WASHINGTON, Feb 28, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – The Covid-battered United States
authorized Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine for emergency use Saturday, offering a
glimmer of hope as Britain said farewell to fundraising war veteran Captain
Tom Moore who died of the virus earlier this month.
US President Joe Biden hailed his country’s announcement of its third
available vaccine but said the nation’s battle was far from over.
“This is exciting news for all Americans, and an encouraging development in
our efforts to bring an end to the crisis,” Biden said in a statement, but
warned Americans “cannot let our guard down now or assume that victory is
inevitable.”
The single-shot J&J vaccine is highly effective at preventing severe Covid-
19, including against newer variants, the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) said before giving it a green light.
The news comes following passage in the House of Representatives of a vast
$1.9 trillion package — including $1,400 payouts to most Americans and
billions of dollars to boost vaccine delivery, help schools reopen and fund
local governments — which will now move to the Senate.
The bill is on track to be the second largest US stimulus ever,
illustrating the huge effort needed to tackle the multiple crises unleashed
by a pandemic that has killed more than half a million in the United States,
with the toll climbing by another 1,849 fatalities in 24 hours on Saturday.
Meanwhile Europeans continue to live under some of the world’s strictest
restrictions — and in France they just got tougher.
Two cities, northern Dunkirk and southern Nice, locked down over the
weekends to halt the spread.
“We have to do something as Covid is getting worse in the region,” Charlie
Kentish, a British resident taking an early morning walk in Nice, told AFP.
He was resigned to spending his weekends playing video games with his teenage
children.
In Britain, 100-year-old war veteran Tom Moore helped lift the Covid-
induced gloom last year by staging fundraising events including completing
100 lengths of his back garden using a walking frame.
After his campaign went viral, he raised nearly o33 million ($45 million,
37.4 million euros) for healthcare charities, and was knighted for his
efforts.
His funeral, a small family ceremony, was shown live on national television
and he was honored with a flypast of a World War II plane.
The rollout of vaccines has improved the prospects greatly for many older
people, with Britain excelling in its distribution to vulnerable groups.
– ‘Long Covid’ –
With the pandemic now having killed more than 2.5 million people worldwide,
restrictions are being reimposed and tightened in countries ranging from
Brazil to the Czech Republic.
Even in relatively unscathed New Zealand, the biggest city Auckland was
thrust back into lockdown on Saturday shortly after a three-day shutdown
ended.
A small cluster has been linked to a school, but the country’s caseload
still pales in comparison with the numbers seen in Europe and the Americas.
But globally there is growing concern over cases of “long Covid,” where
people suffer symptoms for months after the initial illness.
Areli Torres, a 31-year-old engineer from Mexico, told AFP she fell ill for
a few days last June, but months later she is still suffering symptoms
including numbness in parts of her body.
“Everything’s uncertain. Everything’s been an ordeal. I’ve seen four
doctors,” she said, adding it had taken seven months just to get the correct
diagnosis.
The World Health Organization this week urged governments to prioritize
understanding the long-term effects of infections.
As the health effects linger, so does the fallout for cultural events.
The pandemic has torpedoed the whirlwind of glitzy Los Angeles parties that
normally mark the start of the Hollywood awards season.
While the famous Sunset Strip is adorned with its usual giant “For Your
Consideration” movie billboards, voters are watching nominated films from
home, and journalists are interviewing actors on their laptops.
Variety awards editor Tim Gray told AFP he had not been to a single in-
person event for a film this year.
“Everyone’s just had to adapt,” added The Hollywood Reporter’s awards
columnist Scott Feinberg.