U.S. Centers for Disease Control Director Rochelle Walensky said Friday that hospitalizations and new COVID-19 cases continue to rise, driven by infections in younger adults, who have not yet been vaccinated.During a White House COVID-19 Response Team virtual news briefing, Walensky noted hospitalizations for COVID-19 rose by seven percent over the past seven days, while new daily infections rose by an average of two percent during the same period.She noted most of those new cases were among adults age 55 and younger, who have not yet been vaccinated. Walensky also noted a decrease in hospitalizations for those age 65 and older, demonstrating the importance of getting vaccinated, since many older Americans are eligible and have received vaccines.To further encourage people to get shots, President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor, Anthony Fauci, addressed the issue of vaccine hesitancy based on mistrust of how quickly COVID-19 vaccines were made available. Fauci detailed the years of research that went into developing vaccines.“The bottom line is, this did not happen in eleven months. It was due to an extraordinary multidisciplinary effort …that had been underway for decades before the unfolding of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Fauci told reporters on Friday.Also at the briefing, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy addressed the toll the pandemic has taken on mental health in the United States, citing new statistics this week showing one in eight people who contracted COVID-19 were diagnosed with a new psychiatric or neurological condition, with anxiety and depression chief among them.Murthy said younger adults, minorities, essential workers, and unpaid caregivers were disproportionately affected by mental health issues. The U.S. government is providing $3 billion to states to address the problem, and the recently-passed American Rescue plan included another $3.56 billion for prevention and treatment of mental health and substance abuse disorders.The surgeon general said getting vaccinated can also provide joy and relief to people suffering from pandemic-related anxiety.The White House COVID-19 response coordinator, Jeff Zients, said three million vaccinations were delivered between April 2 and April 8, with a total of 158 million vaccinations delivered so far. He said that puts the country on track to meet President Biden’s goal of having 200 million Americans vaccinated by the end of April, his first 100 days in office. 
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Malawi’s Ministry of Health expanded eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to all Malawians 18 and older.  The decision was prompted by the approaching expiration date for about 40,000 doses the country received from the African Union. Malawi’s government has so far received 512,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which it is administering to the public.The first batch of 360,000 doses came in early March under the COVAX program. A few weeks later, Malawi received other allotments of 50,000 doses from India and 102,000 doses from the African Union.Joshua Malango, the spokesperson for Malawi’s Ministry of Health, said 40,000 of the African Union doses expire Tuesday, while the other vaccine expires in July. He believes there is still time to distribute the AU doses before they become unusable.   “We have four days to go,” he said. “We still have tomorrow, we still have Sunday, and Monday.”In a televised situation update Wednesday, the Ministry of Health said all Malawians 18 and older are now eligible to be vaccinated. Critics have questioned why Malawi accepted doses with such a short shelf life. However, government officials said they did not anticipate the drugs would be unused given the huge turnout of people during the early days of the vaccination process. Dr. Mike Chisema, a manager for the expanded immunization program,  said the ministry also started deploying medical workers to encourage vaccinations.   “The aim is to be near those who would want to receive the vaccine,” he said. “We don’t want people to travel long distances to seek vaccination. This will also help people with disabilities to access the vaccine without difficulties.”The ministry said this week that out of its 512,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, it has used only 164,000, mostly in urban areas.  Health care activists blame the low rate on a lack of civic education about the vaccine, especially in rural areas.
 
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A U.S. astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts arrive at the International Space Station (ISS) Friday for a six-month mission.
 
NASA’s Mark Vande Hei and Russians Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov blasted off as scheduled on board of the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
 
The three were launched in a capsule named in honor of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who became the first person in space 60 years ago, on April 12, 1961.
 
The mission also marks the 40th anniversary of NASA’s first space shuttle launch.
 
Their journey to the station takes about three hours and includes two Earth orbits.
 
Vande Hei, Novitskiy and Dubrov will work on biology, biotechnology and Earth science experiments during their stay at the ISS.
 
NASA’s Kate Rubins and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov are set to return from the space station on April 17.
 
