Coronavirus: Philippine mayors accused of vaccine queue-jumping; India curbs delay supply of jabs
- President Duterte said that aside from the mayors, the son of an actress also got immunised
- Elsewhere, export restrictions in India are causing significant delays in the worldwide distribution of Covid-19 vaccines
Duterte said in a televised meeting on Wednesday night with key Cabinet members that aside from the mayors, the son of an actress also got immunised. He expressed fears that the country may lose the chance to get more donated vaccines arranged by the World Health Organization (WHO) if its conditions would continue to be violated.
“We were told by the WHO country representative, ‘if you do not follow the list of priority, you might lose the assistance of the WHO’,” Duterte said. “It wasn’t followed because I heard even the son of an actress got it. It’s always the favoured few.”
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told Duterte that just slightly more than 508,000 of a total 1.7 million doctors, nurses and other health workers had been immunised, and added that only 1.5 million vaccine doses, all donated by China and the WHO, had arrived in the country so far.
The government programme to inoculate about 70 million adult Filipinos has faced delays, supply problems, public hesitancy and widespread criticism. After health workers, the next in line of priority include elderly Filipinos and people with non-coronavirus illnesses like diabetes and the poor.
The Philippine health ministry on Thursday recorded 8,773 new coronavirus cases, its highest single-day increase.
The ministry said total confirmed cases have increased to 693,048, with 13,095 related deaths.
India export curbs delay vaccine distribution
The World Health Organization (WHO)’s Covax initiative was expecting that deliveries scheduled for March and April would not arrive as planned, a spokesperson for the Gavi alliance, a public-private vaccine programme that coordinates the project, said in Geneva on Thursday.
India is one of the designated main suppliers for Covax, an international vaccine-sharing programme which plans to deliver a total of 237 million vaccine doses between March and May, with more than 100 million doses to be produced by India’s Serum Institute.
The delays are said to affect millions of doses. Unicef confirmed the expected delays in deliveries, but didn’t specify the amount.
“Delays in granting further export licenses for Serum Institute of India (SII)-produced Covid-19 vaccine doses are due to the increased demand of Covid-19 vaccines in India,” the Gavi spokesperson said.
“SII has pledged that, alongside supplying India, it will prioritise the Covax multilateral solution for equitable distribution. Covax is in talks with the government of India with a view to ensuring deliveries as quickly as possible,” she added.
According to the Indian government, about 18 million doses produced in the country have been delivered to Covax, while another 40 million doses were sold at low prices or donated abroad. A further 50 million doses were administered in India itself.
India is currently facing a surge in infections, seen by experts as an emerging second wave of the virus.
Health ministry data on Thursday showed almost 54,000 new infections over the previous 24 hours, the most since October, taking total cases towards 12 million. India’s strict lockdown imposed last March was steadily eased during 2020, with most activity, including weddings, religious festivals and some cricket matches, back to normal.
Now curbs are returning, particularly in the hard-hit western state of Maharashtra where officials have launched random virus checks in crowded areas in the local capital Mumbai – with those tested having to pay.
Sri Lanka to buy Sputnik V Covid-19 shots
Sri Lanka aims to inoculate 14 million people out of the population of 22 million. So far, over 850,000 people have received their shots using the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Sri Lanka has received 1.2 million AstraZeneca doses out of at least 10 million it purchased for $52.5 million. It has also approved China’s Sinopharm shots.
Sri Lanka has reported 91,017 confirmed cases including 554 fatalities.
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Pacific island shuts border used by indigenous groups
Papua New Guinea ordered the snap closure of borders used by Indigenous groups to cross to and from Australia Thursday, as fears grew about the spread of Covid-19 to remote communities.
Police Commissioner David Manning said travel between small islands that straddle the two countries’ maritime border in the Torres Strait would be closed “with immediate effect”.
Under a 1978 agreement, Indigenous inhabitants of the islands can pass between Australia and Papua New Guinea without passports or visas.
Torres Strait Islanders have a culture that is distinct from Aboriginal Australians and Papua New Guinea’s myriad of other tribal and linguistic groups.
The announcement comes as Papua New Guinea struggles to contain a wave of coronavirus infections, which officials fear could enter largely Covid-free Australia and decimate vulnerable Indigenous communities in the far north of the country.
“Those borders will remain closed for an indefinite period, and cross-border travel will not be allowed until further notice,” said Manning, who is leading Papua New Guinea’s Covid-19 response effort.
On Wednesday, Papua New Guinea reported a record of 351 new Covid-19 cases, up from almost no cases a few weeks ago. Since the pandemic began, the country has conducted around 60,000 tests, detecting 4,109 cases.
But a rapid rise in infections is already threatening to overwhelm the country’s already under-resourced health system, with patients reportedly being treated on the floor of hospitals in the capital Port Moresby.
International air and sea travel to Papua New Guinea had already been subject to coronavirus restrictions and the land border with Indonesia is closed.
Japan ends state of emergency in Tokyo region
Suga vows to stage ‘safe and secure’ Olympics
“We will do our utmost on coronavirus measures and work with the Tokyo metropolitan government, the organising committee and the International Olympic Committee to prepare,” the leader said.
Suga, who skipped the opening ceremony for the torch relay in the prefecture, said he also hopes the 121-day journey across Japan will help build enthusiasm for the games.
“This is a great opportunity for Japanese to get a real sense that the Olympics and Paralympics are nearing,” Suga said. “I hope momentum will build in each region,” he said.
Still, the Japanese public remains skeptical whether the games should go ahead during a global pandemic.
Just 23.2 percent of respondents in a Kyodo News poll conducted last weekend said the Olympics and Paralympics should be staged as scheduled, while 39.8 percent thought they should be canceled.
The torch relay has also been plagued by a string of celebrities withdrawing, including comedian Atsushi Tamura, actress Ryoko Hirosue and members of pop-rock band Tokio.
Thailand approves Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine
Thailand has granted emergency use authorisation to Janssen, the single-dose coronavirus vaccine of Johnson & Johnson, the country’s health minister said on Thursday.
Health Minister Anutin Charnvirankul told reporters the Thai Food and Drug Administration had approved the vaccine, which is the third to be given authorisation in Thailand after those of AstraZeneca and Sinovac.
Reporting by AP, AFP, Kyodo, DPA
