The Biden administration on Tuesday is announcing new sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow’s poisoning and jailing of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The Biden administration is imposing sanctions on seven members of the Russian government and export controls on several entities involved in biological agent production.
The sanctions include Russian officials and a Russian research center that were previously sanctioned by the European Union (EU) last October in connection with Navalny’s poisoning in August 2020.
At about the same time the Biden Administration seems to be giving a pass to Saudi Arabia for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, an American journalist, ordered killed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Trump administration knew it. Pretended it never happened.
And now the Biden administration knows it. Doesn’t seem to care all that much. Behind-the-scenes-slap-on-the wrist diplomacy won’t do the trick.
The sanctions, which are being coordinated with EU partners, come after an intelligence community assessment concluded with “high confidence” that officers of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) used the Novichok nerve agent to poison Navalny last August, Biden administration officials said.
“We’re sending a clear signal to Russia that there are consequences for the use of chemical weapons,” a senior administration official said.
The Biden administration is also notifying Congress that Navalny’s poisoning triggered further sanctions under the 1991 Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act.
His Excellency Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, left, High Commissioner of India to St. Kitts and Nevis and Ambassador of India to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), with Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis and Foreign Affairs Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis.
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — Twenty-thousand doses of AstraZeneca-Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine to the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis arrived in the Federation on March 1 at the Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw Airport from the Republic of India.
Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, and the Premier of Nevis and Foreign Affairs, and Nevis Honourable Mark Brantley, extended their gratitude to the donation from the Government of India.
Some of the 20,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines donated to St. Kitts and Nevis by the government of India being offloaded at the Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw International Airport on March 1.
The vaccines, were part of a larger batch of some 570,000 doses donated by the Government of India to the CARICOM region. Of that number, 125,000 doses went to the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States countries. Antigua and Barbuda and St. Vincent and the Grenadines received 40,000 doses each, Saint Lucia got 25,000 and St. Kitts and Nevis received 20,000.
The donation of 20,000 doses of Covishield vaccine- the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, is the second batch of COVID-19 vaccines to arrive in St. Kitts and Nevis. The vaccine was manufactured in India by the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, in collaboration with AstraZeneca.
The vaccines were presented to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis by His Excellency Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, High Commissioner of the Republic of India accredited to the Federation.
In accepting the donation, Prime Minister Harris said the additional doses of vaccine represent “real hope for our people that working together we can defeat COVID-19.”
“Through His Excellency Srinivasa, High Commissioner of the Government and people of India accredited to the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, I would like to thank the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi for the compassion he is showing other nations during this period of the global COVID-19 pandemic,” said Hon. Dr. Harris. “His generous heart and enduring sense of caring and solidarity are important values which our governments share.”
“We welcome this diplomatic success in strengthening our bilateral relations with India. India has demonstrated in a tangible way its commitment to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis,” said Premier Brantley. “This donation of life-saving COVID-19 vaccines is a humanitarian effort which is unsurpassed in its generosity. We thank Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi, his government and the people of India for their commitment to strengthening and deepening the relationship between our two countries.”
Prime Minister Harris noted that one of the lessons learnt during this pandemic is how interconnected and interdependent we are as a global community.
“Against this backdrop, no nation is safe, no nation is secure until all nations are safe. If the world is truly to be rid of COVID-19, then the global community has to work together,”
said Dr. Harris. “Donations of vaccines, like these from India, show that developing nations need help and need support. If richer nations hoard their vaccine supplies, not sharing their vaccines with those nations in need, their security will be a hollow and a shallow one. I repeat then that no nation is safe, no nation is secure until all nations are safe.”
Hon. Brantley also thanked His Excellency Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, High Commissioner of India to St. Kitts and Nevis and Ambassador of India to the Caribbean Community, for his efforts in getting the vaccines to the Federation in a timely manner.
During the presentation ceremony H.E. Dr. Srinivasa said, “Being able to assist its ally nation occupies a very special place in India’s foreign policy. “It is in times such as these emergency situations that the real friends come out, and I must say this day really marks a special milestone in our bilateral relationship.”
H.E. Dr. Srinivasa said being able to assist its ally nation occupies a very special place in India’s foreign policy.
“It is in times such as these emergency situations that the real friends come out, and I must say this day really marks a special milestone in our bilateral relationship,” said Dr. Srinivasa.
Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris and His Excellency Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, High Commissioner of the Republic of India accredited to St. Kitts and Nevis at the March 1 presentation ceremony for 20,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
His Excellency Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, High Commissioner of India to St. Kitts and Nevis and Ambassador of India to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), left, with Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis and Foreign Affairs Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Some of the 20,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines donated to St. Kitts and Nevis by the government of India being offloaded at the Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw International Airport on March 1.
Fidel Castro’s nightclub-owning grandson sparks fury with video boasting about speeding in his luxury Mercedes in Cuba as the country suffers Covid economic crisis
Sandro Castro was filmed speeding in Cuba by a young female companion
The young nightclub owner is one of former dictator Fidel Castro’s grandsons
He is shown in the video reaching 90 mph, with Cuba’s speed limit set at 62 mph
Castro, believed to be in his 20s, has faced accusations of gross hypocrisy
His grandfather banned any ostentatious displays of wealth among his family
Sandro Castro, a nightclub owner, was seen in a video speeding along a deserted Cuban motorway as the country faces its worst economic crisis since the 1990s amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
While being filmed by a young female companion, Castro sarcastically tells her ‘you know were are simple people, but occasionally we have to take out the little toys we keep at home,’ The Times reported.
Fidel Castro’s grandson has sparked fury after a video surfaced of him boasting about speeding in his luxury Mercedes in Cuba (pictured)
He then encourages her to record the car’s speedometer, which shows the car is travelling close to 90 mph, bragging that the Mercedes ‘eats up’ the highway.
In Cuba, there is a 100 km/h speed limit (62 mph) on motorways due to poor road conditions.
Sandro Castro – who is said to be in his early twenties – faced criticism for posting the video from some traditional supporters of the revolution, who accused him of gross hypocrisy.
Sandro Castro, a nightclub owner, was seen in a video (pictured) speeding along a deserted Cuban motorway while being filmed by a young female companion
Sandro Castro reportedly has a reputation as being the most ostentatious of the former communist dictator’s grandchildren. Pictured: Sandro Castro’s unnamed female companion
The Facebook group Patria o Muerte — Fatherland or Death – called for an investigation into how Castro was making his money, and that he should be jailed if any illegal activity is discovered.
Sandro Castro reportedly has a reputation as being the most ostentatious of the former communist dictator’s grandchildren.
While Fidel Castro did have some luxurious tastes, such as wearing a Rolex is his younger years and spending time on a private island off southern Cuba – he was also careful to convey an image of austerity and egalitarianism to his followers.
The Facebook group Patria o Muerte — Fatherland or Death – called for an investigation into how Sandro Castro (pictured) was making his money, and that he should be jailed if any illegal activity is discovered
While Fidel Castro did have some luxurious tastes, such as wearing a Rolex is his younger years and spending time on a private island off southern Cuba – he was also careful to convey an image of austerity and egalitarianism to his followers. Pictured: Fidel Castro in Havana in 2004
As a result, ostentatious displays of wealth were banned among his family members.
In 2020, Cuba faced its worst economic downturn since the early 1990s – subsidies from the collapsed Soviet Union disappeared – with GDP shrinking by 11 per cent.
The drop has been blamed on tourism becoming virtually non-existent due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has put a stop to most global travel.
As of March 1, Cuba has record 50,590 cases of the coronavirus, and 324 confirmed deaths related to the virus.
Fidel Castro, the Cuban revolutionary and communist dictator
Fidel Castro was a Cuban revolutionary and communist dictator who served as the country’s Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976, and as its president from 1976 to 2008.
He also served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from 1961 until 2011, and ideologically was a Marxist–Leninist and Cuban nationalist.
As the longest serving non-royal head of state in the 20th and 21st centuries, Castro polarised opinion throughout the world.
His supporters hold him up as a champion of socialism and anti-imperialism, with critics calling him a dictator who oversaw human rights abuses and mass displacement.
Views also differ over Cuba’s economy under his rule, with critics saying he was behind the impoverishment of the country’s economy, while his supporters say he advanced economic justice and secured its independence from U.S. imperialism.
Pictured: Fidel Castro in 1989 during a visit from Mikhail S. Gorbachev’
Castro’s leftist and anti-imperialist ideology found its roots while he was studying law at the University of Havana.
After, he went on to participate in rebellions in Columbia and the Dominican Republic, and planned to overthrow the then-Cuban President Fulgencio Batista, launching a failed attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953.
He was imprisoned for a year, before travelling to Mexico where he formed a revolutionary group called the 26th of July Movement, with his brother Raúl Castro and Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara.
Upon his return to his home country, he played a key role in the Cuban Revolution, leading the movement’s guerrilla war against Batista’s force, who was eventually overthrown in 1959.