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Germany’s top health officials said Friday a nationwide lockdown of two to four weeks is necessary to bring a new wave of COVID-19 infections under control.
Health Minister Jens Spahn and Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for Infectious Disease President Lothar Wieler told reporters in Berlin there were 25,000 new infections reported as of Friday, which Spahn said were too many. He said a nationwide lockdown is needed to get the rate of infection permanently below 100 per 100,000 people.
Spahn said the infection rates are being felt most in the hospitals and intensive care units, which he said are currently treating nearly 4,500 patients across the country. Wieler said RKI hospital surveillance data indicates more and more of these seriously ill patients are young people.
He said that fact adds more stress to hospitals because young patients tend to require respiratory care longer than older ones.
Spahn said that burden on the hospitals is why nationwide action is needed.  “This is why we must break this third wave as quickly as possible. This means reducing contacts and limiting mobility.”
But Germany’s federal government and regional governments are divided on new COVID-19-related restrictions. Chancellor Angela Merkel is calling for a tighter lockdown as some regions and cities unilaterally ease restrictions.
Meanwhile, Spahn said vaccinations in Germany were “on a good path, with thousands of ordinary doctor practices this week joining the vaccination campaign.”
Germany now has almost 15 percent of its population vaccinated with one dose and 5.8% have received both shots.
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Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga Friday announced Tokyo will be placed under a month-long state of “quasi-emergency” to combat surging COVID-19 infections.
Speaking to reporters during a COVID-19 task force meeting, Suga said the new measures are focused on shortening the business hours of bars and restaurants and imposing fines for violations.  Many of Tokyo’s COVID-19 cases have been traced to the city’s night life.  
Suga said the steps are necessary because of surging infection rates, particularly of more contagious variants of the virus.  
Japan has never imposed strict lockdowns such as those seen in other countries.
In Germany, Health Minister Jens Span told reporters Friday that a nationwide lockdown is necessary to bring the surging third wave of the virus under control.  
Speaking at the same briefing, Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases President Lothar Wieler said a two-to-four-week lockdown would be sufficient to stem the surging infections in Germany. He said the surge is being felt most in the nation’s intensive care units which have seen 4,500 new patients in the last week, most of whom are younger people.
The implementation of a new lockdown is not a certainty. While Chancellor Angela Merkel’s federal government is in favor of stricter measures to control the virus, regional leaders support lifting them, and some already have begun to do so.
Meanwhile, India’s health ministry Friday reported its highest daily tally of new COVID-19 cases, with at least 131,968 new cases in the previous 24-hour period. Friday’s tally beats the record count of 126,789 cases that the ministry reported Thursday.  AstraZeneca vaccine
Elsewhere, several nations have issued new guidelines over the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine after the European Union’s medical regulator announced a link between the vaccine and very rare, possibly fatal blood clots.    
Britain, where the vaccine was developed jointly by the British-Swedish drugmaker and scientists at the University of Oxford, said it will offer alternatives for adults under 30. Oxford researchers have also suspended a clinical trial of the AstraZeneca vaccine involving young children and teenagers as British drug regulators conduct a safety review of the two-shot regimen.  
Reuters reported Spain and the Philippines will limit the vaccine to people over 60 years old, while The Washington Post reported Italy has issued similar guidelines.    
The European Medicines Agency recently said blood clots should be listed as a very rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but continued to emphasize that its overall benefits outweigh any risks.  Rare blood clots have been associated with the deaths of at least 14 people across Europe.  
AstraZeneca has been the key vaccine in Britain’s exceptionally speedy inoculation campaign, which has outpaced the vaccination rates in the rest of Europe.  
But the vaccine has had a troubled rollout elsewhere, initially because of a lack of information from its late-stage clinical trials on its effect on older people, which has slowed vaccination efforts throughout Europe. Many nations stopped administering the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports first surfaced of the blood clot incidents.    
Also, Puerto Rico and Washington announced they will open COVID-19 vaccination eligibility beginning Monday to residents as young as 16.
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CDC says cases of coronavirus clusters are increasing in the U.S. in youth sports and day care centers, while hospitals are reporting more younger adults are being admitted with severe cases of the disease.  As Mariama Diallo reports, coronavirus variants are to blame for the rise.   
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Around $1 trillion of food is lost or wasted each year around the world, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Reversing that trend could preserve enough food to feed 2 billion people. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias looks at how COVID-19 has spurred innovative efforts to prevent food waste and hunger in the United States.
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CDC says cases of coronavirus clusters are increasing in the U.S. in youth sports and day care centers, while hospitals are reporting more younger adults are being admitted with severe cases of the disease.  As Mariama Diallo reports, coronavirus variants are to blame for the rise.   
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Modern brains are younger than originally thought, possibly developing as recently as 1.5 million years ago, according to a study published Thursday. By that time, the earliest humans had already begun walking on two feet and had started fanning out from Africa. Our first ancestors from the genus Homo emerged on the continent about 2.5 million years ago with primitive, apelike brains about half the size of those seen in today’s humans.  Scientists have been trying to solve a mystery for as long as our origin story has been known: Exactly when and where did the brain evolve into something that made us human? “People had thought that these humanlike brains evolved actually at the very beginning of the genus Homo, so about 2.5 million years ago,” paleoanthropologist Christoph Zollikofer, a co-author of the study published in the journal Science, told AFP. Zollikofer and lead study author Marcia Ponce de Leon examined skull fossils from Africa, Georgia and the Indonesian island of Java and discovered the evolution took place much later, between 1.7 million and 1.5 million years ago. Since brains themselves do not fossilize, the only way to observe their evolution is to study the marks they leave inside the skull. The scientists created virtual images, known as endocasts, of what had filled the skulls long ago. In humans, the Broca area, part of the frontal lobe linked to speech production, is much bigger than the corresponding zone in other great apes, said Zollikofer of the University of Zurich.  The expansion of an area results in the shifting of everything behind it.  “This backward shift can be seen on the fossil endocasts, when we track imprints of the brain fissures,” Zollikofer said. ‘Surprise’ By studying skulls from Africa, the researchers were able to determine that the oldest ones, dating back more than 1.7 million years, had a frontal lobe characteristic of great apes. “This first result was a big surprise,” Zollikofer said.  It signified that the genus Homo “started with bipedalism,” or walking on two legs, and that the evolution of the brain had nothing to do with being bipedal. “Now we know that in our long evolutionary history … the first representatives of our genus Homo were just terrestrial bipeds, with apelike brains,” the paleoanthropologist said. However, the youngest African fossils, dating back 1.5 million years, showed characteristics of modern human brains. This signified that the evolution of the brain took place between the two dates, in Africa, according to the study. The conclusion is backed up by the appearance of more complex tools during this same period, called Acheulean tools, which have two symmetrical faces. “This is not random coincidence,” Zollikofer said, “because we know those brain areas that get expanded in this time period are those that are used for complex manipulative tasks like tool-making.” Two migrations from Africa The second surprising result of the study comes from observations of five skull fossils found in present-day Georgia, dating between 1.8 and 1.7 million years ago. The particularly well-preserved specimens proved to be primitive brains. “People thought you need a big modern brain to disperse out of Africa,” Zollikofer said. “We can show these brains are not big, and they are not modern, and still people have been able to leave Africa.” Meanwhile, fossils from Java, the youngest specimens in the study, showed modern brain characteristics. The researchers therefore believe that there was a second migration out of Africa. “So, you have a spray first of primitive-brained people, then things evolve to a modern brain in Africa, and these people sprayed again,” Zollikofer said. “It’s not a new hypothesis … but there was no clear evidence. And now for the first time, we have real fossil evidence.” 
 
