Coronavirus in the world: vaccinations soon in the USA? – Policy

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 head Moncef Slaoui, the CNN television station. Its program is responsible for 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 yes, i.e. vaccine approval, vaccinations could begin two days later, Slaoui said. Pfizer and Biontech recently announced that the vaccine appears to be 95% effective in preventing moderate to severe disease courses from Covid-19. 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 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-Loire department southwest of Paris is interested. 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. Approximately 17 million minks should therefore be killed in Denmark. According to the Copenhagen Ministry of Health, the mutated virus is “in all probability” eradicated.

Macron is considering the possibility of loosening the block

In view of the drop in corona infections, French President Emmanuel Macron is offering the prospect of gradually easing contact restrictions that have been in place since October 30. “The point is to change the lockdown rules if the health situation improves,” a government spokesman for the newspaper said. Sunday newspaper.

Since the end of October, restaurants, bars and many non-essential shops have been closed in France. Macron’s speech on the current pandemic situation was announced for Tuesday, in which he wants to show a perspective for the coming weeks. The easing is planned in three stages, with a first step in early December, which could potentially lead to easing especially for retailers, and further steps just before the holidays and in January.

In France it has been possible to somehow limit the increase in new infections. For example, the number of new coronavirus infections increased by nearly 17,900 on Saturday, while the plus on Friday was nearly 22,900. The number of hospital patients also decreased for the fifth consecutive day.

Relaxation in England and the Netherlands, tightening in Portugal

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to end the partial blockade, which has been in effect since the beginning of November, on December 2 as planned, his office announced on Saturday evening. A three-tier system of local restrictions would then be reintroduced in England. Scotland and Wales have their own regulations issued by local autonomous authorities.

The facilities are already in place in the Netherlands. Since last Thursday they have been authorized to reopen theaters, museums, cinemas and libraries. However, bars, cafes and restaurants will remain closed. In the future, the country with a population of 17 million will be able to receive three guests at home – so far there were two.

On the contrary, the Portuguese government has adopted new restrictions on freedom of movement. For the next two extended weekends, people are not allowed to leave their residential areas, with few exceptions, Prime Minister António Costa said Saturday evening in Lisbon. Additionally, a workplace mask requirement will be introduced. With nearly 7,000 new infections within 24 hours, Portugal only hit a new high of reported virus infections on Thursday. Compared to other European countries, Portugal weathered the pandemic relatively well in the spring. For weeks, however, the situation has been getting worse.

Results of the corona mass test in South Tyrol

In a three-day corona mass test in the northern Italian province of South Tyrol, several thousand people discovered their infection. On Sunday morning, nearly 270,000 citizens of the small Alpine province had undergone a free smear. As the authorities announced on the Internet, a total of 2626 participants, or about one percent, received a positive crown result by 10:00. South Tyroleans can participate in the mass test until Wednesday evening.

About half a million people live in the partially closed province of Bolzano-South Tyrol. Authorities hope to reach up to 350,000 of them. According to experts, the success of a mass test strongly depends on a high participation rate. The state government wants to break the second corona wave faster: virus carriers who have no idea of ​​their infection must be discovered. They are considered a dangerous source of infection.

The WHO expert criticizes governments in Europe

A COVID-19 expert from the World Health Organization warns European governments of a third wave. “They failed to build the necessary infrastructure in the summer months after keeping the first wave under control,” David Navarro said in an interview with Swiss newspapers. “Now the second wave is here. If we don’t build the necessary infrastructure now, we will have a third wave early next year.”

Report: WHO advises against remdesivir

According to a report, the World Health Organization advises against using the once promising drug Remdesivir for Covid-19 diseases. After careful consideration, a WHO expert panel concluded that the drug “does not have a significant influence on mortality or other important effects on patients, such as the need for artificial ventilation or recovery time,” he wrote. magazine British Medical Journal in an article published on Friday. It is also not yet ruled out that the drug may also cause harm. Then there would be the costs.

In Germany, despite the WHO study, Remdesivir is initially expected to continue to be used for the treatment of some patients with corona. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health announced that it would await a reassessment at the community level. Remdesivir is used only in very specific cases. Remdesivir was originally developed by the US pharmaceutical company Gilead to fight the Ebola virus. After the outbreak of the global pandemic, it was considered a beacon of hope in the fight against Covid-19 for a while. of some patients. More recently, however, tests had suggested that the drug’s benefit was minimal at best.

Slovakia plans new crown mass tests

Slovakia is preparing new crown mass tests nationwide. Prime Minister Igor Matovic announced December 2 as the next date to test almost the entire population. Already in early November, under the direction of the Ministry of Defense, a large number of residents over the age of ten were subjected to a rapid antigen test.

While the head of government brags that his idea of ​​mass testing now serves as a model for imitators from Liverpool to South Tyrol to neighboring Austria, criticism is mounting in the country. After the first two rounds of testing, those who weren’t tested were treated almost like people with a positive test result. Without a negative test, you weren’t even allowed to go to work.