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Coronavirus: world’s most vaccinated nation sees cases double; variant first identified in India found in Thailand, Philippines
- Cases in Seychelles, where 57 per cent have been fully inoculated with Sinopharm shots, increased to 2,486 people – 37 per cent of whom have had two doses
- Meanwhile, health authorities in Thailand and the Philippines have confirmed their countries’ first cases of a virus variant reported first in India
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Seychelles, which has vaccinated more of its population against Covid-19 than any other country, saw active cases more than double in the week to May 7, raising concerns that inoculation is not helping turn the tide in some places.
The World Health Organization said vaccine failure could not be determined without a detailed assessment and that it was working on evaluating the situation. Kate O’Brien, director of the WHO’s department of immunisation, vaccines and biologicals, told a briefing on Monday that the body was in direct communication with Seychelles and that a detailed assessment was needed looking at factors like strains of the virus and the severity of cases.
The Health Ministry of the archipelago off of Africa’s east coast said on Monday that the number of active cases had more than doubled since last week to 2,486 people, and 37 per cent of those have received two vaccine doses. Cases are also surging in the Maldives, another Indian Ocean island nation that is a popular tourism destination.
In Seychelles, Sinopharm shots were issued to 57 per cent of those who were fully inoculated and the rest with Covishield, a vaccine made in India under a licence from AstraZeneca Plc. As of May 8 no one who had contracted Covid-19 while being vaccinated had died, Seychelles News Agency reported, citing the minister for foreign affairs and tourism.
The group of palm-fringed tropical islands last week reimposed curbs including closing schools, cancelling sports events and banning mingling of households.
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