The 190 million missing vaccine doses

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A version of this story appeared in the May 18 edition of CNN's Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction newsletter. Sign up here to receive the need-to-know headlines every weekday.

(CNN)President Joe Biden has announced that the US will send 80 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to other countries by the end of June, 20 million more than originally announced and five times more than any other country has shared to date.

Now that data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that nearly half of the US population has received at least one dose and more than a third of the country is fully vaccinated, Biden said he wants the US to "lead the world with our values."
The World Health Organization (WHO) has long campaigned for rich countries such as America to share its vaccines.
    WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus went as far as saying it was a "grotesque" moral failure that some countries were vaccinating younger, healthy people at low risk of the disease while health workers in other countries still hadn't been vaccinated.
      The US doses will help plug some supply holes in COVAX, the worldwide vaccine sharing initiative, but they won't be enough to make up for the serious shortages the scheme is facing.
      The program had hoped to deliver 170 million doses to low-income countries by this week, but it is expected to reach 65 million doses instead, according to UNICEF, a partner with COVAX.
      UNICEF said yesterday that the soaring demand for vaccines in India, a global powerhouse for vaccine production, is having a huge impact on availability. It said that at least 140 million doses intended for distribution through the end of May will not be available to COVAX. Another 50 million shots are likely to be missed in June.
      But India, facing the worst impact of its catastrophic second wave, is itself running short on doses. The Delhi government said yesterday it has just four days' worth of Covid-19 vaccines left. Two Indian states have already suspended vaccinations for people aged between 18-44 due to shortages.

      YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED.

      Q: Are more Covid-19 vaccines being developed?
      A: At least 14 different Covid-19 vaccines have been used around the world so far, according to Gavi, the vaccine alliance.
      But many more are being developed and tested in trials. Gavi said 25 shots are currently in Phase 3 trials, while a further 35 are in Phase 2 trials.
      There has already been promising news this week about two vaccine candidates. Medicago and GlaxoSmithKline announced today that their vaccine candidate, made in Canada and derived from plants, has triggered a strong response in adults after two doses in a Phase 2/3 trial. Yesterday, Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline also said their vaccine candidate showed a strong immune response in adults.
      https://cnn.com/2021/05/15/health/race-for-the-vaccine-coronavirus-gupta/index.html
      Send your questions here . Are you a health care worker fighting Covid-19? Message us on WhatsApp about the challenges you're facing: +1 347-322-0415.

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      European leaders seized more power during the pandemic. Few have 'exit plans' to hand it back
      Democratic norms have been seriously dented by a year of restrictions. Experts now fear power-hungry politicians could be reluctant to give up their near-total authority once the crisis is over, Luke McGee and Saskya Vandoorne report.
      France is a good example. Last week, its parliament extended the state of emergency until late September and approved the introduction of a health pass, showing vaccination status, as well as curfews across the nation. This was seen as controversial by some of President Emmanuel Macron's liberal allies: after all, instructing your citizens to be home by a certain time and tracking their medical information is hardly consistent with France's liberal traditions.
      Stranded Australians claim faulty Covid tests made them miss a repatriation flight
      Australians who waited months to escape India as the coronavirus spread through the country say they lost a place on a repatriation flight provided by their government due to faulty Covid-19 testing.
      As many as 10 passengers who were blocked from the repatriation flight after testing positive have since tested negative for Covid-19, according to Sunny Joura, who was barred from the flight after testing positive. His elderly mother, Darshan, tested negative but could not board the flight as she was a close contact. "My mother and I did not venture out of the house at all for 14 days prior to the pre-flight quarantine. We were double-masking all that time," Joura said. Joura took another test soon after with a different provider -- it was also negative.

      ON OUR RADAR

      • The president of America's largest nurses' union said the new mask guidance from the CDC creates confusion among the public and endangers nurses and health-care workers.
      • At least 269 doctors have died from Covid-19 during India's second wave -- an average of 20-25 deaths per day, the Indian Medical Association has estimated.
      • World Athletics President Seb Coe says he is confident the Tokyo Olympics can be held in a safe way, despite growing calls for the Games to be canceled.
      • Summer camps across the US are looking forward to welcoming back children -- with new protections in place.
      • Taiwan is closing schools and temporarily banning foreign arrivals following a record day of Covid-19 cases.
      • Nepal doesn't have enough Covid-19 test kits for people returning from India, district officials told CNN.
      • New York won't require masks or social distancing for fully vaccinated people starting tomorrow.

      TODAY'S TOP TIP

      People who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 no longer have to wear masks inside or outside, nor do they have to stay 6 feet away from others, according to new CDC guidance.
        That doesn't mean you should ditch your mask. You still have to mask up on public transportation or if required by laws or regulations -- that would apply to hospitals, nursing homes and other health-care settings, and even some local businesses and workplaces. Kids still have to mask up to go to school.
        If you are immunocompromised, the CDC also recommends keeping your mask on, even if you are fully vaccinated. "If you have a condition or are taking medications that weaken your immune system, you may NOT be fully protected even if you are fully vaccinated. Talk to your healthcare provider," the CDC said in the new guidance.