World Coronavirus Dispatch: Argentina sinks further into the pandemic

Greta Thunberg slams vaccine inequality, Ontario shifts strategy to combat worsening outbreak, all US adults now eligible for vaccines, and other pandemic-related news across the globe

Argentina sinks further into the pandemic

The global economic devastation that has accompanied Covid-19 has been especially stark in Argentina, a country that entered the pandemic deep in crisis. Its economy shrank nearly 10 percent in 2020, the third straight year of recession. The pandemic has accelerated an exodus of foreign investment, which has pushed down the value of the Argentine currency. That has increased the costs of imports like food and fertilizer, and kept the inflation rate above 40 per cent. More than four in 10 Argentines are mired in poverty. Read here

Let's look at the global statistics

Global infections: 142,114,445

Global deaths: 3,030,299

Nations with most cases: US (31,738,228), India (15,320,972), Brazil (13,973,695), France (5,357,229), Russia (4,657,509).

Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center 

Adults in all US states are now eligible for vaccination

All adults in every US state are now eligible for a vaccine against coronavirus, meeting the April 19 deadline that President Biden set two weeks ago. The United States is administering an average of 3.2 million doses a day, up from roughly 2.5 million a month before. More than 131 million people, or half of all American adults, had received at least one shot as of Sunday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and about 84.3 million people have been fully vaccinated. Read here

Greta Thunberg condemns vaccine inequality between rich and poor countries

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has urged governments, vaccine developers and the world to “step up their game” to fight vaccine inequity after the richest countries bought up most Covid-19 vaccine doses and those in poorer nations have gone without. Her comments came as the World Health Organization announced 5.2 million new confirmed virus cases over the latest week, the largest weekly count yet, according to the UN health agency. While Thunberg hailed the development of Covid vaccines in “record time,” she cited estimates that one in four people in high-income countries have received them so far, while only one in 500 in middle- and lower-income countries have. Read here

Ontario shifts strategy as it scrambles to combat worsening outbreak

Canada’s most populous province has announced plans to make coronavirus vaccines more accessible and the federal government pledged emergency aid as authorities scramble to combat a worsening outbreak in Ontario. The shift in strategy comes after the authorities was forced into a U-turn over deeply unpopular new restrictions announced on Friday. In response to mounting public pressure, Ontario announced that it would lower the age threshold to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine from 55 to 40. Read here