Italy’s variant struggle
Italy is currently experiencing a large wave of coronavirus infections driven by new variants. Intensive care units are filling up, and the government is scaling up restrictions. On Monday, the country surpassed 100,000 deaths.
The tragic milestone preceded a grim anniversary: On Mar. 9, 2020, Italy entered its first national lockdown. It was the first Western country to be severely affected by the virus, as its army moved coffins into overcrowded warehouses and doctors posted pictures of their bruised faces after long hours of wearing tight masks.
“We would have never thought that one year later, we would find ourselves facing such an emergency,” Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Monday.
After a monthlong decline in overall Covid-19 cases in the European Union, cases in Italy began climbing again from mid-February, caused largely by the highly contagious variant first seen in Britain. Some epidemiologists fear that the United States, where the variant is also spreading, could soon face a similar resurgence in cases.
Although Italy has the second-highest number of total deaths linked to Covid-19 in Europe, after the United Kingdom, it has inoculated only 6.4 percent of its population. In comparison, the U.K. has given at least a first dose to about a third of its residents.
But hope might be on the way: Italy’s health ministry on Monday approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for people 65 and over. An Italian pharmaceutical company also plans to start producing the Russian vaccine, Sputnik V, this summer, according to a report in the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera.
Vaccine rollout
In the U.S., the Biden administration is monitoring Russian efforts to spread disinformation about vaccines.
The promoters of Russia’s Covid vaccine demanded an apology from a European Union regulator who compared using it now to playing Russian roulette.
Indonesia has approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use, following a shipment of a million doses through Covax, the initiative to promote global access to vaccines.
Hong Kong will expand vaccine eligibility to people working in catering, construction, education, tourism, public transport and other industries.
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What else we’re following
In Canada, residents of nursing homes have been vaccinated but are still spending much of their time in isolation, leaving some to compare their lives to those of prisoners or caged animals.
In a big week for President Biden, the House will vote on Wednesday on the $1.9 trillion stimulus plan.
A human rights group says the pandemic has weakened democracy across Europe as leaders used the crisis to strengthen their hold on power and limit criticism of the government.
The Food and Drug Administration has had to postpone hundreds of drug company inspections during the pandemic, delaying approvals of new medicines and possibly leading to shortages of existing drugs.
In surprisingly good news, a small village in Spain has swelled with pandemic telecommuters, reviving its economy and possibly saving the community.
What you’re doing
It has been almost a whole year since Covid destroyed our business. My wife and I worked 24/7 to build our successful transportation company in Prague for nothing. We have lost our savings and may very well lose our house. My wife was able to get a part-time job but I, at 65, have been unsuccessful. I think that I am a failure for not taking care of my family. I try and think positive and read your “coping” thing when I can but millions are not coping.
— Chris, Prague The New York Times