The Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, has warned that, given the latest data on the coronavirus, Spain has reached a valley zone of certain stagnation, which points to a possible change in trend to the rise of the disease, which is why he has appealed to avoid a fourth wave. Also all the last of the coronavirus in Andalusia. The Minister of Health and Families of the Junta de Andalucia, Jesus Aguirre, has considered that the Janssen vaccine against covid-19 would possibly be appropriate for people who have already received the first dose of Astrazeneca if the suspension of the administration of this vaccine.
This has been pointed out this Thursday in Jaén and questions from journalists about whether there is planning planned in the aforementioned case once the injection of AstraZeneca has been paralyzed as a precaution in Spain and other countries and is awaiting the pronouncement of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) regarding a modification or not of its analysis on the safety of this vaccine after detecting some cases of thrombosis. In the first place, Aguirre has specified that when any of the vaccines with two doses are administered, be it Moderna, AstraZeneca or Pfizer, “the immunity that is acquired 20, 30 days after getting the vaccine is around 80 percent” and with the second dose is reached up to 94 percent.
Therefore, with a first dose, it cannot be said that you are immunized, but you do have a high level of antibodies to moderately protect yourself from possible coronavirus infection. In case it could not be done, because it was not accepted by the European Medicines Agency, the second dose of AstraZeneca, that of Janssen, which is a single dose, would possibly be opportune to increase the immunity of those people that we have put the first with AstraZeneca has affirmed. The European Commission’s threat to block exports of anticovid vaccines to countries with higher vaccination rates other than reciprocal, including Britain, garnered backing from Germany, France, and Italy, EU officials and diplomats said, Reuters reports.
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, threatened on Wednesday to ban vaccine exports to safeguard the meager doses for her own citizens facing a third wave of the pandemic. At a meeting of diplomats that took place shortly after von der Leyen’s warning, Germany, Italy, France, and Denmark supported the Commission’s position on stricter enforcement of export controls, said three diplomats and officials who attended or were informed of the meeting.
The Netherlands, Belgium, and Ireland were more cautious, said two of the officials, adding that the matter would be discussed at a summit of EU leaders next week. It’s all due to the growing frustration with AstraZeneca and the growing pressure to do something about it. We don’t have enough vaccines, we export like crazy without getting anything,” said one of the diplomats who participated in the discussions.
GALICIA REGISTERS 2,586 ACTIVE CASES AND ALREADY ADDS 2,310 DEATHS FROM CORONAVIRUS
Galicia registers 2,586 active cases of coronavirus this Thursday and has already accumulated 2,310 deaths due to the infection, reports Servimedia. According to the latest Xunta report, 1,028 of the total active cases correspond to the Coruna area 484, to Vigo; 279, to Santiago; 223, to Ferrol; 212, to Pontevedra 205, to Lugo and 155, to Orense. The Ministry of Health and Families has confirmed the presence of a novel strain of coronavirus in Andalusia that is characterized by “a greater transmission capacity, although it is still not clear if it entails a greater virulence capacity.
This was indicated to journalists by the Minister of Health and Families, Jesus Aguirre, during the inauguration in Jaen of the new coordination room and the rest of the actions carried out at the Salud Response facilities. Aguirre has indicated that the new strain is called A23-1 and so far it had been detected only in Uganda and in some cases very isolated in the United Kingdom, reports Europa Press.
The Supreme Court has denied the very precautionary suspension requested by the Vox parliamentary group of the perimeter closure of the Community of Madrid during the San Jose Bridge and Holy Week due to the coronavirus pandemic, reports Efe. In one order, the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the court does not appreciate the reasons of special urgency sought by Vox for the suspension to be agreed upon without first hearing the reasons of the Community of Madrid and the State Attorney.
And he questions the urgency alleged by that party, given that the decree of the Government of the Community of Madrid was issued on March 13 and Vox did not appeal until yesterday, the 17th. “That delay is not consistent with the claim that we resolve an unprecedented part (without hearing allegations from other parties) “, says the resolution.
