Citing the mismatch between Australia’s supply of coronavirus vaccine and the explosion demand, Melbourne GPs say that they are being forced to turn away vaccine seeking citizens, including vulnerable residents from care facilities.

The latest outbreak in the country has created a public panic with droves of people looking to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In the state of Victoria, where earlier only 2,300 doses were administered on 24 May, merely ten days later daily recorded vaccination numbers are up to 20,000 in primary care. &nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-victoria-state-lockdown-end-date-in-doubt-after-new-covid-19-cases-388785">Australia: Victoria state lockdown end date in doubt after new COVID-19 cases</a>

This sudden rise in demand has overwhelmed local GPs, who say that their vaccine supplies are evaporating almost immediately. Some clinics claim that they have made urgent requests for higher vaccine dose allocations to the federal government, only to be rejected.

Brunswick based Inner North Medical Clinic, currently has a meagre allocation of 300 doses per fortnight, which owing to the current demand, is exhausted in a single day. This has resulted in the clinic turning away thousands of residents seeking inoculation ever since the latest outbreak started.

“Our books are overflowing with people trying to get the vaccine that we don’t have doses for. The vaccine supply is still a really critical problem for us,”, said Dr Shea Wilcox of The Inner North Medical Clinic.

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Talking to the Guardian, Wilcox said that the vaccine undersupplies situation was so severe that the clinic was forced to turn away two local supported living facilities, one of which caters to residents suffering from mental health issues.

“We’ve had to say ‘sorry, we can’t do that’,” he said.

Local GPs say that the commonwealth’s system was not agile enough to respond to the kind of demand surge seen in Melbourne.

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While requests for doses allocation increases take more than a fortnight to process, appointment slots fill up within fifteen minutes of opening. Due to the COVID-19 vaccination funding model followed there, billing is done through individual GPs rather than the clinic itself, which means that the doctors or GPs must be present for all vaccinations, rather than simply using nurses. This has further led to a shortage of available vaccine appointments thereby restricting the ability to administer vaccines at large volumes.

The health department says that on May 26, it had released an additional 130,000 vaccines to support&nbsp;Victoria.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-victorias-lockdown-extended-by-7-days-as-cases-surge-388887">Australia: Victoria's lockdown extended by 7 days as cases surge</a>

“To date, 787,780 Covid vaccines have been delivered to the Victorian state government with 513,375 vaccines administered through Victorian government vaccine clinics. 958,540 vaccines have been delivered to primary care sites in Victoria with 624,875 vaccines administered through primary care sites in Victoria,” a department spokeswoman said.

“A further 71,370 Pfizer and 101,100 AstraZeneca vaccines will be delivered to the Victorian state government this week and approximately 92,000 AstraZeneca vaccines will be delivered to primary care sites in Victoria by the end of the week.”

&nbsp;

Citing the mismatch between Australia’s supply of coronavirus vaccine and the explosion demand, Melbourne GPs say that they are being forced to turn away vaccine seeking citizens, including vulnerable residents from care facilities.

