Corona in the world: Canada allows the vaccine – politics

Canada issues preliminary approval for corona vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer. It is the first vaccine approved in the country. At least 20 million doses of vaccines will be delivered to Canada over the next year, the two companies said. With the decision of the Canadian authorities, the country will become number two in the world after Great Britain for having approved the active ingredient in the fight against the pandemic.

Canada is expected to receive up to 249,000 doses of vaccines this month and four million in March. The government has signed a contract to buy 20 million cans and an option to receive 56 million more. For complete vaccination protection, a patient needs two doses. Regulatory authority Health Canada posted on its website that it had approved the product from US manufacturer Pfizer and its German partner Biontech after a comprehensive and independent review. The vaccine meets strict safety, efficacy and quality standards.

Significant increase in new infections in Austria

In Austria, authorities report an increase in positive tests from 555 to 2,932 new infections in one day. Another 54 people infected with the virus died. The country has a total of 4,056 deaths. There are currently 3,854 people hospitalized for treatment for the virus, 610 of them in intensive care units.

After a harsh three-week lockdown, the measurements were relaxed at the beginning of the week. The country’s nine million people can shop, but hotels and restaurants will be closed until January 6. Additionally, exit restrictions continue to apply in the afternoon and evening. Skiing should be possible from the Christmas holidays. Despite the partial lockdown that has ended, the infection rate in Austria is still at a high level.

The government is now conducting massive tests in some federal states to quickly find infected people and send them to quarantine. The meaning and reliability of the massive tests are controversial. The first rapid antigen tests began in the federal states of Vienna, as well as in Vorarlberg and Tirol. However, in Tirol, for example, only about a third of residents participated in the voluntary test.

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Brazil obtains 70 million doses of Biontech vaccine

According to the Ministry of Health, the Brazilian government has secured the delivery of 70 million doses of vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech. The vaccination units will be delivered from January next year, explains the Minister of Health, Eduardo Pazuello. Currently there are more than 300 million doses available through various agreements that only have to be approved by the Anvisa health authority. Brazil has the third highest number of confirmed cases in the world with 6.67 million and the second highest number of deaths with 178,159.

USA: New momentum for Corona aid package

In the US, there is a new push from the government in the fight for more help from the crown. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he presented to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi an aid package project worth $ 916 billion. “We are going to fund this proposal with $ 140 billion in unspent funds from the paycheck program and $ 429 billion from the treasury,” Mnuchin said.

Significant increase in new infections in France

France reports a significant increase in new infections. The Health Ministry tallied 13,713 new corona cases compared to 8,083 last week. 831 more deaths were reported. After the weekend, the numbers were significantly lower with 3,411 new cases and 366 deaths.

The Netherlands extends restrictions during holidays

In view of the continued high number of corona infections, the Netherlands is extending restrictions during the holidays. His government had waited longer, says Prime Minister Mark Rutte, “but it is not doing well” with a view to new infections and the use of hospitals. At the same time, increased financial support for restaurants and bars is being considered.

According to health authorities, 43,103 people were infected with the coronavirus in the week to Tuesday, a good quarter more than in the previous week. A partial lockdown has been in effect in the Netherlands since October 13.

First vaccination for 90-year-olds in Coventry

Britain became the first Western country to launch a vaccination campaign against the coronavirus. The first thing was Margaret Keenan, 90: On Tuesday morning at 7:31 am (CET) in Coventry, she received the injection with the active ingredient from the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Biontech. Keenan is the first person outside of a clinical trial to obtain the drug expected to contain the pandemic. “I feel incredibly privileged to be the first person to be vaccinated against Covid-19,” said the old man.

Britain is the country most affected by Covid-19 in Europe, with more than 61,000 deaths. It approved the Pfizer / Biontech drug for mass vaccination before other European countries and the United States. Vaccines from other corporations are also about to complete the approval process in several countries. In Germany, the head of the Chancellery, Helge Braun, expects mass vaccinations to begin next year. The Standing Commission on Immunization recommends that elderly people, residents and employees of nursing homes, as well as staff of emergency rooms, transplant medicine and care of the elderly be immunized first against coronavirus.

In Britain, only those who are contacted by the NHS national health service to make an appointment are destined for the first vaccination offensive. Most Brits will have to wait until there are enough doses over the next year to expand the program. “I don’t think people should expect anything in the next few days,” said NHS Providers CEO Chris Hopson. The reality is that the overwhelming majority can only get vaccinated later, roughly “in January, February, March,” he said.

As the NHS deputy head of the national health service, Saffron Cordery, said, four million doses of the vaccine should reach the country before the end of the year. That would mean vaccinations for two million people, since two doses per person are necessary for complete protection. In all, the country has ordered 40 million doses, which can be used to vaccinate 20 million Britons, that’s just under a third of the population.

In the style of “D-Day”, the landing of the allies in France on June 6, 1944, in anticipation of the first vaccinations on Tuesday, the “V-Day” was mentioned over and over again, the “V” was written for “vaccination”.

About a week earlier, the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner Biontech had received emergency approval for their jointly developed corona vaccine in Britain. This made the UK the first country in the world to approve the two companies’ vaccine.

Americans should get vaccinated for free

The White House has reiterated that Americans do not have to pay for coronavirus vaccines. A senior US government official said Monday night (local time) in a phone call with reporters: “No American will have to pay a penny out of pocket.” US President Donald Trump wanted to sign an order Tuesday at a meeting on “Operation Warp Speed” at the White House, according to which US stocks of coronavirus vaccine would initially benefit its own population.

Operation Warp Speed ​​is the White House vaccination project. He also said Monday that Trump would instruct the US State Department to work with other nations to obtain vaccination doses from US reserves. The vaccines are also planned to be donated to the poorest countries. In both cases, however, the precondition is the priority supply of the population in the USA.

320 million students have to stay home because of Corona

According to the United Nations, around 320 million children were unable to receive lessons in their schools in early December due to the corona pandemic. The UN Children’s Fund, Unicef, announced in New York on Tuesday that there were nearly 90 million more children affected by school closures than in early November. In early November, 232 million children were denied school attendance due to the pandemic.

Girls ‘and boys’ learning success is in jeopardy from school closings, and their physical and mental well-being is suffering, she said. UNICEF also warned that many children were suffering from the absence of school meals. This is especially true for poor countries. The aid organization called on governments to keep schools open or to reopen them if possible. Children must be offered a safe and healthy learning environment.

Schools are not the main drivers of the corona pandemic, Unicef ​​stressed. It is to be feared that too many schools will be closed unnecessarily. The federal states should at least organize electronic distance learning. Several countries closed schools in the first wave of the corona pandemic in the first months of the year to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 disease.

World Economic Forum 2021 in Singapore instead of Switzerland

The World Economic Forum (WEF) will move from Switzerland to Singapore in 2021 due to the crown. The meeting will take place there from May 13 to 16, the organizers announced Monday. The decision was made with a view to the safety of all participants and hosts. In Singapore, the crown’s situation is much better than in many other places, said WEF founder Klaus Schwab.

The WEF meeting in 2022 should take place again as usual in Davos. Switzerland is one of the countries in Europe most affected by the pandemic. A few weeks ago, Lucerne came into play as an alternate location. In the regular Davos week, a virtual event will be organized from January 25 to 29, he said.

Usually more than 3000 people participated in the annual meeting in Davos. Top politicians from around the world, including Chancellor Angela Merkel on several occasions, were regular guests.