The matter will be resolved as an ordinary precautionary measure, but the Community of Madrid and the State Attorney are urged to present their allegations before two in the afternoon on Tuesday 23 instead of rushing the ten days that the law would allow. In this way, the Supreme Court will resolve before Holy Week.
The European Commission will send a letter to AstraZeneca as part of its strategy to resolve the conflict with the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company over the supplies of Covid-19 vaccines to the bloc, a spokesman for the Community Executive said on Thursday, Reuters reports. We plan to send a letter to AstraZeneca allowing us to initiate a dialogue with the company as part of a process to resolve the dispute,” the spokesperson told a news conference. It is a possibility provided for in the contract signed with the company to find a solution amicably, but it is also the previous step to raising the issue to the Belgian courts if both parties do not reach a satisfactory agreement, an extreme that the Executive community has not yet wanted to value.
AstraZeneca’s latest projections suggest that the pharmaceutical company will only be able to deliver to European countries a third of all agreed doses until June. That is 100 million units of the 300 million agreed. The laboratory alleges problems in the production plants located on the European continent, which has meant that in the first quarter of the year it could only distribute 30 million of the 90 million planned. For the second quarter, the EU expects to receive only 70 million doses, of the 180 million agreed.
WHO HIGHLIGHTS SPAIN FOR ITS “INCREDIBLE” PROGRESS IN REDUCING CORONAVIRUS CASES
The World Health Organization (WHO) praised this Thursday the incredible progress made in Spain in reducing the spread of coronavirus in recent weeks, but also warned against a relaxation of restrictions and measures that have allowed produced that drop. We have to recognize that Spain has made incredible progress in breaking transmission since the beginning of the year when it peaked with about 42,000 new cases a day. Now it has been reduced sevenfold. Cases have dropped very effectively and that should recognize themselves “, said at a press conference the head of Emergencies of WHO-Europe, Catherine Smallwood, reports Efe. The WHO warns Spain that it is at risk of a rebound in cases and asks to comply with health measures
Bulgaria will paralyze for ten days, starting on Monday, all its social activity and a good part of the economic one due to the unprecedented increase in the number of infected, hospitalized, and deceased by a coronavirus, the Government announced this Thursday. Until March 31, the gastronomy establishments, which had reopened on the 1st of March, will remain closed, as well as the shopping centers, all cultural activities, and educational centers, which will give classes electronically. Also, all sporting events will be held without an audience, explained Health Minister Kostadin Angelo
The trade will continue to operate but applying precautionary measures such as capacity limits and the use of masks.40% of the 7,804 hospitalized (a record number) currently due to the coronavirus have done so in the last 17 days, according to Efe from data from the Ministry of Health. Mortality has increased 124% in this period, reaching 11,700 deaths.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has notified this Thursday that the contagion of Covid-19 is growing in Europe for the third consecutive week and that it is moving in an easterly direction, with the central area, the Balkans, and the Baltic countries as the places most affected. The danger is still clear and is present, said at a press conference the director of WHO-Europe, Hans Kluge, who urged to remain “firm” in the application of all the tools against the pandemic, according to Efe.
The WHO highlighted that despite the growing contagion and the fact that the British variant, more contagious, is becoming the predominant one, several countries, among which it cited Spain, have managed to reduce transmission to low levels thanks to social measures and public health. The European region registered more than 1.2 million new cases last week and the number of deaths has already exceeded 900,000, which means that 20,000 people die each week from
The European region registered more than 1.2 million new cases last week and the number of deaths has already exceeded 900,000, which means that 20,000 people die each week from the coronavirus. The number of people dying from covid-19 in Europe is higher now than just a year ago, reflecting the widespread of the virus,” Kluge said from WHO-Europe headquarters in Copenhagen.
This Thursday marks the first anniversary of the death of Dr. Francesc Collado in Barcelona, the first due to the coronavirus pandemic in Spain. Since then, the General Council of Official Medical Associations (CGCOM) recalls that 112 doctors have died in the exercise of their profession due to Covid-19, “a sad and shocking figure” that reflects the “effort, sacrifice, professionalism and vocation “of all Spanish physicians.