Citing the mismatch between Australia’s supply of coronavirus vaccine and the explosion demand, Melbourne GPs say that they are being forced to turn away vaccine seeking citizens, including vulnerable residents from care facilities. The latest outbreak in the country has created a public panic with droves of people looking to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In the state of Victoria, where earlier only 2,300 doses were administered on 24 May, merely ten days later daily recorded vaccination numbers are up to 20,000 in primary care. Also Read | Australia: Victoria state lockdown end date in doubt after new COVID-19 cases This sudden rise in demand has overwhelmed local GPs, who say that their vaccine supplies are evaporating almost immediately. Some clinics claim that they have made urgent requests for higher vaccine dose allocations to the federal government, only to be rejected. Brunswick based Inner North Medical Clinic, currently has a meagre allocation of 300 doses per fortnight, which owing to the current demand, is exhausted in a single day. This has resulted in the clinic turning away thousands of residents seeking inoculation ever since the latest outbreak started. “Our books are overflowing with people trying to get the vaccine that we don’t have doses for. The vaccine supply is still a really critical problem for us,”, said Dr Shea Wilcox of The Inner North Medical Clinic. Also Read | Australia ends COVID-19 vaccine trials after participants develop antibodies for HIV Talking to the Guardian, Wilcox said that the vaccine undersupplies situation was so severe that the clinic was forced to turn away two local supported living facilities, one of which caters to residents suffering from mental health issues. “We’ve had to say ‘sorry, we can’t do that’,” he said. Local GPs say that the commonwealth’s system was not agile enough to respond to the kind of demand surge seen in Melbourne. Also Read | Cut off from the world again, Australia now finds silver linings While requests for doses allocation increases take more than a fortnight to process, appointment slots fill up within fifteen minutes of opening. Due to the COVID-19 vaccination funding model followed there, billing is done through individual GPs rather than the clinic itself, which means that the doctors or GPs must be present for all vaccinations, rather than simply using nurses. This has further led to a shortage of available vaccine appointments thereby restricting the ability to administer vaccines at large volumes. The health department says that on May 26, it had released an additional 130,000 vaccines to support Victoria. Also Read | Australia: Victoria's lockdown extended by 7 days as cases surge “To date, 787,780 Covid vaccines have been delivered to the Victorian state government with 513,375 vaccines administered through Victorian government vaccine clinics. 958,540 vaccines have been delivered to primary care sites in Victoria with 624,875 vaccines administered through primary care sites in Victoria,” a department spokeswoman said. “A further 71,370 Pfizer and 101,100 AstraZeneca vaccines will be delivered to the Victorian state government this week and approximately 92,000 AstraZeneca vaccines will be delivered to primary care sites in Victoria by the end of the week.”

Coronavirus: Amid vaccine shortage, Melbourne GPs forced to turn away vaccine seekers

As increasing number of state across India complain of vaccine shortage, country's Science and Technology Ministry has said that the production capacity of Covaxin will be doubled in the next one to two months (May-June).

India: Production capacity of Covaxin to be doubled by May-June 2021

Vaccination centres in Mumbai did not administer Covaxin for the second consecutive day on Monday because of lack of stock, leaving citizens fuming as many of them are due for their second dose of the vaccine against COVID-19.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), through its Twitter handle, released a list of 105 vaccination centres that would be functional on Monday, but informed that these would be administering only the Covishield vaccine.

Watch |&nbsp;

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On Sunday also, the BMC had not administered Covaxin to the beneficiaries due to the unavailability of the vaccine.

Several citizens expressed anger and frustration at the state of affairs as many of them are due for their second dose since they had taken the first jab over 42 days back.

As per the government guidelines, the recommended gap between two doses of Covaxin is four-six weeks and for Covishield the suggested interval is four-eight weeks.

Local resident Rupesh Lingayat took to Twitter to express his frustration.

"My father took 1st dose of Covaxin, now it is impossible to get second dose of Covaxin and its been 43 days since took 1st dose. He is 63. Please help," he tweeted.

Another resident Param Sampat also tweeted that his sister had got a booking on Saturday for 3-5 pm slot, but when she reached at 2.45 pm, authorities told her they were out of stock gave her a token for Monday.

"Today when she reached at 8, she was denied a vaccine. This is absolutely irresponsible," he tweeted.

The BMC's executive health officer, Mangala Gomare, did not respond to calls or text messages on the lack of Covaxin doses in the city.

According to a BMC report, a total of 1,76,505 people have been administered Covaxin doses in the city, including 1,20,167 who have received the first dose and 56,338 who have got the second dose as well.

Till Sunday evening, 27,00,431 people were vaccinated in Mumbai against COVID-19. These included 20,52,963 beneficiaries who have taken the first dose and 6,47,468 people who have received their second dose, the report said.

Currently, there are 175 active vaccination centres in Mumbai, included 81 run by the BMC, 20 by the state government and 74 private facilities.&nbsp;

Vaccination centres in Mumbai did not administer Covaxin for the second consecutive day on Monday because of lack of stock, leaving citizens fuming as many of them are due for their second dose of the vaccine against COVID-19.

