what if. 3. how has life changed. rewind ga 30 on al-jazeera. to trump administration's plate is she vaccines falling behind margaret. u.s. president elect joe biden says it could take years to vaccinate the american people against covert nights and calls to speed up vaccinations also grow in europe as corona virus infections continue to surge across the continent. you're watching i'll just 0 life from headquarters in doha i'm dating another gate also coming up a search for survivors after a powerful earthquake causes widespread damage and kills at least 7 people in

a croatian town. into testers take to the streets in argentina us politicians debate a historic bill to legalize abortion. hello the us president elect joe biden has criticised the trumpet ministration for falling behind in its rollout of covert 1000 vaccines biden warned that the distribution has gone too slowly and if the situation doesn't improve it could take years before the american population is fully vaccinated so trump administration's pledges to be vaccines is falling behind far behind we are grateful to the companies the doctors the scientists the researchers the clinical trial for just foods and operation works speak for developing a vaccine as quickly. but as i long feared war the effort to distribute it to

minister the vaccine is not progressing as it should in europe the situation is deteriorating rapidly governments are dealing with record numbers of new infections and large scale public health operations are under way to ensure vaccines are distributed across the region of covert cases continues to surge across latin america with the number of countries registering daily records of new infections and deaths intensive care units across the region are again under major stress welcome more on the situation there and in europe in a moment the 1st has more from washington d.c. i think the main message here is there will be a centralized federal response to the pandemic once joe biden is sworn in the troubled ministration really left it up to individual states to coordinate their response and as a result. pandemic spread but also results says it was very difficult the states

even to get the resources they need to remember those stories about individual states bargaining amongst each other when they were trying to get hold of p.-p. equipment for example so by to say look there will be a centralized strategy in fact just after he spoke he hired or he appointed a few more people to coordinate the distribution of the vax the vaccine program for example it will be centralized he says he's going to invoke the defense production act which again will centralize manufacture of both of accede and of personal protective equipment marshalling resources trying to figure out where they're needed and being able to send them to states no matter where they are as opposed to everyone is fighting amongst each other and clearly there's a real efficiency right now in the rolling out of the vaccine itself in the distribution of the vaccine so again this will be now be central centralized effort from one place and the theory is that will help them the whole country received to receive the vaccine as quickly as possible there will also be efforts to have sent to. mobile units to go to rural areas isolated areas to ensure vaccine

distribution will be a major public education campaign to combat any anti vax access sentiment he also says that the last americans to have mosques for 100 days resign or gratian but really this is about about their being someone in charge for the whole nation when fighting one finding covert and not a lot just leave everyone to fend for themselves let's get some perspective on this and speak to dr panic. is an assistant professor in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the johns hopkins school he's joining us from baltimore in maryland thanks very much for speaking to us on al-jazeera so as you've been hearing president like joe biden is warning that at this pace that it's going to take years to vaccinate americans what's going wrong in your opinion. you know i think what's going wrong is the same thing that's been an issue for many of us in health care if you will to the last 8 months here in the united states you know we're doctors and nurses we're doing everything we can in the hospital within

the clinical walls we do what we can to save these patients lives but the challenge that we believe has been faced is this kind of head or jane heterogeneous mixed bag of a ignition in the u.s. to try to contain this virus every state feels like it's on their own to try to come up with a plan there isn't a uniform plan throughout the u.s. from california to new york and a lot of that has to do with a lack of leadership that there isn't you know from the top down someone who's saying hey every state should be doing this which follow these guidelines the virus doesn't abide by geographic boundaries it knows no boundaries that will spread it can't be one state doing this in another state doing that now what we've been seeing for the last 8 months and if you look at the same thing that we're hearing about the banks in consideration when you get diagnostic testing when you get p.p.d. now we're talking back scenes i mean it's a trend we're seeing all too much and it's really beginning to weigh when your health care professionals that are there in managing these patients in the hospital

