World Coronavirus Dispatch: Three studies hint at where pandemic is headed

Italy to end ban on firing workers, Abu Dhabi set to restrict public spaces to vaccinated people, and other pandemic-related news across the globe

Italy set to end ban on firing workers

The Italian government is likely to end the ban of firing industrial workers, a policy that has been in place since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The move is seen as a bid to revive the economy, which had contracted as much as 9 per cent in 2020. The strategic shift in the policy comes as the country reached a key milestone this week, surpassing 50 million administered doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Italy, which has a population of about 60 million, aims to have 80 per cent of residents fully inoculated by the end of September. Read here

Let's look at the global statistics

Global infections: 181,437,540

Global deaths: 3,929,857

Vaccine doses administered: 2,967,436,552

Nations with most cases: US (33,640,576), India (30,316,897), Brazil (18,448,402), France (5,832,490), Turkey (5,414,310).

Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center

Abu Dhabi set to restrict public spaces to vaccinated people

The United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven regions including Abu Dhabi and Dubai, is planning to restrict public places to only those vaccinated against coronavirus. UAE currently has one of the highest inoculation rates in the world. Vaccines from Pfizer, AstraZeneca and China’s Sinopharm are approved for use in the bloc. Access to universities, schools, nurseries, gyms and shopping centers in Abu Dhabi will be restricted from August 20, but those who have taken a jab for children aged below 15 are exempted. Read more

Three studies, one result: vaccines point the way out of the pandemic

Three scientific studies released recently offered fresh evidence that widely used vaccines will continue to protect people against the coronavirus for long periods, possibly for years, and can be adapted to fortify the immune system even further if needed. Most people immunised with the mRNA vaccines may not need boosters, one study found, so long as the virus and its variants do not evolve much beyond their current forms — which is not guaranteed. Mix-and-match vaccination shows promise, a second study found, and booster shots of one widely used vaccine, if they are required, greatly enhance immunity, according to a third report. Read here

Australia lockdowns spread amid confusion over vaccine advice

Frustration is mounting in Australia over low vaccination rates and changing advice on the AstraZeneca jab after outbreaks of the highly contagious Delta variant sent more parts of the country into lockdown. The outbreaks have grown to about 150 cases, and have forced lockdowns in four major cities and renewed restrictions in several others. Queensland imposed a snap three-day lockdown in its capital, Brisbane, and some neighbouring regions from Tuesday evening. Perth, the capital of Western Australia, began a four-day lockdown on Tuesday, joining Sydney and Darwin. Read here