Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
75% Of Adults In UK Now Vaccinated With At Least One Shot
AP: UK Hits Vaccine Milestone, Warns Of 'Deadly' Misinformation
Three-quarters of Britain’s adult population has received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, the government said Wednesday, as it warned that “deadly” misinformation was undermining the global inoculation effort. The Department of Health said that 75.2% of people 18 and over in the U.K. have received a shot, and 49.5% are fully vaccinated after two doses. (Lawless, 6/2)
Politico: Boris Johnson: ‘Nothing In The Data’ To Prevent England’s Lockdown Exit
Boris Johnson said there is "nothing in the data at the moment" to suggest England's full exit from lockdown restrictions on June 21 cannot go ahead, despite fears over the spread of the so-called Delta variant. "I can see nothing in the data at the moment that means we can't go ahead with step four, or the opening up on June 21, but we've got to be so cautious," the U.K. prime minister told reporters. (Webber, 6/2)
In other global developments —
The Wall Street Journal: Developed Countries Lock Up Covid-19 Vaccines Through 2023
The European Union, Canada and other developed countries have signed deals to get hundreds of millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccines and boosters over the next two years, furthering a divide between rich and poor countries. Under the recent deals, Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE agreed to supply the European Union up to 1.8 billion doses of their vaccine through 2023, while agreeing to supply Canada up to 125 million doses. (Hopkins, 6/2)
AP: Taiwan Says China Exploiting Vaccines For Political Gain
Taiwan’s foreign minister on Thursday said China is seeking political gains abroad in return for providing vaccines and other pandemic assistance, partly to increase pressure on Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory. Beijing’s Communist Party leaders “further exploited the pandemic to impose their political agenda on many others,” Joseph Wu said in a video conference with the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan. (6/2)
The New York Times: A Return To Normal? Not For Countries With Covid Surges And Few Vaccines.
In Colombia, nearly five hundred people a day have died of the coronavirus over the last three weeks, the nation’s most dramatic daily death rates yet. Argentina is going through the “worst moment since the pandemic began,” according to its president. Scores are dying daily in Paraguay and Uruguay, which now have the highest reported fatality rates per person in the world. “The vaccines are coming too late,” said María Victoria Castillo, whose 33-year-old husband, Juan David, died in May as he waited for the Colombian government to extend shots to his age group. (Turkewitz and Bengali, 6/2)
The Washington Post: Vietnam Mutation Not A New Variant, WHO Says
The World Health Organization’s representative in Vietnam said that the coronavirus mutation first detected there does not meet the global health body’s definition of a new variant, though it is still very transmissible and dangerous. “There is no new hybrid variant in Vietnam at this moment based on WHO definition,” Kidong Park told Nikkei Asia. Instead, what Vietnamese officials found was a mutation of a variant first detected in India, he said, referring to the B.1.617.2 strain that the WHO now calls “Delta.” (Ang and Cunningham, 6/3)
CNBC: Delta Covid Variant First Found In India Spreads To 62 Nations, WHO Says
The Covid-19 variant first detected in India in October has now spread to at least 62 countries as outbreaks surge across Asia and Africa — despite a 15% week-over-week drop in cases across the globe, according to the World Health Organization. “We continue to observe significantly increased transmissibility and a growing number of countries reporting outbreaks associated with this variant,” the WHO said of the Delta strain, noting that further study was a high priority. (Mendez, 6/2)
NBC News: India's Covid Crisis Has Ripple Effects For Garment Industry Worldwide
As the coronavirus pandemic tears across India, forcing garment factories to shut down or work at half capacity to stem new cases, retail suppliers are scrambling to move production to China. But with trade war tariffs still in play, the shift could mean higher prices for U.S. consumers. Infections have swelled in India since February, with more contagious variants spreading as massive crowds gather for religious festivals and political rallies. With around 22 million confirmed infections, health experts have warned the worst is still ahead. (Miranda, 6/2)
In updates on the Tokyo Olympics —
AP: 10,000 Volunteers Drop Out; Tokyo Olympics Open In 50 Days
The countdown clock for the Tokyo Olympics sat at 50-days-to-go on Thursday. It also brought another problem for the one-year-delayed games. About 10,000 of 80,000 unpaid volunteers for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have told organizers they will not participate when the games open on July 23.Organizers said some dropped out because of worries about COVID-19. Few volunteers are expected to be vaccinated since most will have no contact with athletes or other key personnel. (Wade and Komiya, 6/3)
Reuters: 'We Cannot Postpone Again,' Says Tokyo 2020 Chief Amid Pandemic Fears
The president of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee ruled out a cancellation or further postponement of the Olympics as doubts grew among officials of city governments and medical experts whether the event can be held safely amid the pandemic. Public opinion polls have consistently shown that a majority of Japanese want the Games cancelled or put off yet again, after being delayed a year over the coronavirus crisis. (Swift, 6/3)
