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Should Millennials and Gen Z Get the Vaccine First?

But what if vaccinating the elderly first isn’t the best way to minimize fatalities? A recently published (but not yet peer-reviewed) model from three academics at Khalifa University suggests priority should be accorded to groups with the highest number of daily in-person interactions, since that amplifies the vaccine’s effectiveness by reducing infections (and mortality) both among the vaccinated group and those they come into contact with.

According to their model, proper prioritization can reduce total fatalities by up to 70%.

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Trust in vaccines vital to end pandemic, WHO says

But with the pandemic continuing to surge after already claiming some 1.3 million lives, she voiced deep concern at growing signs of vaccine hesitancy, with misinformation and mistrust coloring people’s acceptance of scientific advances.
More needed to be done to boost public “confidence in the fact that the vaccines that WHO is involved in evaluating, we will not be compromising on safety or efficacy,” she said.

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HelpAge India receives the 2020 UN Population Award’ for its outstanding service 

There are an estimated 106 million elderly in India. HelpAge India provides relief through various agecare, healthcare & livelihood interventions such as – it runs one of the largest network of Mobile Healthcare Units in India, provides agecare services through care homes. It has pioneered Elder-Self-Help-Groups in rural India, for providing livelihood opportunities. It operates a national Elder Helpline service and empowers seniors through Digital Literacy workshops, so they are not excluded from the social fabric and can lead active & independent lives.

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Signed, sealed, delivered: Japan to all but scrap centuries-old custom of stamping paperwork

The use of seals will be abolished for all but 83 instances such as automobile registration, the official said, affecting transactions carried out by millions of Japanese every day. The official said no specific timetable has been set for phasing out seal use.

The radical switch comes as newly installed Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga seeks to boost use of digital technology to streamline processes and spur lacklustre growth in the world’s third-biggest economy.

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WeWork losses mount but ‘seismic shift’ in office use seen helping recovery

The pandemic has accelerated a “seismic shift” in the office sector that has put flexibility – an industry byword for the short-term leases the company embraces – and WeWork at the forefront, the memo signed by Chief Executive Sandeep Mathrani and Chief Financial Officer Ben Dunham said.

“This is our moment, and I know that together, we will continue to define the future of work,” they said.

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Olympic leaders raise hopes for safe Tokyo Games with fans

News from pharmaceutical firm Pfizer on Monday of promising trials of its vaccine followed Tokyo hosting an international gymnastics competition at the weekend.

Having seen now the different (event) tests in Japan I think we can become more and more confident that we will have a reasonable number of spectators then also in the Olympic venues, IOC President Thomas Bach said.

Asked if the IOC could itself try to acquire vaccine doses for Olympic participants, Bach said contact is ongoing with the World Health Organization and a number of the manufacturers. There are different options under consideration, how vaccines can be made available, he said.

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