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Australia's Covid Success Under Threat As Melbourne Goes Into Lockdown

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Australia's Covid Success Under Threat As Melbourne Goes Into Lockdown" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-05/pir5fg58_melbourne-lockdown-afp_625x300_28_May_21.jpg" title="Australia's Covid Success Under Threat As Melbourne Goes Into Lockdown" /></div>
Melbourne goes into a seven days lockdown to stall coronavirus transmission.
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Australia:
Five million weary Melbourne residents were put back under lockdown on Friday, straining local resolve and testing Australia's "zero-Covid" strategy of smothering outbreaks however small.
As authorities said a cluster of positive cases had grown to 39, streets in Australia's second city emptied out for the fourth time since the pandemic began.
"It's just very difficult," resident Gavin Catt told AFP. "This lockdown is affecting us. Many families and friends can't work."
Melbournians have been ordered to stay at home for seven days to stall transmission and buy the authorities time to investigate how the virus again jumped from hotel quarantine into the community.
The outbreak is believed to have begun when a traveller infected with the Indian variant returned to Australia, but Victoria's acting state Premier James Merlino called for military help with the investigation.
Around 15,000 close contacts have been identified and the list of venues visited by confirmed cases had grown to 130.
Merlino on Thursday blamed sluggish vaccine rollout and hotel quarantine failures for the latest outbreak.
"If we had an alternative to hotel quarantine for this particular variant of concern, we would not be here today," he said.
It is believed to be the 17th time in six months that the virus has leaked out of makeshift hotel quarantine facilities, which are now facing tough scrutiny.
Fingers are also being pointed at Australia's conservative federal government for the slow rate of vaccinations, which threatens to reverse the country's early virus success.
Australia has recorded 30,000 Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began -- with a large portion in hotel quarantine -- in a country of 25 million people.
But only two percent of Australians have so far been fully vaccinated.
"I'm from New York originally so I feel like we've had a really good go of it here in Australia in terms of how many people have gotten sick," said David Gonzalez.
"So I guess I'm willing to accept a bit of a slow rollout but if these things happen more often, they just have to get more vaccines in the country."
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended his government's handling of the crisis saying hotel quarantine facilities were "99.99 percent effective."
But critics countered that a single infection leaking from a quarantine system that has processed thousands of travellers was sufficient to shut down an entire state, and the country's second-biggest city.
In recent months, Australians had largely been enjoying few restrictions after the country successfully contained the spread of coronavirus.
But outbreaks in Taiwan and Japan have underscored how initial success containing the virus can quickly be eroded without widespread vaccination.
Australia is currently vaccinating around 75,000 people each day.
In a note to clients on Friday, the National Australian Bank warned that it is "clear that virus outbreaks from hotel quarantine remain a significant risk for Australia until a high degree of vaccine penetration is reached".
"On the current pace, Australia will not reach a level of vaccination approaching herd immunity (estimates suggest that is around 70% or higher) by the end of the year."
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/australias-covid-success-under-threat-as-melbourne-goes-into-lockdown-2450946">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/australias-covid-success-under-threat-as-melbourne-goes-into-lockdown-2450946</a>

news world Australia's Covid Success Under Threat As Melbourne Goes Into Lockdown

Melbourne goes into a seven days lockdown to stall coronavirus transmission. Australia: Five million weary Melbourne residents were put...

India's "Terrible" Covid Surge Led To Shortfall Of 190 Million Doses: COVAX Statement