Castro assumed military and political power as Cuba’s Prime Minister, and during his time office, the United States government came to oppose him.
The US failed in its attempts to assassinate him, imposed an economic blockade on Cuba, and attempted to lead a counter-revolution – including the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961.
To country these threats, Castro allied with the Soviet Union, and allowed it to place nuclear weapons on Cuba, leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 – a defining incident of the Cold War.
Under his rule, Cuba became the first state in the Western Hemisphere to become a one-party socialist state under Communist rule, leading to state expansion but also state control of the press and suppression of dissent.
Abroad, Cuba backed the establishment of other Marxist governments in Chile, Nicaragua and Grenada, and sent troops to the Yom Kippur, Ogaden, and Angolan Civil War.
Following the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991, Cuba suffered an economic downtrun in which it embraced environmentalist and anti-globalization ideas.
Castro handed leadership responsibilities to his brother and Vice President Raúl Castro in 2006, who was elected to the presidency by the National Assembly in 2008. He continues to lead to this day.
Fidel Castro died in 2016. His cause of death was not shared.
Sun-Times- Chicago actress and stand-up comedian Erica Watson died in Jamaica on Saturday from COVID-19 complications, according to a family member. She was 48.
On Sunday, Watson’s brother, Eric Watson, confirmed his sister’s death via a Facebook post, writing, in part: “We are not taking this easy. Please respect our privacy right now … as we make arrangements to bring my sister home. Keep us in your prayers.”
Watson, a Kenwood Academy High School and Columbia College alumna, wore many hats as an actress, stand-up comedian, public relations representative and activist. Her acting credits and media work include Showtime’s “The Chi,” NBC’s “Chicago Fire,” Spike Lee’s feature film“Chi-Raq,” ABC 7’s “Windy City Live” and WCIU’s “The Jam.”
South Side businesswoman Qiana Allen met Watson in 2014 when she attended “Fat B****!” — the show written and performed by the actress.
As the two became friends, Watson assumed a role as Allen’s publicist. She says Watson was working remotely from Jamaica due to concerns she had regarding COVID-19 in the states.
“[Erica] would share all of her knowledge with anybody, especially if she sees something in them,” said Allen, the owner of Culture’s Closet and co-owner of Beverly cereal bar, Munchiez. “She had so many dreams and aspirations that she wanted to complete, and that bothers me the most — she’ll never get a chance to fulfill those things.”
In 2018, Watson created “Fierce,” a cosmetic collection in a brand partnership with Nena Cosmetics, where she was one of the cover girls for their advertisements.
“When I was a little girl ‘What Are Little Girls Made Of’ was my favorite nursery rhyme, but I wasn’t the normal little girl where it was just sugar and spice and everything nice. There was a little naughty in the mix,” she told the Sun-Times in 2018.
Watson, whose birthday was last Friday, was well-known to a variety of Chicago creatives and civic leaders who took to social media when news spread of her passing.
Gabriel and Soldayane Miranda, owners of Temple Fuel, a meal prep and catering company, met Watson at a 2013 event. Watson started out as their mentor, but eventually became part of the their family.
“[Erica] was always looking out for us; looking for jobs or opportunities for my husband as well,” said Soldayane Miranda. “She was always there willing to help, or hear us out, or guide us through any anything. She was very, very sweet, caring and selfless. She was always looking out for others.”
“When I was going to be on TV, she would call me, prep me, and give me the confidence to be myself — this is heartbreaking,” said Gabriel Miranda.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx tweeted: “Erica was a talented, bright light. With every conversation, she made you feel as if you had been friends for years, even if you had only met virtually.”
On Monday, the Chicago chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) released a statement on Watson’s passing. She performed at their 2020 holiday event.
Chicago actress Erica Watson (left, with Ryan Chiaverini and Val Warner) was a frequent contributor to ABC-7 Chicago’s “Windy City Live.” Sarah Baniak/ABC 7 Chicago
“Erica Watson was a dear friend of NABJ Chicago. She was a servant leader who, despite her multiple projects and initiatives, always put her community first,” the statement read. “That extended to our mission of media inclusion and diversity. That shared passion, combined with her unbridled talent and joyful spirit, make for an incredible loss for Chicago. She loved her hometown, and we loved her back. Rest in power, sis. We send our heartfelt condolences and prayers to the Watson family.”
Jamaica Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has indicated that more than 70 nurses at the University Hospital of the West Indies have been lured by overseas recruiting agencies since January.
