MADRID (Reuters) -Spain is considering easing rules on wearing face masks outdoors, as early as in mid-June, officials said on Monday, as falling transmission and rising vaccination rates have lowered the risk of COVID-19 infection. Masks have been mandatory indoors and out across most of Spain, regardless of social-distancing, since last summer. But daily case numbers and the nationwide infection rate have been declining for months and nearly 40% of the population has received at least one vaccine shot, prompting some authorities to reconsider the rules. After the capital Madrid and the central region of Castilla la Mancha said they were considering easing restrictions, Spain s health emergency chief Fernando Simon said wearing masks outdoors might not be needed in the near future. If the (situation) evolves as it is currently doing . I believe it could be feasible that the mask would not be needed in outdoor open spaces in mid or late June and very likely, almost with (absolute) cert
Yemen and the challenge of Covid vaccine rollout in conflict countries
The vaccination rollout in Yemen, led by WHO and other UN agencies, started in April and is now including migrants. IOM
The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) has recently started supporting the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in Yemen. The challenges of bringing these vaccines to conflict countries like Yemen are enormous.
This content was published on May 28, 2021 - 09:00
May 28, 2021 - 09:00
Julia Crawford
Julia is a widely travelled British radio and print journalist, specialized in African affairs and transitional justice.
Yemen received 360,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the World Health Organization’s COVAX vaccine pool on March 31, and rollout of the vaccination campaign began on April 20. “It is extremely important that all vulnerable communities in Yemen have access to the Covid-19 vaccine,” states an IOM press releaseExternal link. “IOM welcomes the Government
By Manas Mishra MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian doctors on Wednesday decried the free distribution of an unproven remedy to COVID-19 patients by the state of Haryana as the maker of the herbal medicine faced a backlash over comments in which he said modern medicine had caused deaths. The northern state, which is ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi s Bharatiya Janata Party, said this week it would hand out Coronil to COVID-19 patients. The ayurvedic medicine was launched by yoga guru Baba Ramdev s company Patanjali Ayurved last year to much fanfare as a COVID-19 cure. The government later said the consumer goods company co-founded by Ramdev could not market the drug as a cure, and it needed to market it as an immunity booster. There is no scientific basis to Coronil s use in treating COVID-19 patients, said Ajay Khanna, the state secretary of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in Uttarakhand, where Patanjali is headquartered. If the Haryana government is doing this, then it is their loss,