WHO chief: World on brink of moral failure on vaccines
GENEVA: The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that the world was on the brink of a “catastrophic moral failure” on distributing vaccines, urging countries and manufacturers to share Covid-19 doses more fairly around the world.
“Not only does this me-first approach leave the world’s poorest and most vulnerable at risk, it is also self-defeating,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the opening of the body’s annual Executive Board meeting. “Ultimately these actions will only prolong the pandemic.”
Brazil approves two coronavirus vaccines
SAO PAULO: Brazil’s health regulator gave emergency approval on Sunday for two vaccines, kicking off a mass inoculation campaign amid a devastating second wave killing over 1,000 people in the vast South American nation daily. Monica Calazans, a 54-year-old nurse in Sao Paulo became the first person to receive the Chinese CoronaVac jab after the Anvisa watchdog’s highly-anticipated ruling.
Anvisa also approved AstraZeneca and Oxford University’s Covishield shot for use in the nation.
Australia unlikely to fully reopen borders in 2021
SYDNEY: Australia may not fully reopen its international borders this year even if most of the population is vaccinated against coronavirus, the head of its health department said on Monday.
Australian authorities are also looking at potential adverse effects of the Pfizer vaccine after Norway reported a small number of deaths in old people who received the shot.
Rare Andean bears tour crowd-free Machu Picchu
LIMA: Two members of South America’s only bear species - a mother and her cub - have been spotted exploring the ruins of the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, where tourist numbers have been restricted due to the pandemic.
The pair of Spectacled bears, also known as Andean bears, were captured on film clambering around the mountainous site’s dry-stone walls before slinking off into the jungle, Peru’s culture ministry said. With the absence of tourists, the bears - said to be the inspiration for the children’s book character Paddington Bear - have been able to explore where they would otherwise avoid.