and from what you're hearing off of the president like joe biden and his vaccine plan are you feeling more reassured. there is reassurance and it comes because it's not it's not a tagline it's not a it's not a tweet it's a conversation where there's an infrastructure being put in place that individuals that he has to have to be part of this vaccine rollout i know that many in academic medicine know that and know that they'll be bringing wisdom insight but leadership in order to do this effective so it is reassuring to challenges it still weeks away and there's this high risk into a lot of damage in the meantime and this conversation of the fact that we have a vaccine right science move that it's pigs that moved out in space it got as the vaccines pharmaceutical companies as scientists adopters of physicians we did our job and now the ability to kind of roll this out i mean we're relying on

a you know foreign policy from leadership to do this and we're just not seeing it i mean it's just. it's just upsetting to see that inability to act as one nation the united nation to deliver this and that's going to have to come from a leader so i'm reassured by president elect biden i'm conversation is infrastructure has transparency towards us that's great that's great we still have many more weeks to get there though and so that that's the only part that keeps me grounded it kind of. bearing down for the worst before the best terms yet in the meantime we now know that the 1st confirmed case of that new variant in the u.k. has now been confirmed in colorado over in the u.s. how much of a setback is this for the fight against the coronavirus. right so i mean that from our standpoint knowing that this mutation is able to transmit easier from one individual 20 other concerned is all immediate from that standpoint it sounds like

but it's easier to go from one individual another it's likely to raise more cases increased more cases and there's going to be a good portion of those cases that result in hospitalizations taking up hospital beds and intensive care unit beds that we just don't happen vailable at the moment so that is a huge concern if that question is more towards my concern that the vaccine won't cover it i think the bio the biological possibility is there at the back you will cover it i know studies are happening as we speak to reaffirm that but for me this mutation is no different than a child's right there's the child is the human is just at different periods so i think the vaccine will still covered but my concern is more for the faxing is it with with president biden the pope it's months away months away but the best team should cover it but but in the meantime i don't know who are going to have enough beds to combat the me who cheated virus that will easily spread from one individual 20 other especially since we still don't have a uniform policy to unite all the states to combat this together it's from my

standpoint when i keep looking back on this it's my it's what breaks my heart you know as an american i love the ability that we always come together for adversaries or hardships and so forth we haven't done it for this and a lot of it has to do with the leadership what we do hope that things get better for the time people have to leave it there we thank you very much dr petit's for speaking to us from maryland thank you so much. now as we mentioned the situation is getting worse in europe the u.k. reported a record 53000 infections on tuesday and that's nearly 12000 more than the record set the day before meanwhile the e.u. is buying an extra 100000000 doses of the pfizer biotech vaccine in addition to the 200000000 already ordered as its rollout gathers pace for a challenge. across europe a public health operation is underway the size and speed of which hasn't been seen before madrid spain one of 5 airports country wide with the same arrival new

consignments of the 5 is a bio intake vaccine from plane. to truck and off with a police escort just in case spain now has 350000 new doses. of german care home the country was one of 70 years states to coordinate the start of vaccinations on sunday. elderly and cag of his are the priority while supplies a short idea to get us closer in front yet now the big vaccination pushes on and we as an aid organization want to do our part to eventually defeat the scourge of mankind. already 3 weeks into vaccinations is the u.k. because of the new more infectious strain of the virus the situation is worsening by the day there are more covered patients in hospital now than there were hearing the 1st wave speak the head of n.h.s. england acknowledged the picture is grim many of us who lost. family friends

colleagues and at a time of year when nobody would be celebrating i think understandably a lot of people are feeling tired i'm anxious and frustrated. and now we're back to the story of the 2nd wave of corona virus sweeping your this country medical experts are deeply worried about rising infections the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine is advising that new restrictions plus a huge increase in weekly vaccinations may be needed otherwise they fear 2021 could see more hospitalizations and deaths in this year. ministers are considering keeping school and college people's home after christmas holidays finished they're also looking as a new tear of lockdown measures rory chalons how does era. cover cases continued to spike across latin america with a number of countries seeing daily records of new infections and deaths. reports in