The roundup of the nurses by foreign countries has had a devastating blow to the public health system and has added pressure to the remaining staff at the hospital, Tufton said at a Jamaica House press conference on Sunday evening.
He admitted that the countries that recruited them were paying much more attractive salaries.
Tufton said the health ministry has increased the hiring of staff in the South East Regional Health Authority, which covers St Catherine, St Thomas, Kingston and St Andrew, with 43 additional temporary doctors being approved for employment.
Four of them will receive contracts to start working on March 1.
Two hundred and thirty-six nurses, assistant nurses, and patient care assistants are to be hired and deployed within the region in two weeks’ time.
Over at the Western Regional Health Authority, 18 additional temporary doctors have been approved for hiring with six to commence working as soon as today (Monday).
The regional authority oversees St James, Westmoreland, Hanover, and Trelawny.
Some 42 nurses, assistant nurses, and patient care assistance are being hired with some 14 to be interviewed on March 1 as well.
Beginning next week, we offer something new: As dawn approaches in the United States, some of The Associated Press’ top journalists across Europe will be alternating each weekday to create your Morning Wire. They’ll scour our global news report for the most significant and most relevant stories and imagery – and a few unexpected things as well.
Until then, please enjoy this selection of stories from the AP’s global news report. And thank you for reading.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The plane laden with vaccines had just rolled to a stop at Santiago’s airport in late January, and Chile’s president, Sebastián Piñera, was beaming. “Today,” he said, “is a……Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Chris Wray is set to testify for the first time since the deadly Jan. 6 deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, with lawmakers likely to press him on whether the bureau… …Read More
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — When she first arrived in Albany to work as a legislative aide in 2013, New York Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou had lawmakers grab her buttocks, suggest she and her boss were “a….Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats’ hopes of including a minimum wage increase in their $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill seemed all but dead as the Senate prepared to debate its own version of the… …Read More
As a presidential candidate, Joe Biden promised to make a pariah out of Saudi Arabia over the 2018 killing of dissident Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi. But when it came time to actually punish Saudi….Read More
Nearly a year after they were almost stabbed to death inside a Midland, Texas, Sam’s Club, Bawi Cung and his two sons all have visible scars. It’s the unseen ones though …Read More
Two Nigerian nurses were attacked by the family of a deceased COVID-19 patient. One nurse had her hair ripped out and suffered a fracture. The second was beaten into a co…Read More
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — When frantic messages started trickling in that a tornado had hit a beloved music venue in Nashville, Mike Grimes told himself it couldn’t possibl…Read More
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Medical Board of California said it would investigate a plastic surgeon who appeared in a videoconference for his traffic violation trial wh…Read More
An Iranian refugee family who has spent the last eight years in detention has been released from their cramped Darwin hotel room where they've been held for more than a year.
The Golmohammadian family is one of several who were transferred from Nauru to the Northern Territory's capital last February for medical treatment and detained at a compound adjacent to the Mercure Darwin Airport Resort.
The Golmohammadians were flown to Brisbane today after being granted bridging visas.
"Finally we are free", Reza Golmohammadian said at Darwin Airport.
"Early morning they came and said you're released, you can go."
His son Ali added: "It's been really challenging but we are really happy, finally we are reaching the end … knowing from this day on there's no officers watching us, we don't have to go back to rooms at a certain time."
There have been daily protests by the Darwin Asylum Seeker Support and Advocacy Network outside the hotel for weeks.
The family-of-four say the release is bittersweet, leaving behind the 11 other refugees from Iran and Sri Lanka who they have formed close friendships with.
"It's really hard seeing they're still there," they told 9News.
"We hope the Australian Government get over this cruel policy sometime soon and finally let these people out."
Darwin barrister John Lawrence represents some of those still detained and says while the development is incredible news, it comes as a blow to those who remain.
"Although they're happy for the release of their comrades and countrymen, they're devastated and even more confused by this continual incarceration," he said.
The US could see a “fourth surge” of coronavirus cases fuelled by the spread of variants, a top health official has warned.
Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said variants are a “real threat to our people and progress”, and that there was real concern of a possible fourth wave based on some concerning CDC data.
New COVID-19 cases in the States have plateaued, following some steep drops, and have started to increase again over the last few days.
Declines in hospitalisations and deaths are also “potentially levelling off at still a very high number”, Dr Walensky said.
What threat do new variants pose?
There are currently around 70,000 coronavirus cases a day and 2,000 daily deaths, Dr Walensky added.
