Both countries leveraged donated vaccines, mainly from India, and their diminutive size to zoom to the top of the per-capita chart.
“Our strength lies in our smallness and the inherent value of solidarity,” Bhutan Health Minster Dechen Wangmo tweeted.
Not to be outdone, Gibraltar a tiny U.K. territory on the southern tip of Spain vaccinated nearly all of its adults after it received a steady cadence of Pfizer/BioNTech doses from the British government. Restaurants are filling up and mask mandates are being eased or lifted altogether, giving the rest of Europe a glimpse of what’s possible if they get their rollouts moving.
Amid Second Virus Wave, the World Responds to India’s Distress Call
Countries, companies and powerful members of the diaspora have all pledged to pitch in, but it likely won’t be enough to stop the unfolding catastrophe.
A man receiving oxygen outside a Sikh house of worship in Delhi on Sunday.Credit.Atul Loke for The New York Times
April 26, 2021Updated 4:52 p.m. ET
NEW DELHI Oxygen generators from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Raw material for coronavirus vaccines from the United States. Millions in cash from companies led by Indian-American businessmen.
As a second wave of the pandemic rages in India, the world is coming to the rescue.
Senior administration officials characterized the aid package as a way to repay India after it offered assistance during America’s struggles with the virus last year. But it was also in part a bid to head off a growing public relations headache for Mr. Biden over complaints that his administration has been reluctant to spare any COVID-19 vaccines even with ample supplies in the pipeline for every American.
India has a relatively young population and avoided the worst of the COVID-19 crisis earlier in the pandemic. Now, rampant transmission is setting global records for cases 350,000 per day and forcing cremation centers to run around the clock. Shortfalls in oxygen supplies and accidental leaks caused some patients to suffocate, adding to families’ desperation.
Gibraltar, Seychelles, Bhutan near widespread coronavirus immunity washingtontimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtontimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.