the colombian capital bogota. openly flouting social distancing rules thousands of football supporters gathered in the streets to celebrate the locals championships final. it was the latest infringement of restrictions in the colombian capital just as the mayor said the city has officially entered a 2nd wave of $1000.00 infections whether to same time announcing new measures for the end of the year. i need to insist to bogota knows there will be no public parties no selling and consuming alcohol on december 31st and generally 1st if you get together with family please only the closest circle. these are also concerned that the intensive care units are again at capacity in a number of regions and doctors are sounding the alarm especially since the country will not star backs the nations before the end of february there is an issue of the

government improvising we are at the tail end in latin america with guatemala we will start with the pfizer vaccines but will only be able to do the vaccination in major centers like budgets all made the year in not in remote areas and we haven't gotten off track scenes. but other countries are moving faster on tuesday argentina started backs enabling its health care workers with the 1st 300000 doses of the russian spit me back seen this by critics questioning its efficacy. of those of us who work on the front line of care with critical patients this is an advance i understand there are different positions and opinions in every community as there are in the health care and science communities but personally i feel vindicated by the data reported by the gemmell a richard which is who created the vaccine. in brazil presume jackie had both scenario brought some clarity to the roll out at the end of

a charity football match saying vaccines will be available 5 days after being approved by the country's federal health regulators on january 15th but in the meantime the city of rio de janeiro announced its fabled beaches will be closed to the public on new year's eve vaccinations are also under way in chilling costa rica probably the 2 best place countries in the region and many others still have to present a clear rollout plan and there are growing concerns of the laze which ensures most people will have to wait many more months before being inoculated and that there will be unfortunately many more cases and that's a lesson that i'm. still ahead on al jazeera 2 sisters 2 lives cut short by cover 19 we report on the growing human cost of the pandemic in south africa an anxious wait for supporters of pro-democracy activists on trial in china as a court prepares to give its verdict will be live with the latest that i'm on.

my way to india girls as young as work as prostitutes. one woman is travels to the villages where parents still live under age doing the same. on al-jazeera. if you want to help save the world. sneeze into your own. the loop the. you're.

the man you're watching al-jazeera you're the top stories u.s. president elect joe biden has criticized the trumpet ministration for falling behind in its rollout of covert 1000 vaccines by the warn that if it doesn't pick up the pace it could take years before the american population is fully vaccinated . governments in europe are dealing with record numbers of new infections large scale public health operations are under way to ensure vaccines are distributed across the region. all this week we're looking back on what's been a tumultuous year ever since the 1st coronavirus cases were reported in china south africa has been the worst affected country in africa and is the 1st on the continent to reach 1000000 cases tosser reports from port elizabeth. the and her brother my novel bury their sister a few weeks ago they said linda were struggling to breathe but she didn't

immediately go to the hospital thinking whatever she had wasn't serious when she eventually got tested for curve at 19 it was too late by then another sister was also gravely ill the young licensed were still in the hospital you know. when they're in a doll untiring we were still praying for him to survive but then there was this. guy in wild west still praying for that crown to survive and we worried that that one when she comes out her horse be done should be told and that her sister is no more numb to italy last died a few days after her big sister linda way so that has grown a virus infection total since the 1st case in march is now more than a 1000000 joining the festive season thousands of south africans traveled across the country visiting friends and family some attended large gatherings without wearing masks or practicing social distancing that's why health experts say they

are not surprised by the rise in numbers court elizabeth is a coronavirus hot spots in the eastern cape one of the provinces where the new variant was identified in south africa doctors and nurses say the sharp increase in infections strain on already struggling medical facilities in. new variant has also been identified in other parts of the country several hospitals and medical centers say many wards are full there's a shortage of ventilators i.c.u. beds and start certainly with the 2nd wave we've seen all health care workers also unfortunately died from the disease should have their lives a heavy while you lose people you worked with for years but you have to continue you have to continue there's not enough time for grieving. so the africa's president. has tightened 1000 missed actions banning alcohol sales extending a nationwide curfew and making the wearing of mass in public

