During a press briefing on Tuesday, State Department spokesman Ned Price repeatedly said the United States would welcome the findings of the World Health Organization (WHO ) in a conclusive report, but that they would ultimately rely on his intelligence agencies and the information of his allies to reach his own. conclusions.
Responding to Price’s remarks, WHO investigative team member Peter Daszak tweeted on Wednesday: “Well now this. @JoeBiden must be looking tough on China. Please , don’t rely too much on US intelligence: increasingly disengaged under Trump and frankly false in many ways. “He added that he was happy to help the White House verify the information,” but forget not that it is ‘TRUST’ then ‘VERIFIER’!
The beard trade marks a rocky start in the renewed relationship between Washington and the WHO, just weeks after Biden retracted the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the international organization, which is leading the global response to the pandemic of Covid-19.
Meanwhile, Beijing is taking a victory lap over the WHO team’s findings, writes James Griffiths. The team, which just completed their field investigation, said it was “extremely unlikely” that the virus started in a Chinese lab, a conspiracy theory the Trump administration pushed for but won. little vigor. He also said he could not rule out claims by China that the virus may have been transmitted to humans via frozen food from another country.
However, the WHO team had made it clear before the visit that their findings would be limited, given the time since the outbreak in the Huanan market in Wuhan in December 2019 and subsequent efforts to disinfect and sterilize the area. . Daszak told CNN that it could take weeks, months, or even “a few years” to fully understand how the virus came about.
YOU ASKED. WE HAVE ANSWER.
Q: Are Covid-19 vaccines safe for cancer patients?
A: This is a question that preoccupied researchers and oncologists long before Pfizer and Moderna vaccine deployments began. While there is consensus that vaccines are safe for most cancer patients, according to the American Cancer Society and other members of the medical community, research into whether they will be effective for cancer patients remains an area without data.
“When it comes to vaccine safety, every situation for every cancer patient is a little different. And there is a spectrum where a patient might be on their cancer journey,” Makaroff told CNN. “The Covid-19 vaccine is certainly safe for people with cancer, but it is important for patients to have a conversation with their health care provider and cancer care team to determine when is the best time to do so. vaccinate. Read here for more information.
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WHAT IS IMPORTANT TODAY
‘I was not afraid’: French nun, 116, survives Covid-19
A nun living in a retirement home in the French city of Toulon is preparing to celebrate her 117th birthday on Thursday, after surviving Covid-19.
Sister André, née Lucile Randon, is believed to be the oldest person in Europe and the second oldest in the world. She showed no symptoms of coronavirus but tested positive in mid-January, when she was isolated from her fellow citizens.
When asked by CNN affiliate BFM TV if she was afraid, she replied, “No, I was not afraid because I was not afraid to die … I’m happy to to be with you, but I would like to be somewhere else – join my big brother, my grandfather and my grandmother. “
About 1 in 10 Americans received their first vaccine against Covid-19
About 10% of the U.S. population – nearly 32.9 million people – have received at least the first of a two-dose Covid-19 vaccine, and about 9.8 million people have been fully vaccinated, data shows from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.
U.S. and state leaders are optimistic vaccinations will rise further in the coming months, but issues of supply shortages and equitable access remain. Public health experts say the United States, like many severely affected countries, is in a race against time as new variants of Covid-19 quickly spread across the country.
Global cases drop 17%, hit 15-week low
The number of Covid-19 infections last week fell 17% from the previous seven days, the WHO reported, marking the fourth consecutive week of declining cases and a 15-week low. Deaths also fell for a second week in a row, falling 10%.
The numbers are good news as many countries are launching vaccination programs in the hopes that widespread vaccination will be the key to ending the pandemic, and the painful economic restrictions and restrictions that come with it.
The WHO said there were around 3.1 million new cases of Covid-19 last week. The United States confirmed the most new weekly infections, but their cases were still down 19% from the previous week. The largest decrease by region was in Africa (22%) and the smallest in the Eastern Mediterranean region (2%).
ON OUR RADAR
- British musician Elton John and actor Michael Caine have released a comedy video encouraging Britons to get vaccinated.
- Americans’ perceived risk of Covid-19 is lower than at any time since October, a poll found, suggesting some groups still feel invincible.
- Native Americans have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19, but when it comes to administering vaccines, tribal healthcare providers often overtake counties and states. Here’s why.
- Johnson & Johnson CEO says he believes people will need an annual Covid-19 vaccine for many years to come.
- Ghana is closing its parliament for three weeks after at least 17 parliamentarians and 151 workers were infected with the virus.
BEST TIPS
Let’s face it: Even as more and more people get vaccinated against Covid-19, everyone except young children in much of the world will still need to wear a face mask for the foreseeable future. Of course, everyone is tired of wearing them. But as studies have shown, and as Dr Anthony Fauci has repeatedly pointed out, masks are the most effective way to protect yourself and others from infection with the coronavirus that causes Covid- 19, disease. This is true even if you have been vaccinated, as new variants of the virus could emerge.
“It’s absolutely critical that we continue to take steps beyond vaccination to keep this under control,” said Dr Richard Besser, former acting director of the CDC. Learn more about masks here.
PODCAST OF THE DAY
“When we talk about the vaccine, there are a lot of scams out there … where the criminals are trying to get us as victims to pay money to do certain things related to the vaccine.” – Steven Merrill, FBI Financial Crimes Section Chief
Authorities warn of emerging scams linked to the Covid-19 vaccine. Josh Campbell, CNN’s Law Enforcement and National Security Correspondent, explains the types of scams and how we can protect ourselves. Listen now.
