U.S. Count Eases; EU Secures 1.8 Billion Doses: Virus Update Bloomberg 48 mins ago The U.S. looks set for its first week since mid-September in which daily coronavirus cases have not exceeded 50,000. The European Union approved a contract with Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE for as many as 1.8 billion vaccine doses as the region bulks up its vaccination campaign through 2023. In India, more than 4,000 daily deaths were recorded in the latest sign the pandemic is intensifying in the world’s worst-hit nation. There are more vaccine options coming, at least. The World Health Organization gave its backing to a shot developed by China’s Sinopharm Group, paving the way for a wider rollout in vaccine-short countries.