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Johnson & Johnson has applied for emergency approval for its corona vaccine in the United States. A corresponding step in Europe should follow in the coming weeks, the US pharmaceutical company announced.
Just under a week ago, Johnson & Johnson announced that its vaccine had been 66 percent effective in a global study. The vaccine has the advantage that a single dose should be sufficient instead of two. In addition, the preparation does not have to be stored frozen, which facilitates distribution. Unlike some of the competitor’s vaccines, the vaccine is not based on a completely new technology, but on a normal cold virus.
As soon as the FDA approval process has been completed and approval has been granted, delivery can begin, company chief Paul Stoffels said. The FDA scheduled a meeting of its Independent Vaccine Advisory Committee on February 26. This then makes a recommendation. The Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that had already been approved were approved a day later.
Johnson & Johnson plans to supply 1 billion cans in total this year. The vaccine will be produced in the United States, Europe, South Africa and India. The United States has insured 100 million cans for a billion dollars. Johnson & Johnson expects deliveries in the first half of the year. The United States also has an option for an additional 200 million cans. The EU has secured up to 400 million doses of the drug.
Romania only allows entry from Germany with a negative test
Romania tightened entry requirements for people from countries that are considered corona risk areas in the EU member state. As of February 12, only those who can show a negative PCR test result for the Sars-Cov-2 virus will be able to enter from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. That was decided by the national civil protection committee in Bucharest on Thursday night.
This does not apply to travelers who can show that they have already received both doses of a vaccine or that they have survived a corona infection three months before entering the country. There are also exceptions for certain occupational groups in the transportation industry. The seven-day incidence in Romania is currently 86.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, lower than in many other European countries.
Acquisition of the corona vaccine: Von der Leyen admits mistakes
The president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, admits mistakes in the procurement of corona vaccines. “We have focused a lot on the question of whether there will be a vaccine, that is, development,” he said in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung and some foreign media. “In hindsight, we should have given more thought to the challenges of parallel mass production.”
The Brussels authority ordered up to 2.3 billion doses of vaccines for the 27 EU member states from six manufacturers, but right now the companies are delivering less than expected or promised. Astra Zeneca can only supply 40 million cans instead of 80 million at the end of March due to problems at a plant in Belgium. The CDU politician admitted that he underestimated “what complications may arise.” This could also have generated exaggerated expectations: “We should have explained to people that things are progressing, but slowly, and that there will be problems and delays with these completely new procedures.”
In view of constant criticism that the EU was too reluctant to order companies, von der Leyen said that decisions with 27 participants could sometimes take a bit longer: “Of course, a country can be a speedboat and the UE is more of a tanker truck. ” However, he emphasized that all governments were closely involved in negotiations with pharmaceutical companies.
EU authority: added benefit of FFP2 masks only very small
At a time when many people are already stressed out by anti-crown measures, this is a message that no one will like to hear: the EU health authority, ECDC, expresses its doubts that FFP2 masks are much more effective in everyday life. , that they are worth using. . “The expected added value of the universal use of FFP2 respirators in the community is very low,” the Stockholm-based authority said at the request of the German press agency.
EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides confirmed the assessment of the EU authority in Brussels. “The ECDC says that the evidence is not strong enough at this point to make it necessary to recommend this in everyday life,” Kyriakides said when asked. It is important to wear a mask correctly and keep your distance. “But at the moment, ECDC does not support the use of FFP2 masks in the community, according to their guidance.”
The costs and potential downsides also speak against the recommendation to wear FFP2 masks over other masks in public, the ECDC said. However, no details were given of these possible drawbacks.
Particularly tight-fitting, but more expensive, masks are designed to protect against polluting particles like dust or aerosols. They are now required in many places in place of the normal everyday masks. In mid-January, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the prime minister agreed to require FFP2 masks, surgical masks or mouth guards to KN95 / N95 standards on public transport and in stores. The ECDC said that even the emergence of new variants of the coronavirus does not require any other type of mask than those currently used as part of non-pharmaceutical measures against the corona. According to its own information, the authority is in the process of updating a document with evaluations of the use of masks in the social environment to reduce the transmission of the coronavirus.
The requirement for the FFP2 mask in certain places sparked a debate in Germany about costs and possible help for the poorest people. On Wednesday, however, it became clear that beneficiaries of unemployment benefit II would have to wait for the announced free FFP2 masks. Authorization certificates for pharmacy collection to a total of about five million people in need have not yet been sent by health insurance companies, as announced by the central association of statutory health insurance companies. “It is not yet possible to say when the shipment will actually start,” said association spokesman Florian Lanz from the German press agency. Important questions still need to be clarified beforehand.
The association noted that the necessary change to the regulation of the so-called coronavirus protective mask has yet to be decided by the government. A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Health said regulation was in process. The Minister of Social Affairs, Hubertus Heil (SPD) and the Minister of Health, Jens Spahn (CDU), announced last week that around five million beneficiaries of basic security should each receive ten free FFP2 masks. The background to this is the new regulations for the use of medical masks on buses, trains and when shopping. You should be able to pick up the masks at the pharmacy with a letter from your health insurance company and identification.
Denmark wants to develop a digital crown passport for vaccinated people
The Danish government plans to develop a digital crown passport, which will allow to relax pandemic measures for vaccinated people. In particular, the vaccine is intended to ease restrictions on business travel, according to a government statement Wednesday.
“Many companies in Denmark are global companies,” said current Finance Minister Morten Bødskov. Therefore, this relaxation is essential to “restart Danish society”. Soon there should be a vaccination certificate that should facilitate travel abroad. A second step is the development of a digital Corona passport that could also be used for purposes other than travel, for example for cultural or business life in Denmark. The digital passport could be used by mobile phone, but according to press reports, development and full implementation, including the application, could take a few months.
Already at the end of February, citizens should be able to see their vaccination status on a Danish online health platform. For several months now, it is possible to show and print a test if you have recently tested negative. The vaccination certificate must be the same as this passport.
According to the government, the questions remain open, such as to what extent people who have been vaccinated can still transmit the virus. In addition to business associations, representatives of Danish cultural life will participate in the development. In Denmark, around 184,000 people had received their first dose of vaccine as of January 29, and almost 45,000 had received their second. The Danish goal is for all citizens who wish to be vaccinated by the end of June 2021. There are also discussions in Germany on the question whether people who have been vaccinated should be exempted from the blocking restrictions.
Merkel and Macron: “The world will be different after Corona”
According to Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and other leading international politicians, the crown pandemic offers the opportunity for a new order in world politics. “The world will be different after Corona,” says a guest post for them. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and other leaves. The current crisis also offers the opportunity “through efficient cooperation, solidarity and coordination to regain consensus on an international order, an order based on multilateralism and the rule of law.” The problem of climate change can only be solved globally.
The document was also signed by French President Emmanuel Macron and Senegal’s head of state, Macky Sall. On behalf of international organizations, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the EU Council, Charles Michel, participated. The group also suggests closer cooperation in the framework of international forums such as the G7 and G20 groups.
The Covid 19 crisis is “the greatest test for generations of global solidarity,” the text continues. “If only one part of the world is affected by Covid-19, people and economies around the world are at risk.” Lessons must be drawn from this for future crises. “Instead of pitting cultures and values against each other, we have to build a more inclusive multilateralism. We have to respect our differences and our common values, which are anchored in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
