Bhutan vaccinated almost all adults against covid-19 in a week
Only Israel and the Seychelles have inoculated a higher share of the population
WHEN INDIA presented Bhutan with a generous gift of covid-19 vaccines in January, the neighbouring kingdom made an unusual choice. Rather than rush to inoculate all 800,000 of its citizens, the government sought advice from the Zhung Dratshang, a body of Buddhist monks. The stars were not auspicious, they ruled. Better to wait two months, and then to make sure that the first dose be both administered by, and given to, a woman born in the Year of the Monkey.
So Bhutan waited until March 27th before Tshering Zangmo administered the first jab to Ninda Dema. The injection took place at a school in the capital, Thimphu, at the auspicious hour of 9.30am, after prayers were chanted and butter lamps lit. But then there was no dallying. Within a single week a world-beating 85% of Bhutan’s adult population had received a first shot. Only two countries, Israel and the Seychelles, have vaccinated a (slightly) higher proportion of people, but both took months to do so (see chart).
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline "One-week wonder"
Asia April 10th 2021
- India is recording more cases of covid-19 than any other country
- Bhutan vaccinated almost all adults against covid-19 in a week
- China tries to nick another speck in the sea from the Philippines
- Another species harmed by climate change: Japanese poets
- Thailand’s democracy protests are dwindling
- Pakistan’s generals are ever more involved in running the country
- Asia’s air bridges and travel bubbles will expand only slowly
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