Vaccine hesitancy, mixed messaging from the authorities, inconsistent policies and unreliable statistics are some of the reasons given for the spread of the disease.

Doctors say vaccine hesitancy and anti-vax sentiments may be playing a role.

But they say there is a difference between anti-vaxxers and those who are merely sceptical about the vaccines.

Such people are attempting to obtain proof of Covid-19 vaccination without having to be jabbed.

With 168,049 deaths from the virus, Russia has the highest official Covid-19 toll in Europe.

Fake news has been blamed for the slow uptake of vaccines in the town.

Once the paper is published, the damage is irrevocable, says one expert.

Nationwide, 60.2% of US adults are fully vaccinated, far below the 85% to 90% epidemiologists now believe is necessary to contain the virus.

Covid-19 is becoming 'a pandemic among the unvaccinated', Dr Fauci, the chief medical adviser to the president says.

The vandals were protesting against controversial new measures which include mandatory vaccinations for health workers, and health passes to access most public places.

The national vaccination campaign has stalled since hitting a highwater mark in mid-April, with barely 600,000 a day now rolling up their sleeves, down from a peak of more than four million.

He says he is 'exasperated by Filipinos not heeding the government', and that there is 'a crisis in the country'.