CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Monday, March 1, 2021 | 11 WORLD Captain SE Asia jabs Tom gets a hero’s rollout gains sendoff LONDON — Church bells rang out and a World War IIera air craft flew over the funeral service momentum of Captain Tom Moore, the veter an who singlehandedly raised millions of pounds for Britain’s Deliveries of China’s CoronaVac vaccine health workers by walking laps in help to build confidence in region’s efforts his backyard. Soldiers performed ceremoni al duties at the private service By PRIME SARMIENTO vaccine donation attests to the “soli for Moore, on Saturday. He died in Hong Kong darity as well as profound friend at the age of 100 on Feb 2 after [email protected] ship and partnership” between testing positive for COVID19. China and the Philippines. Captain Tom, as he became Countries in Southeast Asia are Health Secretary Francisco Duque Hungarian President Janos Ader is given a vaccine from Sinopharm on Friday. XINHUA VIA MTI known, inspired the UK during bolstering their efforts against the III and the head of the national COV the first months of the coronavi coronavirus with shipments of a Chi ID19 task force, Carlito Galvez, are rus pandemic with his humble nesedeveloped COVID19 vaccine. expected to get the first jabs. Hungarian leaders show the way with Sinopharm shot endeavor that raised almost 33 On Sunday, Philippine President The Philippines, which has the sec million pounds ($46 million) for Rodrigo Duterte was on hand for ondhighest number of COVID19 Britain’s National Health Ser the arrival at a Manila airport of a cases in Southeast Asia, has been criti Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor On Friday, Ader called on Hungari our healthcare system,” said Ader, hop vice last year. Moore served in batch of a vaccine from Sinovac Bio cized for a slow vaccine rollout. There Orban was vaccinated with a Chi ans to act quickly to register for a ing for a swift end to the pandemic. World War II. tech, known as CoronaVac. A day were 576,352 COVID19 cases report nesedeveloped COVID19 vaccine on vaccination. Hungary is using vaccines from five Moore’s positive attitude — earlier, Malaysian officials wel ed by Sunday, according to the Johns Sunday. “Anyone who gets the chance to producers. The first shipment of the “Please remember, tomorrow comed a shipment of the same vac Hopkins University in the US. Orban followed on the heels of Hun receive the first and then the second Sinopharm vaccine arrived in the will be a good day” became his cine in Malaysia. Alicia GarciaHerrero, chief econo garian President Janos Ader, who on vaccine with any product approved by capital, Budapest, on Feb 16. Hungary trademark phrase — inspired the And in Thailand, where supplies of mist for AsiaPacific at the French Friday received the same vaccine — the Hungarian authorities,” Ader said began administering the vaccine on nation at a time of crisis. Prime CoronaVac landed in Bangkok on investment bank Natixis, said the from drugmaker Sinopharm. “Vaccinat in a message broadcast on Hungarian Wednesday. Minister Boris Johnson Wednesday, vaccinations began on Philippine vaccine program is “not so ed!” Orban wrote on Facebook, posting public television network M1. described him as a “hero in the Sunday. That development prompted late” and the economist expects the a photo of himself getting the shot. “Let’s trust our doctors. Let’s trust XINHUA truest sense of the word”. the Prime Minister Prayut Chano economy “will do fine” this year A total of 19.7 million people in cha to call it a historic day. thanks to a “huge base effect” from Britain have received their first In Manila, the CoronaVac supplies last year. Minister Anutin Charnvirakul was national airport brought together nah Research Institute, a think dose of a COVID19 vaccine, offi were given by China as part of a In contrast, Victor Abola, senior among the first officials to get the Chinese Ambassador Ouyang Yujing tank in Kuala Lumpur, welcomed cial figures on Saturday showed. promise made by Chinese State economist at the University of Asia shots at the country’s main infec with Malaysian ministers. Malaysia’s vaccination progress. Councilor and Foreign Minister and the Pacific in Manila, said the tious diseases institute. The shipment amounted to 200 The country has “a great track Third national lockdown Wang Yi on a visit to the Philippine tardy vaccine distribution will delay Prayut, who presided over the ini liters of the vaccine. record of carrying out past vaccina England is under its third capital in January. the country’s economic rebound. tial round of vaccinations, said no The cooperation with China was tion campaigns”, she said. national lockdown since the out Vaccinations with CoronaVac Sunday’s CoronaVac delivery adverse reactions were reported. “extremely important in ensuring Nazihah said that one of the ben break of the