A hand and several signs reading "Entrance only for vaccinated, recovered or negative tested guests", "Please walk in the indicated direction to help protection from Corona" and "Hold distance" are seen at a beer garten near the lake Ammersee in Herrsching, southern Germany, on May 10, 2021. (PHOTO / AFP)
LONDON / RABAT / ROME / WASHINGTON / HAVANA / SANTIAGO / QUITO / OTTAWA / BRUSSELS / BUENOS AIRES / RIO DE JANEIRO / ADDIS ABABA / MOSCOW – Germany’s ruling coalition approved updated rules on inbound travel that mean people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 don’t need to get tested and go into quarantine.
The rules, which include those who have recovered from the virus, do not apply for high-risk regions, where faster-spreading mutations are present, Health Minister Jens Spahn said at a news conference.
Germans desperate to be vaccinated against the coronavirus are becoming increasingly aggressive, doctors said on Wednesday, as frustration mounts after six months of lockdowns even though infection rates are now falling.
As Germany extends priority for vaccines to more groups, it is becoming less comprehensible to many people why they should have to wait behind others, said Anke Richter-Scheer, the deputy head of the German association of family doctors, told the Funke media group.
People are showing up at doctors' practices and trying to get vaccines even though it is not their turn, with the mood getting more aggressive, she said.
Some people are also demanding their second shot early so they can go on holiday or profit from advantages such as shopping without needing a COVID-19 test.
Older patients who have been assigned AstraZeneca are also demanding a different vaccine.
On Wednesday, another 14,909 new cases were reported, bringing the total to 3,548,285, while the death toll rose by 268 to 85,380. However the seven-day incidence per 100,000 people dropped to 108 from 115 on Tuesday.
Greece
Greece will lift most remaining restriction measures from May 14 including the need for citizens to send a text message with a specific code in order to leave home, Deputy Minister for Coordination of Government Work Akis Skertsos said.
The current ban on inter-regional travel on the mainland will end. Trips to islands will be allowed on presentation of a vaccination certificate or negative test. Shoppers will be allowed to freely visit stores without pre-booking appointments with number dependent on the size of the store.
While a nighttime curfew will continue, it will begin at 30 minutes after midnight in order to give restaurants and bars more time to operate. The move comes ahead of Greece opening to international tourism from May 15.
Seychelles
Seychelles, which is suffering a COVID-19 surge despite vaccinating a greater proportion of its people than any other nation, is in talks to acquire supplies of Russia’s Sputnik-V shot.
The vaccine was authorized for emergency use on the Indian Ocean archipelago in March and 1,000 doses were donated, according to the Russian embassy in the Seychelles capital, Victoria, which confirmed the talks on Tuesday.
Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan said vaccines that have been widely administered to the nation’s population are working, even as the Indian Ocean archipelago experiences a surge in coronavirus cases.
The country has fully inoculated 62.2 percent of its population, the biggest proportion of any nation. Most infections have been mild, according to Ramkalawan.
“Imagine if we did not have our people vaccinated?” he said in an interview late Tuesday. “We have only a few people needing intensive care.”
France
France's National Assembly approved on Wednesday the creation of a COVID-19 "health pass" that people can use to attend sports events, festivals and theme parks with large crowds, a hotly contested government measure to help safely re-open the economy.
The health pass, which will come into effect from June 9, will provide proof that a person has either been vaccinated against the coronavirus, holds a recent negative PCR test, or is recovering from COVID-19 and therefore has natural antibodies.
The proposal was initially shot down in the lower house on Tuesday evening over fears it would impinge on civil freedoms, a rare defeat for President Emmanuel Macron's ruling party, after centrist MoDem allies rebelled.
The health pass was approved on a second vote in the early hours of Wednesday after the government shortened the transition period during which it will be able to re-impose restrictions such as a curfew without the permission of parliament once France's state of emergency is lifted on June 2.
Macron has said the health pass, which can be digital or paper-based, will curb the spread of the virus at events with crowds of more than 1,000 people. It will not be used for every day venues such as restaurants and cinemas or for access to public transport.
UK
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an inquiry next year into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that is likely to focus on why the United Kingdom suffered Europe's worst death toll and one of the world's deepest economic slumps.
The UK has reconsidered plans to buy one million doses of AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 antibody treatment, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.
While the first data from the treatment’s trials are expected in the coming weeks, the UK has no orders for it and is still evaluating the role antibody cocktails may play in Britain’s response to the pandemic, according to one of the people, who didn’t want to be identified because details of the discussions are private. Alok Sharma, the UK’s former business secretary, said in November that the country had procured the doses pending trial results.
