Canada has announced plans to honour people who have died of COVID-19 and to pay tribute to those fighting the virus.
The event which is scheduled for Thursday has been declared a “National Day of Observance”.
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Justin Trudeau, Canadian prime minister, said “there are no words for the pain of losing someone you love”.
He added that “as a country, we remember all those we lost and we mourn with families and friends”.
According to John Hopkins University data, Canada has recorded 896,247 cases of COVID-19 with more than 22,000 deaths.
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China launches COVID-19 passport
China has launched a digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate for its citizens planning international travels — joining other countries issuing a similar document.
The digital certificate which is also available on paper, shows a user’s vaccination status and virus test results, and it is available for citizens via a programme on Chinese social media platform WeChat.
As vaccines are being rolled out by most countries to combat the deadly virus, a few countries have introduced certificates identifying vaccinated people.
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While Bahrain has developed vaccine passport for its citizens, the United States and the United Kingdom are among countries also considering implementing similar permits.
The European Union (EU) is also said to be working on a vaccine “green pass” that will allow citizens to travel among member states.
Rich countries blocking TRIPS COVID-19 waiver on vaccine
People’s Vaccine Alliance has accused rich countries of blocking efforts by developing countries to waive intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines.
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The vaccine watchdog, a group of organisations including Oxfam International, Frontline AIDS, UNAIDS, and others, said the action is another example of rich countries prioritising the interest of big pharmaceutical monopolies over people’s lives.
“We should act now. There is no going back. It is totally unfair that rich countries, who have enough vaccines to protect their citizens, are blocking the TRIPS waiver, which could help poorer countries get the vaccines they need,” Muhammad Yunus, one of the leaders of the People’s Vaccine Alliance, said.
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“For the rich world, this proposed act of human solidarity to ensure that medicines and vaccines get to the whole human family simultaneously is in their own self-interest, not just an act of charity.”
According to the group, the proposed TRIPS waiver will remove legal barriers and allow manufacturers across the world to start producing vaccines at scale within months.
Greece to welcome vaccinated tourists from May
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Greece says tourists who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, have antibodies or test negative can travel to the country from May.
Harry Theocharis, tourism minister, disclosed this on Tuesday while speaking at ITB Berlin trade show from the Athens Acropolis Museum.
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Tourism is said to be a major income earner for Greece and accounts for about a fifth of the its economy and employs one in five workers, but the industry has suffered a setback owing to the perils of the pandemic.
“Greece is ready with a complete protocol for summer 2021. Tourists will be welcome if before travel they are either vaccinated, or have antibodies, or test negative. All tourists will be subject to random testing,” Theocharis said.
More states in Nigeria take delivery of vaccine
Lagos, Ogun, Benue and Osun states have received doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from the federal government.
Ogun state on Monday took delivery of the vaccine, becoming the first state in the country to receive it.
On March 2, Nigeria received 3,924,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from COVAX.
President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, frontline health workers, and members of the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 were among the first batch of recipients of the vaccine.
COVID-19 IN NIGERIA
