Worldwide News

1. NZ reaches single day vaccination target 

New Zealand’s Super Saturday is a hit, with record vaccinations and a lower number of daily COVID-19 cases. Saturday had been dubbed Super Saturday by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, with a series of community events and aimed at upping NZ’s lagging vaccination rates.

With more than half the population – including greater Auckland, Northland and much of the Waikato – in a form of lockdown, broadcasters also screened a nationwide telethon – or “vaxathon”.

The event was publicised using the tagline “Let’s get back to doing what we love”. Ms Ardern’s ambitious goal was to get 100,000 Kiwis – or two per cent of the population – vaccinated in a single day.

2. Under-vaccinated Russia records 1,000 new deaths

Russia on Saturday recorded 1,000 deaths over 24 hours for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with the country’s jab drive at a standstill and few restrictions in place.

The surge comes with just 32 per cent of Russians fully inoculated, according to official statistics published for the first time Saturday. A lack of tough restrictions has allowed the virus to spread unchecked, though a number of regions have re-introduced QR codes for access to public places.

The Kremlin has avoided re-introducing major measures despite calling the vaccination rate “unacceptably” low, and saying authorities have to ensure “the economy continues working”. It also said Russia’s medical system was not “overwhelmed” and prepared to take in the rising number of patients. Authorities have blamed Russians for the growing outbreak.

3. Bali welcomes back foreign travelers

The Indonesian resort island of Bali welcomed international travelers to its shops and white-sand beaches for the first time in more than a year Thursday — if they’re vaccinated, test negative, hail from certain countries, quarantine and heed restrictions in public.

Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport will welcome new foreign arrivals from 19 countries that met World Health Organization’s criteria such as having their COVID-19 cases under control, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the government minister who leads the COVID-19 response in Java and Bali, said in a statement late Wednesday.

He said all international flight passengers must have proof they’ve been vaccinated two times, test negative for the coronavirus upon arrival in Bali and undergo a 5-day quarantine at designated hotels at their own expense. They’ll also have to follow stringent rules at hotels, in restaurants and on beaches.

4. Malaysian unvaccinated life will become difficult

Authorities in Malaysia will “continue to make life difficult” for those who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19, the country’s health minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, has said.

Jamaluddin was quoted by the Star, an English-language Malaysian news website, as saying that restrictions would not apply to those who cannot be administered Covid vaccines for health reasons.

“But if you don’t vaccinate yourself by choice, we will continue to make life difficult for you,” said Khairy. “You cannot dine in at restaurants, you cannot go into shopping centres.” A new national testing strategy, to be unveiled next week, will mandate weekly tests for unvaccinated people, he said.

5. US vaccination campaign for younger children

US health officials are setting the stage for a national Covid-19 vaccination campaign for younger children, inviting state officials to order doses before the shots are authorised.

Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine is currently being given to people as young as 12 in the US. Over the next three weeks, federal officials plan to discuss making smaller-dose versions available to the nation’s 28 million children between the ages of five and 11.

That would end a 10-month wait for many families who are anxiously awaiting the approval of vaccines for younger children. To help states and cities prepare, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week sent out a seven-page document with guidance on how to set up expanded vaccination programs.

6. Psychosis cases soar in England

Cases of psychosis have soared over the past two years in England as an increasing number of people experience hallucinations and delusional thinking amid the stresses of the Covid-19 pandemic.

There was a 75% increase in the number of people referred to mental health services for their first suspected episode of psychosis between April 2019 and April 2021, NHS data shows.

The charity is urging the government to invest more in early intervention for psychosis to prevent further deterioration in people’s mental health from which it could take them years to recover.