Since the declaration of the State of Alarm, a doctor has died every three days, “every 72 hours the medical profession has lost a colleague to face the pandemic from their workplace, the highest among all health professionals of our country “, reports Europa Press. The pandemic has killed 112 doctors, one every three days
People over 65 and vulnerable people can vote between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. while those infected with coronavirus can exercise their right to vote from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., as planned by the Community of Madrid to guarantee security on election day 4-M, in which elections are held to preside over the region. The members of the polling stations will be provided with two FFP2 masks, gloves, sanitizing material and will have a screen that isolates them from the voters, who will have to comply with the safety distance and with the capacity set in the polling stations.
This has been explained by the Minister of Health of the Community of Madrid, Enrique Ruiz Escudero, after ruling out that PPE suits will be provided to the members of the polling stations in the elections to the Madrid Assembly as was done in Catalonia because in your opinion “is not necessary”. He also ruled out that they were to be administered the coronavirus vaccine, for calendar reasons (there is no time between when citizens are notified of being members of a table and the day of election day for the vaccine to achieve immunization) and in the absence of dose.
The restrictions derived from the coronavirus pandemic have dangerously increased police violence around the world, denounces a report published today by the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), which calls for the use of international law to combat this worrying trend. A trend that “does not only occur in authoritarian countries warns the NGO based in Geneva in its report, where it documents the brutal repression of protesters in Algeria, Belarus, Colombia, Chile, Hong Kong, Iraq, Burma (Myanmar ), Nigeria or Russia, among other places. Police brutality is nothing new, but policies during the health emergency have increased the powers of the security forces, which has led to abuses against citizens and has worsened impunity,” commented the Secretary-General of OMCT. Gerald Staberock, in a statement, consulted by Efe.
The Minister of Education and Youth and spokesperson for the Government of the Community of Madrid, Enrique Ossorio, the Minister of the Presidency, Eugenia Carballedo, and the Minister of Health, Enrique Ruiz Escudero, will explain the preventive measures in terms of Public Health against the coronavirus that They will be in force during the election day of May 4, reports Efe. The Official Gazette of the Junta de Andalucía (BOJA) has published this Thursday the resolution of the Ministry of Culture and Historical Heritage, through the Directorate of the Andalusian Agency of Cultural Institutions, by which the subsidies to the promotion of the theater, music, dance, and circus in Andalusia, with a budget of 1.4 million euros.
The counselor Patricia del Pozo has indicated that the call comes to “alleviate the serious consequences derived from the pandemic in a fundamental sector for the economic recovery of Andalusia. The subsidies are part of the aid package announced by Del Pozo in the Parliament of Andalusia, to give an economic injection to the Andalusian cultural sector to favor the programming of shows and the maintenance of employment in times of difficulty derived by the Covid-19 health crisis.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany rose by 17,504 cases to 2,612,268, the largest daily increase since January 22, according to Reuters from data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases. The figure is clearly above Thursday of last week, when 14,356 new infections had been reported, almost 3,000 less. The number of registered deaths increased by 227 to 74,132, while the number of new cases per 100,000 people in seven days rose to 90, compared to 86 the day before, and 69.1 a week ago. The spike has been attributed to RKI in part to the presence of newer variants of the virus that are more contagious.
Two hundred hoteliers in Bizkaia have decided to claim compensation from a total of 7 insurance companies for the loss of profits during the health emergency due to the coronavirus, as the lawyers representing them have informed Efe. The basis of this lawsuit, according to the lawyers, is found in the policies signed by the hoteliers, which cover the loss of profits and the consequential damages derived from contingencies such as the closures of their businesses imposed during the pandemic, with 3 months of closure in 2020 and two in 2021. The average amount of compensation demanded by each hotelier is 40,000 euros, although in cases related to nightlife venues the amount claimed reaches 150,000 euros.
In this case, in which in addition to 200 Biscayan hoteliers also claiming some from Cantabria and Burgos, it is necessary to analyze policy by policy, since not all are in a position to carry out their claims, according to their lawyers. Galicia has experienced a new relief of hospital pressure by reducing to 271 hospitalized coronavirus patients, which implies 22 fewer than the previous day, and a drop in active cases to 2,586 at the gates of the San José bridge, in which the Galician Community will continue with perimeter closure.
