase III trials, but its vaccine has been approved for emergency use in countries including Brazil, Indonesia, and Turkey.

Sinopharm and Sinovac did not respond to requests for comment.

There is no provisional timetable yet for the possible approval of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, despite its developers having filed the relevant documentation, the timetable shows.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the main financial backer of Sputnik V, did not respond to a request for comment. — Francesco Guarascio/Reuters

India’s Bharat Biotech seeks emergency use approval for vaccine in Philippines

MANILA – India’s Bharat Biotech submitted on Thursday an application for the emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines, Food and Drug Administration chief Rolando Enrique Domingo said.

Bharat Biotech, which has developed COVAXIN with the Indian Council of Medical Research, is the fourth vaccine maker to apply for emergency use in the Philippines.

‘We must end this uncivil war,’ Biden says, taking over a US in crisis

WASHINGTON – Joe Biden was sworn in as president of the United States on Wednesday, offering a message of unity and restoration to a deeply divided country reeling from a battered economy and a raging coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 Americans.

Standing on the steps of the U.S. Capitol two weeks after a mob of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the building, Biden called for a return to civic decency in an inaugural address marking the end of Trump’s tempestuous four-year term.

“To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America, requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy: unity,” Biden, a Democrat, said after taking the oath of office.

“We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this – if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.”

The themes of Biden’s 21-minute speech mirrored those he had put at the center of his presidential campaign, when he portrayed himself as an empathetic alternative to the divisive Trump, a Republican.

Saying there was “no time to waste,” Biden signed 15 executive actions shortly after entering the White House on Wednesday afternoon to set a new course and overturn some of Trump’s most controversial policies.

The orders included mandating masks on federal property, halting the withdrawal from the World Health Organization, rejoining the Paris climate accord and ending a travel ban on some Muslim-majority countries.

Biden told reporters in the Oval Office that Trump had left him “a very generous letter,” but he would not disclose its contents.

The inauguration itself, one unlike any other in U.S. history, served as a stark reminder of both the tumult that defined the Trump era as well as the pandemic that still threatens the country.

Amid warnings of possible renewed violence, thousands of armed National Guard troops circled the Capitol in an unprecedented show of force. The National Mall, typically packed with throngs of supporters, instead was filled with nearly 200,000 U.S. flags. Attending dignitaries – including former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton – wore masks and sat several feet apart.

Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, became the first Black person, first woman and first Asian American to serve as vice president after she was sworn in by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court’s first Latina member.

The president spoke forcefully about the Jan. 6 Capitol siege when Trump backers breached the building, sending lawmakers fleeing for safety and leaving five dead, including a police officer. But Biden never mentioned his predecessor by name.

The violence prompted the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives to impeach Trump last week for an unprecedented second time, accusing him of incitement after he exhorted his backers to march on the building to press false claims of election fraud.

‘SACRED GROUND’

“Here we stand, just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work on our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground,” Biden said. “It did not happen; it will never happen. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.”

The norm-defying Trump flouted one last convention on his way out of the White House when he refused to meet with Biden or attend his successor’s inauguration, breaking with a political tradition seen as affirming the peaceful transfer of power.

Trump, who never conceded the Nov. 3 election, did not mention Biden by name in his final remarks as president on Wednesday morning, when he touted his administration’s record. He then boarded Air Force One for the last time and flew to his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida.

Top Republicans, including Vice President Mike Pence and the party’s congressional leaders, skipped Trump’s send-off and attended Biden’s inauguration instead.

Biden takes office at a time of deep national unease, with the country facing what his advisers have described as four compounding crises: the pandemic, the economic downturn, climate change and racial inequality.

After a bitter campaign marked by Trump’s baseless allegations of election fraud, Biden’s speech struck a conciliatory tone rarely heard from Trump. He asked Americans who did not vote for him to give him a chance.

“I pledge this to you: I will be a president for all Americans,” he said. “And I promise you I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did.”

Although his remarks were directed primarily at domestic problems, Biden also delivered a message to the rest of the world. He promised to repair alliances frayed by Trump and act as a strong partner for peace, progress and security. He made no specific mention of high-stakes disputes with North Korea, Iran and China.

World leaders issued congratulatory statements, with several U.S. allies expressing relief at Biden’s inauguration after Trump’s unpredictable tenure that was focused on an “America First” agenda.

BACK TO WHITE HOUSE

Biden took the presidential oath, administered by U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts, with his left hand resting atop a 5-inch heirloom Bible that has been in his family for a century.

Later in the day, Biden attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, accompanied by Obama, Bush and Clinton.

Afterward, his motorcade joined an abbreviated parade on his way to the White House. Biden and his family left their limousines on Pennsylvania Avenue to walk the final few hundred yards to their new home.

“It feels like I’m going home,” Biden said when asked about returning to the White House.

In her first briefing for reporters, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Biden’s first telephone conversation with a foreign leader would be with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. They will discuss Biden’s decision to revoke the permit needed to build the Keystone XL oil pipeline and other bilateral issues, she said.

Biden’s inauguration as the 46th president was the zenith of a five-decade career in public service that included more than three decades in the U.S. Senate and two terms as vice president under Obama. At 78, he is the oldest U.S. president in history.

He faces calamities that would challenge even the most experienced politician.

The pandemic reached a pair of grim milestones on Trump’s final full day in office on Tuesday, reaching 400,000 U.S. deaths and 24 million infections – the highest of any country. Millions of Americans are out of work because of pandemic-related shutdowns and restrictions.

Biden’s top priority is a $1.9 trillion plan that would enhance jobless benefits and provide direct cash payments to households to alleviate the financial pain from coronavirus.

But it will require approval from a divided Congress, where Democrats hold slim advantages in both the House and Senate.

The Senate on Wednesday approved Avril Haines to be director of national intelligence, the nation’s top intelligence job, the first confirmation of a Biden nominee. — Reuters