WASHINGTON – The United States yesterday reaped the fruits of its vaccination campaign against Covid-19 as it becomes the first nation to reach 100 million people, but Europe’s roll-out faced fresh impediments and South America tightened restrictions in view of Brazil’s soaring infections.
The US reported surging job growth and loosened travel curbs as it reached around half of its adult population with at least one dose, with President Joe Biden vowing to cover the vast majority within weeks.
Led by a revival in the leisure and hospitality industries, the US economy created a mammoth 916,000 jobs last month, said the Labour Department.
But, infections remain on the rise in parts of the country, prompting Biden to urge Americans to keep wearing masks and taking other precautions to stop the pandemic that has killed more than 2.8 million people worldwide.
“I plead with you. Don’t give back the progress we’ve all fought so hard to achieve,” he said in a brief address.
“We need to finish this job.
“We need every American to buckle down and keep their guard up in this home stretch.”
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, updated its guidance to say fully vaccinated people can travel without observing quarantines, although they should still wear masks.
The US has suffered a catastrophic Covid-19 toll at more than 550,000 people dead, with health measures polarising the country since last year, when Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump criticised restrictions.
New woes in Europe
European nations have been struggling to speed up vaccination and several have returned to unpopular lockdowns, with France banning outdoor gatherings of more than six people.
Some of the continent’s vaccination woes come from its reliance on the AstraZeneca jab, yet to be approved in the US, after reports of blood-clotting.
Such incidents are rare, and the European Medicines Agency has said AstraZeneca is safe. But, the Netherlands yesterday followed Germany in halting jabs of the vaccine for people under the age of 60.
“We must err on the side of caution, which is why it is wise to press the pause button now as a precaution,” said Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge.
Only 10% of Europe’s total population has received one vaccine dose, and 4% has received two, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Hans Kluge, the WHO director for Europe, on Thursday called the roll-out “unacceptably slow”.
Also complicating vaccination efforts is that India, often dubbed the “pharmacy of the world”, has slowed down exports as it battles a major surge.
The country has been ramping up vaccinations, expanding eligibility to everyone over the age of 45.
But yesterday, it reported 81,000 fresh infections and 469 deaths, the highest since last October.
Among those contracting Covid-19 is cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who checked into a Mumbai hospital as a precaution, but said he hopes to return home within days.
China, where the pulmonary disease first emerged in 2019 in circumstances that remain a topic of intense speculation, and Russia have stepped up exports of their own vaccines.
Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac said it will double capacity to produce two billion doses a year.
Growing worries over Brazil
One of the worst coronavirus crises in the world is unfolding in Brazil, which has reported more deaths than any country after the US with a staggering 66,500 fatalities last month alone.
Latin America’s infections have soared past 25 million, according to an AFP tally, likely fuelled by a seemingly more contagious variant first detected in Brazil.
Rio de Janeiro yesterday extended restrictions, saying hospitalisations have started to level off for the first time in weeks.
“You have to give a little more time, no matter how hard it is, for companies and for those looking for work to earn a living. These decreases in people-to-people contact are already paying off,” Mayor Eduardo Paes told reporters.
The city’s famous beaches will remain off-limits until April 19, when a daily night-time curfew will also be lifted.
But, Paes said schools will reopen for in-person classes on Tuesday.
The devastation in Brazil has frightened neighbours already battling their own surging caseloads. Peru and Ecuador announced fresh restrictions, and Bolivia sealed its border with Brazil.
“We are in a very critical moment of the pandemic,” said Chilean government spokesman Jaime Bellolio as he announced a closure of borders starting Monday.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right ally of Trump, has dismissed the dangers of the virus and aired conspiracy theories, with the country’s military chiefs and top ministers exiting in recent days amid the turmoil. – AFP, April 3, 2021