As a result, Dr Walensky said she was “really worried” about reports of US states “rolling back the exact public health measures we have recommended to protect people from COVID-19”. These include mask-wearing and social distancing.
“We stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground we have gained,” she said.
Woman who lost six family members to COVID
“We have the ability to stop a potential fourth surge of cases in this country. Please stay strong in your conviction.”
Twenty-nine out of 50 states reported more new coronavirus infections last week compared to the previous seven days. Only seven states in the prior week reported weekly increases, according analysis by Reuters.
Three variants first identified in the UK, South Africa and Brazil have given researchers concern as they appear to be more contagious.
A CDC study published in January warned that the variant found in the UK, known as B.1.1.7, will likely to become the dominant strain circulating in the country by March.
“Please hear me clearly: at this level of cases, with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground we have gained,” Dr Walensky said. “These variants are a very real threat to our people and our progress.”
Last month Dr Walensky said the country needed to rapidly ramp up its vaccination programme and step up surveillance of the virus to counteract variants.
As of Sunday, 15% of the US population has received at least one dose of a vaccine and 7.5% has received two doses, according to the CDC.
The country administered an average of 1.6 million shots per day last week.
The US military has released previously unseen footage of the Iranian missile attack on US and coalition forces in Iraq last year.
A drone recorded the attack as a barrage of Iranian short-range ballistic missiles carrying between 1000 to 2000 pound munitions rained down on the Al Asad Air Base on January 8, 2020.
Iran launched the ballistic missile attack, targeting two bases in Iraq housing US forces, in retaliation for the killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani.
Iranian officials stated the attack began at 1.20am local time, the same time Mr Soleimani was killed.
"The fierce revenge by the Revolutionary Guards has begun," Iran's military said in a statement at the time.
A street art mural entitled ‘Angels On Earth’, depicts nurse Sofia hitting the coronavirus with a baseball bat on 24 February 2021 in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. Photograph: Octavio Passos/Getty Images
Germany to extend lockdown – report
Germany plans to extend its coronavirus lockdown until 28 March 28 but some restrictions will be eased starting from 8 March, Focus Online reported, citing a draft agreement for talks between Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of the 16 federal states.
Merkel is due to discuss lockdown options with the states’ heads tomorrow, as coronavirus cases in Germany reached more than 2.4 million.
———————————————————————————————–
Restaurants in Turkey reopened and many children returned to school today after the government announced steps to ease Covid-19 curbs even as cases edged higher, raising concerns in the top medical association, Reuters reports:
On Monday evening, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lifted weekend lockdowns in low- and medium-risk cities and limited lockdowns to Sundays in those deemed higher risk under what he called a “controlled normalisation”.
Cafe and restaurant owners, limited to takeaway service for much of last year, have long urged a reopening of in-house dining after sector revenues dropped 65%. They also want relief from growing debt, and from social security and tax payments.
“We were serving 4,000-5,000 people a week. Now with takeaway services we are serving only 500 people,” Istanbul-based Pideban restaurant owner Yusuf Kaptanoglu said before the easing measures were announced. “I did not benefit from any support including loan support,” he said.
Across Turkey, pre- and primary schools as well as grades eight to 12 resumed partial in-person education. Yet the moves come as new daily coronavirus cases rose to 9,891 on Monday, the highest since 11 January and up from 8,424 a day earlier, according to official data. Cases were around 6,000 in late January.
“The number of mutant virus cases is increasingly rising. We do not see conditions to return to an old ‘normal’,” the Turkish Medics’ Association said on Twitter, calling for higher rates of testing and inoculation.
“Political and economic interests must not take precedence over human life and science,” it added.
Turkey, with a population of 83 million, has administered 8.96 million vaccines in a campaign that began in mid-January. More than 7 million people have received a first shot and 1.89 million have received a second.
A waiter carries chairs and tables at a cafe in Kuzguncuk district of Istanbul, Turkey. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Indonesia has detected two cases of the more infectious Covid-19 variant first discovered in Britain, officials said today, Reuters reports.Dante Saksono Harbuwono, the deputy health minister, said the discovery of the variant represented a new challenge.“We’ll be facing this pandemic with a higher degree of difficulty,” he told a streamed conference.
Indonesia’s Covid-19 taskforce also confirmed cases of the variant, known as B117, had been found but declined further comment.Since Indonesia announced its first cases of Covid-19 a year ago it has reported more than 1.3 million infections and 36,000 deaths, though daily infections have been falling recently after peaking in January and early February.
