Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Canada Sets Aug. 9 Date To Open Borders For Fully Vaccinated Americans
CBS News: Canada To Start Letting Fully Vaccinated U.S. Citizens Enter The Country On August 9
Canada announced Monday that it will begin letting fully vaccinated U.S. citizens into Canada on August 9, and those from the rest of the world on September 7. Officials said the 14-day quarantine requirement will be waived as of August 9 for eligible travelers who are currently residing in the U.S. and have received a full course of a COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Canada. (7/19)
In updates on the global vaccination effort —
CBS News: Biden Administration To Send 3 Million Vaccine Doses To Guatemala
The U.S. plans to announce Monday that it is sending 3 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine to Guatemala, according to a White House official. This shipment is going to the Central American country Monday as a part of an agreement between the U.S. and Guatemala and will arrive on Tuesday, the official said. The Biden administration has already sent millions of doses to Guatemala, a country at the forefront of the immigration debate. The last batch of 1.5 million doses arrived on July 8 in Guatemala City. (Gomez and O'Keefe, 7/19)
AP: Vaccine Inequity: Inside The Cutthroat Race To Secure Doses
No one disputes that the world is unfair. But no one expected a vaccine gap between the global rich and poor that was this bad, this far into the pandemic. Inequity is everywhere: Inoculations go begging in the United States while Haiti, a short plane ride away, received its first delivery July 15 after months of promises — 500,000 doses for a population over 11 million. Canada has procured more than 10 doses for every resident; Sierra Leone’s vaccination rate just cracked 1% on June 20.It’s like a famine in which “the richest guys grab the baker,” said Strive Masiyiwa, the African Union’s envoy for vaccine acquisition. (Hinnant, Cheng and Ghosal, 7/18)
Axios: Vaccine Boosters In Rich Countries Risk Longer Wait In Poorer Nations
The rapid spread of the Delta variant around the rich world has injected increased urgency into the debate around booster shots, but the World Health Organization and public health experts are trying to keep the focus on getting vaccines to those who don’t yet have access. Israel last week became the first country to offer boosters to people with weak immune systems, and Pfizer is pushing for rapid approval of boosters in the U.S., citing preliminary data that suggests immunity may begin to wane after six months. (Lawler, 7/19)
CIDRAP: People In Poor Nations More Likely To Accept COVID Vaccines, Survey Finds
Eighty percent of survey respondents in 10 developing countries indicated a willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine, compared with 65% in the United States and 30% in Russia, according to a study published late last week in Nature Medicine. Researchers from the University of Cape Town in South Africa analyzed data from surveys deployed from June 2020 to January 2021 from 15 studies conducted in Africa, Latin America, Russia, South Asia, and the United States. More than 20,000 people responded to the survey. (7/19)
In other global covid news —
Fox News: World Is 'Moving Further Away' From End Of COVID-19 Pandemic: WHO Official
A top scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday that the world is shifting further away from the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, owing to factors like viral variants, social mixing, the flouting of public health measures and vaccine inequities. Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, epidemiologist and WHO COVID-19 technical lead, noted an 11.5% increase in global cases over the last week, with a 1% increase in deaths. Europe saw a 21% uptick in infections last week, while the Western Pacific experienced a nearly 30% increase, for instance. Though data reflects a slight dip in the African region, Kerkhove warned Africa is experiencing a high level of cases and an approximate 60% increase in deaths. (Rivas, 7/19)
AP: Research: India's Deaths During Pandemic 10X Official Toll
India’s excess deaths during the pandemic could be a staggering 10 times the official COVID-19 toll, likely making it modern India’s worst human tragedy, according to the most comprehensive research yet on the ravages of the virus in the south Asian country. Most experts believe India’s official toll of more than 414,000 dead is a vast undercount, but the government has dismissed those concerns as exaggerated and misleading. (Saaliq and Pathi, 7/20)
Bloomberg: Half Of Australia Back In Lockdown As Delta Tests Covid-Zero
Half of Australia’s population is back in lockdown after South Australia state joined Victoria and New South Wales in ordering residents to stay at home as the delta variant leaks across the country. South Australia later Tuesday will impose Australia’s strictest lockdown since the start of the pandemic after recording two new cases in the community. Residents must stay within 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) of their homes and comply with a 6p.m. curfew as part of the draconian measures introduced to halt an outbreak seeded from a returned traveler. (Burgess and McKay, 7/20)
