World Coronavirus Dispatch: Can vaccine passports save travel industry?

A subdued Olympic torch relay begins in Japan, EU leaders push back against bloc's plans to halt Covid vaccine exports and other pandemic-related news across the globe

A subdued, socially distanced Olympic torch relay begins in Japan

The much-awaited Olympic torch relay relay kicked off on Thursday in Fukushima, amid fierce debate over whether games should go on in the face of coronavirus and rising costs. More than three dozen people, including about 20 celebrities, have withdrawn from the relay so far. Japan is seeing the relay as triumphant moment, highliting the country's recovery from 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that ravaged Fukushima and other parts of northeastern Japan. However, the celebrations were subdued, and were carried out under a number of restrictions. Read here

Let's look at the global statistics

Global infections: 125,511,119

Global deaths: 2,755,540

Nations with most cases: US (30,079,283), Brazil (12,320,169), India (11,846,652), France (4,484,659), Russia (4,442,492).

Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center

Vaccine passports: Can they save travel?

With the arrival of mass vaccination campaigns against coronavirus have come new ideas about how the vaccines could slowly allow societies to reopen. At the center of that was the debate over vaccine passports, a certificate or badge issued by governments to those vaccinated so that they can travel without restrictions. Many argue that showing proof of immunity will restart cross-border travel and if implemented in workplaces, the feeling safety leads to higher productivity. However, there is another section, voicing concerns and rightly so, about dividing the world by half in terms of vaccinated and not so. They feel that the poorer countries will be left behind as they don't have resources to get their population vaccinated as fast as some of the rich countries do. Read here

With misinformation, vaccine hesitancy ruling in parts of Serbia

Much to the surprise of everyone, Serbia has raced ahead in its vaccination programme delivering more than 31 jabs for every 100 people. However, the misinformation around vaccination is so ripe that authorities are finding strong resistance still in some areas of the country. Polls show that hesitancy to get the jab is a significant force. Once supply of doses outstrips demand, how do you convince sceptical communities to be vaccinated? As coronavirus cases climb again, its president said “I am begging you people, call to get the vaccine, we have them and we will have them even more, i am begging you like a God, take it.” Read here

EU leaders push back against bloc's plans to halt Covid vaccine exports

Concerned over vaccine supply chains, European Union leaders from countries like Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium and Sweden have pushed back against any revisions to the use of new powers to block Covid vaccine shipments to countries with better jab coverage such as the UK. On Wednesday the European commission updated its export authorisation mechanism to allow officials to block shipments to countries with a high level of vaccination coverage or those that restrict exports through law or in their contracts with suppliers. Read here