The British variant has also been found in other countries in south-east Asia including Vietnam and the Philippines.Riza Putranto, a genomics researcher in Jakarta, called for increased genomic surveillance in Indonesia and adherence of health protocols in order to combat the variant.“We would need a comprehensive collaboration from many stakeholders to minimise the impact of this new variant in Indonesia,” he said.
While daily cases have been falling, the positivity rate – or the percentage of people tested who are found to have the virus – in the past week has still been hovering around 20%. The World Health Organization has said a positivity rate of less than 5% is required to indicate that an epidemic is under control.
The world’s fourth most populous country aims to vaccinate more than 181 million people in a bid to reach herd immunity. It launched a mass inoculation programme in January starting with medical workers, civil servants and the elderly
Jon Henley
France has eased restrictions on giving the AstraZeneca vaccine to people aged over 65 after new trial data proved the shot was effective, health minister Olivier Véran has said.
While the EMA, the bloc’s drug regulator, approved the AstraZeneca jab for use by all adults, health agencies in many EU countries, including France and Germany, advised against its use for the over-65s pending more trial data from older age groups.
Véran told French TV that “anybody aged 50 or over who is affected by co-morbidities can get the AstraZeneca vaccine, including those between 65 and 74.” Those over 75 would continue to be given only the Pfizer and Moderna shots only, he said.
The decision means another 1.5 million people are eligible from today for AstraZeneca vaccines from family doctors, with France’s slow rollout soon also to be extended to pharmacies. Véran said France should deliver a further 6m first jabs this month.
Meanwhile, the French government spokesman, Gabriel Attal, said today all options remained open to rein in rising infection numbers in some areas, including a new national lockdown and regional weekend lockdowns. Le Monde reported that the Paris area could be placed in weekend lockdown from next weekend.
Iraq today received 50,000 Sinopharm vaccines donated by China, the health ministry announced, launching a long-awaited vaccination campaign, AFP reports.
Health ministry spokesman Seif al-Badr told reporters that the first delivery in the early hours meant inoculations could begin.
“The doses will be delivered to Baghdad’s three main hospitals, and maybe to some provinces,” said Badr, who confirmed the jabs were donations.
“We will start vaccinations today, Tuesday,” he said.
The health ministry simultaneously announced it had agreed with the Chinese ambassador in Baghdad to purchase a further 2m doses, with no details on payment or timing.
Sinopharm affiliate Wuhan Institute Of Biological Products says its vaccine has an efficacy rate of 72.51%, behind rival jabs by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which have 95% and 94.5% rates respectively.
Hours earlier, on Monday afternoon, the health ministry launched an online platform for citizens to register for vaccinations, but the page was not functional on Tuesday.
It has said health workers, security forces and the elderly would be prioritised and that the vaccine would be administered free of charge, but has given few other details.
The first jabs arrived as the Iraqi government faces growing criticism of its handling of the pandemic.
The country has been hit by a second wave of Covid-19 infections, with more than 3,000 new cases reported daily, a few months after they had dropped to around 700 a day, and deaths also tripling to around 25 a day in recent weeks.
To stop the spread, Iraq has imposed overnight curfews during weekdays and full lockdowns on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with obligatory mask-wearing in public.
But there is little commitment by either the public or security forces deployed to enforce the measures, in a country whose health sector has been ravaged by decades of war, corruption and slim investment.
Some Iraqi officials have already been vaccinated. Two current and one former Iraqi official told AFP in January they had already received doses of “the Chinese vaccine”.
They said 1,000 vaccine doses had been gifted to a senior Iraqi politician through contacts in China and had been distributed to top politicians and government officials.
Air freight workers unload the first batch of doses of the Sinopharm vaccine against the coronavirus disease after it arrived at Baghdad international airport, in Baghdad, Iraq, on Tuesday. Photograph: Hadi Mizban/AP
New York governor Andrew Cuomo has retained a prominent white-collar criminal defence lawyer to represent his office in a federal investigation into the state’s misreporting of Covid-19 deaths among nursing home residents, Reuters reports, citing a spokesma
Cuomo has come under fire in recent weeks over his office’s role in reporting the official count of coronavirus fatalities among patients of nursing and extended-care facilities, as well as for allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him.
Elkan Abramowitz, a former federal prosecutor working in private practice in New York City, was hired to represent Cuomo’s “executive chamber” – consisting of the governor and his immediate staff – in the US Justice Department inquiry into the Covid-19 nursing home deaths, senior adviser Rich Azzopardi told Reuters in a text message.
