Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
England Moves Ahead Of Schedule On Vaccines
NPR: U.K. Moves To Speed Up Vaccinations, With Goal Of 1st Dose For All Adults By July 31
The British government has announced that every adult in the U.K. will be offered a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of July, one month earlier than initially planned. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the accelerated target will allow vulnerable people to be protected "sooner," which should help relax the lifting of lockdown restrictions across the country. Senior ministers met to discuss the plan Sunday. Johnson will unveil the plan to ease restrictions to the House of Commons on Monday. Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC that about one-third of U.K. adults — about 17 million people — have already been vaccinated. The new target also calls for everyone over 50 or with an underlying health condition to get a vaccine shot by April 15, rather than the previous target of May 1. (Northam, 2/21)
The Hill: Macron Urges US, EU To Share Vaccine Doses
French President Emmanuel Macron pressed the U.S. and European Union to allocate some coronavirus vaccine doses to be shared with developing countries that have been slower in getting their COVID-19 outbreaks under control. Macron said in an interview with the Financial Times that the U.S. and E.U. should set aside between 3 percent and 5 percent of their doses. (Axelrod, 2/19)
The Hill: Australia Begins Coronavirus Vaccine Rollout
Australia has begun its coronavirus vaccine rollout, Reuters reports, with frontline healthcare workers and senior citizens receiving the first round of doses. According to the news outlet, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, was among a group of 20 people who received the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer before the broader rollout began on Monday. Sixty thousand doses are expected to be administered by the end of this week, Reuters reports. (Choi, 2/21)
AP: Tanzania's President Admits Country Has COVID-19 Problem
Tanzania’s president is finally acknowledging that his country has a coronavirus problem after claiming for months that the disease had been defeated by prayer. Populist President John Magufuli on Sunday urged citizens of the East African country to take precautions and even wear face masks — but only locally made ones. Over the course of the pandemic he has expressed wariness about foreign-made goods, including COVID-19 vaccines. (2/22)
The Hill: WHO To Recommend Extensive Study Of First Known COVID-19 Patient, Wet Market Suppliers: Report
The World Health Organization (WHO) will release a report on the roots of the coronavirus pandemic recommending more comprehensive contact tracing of the first known patient in Wuhan, China and the wildlife market where it is believed to have originated. Scientists involved in the investigation into how the virus originated told CNN they found it “implausible” Chinese authorities had not investigated these aspects. (Budryk, 2/21)
In other global developments —
The Hill: First Human Case Of H5N8 Bird Flu Reported In Russia
Russia on Saturday announced that it has identified the first cases of H5N8 avian influenza in humans, according to multiple reports. Anna Popova, the country’s public health chief, said in televised comments that seven cases were detected in workers at a poultry farm in southern Russia, Bloomberg News reported. Authorities have reported information on the cases to the World Health Organization (WHO). (Williams, 2/20)
Bloomberg: Norway To Decriminalize Personal Use Of Illegal Drugs In Small Quantities
Norway plans to decriminalize the personal use of illegal drugs in small quantities, citing recommendations from the United Nations and the World Health Organization. The Nordic country will abolish criminal liability “for the use of drugs and the acquisition and possession of a small amount of drugs for own use,” according to legal proposals by the health-care ministry to lawmakers, published on Friday. The acts will be illegal, but not punishable. “The drug reform is a historic shift in Norwegian drug policy,” Health Minister Bent Hoie said in an emailed statement. “It’s high time we replace punishment with help.” (Ummelas, 2/19)
