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June
Philippines signs deal for 40 million Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine doses: Report
Written by nuke
Empty vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine are seen at The Michener Institute, in Toronto, Canada January 4, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio/File Photo -
The Philippine government has signed a supply agreement for 40 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the head of the government's COVID-19 vaccine procurement said on Sunday (Jun 20).
Deliveries of the vaccine, among several brands of coronavirus shots allowed for emergency use in the Philippines, will begin "after eight weeks starting August", Carlito Galvez said in a statement.
With the latest deal, the Philippines has now secured the delivery of 113 million doses from five vaccine manufacturers namely, Sinovac with 26 million doses, Sputnik V with 10 million doses, 20 million doses from Moderna, 17 million doses from AstraZeneca, and now 40 million doses from Pfizer, Galvez said.
He described the Pfizer-BioNTech agreement as "the biggest and most decisive deal we had for 2021".
"(It) will significantly boost our national immunisation programme and will enable us to realise our goal of achieving herd immunity by year-end," Galvez said.
"This is another positive development that will give a happy and better Christmas for all Filipinos."
The Philippines has so far inoculated more than 8 million people, but not all have received their second dose. The aim is to inoculate 50 million to 70 million people to achieve herd immunity.
June
Organisers show off Olympic Village one month before Tokyo 2020 begins
Written by nuke
An exterior of the village plaza of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Village is pictured in Tokyo, on Jun 20, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon) -
Organisers of the Tokyo Olympics opened the athletes' village to the media on Sunday (Jun 20), showing off apartments and a timber-laced shopping plaza where 11,000 athletes would stay and mingle during the sporting extravaganza.
The once-delayed Games are due to start on Jul 23 amid concern that the influx of thousands of people from around the world would contribute to the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Japan has avoided the kind of explosive outbreaks that crippled many other countries.
But its vaccination programme has been slow and the medical system pushed to the brink in parts of the country. The government's drive to hold the Games has been criticised by hospitals and doctors' unions.
Underscoring the concern, a Ugandan athlete arriving in Japan for a preparation camp ahead of the Olympics late on Saturday was found to be infected with the virus, public broadcaster NHK said.
Athletes will be shuttled in and out of the village and be tested for the coronavirus every day. Olympic rules ban singing and chanting during events and require athletes to wear masks at all times except when outdoors, sleeping or eating.
The shopping area of the village features an automatic teller machine, dry cleaner, post office, bank and courier counter.
"Where you can see bare light bulbs, we'll install lanterns to give the area a bit more of a traditional Japanese feel," Yoshie Ogawa, a director at the Tokyo 2020 marketing bureau, said at the start of the media tour.
The ¥2.4 billion (US$21.8 million) shopping area was made from 40,000 pieces of timber donated by 63 Japanese municipal governments. Each donated piece is marked with the name of the area that provided the wood.
After the Olympics, it will be dismantled and the timber returned to the donating cities for reuse in local facilities.
The apartment complex abutting the shopping plaza was built on reclaimed land, and designed to house about 12,000 people in 23 buildings. It includes shops, a park and a school.
The buildings will be converted into flats after the Olympics.
The development of the housing project cost the Tokyo government ¥54 billion, including road work and infrastructure.
Organisers were originally planning to feed residents of the village in vast dining halls – the largest with a capacity to seat 4,500 people.
But now, organisers will ask athletes to dine alone, maintain social distancing with others, and wipe down surfaces after eating to curb the spread of the virus//CNA
June
Medical workers administer tests at the Bondi Beach drive-through coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing centre in the wake of new positive cases in Sydney, Australia, June 17, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott -
Australia's state of Queensland recorded one locally acquired coronavirus infection on Sunday (Jun 20), the latest streak of small outbreaks that have been plaguing the country in recent months.
The Queensland case comes as a cluster of the highly infectious Delta variant has grown by two cases to nine in New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, prompting health officials to expand mask-wearing rules.
Australia has been highly successful in managing the spread of the coronavirus through swift border closures, social distancing rules and a high community compliance with them, reporting just over 30,300 cases and 910 COVID-19 deaths.
But the country has struggled with the vaccination rollout, and states have been plagued in recent months by small outbreaks, kept from spreading out of control through speedy contact tracing, isolation of thousands of people at a time, or snap hard lockdowns.
The state of Victoria, which battled a small outbreak of the Delta variant, which was first detected in India, earlier this month and which put five million people into a hard lockdown for two weeks, recorded no new cases on Sunday, following one infection in the previous day.
