The global collection of cases of coronavirus infection (Covid-19) is close to 82 million, the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus administrator points out. Among these, several countries have launched vaccination campaigns against the pandemic, most of which are administered by Pfizer-BioNTech SE or the Moderna vaccine. Some countries, of course, use both.
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Several countries are about to approve a vaccine while others are still testing or awaiting test results. Here are some of the latest updates regarding the Covid-19 vaccine initiatives or against vaccine development:
1. Singapore on Wednesday became the first Asian country to launch a vaccination campaign for the healthcare workers, who received the Pfizer-BioNTech SE vaccine. More health care centers will continue in the coming weeks as the elderly begin to receive vaccination shots from February.
2. Ireland began vaccination Tuesday, with a 79-year-old woman becoming the first Irish citizen to receive a Covid-19 shot. Like most other countries, Ireland has also approved the Pfizer-BioNTech SE vaccine. Apparently, Tuesday, the country reported the highest one-day virus count of 1,546.
3. Mexico’s deputy health minister said Tuesday that CanSino Biologics Inc in China will send the results of the Covid-19 vaccine test to Mexican authorities next week. Mexico is among the countries where the vaccination began, with more than 18,500 health care workers receiving vaccinated shots since last week, when the vaccination campaign began.
4. Russia has applied for phase 3 trials of the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine in Brazil, the third worst country in the world, the South American country’s health regulator, Anvisa, announced Tuesday. Anvisa also said it would review the request within 72 hours.
5. Iran on Tuesday launched its first study on the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines. The vaccine is the first in Iran to reach human testing and was developed by Shifa Pharmed, part of the state pharmacy, Barekat.
(Supported by organizations)