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The United States officially joined a U.N. group on climate and security on Thursday as part of the Biden administration’s focus on mitigating all impacts of the climate crisis.“This is a critical issue for the United Nations, especially because the threat isn’t just to all of our climates. It’s also a collective security issue for all of us,” U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters.She noted that the Pentagon has declared climate change both a national security threat and a threat multiplier.“That’s because unpredictable and extreme weather will make vital resources, like food and water, even more scarce in impoverished countries,” she said. “Scarcity spurs desperation, and desperation, of course, leads to violence.”She said at the current pace, millions of people across the planet will be driven to mass migration due to the impacts of global warming, which would undermine peace and security.“The good news is, we can build resilience, we can stave off security threats, and we can even generate economic opportunity, if we work together,” the ambassador said.The U.N. Group of Friends on Climate and Security was created in 2018 and now, with the U.S., has 56 member states.“The United States was instrumental to the development and ultimate adoption of the Paris Agreement,” said Margo Dieye, ambassador of Nauru, who along with Germany co-chairs the group.“I expect that they will bring that same level of commitment to coordinated international action to the Group of Friends on Climate and Security,” Dieye said.The Paris Climate Agreement, signed by virtually every country in the world, aims to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and limit the planet’s temperature increase during this century to 2 degrees Celsius, while working to limit the increase even further to 1.5 degrees.Among its goals, the Group of Friends hopes to get U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint a special envoy on climate and security. Guterres already has two climate envoys: Michael Bloomberg, a former New York City mayor and Democratic presidential candidate, is the organization’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions; Canadian Mark Carney is the envoy in charge of financing for climate action.Pivotal year“2021 is a make-or-break year for collective action against the climate emergency,” Guterres told a Security Council meeting on the subject in February.U.S. President Joe Biden will host a Leaders Summit on Climate later this month, and in November, nations will go to Glasgow, Scotland, for a review conference on implementation of the Paris Agreement.While there has been progress, it has been insufficient to meet the agreement’s targets on time. Guterres hopes nations will step up their national commitments at the two meetings this year.Biden has committed to putting climate at the center of his administration’s policies.Hours after being sworn in on January 20, he signed the instrument to rejoin the 2015 Paris climate accord, from which former President Donald Trump withdrew the United States in 2017, saying it was “in America’s economic interest to do so.”Biden also appointed former Secretary of State John Kerry as the United States’ first presidential envoy on climate and made him a part of his National Security Council. 
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Several nations have issued new guidelines over the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine after the European Union’s medical regulator announced a link between the vaccine and rare, possibly fatal blood clots.Britain, where the vaccine was developed jointly by the British-Swedish drugmaker and scientists at the University of Oxford, says it will offer alternatives for adults under 30. Oxford researchers have also suspended a clinical trial of the AstraZeneca vaccine involving young children and teenagers as British drug regulators conduct a safety review of the two-shot regimen.Reuters says Spain and the Philippines will limit the vaccine to people older than 60, while The Washington Post says Italy has issued similar guidelines.The European Medicines Agency said Wednesday the blood clots should be listed as a very rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but continued to emphasize that its overall benefits outweigh any risks. Rare blood clots have been associated with the deaths of at least 14 people across Europe.AstraZeneca has been the key vaccine in Britain’s exceptionally speedy inoculation campaign, which has outpaced significantly the vaccination rates in the rest of Europe. But the vaccine has had a troubled rollout across the world, initially because of a lack of information from its late-stage clinical trials on its effect on older people, which has slowed vaccination efforts throughout Europe. Many nations stopped administering the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports first surfaced of the blood clotting incidents.The vaccine is critical also to Europe’s immunization campaign and crucial in the global strategy to supply vaccines to poorer countries. The vaccine is cheaper and easier to use than rival vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the B.1.1.7 variant of the coronavirus first detected in Britain last December is now the dominant variant in the country. The CDC had predicted back in January that the British variant, which is far more contagious and deadly than the original version, would become the dominant one in the United States by March.“The virus still has a hold on us, infecting people and putting them in harm’s way. We need to remain vigilant,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Wednesday during a White House briefing.The United States recently surpassed 30 million total new cases, including 559,116 deaths, the most of any country in either category, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Thursday that her country is suspending travel from India beginning Sunday due to a surge of coronavirus cases among travelers from that country. New Zealand has 23 new positive COVID-19 cases in quarantine, 17 of them from India. The ban will remain in effect until April 28, and will include New Zealanders returning from India.India has nearly 13 million total coronavirus cases, third behind the United States and Brazil, and is undergoing a second wave of new infections as it races to vaccinate its 1.3 billion people. The country posted a single-day record 126,789 new cases on Wednesday.
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Moroccan authorities decided Wednesday to enforce a night-time curfew during the holy month of Ramadan because of a recent rise in COVID-19 cases, as scientists announced the discovery of a new, local variant of the virus.Many Moroccans voiced their anger over the decision on social networks, describing it as another blow to many businesses already struggling to survive, as well as to family gatherings that are a central part of the holiday.While the North African kingdom has had one of the region’s most successful vaccination programs so far, it is also seeing a growth in coronavirus infections, especially in Casablanca, the largest city.A curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. has been in place since December, and the Moroccan government decided Wednesday to extend it through Ramadan, which starts April 13 in Morocco.Because observant Muslims don’t eat or drink in the daytime during Ramadan, cafes and restaurants depend on nighttime business that’s now off-limits because of the curfew.Countries around the Mideast imposed some virus restrictions and curfews for Ramadan last year, and several are considering, or renewing restrictions, this year.Morocco has reported more than 499,000 COVID-19 infections with 8,865 deaths.The kingdom has administered the highest number of inoculations in Africa so far — 8.3 million doses for a population of 36 million people since vaccinations began Jan. 29. The per-person vaccination rate is higher than in some European countries that started a month earlier, but concerns are rising that Morocco’s vaccine supplies are drying up and the rate could slow.Morocco is using vaccines from AstraZeneca and China’s Sinopharm. Millions more doses are expected eventually from both companies as well as from the global COVAX program to provide vaccines to low and middle-income countries.Meanwhile, the Moroccan government’s National Scientific and Technical Committee for COVID-19 announced the discovery of a new variant of the virus first detected in the southern city of Ouarzazate. It was not immediately clear if it is linked to the recent spike in infections in the kingdom.The new variant can be classified as “100% Moroccan,” said professor Azzedin Ibrahimi, member of the committee and director of the biotechnology laboratory at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in the capital Rabat. He said Sunday that it was detected as part of a study conducted by Moroccan researchers into the spread of various variants.
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A New York social worker and psychotherapist says more is needed to address the pandemic’s impact on mental health, particularly among health care workers. More from VOA Correspondent Mariama Diallo.
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A pandemic has blanketed the planet. Economies have cratered. Across the world, people are scared, anxious and unsteady about the future.   And you want to talk about climate change?   Yes, say African leaders. Now.   African heads of state met virtually this week to make a push for the global community to do more to fight climate change in Africa, arguing that this environmental crisis could — and in fact, is — making the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic worse in the developing world. They are pushing a bold, multibillion dollar plan ahead of a vital climate conference planned for later this year.  FILE – Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta speaks in Nairobi, Sept. 26, 2020.It is hardly news that the pandemic has dealt a body blow to the developing world, said Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. But, he said, it has affected everything.  “Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change and climate vulnerability — a situation that unfortunately has been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said, speaking via videoconference Tuesday. “Multiple systemic shocks are now simultaneously threatening African communities and a health crisis, an economic crisis, a food security crisis have all been compounded by this subject that we are continuously debating — that of the climate change crisis. The impact, therefore, of the COVID-19 pandemic on Africa social-economic development has been devastating.”  FILE – Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba is seen in Libreville, Gabon, Jan. 13, 2017.Or, as President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon put it, in an evocative, poetic way that will seem familiar to residents of this vast continent that is larger than the combined landmass of the United States, China and Brazil:  “Every day, the thunderstorms seem more violent. Flooding is more frequent and droughts more severe. Around the world, forests are razed. Crops are failing, people are being forced to flee their homes, becoming climate refugees. Sea levels are rising, potentially drowning cities and even entire countries. The oceans are turning to acid. And salt is penetrating croplands, causing further serious challenges to food security. Ladies and gentlemen, excellencies, Africa contributed just 3 percent of global emissions, but we are the continent which will pay. Indeed, which is already paying the biggest price.”  FILE – Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, speaks in Geneva, Switzerland, Jan. 18, 2021.What does this have to do with the pandemic? Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director of the World Health Organization, draws that line clearly. Although the continent has reported a relatively low number of cases compared to other regions, it has seen the world’s slowest rollout of vaccination campaigns.   “The health sector is one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and the key priority sector for adaptation,” he said. “Despite this, only 0.5 percent of multilateral climate finance is currently spent on health protection. Financing the overall health response to the pandemic and the climate crisis is essential to save lives and drive a social and economic recovery.”  FILE – African Development President Akinwumi Adesina gives a press conference in Ouagadougou, Sept. 13, 2019.These leaders are pushing the global community to put their money behind their commitment, with this plan, laid out by African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina. “Our goal is to mobilize $25 billion for climate adaptation for Africa,” he said. “The African Adaptation Acceleration Program will build on what is working and speed up the actualization, the African Adaptation Initiative of the African Union.”  That is not an abstract plan, he said. It translates to the following tangible steps: digital climate information and advisory services for 30 million farms. A plan to build more resilient infrastructure in cities and rural areas. Greater involvement from the private sector. Greater emphasis on green investments. More jobs in climate-resilient fields for young people.   It is ambitious, big and bold — from a continent that is all of those things. African leaders will take this to the floor of the 26th U.N. climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, in November.  
 
