Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Thailand Offers Second Booster Shots In Tourist Hot Spots
Bloomberg: Thailand Offers 4th Covid Shot In Tourist Spots Before Borders Reopen
Thailand is ramping up the rollout of fourth Covid-19 shots to residents in its tourism-dependent regions as the nation gears up for border reopening next month. Authorities are offering AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines in Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi and seven other provinces to those who have received their third dose at least three months ago, the health ministry said. The Southeast Asian nation has already administered more than 800,000 fourth doses, mostly to healthcare workers and those in high-risk groups, official data showed. (Thanthong-Knight, 1/24)
In updates from China —
Axios: Beijing Olympic Committee Lowers COVID Testing Threshold Ahead Of Games
Beijing Olympics organizers and Chinese authorities have lowered the threshold for producing a negative COVID-19 test for participants arriving to participate in the Winter Games, CBC reported on Sunday. Organizers for the Beijing Games had instituted testing standards tougher than those used by many sports leagues in the U.S. and Europe, per the Wall Street Journal. (Saric, 1/23)
Bloomberg: No Evidence You Can Catch Covid From Overseas Mail, China Says
Chinese officials say experts have seen little to suggest that Covid-19 is spreading via non-frozen goods after a recent infection of the omicron variant in Beijing was said to be traced to overseas mail. Experts have insufficient evidence so far on non-frozen imported goods transmitting Covid-19 to people in China, according to He Qinghua, an official with the National Health Commission, at a press conference on Saturday. Earlier this week, the Beijing Municipal Health Commission said a positive case sometimes handled international mail at work and authorities couldn’t rule out the possibility of the person getting infected through such an instance. (1/22)
And more global covid news —
CNN: Australia Was A Model In How To Handle Covid. Now It's A Mess
Summer in Australia is traditionally a time of beaches and barbecues, but this year it's become a hot mess of rising Covid cases and a national shortage of rapid antigen tests. Last week, worker absences due to Covid isolation and illness became so severe that the national cabinet considered lowering the age limit for forklift licenses so that minors could pitch in to smooth supply chains. Ministers ultimately decided not to go ahead with the plan. But the idea that Australia, a country once lauded for its Covid-19 response, was considering such a move appeared to show how much the country's leaders were struggling. (Whiteman, 1/23)
Fox News: COVID-19: Researchers Study Long-Term Impact First Round Of Infection Had On Sense Of Smell
Researchers in Sweden are trying to learn more about the long-term impact that the first wave of COVID-19 infections had on individuals who lost their sense of smell when they first learned they had the virus. Scientists at Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute studied 100 people who came down with the virus in 2020 and found that nearly half had a level of distortion in their sense of smell, 18 months after recovering, the Guardian reported. (DeMarche, 1/24)
In other news from around the world —
AP: Pakistan Launches Anti-Polio Drive As COVID-19 Cases Rise
Pakistani authorities on Monday launched this year’s first nationwide anti-polio campaign even as coronavirus infections surge. About 150,000 health workers are taking part in the five-day, anti-polio drive to inoculate 22.4 million children under age 5, according to a statement issued by Shahzad Beg, the coordinator for polio program. The previous campaign took place weeks ago when Pakistan witnessed decline in COVID-19 cases. (1/24)
