CHILE: China's Coronavac vaccine was 67 percent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and 80 percent at preventing death, according to real-life results unveiled Friday from Chile's inoculation campaign.
"These figures should convey peace of mind to the country," Health Minister Enrique Paris told journalists as he announced the outcome of two months' of vaccination in Chile, in February and March.
The results were obtained from a comparison between people who were fully vaccinated, partly vaccinated with one dose, and non-vaccinated -- a sample size of some 10.5 million in total -- in the country that has led the pack with its vaccine rollout.
They also showed the vaccine was 85 percent effective at preventing hospitalization with serious coronavirus symptoms, and 89 percent at preventing intensive care admissions.
Chile's Government wants to inoculate 80 percent or 15.2 million of its population. It is far ahead in Latin America, and has one of the most advanced vaccine campaigns in the world. As of Friday, the country had succeeded in giving at least one vaccine dose to 7.6 million people, and both doses to more than five million -- about a third of the target population.
Coronavac, produced by Chinese firm Sinovac, made up 86.9 percent of Chile's vaccine arsenal, with the remainder receiving the Pfizer/BioNtech jab.
Coronavac is a traditional type of vaccine, using inactivated coronavirus to trigger immunity.
US hits vaccine milestone
The hard-hit United States has passed a hopeful milestone as half its adults have had at least one COVID vaccine dose and from Monday all its over 18s will be eligible to get their shot.
The coronavirus has killed more than 3 million people and infected at least 140 million, devastating the world economy and upending daily life since emerging in China in December 2019.
Roughly 130 million Americans aged 18 and over have now received a shot, representing 50.4 percent of the adult population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday.
New Zealand-Australia travel bubble opens
Emotions ran high Monday as excited passengers set off on the first flights to take advantage of a quarantine-free travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand, allowing families split by the pandemic to finally reunite.
The arrangement means that for the first time in almost 400 days passengers can fly across the Tasman Sea without undergoing mandatory COVID-19 quarantine when they arrive.
"It's a very big day and exciting for families and friends," said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who hailed the success of both countries in containing the virus as a key factor in allowing the travel corridor.
Australia was New Zealand's largest source of international tourists before the pandemic, accounting for about 1.5 million arrivals or 40 percent of total visitors in 2019.
Germany mourns its 80,000 COVID dead
Germany held a national memorial service on Sunday for its nearly 80,000 victims of the coronavirus pandemic, putting aside deep divisions over Covid restrictions to share the pain of grieving families.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier joined an ecumenical service in the morning at Berlin's Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, a memorial against war and destruction.
They attended a ceremony at the capital's Konzerthaus concert hall.
Besides suffering the pain of losing a loved one, restrictions in place to curb infections mean that relatives are often unable to even hold their family members' hands as they lay dying. Others have been left grieving on their own, as funerals or memorials are curtailed by pandemic curbs.
Kyrgyzstan pushes poisonous root as virus cure
Kyrgyzstan is using a poisonous root as a treatment against the coronavirus despite health warnings as the country battles a new wave of infections.
Health Minister Alimkadyr Beishenaliyev took sips of the solution that contains extracts of aconite root as he talked up its healing properties.
"You need to drink it hot, and in two or three days the positive PCR test result disappears and the person immediately becomes better." Beishenaliyev however warned that "spasms and death" could befall anyone drinking the solution cold.
Aconite root is used in traditional medicine even though it is considered highly toxic.
The authorities have said that a third wave of Covid-19 cases is beginning in the Central Asian country of 6.5 million people, which suffered a difficult summer as the virus overwhelmed hospitals last year. - AFP
