- A statistics from Agence France-Presse found that more than 3 billion Covid-19 vaccines have been vaccinated worldwide.
- The highly contagious delta strain of the coronavirus caught many countries by surprise.
- Thanks to vigorous vaccination campaigns, some wealthy countries are successfully reducing Covid-19 infection.
A statistics released by Agence France-Presse on Tuesday showed that more than 3 billion Covid-19 vaccines have been vaccinated around the world as countries are racing to contain the toxic Delta variant that is erupting globally.
The highly contagious strain of the coronavirus caught many countries off guard. Russia reported its highest daily death toll so far, Australia closed cities one after another, and there were growing concerns about major sporting events such as the 2020 European Cup and the Olympics.
At least 3.9 million people have died from Covid-19. Although some rich countries have successfully reduced infection rates through vigorous vaccination campaigns, other countries with less easy access to vaccines are struggling.
According to statistics, high-income countries defined by the World Bank receive an average of 79 injections per 100 residents, with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel leading the way.
Read | G20 foreign ministers meet face to face after the pandemic
In low-income countries, this figure is only one injection per 100 people.
On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of the G20 stressed that in the face of the epidemic, global cooperation needs to be strengthened.
“Multilateral cooperation will be the key to our collective ability to stop this global health crisis,” US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken told ministers in the ancient Italian city of Matera.
Western leaders have pledged to donate 1 billion doses of vaccines to poorer countries, but they have been widely criticized for being too slow to provide help.
‘They are just irresponsible’
The hesitation of the vaccine also played a role in the slow absorption.
In Russia, the highest single-day death toll since the outbreak of the pandemic was recorded on Tuesday, and officials imposed mandatory injections on certain groups of citizens to counter suspicion.
Read here | As Delta variants increase, U.S. Covid-19 cases reach a new stable level
The country has reported 652 deaths from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, of which the daily death toll in St. Petersburg is at a record high-119. The region will host the quarter-finals of the European Cup 2020 on Friday.
At the same time, Australia has achieved widespread success in eliminating local transmission and leading an almost normal life. Vaccination rates are slow and public anger is increasing.
The Delta version has put Sydney, Perth, Darwin and Brisbane into lockdown, which means that a total of more than 10 million Australians have to stay at home.
Read | Tanzania will spend US$470 million on vaccines, coronavirus-damaged economy
But so far, it is believed that less than 5% of adults have received both vaccines.
Nicola Hungerford, a 57-year-old Brisbane resident, said she expects the lockdown to continue “until the government takes bloody action on the introduction of the vaccine.”
“It’s staggering, they are just irresponsible. It shows how little respect they have for people,” she told AFP.
Human tragedy
The transmission speed of the Delta variant raises concerns about ongoing or upcoming sporting events.
On Tuesday, Germany urged the British government to reduce the number of fans allowed to enter Wembley Stadium to watch the final match of the 2020 European Cup.
The Minister of the Interior, Horst Seehofer, told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper in Germany: “I think that in a country where the delta virus is spreading, it’s not for thousands of people to gather together. responsible”.
UEFA and British authorities stated that about 45,000 supporters will be allowed to watch the match between England and Germany on Tuesday afternoon, which is equivalent to 50% of the capacity.
The number of spectators in the semi-finals and finals at Wembley will increase to 75%, or more than 60,000 fans, which will be the largest number of people in a British sporting event since the pandemic began.
The Delta variant was first discovered in India, where the country suffered a vicious wave of coronavirus at its peak in April and May, overwhelming hospitals and crematoriums.
Now, the corpses buried on the banks of the Ganges by families that cannot afford the cremation pyre are beginning to reappear because the flood washed them away, reminding people of the unspeakable human tragedy brought about by the virus.
“It’s really sad to see the poor bury their loved ones in an indecent way, but the rising water level has made the condition worse,” Xin Yu Chandel, the boatman told AFP.
“As the water level rises, people are always afraid of (the dead body) hitting the oar or (my boat) hitting the dead body.”
