Some people in Singapore began receiving the Covid vaccine manufactured by the Chinese company Sinovac at private clinics on Friday, even as one of the city-state’s top health officials cast doubt on its effectiveness.
Singapore allowed 24 private health clinics to administer the vaccine after the World Health Organization authorized it for emergency use earlier this month. But even though initial demand for the shot appeared to be strong, Singapore’s government has so far stopped short of adding it to the national vaccination program.
One reason that people in Singapore and elsewhere would choose to get a Sinovac shot even when more effective vaccines are available is that they are from mainland China or plan to travel there. Chinese state media organizations have been waging a misinformation campaign that questions the safety of American-made vaccines, and Beijing has said that foreigners who receive Chinese shots will have an easier time getting into the country.
Kenneth Mak, Singapore’s director of medical services, told reporters on Friday that he worried about reports from other countries of people becoming sick with Covid-19 even after receiving Sinovac’s shot. He cited cases in Indonesia, where officials said this week that dozens of doctors and other health workers who had received Sinovac in one district had been hospitalized.
“It does give the impression that the efficacy of different vaccines will vary quite significantly,” Mr. Mak said.
Studies have shown that the vaccines manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — the only ones in Singapore’s national program so far — are 90 percent effective at preventing infections in real-world conditions. There have been rare reports of severe Covid in people who have been fully vaccinated with those shots.
Other studies indicate that so-called breakthrough infections in people who are given Chinese vaccines, including the one made by Sinovac, are more common than they are in people who receive the Pfizer or Moderna shots. Studies of Phase 3 trials of Sinovac’s vaccine, called CoronaVac, around the world have reported an effectiveness of between 50 and 84 percent.
When the W.H.O. endorsed Sinovac’s vaccine for emergency use this month, the agency said that it was only 51 percent effective at preventing symptomatic disease.
The Chinese vaccines are still considered to be very effective against severe disease, but scientists have warned that developing nations that choose to use them could end up lagging behind countries that select Pfizer or Moderna.
Singapore has been averaging about 20 new coronavirus cases a day over the past week, according to a New York Times database. More than a third of the city’s 5.7 million people have been fully vaccinated and nearly half have received at least one Covid-19 shot. The government expects to complete vaccinations by the end of the year.
The United States is shipping 2.5 million doses of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccines to Taiwan on Saturday, tripling the original amount the Biden administration had promised, Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, said in a tweet.
The shipment, first reported by Reuters, could add tension to the U.S.-China relationship as Taiwan grapples with its first major coronavirus outbreak. Chinese officials were peeved this month when three U.S. senators visited the island, which China regards as its own territory, to announce the original pledge of 750,000 doses, as well as when Japan said it was giving Taiwan 1.2 million AstraZeneca doses.
“We know that Taiwan has faced unfair challenges in its efforts to acquire vaccines, which makes this donation even more important,” a senior Biden administration official said. “We have had a close partnership with Taiwan on global health issues and have been working together throughout the pandemic. Taiwan was there to help the United States in the earliest days of the pandemic, providing P.P.E. and other lifesaving materials.”
Taiwan’s leaders have blamed “Chinese intervention” for their inability to buy doses from the German company BioNTech, which developed its vaccine with Pfizer. China has called the accusation “fabricated out of nothing.”
A Chinese company claims the exclusive commercial rights to distribute BioNTech’s vaccine in Taiwan, but for many people in the self-governing democracy, the idea of Taiwan buying shots from a mainland Chinese business is simply unpalatable.
Taiwan had been regarded as one of the world’s success stories for most of the pandemic, but in just over two weeks in May, Taiwan’s average caseload jumped to almost 600 cases a day from fewer than 10, according to Oxford University’s Our World in Data project. The daily average has now dropped below 200.
As of Friday, Taiwan had administered more than 1.3 million vaccine doses, accounting for about 5.6 shots for every 100 people, according to a New York Times database. By contrast, the United States has administered on average 95 shots for every 100 people.
At a news conference on Friday to praise the U.S. vaccination program, President Biden said that the U.S. was now in a position to provide more than a half a billion vaccine doses to other countries.
RIO DE JANIERO — Scientists are projecting another bad fire season in the Amazon, one that could further complicate Brazil’s struggle with one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.
Widespread Covid devastated the Indigenous people living along the Amazon River in 2020, as fires — usually set by farmers or ranchers seeking more land — devastated the Amazon region.
