In some countries the year of the pandemic is coming to a close, with successful vaccination campaigns providing an exit from pandemic restrictions. But that’s not the case everywhere.
Some countries, now awash in vaccines, are looking abroad to help other countries combat the pandemic. For those with slower rollouts, the fight against the pandemic continues.
While coronavirus restrictions are being incrementally removed in certain countries, some people are feeling concern at returning to the activities that had characterized their pre-pandemic lives.
Although cases have declined significantly in Europe, the United States, and much of East Asia, the pandemic remains a major threat in South America, India, and several other nations around the world.
“Viruses don't respect borders and neither do their knock-on effects,” Elizabeth Shackelford writes in the Chicago Tribune. “An uncontrolled outbreak in a country of 1.4 billion people is a crisis for all.”
Following high profile pauses to the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, as well as surging cases in different parts of the world, it is clear that the gains in some countries do not signal an end to the pandemic.
With high-profile suspensions of the AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson vaccine, fear of potential side effects and uneven efficacy of vaccine rollouts are causing concern for some.