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U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday the highly contagious B.1.1.7 variant originally identified in Britain is now the most common strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 circulating in the United States.During the White House COVID-19 response team briefing, Walensky said the variant has been shown to be more transmissible and infectious among younger Americans, which she says contributed to rising case counts in recent weeks. The CDC director said the latest figures show the U.S. seven-day daily case average rose by 2.3% from the previous seven days to 62,878 per day. She also said there are reports of clusters of cases associated with day care centers and youth sports across the country.Hospital admissions have also been up by about 2.7% per day over the last week. Walensky said they are seeing more and more younger adults, those in their 30s and 40s, admitted with severe cases of the disease.She said that while the U.S. is now vaccinating an average of three million Americans daily, the encouraging news is tempered by the increased rates and spread of the virus.She said the U.S. needs to continue ramping up its vaccination program, but communities need to do their part, as well.Walensky encouraged communities to consider adjustments to meet their unique needs and circumstances. Areas seeing substantial or high community transmission, she said, should consider refraining from indoor youth sports or activities that cannot be conducted at least six feet apart. Similarly, she said large events should also be deferred.Her comments come following the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball team hosting a crowd of 38,000 fans for its home opener this week. 
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The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) reports it is covering the cost of health insurance for an additional 20,000 Afghan refugees in Iran. This boosts the number of refugees to 120,000 who will be able to access medical care for COVID-19 and other illnesses under Iran’s national health plan.
 
Iran hosts nearly 800,000 Afghan refugees.  Over the past year, the UNHCR has paid insurance premiums for 100,000 of the most vulnerable refugees. Given the dangers posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it now has boosted that number by another 20,000.
 
UNHCR spokesman Babar Balloch says Iran is one of only a handful of countries in the world that allows refugees to sign up for its national health insurance and receive the same treatment as its nationals.     
 
“The national insurance scheme allows for free COVID-19 treatment and hospitalization.  It also subsidizes the cost of surgeries, dialysis, radiology, laboratory tests, out-patient care and more.  However, many refugees are not able to afford the premium costs,” he said.   
 
Balloch said the pandemic has severely affected the ability of refugees to earn a living as they usually rely on precarious and unstable jobs. The cost of health care, he said, is unaffordable for most refugees as it represents about 40% of a refugee family’s monthly expenses.   
 