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="India's 'Terrible' Covid Surge Led To Shortfall Of 190 Million Doses: COVAX Statement" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-03/0qtjj9ao_covaxin-reuters-pic_650x400_09_March_21.jpg" title="India's 'Terrible' Covid Surge Led To Shortfall Of 190 Million Doses: COVAX Statement" /></div>
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United Nations:
The "terrible" surge of the coronavirus cases in India has severely impacted COVAX's vaccine supply in the second quarter of this year to the extent that there will be a shortfall of 190 million doses by the end of June, according to a joint statement by the WHO, UNICEF, GAVI and CEPI.
The joint statement was issued on Thursday by Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) CEO Dr Richard Hatchett, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance CEO Dr Seth Berkley, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.
"Countries that are advanced in their vaccination programmes are seeing cases of COVID-19 decline, hospitalisations decrease and early signs of some kind of normality resume. However, the global picture is far more concerning," the statement said.
Giving a call to action to equip COVAX to deliver 2 billion doses in 2021, the statement said, "we are seeing the traumatic effects of the terrible surge of COVID-19 in South Asia - a surge which has also severely impacted global vaccine supplies."
It added that COVAX has proven it works as the global mechanism for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, having delivered over 70 million doses to 126 countries and economies around the world since February - from remote islands to conflict settings - managing the largest and most complex rollout of vaccines in history. Over 35 countries received their first COVID-19 vaccine doses thanks to COVAX.
"However, the terrible surge of the virus in India has had a severe impact on COVAX''s supply in the second quarter of this year, to the point where, by the end of June we will face a shortfall of 190 million doses," the joint statement said.
It said even though COVAX will have larger volumes available later in the year through the deals it has already secured with several manufacturers, it warned that "if we do not address the current, urgent shortfall, the consequences could be catastrophic."
It said the pandemic has just taken a frightening new turn, as a deadly surge of cases rages across South Asia and other hotspots.
The global agencies called on nations to share doses "now", saying the United States and Europe have collectively pledged to share 180 million doses.
"But we still need more, we need them to go through COVAX, and we need them to start moving in early June. At least one billion doses could be shared by wealthy countries in 2021.
"COVAX''s need for doses is greatest right now. Countries with higher coverage rates, which are due to receive doses soon, should swap their places in supply queues with COVAX so that doses can be equitably distributed as quickly as possible," it said.
The Serum Institute of India (SII), the world''s largest vaccine manufacturer, is the key supplier of AstraZeneca doses to COVAX. 
According to the agreement between GAVI and SII, which included funding to support an increase in manufacturing capacity, SII is contracted to provide COVAX with the SII-licensed and manufactured AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine (known as Covishield) to 64 lower-income economies participating in the Gavi COVAX AMC (including India), alongside its commitments to the Government of India.
However, supply of vaccines from SII to COVAX has been impacted as the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic ravages India.
Last week, Ghebreyesus had said that once the devastating outbreak in India recedes, "we also need the Serum Institute of India to get back on track and catch up on its delivery commitments to COVAX."
UNICEF had also noted with concern that the devastating surge in coronavirus cases in India has impacted vaccine supplies to the COVAX facility.
"Among the global consequences of the situation in India, a global hub for vaccine production, is a severe reduction in vaccines available to COVAX. Soaring domestic demand has meant that 140 million doses intended for distribution to low-and-middle-income countries through the end of May cannot be accessed by COVAX. Another 50 million doses are likely to be missed in June," Fore had said in a statement last week.
A note to editors in the UNICEF statement had said that "shortfall numbers are based on delays related to shipments from the Serum Institute of India (SII) only." Other delays related to the original COVAX delivery schedule are expected to be made up by the end of June. "There is currently no timetable to resolve SII-related delays", the note said.
The COVAX facility is slated to deliver its 65 millionth dose in the coming days when it should have been at least its 170 millionth. 
COVAX is the only global initiative that is working with governments and manufacturers to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are available worldwide to both higher-income and lower-income countries.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, speaking at a virtual event by the Ikea Foundation, Purpose and the UN, expressed concern that the "recent surges in South Asia and elsewhere show that COVID-19 is still very much with us.
"More than 80,000 people died in the past week alone. We are in a war against this virus. To achieve victory, we need to put our economies and societies on a war footing. We need a true global vaccination plan," he said.
He encouraged all companies, particularly those with global representation, to look beyond headquarters and focus on the most vulnerable countries and communities, from South Asia to sub-Saharan Africa.
According to Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 tracker, more than 168,769,000 confirmed cases have been reported from across the world while the deadly disease has claimed the lives of over 3,507,000 people. 
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/indias-terrible-covid-surge-led-to-shortfall-of-190-million-doses-covax-statement-2450941">https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/indias-terrible-covid-surge-led-to-shortfall-of-190-million-doses-covax-statement-2450941</a>

news world India's "Terrible" Covid Surge Led To Shortfall Of 190 Million Doses: COVAX Statement

United Nations: The "terrible" surge of the coronavirus cases in India has severely impacted COVAX's vaccine supply in the...

