The vaccination rate in different countries PART II  ｜Aquasky

As of the end of April 2021, more than one billion doses of the novel coronavirus vaccine have been injected globally. At present, the United States, China, and India still have the largest total number of vaccine doses, 229 million doses, 226 million doses, and 139 million doses respectively.

In Europe, the United Kingdom keeps ahead of the curve. Nearly 70% of the population has completed the injection of the vaccine and more than 5 million of them have completed the double-dose injection. The British government also announced that it will gradually implement the lifting plan, and will open four types of areas since April 12th. Including shops selling non-essential goods (for example, retail stores, barbershops, libraries, and other public places) and open outdoor areas Spaces (e.g. takeaway alcohol shops, beer gardens, zoos, and theme parks), open indoor leisure facilities (e.g. swimming pools and gyms), self-sufficient holiday accommodations (e.g. self-catering farmhouses and campsites) are also currently synchronized. Domestic tourism is reopened, too. It is expected to be completely lifted in June this year. Other European regions have a low rate of injection due to an insufficient number of vaccines. Another reason is the public still has doubts about the thrombosis cases caused by the AZ vaccine. There is only ten percent of the population in Europe has already got the first shot of the vaccine so far. Some countries such as France and Germany are caught in the third wave of epidemics. According to Thierry Breton, the European Union's executive commissioner for internal market affairs, the vaccine is now steadily arriving one after another and the European region is expected to reach the goal of herd immunity in mid-July.

The United States in North America keeps ahead of the curve in the Americas. As of the end of April, more than 200 million doses of vaccination have been injected. More than 50% of the American population has got one dose of vaccine, and about 33% of the population has injected two doses. It is worth noting that although the rate of vaccination in the United States has continued to increase and the number of deaths has gradually decreased, the number of confirmed cases has not decreased. Some experts speculate that this may be caused by a more contagious variant virus. For instance, nearly 20,000 people had infected the B.1.1.7 which is named Alpha. The P.1 variant also named Gamma which was first found in Brazil. This type of virus had become the second strongest variant for infecting 434 people. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky also warned that there were too many Americans who announced their victory over the virus so quickly that leading to the forthcoming wave of the epidemic. The United States began the first step of reopening at the end of April and early May. However, the situation in each state is different, the lifting ban will vary from state to state. Relatively, areas where the situation has not yet been alleviated still maintain blockade bans. At present, the first step of reopening is for retail, shopping malls, and restaurants. It is still necessary to maintain a safe social distance. The overall open rate is about 25-50%.

South America is led by Chile, and its national vaccine injection rate is the highest in Latin America. Furthermore, Chile's injection rate ranks fifth in the world. Chile Health Minister Enrique Paris said that they had got 35 million doses of vaccines in mid-March. Therefore, about 15 million people could be vaccinated with two doses. The official plan is to increase the vaccination rate to 80% by the end of June. However, the epidemic in Chile has not been alleviated. The country issued an emergency lockdown in early April. The content included that Chilean citizens and foreign residents were not allowed to enter the country, and truck drivers who cross the borders must submit a negative nucleic acid test within 72 hours when entering the country. In addition to extending the curfew, the number of times to go out to buy daily necessities had also announced limitations. Many experts pointed out that Chile's rapid and efficient vaccination campaign gave Chilean a false sense of security, which leading to a rapid increase in the number of diagnoses and deaths, the medical system to overload. The speed of lifting was one of the main reasons for the outbreak of the epidemic again.

The Asia region is overwhelmingly led by Israel, which ranks top in the world. At the end of April, more than half of the country's population had injected two doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The country’s confirmed cases and mortality rates had been significantly reduced after a large number of vaccines have been injected. Nationals who had been vaccinated could get a Green Pass vaccine passport for free access to restaurants, gyms, or other entertainment venues. At present, Israel had further lifted the outdoor mask order, but it is still necessary to wear masks in indoor places. The school also reopened at the end of April. In May, vaccinated foreign travel groups can also enter Israel.

In contrast, India has become the epicenter. India was currently in the second wave of out-of-control epidemic conditions. The number of confirmed cases and deaths is constantly setting new highs every day. The rapidly worsening epidemic is crushing local hospitals and communities, and all supplies are facing shortages such as ICU beds, drugs, oxygen cylinders, and respirators. Local residents are forced to seek help from the black market to get the oxygen that is needed by sick family members or hire professional nursing staff to take care of the sick at home. India has confirmed a "triple-mutant variant", that is, the combination of three different novel coronavirus forms into a new variant. To make matters worse, the world's largest vaccine plant is in India. The United States and the European Union have previously restricted the export of vaccine raw materials, coupled with the production crisis caused by the epidemic, which may affect the progress of the global campaign. Some experts pointed out that this wave of out-of-control epidemics in India originated from the fact that the Indian government announced to the public so early that the epidemic had been brought under control. The government even held large-scale elections and religious gatherings and lifted the ban on wearing masks and social distancing. In response to such a severe epidemic in India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the European Union provided airborne oxygen concentrators, respirators, and even vaccine materials on April 25 in order to alleviate the local epidemic.

Another focus in Asia is Japan, which is scheduled to host the Olympic Games that had been postponed for one year. The area was currently caught in the fourth wave of epidemics caused by the Kobe and Alpha variant viruses. Tokyo and Osaka prefectures are the most serious area. Only 1.1% of the population had been vaccinated. A third of the population over the age of 65 has been vaccinated recently in mid-April, hoping to slow down the epidemic. Regarding whether to host the Tokyo Olympics, according to the local Yomiuri Shimbun’s latest poll, nearly 70% of the people believe that the Olympics should be suspended under such severe conditions. However, the current Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice Chairman Ko Hereby, and Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the Public Health Emergency Program of the World Health Organization (WHO), received the assessment development form and stated that the Olympics should still be held in accordance with the original plan. Experts also pointed out that with regard to the emergency situation extended to the end of May, if the epidemic has not been brought under control, there may still be variables for the hosting of the Olympics.

Looking at the big picture, although the vaccine had got shots in various places, the proportion of two doses injected had not reached 5%. Some experts have pointed out that if the epidemic fails to be further controlled and the virus continues to mutate, the novel coronavirus is likely to become a flu-like existence. Although the existing vaccines have a reduced defense against variant viruses, people will be helpless if they are not injected. What is worth paying attention to is that the early control of the epidemic has been successful but it has been out of control due to vaccines delays. Countries that have obtained the vaccine and have a low rate of injection are in crisis. The epidemic may break out at any time due to the existing opening up, which will further have a profound impact on the restart of the economy.

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