Coronavirus in the world: the Modern vaccine for Europeans – politics

Europeans also receive the corona vaccine from the US manufacturer Moderna, which is considered very promising. The European Commission has negotiated a framework agreement for up to 160 million cans, Commission head Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday. The contract is expected to be officially sealed on Wednesday.

The European Commission now has contracts with the manufacturers of all three vaccines, which are given the best chance of rapid approval in the coming weeks. In addition to Moderna, these are Biontech / Pfizer and Astra Zeneca. All three had announced promising test data in the past few days. As a result, all three vaccines are effective and well tolerated.

No corona vaccine has yet been approved in Europe. The federal government and the European Commission expect the first licenses to be issued in December. Before that, however, a review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is required.

According to the manufacturer, the Moderna vaccine that has now been ordered is 94.5 percent effective. EMA has initiated what is known as a rolling review process for preparation, the goal of which is to get approval relatively quickly.

Qantas airline is considering introducing electronic vaccination logs

Australian airline Qantas is considering introducing a corona vaccination pass for passengers. If a vaccine is widely available, Qantas could require international travelers to get vaccinated before the flight, airline director Alan Joyce told Network Nine. Qantas has already spoken to other airlines about a vaccination certificate.

Joyce said such a document would require a lot of thought, logistics and perhaps government help. Think of an electronic vaccination pass, which certifies which vaccination the holder has received and whether it will be accepted at the travel destination.

Australia has imposed one of the strictest travel restrictions in the world due to the pandemic. International travel is therefore only possible under certain conditions. In the country of 26 million people, just under 28,000 infections and just over 900 deaths from the virus have been recorded.

WHO warns that the hasty wreath fades during Christmas

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns against loosening wreath restrictions during Christmas if authorities don’t have the infection process fully under control. “If people become infected with each other and if a country lacks the infrastructure necessary to prosecute cases and isolate contacts and quarantine them, the easing will lead to more contagion,” said the emergency aid coordinator. of WHO Mike Ryan in Geneva.

Governments need to be aware that they can only weigh the risks. There is no scientific formula for which relief is justifiable or how many holidays are safe without important requirements. “There is only ever lower risk that the situation will get better or worse,” he said. Governments should weigh the risks of further spread of the virus with the economic and social risks of maintaining restrictions. If people are not allowed to meet during the holidays, there is great frustration, crown fatigue, and perhaps resistance to measures, he admitted.

The vaccine developed in Oxford shows an efficacy of 70 percent

According to the BBC, the corona vaccine developed by the University of Oxford has been shown to be 70% effective in testing. This is both a triumph and a disappointment considering the fact that the two vaccines from the American company Pfizer, which works with the German company Biontech, and its competitor Moderna each showed 95% effectiveness. However, the vaccine developed by the British researchers is cheaper and easier to transport, the report said. Oxford scientists work with the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca.

According to the BBC, the vaccine has been tested on more than 20,000 volunteers, one from the UK and the other from Brazil. There were 30 diseases in the group that received two injections of the drug. 101 infections occurred in the control group, which was given only a placebo. The bottom line is 70 percent effectiveness. Surprisingly, however, the researchers found that the protective strength was increased to 90% if the test subjects were given half a dose first and then a full one. The background for this difference is not yet clear.

The UK government has pre-ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine. That should be enough to vaccinate 50 million people. There are nearly 67 million people in the UK. Britain wants to start the first vaccinations before Christmas. The announced Minister of Health Matt Hancock. According to him, most vaccinations will then follow from January to March. “And we hope that some time after Easter we can gradually return to normal.”

Fauci warns of the spread of the virus during Thanksgiving

Ahead of Thanksgiving in the US next Thursday, virologist Anthony Fauci warned of the further spread of the corona virus. “People at airports” risk “causing even more trouble in the United States than we already have,” warned Fauci, who is also a member of the US government’s Corona working group, on Sunday on CBS TV. Cases transferred to Thanksgiving will only show up in the stats weeks later, which makes it even more difficult to control the virus.

The harvest festival is celebrated on November 26th. Many US citizens typically visit family and friends for this, and domestic traffic increases dramatically during the holidays. Pictures from last weekend show full airports, many people still seem to be flying. More than two million people were checked at US airports on Friday and Saturday, the TSA announced. It is the first time since mid-March that this number exceeds one million.

The vaccines would likely be available in the coming months, Fauci said. Until then, Americans would have had to resist and take precautions to contain the virus. This includes, for example, limiting holiday meetings to family members, wearing masks, keeping your distance, and washing your hands.

Vaccinations in the United States possibly from 12 December

The first coronavirus vaccinations could be released in the United States on December 12. After approval by the US pharmaceutical agency FDA, the vaccine from pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner Biontech could be delivered to the United States within 24 hours, said Operation Warp Speed ​​program chief Moncef Slaoui, l. ‘CNN television station. Its program deals with coronavirus vaccinations in the United States.

Pfizer filed emergency FDA approval for its vaccine candidate on Friday. Their advisory board will decide on the application on 10 December. If the answer is yes, that is, the vaccine is approved, vaccinations can begin two days later, Slaoui says. Pfizer and Biontech recently announced that their vaccine could prevent 95% of Covid-19 diseases. The vaccine study is still ongoing.

On Saturday, the FDA granted an experimental blend of antibodies from Regeneron’s emergency approval, which US President Donald Trump received when he was infected with the crown in October. The combination of two antibodies is said to help the immune system fight Covid-19. The emergency approval means that the product will be released to the market while safety and efficacy studies continue.

Coronavirus mutated in Denmark “in all probability” eradicated

Coronavirus-infected animals were discovered on a mink farm in central France. Now 1000 minks have to be culled, as announced on Sunday by the Ministry of Agriculture. A company in the Eure-et-Loir department southwest of Paris is concerned. A total of two farms were tested in France, one of which was negative. For two others, results aren’t expected until the end of this week.

There have already been cases of positive crown in mink in Sweden, Greece and the Netherlands. The virus has mutated in Denmark. Experts fear that if a vaccine is relayed back to humans, it may be less effective. Therefore, around 17 million minks are expected to be killed in Denmark. According to the Copenhagen Ministry of Health, the mutated virus is “in all probability” eradicated.