Indonesia plans to give booster shots to the general public after 50 per cent of its population has been fully vaccinated, its health minister said on Monday, which he expects to happen at the end of next month.
Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country and once Asia's COVID-19 epicenter, has inoculated 29 per cent of its population of 270 million people, using a variety of vaccine brands.
Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told a parliamentary hearing the government decided on boosters at the 50 per cent mark due to vaccine inequity concerns at home or abroad.
"Issues of injustice or ethics are so high in the world, because some countries haven't gotten a lot of first shots," he said.
Given for free, Budi said the plan prioritises the elderly and the poor who are insured by the government, while the rest of the population may have to pay for them. Many health workers have already received boosters.
Australia began giving boosters on Monday, while Britain and Germany have also agreed to give them. Thailand has given booster shots to recipients of the Sinovac vaccine over concerns about resistance to the Delta variant.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday, the first stop in a broader trip to the Middle East to discuss issues including the governance of Gaza once the war with Israel ends.
Scotland's leader Humza Yousaf resigned on Monday, further opening the door to the UK opposition Labour Party to regain ground in its former Scottish heartlands in a national election expected later this year.
At least 42 people have been killed in floods in central Kenya's Mai Mahiu area after a dam burst early on Monday, and the number of deaths could rise, police said.
The Philippines cancelled in-person sessions in public schools for two days from Monday, warning that the power grid on its main island of Luzon could be strained in a heatwave that is also broiling other parts of Southeast Asia.
The World Central Kitchen has announced its resumption of operations in the Gaza Strip, four weeks after seven of its employees were killed in an Israeli air attack.
At least four people died, including a four-month-old baby, and scores were injured in Oklahoma this weekend after dozens of twisters swept the US Southern Plains, while weather alerts on Sunday put more than 7 million Americans under tornado warnings.
Pope Francis offered encouragement to prisoners, artists and young people in Venice on Sunday, with his first trip of the year testing his mobility and resilience after a number of health scares in recent months.
Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was taken to hospital in poor health his lawyer confirmed, just days after his 2020 conviction in New York was overturned.
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Welcome to Pinoy Bulletin, your go-to source for staying informed about important announcements, exciting group activities, community events, and job opportunities!
Welcome to Pinoy Bulletin, your go-to source for staying informed about important announcements, exciting group activities, community events, and job opportunities!