Cuomo rose to national prominence for his daily televised briefings last spring, when New York was at the heart of the Covid-19 epidemic in the US.
In January, the attorney general’s office issued a report that cast doubt on the Cuomo administration’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, saying the state health department significantly undercounted the death toll in nursing homes and implemented policies that may have contributed to it.
Summary
Here are the key developments from the last few hours:
China said it aims to vaccinate 40% of population by June. Health experts in China say their country is lagging in its coronavirus vaccination rollout because it has the disease largely under control, but plans to inoculate 40% of its population by June.
France, Germany are struggling to sell AstraZeneca vaccine safety. Already facing a daunting Covid vaccination challenge, French and German authorities are fighting to convince more people that a jab from the pharma giant AstraZeneca is just as effective as others.
World won’t be done with Covid-19 this year, the WHO warned. It is unrealistic to think the world will be done with the Covid-19 pandemic by the end of the year, the World Health Organization warned on Monday.
Donald and Melania Trump received the coronavirus vaccine before leaving the White House, according to multiple news reports on Monday. Citing unnamed advisers, the New York Times, CNN and other outlets reported that while other officials, including Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and the former vice-president Mike Pence, chose to get their shots publicly to encourage confidence in the vaccines, the Trumps opted to quietly get vaccinated in January. There was no detail on which shot they received or how many doses they had been given.
Fauci said the US must stick with two-dose strategy for Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. The United States must stick to a two-dose strategy for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid vaccines, top US infectious disease official Anthony Fauci told the Washington Post newspaper. Fauci said that delaying a second dose to inoculate more Americans creates risks.
Mexico’s coronavirus chief came home from hospital. Mexico’s coronavirus czar is back home after being hospitalized for Covid last Wednesday, but will still be monitored and receive treatment, a health official said on Monday, as the country’s coronavirus death toll passed 186,000.
New infections rose last week for first time in seven weeks. More from the World Health Organization: The WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said new case numbers rose last week in Europe, the Americas, southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean. The number of new coronavirus infections globally rose last week for the first time in seven weeks.
Philippines confirmed its first cases of South African variant. The Philippines has documented six cases of the South African coronavirus variant, its health ministry said on Tuesday, raising concern among its experts that the current vaccines might be less effective.
The US downplayed the possibility of sharing Covid vaccines with Mexico. The Biden administration on Monday downplayed the prospect of sharing coronavirus vaccines with Mexico, saying it is focused first on getting its own population protected against a pandemic that has killed more than 500,000 Americans.
Data on long Covid in UK children is cause for concern. Scientists have warned that emerging data on long Covid in children should not be ignored given the lack of a vaccine for this age group, but cautioned that the evidence describing these enduring symptoms in the young is so far uncertain.
Fossil fuel emissions in danger of surpassing pre-Covid levels. The world has only a few months to prevent the energy industry’s carbon emissions from surpassing pre-pademic levels this year as economies begin to rebound from Covid-19 restrictions, according to the International Energy Agency.
Tokyo governor says fall in cases may not be enough to lift emergency state – report
Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike said on Tuesday that the pace of the fall in coronavirus cases had eased, expressing concern that it may not be enough to lift a state of emergency remaining in the greater metropolitan area, Kyodo News reported.
“We may not make it in time,” she said, referring to the scheduled end to the emergency state on 7 March for the Japanese capital and three neighbouring prefectures, according to Kyodo.
Fossil fuel emissions in danger of surpassing pre-Covid levels
Jillian Ambrose
The world has only a few months to prevent the energy industry’s carbon emissions from surpassing pre-pandemic levels this year as economies begin to rebound from Covid-19 restrictions, according to the International Energy Agency.
New figures from the global energy watchdog found that fossil fuel emissions climbed steadily over the second half of the year as major economies began to recover. By December 2020, carbon emissions were 2% higher than in the same month the year before:
Data on long Covid in UK children is cause for concern, scientists say
Natalie Grover
Scientists have warned that emerging data on long Covid in children should not be ignored given the lack of a vaccine for this age group, but cautioned that the evidence describing these enduring symptoms in the young is so far uncertain.
Recently published data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has caused worry. The data suggest that 13% of under 11s and about 15% of 12- to 16-year-olds reported at least one symptom five weeks after a confirmed Covid-19 infection. ONS samples households randomly, therefore positive cases do not depend on having had symptoms and being tested:
Two Nigerian nurses were attacked by the family of a deceased Covid patient, the Associated Press reports. One nurse had her hair ripped out and suffered a fracture. The second was beaten into a coma.
