Johnson & Johnson boss says repeat Covid doses could go on for several years; Venezuela to receive 100,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccine; Athens to enter stricter lockdown

• What are the new UK anti-Covid border restrictions?
• Wuhan lab leak theory of Covid origin ‘unlikely’ says WHO team
• Europe’s oldest person survives Covid and set to celebrate 117th birthday
• Muslim families complain to UN over Sri Lankan Covid cremations

2.39am GMT

Dr Sanjaya Senanayake, infectious diseases expert at the Australian National University medical school, has addressed the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia. He has made an argument for better co-ordinated global rollout of vaccines: and a rationale of vaccine altruism over vaccine nationalism.

Senanayake said the world needs to improve the rollout of vaccines in developing countries if it wants to stop new strains emerging in other parts of the world that could undermine existing vaccines.

If we continue this global vaccine rollout while in other parts of the world infection continues unchecked, then we will see more sinister strains emerge which might have further impacts on vaccine efficacy.

Therefore, if you were a believer in vaccine nationalism – wanting the best impact of vaccines in your own country – you also have to embrace vaccine altruism and ensure that vaccines are delivered in sufficient number and in a timely manner to the developing world.

2.25am GMT

Some important statistics from the US. The Covid Tracking Project reports 1.6m tests over the past 24 hours, 93,000 positive cases, and 2,795 deaths.

Importantly the trend of deaths from Covid-19 is down, across the country, and in every major region.

Our daily update is published. States reported 1.6M tests, 93k cases, 79,179 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, and 2,795 deaths. pic.twitter.com/FH1UlCCcuG

The trend in reported COVID-19 deaths is improving in every major US region. pic.twitter.com/w00nnaAU3j

Continue reading…
Source: The Guardian