Campaigners Want Olympics Scrapped As Japan’s Covid Crisis Worsens

Yahoo News: Japan Expands Coronavirus Emergency As 350,000 Sign 'Cancel Olympics' Petition
Japan expanded a coronavirus state of emergency Friday, just 10 weeks before the Olympics, as campaigners submitted a petition with more than 350,000 signatures calling for the Games to be scrapped. With Tokyo and other areas already under emergency orders until the end of May, three more regions -- including northern Hokkaido, which will host the Olympic marathon -- now join them. (Hussein and Hasegawa, 5/14)

AP: EXPLAINER: Why Japan Has Been Slow To Roll Out Vaccinations
Japan’s rollout of COVID-19 vaccines began belatedly in mid-February, months behind the United States and many other countries. Officials blamed a shortage of Pfizer Inc. vaccine from Europe as the main culprit in the delay. But three months later, with shipments stabilized and officials attempting to accelerate vaccinations, Japan remains one of the world’s least protected. Officials say there is a critical shortage of trained staff to give shots. Despite Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s pledge to have all eligible people fully vaccinated by the end of September, some officials say it could take until next year. It will be impossible for Japan to achieve protective “herd immunity” in the two months before the Tokyo Olympics are to begin. (Yamaguchi, 5/14)

In other global developments —

Roll Call: Vaccine Makers Pressed By Lawmakers, Investors To Speed Global Access To Shots 
Pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, are under pressure from governments and their own shareholders to ramp up access to COVID-19 vaccines as global distribution of the shots remains wildly unequal. The U.S. reportedly bought enough doses to fully vaccinate over 700 million people, more than twice its population. Meanwhile, nearly a dozen countries in Africa and elsewhere are still waiting to get vaccines, and many more have only enough for a fraction of their citizens, according to the World Health Organization. (Weiss, 5/13)

AP: When Will COVID-19 Vaccines Be Widely Available Globally?
When will COVID-19 vaccines be widely available globally? Experts say it could be 2023 or later before the shots are widely available in some countries. The United States, Israel and the United Kingdom are among the nations where about half or more of the population has gotten at least one shot. In some countries, including South Africa, Pakistan and Venezuela, less than 1% of people have been vaccinated. In nearly a dozen countries — mostly in Africa — there have been no jabs at all. (Milko, 5/13)

Axios: How Countries Are Faring On COVID Vaccinations 
About 150 million vaccine doses were administered globally over the past week, the highest weekly total yet and a jump from 130 million last week. In the U.S., daily vaccinations peaked in mid-April and fell sharply as demand waned, though they've ticked up over the past few days (46% of the population has at least one dose). (Lawler, 5/13)

CNBC: UK Prepares Surge Vaccinations To Tackle Covid Variant From India
The U.K. is preparing to deliver surge vaccinations and testing in areas where the new Covid-19 variant first detected in India is spreading. Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi told BBC TV on Friday that the government would “flex” its inoculation program to direct more doses to the most affected areas, while second doses could be brought forward. (Smith, 5/14)

The Washington Post: Singapore, Once Nearly Covid-Free, Tightens Restrictions To Fight New Pandemic Wave
For months, this Southeast Asian city-state recorded new daily coronavirus cases of zero or in the single-digits. Its vaccination program, while behind the United States and Britain, is one of Asia’s most advanced. But on Friday, Singapore said that it would significantly tighten restrictions in response to a new wave of infections. For a month from May 16, people will only be allowed to socialize in groups of two. Households will be similarly limited to two visitors daily, while dining venues will be restricted to offering takeaway and delivery. Most people will return to working from home. (Ang, 5/14)

Bloomberg: South Africa Covid Cases Rise With Third Wave Imminent
South Africa is on the brink of a third wave of coronavirus infections, driven by a steady increase in new cases after a four-day holiday weekend that saw millions of people travel to see family and friends and attend religious gatherings. New infections climbed 46% in the past week with cases rising fastest in the Northern Cape and Gauteng, the country’s most-populous province, the National Department of Health said Wednesday in a statement. “We have not yet hit the third wave, however, we are at risk and we hence need to be on heightened vigilance as a country,” it said. (Wilson, 5/13)

Reuters: Big Promises, Few Doses: Why Russia’s Struggling To Make Sputnik V Doses
Transforming the site of what once was a Soviet-era car factory into a state-of-the-art facility churning out Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V was the easy bit. Making doses in bulk, finding qualified staff and getting equipment have been much bigger headaches for Moscow-based biotech firm R-Pharm and other private Russian companies picked to make the country's flagship shot to fight the pandemic. (Ivanova and Nikolskaya, 5/14)

Also —

Bloomberg: Irish Health Service Shuts Down IT System Amid Cyber Attack
Ireland’s health service has shut down its computer systems amid what it described as a “significant” cyberattack. “There is a significant ransomware attack on the HSE IT systems,” the heath service said in a tweet. “We have taken the precaution of shutting down all our our IT systems in order to protect them from this attack and to allow us fully assess the situation with our own security partners.” Covid-19 vaccinations are not impacted by the attack, the HSE said. (Flanagan, 5/14)

The Washington Post: Muslim World Celebrates The End Of Ramadan Still Under The Covid Cloud
Muslims around the world gathered to pray Thursday at dawn to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr celebration. For the second year in a row, the normally joyous occasion of family visits and feasting was held under the cloud of social distancing and enhanced restrictions due to covid-19. In Indonesia, mosques were closed in high-risk areas and authorities instituted a travel ban like the previous year to stop people from flooding into the countryside to visit their relatives. In contrast to much of the rest of the world, cases in Southeast Asia as well as India, have been rising steadily in past weeks. (Schemm and Hassan, 5/13)