Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ghana Is First Nation To Receive Covid Shots Through Covax Global Initiative
The Washington Post: First Vaccine Doses Distributed By Covax Land In West African Nation Of Ghana
Ghana became the first country to receive a delivery of coronavirus doses from the global effort to boost vaccine access after a plane landed Wednesday with 600,000 AstraZeneca shots. ... The West African country of 31 million was selected as the first recipient after sending a rollout plan to Covax proving its health-care teams and cold chain equipment were ready to support a quick distribution. (Paquette, 2/24)
Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccine Success Won’t Eliminate Virus Risk, UK Concludes
By the middle of this year, all adults in Britain are due to be offered a Covid-19 vaccine in what is on course to be the fastest inoculation rollout in a major Western country. But disease modelers advising the U.K. government recently made a sobering projection: 56,000 more Covid-19 deaths by the summer of next year, even if the country tiptoes out of lockdown and the vaccines work. The study points to the uncomfortable prospect that even with an effective vaccine, the virus will continue to take a toll on society and that some restrictions may have to be periodically reintroduced to control the coronavirus’s spread. (Colchester and Douglas, 2/24)
Bloomberg: Vaccine Fears Are Crippling China’s Covid Fight
In December, China announced that it planned to inoculate 50 million people against Covid-19 by Feb. 11. Although it was an ambitious goal, it wasn’t outlandish for a country that seemed to have done better than most in bringing the pandemic under control. Yet vaccination turns out to be the one Covid benchmark where China has fared badly: As of Feb. 22, it had managed just 2.89 doses per 100 people (or 40.5 million shots), according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker. By contrast, the U.S. has administered 19.33 doses for every 100 people (a world-beating 64.18 million). (Minter, 2/24)
In travel news —
CNBC: Quarantine-Free Travel May Be One Step Closer With New Travel Industry App
A new app, set to launch within weeks, could mark the first step in resuming quarantine-free international travel. The International Air Travel Association (IATA) travel app will allow governments and airlines to digitally collect, access and share information on the status of individual passengers’ Covid-19 test and vaccination. (Gilchrist, 2/24)
Reuters: Digital Health Checks Vital To Travel Recovery, Heathrow Says
Digital health checks will be vital to a recovery in foreign travel from the COVID-19 pandemic, Britain’s Heathrow airport said on Wednesday, after a collapse in passenger numbers saw it plunge to a 2 billion pound ($2.8 billion) loss last year. The UK government said on Monday trips abroad could restart in mid-May as its vaccination campaign kicks in, sparking a surge in holiday bookings. (Young, 2/24)
The Washington Post: Australia’s Zero-Tolerance Covid-19 Strategy Must End For Travel To Return, Experts Say
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Australia has taken a hard-line approach to travel restrictions in its effort to contain covid-19. Effectively closing its borders, the nation banned nonessential entry and mandated strict quarantines and testing for anyone allowed to enter — requiring even returning Australian nationals to pay for two-week stays in quarantine hotels monitored by police. But now that coronavirus vaccinations are underway worldwide, some health experts are signaling that a zero-tolerance approach will probably need to change if the country wants to restart travel. (McMahon, 2/23)