In the ICU, 57 coronavirus patients remain -one less- and 214 in other hospitalization units -21 less-, according to Europa Press of the data updated this Thursday by the Ministry of Health with records until 6:00 p.m. this Wednesday. Patients admitted for Covid-19 are reduced in all Galician health areas. New infections drop slightly to 146 and the positivity rate remains at 2% in the Galician Community.
ARAGON REPORTS 111 POSITIVES FOR CORONAVIRUS AND NO DEATHS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS
The Government of Aragon has notified 111 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, no deaths, and 194 epidemiological discharges in the autonomous community this Wednesday, March 17, according to Europa Press of the provisional data collected on the website Salud Aragon. By provinces, in Zaragoza, 96 infections have been reported and 152 recovered; in Huesca, eleven positives and 20 discharges; and in Teruel, three infections and 22 people recovered.
THIS Sunday the Government of Japan announced today that it will lift the state of health emergency that had been in force in Tokyo and its surroundings since the beginning of January on Sunday, by considering the number of coronavirus infections and hospitalized patients controlled. The Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga, communicated this decision during a meeting with the Executive’s pandemic working group held this Thursday, after obtaining the approval of the panel of experts that advises the Government.
I declare the lifting of the health alert, although we will maintain general measures (anti-contagion) because there is still concern about a possible rebound, said the Japanese leader in his speech, collected by Efe from the local media. The health emergency, which had been imposed since last January 7 in Tokyo and the neighboring prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, and Saitama, will be lifted on the 21st, as the Executive had foreseen after extending that exceptional measure twice for the regional capital city.
The Lehendakari, Inigo Urkullu, has affirmed that the current preventive measures against the coronavirus “are sufficient” if all citizens comply with them “rigorously” to avoid the spread of the pandemic. Urkullu, in statements to journalists upon his arrival at the Basque Parliament, has stated that the Basque Government and the health experts who advise him are “permanently” analyzing the evolution of Covid-19, the incidence of which has been increasing for several consecutive days in Euskadi collects Europa Press.
The Lehendakari recalled that this same Thursday a new meeting of the technical commission of the Basque Civil Protection Plan (Labi) is scheduled, made up of health experts who advise the regional government on the measures to be adopted in the face of the pandemic.
The epidemic indicators in Catalonia have changed their trend and the epidemic curve rises again, with a net increase in the risk of regrowth, the speed of spread of the virus, and the number of infected, while the ICU still has 423 seriously admitted people, the same as yesterday. The speed of reproduction of the disease (Rt) has increased again to 0.99, two-hundredths more, with 1,637 new infections -83 more than yesterday-, and risk of regrowth (EPG), the potential growth index of the epidemic, 190 points, five more than the day before, according to Efe of the epidemiological data updated this Thursday by the Department of Health.
Although the number of hospitalized Covid patients is low and today is 1,409, a total of 30 less than yesterday, the ICUs continue with high occupancy, with 423 seriously ill, the same number as the previous day.
10.17 THE LAST 24 HOURS LEAVE 500,000 NEW CASES OF CORONAVIRUS IN THE WORLD
The coronavirus pandemic has left about 500,000 cases in the world during the last 24 hours, which exceeds the threshold of 121 million infections, according to Europa Press from data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
The agency has indicated through its website that during the last day 499,125 cases and 9,957 deaths have been confirmed, which places the totals at 121,214,686 and 2,680,740, respectively, with 68,724,089 people recovered from the disease. The United States is the most affected country in total figures, with 29,607,483 cases and 538,087 deaths. Behind are Brazil , with 11,693,838 infections and 284,775 deaths, and India , with 11,474,605 and 159,216, respectively.The French Government presents this Thursday a new regime of restrictions that will be applied from the weekend to 27% of the country’s population living in the Paris region and in the Hauts de France region, in which the epidemic situation is the more disturbing with the recent worsening, reports Efe.
