Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Indonesia Signs Off On Emergency Use Of China's Vaccine
AP: Indonesia Green-Lights Emergency Use Of Chinese Vaccine
Indonesia’s Food and Drug Authority on Monday green-lighted emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd., with vaccinations of high-risk groups expected to start later this week. Conditional vaccination of healthcare workers and other civil servants using the vaccine, called CoronaVac, is expected to begin this week. (Milko and Tarigan, 1/11)
In other global news —
AP: Africa Exceeds 3 Million COVID-19 Cases, 30% In South Africa
Africa passed the milestone of 3 million confirmed cases COVID-19 on Sunday, including more than 72,000 deaths, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. South Africa, with more than 1.2 million reported cases, including 32,824 deaths, accounts for more than 30% of the total for the continent of 54 countries and 1.3 billion people. The high proportion of cases in South Africa, could be because the country carries out more tests than many other African countries. (Meldrum, 1/10)
Reuters: China Reports Biggest Daily COVID-19 Case Jump In Over 5 Months
Mainland China saw its biggest daily increase in COVID-19 cases in over five months, the country’s health authority said on Monday, as new infections in Hebei province surrounding Beijing continued to rise. (1/10)
AP: China: WHO Experts Arriving Thursday For Virus Origins Probe
Experts from the World Health Organization are due to arrive in China this week for a long-anticipated investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, the government said Monday. The experts will arrive on Thursday and meet with Chinese counterparts, the National Health Commission said in a one-sentence statement that gave no other details. (1/11)
Also —
CNN: Pope's Personal Doctor Dies From Covid-19 Complications
Pope Francis' personal doctor, Fabrizio Soccorsi, has died as a result of “complications due to Covid,” the Vatican’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano announced on Saturday. Pope Francis chose Soccorsi as a personal doctor in 2015, the news outlet said. He was 78 years old when he died. (Borghese, 1/10)
AP: Queen Elizabeth II And Husband Receive COVID-19 Vaccinations
Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, have received their COVID-19 vaccinations, royal officials said Saturday. Buckingham Palace officials said in a statement that the 94-year-old monarch and Philip, 99, received their jabs Saturday, joining some 1.5 million people in Britain who have been given a first dose of a vaccine. (1/9)