South Australia on Sunday joined Queensland in imposing a ban on travellers who have been in the affected east suburbs of Sydney in New South Wales.
Arrivals from that state to West Australia will have to get tested on arrival at pop-up testing clinics at the Perth airport and self-quarantine until they return a negative result.
According to government data, only about 4 per cent of Australia's adult population of 20 million have been fully vaccinated, while about 25 per cent have had at least their first dose//CNA
June
Kenyan athletes warm up before a training session in Nairobi, Kenya, May 8, 2021. REUTERS/Baz Ratner -
Kenya unveiled its Tokyo Olympics squad on Saturday with a list of more than 40 athletes including world champion Hellen Obiri and defending 1,500m Olympic gold medallist Faith Chepngetich.
Notable names missing were 1,500m world champion Timothy Cheruiyot and defending Olympics 3,000m steeplechase champion Conseslus Kipruto after both failed to win their trials.
The East African nation is an athletics powerhouse and boasts some of the world's top athletes, who regularly win medals at elite competitions in Europe, Asia and North America.
"The race was good," Obiri said, after winning her 10,000m trial on Saturday.
"I have no pressure. I will be facing familiar opponents in Tokyo. I am used to fast-paced races and all I am going to do is continue with my training," she added, according to comments shared on Twitter by Athletics Kenya.
Obiri will be looking to secure an Olympic double in the 5,000m and 10,000m.
Team Kenya is sending a formidable squad for the Games that also includes marathon distance world record holders Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei.
"I am confident our teams will perform better this year as the athletes showcase the training they had during the long break occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Sports Minister Amina Mohamed.
Also in the team is Geoffrey Kamworor who will compete in the men's 10,000m. Faith Chepngetich, who won her trial race on Thursday, will head to Tokyo as well to defend the 1,500m title she won in 2016 in Rio.
"I know I will meet many good athletes in Tokyo but I have prepared really well," she said.
Also among the Olympians will be Ferdinand Omanyala who qualified in the 100m with a 10.02 seconds run, a new national record.
Team Kenya plans to fly out to Japan on July 5 to set up camp in Kurume for the Games which start on July 23//CNA
June
Moscow records pandemic-high COVID-19 cases for second day running
Written by nuke
Moscow residents face renewed coronavirus restrictions faced with the Delta variant's rapid spread AFP/Yuri KADOBNOV -
Russia's capital Moscow on Saturday (Jun 19) reported a pandemic high for new coronavirus cases for the second consecutive day, as the city's hospitals are flooded with new patients due to the Delta variant.
The city registered 9,120 new coronavirus infections in 24 hours, according to government figures, a second consecutive high topping the previous day's total of 9,056 cases.
Those figures have ballooned from just 3,000 daily just two weeks ago, with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin saying on Friday that the highly infectious Delta variant first identified in India represents nearly 90 per cent of new cases.
The new wave of infections come as Russia's second city of Saint Petersburg, the country's worst COVID-19 hotspot after Moscow, is slated to host seven Euro 2020 matches - including a quarter-final on Jul 2 - expected to draw thousands of European football fans.
Having claimed the worst of the pandemic had passed over winter, officials are now scurrying to reintroduce pandemic restrictions and roll out new beds dedicated to coronavirus patients after months of near-normal life.
On Monday, Saint Petersburg announced a tightening of restrictions including no food sales in its Euro 2020 fan zones.
Measures have been more drastic in Moscow, where Sobyanin on Friday shuttered the city's fan zone, banned gatherings of more than 1,000, suspended all mass entertainment events and closed dance halls.
He also extended several measures that he had announced last weekend, like the closure of food halls in malls, zoos and playgrounds, and of bars and restaurants from 11pm to 6am.
Sobyanin, who has taken a leading role in Russia's response to the pandemic, has said the measures are necessary because the capital's hospitals were inundated with COVID-19 patients within days.
Figures released by federal statistics agency Rosstat show that Russia had recorded at least 270,000 virus-related deaths by the end of April//CNA
June
COVID-19: Tokyo scraps Olympics public viewing sites
Written by nuke
Officials in Tokyo are forging ahead with hosting the Olympics from July 23 AFP/Philip FONG -
Tokyo will cancel all public Olympics viewing events in an effort to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections, the city governor said on Saturday (Jun 19).