Monoclonal antibodies are aimed at protecting high-risk people such as cancer patients whose immune systems may not be able to cope with vaccination. The drugs can neutralize the virus and mimic the necessary immune response to avoid infection.
Astra’s treatment – AZD7442 – was proven effective against variants of the virus in early testing. The company is expected to report the first data shortly from a trial evaluating the drug’s ability to prevent infection in people who have been exposed to COVID-19 in places like nursing homes.
A spokesman for the UK Department of Health and Social Care declined to comment. A spokesman for Astra said the company is “working with international and government agencies around the world to enable broad access” to the treatment if it proves effective in trials.
People in Scotland will be able to hug and meet in each other's homes from Monday next week as the region continues to ease COVID-19 restrictions, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced Tuesday.
Most of Scotland will move to Level Two restrictions, which will also allow pubs and restaurants to sell alcohol indoor, according to Sturgeon.
However, the first minister said it was "vital to be cautious".
A "more fundamental review" of physical distancing will be carried out in the next three weeks, which will look at whether there can be further relaxations in places like pubs and restaurants, according to the BBC.
Global tally
Coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 159.70 million while the global death toll topped 3.31 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Bolivia
Bolivia's government said on Tuesday it had signed a deal for a potential 15 million Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines but with a twist: another manufacture would make the shots and Bolivia would need the World Trade Organization to waive the drug's patent.
The South American country, scrabbling for vaccines like many in the region, said it had applied to the WTO to green-light a vaccine waiver so Canadian company Biolyse Pharma Corp could make the doses.
Bolivian trade official Benjamin Blanco told a news conference the move could help the impoverished Andean nation speed up a slow vaccination process. So far, Bolivia has reached just 10 percent of its population with a single dose.
A deal has been signed for Biolyse Pharma – known for making court challenges to Big Pharma patents – to make the single-dose drug, which would be priced at between US$3 and US$4 a dose, Blanco said.
"Getting someone who can make us vaccines without patents is the first step, the second is the notification to the WTO to start the (patent waiver application) process, and if that is granted, production would begin in three to six months," Blanco said.
Canada
Ontario, Canada's most populous province, announced on Tuesday it will stop administering of the first doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, effective Tuesday, due to increased reports of blood clots.
"This decision was made out of an abundance of caution because of increased instances of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia," said Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health David Williams at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon.
At least 12 cases of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia have been confirmed out of more than 2 million doses given. Three women have died in connection with the condition.
Ontario's announcement comes hours after Alberta province said it won't give out more first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for the time being because there aren't any confirmed shipments coming.
Georgia
Georgia on Wednesday reported 1,409 new COVID-19 cases, taking its total to 325,665, according to the country's center for disease control.
Data from the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health showed that 1,256 more patients have recovered in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 304,935.
Meanwhile, 27 people have died over the past day, raising the death toll to 4,363.
US
The White House announced new efforts to vaccinate Americans, including an expansion of free rides from Uber Technologies Inc and Lyft Inc to get shots and a partnership with community colleges to administer vaccines.
The latest actions also include vaccination sites at community colleges, among other efforts, the White House said in a statement.
The new initiatives come at a time when US demand for vaccines has declined significantly, forcing the administration to figure out new ways to motivate people to get vaccinated.
President Joe Biden has set a target of getting 70 percent of US adults inoculated by July 4 so the country can be safely reopened for celebrations and small Independence Day holiday gatherings. As of Monday, 46 percent of Americans have received at least one vaccine dose, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Tuesday's partnership comes after Uber sent a letter to the Biden team in December, offering help with vaccinations. It also urged the administration to maintain Uber drivers' status as independent contractors, while offering the ability to provide some benefits.
Uber has offered 10 million self-funded free or discounted rides to vaccination sites, while Lyft said it would provide an uncapped amount of free vaccination rides paid for in partnership with other corporate sponsors.
A woman receives her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in West New York, New Jersey, April 19, 2021. (SETH WENIG / AP)
Morocco
Morocco's COVID-19 tally rose to 514,164 on Tuesday as 242 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Health, the death toll rose to 9,083 with six new fatalities during the last 24 hours, while 225 people are in intensive care units.
EU
The European Commission expects to finish work soon on a COVID-19 certificate that could allow citizens to travel more easily this summer in the 27-nation bloc, the EU executive said on Tuesday after a meeting with European affairs ministers.
The pass would allow those vaccinated, recovered from COVID-19 or with negative test results to cross borders in a union where restrictions on movement have weighed heavily on the travel and tourism industry for more than a year.
"This is a priority for our citizens and therefore I believe we will deliver (on the certificate) before summer," Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said after the meeting in Brussels. He said he expected a full roll-out by the summer.
