Covid vaccine doses cross one billion mark worldwide

Covid vaccine doses crossed one billion mark worldwide on Saturday. A lot remained to be done however as number of virus cases worldwide hit a new daily record. At least 1,002,938,540 vaccine doses have been administered in 207 countries and territories, according to an AFP tally.

The pandemic has killed more than three million people worldwide since the initial outbreak in China in December 2019.

In addition to spike in number of infections in India, Thailand was seen to be grappling with increasing caseload. Thailand had long avoided worst of the pandemic. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha said on Saturday that more than 1400 Covid-19 patients were awaiting admission in hospitals.

In India, one "oxygen express" carrying 30,000 litres of oxygen arrived in northern Lucknow at dawn on Saturday.

In Iraq, at least 23 lives were lost in a tragic fire at a Covid hospital.

Accelerating rollouts

With the pandemic still showing no sign of slowing, governments around the world are placing their hopes in vaccines. Worldwide, the number of vaccine doses administered has doubled in less than a month

Nevertheless, while the majority of poor countries have also started to vaccinate -- mainly thanks to the Covax programme -- inoculation is still largely a privilege of high-income countries, home to 16 percent of the world's population, administering 47 percent of vaccine doses.

A stark contrast can be seen in low-income countries which account for just 0.2 per cent of coronavirus vaccine shots thus far.

In the US, regulators have approved the re-start of a rollout of Johnson & Johnson vaccines halted over blood clotting concerns.

In Europe, Belgium said Saturday it would authorise the J&J shot for all adults, having already received 36,000 doses and expecting a total of 1.4 million between April and June.

The European Union as a whole said it would have enough vaccines to immunise 70 percent of its adult population by the end of July.

Lockdown protests

But despite the optimism, the threat of the virus remains ever-present, with Germany implementing tougher new lockdown rules, including night curfews and school closures, after the government passed a disputed new law designed to slow infections.

The controversial new rules -- passed this week amid huge protests in Berlin -- will apply in all regions with incidence rates of more than 100 new infections per 100,000 people over the last seven days.
And in Britain, ongoing restrictions are continuing to fuel anger.

Police in London said they arrested five people, and eight officers were injured, after disorder at large-scale protests against England's remaining coronavirus restrictions, the mandatory use of masks and possible introduction of so-called vaccine passports.

Britain began to gradually lift Covid-19 restrictions last month after months of curbs and a successful mass vaccination campaign. Pubs were allowed to serve customers outdoors this month and non-essential shops reopened.

The demonstrators marched along several major arteries, including the main shopping district Oxford Street, with videos and photos showing thousands in attendance.

Hundreds then rallied in Hyde Park late afternoon following the march.

Organisers used various websites and online platform pages to encourage turnout, despite curbs which limit outdoor gatherings to 30 people.

(With inputs from agencies)