164 Million Cases and COVAX Short of 140M Doses

Even as the vaccination program gathers pace, we are still far from being able to exorcise Covid-19 from the world – and its caseload and death toll keep rising! Already, the tally is more than 164 million cases and 3.4 million deaths. 

Thailand has now joined the C100K grouping – making this country #92. 

Together with the other ninety-one nations, they collectively contribute 98.5% and 98.7% of infections and fatalities worldwide respectively.

India total COVID-19 caseload surged past 25 million today. Though the official count shows new infections subsiding, there are fears that the new, highly infectious B.1.617 variant, first found in India, is running out of control, more so in rural areas. In fact, very many cases are going unreported due to lack of testing. 

The international scheme to ensure equal access to the vaccines is 140 million doses short because of the country’s continuing Covid crisis. 

The Serum Institute of India, the largest single supplier to the COVAX scheme, have made none of their planned shipments since exports were suspended in March. 

UNICEF which buy and distribute vaccines for COVAX are now urging leaders of G7 nations and EU states to share their doses.

UNICEF say data they have commissioned suggests that together this group of countries could donate around 153 million doses, while still meeting their commitments to vaccinate their own populations.

And Malaysia, too, is in a shitty mess. In spite of the Emergency, in spite of the Movement Control Order, in spite of the National Covid-19 Immunization Program, cases and deaths are ballooning.

Today's Covid numbers typically illustrate a health situation that is clearly getting out of hand:

#GagalKerajaan