pandemic. Similar were scheduled to begin on Monday, makes up part of the 5.1 million dos that we could also include the Chi efits of not being the first country to restrictions are also in place in and they are expected to reduce the es of vaccines scheduled to arrive in ‘A historic day’ nese vaccines in our portfolio”, Tech start on vaccinations is that Malay Scotland, Wales and Northern number of infections in the country the Philippines in the first quarter. “It’s a historic day and a day to nology and Innovation Minister sia can learn from the experiences Ireland. and aid its economic recovery. In Bangkok, the shipment of Cor help the country rebuild confidence Khairy Jamaluddin said in a news of others. All households in England In a statement on his Facebook onaVac on Wednesday amounted to against the pandemic,” he said. briefing. with schoolor collegeaged chil account, China’s Ambassador to the 200,000 doses. The Thai Deputy In Kuala Lumpur, the arrival of the Nazihah Muhamad Noor, a pub Yang Han in Hong Kong and dren will be offered two rapid Philippines Huang Xilian said the Prime Minister and Public Health vaccine on Saturday at the city’s inter lic health researcher at the Khaza Xinhua contributed to this story. COVID19 tests per person per week to support the govern ment’s priority to get young peo Even stars must distance ple back in the classroom, the Deaths in US nursing homes fall sharply health ministry said on Sunday. Globally, there were more than By AI HEIPING in New York February are nearly half as many The New York Times quoted David 113 million cases by Sunday, with [email protected] recorded the week before and just Gifford, chief medical officer for the more than 2.5 million deaths, onetenth as many counted in one American Health Care Association, Johns Hopkins University in the US nursing homes, once the deadli December week, the highest of the as saying: “I’m almost at a loss for US said. est COVID19 sites in the US, have pandemic, the figures show. words at how amazing it is and how In Ireland, 23 people were experienced a significant fall in cases More than 170,000 US citizens exciting.” However, Gifford cau arrested following a violent pro and deaths since December in a trend have died in nursing homes and oth tioned that more research is needed test against COVID19 restric largely attributed to the rollout of mil er longterm care and assistedliving to determine how much the drop in tions in downtown Dublin on lions of vaccine doses, federal govern facilities, the COVID Tracking cases is attributable to vaccines. Saturday, police said. ment figures show. Project said. President Joe Biden hailed the US Three police officers were The weekly rate of COVID19 cases announcement of its third available injured in the protest, one needing at nursing homes fell 89 percent Much faster pace vaccine, made by Johnson & John hospital treatment, the Irish between early December and the Federal figures show the number of son, for emergency use on Saturday. national police service said. second week of February, the US new cases is falling within homes at a The singleshot vaccine is highly Police and local media reports Health and Human Services Depart much faster pace than in communi effective at preventing severe COVID said the protest, organized by ment said. By comparison, the ties where the homes are located. 19, including against newer variants, various groups, took place in nationwide case rate fell 58 percent An analysis of preliminary data the US Food and Drug Administra Grafton Street in Dublin city cen and remains higher than figures collected by the American Health tion said before giving it a green light. ter on Saturday afternoon and reported before late October. Care Association found the number The news comes following pas involved hundreds of people. Nursing home cases are at the of new cases fell at a faster rate when sage in the House of Representatives Ireland is now under a nation lowest level since the Centers for nursing homes vaccinated residents of a $1.9 trillion spending bill. It wide lockdown due to the pan Medicare and Medicaid Services in and staff. The analysis compared 797 includes payments of $1,400 to most demic. Earlier, the government A Madame Tussauds wax figure of Audrey Hepburn sits at an May began requiring the country’s homes that had vaccinated residents US citizens and billions of dollars to decided to extend lockdown empty table to comply with coronavirus social distancing more than 15,500 facilities to report and staff in late December with improve vaccine delivery. measures until April 5. requirements in a dining room at a restaurant in Brooklyn, New cases each week. The 3,505 new cas more than 1,700 homes in the same York, on Friday. BRENDAN MCDERMID / REUTERS es reported in the second week of county that had yet to be vaccinated. Agencies contributed to this story. AGENCIES—XINHUA