Covid-19 infections surpass 30mn in South Asia region
BENGALURU/LONDON: Coronavirus infections in the South Asia region surpassed 30 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally of official data, led by India which is struggling with a second Covid-19 wave and a vaccine shortage across the region.
India, the second most-populous country in the world, this month recorded its highest Covid-19 death toll since the pandemic began last year, accounting for just over a third of the overall total.
The South Asia region - India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka accounts for 18% of global cases and almost 10% of deaths. But there is growing suspicion that official tallies of infections and deaths are not reflecting the true extent of the problem.
Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Thursday called on the international community to supply the Himalayan nation with nearly 40 million Covid-19 shots to combat a new wave of infections that has overwhelmed hospitals.
Britain approves J&J Covid-19 vaccine for use
Britain’s medicine regulator has approved Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine for use, the health ministry said in a statement on Friday, making it the fourth Covid-19 shot available for use in the country.
Britain also cut its order for the single-dose shot, also known as J&J unit Janssen’s vaccine, amid issues with the company’s supply chain and reports of rare blood clots.
US taking ‘close look’ at vaccine passports
US homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says the government is taking “a very close look” at the possibility of vaccine passports for travel into and out of the US. He told ABC on Friday that one of his guiding principles has been “the value of diversity, equity and inclusion and making sure that any passport that we provide for vaccinations is accessible to all and that no one is disenfranchised”.