A two week pilot project to test the technology a few countries at a time began on Monday, the EU Commission said.
Sefcovic called on all sides to work together to complete the legislative, as well as the technical, work as quickly as possible, noting the complexity of the job.
ALSO READ: Italy expects COVID-19 cases to start falling in late spring
Italy
COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies persist in patients for at least eight months after a diagnosis and they play a crucial role in fighting the infection, according to an Italian study published on Tuesday.
Neutralizing antibodies are antibodies that bind to a virus cell (or any other pathogen) circulating in the human organism, neutralize its effects and block the infection.
A research carried out by Italy's National Institute of Health (ISS) and the Milan-based San Raffaele university hospital and scientific institute showed that the presence of neutralizing antibodies in the early stage of COVID-19 infection was "essential" to successfully fight it.
Published in the scientific journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, the Italian study was carried out on 162 COVID-19 patients, whose blood samples were collected between March and November 2020.
"Contrary to previous studies' findings, the early presence of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 actually correlates with better virus control and longer patient survival," the authors explained.
Cuba
Cuba reported on Tuesday 1,071 new COVID-19 infections in the last day, bringing the total to 118,168, the Ministry of Public Health said, adding that there were also another 14 deaths, for a total of 755.
Of the total number of new infections, 93 were from imported cases, the ministry's director of hygiene and epidemiology Francisco Duran said during his daily report.
Havana, the epicenter of the pandemic on the island, registered another 559 COVID-19 cases in the one day, with an incidence rate of 443 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Chile
Chile's Health Ministry on Tuesday reported 3,771 new COVID-19 infections and 38 more deaths in the past 24 hours, for a total of 1,256,546 cases and 27,356 deaths, amid a slight decrease in cases.
Health Minister Enrique Paris said in a statement that 11 of the country's 16 regions have seen a decline in COVID-19 infections in the last seven days, but emphasized the importance of maintaining health measures to avoid the spread of the virus.
More than 7.2 million people in Chile have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the ministry said Tuesday.
Ecuador
Ecuador reported on Tuesday 535 new COVID-19 infections and 38 more deaths in 24 hours, bringing the tally to 402,595 cases and 14,054 deaths, the Ministry of Public Health said.
Next weekend will be the fourth and final lockdown, after which the government will have to decide what other measures to implement to contain the pandemic and the spread of new and more contagious variants of the virus circulating in the South American country.
Vice Minister of Health Salomon Proano told reporters on Tuesday that the weekend quarantine has helped reduce the list of patients waiting for an intensive care unit bed in hospitals nationwide from 463 to 282.
Belgium
Belgium will relax coronavirus lockdown measures on June 9 after a gradual "summer plan" was introduced by the Consultative Committee, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said at a press conference on Tuesday.
The "summer plan" will depend on the progress of the vaccination campaign and provided the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units remains under 500, De Croo said.
"Four out of 10 adult Belgians have already received their first vaccine dose. And the campaign will also accelerate," he said.
To date, Belgium has recorded a total of 1,017,876 COVID-19 cases and 24,583 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
Argentina
Argentina reported 25,976 new COVID-19 infections and 490 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 3,191,097 cases and 68,311 deaths, the Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday.
Minister of Health Carla Vizzotti announced on Tuesday during a meeting with provincial ministers that the South American country will receive 3,960,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in May as part of a total of 22.4 million doses purchased by Argentina.
Meanwhile, Argentina is set to receive 4 million doses of AstraZeneca Plc's coronavirus vaccine in May, the government said on Tuesday, after long delays to a deal struck late last year stoked tensions in the South American nation.
The country also expects to receive 861,600 doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine this month through the COVAX program backed by the World Health Organization. The country has reported over 3.16 million cases of COVID-19 and 67,821 deaths linked to the virus.
The Netherlands
The Netherlands will reopen gyms, zoos and amusement parks from May 19 if the number of COVID-19 infections and hospital admissions continues to decline.
The government will decide on Monday whether it needs to use a “stop button” to halt the easing of restrictions, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Tuesday. From May 15, travel to countries with a low infection rate will be possible again, and a color-coded system will be used to provide travel advice.
The Dutch health service on Tuesday reported 47,108 COVID-19 cases over the past seven days, down from 52,987 the previous week. Hospital admissions declined to 1,379 in the past week, from 1,763 in the prior week.
Colombia
The reported death toll from nearly two weeks of anti-government protests in Colombia rose past 40 on Tuesday, a day ahead of a planned national strike, while major cities warned of a prolonged peak in COVID-19 cases due to demonstrations.
