Coronavirus

• [New] Adults with Down syndrome have an increased risk of severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19.
• [New] Indigenous health and media groups fear Facebook's shutdown of community pages could have a dangerous impact on regional communities during the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.
• [New] Next week, vaccines are set to be administered to high risk groups, including in indigenous communities beset with mistrust of the Australian healthcare system due to decades of systemic racism.
• [New] The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines could normalise demand starting in the second half of the year.
• [New] India will require travelers arriving from Brazil and South Africa to undergo a coronavirus test, to prevent variants from spreading.
• [New] The initial supply of Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine will be smaller than originally thought, which could delay access to vaccination for some Americans.
• [New] South Africa variant: South Africa paused its rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine as it might not be effective against the South African B. 1.351 coronavirus variant - but it is still likely to limit the severity of covid-19.
• [New] Rapid coronavirus tests will start being sent out by post next month to allow twice-weekly testing of people without covid-19 symptoms for up to two-thirds of England's population.
• [New] Health issues like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension are common in Latino communities, making them one of the highest risk groups for COVID-19 in the U.S.
• [New] In a clinical trial that included South Africa, where B. 1.351 has become widespread, Johnson & Johnson's vaccine reduced the average person's risk of getting severe disease by 85% and reduced the risk of hospitalizations and death by 100%.
• [New] Toronto has seen a small drop in domestic violence police reports during the COVID-19 pandemic as experts warn lockdowns and stay-at-home conditions mean many more cases may be going unreported.
• [New] A new U.S. administration and increased public support to help aviation survive the COVID-19 crisis and tackle climate change could spur a deal.
• [New] Vaccination has started in some countries, but no global supply system of vaccines has been established and the threat of a pandemic continues.
• [New] After refusing to allow the WHO to access the infamous Wuhan lab at the heart of the Covid-19 pandemic President Biden has authorized the Wuhan Institute of Virology to receive US taxpayer funding through 2024.
• [New] Eroding trust in scientists, CEOs and journalists could hamper the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in Canada.
• [New] Latino and Black Americans are being vaccinated at much lower rates despite being at disproportionately high risk of suffering serious symptoms of coronavirus.
• [New] Vaccine hesitancy among BAME communities could create swathes across the country where Covid-19 will continue to remain a threat unnecessarily.
• [New] COVAX, an initiative to provide equitable global access to Covid-19 vaccines, said it will provide North Korea with nearly 2 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford coronavirus.
• [New] There are more than 17 million survivors of cancer in the U.S., many of whom are at a higher risk of dying from COVID-19.
• [New] The U.S. government will increase the number of coronavirus vaccine doses sent to the states weekly to 13.5 million while also doubling the number of doses going to pharmacies.

Last updated: 21 February 2021