Three Crew Missing After Collision Of Japanese Cargo Ship And Tanker

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Three Crew Missing After Collision Of Japanese Cargo Ship And Tanker" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-05/6596gpm_cargo-ship-at-tokyo-port-afp_625x300_28_May_21.jpg" title="Three Crew Missing After Collision Of Japanese Cargo Ship And Tanker" /></div>
The Byakko sank after colliding with a chemical tanker in the Kurushima Strait. (Representational image)
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Japan:
Japanese coast guard ships and aircraft were searching on Friday for three missing crew of a cargo ship that capsized and sank after a collision with a Marshall Islands-registered tanker in the Seto Inland Sea, authorities said.
The Byakko sank at about 2:40 a.m after colliding with the chemical tanker just before midnight in the Kurushima Strait, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a news conference.
Nine of its 12 crew were rescued by the coast guard and nearby ships, he said, adding that coast guard patrol vessels were scouring the waters for the remaining three.
There were no injuries among the tanker crew, and no leakage or floating objects at the site, he said.
A Japanese coast guard spokesman identified the tanker as the Ulsan Pioneer, registered in the Marshall Islands.
The coast guard had deployed 14 patrol ships and three aircraft in the search, he said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/three-crew-missing-after-collision-of-japanese-cargo-ship-byakko-and-chemical-tanker-2450938">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/three-crew-missing-after-collision-of-japanese-cargo-ship-byakko-and-chemical-tanker-2450938</a>

news world Three Crew Missing After Collision Of Japanese Cargo Ship And Tanker

The Byakko sank after colliding with a chemical tanker in the Kurushima Strait. (Representational image) Japan: Japanese coast guard sh...

Japan To Be Under Covid State of Emergency Until Month Before Olympics

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Japan To Be Under Covid State of Emergency Until Month Before Olympics" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-05/vj1mo3gk_japan-tokyo-olympics-reuters-650_625x300_28_May_21.jpg" title="Japan To Be Under Covid State of Emergency Until Month Before Olympics" /></div>
The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to be opened on July 23 (File)
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Tokyo:
Japan will extend a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas on Friday until just a month before the Olympics, in a move that is likely to fuel concerns over whether the Games can be held safely.
Tokyo and nine other parts of the country are currently under emergency orders which mostly involve closing bars and restaurants early and banning them from selling alcohol.
The emergency was supposed to expire at the end of May in most places, but the government now says it needs more time to control a fourth wave of infections.
"The overall level (of infections) continues to be very high," Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of coronavirus response, said Friday.
"Considering this situation, we believe it is necessary to extend the state of emergency measures."
On Friday, the government's advisory panel approved an extension until June 20, just over a month before the pandemic-postponed Olympics open on July 23. A formal announcement is expected later.
The move comes with Japan's public still firmly opposed to holding the 2020 Games this summer. In recent weeks, leading businessmen and even a newspaper sponsoring the Olympics have called for the event to be cancelled.
But organisers and Japanese officials say the Games will go on, citing extensive rulebooks aimed at keeping participants and the public safe.
- 'Olympic strain' -
On Thursday, Naoto Ueyama, chair of the minor Japan Doctors Union, warned the Games could produce a "Tokyo Olympic strain" of coronavirus and urged a cancellation to prevent a "disaster".
Haruo Ozaki, head of the larger Tokyo Medical Association with more than 20,000 members, said organisers would have to bar all spectators at a "minimum".
Overseas fans have already been banned, and a decision on domestic spectators is expected late next month.
Even under the current state of emergency, sports venues in Japan are allowed to seat 5,000 spectators or 50 percent capacity, whichever is smallest.
Officials have been trying to drive home the message that the Games are on and will be safe, announcing recently that the vast majority of those in the Olympic village will be vaccinated.
Despite the negative polling and warnings against the Games, protests against the event tend to attract just a few dozen people.
Australia's softball team is expected to arrive next week to start training in Japan, and Japanese athletes and Olympic staff will start receiving vaccines from June 1.
They will be jumping the queue in Japan's slow vaccine rollout, with jabs currently only available to medical workers and the elderly.
Just over six percent of the population has so far received a first dose, with less than 2.5 percent fully vaccinated.
The slow pace has piled pressure on Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who was appointed after Shinzo Abe's resignation last year and faces an election in the autumn.
Japan has seen a comparatively small virus outbreak, with around 12,500 deaths, enabling it to avoid harsh lockdowns.
But Suga's government has faced criticism for its pandemic response, and polls show strong dissatisfaction with the vaccine rollout in particular.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/japan-to-be-under-covid-induced-state-of-emergency-until-month-before-olympics-2450927">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/japan-to-be-under-covid-induced-state-of-emergency-until-month-before-olympics-2450927</a>

news world Japan To Be Under Covid State of Emergency Until Month Before Olympics

