Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Vaccinated US Tourists May Be Allowed To Travel To EU This Summer
The New York Times: Vaccinated American Tourists May Soon Travel To Europe
American tourists who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be able to visit the European Union over the summer, the head of the bloc’s executive body said in an interview with The New York Times on Sunday, more than a year after shutting down nonessential travel from most countries to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The fast pace of vaccination in the United States, and advanced talks between authorities there and the European Union over how to make vaccine certificates acceptable as proof of immunity for visitors, will enable the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, to recommend a switch in policy that could see trans-Atlantic leisure travel restored. (Stevis-Gridneff, 4/25)
In other global developments —
Bloomberg: U.K. Passes Vaccine Milestone; Half Of Country Gets First Dose
The U.K. has given half of its population a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, a key milestone in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s efforts to revive an economy that was among the worst-hit in the early months of the pandemic. The government has given first doses to 33.5 million people, health authorities said Saturday. That’s more more than half the Office for National Statistics’ most recent population estimate of 66.8 million. More than 12 million people have been given second doses. (Cherry and Capel, 4/24)
AP: Spanish Man Charged With Infecting 22 People With COVID-19
A Spanish man with COVID-19 symptoms who coughed on work colleagues and told them “I’m going to give you all the coronavirus” has been charged with intentionally causing injury after allegedly infecting 22 people. Spanish police said their investigation began after a COVID-19 outbreak at the company where the 40-year-old man worked on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca. (4/25)
Axios: Japan COVID Spike: Stores, Bars Close In Targeted State Of Emergency
Bars, department stores and theaters across Japan closed for 17 days Sunday, after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and three other prefectures in an attempt to curb surging COVID-19 cases. In less than three months, Tokyo is due to host the summer Olympics — which have already been delayed by a year due to the pandemic. This is the third state of emergency declared in Japan since the pandemic began. (Falconer, 4/25)
Bloomberg: Switzerland Says A Third Of Population Has Had Covid-19: NZZ
The Swiss government estimates that about one-third of the population has been infected with Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. At the end of 2020, government scientists found antibodies in about 20% of those tested and now believe that another 10% have been infected, newspaper NZZ am Sonntag reported. “Conservatively calculated, around a third of the population has been infected since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Federal Office of Public Health spokeswoman, Simone Buchmann. (Hoffman, 4/25)
Also —
CNN: At Least 82 Killed In Massive Baghdad Hospital Fire
At least 82 people died in a huge hospital fire Saturday night in Iraq's capital city of Baghdad, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said Sunday. Another 110 people were injured in the blaze at Ibn al-Khatib Hospital, according to ministry spokesman Major General Khaled Al-Muhanna. The fire is believed to have started after oxygen tanks exploded, according to two health officials at the hospital. ... Twenty-eight of the known victims were being treated in Covid-19 ICU wards, said Ali Akram al-Bayati of the Independent High Commission for Human Rights of Iraq (IHCHR). (Tawfeeq, 4/26)