Vaccination centres in Mumbai did not administer Covaxin for the second consecutive day on Monday because of lack of stock, leaving citizens fuming as many of them are due for their second dose of the vaccine against COVID-19. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), through its Twitter handle, released a list of 105 vaccination centres that would be functional on Monday, but informed that these would be administering only the Covishield vaccine. Watch | On Sunday also, the BMC had not administered Covaxin to the beneficiaries due to the unavailability of the vaccine. Several citizens expressed anger and frustration at the state of affairs as many of them are due for their second dose since they had taken the first jab over 42 days back. As per the government guidelines, the recommended gap between two doses of Covaxin is four-six weeks and for Covishield the suggested interval is four-eight weeks. Local resident Rupesh Lingayat took to Twitter to express his frustration. "My father took 1st dose of Covaxin, now it is impossible to get second dose of Covaxin and its been 43 days since took 1st dose. He is 63. Please help," he tweeted. Another resident Param Sampat also tweeted that his sister had got a booking on Saturday for 3-5 pm slot, but when she reached at 2.45 pm, authorities told her they were out of stock gave her a token for Monday. "Today when she reached at 8, she was denied a vaccine. This is absolutely irresponsible," he tweeted. The BMC's executive health officer, Mangala Gomare, did not respond to calls or text messages on the lack of Covaxin doses in the city. According to a BMC report, a total of 1,76,505 people have been administered Covaxin doses in the city, including 1,20,167 who have received the first dose and 56,338 who have got the second dose as well. Till Sunday evening, 27,00,431 people were vaccinated in Mumbai against COVID-19. These included 20,52,963 beneficiaries who have taken the first dose and 6,47,468 people who have received their second dose, the report said. Currently, there are 175 active vaccination centres in Mumbai, included 81 run by the BMC, 20 by the state government and 74 private facilities.

Covid in India: Covaxin doses unavailable for 2nd day in Mumbai; citizens fume

With just a day left for starting vaccination for those aged between 18 and 44, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan said that the shots ordered by the southern Indian state had not yet arrived and there was uncertainty about when they would arrive.

With just a day left for starting vaccination for those aged between 18 and 44, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan said that the shots ordered by the southern Indian state had not yet arrived and there was uncertainty about when they would arrive. “We have placed orders for 1.5crore vaccines and so far, the Central Government has not allocated the numbers. There is also no cavity on how many vaccines we would possibly get from the two makers - SII and Bharat Biotech,” he said. “All states are facing the same issue, and whether we will get the vaccines tomorrow is a question and we are in touch with the companies, it for them to revert and let us know,” Radhakrishnan added. However, the health secretary also said that there was sufficient stock of vaccines for those aged 45 and above. The central government recently permitted vaccination of those aged 18–44. Earlier, in the second phase, only those who were 45 and above were allowed to be vaccinated against coronavirus. Earlier this week, the Tamil Nadu government said that it had placed orders for 1.5crore vaccines via the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC). According to the government, this is in line with the chief minister’s assurance of providing free vaccines for all within the eligible age group.

Vaccine shortage: Jabs for those aged above 18 unlikely from May 1 in Tamil Nadu

Several Indian states, including Delhi, have indicated that they may have to delay the third phase of the vaccination drive for all adults in the country as jabs against the Coronavirus may not be immediately available due to shortage of stocks and delay in deliveries.

India: Phase 3 vaccination drive hampered in many states due to vaccine shortage

Residents of&nbsp;some&nbsp;parts&nbsp;of&nbsp;China&nbsp;that are grappling with&nbsp;tight&nbsp;supplies of coronavirus&nbsp;vaccines&nbsp;have not received their second doses in time, but the crunch will ease by June as production is being stepped up, a health official told state media.

The pace of&nbsp;China's massive inoculation campaign has slowed, to a daily average of about 3.3 million doses in the seven days until Monday, down from the corresponding figure of 4.2 million in the week until April 12, Reuters calculations showed.

"At present, domestic vaccine&nbsp;supply&nbsp;is relatively&nbsp;tight, but from May, especially after June, the situation will ease significantly," Zheng Zhongwei, the director of a team coordinating vaccine development projects, told the Global Times in an interview.

Zheng did not say how severe the crunch was or which areas experienced&nbsp;tightness. The Global Times, published by the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, did not say how long people in those areas had to wait for the second shot.