The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to be opened on July 23 (File) Tokyo: Japan will extend a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and ...

Russia's Putin And Belarus' President To Meet After Plane Diversion Incident

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Russia's Putin And Belarus' President To Meet After Plane Diversion Incident" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-01/2rclqg88_vladimir-putin_625x300_24_January_21.jpg" title="Russia's Putin And Belarus' President To Meet After Plane Diversion Incident" /></div>
Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko to meet after Belarus Plane Diversion.
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Belarus:
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko will meet Friday after the UN civil aviation agency announced it will investigate the diversion of a passenger plane and the arrest of a journalist on board in a growing diplomatic row.
The meeting in Sochi between the Kremlin and the Belarusian leader, who enjoys strong support from Moscow, comes as airlines revealed Russia has blocked some European flights for avoiding Belarus airspace.
The G7 global powers have demanded Belarus release the journalist, Roman Protasevich, and the EU's foreign policy chief threatened hard-hitting economic sanctions.
The Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council said it had "decided to undertake a fact-finding investigation of this event".
It added the body "underlined the importance of establishing the facts of what happened, and of understanding whether there had been any breach by any ICAO Member State of international aviation law."
Lukashenko sparked international outrage by dispatching a fighter jet Sunday to intercept a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius carrying Protasevich, 26, and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega, 23.
A nervous-looking Protasevich was last seen in a video released by Belarusian authorities on Monday in which he was seen supposedly admitting to helping to organise mass unrest, a charge that could land him 15 years in jail.
"I want you to relay our appeal everywhere, throughout the world, to government representatives, to EU countries, to EU leaders, to US leaders: I am appealing, I am begging, help me free my son," his mother Natalia told journalists in Warsaw, visibly moved.
His father Dmitry said his son was "a tough man" and "a hero", adding: "Throughout his life he fought for the truth and passed it on to people, which is why Lukashenko committed this despicable act."
The couple and their lawyer confirmed they have not had any communication with Protasevich since his arrest.
- 'Immediate and unconditional release' -
Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven wealthy nations on Thursday demanded the "immediate and unconditional release" of Protasevich, "as well as all other journalists and political prisoners held in Belarus", in a joint statement published by the British government.
The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said proposals were "on the table" to target key sectors of the Belarusian economy.
He mooted targeting the potash fertiliser sector or refusing gas being delivered to the bloc via Belarus over the "hijacking" of the plane by the regime.
Borrell was echoed by German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass, who also raised the possibility of hitting key firms in the fertiliser sector and said the EU could curb the Belarusian government's ability to issue bonds in Europe.
But he played down the likelihood of the bloc agreeing quickly to reject gas transiting through pipelines in Belarus, insisting it was "more of a medium and long-term issue".
The bloc was also looking at "targeted sanctions" against the Belarusian authorities to add to the 88 regime figures and seven companies already on a blacklist over a brutal crackdown on the opposition after last year's disputed presidential election.
At a Thursday briefing in Vilnius, where she fled after last year's election, exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya called for an "economic boycott of the regime".
Christophe Deloire, head of media rights watchdog Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters Without Borders) was also in Lithuania to file a legal complaint against Lukashenko with prosecutors investigating Sunday's incident.
Lukashenko still enjoys solid support from Putin, with the Kremlin website describing "integration" between the two nations as "a long-term cherished project for Moscow" ahead of their meeting at the Russian leader's summer residence in Sochi.
- Air links cut -
The ICAO, of which Belarus is a member, has no power to order sanctions and Russia's support for Minsk means the UN Security Council is unlikely to agree on a collective statement.
However EU nations are banning Belarusian carriers and the EU has also urged airlines to avoid the country's airspace.
On Thursday, Austrian Airlines said it had cancelled a Vienna-Moscow flight after Russian authorities did not approve a route change avoiding Belarusian airspace.
An Air France flight from Paris to Moscow on Wednesday had to be cancelled for the same reason.
- 'Europe's last dictator' -
A defiant Lukashenko said he had "acted lawfully to protect our people" from an alleged bomb threat on the plane, in a parliament address Wednesday.
The criticism was nothing more than another attempt by his opponents to undermine his rule, he added.
Lukashenko -- often dubbed "Europe's last dictator" -- is facing some of the strongest international pressure of his nearly 27 years ruling ex-Soviet Belarus.
He and his allies are already under a series of Western sanctions over a crackdown on protests after his disputed re-election to a sixth term last August.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/russian-president-vladimir-putin-and-belarus-president-alexander-lukashenko-to-meet-after-belarus-plane-diversion-2450915">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/russian-president-vladimir-putin-and-belarus-president-alexander-lukashenko-to-meet-after-belarus-plane-diversion-2450915</a>

