This archive report was first published on 10 July 2021.
As the highly transmissible Delta variant continues to spread globally, nations are racing to inoculate their populations and reimpose Covid-19 restrictions to ward off fresh outbreaks and allow for economies and daily life to resume.
On Saturday, G20 finance ministers meeting in Venice warned that the economic recovery was threatened by variants and uneven vaccination campaigns, saying in a final statement: “The recovery is characterised by great divergences across and within countries and remains exposed to downside risks, in particular the spread of new variants of the Covid-19 virus and different paces of vaccination.”
The European Union, which was earlier criticized for its botched vaccine acquisition program, said it has delivered enough shots to cover 70 percent of the bloc’s population, with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stating: “By tomorrow, some 500 million doses will have been distributed to all regions of Europe.”
However, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported that the proportion of adults aged 18 years or over fully vaccinated in the EU and European Economic Area is still only 44.1 percent.
London police warned England football fans not to gather in large numbers in the British capital for Sunday’s Euro 2020 final at Wembley, adding that they would enforce “proportionately and as appropriate” nationwide virus restrictions not set to be lifted until July 19.
India, where the Delta variant was first detected, reported 1,378 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, a third straight record high. From Monday, gatherings of more than two people will be banned after 6:00 pm, schools, bars, and clubs will be closed.
In Pakistan, where less than eight percent of the population has been vaccinated, the government said only those who had received jabs would be allowed to fly.
Indonesia, which is fighting a ferocious wave of infections, has seen more than a dozen fully inoculated frontline health workers die, according to the country’s medical association. Authorities said medics would be given a third booster jab to provide extra protection, using the vaccine made by US company Moderna.
Senegal, the EU, the United States, several European governments, and other partners signed an accord in Dakar on Friday to finance vaccine production in the West African state.
