Thousands jam Philippine vaccination sites over false news
Manila, Aug 6: Thousands of people jammed coronavirus vaccination centers in the Philippine capital, defying social distancing restrictions, after false news spread that unvaccinated residents would be deprived of cash aid or barred from leaving home during a two-week lockdown that started Friday.
Officials placed Metropolitan Manila backed under lockdown until Aug. 20, as a new spike in COVID-19 infections that health officials say could be due to the highly contagious delta variant threatens to overwhelm hospitals.
Three other regions, including nearby Laguna province, were also placed under lockdown until Aug. 15. Only authorized workers for essential businesses and residents on medical emergencies or food-buying errands can venture out.
An eight-hour curfew was imposed in the capital region starting at 8 p.m. and police checkpoints were set up in city boundaries. A day before the lockdown, false news spread on social media that unvaccinated residents would either be prohibited from leaving their homes to go to work or deprived of 1,000 pesos ($20) aid. (AP)
Poverty increases in Mexico amid pandemic
Mexico City, Aug 6: An additional 3.8 million Mexicans had fallen into poverty in 2020 compared to 2018, largely because of the coronavirus pandemic, Mexico’s poverty-measurement agency said Thursday.
The poor made up 43.9% of the population, or 55.7 of Mexico’s 126 million people, compared to 41.9% two years earlier. About 2.1 of the 3.8 million newly poor fell into extreme poverty, defined as being unable to meet their basic needs for food, clothing and shelter.
There are 10.8 million Mexicans — about 8.5% of the population — in extreme poverty.
“The COVID-19 health emergency has deepened the challenges for social development policy on all levels, mainly in income, health, education and food,” the agency said, adding that more government aid is needed for the poorest “given the drop in income due to the health emergency.” (AP)
16mn Australians in lockdown as Covid spreads to more areas
Canberra, Aug 6: As Sydney’s Covid-19 outbreak continues to escalate, breaches into neighbouring states and regions have forced some 16 million people along Australia’s densely populated eastern coast into lockdown.
The state of Victoria and some regional areas in New South Wales (NSW) are the latest ones joining the ongoing lockdown gripping both Greater Sydney and its surrounding areas, as well as parts of Queensland, reports Xinhua news agency.
With these new restrictions that took effect on Thursday evening, an estimated 60 per cent of all Australians are under lockdown orders. (IANS)
Bhutan gives 300K doses of AstraZeneca jabs to Nepal
Kathmandu, Aug 6: Nepal on Friday received 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines supplied by Bhutan, which comes as a relief for the senior citizens who are awaiting a second jab.
“We received the consignment this morning,” said R.P. Biccha, Director General at Nepal’s Department of Health Services.
After completing the inoculation of 90 per cent of its population, Bhutan had a surplus of 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines.
Before delivering the doses, the Bhutanese government, AstraZeneca and Kathmandu reached a tripartite agreement where Nepal had committed that it will return them once it will have surplus doses. (IANS)