Summary:

JNJ strikes huge vax deal with White House

COVID deaths top 700k

US to send DHHS Secretary Alex Azar on historic visit to Taiwan

Czech Republic reports biggest jump in new cases since June

Poland suffers record deaths

WHO sends team of 43 to South Africa

Uganda is Africa's standout COVID success story

WHO says first "confirmed" North Korea COVID cases "inconclusive"

Queensland, Australia bars travelers from all Eastern states

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Update (0910ET): JNJ shares are soaring in premarket trading after the company announced that it had struck a deal for 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, the latest in a string of blockbuster deals for vaccine candidates as governments, including the US, UK, EU and Japan, scramble to stockpile vaccine doses before they're even approved.

BARDA, the US agency in charge of these deals, is pledging $1 billion+ for this deal, at roughyl $10/dose, making JNJ's one of the cheaper vaccine candidates.