“The smoke suffocated our villages last year,” said Takumã Kuikuro, a filmmaker who lives in the Alto Xingu region, one of Brazil’s most deforested. “People were falling ill. They couldn’t breathe. And it came as we were already dealing with a pandemic.”
Brazil is now suffering its worst drought in at least 91 years, adding to the likelihood that any fires will spread uncontrolled. Burning in the Amazon has surged under Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, who claims environmental protections get in the way of economic growth.
Health experts warn the smoke and ash that typically blanket the Amazon from June to September could further sicken those fighting Covid or recovering from it. Brazil is nearing 500,000 known deaths from the virus, a toll second only to that of the United States.
Brazilian researchers are still working to understand just how the polluted air affects Covid patients. According to Dr. Aljerry Rêgo, a professor and director of a Covid facility in the Amazon state of Amapá, results from “very initial studies” suggest that the smoke can aggravate Covid and increase the risk of death.
He pointed to one clear danger: “The particles from burning biomass enter the lung cavities,” causing “an intense inflammatory response, which comes on top of Covid.”
The smoke could also sicken those who have already recovered from Covid, he said. “I’ve seen a lot of patients with what we call post-Covid syndrome,” Dr. Rêgo said. “Fatigue, this constant shortness of breath, even months after recovering.”
Years of breathing in smoke and ash could be making Brazilians in the Amazon more vulnerable. “A patient who suffered for years with pollution and smoke … their lungs are often compromised already,” says Dr. Rêgo. “And if they get Covid, they will likely have more lingering effects in the future. It could be a chronic respiratory issue or a higher risk of lung damage.
“It’s a situation that’s dangerous. And the biggest risk, of course, is overwhelming the public health system even further, which is already precarious in the Amazon.”
WASHINGTON — With the United States unlikely to reach his self-imposed deadline of having 70 percent of adults at least partly vaccinated against the coronavirus by July 4, President Biden is stepping up his drive for Americans to get their shots, warning that those who do not risk becoming infected by the highly contagious and potentially deadly Delta variant.
In an appearance at the White House on Friday afternoon, Mr. Biden avoided mentioning the 70 percent target that he set in early May and instead trumpeted a different milestone: 300 million shots administered in his first 150 days in office. But even as he hailed that achievement, he sounded a somber note about the Delta variant, which is spreading in states with low vaccination rates.
“The best way to protect yourself against these variants is to get vaccinated,” the president declared.
According to the World Health Organization, the Delta variant, first identified in India and linked to its devastating second wave, has spread to more than 80 countries. Health authorities in Britain, which leads the world in genomic surveillance, say the variant is involved in more than 90 percent of a new surge of cases that has now delayed England’s reopening.
Some experts say Britain’s vulnerability might be at least partly explained by the country’s decision to delay second doses, to stretch the supply of first doses. While fully vaccinated people are amply protected against the Delta variant, people with only a single dose remain vulnerable, according to public health authorities.
Although the variant has been detected in more than 25 U.S. states, estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not show any with high prevalence. However, on Friday, the C.D.C. director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said that the Delta variant would “probably” become the country’s dominant strain in coming months.
Rates of vaccination are uneven around the country.
While those who took a “wait and see” attitude are becoming more open to getting vaccinated, 20 percent of American adults still say they will definitely not get the vaccine or will get vaccinated only if it is required, according to a poll released last month by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
State health officials are trying to persuade the hesitant. In West Virginia, where just over a third of the population is fully vaccinated, Dr. Clay Marsh, the state’s coronavirus czar, said young people were proving especially difficult to win over.
“There was a narrative earlier in the pandemic that is really haunting us, which is that young people are really protected,” he said. “There’s a false belief that for many young people who are otherwise healthy that they still have a relatively free ride with this, and if they get infected, they’ll be fine.”
Covid-19 vaccines are widely available in the United States as the country gradually reopens, but convincing more professional athletes to get one could prove to be a challenge.
Most notably, Cole Beasley, a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills football team, drew much attention this week when he shared on Twitter that he is unvaccinated and that he does not intend to get the vaccine in the future.
“I may die of Covid, but I’d rather die actually living,” he said. “I’m not going to take meds for a leg that isn’t broken.”
Beasley’s announcement came after the N.F.L. and the N.F.L. Player’s Association announced Covid-19 protocols for the upcoming season. The updated rules give fully vaccinated players and staff more options on what they can and cannot do compared to unvaccinated players.