Having postponed the Games for a year because of the pandemic, Japan has already banned overseas spectators - in an Olympics first - while reducing the number of participants, volunteers and guests.
However, officials are forging ahead with hosting the Games from Jul 23.
"We have decided to cancel these live viewing sites that gather people," Yuriko Koike told reporters, after meeting Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
"On the other hand, we will make greater use of the web to create exciting atmospheres for the Games and to disseminate various cultural information."
There had been six planned viewing sites, across the Japanese capital.
The announcement came as Koike and Suga prepare to meet Olympics and Paralympics officials Monday for a key consultation during which they are expected to finalise whether to allow domestic spectators inside Games venues.
Politicians and organisers are pushing for some spectators to be allowed.
But Japan's top infectious disease experts have urged them to consider holding the Games behind closed doors.
Japan has had a comparatively small virus outbreak, with just over 14,000 deaths despite avoiding harsh lockdowns.
The government has recently accelerated vaccination efforts, with just over 6 per cent of the population fully jabbed.
Koike said the metropolis would turn some facilities that were marked for Olympics viewing events into vaccination centres//CNA
June
Biden warns of Delta variant threat, urges public to get vaccinations
Written by nuke
Around 65.1 per cent of people in the United States had gotten at least one shot as of Jun 18, 2021. (File Photo: AP) -
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday (Jun 19) urged Americans to get COVID-19 shots, as the country looks likely to miss the White House's goals for vaccination next month as a new coronavirus variant triggered serious concerns.
"Act now, act now," Biden said in remarks at the White House, urging the unvaccinated to talk to their family and friends who have had shots and to their doctors.
Deaths and hospitalisations are going "drastically down in places where people are getting vaccinated", but not other areas, Biden said. "They're actually going up in some places."
At the current pace, the United States seems unlikely to hit Biden's goal of having 70 per cent of adults receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Jul 4, the Independence Day holiday.
As of Friday, around 65.1 per cent of people in the United States had gotten at least one shot, and that mark has increased by less than one percentage point over the past two weeks.
That pace would have to more than double over the next two weeks for the United States to hit the target.
The White House had no immediate comment on the possibility of missing the Jul 4, 70 per cent goal. Currently, only 15 states and Washington, DC have achieved that level.
US government data show a political divide as well, with states won by former President Donald Trump lagging well behind in vaccination rates than those won by Biden.
“When you get the vaccine for yourself, that means that you will not possibly pass it on to somebody else in general because you’re unlikely to get COVID," Harris said during a vaccination drive at Atlanta's famed Ebenezer Baptist Church. "Isn't that an extension of love thy neighbor?" she said, to which several in the audience responded, "Amen!"
Officials said Biden's push to accelerate vaccinations since taking office in January was paying off, with COVID-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths down to their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic in early 2020.
Earlier this week, the United States marked a grim milestone, surpassing 600,000 COVID-19 deaths.
The US death toll remains the highest in the world, although other countries, including Brazil, Britain and Russia, have higher death rates as a measure of their populations.
A White House fact sheet said the number of COVID-19 deaths has decreased by 90 per cent since Biden took office in January, when more than 3,300 Americans were dying each day, and highlighted big gains in the economy as people return to work.
It said more than 175 million Americans had received at least one shot, and 55 per cent of adults were fully vaccinated//CNA
June
Thailand scraps plan for 16-week dose gap on AstraZeneca vaccine
Written by Nur Yasmin
Thailand has abandoned its plan for a 16-week gap between doses of the AstraZeneca (AZN.L) coronavirus vaccine and will opt for a shorter interval of 10 to 12 weeks instead, a senior health official said on Friday.
The government, which plans to use the AstraZeneca vaccine for most of its inoculations, had sought to reach more people faster by stretching the gap to 16 weeks, beyond the 12 weeks maximum approved by the European Medicines Agency.
A 16-week interval has not been tested in human trials.
But Sophon Mekthon, the public health minister's assistant, told Reuters Thailand's communicable disease committee wanted to revert to the previous interval, adding that it could still be extended in future if necessary.
Thailand started its mass COVID-19 immunisation campaign last week and has administered 7.2 million doses since February.
A royal-owned Thai firm has partnered with AstraZeneca to make its vaccine locally, but has experienced delays, also impacting Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Friday said the government would receive 10 million AstraZeneca doses monthly from July until its quota of 61 million doses is met. Thailand has also been using Sinovac's (SVA.O) vaccine.