And, yet, in the time of COVID, accessing treatment could be a matter of life or death. The World Health Organization reports Iran is the most COVID-affected country in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The latest data show more than 1.9 million cases, including 63,000 deaths.
 
The UNHCR warns fewer refugees are likely to seek treatment for urgent health needs if they are unable to afford health insurance. The agency says it may not be able to continue subsidizing the cost of insurance premiums for the refugees due to its tight budget. The agency notes this year’s UNHCR funding appeal of $97 million is only 7% funded.  
 
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A clinical trial of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine involving young children and teenagers has been halted by Oxford researchers as British drug regulators conduct a safety review of the two-shot regimen.The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is looking into a possible link between the vaccine and blood clots in people across the world, including in several European countries. So far,  there have only been 30 cases of blood clots out of 18 million doses administered across the European continent, including seven fatalities.  Most of the cases were diagnosed as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, which are clots that drain blood from the brain and can lead to strokes.Marco Cavaleri, the head of vaccines for the European Medicines Agency, told an Italian newspaper Tuesday the agency was prepared to confirm a link between the troubled vaccine and blood clots, but the EMA issued a statement to Agence France Presse denying those claims, saying it expected to announce its findings either Wednesday or Thursday.The AstraZeneca vaccine has had a troubled rollout across the world, initially because of a lack of information from its late-stage clinical trials on its effect on older people, which has slowed vaccination efforts throughout Europe. Many nations stopped administering the AstraZeneca vaccine because of the blood clotting incidents.Britain adds Moderna vaccineMeanwhile, Britain is adding the highly successful Moderna two-shot vaccine to its immunization campaign beginning Wednesday in Wales. Moderna’s vaccine is the third approved for use in Britain after the AstraZeneca and Pfizer versions.The 17 million doses of the Moderna vaccine ordered by Britain comes as it deals with a shortfall of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to manufacturing issues. A nurse holds a vial of the Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the Glangwili General Hospital in Carmarthen, Wales, Britain, April 7, 2021. (Jacob King/Pool via Reuters)The pandemic has sickened more than 132.5 million people across the globe since it was first detected in central China in late 2019, and more than 2.8 million deaths have been reported, according to the Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Research Center. [[ COVID-19 Map – Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center (jhu.edu) ]]  Brazil’s health ministry reported 4,195 deaths on Tuesday, its worst single-day death toll from the pandemic, pushing the number of coronavirus fatalities there to nearly 337,000, the second highest in the world, just behind the 556,529 deaths in the United States.The pandemic is continuing to wreak havoc on preparations for the upcoming Tokyo Summer Olympic Games.  The governor of the western Japanese prefecture of Osaka said Wednesday he is canceling the traditional Olympic torch relay, which was due to move through Osaka next week, due to a record high 878 new infections posted on Tuesday.Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura declared a medical state of emergency Wednesday, warning that the prefecture’s medical system is near collapse, with a hospital bed occupancy rate at 70 percent capacity. Yoshimura attributed the spike in new infections to new, more contagious variants of the infection that are spreading rapidly across Osaka. The COVID-19 disease is caused by the coronavirus.Japan is dealing with a rising rate of new infections amid an extremely slow rollout of vaccines.COVID impact on brainPatty Trejo, left, looks at her intubated husband, Joseph, in a COVID-19 unit as registered nurse Celina Mande holds a smartphone showing a mariachi band performing for the patient at St. Jude Medical Center, in Fullerton, California, Feb. 15, 2021.A new study published Wednesday in the medical journal Lancet Psychiatry has found that 34 percent of COVID-19 survivors suffer from either neurological or psychiatric conditions within six months of infection.An analysis of more than 230,000 patients revealed that 17 percent were diagnosed with anxiety, with 14 percent suffering from mood disorders.The researchers also found that survivors were at 44 percent greater risk of suffering from neurological and psychiatric illness compared with people recovering from flu, and at 16 percent greater risk than people suffering from other respiratory tract infections.  
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India has become the global hotspot for the COVID-19 pandemic, counting the world’s highest numbers of daily new infections in recent days as it grapples with a second wave of the pandemic weeks after witnessing a dramatic decline.   The impact of the swift surge in the virus, in the world’s biggest vaccine maker, will be felt far beyond its shores as India slows vaccine shipments to other countries.     Health experts blame many people in the vast populous country for virtually abandoning COVID protocols as cases tumbled earlier this year.     Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
People walk at a crowded market amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the old quarters of Delhi, India, Apr. 6, 2021.India is unlikely to impose a national lockdown that extracted a huge economic cost, but worst affected areas in the country are reimposing restrictions. The western state of Maharashtra, the country’s most economically developed state, is the epicenter of the new wave reporting nearly 60% of the country’s cases. Its capital, Mumbai, reimposed a partial lockdown this week shutting down shops, restaurants and monuments and ordering a complete shutdown on weekends. The Indian capital, New Delhi has imposed a night curfew.  In cities that had resumed normal life, the millions who had returned to their casual jobs are worried. “I really hope there is no strict lockdown again,” says Kavita Kamble who works as a cook in several homes in Mumbai. “Last year we had no work for six-seven months. We were all sitting at home. Only we know how we coped.”    To stem the rapid rise of infections, India has accelerated its immunization drive which began in January. After inoculating health care workers and senior citizens, health officials began targeting the younger age groups believed to be driving the rising numbers.    People sit in a waiting area to receive a dose of COVISHIELD, a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India, at a vaccination center in Ahmedabad, India, Apr. 2, 2021.”The pandemic isn’t over and there is no scope for complacency,” Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Twitter, urging people to get “vaccinated on your turn and follow COVID-appropriate behavior scrupulously!”  The #Pandemic isn’t over and there is no scope for complacency
On #WorldHealthDay2021 infuse greater zeal to #Unite2FightCorona, get vaccinated on your turn & follow COVID appropriate behaviour scrupulously! @PMOIndia@MoHFW_INDIA#LargestVaccineDrivehttps://t.co/KSqfJ1xriq
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) FILE – Boxes of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and provided through the global COVAX initiative arrive at the airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, March 15, 2021.“I really want to deliberately hope that it is a delay, not a ban because that would be catastrophic if that was the case,” John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told a news conference earlier this month in Addis Ababa. “Then meeting vaccination schedule becomes problematic, very, very problematic.”
