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 Asian countries scramble for vaccine supplies
Several Asian countries scrambled to find alternative sources for
COVID-19 inoculations on Tuesday after export restrictions by
manufacturer India left a World Health Organization-backed global
vaccine-sharing programme short of supplies.
South Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines are among countries to be
hit by shipment delays to vaccines they have been promised under the
COVAX programme, which was created mainly to ensure supplies for
poorer countries.
India, the world's biggest vaccine maker, put a temporary hold on
exports of AstraZeneca's vaccine being manufactured by the Serum
Institute of India, as officials focus on meeting rising domestic
demand.
UK wants to vaccinate all adults before sharing shots
Britain will focus on vaccinating the whole of its adult population
before it can provide any surplus shots to other countries such as
Ireland, British business minister Kwasi Kwarteng said on Tuesday.
More than 30 million Britons have received their first shots in the
fastest vaccine rollout in Europe, with the aim of offering shots to
all adults by the end of July.
However, Britain has found itself involved in a public spat with the
European Union, where the vaccination programme has been much
slower, over the supply of doses.
Pfizer, Moderna vaccines highly effective after first dose
COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer with BioNTech and by Moderna
reduced risk of infection by 80% two weeks or more after the first
of two shots, according to data from a real-world U.S. study
released on Monday.
The risk of infection fell 90% by two weeks after the second shot,
the study of nearly 4,000 U.S. healthcare personnel and first
responders found.
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 The results validate earlier
studies that had indicated the vaccines begin to
work soon after a first dose, and confirm that
they also prevent asymptomatic infections.
Queensland warns of more cases
Australia's Queensland state warned on Tuesday that more cases of
COVID-19 were expected to emerge as authorities scrambled to contain
an outbreak linked to the virulent UK variant, throwing Easter
travel plans into disarray.
Officials reported eight new locally acquired cases on Tuesday,
taking the total in the latest outbreak to 15 so far. All of the
cases were linked to two distinct virus clusters, one related to a
doctor and the second to a nurse.
Brisbane, the state capital, has been placed under a three-day
lockdown until Thursday, requiring more than 2 million city
residents to stay home except for essential work, healthcare,
grocery shopping or exercise.
Vietnam sentences flight attendant for spreading virus
A court in Vietnam handed a two-year suspended jail term to a
Vietnam Airlines flight attendant on Tuesday after finding him
guilty of breaking quarantine rules and spreading the virus to
others, police said.
Duong Tan Hau, 29, was convicted of "spreading dangerous infectious
diseases" at the one-day trial at the People's Court of Ho Chi Minh
City.
Vietnam has been praised for its efforts to contain the virus
through mass testing and tracing and strict centralised
quarantining. It has recorded fewer than 2,600 COVID-19 infections
and only 35 deaths due to the disease.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes)
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