Vaccine offers for countries in need, a flood in Japan and more new coronaviruses

Drug perpetrators go on new strike vaccination agreements, the EU expands its travel policies and Japan faces a new rise. Here’s what you should know:

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Holders

Drugmakers agree to give vaccine doses to countries that need them

Pfizer and BioNTech were committed earlier today giving one billion doses of the Covid vaccine to low- and middle-income countries by the end of this year, and another billion by 2022. It is not yet clear whether these donations will go through the Covax initiative that has been struggling. to gain strength, mainly because India’s stagnant exports have put it in the largest supplier behind the delivery of doses. To make up for the shortfall, GAVI, one of the organizations behind Covax, has joined today buy 200 million doses Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

This week, President Biden announced that the US will provide it more of his vaccine surplus. In addition to AstraZeneca’s previous commitment to ship 80 million doses overseas, its administration will send 20 million shooting doses approved for use in the U.S. by the end of June. Although the vaccine rate is slowing in the US, many countries around the world are struggling to secure doses questions about vaccine equity in increasingly sharp relief.

The EU is easing travel restrictions ahead of the summer holidays

This week the European Union has made a number of key changes to Covid’s travel policies in preparation for the summer holidays. On Wednesday, 27 member nations he agreed to ease the restrictions for people who have received an approved vaccine or come from a country that is considered safe. Due to the rising levels of variant B.1.617 in the UK, it was identified in India, the country is not on this list. The EU also agreed on one digital certificate system this will allow people who prove that Covid is unlikely to be able to travel freely in the region because they have not been given a negative or because they have been vaccinated.

In the state, they are said to have been government officials weighing the opportunity Changing travel policies around Covid in the US. For the moment, though, restrictions will be maintained, Including those that restrict non-essential travel from Canada and Mexico, the Department of Homeland Security said will be available until at least June 21st.

Japan is widening the state of emergency as the Tokyo Summer Olympics approach

Today in Japan he expanded the state of emergency in the third week in a row and approved two more vaccines — Modern and Astra-Zeneca — in hopes of slowing the virus’s recent surge in the country. The state of emergency applies to 42% of the country’s population. So far, the spread of vaccines has been worrisome: 4% of the population has received one or more doses. The Tokyo Summer Olympics are nine weeks away, and the International Olympic Committee has said so they will move forward although the state of emergency is still in force. But surveys show that between 60% and 80% of the population against accommodation Games.

Elsewhere in Asia, there are cases even upwards, even at a time when numbers were very low in countries. In response, Hong Kong and Singapore have changed their travel policy, Malaysia has imposed a new blockade and many across the region have returned home.

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One question

What will happen to the manufacturers who pushed for masks and other supplies during the pandemic?

In the spring of last year, when much-needed goods were in short supply and imports became more difficult, U.S. manufacturers quickly adapted to making masks and other critical items. Now, as the economy recovers and cheap imports recover, there are these companies struggling to save a new business. Last week, members of the newly formed American Association of Mask Manufacturers wrote a letter to the White House asking for help because cheap masks and respirators from China are returning to the U.S. Without government support, the group predicts that half of the collective production capacity will be lost within 60 days.

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