a legal requirement so far most people in south africa who tested positive a coven 19 have recovered but some doctors say unlike in the 1st wave when the elderly woman defected this time they see more young people in the thirty's and forty's getting seriously ill or even dying from the disease how to. port elizabeth. a special program this week al-jazeera will be looking at the devastation caused by covert 19 in the year since the virus emerged vaccines offer hope of protection will be asking how long it could take for the world to recover on thursday at 800 hours g.m.t. right here on al-jazeera rescuers in central working through the night to search for survivors of an earthquake that killed at least 7 people the 6.4 magnitude quake struck near the town of picher near 50 kilometers from the capital zagreb the worst damage is centered in and around the town many people are afraid to return to

their homes for fear of aftershocks the local mayor says half the town has been destroyed but ports. church bells and panic voices ring out amid the destruction as people in the small town of petrea rushed to rescue people from the rubble. one house collapsed on top of this car is a man and a boy inside thankfully local residents managed to get them both out alive. but there have been deaths including a 12 year old go these pictures filmed by al jazeera make clear the damage houses completely collapsed others partially destroyed and stonework strewn across roads. al jazeera reporter marian very was reporting live when there was an aftershock. i took a study out here our bill. is 65. people

in the nearby town of seasick were also affected by the quake mysis so now everything is destroyed all clouds are inside it was a girl inside but likely she wasn't in the changing room and she wanted to try some clothes i don't know what to do now i'm all shivering i feel like everything is still shaking soldiers from a nearby barracks were quickly on site handing out blankets to elderly people evacuated from a nursing home they've also brought emergency shelters for the town's $20000.00 residents dollars was i going to school emergency services are coming from zagreb police civil protection services fire brigades we have teams coming from other parts of the country we've mobilized everyone. all of the water we have to help people we have to give them clothes and blankets we have to make sure they have food we must cordon i all teams and find a way to get into the buildings because as far as i'm concerned all these buildings are dangerous. some of the injured have been taken to hospital in the capital

zagreb 50 kilometers away at the epicenter of the 6.4 magnitude earthquake was near here just like a week a quake on monday and once again it could be felt in zagreb where it damaged properties as well as in neighboring serbia and bosnia. while some of the media closed down its only nuclear power plant just 100 kilometers from the epicenter as a precaution responded i would unite under here and even smaller market where. the mains that we saw today might even more significant when they come. or they become even more shallow or in march this year is a grab was hit by a magnitude $5.00 quake that killed one person but this is a small town still reeling and still trying to make sure everyone is accounted for . al-jazeera a chinese court is expected to give its verdict in the trial of 10 hong kong

pro-democracy protesters who were caught trying to flee to taiwan they're part of a group of 12 who were seized at sea on a speedboat in august they're charged with crossing the border illegally adrian brown is joining us from hong kong so it during this trial only began on monday and now 2 days later we have a sentencing is that normal. well you know in my experience it's very rare for you know a trial to begin say on a monday and to have a sentencing just 2 days later that is unusual and it may be a sign during that the chinese government which has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism over this trial the fact that in the eyes of say the european union the british government the u.s. government jew process has not been happening they have been denied their own lawyers or their families wanted appointed instead they've had lawyers appointed by the court have may well be that china wants to have this case closed as soon as

possible and it could well be the penultimate day of 2020 is the natural time to bring this all to an end remember you know the china is about to sign a very major trade deal with the european union any time now and it may well be that you know china wants to pick kate some of its critics as it were as it prepares to sign that all important trade deal with the european union i can also tell you to rein that in the last few minutes the hong kong government has confirmed that 2 of those 12 a 16 and a 17 year old are going to be handed over by mainland police to their counterparts in hong kong in about an hour's time that means that there are now 10 people left in chen zen and they of course are jew to be sentenced later this morning hong kong time now they're facing anything between a year and 7 years in jail 7 years applies to 2 of the who've been