news world Russia's Putin And Belarus' President To Meet After Plane Diversion Incident

Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko to meet after Belarus Plane Diversion. Belarus: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus st...

Swedish Newspaper Publishes Image of Criminal Suspect That’s Just a Pixilated Blur

A man who was radicalized by inaccurate media propaganda concerning a supposed wave of hate crimes targeting Asians blamed on white supremacy tried to take revenge by sexually assaulting a woman at gunpoint because he presumed she was white.
37-year-old Michael Sangbong Rhee was arrested by police in Lake Forest, California after he allegedly attacked a woman, who turned out to be Asian, “in retaliation for the rise in hate crimes against Asian people.”
“Irvine police say an Asian woman was sitting in the driver’s seat of her car near her apartment Thursday afternoon when she looked up to see Rhee standing at the door, holding a handgun. She told police she did not recognize Rhee, who ordered her to get into the back of her car if she wanted to live,” reports <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/police-michael-rhee-of-lake-forest-attacked-asian-woman-believing-she-was-white-in-retaliation-for-rise-in-hate-crimes/ar-BB1fzMLX">CBS Los Angeles</a>.
“The woman said she offered Rhee her wallet and money, and he replied they would “do that later,” before getting into her car through the passenger side door and pushed her into the backseat, according to police. She struggled with Rhee, who she told police began to grope her, then yelled to a maintenance worker nearby that he had a gun.”
[embedded content]
“Detectives believe Rhee — who is Korean — targeted the woman because he thought she was white, based on his own statements, and that the assault was in retaliation for hate crimes that have skyrocketed against Asian people.”
Over the past few months, the media has tried to contrive a narrative that white people are responsible for a rise in hate crime attacks against Asian-Americans.
In reality, figures show white people are underrepresented per capita in attacks against Asians.
As the Washington Examiner <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/anti-asian-violence-cant-be-blamed-on-trump-supporters">highlights</a>, citing FBI statistics, whereas whites comprise 62% of the population, they committed 24% of crimes against Asians in 2018.
In comparison, blacks, who comprise 13% of the population, committed 27.5% of all violent crimes against Asian Americans in 2018.
In addition, out of a spate of recent high profile hate crime attacks on Asians, <a href="https://summit.news/2021/03/31/anti-trump-doctor-blames-hate-crimes-committed-by-blacks-against-asians-on-white-people/">virtually all the culprits</a> are black males.
The victim attacked by Rhee was lucky she wasn’t seriously hurt.
Hopefully the media will stop putting lives at risk by publishing fake news about Asian hate crimes, which now appears to be radicalizing violent racist criminals.
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source <a href="https://summit.news/2021/05/27/swedish-newspaper-publishes-image-of-criminal-suspect-thats-just-a-pixilated-blur/">https://summit.news/2021/05/27/swedish-newspaper-publishes-image-of-criminal-suspect-thats-just-a-pixilated-blur/</a>

revolution summit Swedish Newspaper Publishes Image of Criminal Suspect That’s Just a Pixilated Blur

A man who was radicalized by inaccurate media propaganda concerning a supposed wave of hate crimes targeting Asians blamed on white supremac...