Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Jul 20, 2025

US Reaches 100 Million With Vaccines As Europe Faces Hiccups

US Reaches 100 Million With Vaccines As Europe Faces Hiccups

US reported surging job growth and loosened travel curbs as it reached around half of its adult population with at least one dose, with President Joe Biden vowing to cover vast majority within weeks.

The United States reaped the fruits Friday of its vaccination campaign against Covid-19 as it became the first nation to reach 100 million people, but Europe's rollout faced fresh impediments and South America tightened restrictions in the face of Brazil's soaring infections.

The United States reported surging job growth and loosened travel curbs as it reached around half of its adult population with at least one dose, with President Joe Biden vowing to cover the vast majority within weeks.

Led by a revival in the leisure and hospitality industries, the US economy created a mammoth 916,000 jobs in March, the Labor Department said.

But infections remain on the rise in parts of the United States, prompting Biden to urge Americans to keep wearing masks and taking other precautions to stop the pandemic that has killed more than 2.8 million people worldwide.

"I plead with you. Don't give back the progress we've all fought so hard to achieve," Biden said in a brief address.

"We need to finish this job," he said. "We need every American to buckle down and keep their guard up in this homestretch."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, updated guidance to say that fully vaccinated people can travel without observing quarantines, although they should still wear masks.

The United States has suffered a catastrophic Covid toll at more than 550,000 people dead, with health measures polarizing the country since last year when Biden's predecessor Donald Trump criticized restrictions.

New woes in Europe


European nations have been struggling to speed up vaccination and several have returned to unpopular lockdowns, with France banning outdoor gatherings of more than six people.

Some of Europe's vaccination woes come from its reliance on the AstraZeneca jab, yet to be approved in the United States, after reports of blood clotting.

Such incidents are rare and the European Medicines Agency has said AstraZeneca is safe. But the Netherlands on Friday followed Germany in halting jabs of the vaccine for people under the age of 60.

"We must err on the side of caution, which is why it is wise to press the pause button now as a precaution," Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said.

Only 10 percent of Europe's total population has received one vaccine dose, and four percent have received two, according to the World Health Organization.

The WHO director for Europe, Hans Kluge, on Thursday called the rollout "unacceptably slow."

Also complicating vaccination efforts is that India, often dubbed the "pharmacy of the world," has slowed down exports as it battles a major surge.

India has been ramping up vaccinations, expanding eligibility to everyone over age 45.

But on Friday the country reported 81,000 daily infections and 469 deaths, the highest since October.

Among those contracting Covid-19 was cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who checked into a Mumbai hospital as a precaution but said he hoped to return home within days.

China -- where the pulmonary disease first emerged in 2019 in circumstances that remain a topic of intense speculation -- as well as Russia have stepped up exports of their own vaccines.

Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac said it will double capacity to produce its vaccine to two billion doses a year.

Growing worries over Brazil


One of the worst Covid crises in the world is unfolding in Brazil, which has reported more deaths than any country after the United States with a staggering 66,500 Covid-19 fatalities in March alone.

Latin America's infections have soared past 25 million, according to an AFP tally, likely fueled by a seemingly more contagious variant first detected in Brazil.

Rio de Janeiro on Friday extended restrictions, saying that hospitalizations had started to level off for the first time in weeks.

"You have to give a little more time, no matter how hard it is for companies and for those looking for work to earn a living. These decreases in people-to-people contact are already paying off," Mayor Eduardo Paes told reporters.

The city's famous beaches will remain off limits until April 19, when a daily nighttime curfew will also be lifted.

But he said that schools would reopen for in-person classes Tuesday.

The devastation in Brazil has frightened neighbors already battling their own surging caseloads. Peru and Ecuador announced fresh restrictions and Bolivia sealed the Brazilian border.

"We are in a very critical moment of the pandemic," Chilean government spokesman Jaime Bellolio said as he announced a closure of borders starting Monday.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right ally of Trump, has dismissed the dangers of the virus and aired conspiracy theories, with the country's military chiefs and top ministers exiting in recent days amid the turmoil.

At a field hospital in the suburbs of Sao Paulo, one doctor said she was alarmed at the spread of the virus -- and frustrated to see many of her compatriots ignore face masks, shun social distancing guidelines and even flood to underground parties.

"I see no difference in people's behavior. People don't seem to understand the magnitude of this," said 53-year-old surgeon Marise Gomes.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
×