A version of this story appeared in the January 18 edition of CNN’s Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction newsletter. Sign up here to receive the need-to-know headlines every weekday.

CNN  — 

Biden blasted the current administration’s vaccine rollout as a “dismal failure.” And he added: “There will be stumbles, but I will always be honest with you about both the progress we’re making and what setbacks we meet.”

India, which trails only the US in total cases, began an ambitious nationwide vaccination drive this weekend after regulators approved the AstraZeneca/Oxford shot and a locally produced vaccine. In Turkey and Indonesia, tens of millions of people are poised to receive doses of the CoronaVac shot made by Beijing-based company Sinovac, Helen Regan reports.

England has just expanded its vaccine program to people aged 70 and older, while South Korea’s president says he believes the country will have complete Covid-19 “herd immunity” by November.

There’s an urgency to these rollouts. The world hit 2 million coronavirus deaths last week, and policy makers are scrambling to stem the human and economic toll wrought by the pandemic. The Chinese and Indian vaccines are regarded as potentially affordable and easily distributed shots, and unlike the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, they do not require expensive cold storage.

But there have been queries over the effectiveness of the Sinovac vaccine, which was revealed to have an efficacy rate of just 50.38% in late-stage trials in Brazil – significantly lower than earlier results showed. The makers of India’s homegrown vaccine, Covaxin, have also faced criticism from experts for not revealing the vaccine’s efficacy results or any other data from its clinical trials.

Amid the questions, countries are re-examining their rollout plans. Singapore’s Health Minister said officials would review Sinovac’s vaccine before any rollout to its citizens. Concern is growing in Australia – which has secured 54 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca shot – that relying on a single vaccine with a lower efficacy rate may not necessarily build up the required herd immunity in its 26-million-strong population. Some scientists are calling for a delay to mass inoculations.

The UK is in the middle of a devastating second wave, pushing health care workers closer to the brink as they treat more Covid-19 patients in hospitals than at any point in the pandemic, Kara Fox reports.

YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED

Q: How long will it take to vaccinate all adults in the US?

A: Last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that, as of Tuesday, January 26, all air passengers ages two and older must show proof of a negative Covid-19 test to enter the country.

This means travelers bound for the US on international flights must have a viral test. PCR and antigen tests both qualify.

Send your questions here. Are you a health care worker fighting Covid-19? Message us on WhatsApp about the challenges you’re facing: +1 347-322-0415.

WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY

Despite Brazil having the second deadliest Covid-19 outbreak in the world – after the US – the country’s vaccination campaign has yet to begin. Pazuello said immunizations would begin this month, but did not specify a date. This comes as the UK bans arrivals from multiple Latin American countries “following evidence of a new variant in Brazil,” British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Thursday. On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch accused President Jair Bolsonaro of sabotaging efforts to stem the outbreak, instead pursuing policies that have undermined human rights.

At least 4.5 million Palestinians living on the West Bank and in Gaza are being left behind by Israel’s world-leading vaccine rollout, Sam Kiley reports. So far none has had the injections, and most are unlikely to get them any time soon – because there is no Covid-19 vaccination campaign in the Palestinian territories.

A UN expert report says that Israel is the occupying power in and over Gaza and the West Bank, and has been since 1967, and is thereby ultimately responsible for the health care of those living under occupation. But as Israel’s vaccination campaign climbs past 20% of its population (including east Jerusalem residents), Israel’s government has pointed to the Oslo accords, signed in the mid-1990s with the Palestine Liberation Organization, which led to the creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Included in the first of those agreements is a clause that hands responsibility to the PA for the health of all Palestinians under its civil administration.

Experts admit it is not a straightforward task trying to navigate between the responsibilities assigned by Oslo, which was not a final status agreement, and the duties laid out under the Geneva Conventions.

The most striking data came from a paper assessing the long-term education cost of World War II. The authors concluded that “individuals experienced a sizable earnings loss some 40 years after the war, which can be attributed to the educational loss caused by the conflict.”

England is expanding into the next phase of its vaccination campaign, offering doses to people aged 70 and over and those considered vulnerable to the virus, the government announced Sunday. So far, more than 3.5 million people received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in the UK, surpassing the number who have tested positive for the virus, according to government data.

While the UK was the first in the world to start a mass vaccination rollout, and has vaccinated more people than some of the European Union’s biggest nations, the country has suffered the highest Covid-19 death toll in western Europe, of more than 89,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University figures. Fears over new Covid-19 variants have also led it to close all travel corridors today, meaning all travelers coming into the UK must have a negative Covid-19 test and will have to quarantine for 10 days on arrival.

The inoculation drive has seen England's historic Salisbury Cathedral transformed into a vaccination center, with patients given shots while organ music was played in the picturesque building.

China is hitting back at criticism of its vaccines with a dangerous disinformation campaign

Norway assesses deaths in frail elderly patients following vaccinations

Norway is looking into the death of 23 patients who had received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Thirteen of the deaths have so far been assessed by Norwegian authorities and the assessments suggest that common adverse reactions to mRNA vaccines, such as fever and nausea, may have contributed to a fatal outcome in some frail patients, said Sigurd Hortemo, chief physician at the Norwegian Medicines Agency.

Australian Open turmoil raises questions for Tokyo Olympics

ON OUR RADAR

  • Biden and his administration vow to ensure Black and brown people get equal access to the Covid-19 vaccine through mobile clinics, vaccination centers and partnerships with local communities.
  • China and the World Health Organization could have acted quicker and more forcefully to contain the start of the coronavirus outbreak, an independent review panel said on Monday.
  • Singapore Airlines is hoping to become the world’s first airline to get all of its crew members vaccinated.
  • If Kim Jong Un destroyed North Korea’s economy to keep Covid-19 out, will sanctions ever be enough to stop him pursuing nuclear weapons?

TOP TIP

Now, as Covid-19 vaccines roll out across the globe, addressing such concerns is essential to public health. Fortunately, experts say treatments for needle phobia can be highly effective. Here’s how.

If the blur between work and home is still a struggle, mimicking your pre-pandemic routine may be the solution you need.

Those already exhausted by 2021 – and well, all of 2020 – can get some relief by calling a hotline and screaming down the line. Just Scream!, a hotline created by elementary school teacher Chris Gollmar, aims to reduce tension for those needing an outlet. All you have to do is call up and scream as loud as you want, for as long as you want – and then hang up.

TODAY’S PODCAST

“If people feel like they get angry more easily or irritated or have memory loss, even short-term memory – it’s normal. It could be a sign of loneliness.” – Stephanie Cacioppo, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago

In today’s episode, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks into how social isolation in the pandemic is causing surprising effects on the brain. Listen now.