Great Britain, 70% more infectious strains appeared … Containment level 4 Strengthening

The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, will receive a Corona 19 Pfizer vaccine from Congressman Brian Monahan at an office on the Capitol in Washington on the 18th (local time). [UPI=연합뉴스]

Before Christmas, the UK has raised the level of response to the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) in the south east and east of England, including London, to the highest level of 4 steps. This is due to the rapid spread of a highly infectious virus variant in the region.

On the 19th (local time), British Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a press conference after having a video conference with ministers on the same day and said: “If you do not take action amid evidence suggesting that the infection will increase , the hospital will be overloaded. I will face it, and thousands more will die. ”The British Daily Telegraph reported that around 16.4 million people live in the area.

On the same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a Pfizer vaccine at the Shiva Medical Center near Tel Aviv. To reduce public anxiety about the vaccine, Prime Minister Netanyahu broadcast the vaccination process live. [로이터=연합뉴스]

The UK response to Corona 19 is classified into stages 1-4. After entering stage four, all non-essential stores are closed and outings restricted. You must stay home unless you cannot work from home and for purposes such as attending school and childcare. In outdoor public places, only two people can meet at a time. The UK government first applies these measures for two weeks and then decides whether to extend them for 30 days.

As a result, the British government has also shortened the time frame to ease some restrictions on the Christmas holidays from five days to one day. In England, up to three households can meet at Christmas. Prime Minister Johnson, who said just three days ago that “canceling Christmas is honestly inhumane,” said that day: “I know how disappointing it will be, but during the infectious disease pandemic, we must and will do what the science takes. “. As science changes, our responses must be different. ”

Prime Minister Johnson’s position changed after reports of new scientific evidence that the infectivity of the virus variant could be up to 70% stronger than the existing virus, the Telegraph explained. The corona virus 19 variant, which the UK government has dubbed ‘VUI-202012/01’, has been shown to increase the reproductive rate of the infection by as much as 0.4. “The variant first appeared in London and Kent in mid-September to mid-September, and in mid-November, around 28% of confirmed cases in London and the south-east of the UK were affected by the strain.” infected. In London recently, this number has risen to 60%. ”

However, no evidence has yet been found that the strain causes serious disease or neutralizes existing vaccines. “The advisory group has looked at the strain over the past few days and has shown that it spreads much faster, but there is no evidence that it causes more serious disease or higher mortality.” “There is currently no evidence that this strain affects vaccines or treatments,” Whity explained.

Vaccine supply manager apologizes for lack of initial supply

Gustav Furna

In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the urgent use of modder or vaccines after the Pfizer vaccine has been removed. Consequently, the US media predicted that vaccination against Modena could begin as early as the 21st. This makes the United States the first country to acquire two vaccines.

However, the noise related to the Pfizer vaccine, which began on the 14th, also continued. General of the Army Gustav Ferna, director of operations (COO) of the high-speed operations team (Warp Speed), the vaccine procurement project from the White House, said on 19 (local time) that 14 states had fewer vaccines than originally promised. He expressed his regret and said, “Please accept the apology.” “The federal government has incorrectly calculated the amount of vaccine to obtain from Pfizer,” Captain Funna said. “There was an error in the vaccine procurement plan and I will take responsibility for any errors in the communication process.”

At Stanford University in California, where crown damage is severe, with the exception of 7 of the 1,300 medical staff who care for front-line corona patients19, the rest are excluded from vaccination. There were also protests. On the 19th, the university apologized saying: “There was a system error in the process of preparing the list of people who were given priority for vaccination.”

“I will donate a large amount, so please raise the vaccination ranking”

In Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times (LAT) reported on the 18th that there is a controversy over vaccination, with requests from local wealthy people to advance their vaccination rankings expressing their intention to donate a large amount to hospitals.

In every country, the battle to secure vaccines is fierce. With the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on the 21st for Pfizer’s vaccine review, 27 European Union (EU) countries have started preparations to start vaccination from the 27th to prepare for approval. Switzerland, which is not part of the EU, has already approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine.

According to the Reuters news agency, on the 19th (local time), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first vaccinator in Israel. He vaccinated Pfizer at the Shiva Medical Center near the capital Tel Aviv, which was broadcast live.

Reporters Yujin Seo and Eunhye Jung [email protected]