India defended its decision pointing out that it had shipped vaccines to more than 80 countries.
“We have already stated that our external supplies would be done, keeping in mind our domestic requirements,” Arindam Bagchi, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman, said recently at a press briefing. “At this time, I’m sure our partners understand that vaccines are primarily purposed for domestic consumption.” It has also clarified that there is no outright ban.    India’s own needs are huge. Although the more than 87 million jabs it has administered are among the largest in the world, they have reached less than 7% of the population.     The course of India’s second wave will be critical not just for the vast South Asian nation, but also for other countries waiting to get jabs into as many arms as possible.  
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Scores of Cameroonians with kidney failure and their relatives have blocked traffic since Monday around a Yaoundé hospital to protest a shortage of dialysis treatment.  Cameroon authorities blame administrative procedures and coronavirus disruptions for slowing the import of dialysis machines and medicines.  Traffic was at a standstill in Yaounde’s Melen neighborhood this week as hundreds of patients with kidney failure, and their relatives, protested a halt to treatment at the Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital. Among the kidney patients who sat or lay on the road in front of the hospital is 54-year-old Emmanuel Pierre Essi. He says their protest began on Monday after at least seven kidney patients died within three weeks due to lack of treatment. People living with kidney failure being treated at Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital. (Moki Edwin Kindzeka/VOA)Essi says he and many of his peers may die after missing at least six sessions of hemodialysis for the past two weeks.  He says the Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital has only five hemodialysis machines for over 160 patients.  Essi says old age and overuse have crumbled the machines and patients who need four hours of dialysis per session, now take seven hours to filter and purify their blood in the dialysis machine.  He says kidney patients also lack hemodialysis kits and dialysis fluid. Cameroonian health officials are pleading with the patients to halt their protest while the government tries to fix the problems. The government says that since the coronavirus pandemic began last year, it has been unable to import dialysis equipment and medicine from suppliers abroad due to travel restrictions and the economic slowdown. Felicien Ntone, deputy director of the Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital, says kidney patients who become critical will be transferred to other dialysis centers. (Moki Edwin Kindzeka/VOA)The hospital’s deputy director, Felicien Ntone, says officials are trying to secure the equipment needed for dialysis treatment.  He says Cameroon and its suppliers in Europe and China are examining the best possible ways to speed the shipment of dialysis kits and dialysis machine spare parts to Cameroon.  Ntone says the government has agreed to urgently release funds for the purchase of hemodialysis kits. Ntone says kidney patients who become critical will be transferred to other dialysis centers.He says hospitals are negotiating with the government to allow the buying of medicines and equipment without passing through a long procurement process. Meanwhile, on the third day of the demonstration, some of the protesters are refusing to back down.  Yaoundé University student Donald Yaje’s parent has kidney failure.  Yaje vows to keep protesting until the government provides the needed treatment. “We cannot be indifferent while our relatives are dying,” he said.  “We want the government to look for a way of importing equipment instead of always complaining that the coronavirus has [imposed] restrictions to the shipment of goods from Europe.  They should not forget kidney patients while struggling to stop corona.” Patients undergoing dialysis treatment at Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital. (Moki Edwin Kindzeka/VOA)Cameroonian health authorities say the country has about 2,500 patients with acute kidney infections, up from 400 in 2012.   There are about seven towns in Cameroon with dialysis centers, with five dialysis machines at each.   Yaoundé has two such centers — the largest with 20 dialysis machines.  But health authorities acknowledge they are often not working as a result of overuse and poor power supply.   
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The race is on between COVID-19 vaccinations and the continuing evolution of coronavirus variants that threaten to undermine them.As vaccination ramps up in the United States and cases decline, people are letting their guard down, including those who are not vaccinated.But public health experts are urging people not to let loose just yet.The virus is not done evolving, they note. Some variants have already emerged with traits that weaken the protection the vaccines provide against the virus. The more it spreads, the more chances it has to get better at ducking the vaccines’ defenses.FILE – In this Jan. 26, 2021 file photo, arriving passengers walk past a sign in the arrivals area at Heathrow Airport in London, during England’s third national lockdown since the coronavirus outbreak began.Power of vaccinationSo far, the vaccines are proving their worth.Until recently, the only results available were from tightly controlled clinical trials. Now that the vaccines are rolling out, real-world studies are rolling in.”You’re always worried, if you start giving these doses, if they’re not handled right, et cetera, et cetera, will they function as well? And yes, they have,” said University of Michigan School of Public Health epidemiologist Arnold Monto, who chairs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee for COVID-19 vaccines.The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were 90% effective in preventing any kind of infection, with or without symptoms, in a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study of health care and other front-line workers. They even provided 80% effectiveness after just one dose.Another CDC study of nursing home residents, who are among the most vulnerable to serious illness and death from COVID-19, found that just the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine gave 63% protection. The elderly have been hit hardest by COVID-19. More than 80% of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States have been among people over age 65, according to the CDC. Now that more than half of all senior citizens have received at least one dose of vaccine, deaths and hospitalizations are down sharply nationwide.”It’s good news with regard to the power of vaccination,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters on Monday.But the number of people under 50 hospitalized with COVID-19 has ticked up in recent weeks as cases have increased, she noted.People wear masks on their faces before taking a taxi on a major thoroughfare in Casablanca, Morocco, April 6, 2021. Moroccan authorities have announced the discovery of a new local variant of the coronavirus and extended a nighttime curfew.Fourth wave?Pandemic fatigue, improving weather and loosening government restrictions have led to an increase in infections and a sense of deja vu among experts.”There is a lot of concern that we’re not doing the things that we should be in order to keep this virus in check,” said epidemiologist Jeffrey Shaman at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.Walensky told reporters last week that she felt a sense of “impending doom” over the direction the trends were headed.Some experts are concerned that a fourth wave of infections is starting, driven by more infectious variants of the virus.While most models do not show a spike of the magnitude of previous ones the United States experienced, “there are signs that the decline [in cases] is slowing,” said Michael Li, part of the COVID Analytics group at the MIT Operations Research Center. “So, we’re sort of ending back into a plateau stage again.”What especially concerns scientists, however, is that the longer the virus circulates, the more chances it has to mutate into a more dangerous form.Global variantsThe variant that first appeared in South Africa is perhaps the most concerning so far. It contains an array of mutations that allows the virus to evade the immune system better than the original strain. In a clinical trial, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine was 57% effective in South Africa, compared to 72% in the United States, where this variant was not common.  