Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Zealand Abandons Zero-Covid Plan, Mandates Vax For All Visitors
AP: New Zealand Admits It Can No Longer Get Rid Of Coronavirus
New Zealand’s government acknowledged Monday what most other countries did long ago: It can no longer completely get rid of the coronavirus. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a cautious plan to ease lockdown restrictions in Auckland, despite an outbreak there that continues to simmer. ... Until recently, that elimination strategy had worked remarkably well for the country of 5 million, which has reported just 27 virus deaths. But that all changed when the more contagious delta variant somehow escaped from a quarantine facility in August after it was brought into the country from a traveler returning from Australia. (Perry, 10/4)
CNN: New Zealand To Require Coronavirus Vaccination For All Foreign Travelers From November
All foreign nationals entering New Zealand will need to be fully vaccinated from November 1, the government announced Sunday. Travelers will have to declare their vaccination status when registering with the country's isolation system and provide proof of vaccination or exemption to their airline and customs officers on landing, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said in a statement. "To further reduce the possibility of the virus getting through our border, we are introducing the requirement for air travellers aged 17 and over, who are not New Zealand citizens, to be fully vaccinated to enter New Zealand," he said. (Humayun, Chang and Ravidran, 10/3)
In other global news about the coronavirus —
Reuters: Global COVID-19 Deaths Hit 5 Million As Delta Variant Sweeps The World
Worldwide deaths related to COVID-19 surpassed 5 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, with unvaccinated people particularly exposed to the virulent Delta strain. The variant has exposed the wide disparities in vaccination rates between rich and poor nations, and the upshot of vaccine hesitancy in some western nations. (B and Abraham, 10/2)
Bloomberg: U.K.’s Javid Tells Unvaccinated Care Workers To Find Another Job
U.K. Health Secretary Sajid Javid told care home workers they needed to get vaccinated against Covid-19 or find another job. The government has given the workers until Nov. 11 to get the vaccine or risk losing their jobs. In an interview with the BBC’s Radio 4 on Saturday, Javid said he wasn’t prepared to “pause” the requirement, adding that if you work in a care home and “cannot be bothered to go and get vaccinated, then get out and go and get another job.” The U.K. has suffered more than 137,000 deaths from Covid, the most in Western Europe. The virus swept through care homes, with their elderly and often medically vulnerable residents, at the start of the pandemic. (Davis, 10/2)
Reuters: Israel Requires COVID-19 Booster Shots For Stricter "Green Pass"
Israel on Sunday piled pressure on its vaccinated citizens to get a booster shot by making only those who received their third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine eligible for a "green pass" allowing entry to restaurants, gyms and many other venues. Israel was an early adopter of Pfizer/BioNtech booster shots -- administering them to members of risk groups in July and by the end of August to anyone above the age of 12. Its campaign is being watched closely by other countries. (10/3)
AP: Russia Hits Record Number Of Daily COVID-19 Deaths
Russia on Sunday reported a record daily death toll from COVID-19, the fifth time in a week that deaths have hit a new high. The national coronavirus task force said 890 deaths were recorded over the past day, exceeding the 887 reported on Friday. The task force also said the number of new infections in the past day was the second-highest of the year at 25,769.Overall, Russia, a nation of 146 million people, has Europe’s highest death toll from the pandemic, nearly 210,000 people. (10/3)
Also —
AP: Puerto Ricans Fume As Outages Threaten Health, Work, School
Not a single hurricane has hit Puerto Rico this year, but hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. territory feel like they’re living in the aftermath of a major storm: Students do homework by the light of dying cellphones, people who depend on insulin or respiratory therapies struggle to find power sources and the elderly are fleeing sweltering homes amid record high temperatures. Power outages across the island have surged in recent weeks, with some lasting several days. Officials have blamed everything from seaweed to mechanical failures as the government calls the situation a “crass failure” that urgently needs to be fixed. (Coto, 10/3)
