Rising infections, curbs becoming the new norm
PARIS: Vaccination rollouts are steaming ahead in the US and the UK while a panoply of variants puts countries across the world under extended lockdowns.
People aged over 70 in the UK will start to get a third dose of Covid-19 vaccine from September to protect against variants, the Telegraph reported.
As many as eight vaccines are expected to be available by the autumn with a number made in the UK, including one that could protect from three different Covid variants in a single jab, Nadhim Zahawi, vaccines minister told the newspaper.
New York launches digital Covid pass
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the launch of a digital pass with proof of a resident’s vaccination or negative Covid-19 test. Cuomo said the pass could be used for entry into stadiums and arenas, wedding receptions and other large events.
So-called “vaccine passports” have been advocated by several nations and the ailing travel industry as a way to speed up reopening.
They are also contentious, raising questions about fairness among rich countries with higher vaccination rates and poor ones. With many people declining vaccines, the passes have also begun to enter the US political debate: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said his state would never use them.
Meanwhile, Kansas, Minnesota and South Carolina will open vaccinations to all adults next week, the latest among about 40 states to say they would do so by President Joe Biden’s May 1 goal.
The Czech Republic is extending its lockdown by two weeks, and Poland is considering curfews if it can’t contain a record surge in new cases.
Poland shuts kindergartens, sports facilities and more nonessential shops and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki urged Poles to spend Easter at home with their immediate families.
Belgium has limited access to non-medical services such as hairdressers for four weeks, and customers can only visit stores selling “non-essential” items such as clothing and books by appointment. Next week, the last before Easter, only primary schools will remain open.
The Philippines announces that more than 24 million people in and around Manila will go into lockdown next week.
The tougher restrictions in the country’s economic heartland come as more contagious variants of the virus fuel a resurgence in cases.
Chile, a world leader in coronavirus vaccinations where nearly one in three people have received a first dose, put more than 80% of its population of 19 million in lockdown. With new virus variants, believed to be more contagious, spreading across the continent, cases have been soaring in Chile despite its vaccination drive.
Kenya placed Nairobi and nearby counties under partial lockdown and closed schools and bars in those areas as a deadly third wave grips the country.