World passes 3bn Covid vaccine mark

Representative photo

More than three billion Covid-19 vaccines have been administered around the world, an AFP tally found yesterday, as countries race to contain the virulent Delta variant that is fuelling outbreaks all over the globe. The highly infectious strain of coronavirus has caught many nations off guard, with Russia reporting its highest daily death toll yet, Australia shutting down city after city and fears growing over major sporting events like Euro 2020 and the Olympic Games. At least 3.9mn people have died from Covid-19, and while some wealthy countries are succeeding in bringing infections down thanks to strong vaccination drives, others where shots are not as readily available are struggling. According to the tally, high-income countries as defined by the World Bank have administered an average of 79 doses per 100 inhabitants, with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel taking the lead. In low-income nations, the figure is just one shot per 100 people.