Europe wants to remove all doubts with Sputnik V

The European Commission has repeatedly issued the message in recent weeks that Europe does not need the Russian vaccine Sputnik-V. European Commission President Úrsula Von der Leyen spread the word in February doubts about the product Russian wondering why, if Russia offers hundreds of millions of doses of its vaccine to dozens of countries, little progress is being made in immunizing its own population.

Not all member states of the European Union are in this line and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which organically depends on the European Commission although it works independently, is taking action. to allow Medium-term Sputnik-V.

The EMA received at the beginning of the month a request for authorization of the Russian vaccine from a German laboratory, which could collaborate with the Russians to produce it in Germany.

You also understand that you must analyze it and, if necessary, authorize it because Hungary has been running it for weeks, Slovakia has already received at least two million doses and Austria and Germany have already publicly stated that they will buy it if the EMA allows it despite not entering the wallet purchase from the European Commission.

EMA Executive Director Irish Emer Cooke told a group of MEPs on Tuesday afternoon that her body was preparing a expert mission that they will go to Russia to inspect in situ the factories where Sputnik-V is manufactured.

Cooke does not have a specific timeline at this time, but told MPs: “If we want to approve additional factories for the maker of a specific vaccine, we have to do it. based on trust that the factory is capable of producing a quality product ”.

Cooke assured MPs that the EMA is not political considerations and that the authorization of the Russian vaccine will be “in the same way that we have evaluated all the other vaccines which have given us their information”. EMA is now data review to authorize the vaccines of the American Novavax and the German CureVac.

Slovak government, complicated

The Slovak government is about to fall precisely because of Sputnik-V. Prime Minister Igor Matovic decided at his own risk, without consulting the other parties that make up the ruling coalition, to buy two million doses of the Sputnik-V.

The reaction from other parties was sudden and within days four ministers resigned: that of Health, Marek Krajci, that of employment Milan Krajniak and that of the Economy, Richard Sulik. The last was yesterday that of Justice, Maria Kolikova.

Faced with the crisis, the President of the Republic, Zuzana Caputova, demanded that Matovic resign and that the parties form another coalition or advance the electoral call. Matovic made a condition for his party to remain in the governing coalition, to lead an additional ministry and a cabinet post for himself.

The crisis is endless, Matovic Always at the office and the solution could ultimately be this electoral advance. Caputova said: “It is essential that the Prime Minister resigns and allows a coalition agreement to be reached to rebuild the government. No one’s personal position is more important than the interests of the country and its citizens ”. Polls indicate that 80% of the population does not trust Matovic and that if elections are held the first force would be that of the current opposition and former Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini.

Slovakia has one of the the worst death rates per million inhabitants because of the virus. According to data from the European Agency for Disease Control and Prevention, the country has 9,190 deaths from covid-19.

With its 5.4 million inhabitants this gives a rate of 1,701 deaths per million. That of Spain is 1,569. That of Italy 1764. That of the United Kingdom 1,899. That of its neighbor the Czech Republic 2,341.

Brussels, special

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