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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 seniors, nursing home residents and employees, as well as staff in emergency rooms, transplant medicine, and elder care get vaccinated against coronavirus first.
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 director of the national health service, Saffron Cordery, said by the end of the year four million doses of the vaccine should reach the country. 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.
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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.
The Austrian government disputes the rules of the crown
In Austria, there are disagreements in the turquoise green federal government for the second time in a few days due to crown policy. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) rejected on Monday Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) proposal to extend travel restrictions to contain the pandemic beyond the first week of January. Kurz wrote that the rejection was “harsh” delivery courier.
The day before, Kogler had made his suggestion in the Vienna newspaper regarding lax standards in neighboring countries like Switzerland and Slovakia. For an extension, it was “frankly tighter than Kurz’s ÖVP”, Kogler said. Even before that there was a crisis at the top of the government. Kurz had claimed that the coronavirus was “introduced” in the summer by people with a migratory background who were traveling abroad to Austria. Kogler described Kurz’s statement as “one-sided and lacking in sensitivity.”
After three weeks of strict restrictions, all stores in Austria will reopen this Monday. Faced with the rapid increase in the number of infections, the federal government formed by the ÖVP and the Greens tightened measures to contain the corona pandemic in mid-November. As in spring, it was only allowed to leave the house and apartment in exceptional cases, for example to go shopping, visit the doctor or go for a walk or jog. Stores and service providers remained closed, except for supermarkets, drugstores, pharmacies and banks.
The country’s nine million inhabitants can already buy, but hotels and restaurants will remain 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 seven-day incidence value on Sunday was more than 250, significantly higher than in Germany, for example.
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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Russia: no more restrictions despite the maximum values
The Russian government does not see the need to impose more lockdown measures to contain the coronavirus. The authorities see the current regulations as sufficient, as announced by a Kremlin spokesman. The number of new infections in Russia has recently risen to negative highs again and again.
Russian authorities reported 28,142 new infections in 24 hours on Monday, including 7,279 in Moscow alone. Another 456 people have died related to the virus. In Russia, a total of 2,488,912 infections and 43,597 deaths have been confirmed.