The leaks that have occurred could take the form of a “hybrid” confinement regime to “take into account the realities” of the capital region, which is home to 12 of the country’s 67 million inhabitants. The new restrictions, which will not be the same for the Hauts de France region (6 million inhabitants), bordering Belgium, will last “a few weeks,” reports Efe. In the last hours, various versions have circulated about the measures that could be adopted, from a weekend home confinement, as is already applied in two departments, to total confinement, going through further restricting encounters in closed places (including shops and shopping centers), but allowing outdoor exits.
The US announced this week the birth at the end of January of a baby in Florida with antibodies against Covid-19 thanks to the vaccination of his mother during pregnancy. In this case, the first in the world, a similar one is now added in Mexico. On March 5, a woman immunized against the disease with the two doses of the vaccine gave birth to a girl at Hospital Ángeles in San Luis Potosí, who has also detected defenses against the coronavirus. Another baby with antibodies against Covid is born in Mexico after his mother’s vaccination during pregnancy
Ukraine registered 15,053 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, which is the highest number of infections in a single day since the beginning of the year, according to the data published today by the National Security and Defense Council. With this new balance, the country exceeded 1.5 million cases. The Ukrainian Minister of Health, Maxim that, among the new infections, there are 744 children and 425 health workers. On the last day, 4,376 people were hospitalized for coronavirus and 267 deaths were registered. In total, Ukraine has reported 29,253 deaths from covid-19 since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
LAGARDE WARNS THAT DOWNWARD ECONOMIC RISKS PERSIST DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
The president of the European Central Bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde, said this Thursday that the short-term downside risks for the European economy persist due to the coronavirus pandemic and that, in this context, it remains “essential” to maintain conditions favorable financing.
Lagarde recalled that, for this reason, the Governing Council of the ECB decided last week to “significantly” increase the rate of purchase of bonds within its emergency program due to the pandemic in the second quarter and reiterated that its endowment, which remained unchanged at 1.85 billion euros, could be “recalibrated” if necessary, reports Efe.
Spain will have 70% of its population vaccinated in summer against the coronavirus, has reiterated María Jesús Montero, Minister of Finance and Government spokesperson, despite the delays in production and distribution and the halt in the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccinedecides on its possible adverse effects, such as thrombi. The minister spokesperson, in an interview on the Ser chain, also sets for the summer the date on which the autonomies will receive economic aid to alleviate the economic crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic of the 11,000 million euros earmarked for this purpose. Montero estimates that, in a month, the request for money can be made.
“I hope that during the summer these aids can be received, although the prospects of being able to receive them or know the amounts that are assigned will be an oxygen balloon for companies to go to ask for them,” said the minister. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi presides over the National Day in Memory of the victims of the coronavirus in Bergamo, the symbolic city of a tragedy that in one year has already caused more than 103,000 deaths in the country, reports Efe.
THE SECOND WAVE OF CORONAVIRUS IN INDIA CONTINUES TO RISE
The second wave of coronavirus cases in India continues to rise after the worst data since the beginning of December was recorded this Thursday, with 35,871 infections, while important Indian holidays such as the Holi approach that raise fears that the positives will skyrocket. India thus exceeds 35,000 infections for the first time since December, after months of great optimism when cases were in continuous decline, reaching a reduction of 10,000 positives in February, although since then the numbers have turned around, reports Efe.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi already warned on Wednesday of the need to halt this second wave while it is still in its infancy after the first peek of the pandemic reached almost 100,000 daily cases in September. With these new cases, the total infections in India amount to 11.4 million, remaining as the third country with the most confirmed positives, only behind the United States and The Brazilian Ministry of Health has reported 90,303 cases of coronavirus detected in the last day, which represents a new record for the country, this time in the number of new daily positives. Brazil is facing the worst peak of the pandemic, after having also beaten its record of deaths from the disease in recent days, close to 3,000, although 2,648 deaths were recorded this Wednesday, according to Europa Press of the latest balance sheet of the portfolio of Health.