accused of organizing the speed boat which took them from hong kong into international waters or rather chinese waters on august the 23rd now the waters where they were intercepted are some of the most heavily patrolled chinese waters because they separate you know the mainland and taiwan taiwan of course was. the ultimate destination of this group and it's a case that has raised a lot of concern not just because of the age of some of those on board the boat but how they were able to actually get a boat and sail towards taiwan yeah and so this case has really raised a lot of concern in hong kong. yeah i think it's become a focal point for a lot of emotion because i think people are saying you know wow this is a measure of just how desperate people are they're prepared to you know get a boat pilot themselves even after smugglers apparently refused to take them but

remember in the eyes of the hong kong government these are people who are fugitives from justice they are all being charged with offenses related to last year's process and one of them had been arrested on suspicion of violating the national security law but even so you know people here say it's a sign that a lot of people are prepared to leave hong kong because they don't feel they're going to get a fair trial here when they eventually do go to trial right entering brown thank you very much for that update from hong kong. protesters have rallied outside argentina's senate as it prepares to vote on a bill to legalize abortion pro and anti abortion demonstrators have gathered as senators debate the legislation which was backed by the lower house the smug if pos the law would allow terminations up to 14 weeks of pregnancy the senate rejected a similar bill in 2018 tour is a bow has been speaking to protesters and bought

a sirees. we're here outside of argentina's congress and while the debate in the senate continue it seems that there is a festival underway fewer people waiting for the vote to happen this is a highly divisive issue in argentina and while in this side there is those who are pro abortion pro-choice mostly who have been campaigning with a color green that has become the color of hope they say the color of this campaign has spread throughout latin america on the other side of the plaza there's the brutal movement those who are anti-abortion has there been holding a mass there people praying among other things people are waiting here for this vote to happen it's going to be a very long night for many of them people are watching the debate the ongoing debate on televisions here on the streets of little scientists this is exude really important because pope francis is argentinean and he has been lobbying actively

against it and the possibility of his not passing the senate. finance the president of argentina has become deeply involved in the legal i station of abortion saying that it's a matter of public health every year. over half a 1000000 abortions happen in argentina many women are must realize because of complications with those abortions many of the women you talk to piers say that this is a matter of the quality because women with resources can have a safe abortion while those who don't mane may end up with her. the patients and hospital the big difference not one why this law may pass is that back in 2008 president now the same agree with the french 1st president to send is below to congress failed to pass the senate will this time rescind that economists fully committed he had been yawning calling senate toys and getting the blame off so

abortion becomes the people here say that they will remain on the streets watching this debate and they're saying that hopefully in the morning probably on wednesday morning they have something to celebrate for a boeing 737 max has been used for a commercial flight in the u.s. for the 1st time since the plane was grounded almost 2 years ago the american airlines service took about 100 passengers from miami to new york the plane was grounded worldwide after crashes in ethiopia and indonesia killed 346 people u.s. regulators cleared the aircraft to resume operations last month after changes were made to an in-flight control system implicated in both crashes. french fashion designer p.r. cards our has died aged 98 he began his career in high fashion working briefly with christian dior before setting up his own label in 1950 made his mark was futuristic

couture designs but he later broke with tradition becoming one of the 1st designers to offer ready to wear collections for the masses his brand made him a household name. all over again the headlines on al-jazeera u.s. presidents like joe biden has criticized the trumpet ministration for falling behind in its rollout of covert 1000 vaccines biden warned that if it doesn't pick up the pace it could take years before the american population is fully vaccinated . it's a chump administration's plan is to be vaccines is falling behind far behind we're grateful to the companies the doctors the scientists the researchers the clinical trial participants and operation work speed for developing the vaccines quickly but as i long feared and warn the effort to distributed and minister the.