As Japan wound down its free Covid-19 vaccination scheme, social media posts falsely claimed that the East Asian country had announced plans to ban the vaccines and stop jabbed people from donating their blood due to "contamination" fears. The study cited in the misleading posts written by a researcher known for his anti-vaccine stance has not been peer-reviewed by the scientific community. Vaccines remain an effective protection against severe symptoms of the Covid virus.
Persons with disabilities constitute 16% of the world's population, with 80% living in the Global South. They are frequently the most affected by natural hazards, climate-induced disasters, and global health emergencies. To understand the progress made in disability inclusion in DRR, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) conducted the 2023 Global Survey on Persons with Disabilities and Disasters as a follow-up to the 2013 Global Survey. The results show limited progress in disability inclusion over the past 10 years, with no significant differences across the regions.