‘It’s Embarrassing’: US Diplomats Seek Covid Shots From Less-Wealthy Nations
At least 13 foreign governments offered to inoculate U.S. officials serving abroad with their own supplies of U.S.-made Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, senior U.S. officials told The Washington Post. Other global news is from the E.U., Indonesia, South Africa, Tanzania, Brazil and Australia.
The Washington Post:
Vaccine Shortage Prompts U.S. Diplomats To Request Doses From Foreign Governments, Including Russia
The limited supply of doses of the vaccines has forced State Department leaders to make difficult and unenviable decisions, and created humbling experiences for U.S. diplomats representing the world’s wealthiest country. Managing the shortage is an early challenge for Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has pledged to restore “morale and trust” at the department. At least 13 foreign governments offered to inoculate U.S. officials serving abroad with their own supplies of U.S.-made Moderna and Pfizer vaccines — a gesture the State Department has already accepted, said senior U.S. officials. The department is evaluating offers from at least eight other countries that are willing to do the same. (Hudson, 2/17)
Bloomberg:
AstraZeneca’s Vaccines Go Unused in EU as Mutants Spread
Just weeks ago, the European Union was clamoring for AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine. Now, fewer than one-tenth of the doses delivered to Germany have been administered in the initial days of the roll-out, and some health-care workers say they’re concerned about side effects. Germany isn’t alone: Some French health workers are also pushing to get shots from Moderna Inc., Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE instead. Their reluctance comes after a clash last month over whether EU countries would get their fair share of AstraZeneca’s shipments as deliveries slowed. (Kresge, Loh and Rogers, 2/17)
Bloomberg:
Indonesia To Punish Those Who Refuse To Take Covid-19 Vaccine
Indonesia is requiring those eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine to take the shots as the country seeks ways to quicken its inoculation program to curb Southeast Asia’s largest outbreak. The government can punish those who refuse the vaccine by stopping or delaying social assistance programs and administrative services as well as impose fines, according to a revised presidential rule. The actual form of the sanctions are left to local governments to decide. (Aditya and Jiao, 2/18)
AP:
A Joke, A Jab: South Africa Starts Vaccinating With Leader
Cracking a joke about his fear of needles, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday became one of the first people to receive a COVID-19 vaccination in the country that has by far the highest confirmed virus caseload in Africa. “Can I close my eyes?” Ramaphosa bantered as a health worker injected him with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in a live broadcast on South African television. ... The first phase of vaccinating the country’s health care workers will now begin as an observational study because the J&J shots are not yet authorized for general use here or anywhere in the world. (Imray and Magome, 2/17)
The Washington Post:
Tanzania’s Leader Says His Country Is ‘Covid-Free.’ The Facts Are Proving Him Wrong.
Tanzania’s president recently rejected any need for coronavirus vaccines, instead promoting herbal cures. He claims the nation of 60 million has been “covid-free” since he presided over three days of national prayer in June. Mark Mwandosya, a former minister in the president’s ruling party, knows that is not true. Over the past month, Mwandosya has turned his social media feeds into a stream of mini-obituaries. Fifteen of his family members and close friends have died. As he rattled off their names, he said he could not prove any of them had coronavirus, because the government has limited testing almost entirely to travelers. But the stories all go the same way. (Ombuor and Bearak, 2/17)
The Washington Post:
Coronavirus Rio Carnival Canceled But Brazil Parties On
Vaccine supplies are running out. The number of daily deaths has reached a record high. A new variant that health officials say is three times as transmissible as the original coronavirus is spreading throughout the country. Some are calling for more lockdowns. But people can’t bring themselves to stop partying. Brazilians, a famously jovial and festive people, have struggled with restrictions on gatherings since the start of the pandemic. But the challenge has never been more clear than this week, when Rio de Janeiro filled with revelers to celebrate the annual bacchanal of Carnival — despite the fact that Carnival was canceled. (McCoy, 2/17)
Also —
Bloomberg:
Facebook’s Australia News Spat Blocks Charity, Health Pages
Facebook Inc.’s move to block the sharing of articles from Australian news media has swept up government information outlets, nonprofit charities and even political satire pages. The pages for the Queensland and South Australia health services were among those affected, preventing them from serving Covid-19 information days ahead of a national vaccination program rollout. Australians were also prevented from accessing Foodbank Australia, Women’s Legal Shelter, the sites of some politicians and emergency service departments as well as the Australia Council of Trade Unions. Even wildlife-preservation group WWF Australia was caught up in the sweeping measure. (McKay and Scott, 2/18)
