Covid-19 Update: Latest News of Vaccines, Virus and Situations around the World

Australian begin rollout of Pfizer vaccine

One in three adults in the UK now having received a COVID jab

The first dose of a COVID vaccine appears to reduce your chances of transmitting the disease by "about two-thirds", the health secretary has told Sky News.

Once the first nine priority groups - including all over-50s - are offered a COVID jab by 15 April, the rest of the UK's adult population will be in line for vaccines.

Asked whether children should also be vaccinated, the health secretary said that trials were underway to assess the safety and effectiveness of giving COVID vaccines to younger age groups.

On Monday afternoon (Feb 22), the prime minister will set out his roadmap for lifting lockdown restrictions, including the reopening of schools for all pupils.

But the health secretary said the UK needed to remain "vigilant" against the spread of new COVID variants. Mr Matt Hancock said, as the vaccine rollout continues across the UK, there are signs the number of people in hospital with COVID is "falling much more sharply" than it did during the first wave of infections last year.

Covid-19 vaccine delivery is set to rapidly in Canada

Canada, which recently dealt with weeks of shipping delays and disruptions from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, has doled out nearly 1.4 million doses since its rollout began mid-December, covering about 2.65 per cent of its population with at least one dose.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday Covid-19 vaccine delivery is set to rapidly increase, however, with provinces preparing to roll out almost a million and a half doses over the next three weeks.

A recent ramping up of the United States's vaccine rollout has it vastly outpacing its northern neighbour, and some Canadians are wondering why distribution here is lagging so far behind.

The American government announced weeks ago its aim to supply vaccines to about 40,000 drugstores in the coming months.

The U.S. was vaccinating an average of 1.7 million Americans per day

The American government announced weeks ago its aim to supply vaccines to about 40,000 drugstores in the coming months.

The U.S. was vaccinating an average of 1.7 million Americans per day this week, and had administered at least one dose to more than 12 per cent of its population as of Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over 63 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the United States as of Sunday. According to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University, COVID-19 has infected more than 28 million Americans since March 2020, and has resulted in more than 498,000 related deaths.

Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN that it is "possible" Americans may still need to wear face masks in 2022, even as the country could approach a certain "degree of normality." While Fauci noted he can't predict when the U.S. could return to the way it operated during pre-pandemic life, he believes that, by the end of the year, the United States could have "a significant degree of normality beyond what the terrible burden that all of us have been through over the last year."

Australian begin rollout of Pfizer vaccine

Australia has begun its COVID-19 vaccination rollout this morning, with hopes 60,000 doses will be administered by the end of the week.

Victoria and New South Wales were the first two states to begin the vaccination rollout of the Pfizer vaccine, followed by South Australia and Queensland.

NSW began vaccinating a handful of frontline workers about 8am at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown, with Special Health Accommodation environmental services supervisor Gayathry Vellangalloor Srinivasan being the first to receive the jab today.

The vaccinations are being administered by 200 healthcare workers working out of three Sydney hubs today, including the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Westmead Hospital and Liverpool Hospital.

Over the next three weeks, 35,000 frontline health workers are expected to receive the jab.

"We are really positive about making sure in New South Wales we protected our quarantine workers first and foremost," Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

"As soon as I am able to, as soon as my turn is here with the AstraZeneca I will definitely be taking it."

More than 1200 people will get the vaccine in NSW today, with 500 doses administered at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd told Today depending on supplies, Phase 2 of the rollout targeting people over 70 and Aboriginal and Torres Islander people would begin from late March to early April.

Professor Kidd said the Phase 2 vaccinations would be administered by GPs across the country.

The remaining states and territories, including the ACT, Northern Territory, Western Australia and Tasmania, will also start their vaccine rollouts today.

Victoria became the first state to officially begin the vaccine rollout this morning, despite a surprise start yesterday with Prime Minister Scott Morrison vaccinated.

Head of infection prevention at Monash Health, Professor Rhonda Stuart, was the first Victorian recipient of the Pfizer vaccine, getting the jab about 7.30am. About 100 healthcare workers are expected to be vaccinated in the first Monash Health clinic today.

At least 240 aged care homes will get a share of the available vaccine, including Homestead Estate, just outside of Geelong, with residents to receive the jab at about 9am.

Up to 1.4 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be given to hotel quarantine workers, frontline healthcare workers and aged care staff and residents in the coming weeks.

Vietnam needs 150 million Covid-19 vaccine doses in 2021

Vietnam has negotiated to secure 60 million out of 150 million Covid-19 vaccine doses needed for this year to cover 70 percent of its 98-million population.

Vietnam would receive around five million Covid-19 vaccine doses by the end of February, Deputy Health Minister Truong Quoc Cuong said at a meeting Monday.

They include about 4.9 million vaccine doses provided via Covax, a global mechanism for developing, manufacturing and procuring Covid-19 vaccine candidates and help member countries access vaccines as they become available. About 117,000 other doses would be imported, Cuong said, adding that they would come by the end of February provided that flights and procedures are completed as scheduled.

Around two to five million people on the frontline of the coronavirus fight would be prioritized to get the vaccine.

Covid Vaccine Update in India

The Covid vaccination drive in India began on 16 January.According to the health ministry, 1,10,85,173 healthcare workers and frontline workers have received the anti-Covid jabs so far.

On Friday, India had crossed a major milestone of vaccinating over 1 crore healthcare workers and frontline workers.

According to the Union health ministry, India's vaccination coverage ranks third in the world, after the US with 55.2 million doses and the UK with 16.12 million doses. Both, the US and the UK have completed over 60 days of vaccination.

India is the second-fastest country to reach the one crore mark after the US, which completed it in 31 days. Meanwhile, the UK took 56 days to vaccinate one crore citizen.

Over 200 million vaccine doses administered globally.

As many as 13,993 new Covid-19 cases were detected across India in the last 24 hours, said the Union health ministry on Sunday. India also recorded 90 deaths, taking the cumulative death toll to 1,56,302.

With the new cases, the coronavirus tally in the country has reached 1,09,91,651 including 1,45,634 active cases and 1,06,89,715 discharges.

Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield is being manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India

Nepal gets 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine bought from India

Nepal on Sunday received the one million doses of Covishield vaccine it bought from India’s Serum Institute, in a major boost to the country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield is being manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) which has collaborated with Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for making the vaccine.

An Air India aircraft carrying the consignment of COVID-19 vaccines landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport in the morning, according to sources at the Indian Embassy here.

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