AstraZeneca in France, Czech Republic checkpoints: COVID-19 bulletin

MAIN HEADS

– The French government has decided that those over 65 in France with existing health problems can now receive the University of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, a U-turn on his previous position as the jab should only be used on youngsters.

– World Health Organization emergency director Michael Ryan said: “It will be very premature, and I think unrealistic, to think that we are going to end this virus by the end of the year. “ But added, it might be possible to reduce the tragedy associated with the virus by reducing deaths and hospitalizations.

– Austria and Denmark have broken ranks with the European Union to form an alliance with Israel to produce vaccines against mutations in the virus, in the midst of a slow deployment of blows in the block. “We must therefore prepare for new changes and no longer depend solely on the EU for the production of second generation vaccines,” said Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. The EU had previously urged countries to buy vaccines through the bloc and not independently.

– It remains uncertain whether people in the UK will be able to go on holiday abroad this summer, said Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam. “We are still in an area of ​​great uncertainty about what the virus will do next,” he added.

– Czechia has deployed police and military forces at 500 checkpoints across the country after tightening movement restrictions on Monday amid an increase in cases.

– Slovakia signed agreement to acquire 2 million doses of Russian vaccine Sputnik V, Said Prime Minister Igor Matovic.

– Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic arrived in Sarajevo, Bosnia on Tuesday with a donation of 5,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the University of Oxford. to help his immunization program. “My message is that we have to look to each other, without seeing everyone as more important,” said Vucic.

– Croatian drug wholesalers cut drug deliveries to 15 hospitals that fell behind in payments and criticized the government for not adequately funding the country’s health system.

– Russia reported 10,565 new cases in the past 24 hours, while deaths also increased by 441, bringing the nationwide death toll to 86,896.

THROUGH EUROPE

Andrew Wilson in UK

Nationwide search continues for the last of six cases of the variant first discovered in Brazil that have been detected by testing in the UK.

The other five were isolated amid fears that this new variant could pose a problem for the current vaccination program. The variant has been identified in 15 countries not on the UK Red List.

The government hopes to increase the vaccination rollout to 5 million doses per week, with a large increase in supply expected this week.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday announced plans for a vaccine passport program that could allow Britons to go on vacation to Europe this summer. The digital digital pass may worry ministers about the potential discrimination of these ID cards.

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Toni Waterman in Brussels

Belgium

Indicators of COVID-19 in Belgium continue to rise as mutant variants dominate infections. Hospital admissions averaged 148.6 over the past week, a 20% jump from the previous week. Average daily infections also increased by 12% over the same period.

The government has delayed the decision on the easing measures. The country’s health minister has also asked the Board of Governors of Health to reconsider its decision to limit the University of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to those under 55 and to consider extending the gap between the two doses of Pfizer. -BioNTech from 21 days to 42 days.

Belgium faced a shortage of vaccine deliveries, which severely limited the number of people vaccinated. Only two of the 10 vaccination centers in Brussels have been opened due to the shortfall.

EU

Brussels will table a legislative proposal for a “digital passport” later this month, which will provide proof that a person has been vaccinated, recovered from COVID-19 or has tested negative for the virus. It is hoped that the certificate can help jump-start economies in the summer months, allowing people to travel within the EU or abroad.

But the idea faces strong criticism from Belgium and France, who have raised concerns about discrimination. Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes said the country would not tie vaccination to free movement across Europe. “Respect for the principle of non-discrimination is more fundamental than ever because vaccination is not compulsory and access to the vaccine is not yet generalized,” she tweeted.

The pushback paves the way for months of wrangling between member states over how the passes should be used, meaning summer vacation could be even more out of reach.

Ryan Thompson in Frankfurt

Small parts of the economy have reopened in Germany, after more than two months at a standstill. Residents can now search for personal care services or visit a garden store, but most non-essential retail stores are still closed.

National health authorities reported 3,943 new infections on Tuesday morning, not a large decrease from the figure given at the same time last week. The incidence rate of the virus, which is the key metric monitored by officials for a reopening, also fell only slightly to 65.4. Chancellor Angela Merkel said he had to turn 35 for most restrictions to be lifted.

Ross Cullen in Paris

From Tuesday March 2, a negative PCR test carried out no earlier than 48 hours before travel applies to all cross-border traffic to Germany via the eastern border region of the Moselle. About 16,000 people live in Moselle and work across the German border.

Those over 65 have now been approved to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine (but no one over 74). So far, only healthcare workers and the 2 million people in France aged 50 to 64 with a serious underlying condition, such as diabetes or heart disease, have been allowed to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine. .

A weekend lockdown is the main measure the government is considering for the 20 regions of the country under increased surveillance. Containment from Saturday to Sunday is “seriously considered” for the region of the Parisian capital. Nice and Dunkirk are already stranded at the weekend and have at least one other weekend shutdown. The entire country remains under a nighttime curfew from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

Julia Chapman in Budapest

Hungary will lengthen the period between doses of vaccine in order to inoculate more people more quickly. An interval of 12 weeks will be put in place between the shots of AstraZeneca and 35 days between those of Pfizer. Hungary also uses vaccines from Moderna, Sputnik V and Sinopharm in China.

The decision comes as COVID-19 cases are rapidly increasing in the country. Hungary’s chief medical officer Cecilia Muller warned: “The coming weeks will be very difficult.” She said if cases continued to increase, further restrictions would be needed.

Existing restrictions were extended until mid-March. Hungary topped 15,000 coronavirus deaths over the weekend, a per capita rate comparable to that of the United States.

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