Coronavirus: China boosts global vaccines deal; England presses ahead with ‘Freedom Day’

Across Asia, governments are struggling to keep a lid on the spread, with Bangkok joining a growing list of major cities under lockdown

In Britain, the government confirmed it would press ahead with ‘Freedom Day’ on July 19 by lifting most curbs in England despite a surge in cases

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A health worker prepares a dose of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 2:16am, 13 Jul 2021Updated: 4:27am, 13 Jul 2021

A global initiative to distribute coronavirus vaccines to poorer countries was boosted on Monday by a deal to buy 110 million Chinese shots, as the British government confirmed it was axing most restrictions in England on the back of a strong vaccination rollout.

The virus has killed more than four million people since first emerging in late 2019 and attempts to halt its spread have been hampered by its ability to mutate, with the highly contagious Delta variant fuelling outbreaks in many parts of the world.

Vaccines are still seen as the best way to allow economies to reopen while keeping the public safe, but many poorer nations are still lagging far behind their richer counterparts - tens of millions in Asian cities are now once again living in lockdown.

The coronavirus alert rose to level 3 in Taipei on Monday. Photo: AP

Seth Berkley, who heads the Gavi alliance - one of the partners behind the Covax initiative to get jabs to poorer countries - hailed the agreement with Sinovac and Sinopharm for 110 million shots.

“Thanks to this deal, and because these vaccines have already received WHO Emergency Use Listing, we can move to start supplying doses to countries immediately,” he said in a statement.