E-Paper
Poorest countries out of jabs: WHO
Manufacturing delays and disruptions in supply are causing acute shortage of Covid-19 vaccines.
More than half of the world’s poorest countries receiving Covid-19 vaccine doses via the Covax distribution programme do not have enough supplies to continue, an official from the World Health Orgnization (WHO) said on Monday.
“I would say, of the 80 countries, at least well over half of them wouldn’t have sufficient vaccines to be able to sustain their programmes right now,” WHO senior adviser Bruce Aylward told reporters, referring to an advance market commitment to low and middle-income countries, saying the actual portion was probably “much higher”.
Some of the countries have completely run out of Covid-19 vaccines, he pointed out.
The shortages, caused by manufacturing delays and supply disruptions, come as cases and deaths increase across Africa as part of a third wave of Covid-19 infections.
In Colombia, the death toll from the disease passed the 100,000 mark on Monday with a new 24-hour record of almost 650 deaths, the health ministry said. In proportion to its population, Colombia is reporting the fourth worst death toll in Latin America and Caribbean, and the sixth for the number of cases.
US set to miss July 4 goal
The administration of US President Joe Biden on Tuesday conceded it won’t meet its goal of administering one or more doses of a Covid vaccine to 70% of American adults by July 4. “We think it’ll take a few extra weeks to get to 70% of all adults with at least one shot,” said Jeffrey Zients, head of the White House Covid response team.
North Korea has told the WHO that it has tested more than 30,000 people for the coronavirus through June 10, but has yet to find a single infection. Health experts doubt North Korea’s claim that it has not had a single case of the coronavirus.
Abu Dhabi has reportedly started offering free coronavirus vaccines to tourists flying into the emirate, a move that could help revive the UAE’s struggling tourism industry.