On the plus side, it was 85% effective against the most severe cases in all locations.AstraZeneca’s vaccine fared even worse against the South African variant. It was only 10% effective against mild-to-moderate cases, though severe cases were not studied. Another strain, first spotted in Brazil, spreads faster and also seems to be able to infect some people who had already been infected before. Another, recently reported from Tanzania, contains the most mutations recorded so far, including many of the same ones as the South African variant. Not all worrisome variants are found overseas. Two strains found in California are on the CDC’s list of variants of concern, and two identified in New York are also of interest. They have some of the same mutations as the South African and Brazilian variants. Antibody treatments do not work against them.”We’re in a bit of an arms race,” Columbia’s Shaman said. “We’re going to have to make new treatments, new monoclonal antibodies, new variants of the vaccine, potentially, if we see more and more of these variants arising.”And the more the virus spreads, he said, the more variants will arise.
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The race is on between COVID-19 vaccinations and the continuing evolution of coronavirus variants that threaten to undermine them.As vaccination ramps up in the United States and cases decline, people are letting their guard down, including those who are not vaccinated.But public health experts are urging people not to let loose just yet.The virus is not done evolving, they note. Some variants have already emerged with traits that weaken the protection the vaccines provide against the virus. The more it spreads, the more chances it has to get better at ducking the vaccines’ defenses.FILE – In this Jan. 26, 2021 file photo, arriving passengers walk past a sign in the arrivals area at Heathrow Airport in London, during England’s third national lockdown since the coronavirus outbreak began.Power of vaccinationSo far, the vaccines are proving their worth.Until recently, the only results available were from tightly controlled clinical trials. Now that the vaccines are rolling out, real-world studies are rolling in.”You’re always worried, if you start giving these doses, if they’re not handled right, et cetera, et cetera, will they function as well? And yes, they have,” said University of Michigan School of Public Health epidemiologist Arnold Monto, who chairs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee for COVID-19 vaccines.The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were 90% effective in preventing any kind of infection, with or without symptoms, in a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study of health care and other front-line workers. They even provided 80% effectiveness after just one dose.Another CDC study of nursing home residents, who are among the most vulnerable to serious illness and death from COVID-19, found that just the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine gave 63% protection. The elderly have been hit hardest by COVID-19. More than 80% of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States have been among people over age 65, according to the CDC. Now that more than half of all senior citizens have received at least one dose of vaccine, deaths and hospitalizations are down sharply nationwide.”It’s good news with regard to the power of vaccination,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters on Monday.But the number of people under 50 hospitalized with COVID-19 has ticked up in recent weeks as cases have increased, she noted.People wear masks on their faces before taking a taxi on a major thoroughfare in Casablanca, Morocco, April 6, 2021. Moroccan authorities have announced the discovery of a new local variant of the coronavirus and extended a nighttime curfew.Fourth wave?Pandemic fatigue, improving weather and loosening government restrictions have led to an increase in infections and a sense of deja vu among experts.”There is a lot of concern that we’re not doing the things that we should be in order to keep this virus in check,” said epidemiologist Jeffrey Shaman at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.Walensky told reporters last week that she felt a sense of “impending doom” over the direction the trends were headed.Some experts are concerned that a fourth wave of infections is starting, driven by more infectious variants of the virus.While most models do not show a spike of the magnitude of previous ones the United States experienced, “there are signs that the decline [in cases] is slowing,” said Michael Li, part of the COVID Analytics group at the MIT Operations Research Center. “So, we’re sort of ending back into a plateau stage again.”What especially concerns scientists, however, is that the longer the virus circulates, the more chances it has to mutate into a more dangerous form.Global variantsThe variant that first appeared in South Africa is perhaps the most concerning so far. It contains an array of mutations that allows the virus to evade the immune system better than the original strain. In a clinical trial, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine was 57% effective in South Africa, compared to 72% in the United States, where this variant was not common.  On the plus side, it was 85% effective against the most severe cases in all locations.AstraZeneca’s vaccine fared even worse against the South African variant. It was only 10% effective against mild-to-moderate cases, though severe cases were not studied. Another strain, first spotted in Brazil, spreads faster and also seems to be able to infect some people who had already been infected before. Another, recently reported from Tanzania, contains the most mutations recorded so far, including many of the same ones as the South African variant. Not all worrisome variants are found overseas. Two strains found in California are on the CDC’s list of variants of concern, and two identified in New York are also of interest. They have some of the same mutations as the South African and Brazilian variants. Antibody treatments do not work against them.”We’re in a bit of an arms race,” Columbia’s Shaman said. “We’re going to have to make new treatments, new monoclonal antibodies, new variants of the vaccine, potentially, if we see more and more of these variants arising.”And the more the virus spreads, he said, the more variants will arise.
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As the U.S. nears reaching its goal of vaccinating 200 million Americans by the end of April, the Biden administration is taking more steps toward helping other nations by appointing a coordinator for its global COVID-19 response. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has the story. 
