https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/116150/eight_col_000_8YT9JE.jpg?1610750193 Covid-19 vaccinations should be available to the public by the middle of the year, according to Covid-19 Recovery Minister Chris Hipkins. A French pharmacist holds a vial of the undiluted Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, stored at -70C, on 15 January, 2021. Photo: AFP Hipkins told Morning Report it was hoped the first batches of vaccines would arrive by March, but countries being ravaged by the virus would be prioritised by the manufacturers. He said early signs from Medsafe showed no issues with the vaccines New Zealand has secured. The Covid-19 vaccine roll out will be the largest ever mass immunisation campaign in New Zealand’s history. The government has secured various deals for vaccines, including for 7.6 million doses from AstraZeneca – enough for 3.8 million people, 10.72 million doses from Novavax – enough for 5.36 million people, 750,000 courses from Pfizer/BioNTech, and 5 million from Janssen. “We’re expecting the vaccination campaign ...

https://www.elanka.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Dan-Lawrence.jpg He made his England debut in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Thursday and it was the latest step up for a 23-year-old who played men’s cricket at the age of nine, made a hundred in the Chingford first team at 15 and scored his maiden Essex century at 17. A life in cricket was always likely for the boy who grew up on a cricket ground, living in the accommodation that comes with dad Mark’s job as groundsman at Chingford, the Essex Premier League club on the north-east edge of London. “He was about six or seven,” Mark told BBC Sport. “He just picked a bat up and I thought I’d show him how to hold it, but I didn’t have to. He held it the right way and his stance was unbelievable. It was ridiculous. “He had watched people at Chingford and naturally grasped ...

https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/94692/eight_col_81944292_890718711347156_6896171516782706688_o.jpg?1578874008 International music and comedy acts are being approved and rejected for border exemptions in a “game of favourites”, according to a promoter. The Bay Dreams festival in 2020. Photo: Facebook / Bay Dreams British comedian Russell Howard is about to tour New Zealand and other acts allowed in through managed isolation this summer include drag queen RuPaul and musicians at Northern Bass in Mangawhai and the Bay Dreams festival. The vice-president of the Promoters Association, Gray Bartlett, said despite being an approved promoter with Immigration New Zealand, he was offered no explanation on why acts such as the Music of Cream and American speaker Michael Franzese were turned down. No-one had spelt out what the criteria were for approval nor who was making the decisions. “What I really don’t like is where governments begin to start with favouritism and choosing who they like, or getting people to choose who ...

https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news/207221/eight_col_food_parcel_open_box_crp.jpg?1567658527 A foodbank service is still trying to meet the demand from families impacted by the very first Covid-19 lockdown. File photo. Photo: RNZ Insight / Sarah Robson Auckland’s Village Community Trust – founded by All Black legend Sir Michael Jones – has been inundated with requests since the first lockdown where thousands of parcels were distributed – and things haven’t stopped. It runs a range of services from sports and holiday programmes to mentoring but over the years the shift has focused to its foodbank in Avondale. And Sir Michael said Covid-19 was a huge catalyst. “It was unbelievable actually, our foodbank was just meeting a need for our local community and then next minute 100 to then 2000 packages in a few days,” he said. After the first lockdown the foodbank moved to a bigger warehouse to meet demands. The foodbank relied on a small amount of funding, ...

https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/111284/eight_col_NZ103_in_air.jpg?1602830805 Two women who flew from Auckland to Fiji and later tested positive for Covid-19 had only transited through New Zealand, the Ministry of Health says. (File photo) Photo: Supplied / Air New Zealand Fiji health authorities said the women, aged 49 and 58, arrived in Fiji on on flight NZ492 on 24 December. New Zealand’s Ministry of Health says the two passengers transited through Auckland, after coming from higher risk areas. It said it was not unexpected to have transiting passengers later testing positive. Both women were asymptomatic during their entire stay at Fiji’s isolation facility in Nadi. They have since been taken to an isolation ward in Lautoka. Source link ...

https://www.elanka.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/SriLankaCricket-Gunatilleka.jpg Once again, we are faced with coincidences that are almost impossible to imagine, this time, in the Gentleman’s game of cricket.  eLanka readers learn of many things as they peruse our regular newsletters, but this, folks, is something entirely different.            With the current season of Cricket, now in full force, my friend Maxie Gerreyn sent me this little piece, but the author is unknown and this seems to be a shame, because a lot of research would have had to be made, in order to come up with these amazing coincidences. A two-person similarity of “opposite names” taking part in a game, would have been surprising enough, but THIS is a “Caught & Bowled” situation involving  THREE NAMES !!. Enough said, folks,  just read and enjoy this. Blink your way through it, because I bet you will. Desmond Kelly (Editor-in-Chief) eLanka. Plenty, when three names ...

https://www.elanka.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Jayasuriya.jpg Source:Sundayobserver Flashback: Before conquering the Mount Everest of international cricket, young Sanath Jayasuriya received the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Outstation award in 1988. He receives the trophy from Mrs. Malini Bodinagoda, wife of then ANCL Chairman Ranapala Bodinagoda, while compere Laddie Hettiarachchi looks on The postponed 42nd Observer-Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year 2020 will in all probably be held next month. The local health authorities have tentatively given the green light to go ahead with the show next month provided all health guidelines are strictly observed. At the same time, the 43rd Observer-Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year 2021 will commence after the new season, which has been held up due to Covid-19, begins. Hence, the Observer-Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year will continue to remain the only uninterrupted and the oldest school cricket awards ceremony. The Observer-Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year contest is considered ...