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Two cases of a crown mutant from South Africa have been detected in Great Britain. The variant will be examined in the Porton Down laboratory, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told reporters in London. According to the information, it is the mutant with the designation 501.V2. Last Friday, South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said that 501.V2 was circulating in his country.
Those infected are contact persons of those infected from South Africa in recent weeks. “This new variant is extremely worrying because it is even more transferable and appears to have mutated more than the (first) new variant,” the minister said. The first modified variant had previously been discovered in Great Britain.
The Roche Group assumes that the first mutation variant of the virus to appear in the UK will not affect the accuracy of its Covid-19 tests. This assumption must be supported by an analysis of rapid antigen tests. “We will share our results as soon as these investigations are completed,” the medical company said. The pharmaceutical giant, known primarily for its cancer drugs, is also the world’s largest provider of tests and procedures to diagnose disease. Meanwhile, Israel reported that the mutation first discovered in Britain has now also been detected in four cases in Israel.
Canada approves Moderna vaccine, Switzerland begins vaccination
Canada approved the vaccine from the American modern biotechnology company. The Ministry of Health announced it on its website. This paves the way for the delivery of up to 168,000 cans this year. Two weeks ago, Canada approved the use of the vaccine from Mainz-based company Biontech and its US partner Pfizer. It has already been used to vaccinate health workers and the elderly.
Switzerland has now also approved the vaccine from the two companies and started administering it to the population. According to the Swiss medical authority, it was the first proper clearance worldwide and not, as in other countries, an emergency clearance. First, a nursing home resident over the age of 90 received the vaccine on Wednesday.
Vaccine delivery to EU countries begins
Delivery of the corona vaccine from the Biontech / Pfizer companies to the EU countries begins. The vans are ready to leave the Pfizer site in Puurs, Belgium, a company spokesman said at the request of the dpa on Wednesday. This will ensure “that national health authorities across Europe can start their vaccination programs as of December 27.” Also in Germany, the first doses of the vaccine will be injected on Sunday.
Work is now in full swing “to prepare the first batches for distribution,” he said from Pfizer. However, for security reasons, at this time “no details of individual deliveries are given.”
The Pfizer spokesperson announced that the Puurs plant, south of Antwerp, will continue to operate and will play an important role “in our global production and delivery operations as a formulation, filling and processing location for Europe and the rest of the world (except USA).) Touch “. Based on current forecasts, it is assumed “that we will produce up to 1.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine worldwide by 2021.”
US Orders Another 100 Million Vaccine Doses from Biontech and Pfizer
The United States ordered an additional 100 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer. The United States had already ordered that amount with the first order. The vaccination doses, which are produced on-site for use in the U.S., will be delivered by July 31, 2021, the companies announced Wednesday.
This should allow 200 million Americans to get vaccinated, because the vaccine must be given twice for the best possible efficacy. Both lots are said to cost nearly $ 2 billion each.
The United States has also ordered 200 million doses of vaccine from Moderna. This vaccine also received emergency approval in the US a few days ago.
France and the Netherlands allow re-entry of people from Great Britain
Travelers from Great Britain can re-enter France with a current negative Corona test. On Wednesday morning, the first passengers of the ferry from Great Britain disembarked again in the French port of Calais. After the border has been closed for 48 hours due to the spread of the new variant of the coronavirus, trucks can also cross again from Great Britain to France. Eurostar trains with freight passengers and cars can also travel under the English Channel across the border.
The Netherlands is also allowing travelers from Great Britain to re-enter the country. The government in The Hague announced that entry has been allowed again since midnight. However, the prerequisite is a negative corona test result. Airlines and shipowners are obliged to check it. Travelers from South Africa are also welcome under these conditions.
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France’s Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said on Twitter Tuesday that French and EU citizens could return to the island by ferry, plane and Eurostar train starting at midnight if they had a negative Covid test. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, similar rules will apply to people permanently residing in France.
In view of the large volume of trucks at the border, the London government does not expect the backlog in the county of Kent, in the south-east of England, to dissolve quickly. According to estimates by the British Freight Forwarders Association (RHA), there are now between 8,000 and 10,000 vehicles waiting to depart for France. British Transport Minister Grant Shapps said enough rapid tests had been sent to the region showing a result after 30 minutes.
Fearing the spread of the coronavirus variant, which is rampant in Britain and possibly more contagious, France, among others, had closed its borders to travelers and deliveries from Britain. Many truckers have been stranded in the south of England.
EU Commission warns against general border closure
With the partial reopening of the border, France is following a recommendation from the EU Commission, which had spoken out against general travel bans to and from Britain. According to the recommendation to member states, the traffic of goods in particular should be maintained, according to the same principle that was applied after the uncoordinated border closures during the first wave of Corona in spring.
Therefore, no quarantine should be ordered for truck drivers, and testing obligations should only be applied if this does not affect freight traffic. Travelers should be able to return home. Britain has been largely isolated from continental Europe since Sunday night after the mutated virus was discovered there.
The recommendations of the EU Commission are not binding on the EU states, as border closure is the responsibility of the respective countries. According to information from the German Press Agency, the commission assumes that the mutant corona virus discovered in England has already reached several EU countries. Therefore, the closure of borders would not make sense. Britain has one of the best detection methods, so it was obvious that the mutation was detected there early, he said. But it has already been noticed in Denmark and the Netherlands.
The coronavirus reaches Antarctica
The coronavirus has reached a research station in Antarctica and has now reached every continent. At least 36 people infected with corona have been registered at the “Bernardo O’Higgins Riquelme” station in Chile. The infected were 26 soldiers and 10 civilians from a maintenance company, Chilean media reported this Monday night (local time), citing the army that operates the station.
For months, the southern continent had been one of the last places where you could quietly hang out with people in locked rooms. The strict measures helped prevent a crown outbreak. Countries with research stations in Antarctica quickly issued bans on cruise ships and other visitors that fail to provide essential supplies. So each of the twelve stations became its own bubble.
The newspaper Third reported last week that the crew of the amphibious landing ship Sergeant Aldea After a stay at the “Bernardo-O’Higgins Station” due to three cases of corona, he entered quarantine. The ship had transported maintenance personnel and supplies for the station. Those infected from the research station were transferred to the city of Punta Arenas in Patagonia, which is considered the starting point for Antarctic expeditions. The “Bernardo O’Higgins Riquelme” station is located in the extreme north of the Antarctic Peninsula in West Antarctica.
The base is one of more than a dozen Chilean stations in Antarctica and is named after Bernardo O’Higgins Riquelme, who fought for independence from Spain. The station was built in 1948, making it one of the longest continuously operating stations on the Antarctic continent.
