BNS: Highlights of Wednesday 15min.lt

Coronavirus situation. The situation with the coronavirus continues to deteriorate in Lithuania and other European countries. In Lithuania, 3,934 new coronavirus cases and 75 deaths per day were confirmed. This is the maximum number of confirmed cases per day. Latvia, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom also announced a record number of infections on Wednesday. Germany and the United States reported record deaths.

Business support. The government has approved a support package for small and medium-sized businesses whose revenues have fallen due to the coronavirus pandemic and quarantine. The package will amount to 150 million. euros. Subsidies will be awarded to companies whose turnover has fallen by 30%. from the beginning of November to the end of January of the following year.

Vaccination process. Health Minister Arūnas Dulkys announced that the third shipment of vaccines should arrive in Lithuania next week, it will contain around 20 thousand. dose. The initiation of vaccination has been criticized for its order of precedence. Renowned family doctors Vytautas Kasiulevičius and Valery Morozov report on social media that they have received the COVID-19 vaccine in Santara clinics, critics say they received the vaccine unjustifiably, because all doctors who work directly with COVID-19 do not have been vaccinated so far.

Coronavirus for tissues. A new COVID-19 fireplace has been approved at a tissue farm in the Radviliškis district. This is the second case of this disease registered in Lithuania this year in fur animals. The researchers warn that the virus on farms can mutate and become resistant to the vaccines that are being developed.

Latvian solutions. To limit the crowds during the New Year holidays, the Latvian government decided to introduce a curfew. People will not be allowed to leave their homes from December 30 to January 4 from 10 pm to 5 pm Fireworks are also prohibited in the country. In Latvia, 1,367 cases of coronavirus infection were confirmed per day, 23 people died. The Lithuanian government is not yet considering following the example of Latvia.

New vaccine. The vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford and the British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, has been approved in the United Kingdom. Vaccination with this vaccine in Great Britain is scheduled to start on January 4. The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine can be stored and transported at normal refrigerator temperatures, making it cheaper and easier to use than the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

Cyber ​​attack. The National Center for Public Health and several other institutions have been affected by a virus that spreads email with malware. Representatives of governments, ministries, and individuals with whom NVSC specialists interacted during the epidemiological diagnoses received fake emails.

Brexit contract. European Union leaders sign an agreement with the United Kingdom on post-Brexit trade. “It just came to our notice then. It’s time to forget about Brexit. Our future is being built in Europe,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, when she signed the 1,246-page Trade and Cooperation Agreement against the journalists.

EU-China Agreement. The EU and China have tentatively approved an investment agreement. This was announced after a videoconference between the leaders of the institutions of the European Union, Germany and France with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Landslides in Norway. The landslide in a small Norwegian town north of Oslo injured at least nine people, left dozens missing and evacuated up to 200 more. Landslide 25 km northeast of the capital in Jerdrum, where 5,000 people live. people, took several houses.

Chinese repression. A Chinese court sentenced ten Hong Kong democracy activists to up to three years in prison who tried to escape from a semi-autonomous city by high speed boat and seek asylum in Taiwan. The group was arrested on August 23 by a Chinese coast guard heading to Taiwan, opening its doors to Hong Kong residents as the persecution of dissidents in Hong Kong intensified.

Abortions in Argentina. Argentina legalized abortion. This decision was made by the Senate after more than 12 hours of debate. More than 40 million. in Argentina, which has a population, the Catholic Church, which opposes abortion, has great influence.