Aussie PM gets jab in ‘massive stride’ towards normalcy
Boris meets senior ministers to finalise a ‘road map’ out of lockdown; Aussie PM gets virus vaccine in ‘massive step’ towards normal; Fauci says it is possible Americans will still be wearing masks in 2022
The British government announced on Sunday that it aims to give every adult in the country a first dose of coronavirus vaccine by July 31, a month earlier than its previous target.
The new target also aims for everyone over 50 or with an underlying health condition to get a vaccine shot by April 15, rather than the previous target of May 1.
The makers of the two vaccines that Britain is using, Pfizer and Astrazeneca, have both experienced supply problems in Europe. But UK Health Secretary Mat Hancock, who announced the new targets, said “we now think that we have the supplies” to speed up the vaccination campaign.
The early success of Britain’s vaccination campaign is welcome good news for a country that has had more than 120,000 coronavirus deaths, the highest toll in Europe. More than 17.2 million people, almost a third of the country’s adults, have been given the first of two doses of vaccine since inoculations began on Dec.8.
Britain is delaying giving second vaccine doses until 12 weeks ater the first in order to give as many people as possible partial protection quickly. The approach has been criticised in some countries — and by Pfizer, which says it does not have any data to support the delay — but is backed by the UK government’s scientific advisers.
News of the new vaccine targets came as Prime Minister Boris Johnson met senior ministers on Sunday to finalise a “road map” out of the national lockdown, a plan he is to announce on Monday.
Faced with a dominant UK virus variant that scientists say is both more transmissible and more deadly, Britain has spent much of the winter under a tight lockdown. Bars, restaurants, gyms, schools, hair salons and all nonessential shops have been closed while grocery stories, pharmacies and takeout food venues are still open.
The government has stressed that economic and social reopenings will be slow and cautious, with nonessential shopping or outdoor socialising unlikely before April.
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Scot Morrison received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday, calling the start of the nation’s vaccination programme a “massive step” that will enable it to return to normal.
“This is the beginning of a big game change,” Morrison told reporters moments ater geting injected at a medical centre in Sydney. “Every day that goes past from here gets more normal. And that is what is exciting about today.”
US infectious diseases official Dr Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that it is possible Americans will still be wearing masks in 2022, but that measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 would be increasingly relaxed as more vaccines are administered.
Fauci made the comment during an interview on CNN.
Also during the day, partygoers hid under matresses and in a cupboard at a packed house in Madrid in an atempt to avoid police at one of 227 illegal parties raided in the city over the weekend for breaches of COVID-19 restrictions.
Police video showed the hiding revellers, who were arrested. Another raid took place a bar which was not complying with restrictions to try and contain the spread of the virus.
“Two hundred and twenty seven illegal parties have been detected in Madrid on Friday and Saturday. People were not complying with the curfew, not using masks or were in premises without any security measures,” Madrid’s Municipal Police force in a statement issued on Saturday.
“We keep asking you for collaboration and responsibility.”
Earlier, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) appealed to Tanzania to take “robust action” against COVID-19 in the country, where the president has long played down the virus.
President John Magufuli has claimed coronavirus has been has fended off by prayer in Tanzania, and refused to take tough measures to curb the spread.
But a recent spate of deaths atributed to pneumonia has struck both members of the public and government officials.