A third vaccine offers further hope of defeating the epidemic

لندن: With the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic in many countries, humanity’s hope lies more than ever in the development of vaccines, the first of which is expected to appear within weeks.

This hope was reinforced on Monday by the announcement by the British company “AstraZeneca”, in collaboration with the University of Oxford, that it has developed a vaccine that is on average 70% effective and in some cases even 90%, according to the results. of “clinical trials conducted in the UK and Brazil.

And British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday that the “way to safety” from the Corona virus looms, explaining that the tight restrictions imposed in England will not be extended until after December 2.

Johnson told Parliament that “discoveries in the field of vaccine treatment and testing indicate that a scientific solution is on the horizon.”

“We know in our hearts that we will be successful next year. By the spring of these successes, these successes should reduce the need for the restrictions we suffered in 2020.”

The British Prime Minister added: “We have passed a turning point and the road to salvation looms before us”, but warned that “Christmas celebrations will not be as usual and the road to spring is still long”.

In France, Monday had the fewest injuries in two months. President Emmanuel Macron will speak on Tuesday evening to announce a “slight easing” of the block in place, according to Prime Minister Jean Castex, who has expressed his concern over the year-end holidays.

Asterzenica’s general manager, Pascal Sorio, said that thanks to a “simple supply chain”, the vaccine would be “available and available all over the world”.

The group says it is rapidly advancing in the production of the planned 3 billion doses that will be available in 2021.

But Suryo warned that “even if you combine the capabilities of Pfizer, our director, and our capabilities, there won’t be enough vaccines for the world.”

The vaccination process for basic population groups, such as healthcare workers and those most at risk of contracting the outbreak, is expected to begin in mid-December in the United States and then in early 2021 in Europe.

Of the 48 candidate vaccines in development around the world, 11 vaccines have entered the third phase of testing, the last one before approval by health authorities, according to the World Health Organization.

Meanwhile, social restrictions are the only weapons against a pandemic that continues to spread rapidly in many parts of the world.

In the Middle East, former Gaza Strip doctors and health ministers have warned of a “catastrophic situation” due to the steady rise in the number of new coronavirus infections, while the Palestinian government has announced a return to closure in the West Bank to contain the pandemic.

In the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, only 1,485 injuries and nine deaths have been recorded in the past twenty-four hours.

“The situation is catastrophic. The virus is spreading, people have little awareness and resources are scarce,” confirmed Ahmed Al-Jaddba, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip.

“The number of injuries is high, the situation is out of control,” he added.

In Toronto, Canada’s largest city, quarantine measures were imposed on Monday for at least 28 days.

Likewise, all indoor private gatherings have been banned with a fine with non-essential institutions closed, but schools will remain open.

And Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford justified the adoption of these measures by saying that the situation is very dangerous, adding: “We cannot risk seeing our hospitals overloaded.”

The epidemic has killed more than 11,000 people in Canada, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged his citizens on Friday to “not meet with friends, do not celebrate birthdays, work remotely and stay home as much as possible”.

In the United States, authorities hope to start vaccination operations in mid-December in order to gain group immunity in the spring, according to Moncef Al-Salawi, the official in charge of vaccination efforts in the United States government.

The US government plans to vaccinate 20 million people at risk in December, followed by campaigns that will reach 25-30 million per month.

The United States has the highest number of deaths in the world with the emerging Corona virus, reaching 257,000, and the epidemic is spreading out of control, with a significant increase in the number of daily infections, which reached 160,000 on Sunday alone. thus exceeding the threshold of 12 million infections, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Thanksgiving Thursday can only aggravate the matter, as many Americans, despite calls to stay home, are preparing for family reunions, as appears from the crowded airport.

The outbreak has killed at least 1,388,590 people worldwide since the WHO office in China announced the outbreak in late December, according to a report prepared by Agence France-Presse on Monday based on official sources.

In Europe, isolation measures and other restrictions imposed on the population in many countries to cope with the second wave of the epidemic have begun to bear fruit.

In Spain, 400 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people were recorded on average 14 days ago, compared to 530 cases earlier this month, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.

“Today is a special day. The weather is nice and everyone wants to go out. But we will see how it goes, there is a state of uncertainty,” said Andrew Vaidibiris, owner of a pub near the famous Ramblas.

But Italy, which on Monday crossed the threshold of 50 thousand deaths from the virus and became the sixth country in the world to exceed this number, seems less optimistic. “It would be a grave mistake to loosen our caution,” said Health Minister Roberto Speranza.