Asia welcomes America’s plan to share 500 mn doses of the jab with the developing world
A woman receives China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine at a pagoda in Kandal province on Thursday. Pic/AFP
Health officials and experts in Asia have welcomed US plans to share 500 million more doses of the Pfizer vaccine with the developing world, but some say it would take more than donations alone to address huge vaccination gaps that threaten to prolong the pandemic.
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President Joe Biden was set to make the announcement on Thursday in a speech before the start of the Group of Seven summit in Britain. Two hundred million doses – enough to fully protect 100 million people – would be shared this year, with the balance to be donated in the first half of 2022, according to a source familiar with the matter who confirmed the news of the Pfizer sharing plan.
Jaehun Jung, a professor of preventive medicine at South Korea’s Gachon University College of Medicine, said the US donations may prove to be a “huge turning point” in the global fight against Covid-19, but also lamented that the help couldn’t come earlier.
He said the extremely cold storage temperatures required for Pfizer shots would present challenges for countries with poor health systems and called for US officials and the New York-based drug maker to explore the possibility of easing the requirements.
He said the delay in US help was “understandable, because the United States initially had its own troubles with supplies while inoculating its own population. But for now, it’s critical to move up the timing of the vaccine provisions to the earliest possible point.”
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Twelve more American soldiers in South Korea have tested positive for Covid-19, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said on Thursday. Eleven USFK service members were infected after arriving in South Korea between May 22 and June 6, reports Xinhua news agency. One service member, stationed at the United States Army Garrison Humphreys, tested positive on Wednesday.
EU approves new travel certificate
European Union (EU) lawmakers have approved a new travel certificate that will allow people to move freely within the bloc without having to quarantine or taking extra Coronavirus tests. The approval will allow EU citizens to get a digital health pass to display their vaccination status, results of Covid-19 tests, or whether they have recovered from a Coronavirus infection, Xinhua news agency reported.
G7 nations aim to end pandemic
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US CDC revises travel rules
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revised travel recommendations for dozens of countries to a lower risk tier, adjusting travel guidance for vaccinated Americans. The CDC lowered over 60 countries from “Covid-19 very high” Level 4 tier to “Covid-19 high” Level 3 tier on its updated travel recommendations list.
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