What you need to know about the coronavirus on Wednesday, January 28

by



[ad_1]

The European Union, which has long prided itself on rejecting nationalism in favor of international cooperation, is waging a nasty battle with British-Swedish manufacturer AstraZeneca over supply delays and threatening to impose export controls on vaccines.

AstraZeneca says the EU has taken too long to place orders as EU officials oppose what they call “the logic of first come, first served”. EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides went on a rampage, saying: “It can work with neighborhood butchers, but not in contracts, nor in our advance purchase agreements.”

“We are losing people every day. These are not numbers, these are not statistics, these are people … pharmaceutical companies, vaccine developers, have moral, societal and contractual responsibilities that they must assume, ”she added.

EU officials have declined to specify the extent of the vaccine deficit, but it is clear that it is large enough to cause problems. German Health Minister Jens Spahn today warned that the country will face shortages for at least another 10 weeks. Italy had to revise its vaccination schedule, saying those over 80 would be vaccinated four weeks later than planned. In Spain, the regional government in Madrid has stopped administering the first doses of the vaccine for the next two weeks to ensure there are enough to provide second doses to those who have already received their first vaccine.

The EU is not alone in the fight for vaccines. In the United States, many states – including New York, South Carolina, Hawaii and Florida – have had to cancel or delay thousands of immunization appointments due to supply shortages and unpredictability of the vaccine. size of shipments. One official described the current situation as “the approach of the Hunger Games”.

Making and distributing hundreds of millions of vaccines from scratch was always going to be difficult. But as the rich countries of the world compete for supply, the developing world is left behind.

US President Joe Biden is aiming to have nearly the entire American population vaccinated by late summer or early fall. The European Commission’s target is for 70% of adults to be vaccinated by June. The UK hopes to deliver the vaccine to all adults by September.
Meanwhile, the People’s Vaccine Alliance has estimated that nine in ten people in the world’s poorest countries will miss the vaccine this year.

YOU ASKED. WE HAVE ANSWER.

Q: Why can’t other companies manufacture approved vaccines?

A: Asked about US President Joe Biden’s use of the Defense Production Act, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, Dr Anthony Fauci, said the aim was to “facilitate” the process of administering vaccines, not to make more doses.

“You just can’t open another plant for a company that isn’t Moderna or Pfizer, and say make an mRNA vaccine. It just won’t happen that way, because of the process. It is a business that is difficult. , in the sense of starting from scratch, ”Fauci told Anderson Cooper at a CNN Global town hall yesterday.

However, some cooperation is possible. Sanofi has said it will fill and pack millions of doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine starting in July in a bid to help meet the U.S. drugmaker’s huge vaccine demand.

Send your questions here. Are you a health worker fighting Covid-19? Message us on WhatsApp about the challenges you are facing: +1 347-322-0415.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT TODAY

Could post-vaccination life mean a return to normal? Not yet

The UK was the first country to start vaccinating its citizens with a fully controlled and licensed Covid-19 vaccine, and is among the countries with the highest number of vaccines administered per capita.

But how quickly can the UK – and perhaps the rest of the world – hope to return to some form of normalcy? The truth is, not very soon, says Kara Fox.

Covid-19 numbers decline in US, even as variants lurk and vaccine rollout lags

Make no mistake: the United States is still in one of its worst places in the coronavirus pandemic. Daily deaths are near a peak and other daily stats are incredibly high compared to what they were before a late 2020 surge.

Yet, Covid-19 cases and the number of hospitalizations are on the decline. The vaccines are here and warmer weather is approaching.

Manaus collapses again. Is a new variant of coronavirus to blame?

Manaus, the capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas and its current coronavirus epicenter, is often referred to as the gateway to the Amazon, its main link to the rest of the world by plane or boat.

If the city’s name sounds familiar, it may be because it was the scene of one of the world’s worst Covid-19 outbreaks in April and May. Yet the current situation is worse than ever – and scientists tell CNN the evidence suggests that a new variant of the virus mixed with government inaction has created a tragic perfect storm.

Making Tokyo 2020 a success will be a logistical nightmare … and time is running out

The UFC had “Fight Island”. The NBA had “the bubble”. Tokyo 2020 may need a miracle.

After the pandemic forced organizers to postpone last year’s Summer Olympics, the Games are now set to begin on July 23 and major questions remain as to how Japan plans to achieve what could be the most complex sporting event ever.
People wearing face masks walk past the Olympic rings on January 22, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.

ON OUR RADAR

  • Regeneron says its cocktail of monoclonal antibodies work against newer coronavirus variants.
  • The son of polio vaccine creator Jonas Salk received the Covid-19 vaccine. He wants you to do it too.
  • Britons arriving home from “high-risk” countries will face a 10-day hotel quarantine at their own expense. Non-UK residents will be refused entry.
  • Millions of vaccine research funds in the United States have gone to independent office spending, the HHS inspector general said.
  • Washington State Hospital apologized after inviting donors to sign up for a Covid-19 vaccine.
  • Oklahoma state officials are trying to return the state’s $ 2 million stockpile of hydroxychloroquine.
  • Sekou Smith, journalist and NBA analyst for more than two decades, has died of Covid-19. He was 48 years old.

TOP TIP

Think of masks as the trendy new accessory that can save your life – and the lives of those you love. But instead of the pattern, logo, or slogan you display, choose your mask based on its effectiveness against the deadly coronavirus in the environment you find yourself in.

Here’s a breakdown of respirators and masks based on current scientific knowledge and what the experts are saying about how best to use them.

PODCAST OF THE DAY

“When we think of severity risk, it’s the fact that so many people of color in our country are living with multiple chronic diseases due to chronic inability to access high quality health care. – Dr. Marcella Nunez Smith, Chair of the White House Health Equity Task Force

The Biden administration is starting to implement its Covid-19 strategy and develop plans to end this pandemic. Dr Sanjay Gupta and Anderson Cooper spoke to three key members of President Biden’s Covid response team: CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky, Biden Chief Medical Officer Dr Anthony Fauci, and the leader of the new White House Health Equity Task Force, Dr. Marcella Nunez -Forgeron. Listen now.

[ad_2]

Source link