By Wednesday,&nbsp;China&nbsp;had given more than 200 million doses of&nbsp;vaccines, ranking only behind the United States, and it aims to inoculate 40 per cent&nbsp;of its population by summer.

Big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have widened vaccination efforts to include foreigners, with the pace in&nbsp;some&nbsp;cities outstripping the national average, as&nbsp;China&nbsp;prioritises supplies to key provinces.

The capital city of Beijing, for example, has inoculated more than half of its population of 21.5 million.

This month Zheng said&nbsp;China&nbsp;was likely to have produced 3 billion doses of the&nbsp;vaccines&nbsp;by year-end, allowing it to meet the demand in the second half of 2021.

China's national guidelines allow intervals of up to eight weeks between the two doses of&nbsp;vaccines&nbsp;developed by domestic firms Sinopharm and Sinovac Biotech.

Local authorities should make sure the second dose can be administered within eight weeks, said Mi Feng, a spokesman of the National Health Commission.

"Avoid the situation where there's no dose following the first one," he told a news conference on Wednesday.

Residents of some parts of China that are grappling with tight supplies of coronavirus vaccines have not received their second doses in time, but the crunch will ease by June as production is being stepped up, a health official told state media.

Residents of some parts of China that are grappling with tight supplies of coronavirus vaccines have not received their second doses in time, but the crunch will ease by June as production is being stepped up, a health official told state media. The pace of China's massive inoculation campaign has slowed, to a daily average of about 3.3 million doses in the seven days until Monday, down from the corresponding figure of 4.2 million in the week until April 12, Reuters calculations showed. "At present, domestic vaccine supply is relatively tight, but from May, especially after June, the situation will ease significantly," Zheng Zhongwei, the director of a team coordinating vaccine development projects, told the Global Times in an interview. Zheng did not say how severe the crunch was or which areas experienced tightness. The Global Times, published by the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, did not say how long people in those areas had to wait for the second shot. By Wednesday, China had given more than 200 million doses of vaccines, ranking only behind the United States, and it aims to inoculate 40 per cent of its population by summer. Big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have widened vaccination efforts to include foreigners, with the pace in some cities outstripping the national average, as China prioritises supplies to key provinces. The capital city of Beijing, for example, has inoculated more than half of its population of 21.5 million. This month Zheng said China was likely to have produced 3 billion doses of the vaccines by year-end, allowing it to meet the demand in the second half of 2021. China's national guidelines allow intervals of up to eight weeks between the two doses of vaccines developed by domestic firms Sinopharm and Sinovac Biotech. Local authorities should make sure the second dose can be administered within eight weeks, said Mi Feng, a spokesman of the National Health Commission. "Avoid the situation where there's no dose following the first one," he told a news conference on Wednesday.

Some parts of China battle tight supply of COVID-19 vaccines

Brazil is now widely viewed as the epicentre of the pandemic, with the highest number of daily deaths of any nation.&nbsp;

“We have people dying because of lack of oxygen, people are literally suffocating. The situation is completely out of control,” said journalist Patricia Campos Mello.

Campos Mello comments came after Brazil registered on Tuesday a daily record tally of Covid deaths, recording more than 3,700 deaths, according to data from Brazil’s health ministry.

Patricia Campos Mello, a reporter for Folha de Sao Paulo, had sued President Jair Bolsonaro after he made remarks that questioned her credibility.

The Covid-19 death toll spiralled out of control in Brazil in March, more than doubling the country's previous monthly record.

Brazil reported 66,573 people had died of Covid-19 in March -- more than twice as many fatalities as the country's second-deadliest month of the pandemic, July 2020.

The virus has killed more than 2.8 million people since it emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. And though the world is looking to vaccines to end the upheaval Covid-19 has brought, rollouts are off to a sputtering start in many countries.

That includes Brazil, where health experts say the explosion of cases is partly driven by a local variant of the virus known as P1, which can re-infect people who have had the original strain and is believed to be more contagious.

"Never in Brazilian history have we seen a single event kill so many people" in one month, said Doctor Miguel Nicolelis, former pandemic response coordinator for Brazil's impoverished northeast.