So far, the country has regretted 284,775 deaths from coronavirus and 11,693,838 cases since the pandemic broke out. Positive coronavirus cases have fallen again in Navarra in the last hours after the rebound on Tuesday, reports Efe. The provisional data provided by the Provincial Government indicate that yesterday a total of 69 cases were detected in the tests carried out compared to the hundred the day before. the 5 positives from Cascante and the 4 from Alsasua, Estella, Milagro and Villava stand out.Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Eduard Heger has reported that the state of emergency is extended in the country due to the coronavirus crisis and that trips abroad are prohibited during the holiday period.
The closure of the borders as long as it is not possible to travel abroad responds to the intention of preventing the spread of the new variants of the virus that circulate throughout the world the Brazilian, the British, the South African – and that are potentially more contagious. On the other hand, the state of emergency – in force since October 1 – expired this Friday, although the authorities have decided to extend it for 40 more days, until April 28, reports Europa Press.
CHINA REGISTERS THE FIRST CONFIRMED CASE OF LOCAL CORONAVIRUS SINCE FEBRUARY
China reported a confirmed case of local coronavirus on Thursday, according to Reuters from health authorities.The case of the city of Xi’an, in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, is the first of local transmission since February 14, although infections have been frequently detected in people arriving in China from abroad.The Xi’an patient works at a local hospital and is in charge of collecting samples from quarantined people to test for coronavirus, according to the provincial health commission. British Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said Thursday that the supply of coronavirus vaccines will be slower than expected in the coming weeks, but will increase in May, June, and July. We have less supply than we would have expected for the next few weeks, but we expect it to increase again throughout April,” Jenrick told the BBC, according to Reuters.
“The deployment of the vaccine will be slightly slower than we could have expected, but not slower than the target,” he said. We have every reason to believe that the supply will increase in May, June, and July. French Prime Minister Jean Castex will announce today new restrictions that will affect the Ile-de-France region, which includes Paris, and part of the Hauts de France, to the north, where the situation is worrying, according to Le Figaro.
The French Ministry of Health has reported 38,501 new cases of coronavirus and another 246 deaths in hospitals in the last day while moving towards new restrictions that will start this weekend. The country has already accumulated 4,146,609 positives for coronavirus and 91,437 deaths since the pandemic began Press. More than 5.3 million people have received at least the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in France, which plans to resume the inoculation campaign with AstraZeneca as soon as the European Medicines Agency recommends it. The EMA is scheduled to speak on Thursday.
Most people who have had COVID-19 are protected from contracting it again for at least six months, but after 65 years that protection decreases a bit, according to a large study carried out in Denmark and published in The Lancet. Reinfections are rare but more likely in those over 6508 The Community of Madrid faces the San José bridge closed perimeter and with an irregular evolution in the number of infections and deaths from coronavirus, which usually exceed twenty and one thousand cases a day, respectively, and awaiting the conclusions of the European Agency of AstraZeneca Vaccine Medication. Madrid closes until Sunday by the San José bridge.
The causal link between the vaccine and thrombosis has not been proven, the coronavirus has been shown to cause thrombi in 15% of cases. Should the AstraZeneca vaccine be discouraged for women taking the pill? The contraceptive is a drug that in itself increases the risk of thromboembolic phenomena. And what about other people at risk? AstraZeneca vaccine: does the risk of thrombosis increase if I take the contraceptive pill? The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends continuing vaccinations against the coronavirus with doses of AstraZeneca despite the suspension ordered in several European countries since the advantages of this immunization, for now, are greater than the risks.
Spain is among the countries that have temporarily suspended its administration after the problems of thrombi suffered in three vaccinated, one of them resulting in death. Spain has received a total of 1,927,400 doses of the preparation against the coronavirus from AstraZeneca-Oxford, of which 980,126 doses have been injected, among education professionals, police, firefighters, etc., under 55 years of age. A total of 9 people have received the complete guideline. The Ministry of Health will abide by the decision adopted today by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on vaccination against the coronavirus with AstraZeneca. What can you expect from the EMA about the AstraZeneca vaccine?
