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After the corona vaccination of all people in the United States, the United States government wants the remaining doses to be available to other countries, according to President Joe Biden. The United States could only feel safe if the entire world is safe from the pandemic, Biden said at the White House. “It is not a problem that can be stopped with a fence, no matter how high the fence or wall is built.” Biden confirmed that the US is ordering an additional 100 million doses of vaccines from manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. “If we have a surplus, we will share it with the rest of the world,” he promised.
Biden has committed to having enough vaccinations for the roughly 260 million adults in the United States by the end of May. The government has secured delivery of 300 million doses of each of Moderna and Biontech / Pfizer’s vaccines by the end of July. The vaccines are given in two doses each. In addition, the US will continue to receive 100 million cans from Johnson & Johnson by then. The vaccine is fully effective after just one dose.
Initially, the US government did not provide information on when the additional 100 million Johnson & Johnson cans will be delivered. The American pharmaceutical company Merck agreed to produce its competitor’s vaccine to increase its supply. The US government financially supports the agreement.
So far, the Biden administration has made it clear that its goal is to have more vaccine than necessary for the entire population, among other things, in case a booster is needed later. About 330 million people live in the United States. The US government is also supporting the Covax global vaccine initiative, initially with up to $ 4 billion.
According to the CDC, about 96 million doses of vaccines have already been administered in the U.S. More than 62 million people received the first dose – nearly 33 million, nearly 10 percent of the total population, consider themselves fully vaccinated. .
Biontech will deliver four million more cans to the EU in the short term
Manufacturers Biontech and Pfizer want to deliver an additional four million doses of corona vaccine to the European Union in the next two weeks. The additional package was negotiated so that EU states could specifically vaccinate at crown hotspots and slow the spread of the dreaded virus variants, EU Commission Head Ursula von der said on Wednesday in Brussels. They read.
The Commission hopes that targeted vaccines at hotspots will make stricter controls at internal EU borders unnecessary. This applies, for example, to the Franco-German border with the French department of Moselle, where a particularly high number of mutated virus infections are detected. “Used specifically where they are needed most, especially in border regions, these cans will help ensure or restore freedom of movement for goods and people,” stressed von der Leyen. “They are essential for the functioning of health systems and the internal market.”
According to the EU’s internal distribution key, Germany could receive 18.6 percent of the additional quota, that is, around 740,000 doses of vaccine. The federal government must decide whether to use this option and how the additional amounts will be distributed among the federal states.
The EU Commission expects a total of around 100 million doses of the three vaccines previously approved in the EU by Biontech and Pfizer, Moderna and Astra Zeneca, for the first quarter until the end of March. Originally, Biontech and Pfizer were supposed to deliver 62 million doses of this total, now 66 million.
Palestinian hospitals are overcrowded
According to the authorities, some of the Palestinian hospitals in the occupied West Bank are overcrowded. Some clinics are more than 100 percent full and some intensive care units are fully occupied with corona patients, says Prime Minister Mohammed Shtajjeh in Ramallah.
Closures have been ordered in Palestinian cities for the past two weeks to contain the pandemic. The coronavirus is a particular challenge for the densely populated areas occupied by Israel.
Furthermore, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have received only a few doses of vaccine so far. Israel, on the other hand, vaccinated more than 50 percent of its population. Numerous human rights organizations have asked Israel, in reference to the Geneva Convention, to vaccinate the Palestinian population as the occupying power. Israel now wants to extend its vaccination campaign to Palestinians working in Israel or in settlements in the West Bank, all of them 120,000 Palestinians with Israeli work permits.
Italy obtains the first Sputnik-V plant in Europe
The first production plant in Europe for the Russian Sputnik V vaccine arrives in Italy. The Russian fund RDIF, which markets Sputnik V, has signed a corresponding agreement with the Swiss pharmaceutical company Adienne, the Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce announced. This paves the way for the construction of the first Sputnik-V plant in Europe. Production should start in June.
Ten million doses of the vaccine could be produced in Italy before the end of the year. Sputnik V has not yet been approved in the EU, but Hungary is already using it and the Czech Republic is planning to do so.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine about to be approved in the EU
The vaccine from the US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson could still be approved for the European Union (EU) in March. On March 11, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will review the vaccine for use in the EU, announced the head of the EMA’s supervisory board, Christa Wirthumer-Hoche, in a talk show on the broadcaster. Austrian ORF. “We expect a positive assessment and that the EU Commission will grant approval quickly.” On the other hand, there is still not enough data for the approval of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V. “That is why I strongly recommend not to issue a national emergency license,” explains Wirthumer-Hoche.
Von der Leyen promises 100 million doses of vaccines per month in the EU
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expects many more vaccines from next month. “Starting in April, the amounts could double again according to the manufacturers’ plans, also because more vaccines are about to be approved,” he said. Stuttgart newspaper and the Stuttgart News (Monday). It estimates across the EU “an average of about 100 million doses per month in the second quarter, a total of 300 million at the end of June”. According to the newspapers, this would mean around 20 million doses per month for Germany, requiring significantly higher vaccination capacities.
According to figures from the Robert Koch Institute on Friday, around 7.3 million doses of vaccine have been administered in Germany since vaccinations began in late December. Of the nearly 5 million people who were vaccinated, nearly half also received the second vaccine.
The federal government classifies Greece as a risk zone
Due to the increasing number of corona infections, the federal government has classified all of Greece as a corona risk area for the first time since Sunday. For parts of Croatia, including the Istrian peninsula, which is very popular with tourists, all entry restrictions due to the pandemic will be lifted at the same time, as the Robert Koch Institute announced on the Internet on Friday.
Due to the particularly high number of infections, Hungary, Sweden and Jordan are classified as high-risk areas. Until now, Greece has been one of the few countries that has never been fully classified as a corona risk area. More recently, the Greek Aegean islands, Crete, and the Ionian islands, including Corfu, off the western coast of Greece, were excluded.
Starting Sunday, returnees from these regions must also undergo Corona tests within 48 hours of entering Germany. They also have to be quarantined for ten days, of which they can only dispose of another negative test after five days.
Countries and regions where the number of new infections exceeds 50 per 100,000 population in seven days (incidence) are designated as risk areas. Countries with an incidence of more than 200 are considered high-risk areas. If you are coming to Germany from these regions, you must present a negative test upon entry.