Following the assaults, nurses at Federal Medical Centre in the Southwestern city of Owo stopped treating patients, demanding the hospital improve security. Almost two weeks passed before they returned to work with armed guards posted around the clock.
“We don’t give life. It is God that gives life. We only care or we manage,” said Francis Ajibola, a local leader with the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives.
The attack in Nigeria early last month was just one of many on health workers globally during the Covid pandemic. A new report by the Geneva-based Insecurity Insight and the University of California, Berkeley’s Human Rights Center identified more than 1,100 threats or acts of violence against health care workers and facilities last year.
Researchers found that about 400 of those attacks were related to Covid, many motivated by fear or frustration, underscoring the dangers surrounding health care workers at a time when they are needed most.
Insecurity Insight defines a health care attack as any physical violence against or intimidation of health care workers or settings, and uses online news agencies, humanitarian groups and social media posts to track incidents around the world.
Mexico’s coronavirus chief home from hospital
Mexico’s coronavirus czar is back home after being hospitalized for Covid last Wednesday, but will still be monitored and receive treatment, a health official said on Monday, as the country’s coronavirus death toll passed 186,000.
Reuters: Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell, the face of Mexico’s response to the pandemic, has drawn criticism for downplaying the need for face masks and spearheading a strategy of limited testing.
Lopez-Gatell “is practically asymptomatic … he will remain at home over the coming days under medical supervision,” said Jose Luis Alomia, head of epidemiology for the national Health Ministry.
Undersecretary of Health Hugo Lopez-Gatell on 19 February 2021. Photograph: Mexico presidency/EPA
Lopez-Gatell, 52, was admitted to a hospital after his medical team determined he required supplemental oxygen and following his 20 February announcement that he tested positive for the disease.
Mexico registered 437 coronavirus fatalities on Monday, bringing its overall death toll to 186,152, according to Health Ministry data.
The data also showed an additional 2,343 confirmed cases, for a total of 2,089,281 cases. The government says the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.
Fauci says US must stick with two-dose strategy for Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines
The United States must stick to a two-dose strategy for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid vaccines, top US infectious disease official Anthony Fauci told the Washington Post newspaper.
Fauci said that delaying a second dose to inoculate more Americans creates risks.
He warned that shifting to a single-dose strategy for the vaccines could leave people less protected, enable variants to spread and possibly boost skepticism among Americans already hesitant to get the shots.
“There’s risks on either side,” Fauci was quoted as saying by the Washington Post in a report published late on Monday.
“We’re telling people (two shots) is what you should do and then we say, ‘Oops, we changed our mind’?” Fauci said. “I think that would be a messaging challenge, to say the least.”
White House Chief Medical Adviser on Covid-19 Dr Anthony Fauci. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
He added that he spoke with UK health officials on Monday who have opted to delay second doses to maximise giving more people shots more quickly. Fauci said that strategy would not make sense in the United States.
He said the science does not support delaying a second dose for those vaccines, citing research that a two-shot regimen creates enough protection to help fend off variants of the coronavirus that are more transmissible, whereas a single shot could leave Americans at risk from variants such as the one first detected in South Africa.
“You don’t know how durable that protection is,” he said.
Fauci said on Sunday he was encouraging Americans to accept any of the three available Covid vaccines, including the newly approved Johnson & Johnson shot.
The US government authorized Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Covid vaccine on Saturday, making it the third to be available in the country following the ones from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna that require two doses.
Covid has claimed more than half a million lives in the United States, and states are clamouring for more doses to stem cases, hospitalisations and deaths.
Japan said Tuesday an investigation would be launched after more than 1,000 coronavirus vaccine doses had to be thrown out when a freezer storing them malfunctioned, AFP reports.
A medical institution reported that 172 vials of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which must be kept between -80 and -60 degrees centigrade, were rendered useless after the freezer breakdown over the weekend, Japan’s health ministry said, wasting up to 1,032 doses.
Japan began its inoculation programme on February 17 – just over five months before the Tokyo Olympics – and has so far only approved the Pfizer/BioNTech drug.
Japanese government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said Tuesday that the cause of the malfunction was not yet clear, but the firm that installed the freezer would investigate and report back.
Kato said Japan had installed around 100 vaccine freezers nationwide by the end of February.
“We would like to respond quickly to whatever is necessary, based on what the results of the investigation carried out by the company that installed it,” Kato said.
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