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Covid-19 booster vaccine campaign begins in England
England has launched its Covid-19 booster vaccination campaign, the National Health Service (NHS) said, after officials and the government gave the go-ahead for the programme earlier in the week.
“It is brilliant to see that the first booster jabs are being rolled out today,” health minister Sajid Javid was quoted as saying by Reuters.
“I urge everyone who is eligible to come forward for their booster when invited, to prolong the protection that the vaccine offers those most at risk as we approach the winter months.”
Several Asian nations are quickly ramping up vaccination campaigns from shaky starts to combat growing Covid-19 infections, as supply shipments roll in and people overcome hesitancy in hopes of easing curbs and freeing up travel.
Japan and South Korea have passed the US in terms of those who have received at least one dose and are fast catching up with the second.
And Australia, which is targeting high vaccination rates in its drive to escape lockdowns and reopen borders, has given 56 per cent of people at least one shot as infections peak.
“That 70pc double dose and 80pc double dose mark is within plain sight,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told media in the capital, Canberra. “Keep going, Australia.”
Ukraine’s daily Covid-19 deaths exceeds 100 first time since June
The number of daily coronavirus-related deaths in Ukraine has exceeded 100 over the past 24 hours for the first time since early June, when the country reported 118 deaths, the health ministry data shows.
Ukraine has reported 101 new deaths, while the number of new infections has risen to 5,744 from 4,640 a day earlier, reports Reuters.
The number of new Covid-19 cases has been growing over the past few weeks and the government has already announced that it will tighten lockdown restrictions in the near future.
France’s Health Minister Olivier Veran says around 3,000 health workers who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 have been suspended, a day after the country made vaccination mandatory for all healthcare and care home workers, Reuters reports.
President Emmanuel Macron’s government imposed the rule to boost vaccination uptake and help prevent a new wave of infections in the autumn that might jeopardise France’s economic recovery.
“Most of the suspensions are only temporary … many of them have decided to get vaccinated as they see that the vaccination mandate is a reality,” Veran told French RTL radio.
Malaysians enjoy taste of travel after lockdown in tourism restart
The first plane carrying tourists in more than four months has touched down on the Malaysian island of Langkawi, reports Reuters.
The travellers were greeted by a twin water cannon “salute”, in the launch of a programme to revive a travel sector frozen by the pandemic.
The first batch of 159 travellers from the capital, Kuala Lumpur, arrived eager for a vacation after a months-long, nationwide lockdown imposed to address one of Asia’s highest per capital coronavirus infection rates.
Canadian provincial leader apologises as restrictions and vaccine passport imposed
Hong Kong panel recommends single dose of BioNTech’s Covid shot for teenagers
A panel of health experts advising the Hong Kong government has recommended children aged 12-17 should get only one dose of BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine after reports of heart inflammation side effects.
Professor Lau Yu-lung, who chairs a health committee advising the government on its vaccination programme, told public broadcaster RTHK the side effect was more prevalent than originally thought.
He said experts, therefore, decided it was better for teenagers to get only one dose to “greatly reduce the chance of heart inflammation.”
Virgin Australia to require Covid-19 vaccinations for staff
Virgin Australia has said it will require all its staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19, in line with domestic rival Qantas Airways Ltd and a growing number of airlines in the Asia-Pacific region, reports Reuters.
Pilots, cabin crew and airport workers will need to be fully vaccinated by November 15, while other staff will have until March 31, 2022, Virgin said, aligning its dates with Qantas.
“We also remain supportive of any government-led measures to ensure travellers are vaccinated,” Virgin Chief Executive Officer Jayne Hrdlicka said.
Moderna says vaccine protection wanes, makes case for booster
New data from Moderna Inc’s large Covid-19 vaccine trial shows that the protection it offers wanes over time, supporting the case for booster doses, the company said in a news release.
“This is only one estimate, but we do believe this means as you look toward the fall and winter, at minimum we expect the estimated impact of waning immunity would be 600,000 additional cases of Covid-19,” Moderna President Stephen Hoge said in a conference call with investors.
Hoge said data from its booster studies shows the vaccine could increase neutralising antibodies to levels even higher than were seen after the second dose.
Putin says to self-isolate after Covid outbreak among staff: report
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he will have to spend “a few days” in self-isolation after dozens of people in his entourage fell ill with Covid-19, according to TASS news agency.
Putin was speaking through a video link at a summit of a Russia-led security bloc that was held in Tajikistan.
Pakistan’s Covid-19 death toll crosses 27,000 mark