Violent protests fueled by outrage at a now-canceled tax plan began on April 28. Demonstrator demands have expanded to include a basic income, an end to police violence and the withdrawal of a long-debated health reform.
Capital Bogota is confronting a "hospital collapse," Mayor Claudia Lopez said in a press conference on Monday, and will not see infections drop this week as previously predicted.
A fall in infections will not come until the end of May, Lopez said, adding that protests make quarantine restrictions nearly unenforceable, although she extended a curfew and restriction on alcohol sales.
ALSO READ: COVID-19: Spain deaths slow; over 1.2 million global cases
Spain
Spain approved on Tuesday the use of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine for people under the age of 60, Spanish El Pais newspaper reported, citing regional government sources.
El Pais said those aged 50 to 59 would be the first to receive the jab, followed by those aged over 18 who belong to a "vulnerable" group.
Pfizer
The Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE COVID-19 vaccine is set to become the first shot used to protect 12-to-15-year-olds in the US if advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agree in a meeting Wednesday that it’s safe and effective for that age group.
Company and CDC representatives will present scientific evidence to the panel, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, before its 15 voting members take a vote. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky must then sign off on the panel’s recommendation.
The vaccine could be deployed to teens as soon as Thursday in a move that’s been long anticipated as paving the way for the mass vaccination of middle and high-school students before the next school year begins.
Brazil
Brazil's COVID-19 death toll reached 425,540 on Tuesday, after the Ministry of Health reported 2,311 more deaths from the pandemic in one day.
In the previous 24 hours, tests also detected 72,715 new cases of COVID-19 infection. Since the country's first case was detected on Feb 26, 2020, 15,282,705 people in Brazil have tested positive for the virus.
Meanwhile, Brazil's Health Ministry on Tuesday announced it had signed a deal for Pfizer to deliver an additional 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, doubling the number of shots from the company.
The additional shots will be delivered between September and December, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
That adds to an agreement earlier in the year for an initial 100 million doses, of which Brazil has only received 1.6 million to date.
WHO
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it was reviewing coronavirus data from Seychelles after the health ministry said more than a third of people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week had been fully vaccinated.
Both the ministry and the WHO stressed that the majority of those who tested positive had not been vaccinated or had only received one dose, that no one who had died had been fully vaccinated and that nearly all of those needing treatment for severe or critical cases were unvaccinated.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia registered 552 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 263,672 as of Tuesday evening, said the country's health ministry.
A total of 14 more deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 3,911, the ministry said.
Costa Rica
Hospitals in the Central American nation of Costa Rica are running out of space for COVID-19 patients amid a new wave of infections, the president of the national doctors' union said on Tuesday.
The sharp rise in coronavirus infections has led to calls for a fresh lockdown by doctors, potentially dealing another blow to businesses, especially in the tourism sector, which were hoping for an influx of American and European tourists.
Costa Rica on Tuesday reported 26 new confirmed COVID-19 deaths, the largest reported daily toll since the pandemic started.
The government has been reluctant to impose more restrictions, saying it will further dent an economy badly hit by the pandemic.
Venezuela
President Nicolas Maduro said on Tuesday the single-dose Russian Sputnik Light vaccine will soon arrive in Venezuela as the country struggles with rising cases of coronavirus.
Russia has authorized the use of the Sputnik Light version of its COVID-19 vaccine, a move that could help vaccine supplies go further in countries with high infection rates.
Edwin Solano, president of the national doctors' union, urged the country's leaders to pay heed to the dire situation on the ground as hospitals run out of space in intensive care units.
Venezuela is aiming for 70 percent of its population to be vaccinated by August, he added.
The president of Venezuela's Congress and former minister Jorge Rodriguez recently told Reuters that Venezuela is interested in acquiring the Johnson & Johnson vaccine under the COVAX scheme, but they were waiting for more information about its side effects.
Sweden
Sweden will delay plans to ease COVID-19 restrictions on some public gatherings, such as football matches, until June 1, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said on Wednesday.
The government had said at the end of last month it hoped to ease restrictions and allow more spectators for some sporting and cultural events from May 17, but Lofven said the situation in the health system remained strained.
Russia
Fully 62 percent of Russians say they don’t want to get the country’s Sputnik V vaccine, unchanged from February despite a Kremlin campaign to push the shot. Only 26 percent said they want to get the shot, while 10 percent said they already had, according to the survey conducted by the independent Levada Center in late April.
Russia registered 8,217 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide tally to 4,905,059, the country's COVID-19 response center said in a statement Wednesday.
Meanwhile, another 355 deaths were reported, taking the country's death toll to 114,331.