Many sports leagues, including Major League Baseball and the N.B.A., have eased restrictions on players and staff who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. That includes lifting mask rules for vaccinated players or resuming in-flight food service for teams that have reached a certain threshold of vaccinations.
Under the new N.F.L. rules, fully vaccinated players, for example, can forego daily required testing, stop wearing masks at team facilities and on trips, use saunas and steam rooms, and gather with family and friends on trips. They will not be required to quarantine if they’re exposed to someone who has tested positive for the virus.
Amy Trask, former chief executive of the Oakland Raiders, said this week on Twitter that, as unvaccinated players begin to see what they can’t do, they’ll be more inclined to get the vaccine.
“Incentives are very compelling,” Trask said.
Another reminder on how the pandemic continues to disrupt the sports world came on Wednesday when the Phoenix Suns basketball team announced that Chris Paul, their star point guard, could be sidelined from the Western Conference finals because of the N.B.A.’s coronavirus protocols.
The circumstances of Paul’s situation were not immediately clear — he could have tested positive or merely been in close quarters with someone who had. It was also not clear whether Paul had been vaccinated. What was immediately obvious, however, was this: If he cannot play in his team’s next games, it will imperil the Suns’ chances of returning to their first N.B.A. finals since 1993. In many ways, the latest pandemic challenges for professional sports reflect the broader challenges and questions of ensuring widespread vaccination. As of Friday, about 148.5 million people in the United States had been fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 176.3 million people had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, about 65 percent of adults.
With less than two weeks remaining to fulfill President Biden’s pledge to share 80 million doses of coronavirus vaccine with countries in need, production problems at an Emergent BioSolutions manufacturing plant are forcing the administration to revise its plan to send AstraZeneca doses overseas.
Officials are now working to replace tens of millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine that it had initially planned to include in the donation with others made by Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, according to people familiar with the discussions. Those three vaccines are authorized for emergency use in the United States; AstraZeneca’s is not.
A pattern of serious lapses at the plant, in Baltimore, has thrown into question the fate of more than 100 million doses of both the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines made there. The Food and Drug Administration is poring over records of virtually every batch that Emergent produced to determine if the doses are safe. The F.D.A. has so far ruled that about 25 million Johnson & Johnson doses made at the factory can be released but has made no decision on the AstraZeneca doses.
AstraZeneca’s vaccine is significantly cheaper than the other three vaccines: The federal government paid less than $4 per dose, compared to as much as $19.50 for Pfizer. An administration official said that if the AstraZeneca doses made by Emergent are declared safe, the supply will ultimately be shared with other nations.
The doses the administration is now working to send overseas this month will be a part of existing orders from the other manufacturers that have not been delivered to states, one person familiar with the planning said. Tens of millions of doses of the three U.S.-authorized vaccines that have already been delivered to states are sitting unused. Over 175 million people in the U.S. have received at least one dose — more than 62 percent of the total population over 12 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than 148 million, or 52 percent, are fully vaccinated.
Until the White House announced last week that it would share 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine with the rest of the world, the AstraZeneca doses made up the bulk of the administration’s vaccine diplomacy commitments.
Mr. Biden committed in late April to sharing as many as 60 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine with other nations, pending the F.D.A.’s ongoing review of Emergent. In May the White House said it would send at least another 20 million doses of other vaccines overseas, bringing the total to 80 million by the end of June.
Earlier this month, the White House explained how it would distribute an initial 25 million doses out of the 80 million across a “wide range of countries.” Millions of those have already been sent and more will be sent imminently, a White House spokesman said.
Jeffrey D. Zients, the White House’s Covid-19 response coordinator, said on Thursday that 80 million doses would be allocated by the end of the month, but did not specify what kind. He said the administration was working with other countries on complicated logistical issues, including securing needles, syringes and alcohol pads that would go with the doses.
“We’ll allocate all the initial 80 million doses in the coming days, with shipments going out as soon as countries are ready to receive the doses,” Mr. Zients said at a news conference. “There’ll be an increasing number of shipments each and every week as we ramp up these efforts.”
In order to share vaccines other than AstraZeneca’s, one person familiar with the plan said, the administration will likely need permission from the manufacturers. Those discussions are still ongoing, the person said.
PARIS — Violent clashes erupted on Friday night between hundreds of partygoers and police officers trying to break up an illegal rave in western France, leaving several people injured on both sides, including one man whose hand was severed.
