Coronavirus: What’s happening in Canada and around the world on Thursday – CBC

New Mexico may need to ration medical care as COVID-19 cases climb, official says

Aug 26, 2021

The director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is raising the vaccination target he believes is needed to provide widespread protection against COVID-19 on the continent, citing the more infectious delta variant now present in 32 countries.

Africa CDC Director John Nkengasong told reporters Thursday that health officials once estimated at least 60 per cent of Africa’s population of 1.3 billion people needed to be vaccinated to achieve so-called herd immunity. Nkengasong says he now thinks the proportion should be “in excess of 70 per cent to 80 per cent.” Even at that level, he said, “are we going to get to herd immunity? I doubt that notion is relevant anymore.”

Africa is well short of its original vaccination target as health officials criticize richer countries for hoarding doses and rolling out booster shots while people in poorer nations are still awaiting vaccines.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/coronavirus-covid19-canada-world-august26-2021-1.6153876