Brazil Beats US In Full-Vaccination; UK Expands Boosters To Over 40s
Though President Jair Bolsonaro has decried vaccines, over 60% of Brazil's population is now fully immunized — the U.S.'s figure remains at 59%. Meanwhile, in Portugal 98% of eligible people are vaccinated.
The New York Times:
Brazil Surpasses The U.S. In Getting People Fully Vaccinated
Once a pandemic hot spot, Brazil has edged past the United States in fully vaccinating its people against the coronavirus, with over 60 percent of the Brazilian population fully immunized. The U.S. rate for full vaccination stands at 59 percent. The achievement contrasts with Brazil’s much derided handling of the pandemic under President Jair Bolsonaro, who refused to get vaccinated himself. It also reflects the extent of the public’s trust in a robust health care system with a track record of responding quickly to such crises. (Andreoni, 11/14)
In news from Europe —
Bloomberg:
Who Can Get Covid Booster Vaccine In U.K.? People In 40s Now Eligible
The U.K. is expanding its Covid-19 booster program to younger people as the country seeks to head off another wave of infections this winter. A third vaccine dose will be available to people aged 40 to 49 starting six months after their second shot, the government said Monday. Previously, only those over 50 and other vulnerable groups were eligible. So far, more than 12 million people have received a third inoculation. (Hipwell, 11/15)
CBS News:
Portugal, The Little Country That Could … Get Vaccinated
From an overlook in Lisbon, with the sun peeking through, things look pretty good. Having weathered the storm of COVID, at least for now, Portugal is emerging as a shining example: one of the most vaccinated countries on Earth, with roughly 98 percent of those eligible here having been vaccinated, compared to about 62 percent in the U.S. Trams are again packed; so are restaurants. (11/14)
The New York Times:
Austria’s New Lockdown Will Confine The Unvaccinated To Their Homes
Austria will confine unvaccinated adults and minors over age 11 to their homes as part of a targeted lockdown, lawmakers announced Sunday. The move, which is aimed at calming the worst surge in infections the country has faced since the pandemic started, is believed to be one of the first national lockdowns directed at the unvaccinated. “We do not take this step lightly,” Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said at a news conference on Sunday. Starting Monday, those who cannot prove that they are either fully vaccinated or immune from a past infection can only leave their dwellings for essential reasons, such as going to the doctor or for essential grocery shopping. (Schuetze, 11/14)
Axios:
COVID: Austria Imposes Lockdown For Unvaccinated, Latest Nation To Announce Restrictions
Public officials around the world are imposing new restrictions on the unvaccinated as many nations struggle to raise their COVID-19 vaccination rates. Unvaccinated people are five times more likely than those vaccinated to get infected and 10 times more likely to die from the coronavirus, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many health care systems are buckling under new waves in cases among the unvaccinated. (Chen, 11/15)
Reuters:
German Coronavirus Infections Hit New High, Tighter Measures Planned
Germany's coronavirus infection rate has risen to its highest level since the start of the pandemic, public health figures showed on Monday, as the three parties in talks to form a new government plan an expansion of measures to tackle the pandemic. The seven-day incidence rate - the number of people per 100,000 to be infected over the last week - rose to 303 from 289 the previous day, figures from the Robert Koch Institute showed on Monday. (11/15)
AP:
As Virus Surges In Eastern Europe, Leaders Slow To Act - ABC News
At the main hospital in Romania's capital, the morgue ran out of space for the dead in recent days, and doctors in Bulgaria have suspended routine surgeries so they can tend to a surge in COVID-19 patients. In the Serbian capital, the graveyard now operates an extra day during the week in order to bury all the bodies arriving. For two months now, a stubborn wave of virus infections has ripped mercilessly through several countries in Central and Eastern Europe, where vaccination rates are much lower than elsewhere on the continent. While medical workers pleaded for tough restrictions or even lockdowns, leaders let the virus rage unimpeded for weeks. (Stojanovic and Gec, 11/14)
Elsewhere around the globe —
Bloomberg:
Israel To Give Pfizer Vaccine To Children Once Doses Arrive
Israel plans to begin giving the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine to children aged 5 to 11 as soon as possible, after becoming the latest country to approve the inoculations. The Health Ministry expects the first shipments of the children’s vaccine -- which is weaker than the regular dose -- to arrive from the U.S. in the coming days, according to a spokesperson. A panel of experts at the ministry voted overwhelmingly in favor of the inoculation campaign last week. (Avis, 11/15)
AP:
New Outbreak Prompts China To Lock Down University Campus
China has confined nearly 1,500 university students to their dormitories and hotels following an outbreak of COVID-19 in the northeastern city of Dalian. The order was issued Sunday after several dozen cases were reported at Zhuanghe University City and hundreds of students were transferred to hotels for observation. (11/15)
AP:
India Opens To Vaccinated Foreign Tourists After 18 Months
India began allowing fully vaccinated foreign tourists to enter the country on regular commercial flights on Monday, in the latest easing of coronavirus restrictions as infections fall and vaccinations rise. Tourists entering India must be fully vaccinated, follow all COVID-19 protocols and test negative for the virus within 72 hours of their flight, according to the health ministry. Many will also need to undergo a post-arrival COVID-19 test at the airport. (11/15)
On the global rise in diabetes —
CNN:
Cases Of Diabetes Are Skyrocketing Around The World, And Experts Fear Covid-19 May Make It Worse
The year 2021 marks 100 years since the discovery of insulin, a game-changing drug in the fight against diabetes. Despite a century of advancements in treatment, education and prevention, World Diabetes Day 2021 occurs in the wake of grim statistics. One in 10 adults around the world -- some 537 million people -- are currently living with diabetes, according to figures recently released by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). By 2024, the IDF predicted that the number of people with diabetes is expected to rise to 1 in 8 adults. (LaMotte, 11/14)
