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France said it would receive about 1.16 million doses of vaccines by the end of the year, with another 2.3 million in the next two months.
Image: 123rf.
BERLIN, Germany – European nations pledged on Wednesday to launch their coronavirus vaccination campaigns before the end of the year, while the United States recorded a shocking new peak of more than 3,700 deaths in one day.
As spikes in infections prompted tighter restrictions in several countries, Germany said it will begin vaccinations on December 27, a date that is expected to coincide across the European Union.
France said it would receive about 1.16 million doses of vaccines by the end of the year, with another 2.3 million in the next two months.
The vaccination campaign cannot reach the besieged continent too soon, which is fast approaching 500,000 deaths from the disease.
“It feels like a Sunday,” said 57-year-old Ines Kumpl, looking out over the deserted streets of Berlin on the first day of a new partial closure. “These measures are necessary but it is stressful.”
Germany recorded a record 952 deaths in 24 hours on Wednesday, a figure that could rise if the worst-hit region of Saxony is not included.
But the figure was dwarfed by the United States, which set a grim double record by recording more than 3,700 deaths and more than 250,000 new cases in 24 hours, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
Denmark, France, Turkey and the Netherlands have tightened restrictions and Spain’s prime minister has expressed alarm at the increase in the number of infections there.
“To reach the end of the pandemic, we will need to vaccinate up to 70 percent of the population,” the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, told MEPs.
The pressure on the European Union has been mounting since Britain and the United States began their immunization programs, using a vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
The British government said more than 137,000 people had received a first dose in the week since the inoculations began.
- Vacation restriction allegations –
The European wing of the World Health Organization warned of a resurgence of the virus on the continent early next year, urging special precautions during the Christmas season.
“It can be uncomfortable to wear masks and practice physical distancing when with friends and family, but doing so goes a long way toward ensuring everyone remains safe,” he said.
As the United States falters in its efforts to control the virus, the White House announced that Vice President Mike Pence and his wife will receive the vaccine on Friday in a public display designed to boost fragile national confidence.
The event comes in the first week of the mass vaccination program in the US, which has recorded more than 300,000 deaths from COVID-19.
President Donald Trump is “absolutely open to receiving the vaccine,” a spokeswoman said.
Since he recently recovered from a COVID-19 attack, he is currently believed to be immune.
Pfizer said Wednesday it was investigating after a health care worker in Alaska suffered a severe allergic reaction after receiving the vaccine and is now hospitalized but stable.
US officials also said Wednesday that the sixth or even the seventh dose could be squeezed out of vials that were supposed to contain only five doses, to avoid wasting any valuable unused vaccine.
- Build confidence in the vaccine –
While much of the world waits to take a hit, Twitter said it would crack down on fake posts and conspiracy theories about vaccines.
The policy will include actions against claims that the vaccine is being used to intentionally harm or control people.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro turned upside down on Wednesday by backing the nation’s mass immunization campaign.
His support came a day after he told a well-known TV host that “I will not get vaccinated. It’s my problem. Full stop.”
Bolsonaro contracted the coronavirus in July, but recovered quickly.
Brazil set a new record for infections on Wednesday: 70,574 cases in one day, although authorities admit the actual number is much higher.
Peru, which has one of the highest COVID-19 death rates in the world, admitted it had no idea when it could get hold of the sought-after vaccine stocks.
By contrast, New Zealand rebounded from a coronavirus-induced recession with record economic growth of 14.0 percent in the July-September quarter.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the recovery was a reward for New Zealand’s success in containing the virus, with just 25 deaths among a population of five million.
The new coronavirus has killed at least 1,642,345 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a count from official sources compiled by AFP on Wednesday.
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