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According to Biontech and Pfizer, documents related to the coronavirus vaccine were accessed from pharmaceutical companies in a hacker attack on the European Medicines Agency (EMA). “Certain documents related to the submission of approvals for Pfizer and Biontech’s Covid-19 candidate vaccine BNT162b2 are affected,” Biontech announced Wednesday night. There is no evidence that patient data is affected.
According to Ema, the incident will not affect the timing of the vaccine’s examination. Pfizer confirmed the information. Ema had previously announced the hacker attack without giving details. Now the background will be investigated. The Ema is responsible for the evaluation and monitoring of medicines.
Canada approves the vaccine
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 be number three in the world after Great Britain and Bahrain 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.
Note D. Red: An earlier version of this announcement incorrectly stated that Canada was the second country to grant a permit. Excuse the mistake.
Israel begins corona vaccination campaign on December 27
Israel will begin its corona vaccination campaign on December 27, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The 71-year-old man announced Wednesday night in Tel Aviv that he would be the first to be vaccinated. At the same time, Netanyahu appealed to his nine million compatriots to follow his example. “I ask all citizens to get vaccinated.” 60,000 doses of vaccine could be administered per day. Those who are vaccinated must receive a “green passport”. “That will quickly return us to normal,” Netanyahu said.
That same morning, the first batch of vaccine doses from the Mainz-based pharmaceutical company Biontech and the American company Pfizer had arrived in Israel. Netanyahu personally received the delivery at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. According to media reports, Israel has agreed a total of eight million vaccine doses with Biontech / Pfizer. There is also an agreement with the American company Moderna for six million doses of vaccines. Israel wants to wait for the decision on emergency approvals from the US FDA before using the vaccines.
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In Israel, the number of infections had skyrocketed during the summer after a relatively mild pandemic began. One of the reasons is premature relaxation. In mid-September, the government imposed a second blockade. The number of new infections fell from over 9,000 to just over 200. The government has been gradually improving the situation since mid-October. Recently, however, the numbers have risen again.
Slovakia decides to blockade step by step despite massive tests
Slovakia has decided on a step-by-step lockdown to combat the corona pandemic. Prime Minister Igor Matovič presented a plan late Wednesday that provides different dates for the start of restrictions for the country of 5.5 million people, depending on the industry. This includes that three days before Christmas, most stores are closed for at least three weeks. There are exceptions for the sale of food and other products that cover basic needs.
Starting this Friday, restaurants and cafes in the EU country will have to lock their outdoor terraces in addition to previously closed indoor spaces. The sale of food and drink to go is still allowed. As of December 14, hotels and ski lifts will only be able to accept guests who can present a current negative corona test. After Christmas, no one can work in companies with more than 500 employees without a negative Corona test.
The measures are controversial because Slovakia had subjected almost the entire population to rapid corona tests. Matovič had touted these massive tests as an alternative to the blockade.
Spain records fewer and fewer new infections: figures in Austria and France are increasing significantly
Spain is slowly controlling the current coronavirus outbreak. According to the Health Ministry, nearly 9,800 people have been infected with the pathogen since Monday. That is the lowest value since August. The total number of cases is around 1.7 million. The number of deaths per crown increased from 373 to 47,000.
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. Despite the partial lockdown that has ended, the infection rate in Austria is still at a high level.
In France, the end of the blockade is a long way off, given the growing number of cases. Authorities announced 14,595 new infections on Wednesday after 13,713 the day before and 14,064 a week ago. The government is targeting 5,000 new cases. The number of new deaths, on the other hand, fell from 377 to 296.
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.
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.
