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International News

The biggest threat to Covid-19 vaccination could be fake news and misinformation

“The coronavirus disease is the first pandemic in history in which technology and social media are being used on a massive scale to keep people safe, informed, productive and connected,” the WHO said.

“At the same time, the technology we rely on to keep connected and informed is enabling and amplifying an infodemic that continues to undermine the global response and jeopardises measures to control the pandemic.”

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Covid vaccine rush in China raises fears of booming black market

As developers from AstraZeneca Plc to Pfizer Inc. near the finish line for their coronavirus vaccines, nations are preparing for the challenge of rolling them out, with inevitable supply shortages fueling concerns about inequitable distribution and even the emergence of illegal markets. One place where vaccine delivery is already being road-tested is China, which has allowed local developers’ shots for emergency use since mid-year.

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Fintechs seen eating into market share of established insurers, EU says

Insurers and reinsurers such as AXA and Munich Re have been investing in so-called insurtech companies, considered a faster way for them to adapt to technology changes.

Stephen Catlin, chairman and chief executive of Convex, a newcomer to the insurance, told the event that fintech firms faced a learning curve to compete with established players.

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Global coronavirus cases surpass 60 million infections 

An analysis of the Reuters data showed the rate of new infections picking up globally. It took just 17 days to go from 50 million cases to 60 million, compared with the 21 days it took to go from 40 million to 50 million. Around 580,000 cases have been reported each day over the past week and around half of all cases since the start of the pandemic were reported over the past 70 days.

In Europe, 1 million new cases were recorded over just five days, for a total of more than 16 million cases, including 365,000 deaths.

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