With the southern hemisphere winter approaching and the virus spreading fast, Brazil is facing "a perfect storm," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Brazil is now widely viewed as the epicentre of the pandemic, with the highest number of daily deaths of any nation. “We have people dying because of lack of oxygen, people are literally suffocating.

Brazil is now widely viewed as the epicentre of the pandemic, with the highest number of daily deaths of any nation. “We have people dying because of lack of oxygen, people are literally suffocating. The situation is completely out of control,” said journalist Patricia Campos Mello. Campos Mello comments came after Brazil registered on Tuesday a daily record tally of Covid deaths, recording more than 3,700 deaths, according to data from Brazil’s health ministry. Patricia Campos Mello, a reporter for Folha de Sao Paulo, had sued President Jair Bolsonaro after he made remarks that questioned her credibility. The Covid-19 death toll spiralled out of control in Brazil in March, more than doubling the country's previous monthly record. Brazil reported 66,573 people had died of Covid-19 in March -- more than twice as many fatalities as the country's second-deadliest month of the pandemic, July 2020. The virus has killed more than 2.8 million people since it emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. And though the world is looking to vaccines to end the upheaval Covid-19 has brought, rollouts are off to a sputtering start in many countries. That includes Brazil, where health experts say the explosion of cases is partly driven by a local variant of the virus known as P1, which can re-infect people who have had the original strain and is believed to be more contagious. "Never in Brazilian history have we seen a single event kill so many people" in one month, said Doctor Miguel Nicolelis, former pandemic response coordinator for Brazil's impoverished northeast. With the southern hemisphere winter approaching and the virus spreading fast, Brazil is facing "a perfect storm," he said. (With inputs from agencies)

Covid in Brazil 'out of control', says the journalist who sued Bolsonaro for derogatory remarks

Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo has resigned amid rising criticism over what is perceived to be diplomatic failure to secure coronavirus vaccines as the country is grappling with supply shortages, Sputnik reported citing local media.

According to Brazil`s O Globo newspaper, the minister had notified his staff about the decision and sent a letter of resignation to president Jair Bolsonaro, saying he does not want to create problems for the government. There has been no official confirmation of the fact yet.

The Brazilian parliament has earlier accused Araujo of making political choices that sabotaged Brazil`s vaccine procurement efforts. The news speculated that the former minister`s strong affinity with former US President Donald Trump and harsh remarks against China were part of the reason why the country had little success in securing vaccine shipments.

Brazil is currently facing the biggest crisis since the start of the pandemic. On Saturday, the country registered an all-time high of 3,650 deaths and 100,158 infections. Brazil is now second only to the US in terms of coronavirus cases and fatalities, with a total of over 12.5 million registered infections and over 312,000 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo has resigned amid rising criticism over what is perceived to be diplomatic failure to secure coronavirus vaccines as the country is grappling with supply shortages, Sputnik reported citing local media.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo has resigned amid rising criticism over what is perceived to be diplomatic failure to secure coronavirus vaccines as the country is grappling with supply shortages, Sputnik reported citing local media. According to Brazil`s O Globo newspaper, the minister had notified his staff about the decision and sent a letter of resignation to president Jair Bolsonaro, saying he does not want to create problems for the government. There has been no official confirmation of the fact yet. The Brazilian parliament has earlier accused Araujo of making political choices that sabotaged Brazil`s vaccine procurement efforts. The news speculated that the former minister`s strong affinity with former US President Donald Trump and harsh remarks against China were part of the reason why the country had little success in securing vaccine shipments. Brazil is currently facing the biggest crisis since the start of the pandemic. On Saturday, the country registered an all-time high of 3,650 deaths and 100,158 infections. Brazil is now second only to the US in terms of coronavirus cases and fatalities, with a total of over 12.5 million registered infections and over 312,000 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths.

Brazilian foreign minister resigns after criticism over vaccine shortage: Report

In Strasbourg, France the vaccine rollout has come to a standstill due to lack of vaccines. The immunisation program here has hit a roadblock.

Vaccine shortage leaves Strasbourg clinic at standstill

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