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The European Union drug agency suggested Thursday that a coronavirus vaccine (COVID-19) could be ready in a year, even when the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the disease will never go away.
Past and present world leaders have insisted that all eventual vaccines and treatments should be made available to everyone free of charge, with the global death toll from the disease approaching 300,000.
The pandemic has sparked a huge social and economic upheaval across the globe, and while some nations have begun to ease blockades, fears of a second wave have closed many businesses and people are confined to their homes.
Washington heightened tensions about the crisis by accusing China of trying to steal the investigation, and United States President Donald Trump increased the rhetoric with a colorful phrase that would likely infuriate Beijing.
“We just made a great trade deal, the ink was barely dry and the world was hit by the Chinese plague. 100 trade deals wouldn’t make up the difference, and all those innocent lives lost! Trump tweeted.
‘In the best case’
With the race to find a rhythm for vaccine collection, the European Medicines Agency said that one could be ready in a year based on data from ongoing trials.
WHO raises concerns about BCG vaccine use
Announcing the forecast in a video press conference, Marco Cavaleri, head of EMA’s vaccine strategy and biological threats to health, emphasized that it was the “best case scenario.”
“We also know there may be delays,” he said, expressing skepticism about reports that a vaccine could be ready as early as September.
Patent free science
And world leaders were among the 140 signatories to a letter published Thursday, saying that any vaccine should not be patented and that science should be shared among nations. “Governments and international partners must come together around a global guarantee that ensures that when a safe and effective vaccine is developed, it is produced quickly at scale and made available to all, in all countries, in a comprehensive manner. free, “he said.
A vaccine could allow countries to reopen completely since closures that have hit economies and left millions of people out of work.
But the WHO warned that the virus can never be completely removed.
“This virus can become another endemic virus in our communities and this virus will never go away,” said Michael Ryan, director of emergencies for the global health agency.
“HIV has not disappeared, but we have come to terms with the virus.”
The UN also warned that the outbreak risked a major mental health crisis and called for urgent measures to address psychological suffering.
Trump has been pushing for a rapid resumption of economic activity in the US. The US, often against the advice of health officials, as it tries to boost the world’s largest economy ahead of the November election.
“Wave of bankruptcies”
The United States is the country most affected by COVID-19, registering a total of more than 84,000 deaths.
Chief infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said reopening too early runs the risk of triggering uncontrollable outbreaks, but Trump dismissed the cautionary call as “not acceptable.”
Tensions between health and the economy were eased on Wednesday when Federal Reserve chief Jay Powell warned of a possible “wave of bankruptcies” that could cause lasting damage.
Other indications of the damage to companies emerged Thursday when Lloyd’s of London forecast that the pandemic will cost the global insurance industry about $ 203 billion.
And Australia released figures showing that nearly 6,000,000 people lost their jobs when the country’s virus shutdown took hold in April, the biggest monthly decline in employment since records began more than 40 years ago.
But the reopening of economies continued across Europe, where the EU has put forward proposals for a gradual restart of travel and the eventual lifting of border controls.
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