In Just One Week, Bhutan Hit Full Vaccination For 90% Of All Adults
Bhutan, with around 800,000 people, made headlines in April by giving the first covid shot to around 90% of adults in two weeks, and now it's achieved distribution of second doses even faster. Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Russia, Mexico, Israel and the U.K. are also in the news.
AP:
Bhutan Fully Vaccinates 90% Of Eligible Adults Within A Week
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has fully vaccinated 90% of its eligible adult population within just seven days, its health ministry said Tuesday. The tiny country, wedged between India and China and home to nearly 800,000 people, began giving out second doses on July 20 in a mass drive that has been hailed by UNICEF as “arguably the fastest vaccination campaign to be executed during a pandemic.” (Hussain and Lekhi, 7/28)
The Wall Street Journal:
Saudi Arabia To Impose Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate
Saudi Arabia is set to impose one of the world’s most sweeping vaccine mandates in an attempt to combat hesitancy toward the Covid-19 shots in the kingdom, as governments globally try to confront a new surge in cases of the Delta variant. People in Saudi Arabia will need to show proof on a mobile app that they have received at least one vaccine dose to enter public and private institutions beginning Sunday, including schools, shops, malls, markets, restaurants, cafes, concert venues and public transportation. From Aug. 9, Saudi citizens will need two doses to travel abroad. (Kalin, 7/27)
The New York Times:
Want A Vaccine Reservation In South Korea? Try Waiting 111 Hours.
When South Koreans logged on to a government website this month to book Covid-19 vaccine appointments, a pop-up window told them there was “just a bit” of a delay. “There are 401,032 people waiting in front of you,” read one of the messages that exasperated South Koreans captured in screenshots and shared online. “Your expected waiting time: 111 hours, 23 minutes and 52 seconds.” (San-Hun, 7/28)
The Washington Post:
Russia Tightens Vaccine Mandates: Get The Jab Or Put Your Job At Risk
When Russia's flagging vaccination campaign failed to stem a devastating third pandemic wave, authorities dumped the burden on businesses — and warned workers who refused vaccines that they could be suspended without pay. The strategy reflects officials’ desperation to boost low vaccine rates — about 16 percent — in a country with sufficient supplies of local Sputnik V and other vaccines. But it also points to wider trends globally amid struggles with the delta variant as governments explore mandates that reward the vaccinated and leave the resisters facing consequences. (Dixon, 7/28)
In updates from the United Kingdom —
Bloomberg:
Covid Deaths Surge In U.K. As Officials Warn Pandemic Isn’t Over
The U.K. reported the highest number of Covid-19 deaths since March, prompting a top government health official to warn the pandemic is “not over yet” despite a continued fall in confirmed cases. There were 23,511 new coronavirus cases recorded on Tuesday, down for a seventh day. But the number of deaths jumped to 131, the most since March 17, according to the latest data. An increase is consistent with the lag between infections and serious illness from Covid-19, given the U.K. saw a surge in cases driven by the highly transmissible delta variant in June and earlier this month. (Ashton, 7/27)
Newsweek:
COVID Quarantine Rules Lifted For Thousands Of UK Workers Amid Staffing Shortages
Thousands more essential workers in the United Kingdom will have COVID-19 quarantine rules eased in an attempt to end staff shortages and help the economy recover, the British government announced Tuesday. Most Britons are recommended to self-isolate for 10 days if they come into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. The self-isolation system has caused staffing shortages in restaurants and other businesses. (Klapper, 7/27)
The Washington Post:
Europeans Increasingly Frustrated As White House Maintains Trump-Era Covid Travel Restrictions
European lawmakers and business groups voiced mounting criticism of the Biden administration on Tuesday, after the White House said its restrictions on international travel would remain in place for the time being. Whereas vaccinated U.S. tourists have been allowed to return to much of Europe for weeks, most Europeans continue to be unable to travel to the United States under a ban that was first imposed by President Donald Trump in March 2020. (Noack, Thebault and Aries, 7/27)
Also —
AP:
3 Mexican Ships Taking Fuel, Medical Aid And Food To Cuba
Two Mexican ships carrying food, fuel and medical supplies were sailing to Cuba on Tuesday and a third was getting ready to head there Wednesday, in what experts said was Mexico’s biggest aid run for Cuba in almost three decades. The first ship left late Monday loaded with 100,000 barrels of diesel fuel that the Mexican government said would be used to provide power for Cuban hospitals. (Verza, 7/28)
AP:
A Birthday Gift: Israeli Woman Donates Kidney To Gaza Boy
Idit Harel Segal was turning 50, and she had chosen a gift: She was going to give one of her own kidneys to a stranger. The kindergarten teacher from northern Israel, a proud Israeli, hoped her choice would set an example of generosity in a land of perpetual conflict. She was spurred by memories of her late grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, who told her to live meaningfully, and by Jewish tradition, which holds that there’s no higher duty than saving a life. So Segal contacted a group that links donors and recipients, launching a nine-month process to transfer her kidney to someone who needed one. (Kellman, 7/28)
