• During a series of CNN interviews, former US coronavirus task force members confirm that the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus was dysfunctional and dishonest. Coronavirus task force coordinator Dr Deborah Birx suggested that hundreds of thousands of people in the US died needlessly, because of the administration’s failure to act more aggressively to combat the virus; former testing Czar Admiral Brett P. Giroir said that the administration lied about the availability of tests, and Dr Robert Redfield, former CDC head, said that he was pressured to rewrite scientific reports. Source
• Mexico’s government publishes a revised coronavirus death toll, based on excess deaths and death certificate data; it increased from the previous total of 201,.429 to 321,000. Source
• In Paris, groups of doctors send letters warning that they will have to practice “catastrophe medicine” in the coming weeks, as hospitals are flooded by people with COVID-19; they warn that they may have to refuse admission to hospital and ICU beds unless President Macron uses stricter measures to control the epidemic. Source
• COVAX delivers 1,082,400 of 1,944,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine to Argentina. Source
• COVAX delivers 24,000 of 100,800 doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine to Botswana. Source
• COVAX delivers 24,000 of 84,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine to Montenegro. Source
• COVAX delivers to 24,000 of 100,800 doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine to North Macedonia. Source
• The Global Times reports that vaccines from Sinovac and Sinopharm have been tested for efficacy against variants found in Brazil, South Africa, the UK and several new strains discovered in China, and that the vaccines are effective – but details are lacking. Source
• New York State introduces a digital app that people can use to show their recent coronavirus test results and vaccination status, enabling them to attend large gatherings and events. Source
