[ad_1]
President Donald Trump immediately posted a video on Twitter, praising the news as a “medical miracle” and saying the first immunizations would take place “in less than 24 hours.”
An NHS pharmacy technician holds up a vial while simulating the preparation of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine during a staff training session prior to the vaccine launch on December 8, 2020. Image: AFP.
WASHINGTON – The United States gave the green light to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Friday night, paving the way for millions of vulnerable people to receive their vaccines in the world’s worst-affected country.
President Donald Trump immediately posted a video on Twitter, praising the news as a “medical miracle” and saying the first vaccines would be made “in less than 24 hours.”
It comes as infections in the United States skyrocket like never before, with the grim milestone of 300,000 confirmed deaths rapidly approaching.
The United States is now the sixth country to approve the two-dose regimen, after Britain, Bahrain, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Mexico.
The move came earlier than expected and culminated in a day of drama after it was widely reported that the White House had threatened to fire Food and Drug Administration chief Stephen Hahn if he did not grant emergency approval on Friday. .
Trump’s intervention reintroduces politics into the scientific process, which some experts say could undermine confidence in vaccines.
The United States seeks to vaccinate 20 million people this month alone, with residents of long-term care facilities and healthcare workers at the front of the line.
The government also said Friday that it is buying an additional 100 million doses of the Moderna vaccine candidate, amid reports that the government missed an opportunity to secure more supply of the Pfizer vaccine.
The purchase brings its total supply of Moderna doses to 200 million, enough to immunize 100 million people with the two-shot regimen that could be approved next week.
Both pioneers are based on mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid), a great victory for a technology that has never been tested before.
Two other vaccine candidates stumbled on Friday: France’s Sanofi and Britain’s GSK said their vaccine wouldn’t be ready until late 2021.
And in Australia, development of a vaccine at the University of Queensland was abandoned on Friday after clinical trials produced a false positive HIV result among subjects involved in the first tests.
SPUTNIK MIX
The mixed news on the vaccine front comes as infections rapidly accelerated in North America and parts of Africa, but began to stabilize in Europe and declined in Asia and the Middle East.
Worldwide, more than 1.58 million lives have been lost to COVID-19 since it emerged in China a year ago, according to an AFP tally from official sources.
Brazil surpassed 180,000 deaths on Friday, despite President Jair Bolsonaro’s insistence that the crisis was “at the end.”
But across the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand, which has been praised for its handling of the virus, took its first tentative steps toward reopening its borders, with the tiny Cook Islands.
Meanwhile, countries that approved the Pfizer-BioNTech jab were gearing up for its implementation, as the World Health Organization warned of a potentially bleak Christmas season.
Following Britain’s lead, the first vaccine shipments to 14 sites in Canada are scheduled to arrive on Monday, and people will receive injections a day or two later.
Israel, which accepted its first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday, is targeting a December 27 launch.
And Hong Kong said on Friday it had struck deals for two vaccines, one from Pfizer and the other from Beijing-based Sinovac, with plans to launch a campaign in early 2021.
AstraZeneca is also testing a new combination approach, the Russian operation of which said it would mix its injection with locally made Sputnik V vaccine in clinical trials.
Russia and China have already started inoculation efforts with domestically produced vaccines that have been the subject of less rigorous research.
EU countries eagerly await the approval of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, in late December and early January, respectively.
DOWN CARBON
As Europe’s surge slows slightly, France plans to lift a six-week lockdown starting Tuesday, but will impose a curfew starting at 8:00 p.m., including on New Year’s Eve.
Greece also announced new plans on Friday to reduce the quarantine time for incoming travelers and reopen churches for Christmas.
But Switzerland, which is experiencing a strong resurgence of cases, announced a 7:00 p.m. curfew for shops, restaurants and bars.
While the lockdowns have brought financial pain, boredom, and a myriad of other problems, the effect on the environment has been more positive.
Carbon emissions fell a record seven percent in 2020 when countries imposed lockdowns, according to the Global Carbon Project.
Download the EWN app on your iOS or Android device.
[ad_2]
