Spread of Covid-19 is easing in hard-hit Americas but concerns about south Asia; UK u-turn on masks in schools; Gaza in lockdown. Follow the developments live
- Boris Johnson drops advice against face masks in English schools
- ‘They they’ll be left to die’: pandemic hits Venezuela
- Fears of ‘catastrophic’ Covid outbreak in Gaza
- Follow all the developments in Australia
1.32am BST
Australia has announced it will join the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy and Norway in supporting the Gavi COVAX Facility Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC) to help Pacific and southeast Asian countries access safe and affordable Covid-19 vaccines.
The COVAX AMC is designed to secure Covid-19 vaccines – when one exists – for all countries, not just those that can afford to purchase or manufacture vaccines themselves.
Vaccines are not magic force shields for individuals, none of us are safe until everyone’s safe. In that way, vaccinating all those in our region is essential, not just to protect those in need who deserve rich country support but it is also in our own enlightened self interest.
It is important also to note that in low-income settings, Covid-19 is likely to cause far more suffering from other diseases than from Covid-19 itself. Health systems just can’t can’t cope. We know that deaths from malaria, TB and HIV have already been increasing due to the diversion of testing and workforce attention to Covid-19 in countries such as PNG.
1.20am BST
We mentioned earlier the Cambridge University vaccine trials. Oxford, too, is conducting human trials of its potential vaccine.
In Australia, the University of Queensland has begun early trials of a potential Covid-19 vaccine on hamsters, yielding “positive indications” about its possible effectiveness in humans.
Continue reading…Spread of Covid-19 is easing in hard-hit Americas but concerns about south Asia; UK u-turn on masks in schools; Gaza in lockdown. Follow the developments liveBoris Johnson drops advice against face masks in English schools‘They they’ll be left to die’: pandemic hits VenezuelaFears of ‘catastrophic’ Covid outbreak in Gaza Follow all the developments in Australia 1.32am BSTAustralia has announced it will join the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy and Norway in supporting the Gavi COVAX Facility Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC) to help Pacific and southeast Asian countries access safe and affordable Covid-19 vaccines. The COVAX AMC is designed to secure Covid-19 vaccines – when one exists – for all countries, not just those that can afford to purchase or manufacture vaccines themselves.Vaccines are not magic force shields for individuals, none of us are safe until everyone’s safe. In that way, vaccinating all those in our region is essential, not just to protect those in need who deserve rich country support but it is also in our own enlightened self interest.It is important also to note that in low-income settings, Covid-19 is likely to cause far more suffering from other diseases than from Covid-19 itself. Health systems just can’t can’t cope. We know that deaths from malaria, TB and HIV have already been increasing due to the diversion of testing and workforce attention to Covid-19 in countries such as PNG. 1.20am BSTWe mentioned earlier the Cambridge University vaccine trials. Oxford, too, is conducting human trials of its potential vaccine.In Australia, the University of Queensland has begun early trials of a potential Covid-19 vaccine on hamsters, yielding “positive indications” about its possible effectiveness in humans. Continue reading…