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A recent report published by the National Academy of Sciences paints a grim picture of declining diversity in ocean life.  The study spanned decades, and as VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports, researchers link a drop in species to a rise in ocean temperature.  Camera:  Reuters Produced by:  Arash Arabasadi 
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The wearable health care device market has been growing, especially in the Americas, Europe and Asia. COVID-19 is causing a boost in demand for these devices.  VOA’s Elizabeth Lee shows examples of two devices that are finding new purpose during the pandemic.Camera: Elizabeth Lee, Matt Dibble  
Producer: Elizabeth Lee   
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Haiti does not have a single vaccine to offer its more than 11 million people over a year after the pandemic began, raising concerns among health experts that the well-being of Haitians is being pushed aside as violence and political instability across the country deepen.So far, Haiti is slated to receive only 756,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through a United Nations program aimed at ensuring the neediest countries get COVID-19 shots. The free doses were scheduled to arrive in May at the latest, but delays are expected because Haiti missed a deadline and the key Indian manufacturer is now prioritizing an increase in domestic demand.
“Haiti has only recently completed some of the essential documentation that are prerequisites for processing of a shipping order,” said Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a Geneva-based public-private partnership that is co-managing the U.N.-backed COVAX effort.
The country also didn’t apply for a pilot program in which it would have received some of its allotted doses early, according to the Pan American Health Organization. However, a spokeswoman commended its other pandemic efforts, including reinforcing hospital preparedness.
Meanwhile, a human rights research center cited in a new U.S. State Department report found Haiti’s government misappropriated more than $1 million worth of coronavirus aid. The report also accused government officials of spending $34 million in the “greatest opacity,” bypassing an agency charged with approving state contracts.
Lauré Adrien, general director of Haiti’s Health Ministry, blamed the vaccine delay on scrutiny of the AstraZeneca shots and concerns that the country lacks the necessary infrastructure to ensure proper vaccine storage, adding that his agency prefers a single-dose vaccine. AstraZeneca requires two doses.
“It’s no secret that we don’t have excellent conservation facilities,” he said. “We wanted to be sure that we had all the parameters under control before we received vaccine stocks.”
Adrien also noted all the money his agency received has been properly spent, but said he could not speak for other agencies. A presidential spokesman did not return calls for comment.
Many poorer countries have experienced long waits in getting COVAX vaccines as richer countries snapped up supplies, though most have received at least an initial shipment. Some took matters into their own hands, securing shots through donations and private deals.
Haiti’s lack of vaccines comes as it reports more than 12,700 cases and 250 deaths, numbers that experts believe are underreported.
Perceptions also remain a big challenge.In this March 14, 2020 file photo, boxes of rum are stacked as a duty free employee wears a mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic while working at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.While face masks remain mandatory at Haiti businesses, airport closures and curfews have long since been lifted, and other precautions are rare.
“People don’t really believe in the coronavirus,” said Esther Racine, a 26-year-old mother of two boys whose father died in the catastrophic 2010 earthquake.
Racine once worked as a maid but began selling face masks at the beginning of the pandemic, making brisk business with some 800 sales a month. Now, she barely sells 200.
“Look around,” she said, waving at a maskless crowd bustling around her in downtown Port-au-Prince. The only customers nowadays are those who need a mask to enter a nearby grocery store, she said, adding that Haitians have other problems on their mind: “People worry more about violence than the virus.”
Ongoing protests and a spike in kidnappings and gang-related killings have some wondering how any vaccine will be administered given the lack of stability coupled with a growing number of people afraid to leave their homes.
Many also fear being inoculated, despite educational campaigns. In addition, some officials have raised concern about the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has recently come under scrutiny in Europe after a very small number of people who received it developed unusual blood clots.
“We can receive the vaccine and then discover with a heavy heart that the stocks expired a couple of months later because no one wanted to be vaccinated,” Adrien said.
Among those in Haiti who say they will not be vaccinated is Dorcelus Perkin, a brick factory owner. On a recent morning, the 60-year-old supervised more than a dozen employees working outdoors. No one was wearing any personal protective equipment.
“We can’t wear masks in the sun. We would be suffocating,” he said, adding that the sun kills the virus, something scientists have not proven.
Perkin also credited drinking a traditional green tea mixed with salt every day for his good health: “I believe more in these remedies than the vaccines. I don’t know what’s in the inside of these vaccines.”
International groups are behind most of the resources and educational campaigns related to COVID-19 in Haiti, with the Pan American Health Organization providing the government 500 test kits, along with instruction on lab diagnosis and virus detection. It also supplied thermometers, PPE and other items including megaphones and batteries as workers fanned out into rural areas. In addition, PAHO trained more than 2,800 health workers in Haiti and met with community leaders including Voodoo priests and traditional birth attendants to share information about protective measures and treatment centers.
In May 2020, the organization’s director said she was particularly concerned about the effects of a potential large-scale outbreak given Haiti’s frail health care system and the fact that many live in overcrowded households and lack access to clean water. But perplexed experts say that anticipated outbreak has not happened.
“It’s a surprise to a lot of people,” said Aline Serin, head of mission in Haiti for the international aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres. “For the moment, there is not enough research and documentation to explain why some countries were less affected by severe COVID-19 cases.”
Meanwhile, it’s unclear exactly when the country’s first vaccines, via COVAX, will arrive.
Haiti is among 92 low-income countries expected to receive them. It’s also among dozens that will be affected by last week’s announcement of a suspension of deliveries in March and April of doses made for the program by the Serum Institute of India – the world’s largest vaccine maker – amid a spike of coronavirus cases in India.
When the shots do become available, experts acknowledge it will be a struggle to get them into arms.
They would have to convince Haitians like Duperval Germain, a 55-year-old carpenter who said neither he nor his children will be getting a vaccine. He worries about falling ill from it and not being able to receive proper medical care.
“All these heads of state who have been here, any time they get sick, they all fly out of here,” he said. “If we get sick, where would we go? They can keep (the vaccines) to themselves. Use it in places that need it. Haiti doesn’t need the vaccine.”
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