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 U.S. pushes leaders to embrace 70% global vaccination target
The United States is pushing global leaders to endorse what it calls
ambitious targets for ending the COVID-19 pandemic, including
ensuring 70% of the world's population is vaccinated against the
virus by the 2022, according to a draft U.S. document viewed by
Reuters on Tuesday.
The three-page outline is addressed to countries, international
organizations, and private sector groups invited to a virtual
COVID-19 summit planned by the United States on the sidelines of the
United Nations General Assembly beginning this week. Other key
targets include ensuring at least one in 1,000 people are tested
weekly before the end of 2021, and building surge capacity to ensure
that all healthcare workers have access to personal protective
equipment such as masks in 2021.
Cyber crime and consumer sentiment rise in Australia
A measure of Australian consumer sentiment bounced in early
September amid hopes harsh coronavirus restrictions would soon be
eased as the pace of vaccinations stepped up markedly across the
states. The Westpac-Melbourne Institute index of consumer sentiment
released on Wednesday rose 2.0% in September, recouping some of
August's 4.4% drop.
Unrelatedly, Australia reported on Wednesday a 13% jump in cyber
crime in the past year, with about one incident in four targeting
critical infrastructure and services as working from home during the
pandemic made more people vulnerable to online attacks. Ransomware
incidents increased nearly 15%, with the health sector reporting the
second-highest number of attacks.
U.S. says federal employees must be vaccinated by Nov. 22
The Biden administration said most federal employees must be fully
vaccinated against COVID-19 no later than Nov. 22 as it drafts rules
to require large employers to have their workers inoculated or
tested weekly.
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 In New York, however, a judge on Tuesday
temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a
requirement that healthcare workers receive
COVID-19 vaccines against the wishes of
employees with religious objections.
WHO-backed vaccine hub for Africa to copy
Moderna shot
Efforts to develop an African base for COVID-19
vaccine production will focus on trying to
replicate Moderna's shot, but a lack of progress
in talks with the U.S. company mean the project
will take time, a senior WHO official told
Reuters. Moderna said last October it would not
enforce patents related to its shot during the
pandemic, raising hopes that other companies
might be able to copy it and help boost COVID-19
vaccine production.
More than three-quarters of the 5.5 billion
COVID-19 shots administered worldwide have gone
to high and upper-middle income countries, which
make up just over a third of the world's
population. Only 3% of Africa is vaccinated, the
African Union's top health official said last
week, compared with more than half of the United
States and three-quarters of Spain.
Indonesia aims to reopen to foreigners in
November
Indonesia plans to start opening its borders to
foreigners in November once 70% of its target
population have received at least one vaccine
shot, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said
on Tuesday.
Southeast Asia’s largest economy, struck by one
of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in Asia, has
vaccinated about 25% of its target population
but Budi said vaccine rates would need to be
almost doubled to 2 million shots per day by
deploying the police and army to help dispense
shots.
(Compiled by Karishma Singh; Editing by Kim
Coghill)
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