PANDEMIC EFFECTS, SLOW VACCINATIONS: Since the pandemic began about 18 months ago, the Philippines has struggled to get a handle on the coronavirus. Severe movement restrictions, now largely proven ineffective, a fragmented healthcare system and slow vaccination rollout, have hammered the consumption-driven economy while failing to contain the virus. Photo shows a health worker injecting China's Sinovac vaccine on a colleague. Dr Gao Fu, the head of the China's CDC, said in April 2021 that they are looking at ways to overcome relatively low efficacy rates of Chinese vaccines, and are mixing Covid-19 vaccines to offer more protection.
AP