Brussels is studying stopping exports of coronavirus vaccines to the United Kingdom if this country continues without sending doses of the AstraZeneca drug that is produced in British plants to Community territory. President Von der Leyen, president of the European Commission (EC), explained that European companies have exported 10 million vaccines to the United Kingdom in the last six weeks, which places it as the third European recipient of serum produced in Europe, while the EU is still waiting to receive doses of AstraZeneca produced on British soil. The vaccine war further divides the UK and Europe
THE DOSES OF VACCINES AGAINST THE CORONAVIRUS IN SPAIN REACH 5.8 MILLION IN ALMOST THREE MONTHS
Spain has administered 76.2% of the doses delivered of vaccines against the coronavirus. In other words, of the 7,684,265 distributed among the autonomous communities, 5,857,085 have been injected since the vaccination campaign with Araceli, the first person immunized in our country, began. The two doses, that is, the complete schedule, have been received by 1,804,615 people, 30.8 of those administered, according to data published by the Ministry of Health. The vaccination campaign has been hampered by the production capacity of the laboratories, lower than expected, and by the delivery of fewer doses than those promised in the contracts signed with the European Union. AstraZeneca has delivered less than half of the committed doses.
The European Union has administered 51 million vaccines to date, of which 5.8? Have been injected in our country. Brussels is now rethinking vaccine exports given the slowness of the vaccination process once it has set itself a goal this summer to reactivate tourism.BioNTech-Pfizer pharmaceutical laboratories will distribute 200 million vaccines in the European Union AstraZeneca, 70 million against the 180 promisedJohnson & Johnson single dose 55 million; and Moderna 35 in April, May, and June, according to estimates by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
In Spain it accounts for 10% of the total, depending on the distribution established by population. The Balearic Islands have been occupying the bottom positions in the Spanish vaccination ranking for weeks (only 2.6% of the total population has been vaccinated). However, the archipelago occupies a privileged position to become the first Spanish region in which the vaccination passport that the European Commission presented yesterday begins to be tested. The Balearic Islands will be the laboratory of the European ‘covid passport’ despite its low vaccination rate. The European Parliament and the countries of the European Union must approve the proposal for the vaccination certificate against the coronavirus before June to be able to reactivate travel in time in the tourist season.
But there is no unanimity on this. France and Belgium have expressed their reluctance to implement it due to the possibility of discriminating against people who have not been vaccinated, also taking into account that the vaccination rate is lower than expected. We want to help the Member States to restore freedom of movement reliably said President Ursula Von der Leyen, to which Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders added that Brussels hopes the document is ready. before the summer, perhaps in June.
THIRD CONSECUTIVE WEEK OF INCREASE IN CORONAVIRUS CASES IN THE WORLD
Global cases of Covid-19 rose 10% during the last week, the third consecutive increase in infections, although the number of deaths has continued to decline since mid-January when a peak of 95,000 weekly deaths was reached. Last week fewer than 60,000 deaths were registered, a figure that was not so low for four months, at the beginning of November. Although deaths fell globally, increases were recorded in the Middle East (7%) and East Asia (14%) regions, reports Efe.
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has asked the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to share his surplus coronavirus vaccines and to convene a G20 with the only item on the agenda for the distribution of serum. “One suggestion I would like to make to Biden is that it is very important to call a G20 meeting urgently, it is important to convene the main leaders of the world and put one thing on the table, one topic: vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, “Lula said in an interview with the US television network CNN, collected by Efe. The Brazilian opposition leader assured that “the responsibility of international leaders is tremendous” and said he was addressing Biden because he does not trust the government of Jair Bolsonaro.
The transmission of the coronavirus could become a seasonal phenomenon, although for now, the data is insufficient to affirm that it has a dependence on climate and air quality, the UN reported on Thursday. More than a year after the appearance of the disease in China, there are still unknowns regarding its transmission. the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, created a working group made up of 16 specialists in charge of analyzing the influence of meteorological factors and air quality in the pandemic seasonal nature of respiratory viral diseases -particularly the cold season for influenza and coronaviruses that cause colds in temperate climates- suggests that Covid-19 would be an almost complete disease. seasonal if it persists for many years. They indicate that studies with process models have shown that its transmission could become seasonal over time, suggesting its possible dependence on both meteorological and air quality factors to control the disease in the future.