Covid-19 herd immunity won’t happen in ’21: WHO
Chief scientist says it will take time to produce and give enough vaccine shots to halt the spread of the coronavirus
GENEVA/ LOS ANGELES: Scientists at the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that mass vaccinations won’t bring about herd immunity to the coronavirus this year, even as leading vaccine producer Moderna said immunity from its Covid-19 vaccine should last at least a year.
Infection numbers are surging around the world, especially in Europe where various nations have been forced to ramp up restrictions even as Covid-19 vaccines are rolled out.
The WHO’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan warned on Monday that it would take time to produce and give enough vaccine shots to halt the spread of the virus, which has infected over 90 million people.
“We are not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021,” she said, stressing the need to maintain physical distancing, hand-washing and mask-wearing. Experts are concerned about the rapid spread of new variants of the virus, such as the one first detected in Britain that is feared to be significantly more fastspreading.
England opened seven mass vaccination sites on Monday to fight a surge fuelled by that variant, which is threatening to overwhelm hospitals.
Portugal was facing a new lockdown because of a spike in cases and deaths as President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, 72, tested positive for Covid-19.
Malaysia’s king declared a nationwide state of emergency on Tuesday to fight a coronavirus surge that is overwhelming hospitals, but critics charged it was a bid by an unstable government to cling to power.
23mn in China under Covid-19 lockdown
China has locked down a city of 4.9mn residents as authorities battled a surge in infections across the country, many of them linked to cases from the province of Hebei. The lockdown of Langfang city was announced on Tuesday, with residents having been put under home quarantine for a week and will be subject to nucleic acid testing.
The measures mean three cities in Hebei including Shijiazhaung, with 11mn residents, and Xingtai, with more than 7mn, have now been locked down.
8 gorillas at San Diego Zoo likely have Covid-19
Eight gorillas at San Diego Zoo Safari Park are presumed to have contracted Covid-19 from a human handler after one of the animals tested positive, marking the first known transmission of the virus to apes. Three among the band of critically endangered western lowland gorillas at the wildlife park have shown symptoms, such as coughing.
The gorillas are believed to have contracted the virus from an asymptomatic staff member, despite strict biosecurity protocols, the zoo said.