Latest Political Updates

Washington D.C., June 3 -- : A nation-wide survey in the United States has revealed that a more Democrats than Republicans would prefer to get themselves vaccinated to protect against the novel coronavirus if immunizations were free and available to everyone. More than 8 in 10 Democrats said they would definitely or probably get vaccinated, compared with slightly fewer than 6 in 10 Republicans, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. Independents fall in between. The poll also showed that Americans' eagerness to get vaccinated is heavily tied to the depth of their fear of being infected with the potentially lethal virus. Overall, 63 per cent said they are very or somewhat worried that they or a member of their immediate family might catch the virus that causes COVID-19, while 35 per cent said they are less worried. But among those who are worried, 81 per cent say they are likely to get vaccinated, compared with 52 per cent of those who are not as worried. The finding that 71 per cent of Americans are interested in getting a coronavirus vaccine emerges as President Donald Trump has established a goal for millions of doses to be available by the end of the year -- even though such a vaccine does not yet exist. Many scientists have said such an ambitious time frame is unrealistic. Still, researchers in the United States and other countries are racing to try to develop a safe and effective vaccine. If widely accessible, such a vaccine would help populations develop immunity against the highly contagious virus, which has killed 104,000 people in the country and caused profound economic damage as communities shut down to help slow its spread. Two federal efforts are trained on a vaccine to protect against the coronavirus. The National Institutes of Health last month launched a public-private collaboration called Accelerating Covid-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines, which includes pharmaceutical companies, government agencies and partners in Europe. The White House announced Operation Warp Speed, led by a former head of vaccine development at the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline and by the commander of U.S. Army Materiel Command, which manages supply chain and logistics for the Army. The poll's findings show that supporters of Trump's Republican Party are less enthusiastic about embracing a future vaccine than supporters of the Democratic Party. Among Republicans, 24 per cent hold this view. Of all those who say they definitely or probably will not get vaccinated, half say that is because they do not trust vaccines in general and nearly one-fourth say one is not necessary in this instance. The poll, conducted over phone between May 25 to 28 among randomized samples of 1,001 adults, further suggested that age and race and ethnicity also play into attitudes toward a coronavirus vaccine. The percentage saying they will "definitely" get a vaccine, if free and available, is highest among both young and older adults -- 55 per cent of adults under age 30 and 51 per cent among those 65 and older. Meanwhile, Hispanics are most interested in a vaccine, with 78 per cent saying they would be likely to get one, compared with 70 per cent of whites and 63 per cent of black Americans.For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at contentservices@htlive.com Asian News International

London, June 3 -- : Air India will operate five flights in the third phase of Vande Bharat Mission to evacuate almost 1,200 Indians nationals stranded in the United Kingdom between June 18 to June 23. The Indian Embassy in the UK said that tickets will not be booked for technical halts which included Delhi (on June 18 and 20), and Mumbai (on June 21). More than 243 passengers will not be allowed to travel in a single flight, the embassy said. Air India will operate 70 flights in the third phase of Mission Vande Bharat to evacuate Indians stranded in the US and Canada between June 11 to June 30, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said. Puri wrote on Twitter, "More flights being added to Mission Vande Bharat to enable stranded and distressed Indians to return home. Air India will operate 70 flights to destinations in USA and Canada under Phase 3 of the Mission from 11-30 June 2020." Air India brought 3,891 people from Dubai, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Bahrain, Salalah, Moscow, Kiev, Madrid, Tokyo, Dhaka, Bishkek, Almaty, Riyadh and Dammam on June 1. More than 50,000 stranded Indians have been evacuated under the Vande Bharat Mission. The government plans to evacuate another 100,000 by June 13, the minister said. More than 57,000 citizens have returned to India on flights being operated under Mission Vande Bharat since May 6. Vande Bharat Mission was launched on May 7. In the first phase of the mission from May 7 to 15, Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express operated 64 flights to bring back around 15,000 people from 12 countries.For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at contentservices@htlive.com Asian News International