US vaccinations pass 50 million
British health minister believes Covid will be something people can live with by the end of the year
Patty Castillo, 46, was vaccinated against a coronavirus on Saturday at a drive-in center set up for harbor members in Long Beach, California. (Reuters photo)
The United States has administered more than 50 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine in the two months since the shootings began, the updated figures showed Saturday.
The 50.1 million shots given in the US represent 30% of the 168 million doses administered so far in 77 countries, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.
In the UK, which along with the US has made the greatest progress with vaccinations among key economies, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he expects the coronavirus to become a treatable disease, allowing people to live with it like our flu do. the end of the year.
He made the remark in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, which reported that the UK government was preparing to provide details on new drugs that would be quickly followed by the clinical trial system.
Meanwhile, the University of Oxford will begin testing the Covid vaccine he developed with AstraZeneca on children, another important step in ending the global pandemic.
The trial in Oxford plans to enroll 300 children aged 6 to 17, the university said on Saturday. The first vaccinations will take place this month, with as many as 240 children receiving the coronavirus vaccine and the rest a meningitis that can cause similar side effects. AstraZeneca is expected to hold a larger trial with thousands of children later.
In the United States, 36.8 million people have now received at least one dose of vaccine, and of the 12.8 million, they have been completely vaccinated with a second shot.
According to Bloomberg, more than 1.7 million doses are administered per day in the US, based on an average of seven days.
In a related development, President Joe Biden ruled out coronavirus testing for all passengers on the run for the time being, saying the scientific evidence did not support the implementation of the measure.
A White House statement said the Centers for Disease Control did not recommend such tests and Biden would follow their lead.