The police in France have increasingly been called on in recent months to break up illegal parties, often ending in skirmishes with participants. With clubs having been closed since the beginning of the pandemic last March, illegal outdoor parties have sprung up around the country, posing a challenge for the local authorities.
At a news conference on Saturday morning, Emmanuel Berthier, the state’s representative in Ille-et-Vilaine, in Brittany, where the party took place, described “clashes of extreme violence” that “lasted more than seven hours.” Local authorities said that about 1,500 people had attended the rave, and that more than 400 police officers had been mobilized.
Mr. Berthier said that the police in the town of Redon were hit with Molotov cocktails, hard wooden balls and other dangerous objects, and that five police officers had been injured. He said that the man who had lost his hand was 22 years old, but that the circumstances were not yet clear.
Prosecutors in western France said that the injured man had surgery for amputation, and that an investigation had been opened to determine the exact circumstances of the injury. In a Twitter post with a video of a man with an injured hand being evacuated by people in the crowd, a man who identified himself as a freelance French journalist reported that a grenade had exploded.
The clashes in Redon came just as France is about to exit a seemingly endless cycle of coronavirus-related restrictions that have sown a deep sense of fatigue and frustration, especially among younger people. But with its vaccination campaign well underway, the French government has said that it plans to allow nightclubs to reopen in July, with specific restrictions.
The Redon rave was organized as a tribute to Steve Maia Caniço, a 24-year-old who disappeared in 2019 at a concert that was broken up by the police in Nantes, in western France. Friends had suspected that Mr. Caniço — who they said did not know how to swim — had fallen into the river with more than a dozen other people and drowned as the police confronted the revelers with tear gas. The others were rescued.
The clashes on Friday were even more violent than those in Nantes. The local authorities had issued an order banning the gathering but organizers went ahead anyway. Videos posted online show the police repeatedly firing tear gas at crowds who, in response, hurl gasoline bombs and other projectiles at the officers. Several hundred partygoers were still on site as of Saturday morning and the police were still trying to evict them in the afternoon.
Months after becoming infected with the coronavirus, hundreds of thousands of patients across the U.S. needed medical care for health issues they had not previously received diagnoses for before contracting the virus, according to a new study.
The study, which is the largest to date of its kind, examined the medical records of nearly two million people in the U.S. who became ill with Covid-19 between February and December 2020, and tracked those patients until February 2021. A month or more after contracting the virus, nearly 23 percent sought medical treatment for new conditions, most commonly citing issues of pain, including in nerves and muscles; breathing difficulties; high cholesterol; malaise and fatigue; and high blood pressure.
Those affected included people of all ages as well as those who showed no signs of being sick with Covid. While nearly half of patients who were hospitalized with Covid-19 experienced subsequent medical issues, so did 27 percent of people who had mild or moderate symptoms and 19 percent of people who said they were asymptomatic.
Experts not involved in the study said that it further illuminated the ways in which even an asymptomatic case of coronavirus can affect almost any organ in the body, and lead to a lifetime of chronic health issues. The information is important for both doctors and patients, said Robin Gelburd, president of FAIR Health, a nonprofit organization that conducted the study based on what it says is the nation’s largest database of private health insurance claims. FAIR Health said the analysis was evaluated by an independent academic reviewer but was not formally peer-reviewed.
“There are some people who may not have even known they had Covid,” Ms. Gelburd said, “but if they continue to present with some of these conditions that are unusual for their health history, it may be worth some further investigation by the medical professional that they’re working with.”
Here are some other stories you might have missed this week:
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The United States surpassed 600,000 known coronavirus deaths, although the pace at which the country’s death toll is accumulating has slowed considerably since the start of the pandemic. The milestone came as the highly contagious Delta variant has emerged in the United States and less than half the population is fully vaccinated.
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California and New York lifted nearly all of their remaining restrictions on businesses and social gatherings, a key sign of the United States’ turn toward recovery from the pandemic. With both states having administered at least one vaccine dose to at least 70 percent of their people, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York treated the reopenings like political rallies, although businesses in the states will still have the option of requiring health precautions on their premises.
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China is close to administering its billionth Covid shot, a vaccination drive that is leading the world despite a sluggish start. Officials have ramped up inoculations by offering modest incentives like free eggs and water bottles. But a bigger driver in southern China is a new outbreak centered in the city of Guangzhou.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a four-week delay to a full reopening in England after a spike in cases of the Delta variant. Restaurants and pubs in England, while open, will still have to limit capacity and observe social distancing rules indoors, and nightclubs and theaters will remain closed.