The rush for vaccines came as Thailand was hit by its most severe wave of coronavirus infections in early April, months before the start of its immunisation drive.
It has secured 105.5 million doses so far and will procure 50 million more next year, authorities have said. (Reuters)
June
S.Korea pledges $200 million to international COVID-19 vaccine effort
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea has pledged to donate a total of $200 million to the COVAX programme that is supplying coronavirus vaccines for lower-income countries, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) said on Friday.
COVAX, backed by GAVI and the World Health Organization (WHO), aims to secure 2 billion vaccine doses by the end of 2021. read more
“The Republic of Korea pledges a contribution of a total of $100 million this year, and in 2022 another $100 million in the form of a combination of financial and in-kind contribution,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in a statement by GAVI.
While wealthy nations with robust vaccination campaigns have inoculated large swaths of their population, much of the world lags far behind, raising concerns of more COVID-19 waves that could spawn new virus variants.
Leaders from the Group of Seven rich nations agreed over the weekend to pledge 870 million vaccine doses, with the aim of delivering at least half by the end of this year. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed this on Monday but said many more doses were needed and quickly. (Reuters)
June
Singapore sees first day rush for Sinovac vaccine
Written by Nur Yasmin
Offering Sinovac Biotech COVID-19 vaccines to the public in Singapore for the first time on Friday, several private clinics reported overwhelming demand for the Chinese-made shot, despite already available rival vaccines having far higher efficacy.
Singapore has vaccinated almost half its 5.7 million population with at least one dose of the vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech (PFE.N), (22UAy.DE) and Moderna (MRNA.O).
Both have shown efficacy rates of well over 90% against symptomatic disease in clinical trials, compared with Sinovac's 51%.
Earlier this week, officials in neighbouring Indonesia warned that more than 350 medical workers have caught COVID-19 despite being vaccinated with Sinovac and dozens have been hospitalised, raising concerns about its efficacy against more infectious variants. read more
A number of the people rushing for the Sinovac shot on the first day of its availability in Singapore were Chinese nationals, who felt it would make it easier to travel home without going through quarantine.
Singapore allowed the usage of the Sinovac vaccine by private healthcare institutions under a special access route, following an emergency use approval by the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier this month.
Ong Ye Kung, Singapore's health minister, said on Friday the government is still awaiting critical data from Sinovac before including it in the national vaccination programme.
Meantime, authorities have selected 24 private clinics to administer its current stock of 200,000 doses. The clinics are charging between S$10-25 ($7.5-$18.6 ) per dose.
Serena Wee, CEO of Icon Cancer Centre, said about 1,000 people have registered so far, exceeding its initial stock of 200 doses.
Wee Healthfirst, another approved clinic, put a notice at its entrance on Friday, saying it had stopped reservations for the vaccine until next Thursday, citing "overwhelming demand". A receptionist said about 1,000 people had registered there.
Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases doctor at Rophi Clinic, also said he had been "overwhelmed" by people wanting the Sinovac shot.
Tang Guang Yu, a 49-year-old engineer, was among the Chinese nationals resident in Singapore who waited for the Sinovac shot rather than take a foreign-made vaccine that he thought might not be recognised by authorities back home.
"No one wants to be quarantined for a month, I don't have so many days of leave," Tang told Reuters as he queued outside a clinic.
Travellers to China may have to be quarantined at a facility and at home for up to a month depending on their destination city, regardless of vaccination status, according to the Chinese government website.
Other people said they have more confidence in the Sinovac vaccine since it is based on conventional technology, while those developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna use a newly developed messenger RNA platform.
"The mRNA technology has been around for 30 years, but it has never been injected into human until recently due to COVID-19 emergency, how safe it is?" asked Singaporean Chua Kwang Hwee, 62, as he lined up outside a clinic to enquire about getting the Sinovac shot.
Singapore's health ministry says persons with a history of allergic reaction or anaphylaxis to mRNA COVID-19 vaccine or its components as well as severely immunocompromised individuals should not receive the mRNA-based vaccines.
Sinovac vaccine uses an inactivated or killed virus that cannot replicate in human cells to trigger an immune response.
In recent weeks, several social media messages have popped up saying inactivated virus COVID-19 vaccines, like Sinovac's, provide superior protection against variants than mRNA vaccines. Other messages on platforms have said the mRNA vaccines are less safe.
Authorities have rejected these claims, saying they are safe and highly effective. (Reuters)