World Coronavirus Dispatch: EU may allow vaccinated tourists this summer

Wave of infections engulfs Thailand, Vaccine success makes UK attractive to international students, 82 die in fire at Iraq Covid hospital--pandemic-related news across the globe

EU set to let vaccinated US tourists visit this summer

More than a year after shutting down non-essential travel from most countries to limit the spread of the coronavirus, the European Union may allow fully vaccinated American tourists over the summer, according to a report in the New York Times. The fast pace of vaccination in the US, and advanced talks between authorities there and the European Union over how to make vaccine certificates acceptable as proof of immunity for visitors, will enable the European Commission to recommend a switch in policy that could see trans-Atlantic leisure travel restored. Read here

Let's look at the global statistics

Global infections: 147,195,389

Global deaths: 3,109,449

Nations with most cases: US (32,077,297), India (17,313,163), Brazil (14,340,787), France (5,559,121), Russia (4,708,640).

Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center (https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html)

A wave of infections engulfs Thailand

Thai authorities are stepping up travel curbs and other measures to combat a rapidly spreading third wave of coronavirus infections driven by the highly transmissible and more lethal B.1.1.7 variant. The country, which succeeded in limiting the spread of the virus last year, has had over 24,000 cases and 46 deaths in just 25 days--a huge proportion of its pandemic totals of 55,460 infections and 140 deaths. The surge in cases has prompted concerns over the number of hospital beds, especially since government policy is to admit anyone testing positive for the novel coronavirus, even those without symptoms. Read here

Iraq says 82 died in fire at hospital housing Covid patients

Iraq has said 82 people died and 110 were injured in a fire that broke out in the intensive care unit of a Baghdad hospital that is treating severely ill coronavirus patients. Among the dead were at least 28 patients on ventilators, with severe symptoms of the virus. Doctors at the scene spoke of the chaos unfolding around them. They said a number of burned bodies were carried out by paramedics from the hospital floor. Iraq is grappling with a severe second wave of the pandemic. Daily virus cases average about 8,000, the highest since Iraq began recording infection rates early last year. Read here

Vaccine success makes UK attractive to international students: Poll

International students are more likely to want to study at British universities thanks to the success of the vaccine rollout, despite a widespread perception that the UK government mishandled its initial response to the pandemic, a survey suggests. Nearly half (47 per cent) of prospective international students said they would be more likely to choose to study in the UK because of the rate of vaccinations in the country, with 17 per cent saying they thought the government was handling the rollout better than anywhere else, according to the survey of 105,083 students planning to attend university abroad. The UK was more popular than the US, Canada, Australia and Germany. Read here