Britain approves vaccine as global number of Covid deaths nears 1.5 million – Manila Bulletin

Britain on Wednesday became the first Western country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for general use, while Japan and Italy promised free vaccines for all, even as the Americas reported a large increase in cases and the global death toll. increased to 1.5 million.

Just 12 months after the pandemic broke out in China, the UK’s independent drug regulator gave the drug BioNTech-Pfizer the green light in twice as fast time, but insisted that safety came first.

“Everyone can be sure no corners have been cut,” said June Raine, executive director of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). “The public deserves no less.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the move heralded a vaccination program “that will finally allow us to get our lives back and get the economy moving again.”

His government said about 800,000 doses will be administered starting next week.

Johnson will wait for a political boost after he was criticized for his initial lax response to the global outbreak.

With more than 59,000 deaths out of 1.6 million cases, Britain’s outbreak remains the deadliest in Europe.

– Still alone at base camp –

Michael Ryan of the World Health Organization called the UK green light “fantastic news” but cautioned: “There is a way to go.”

It was like finally “reaching the base camp on Mount Everest, but we still have to climb the mountain,” said the UN body’s general practitioner.

With the European Medicines Agency (EMA) expected to rule on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by December 29, “we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel” with plans for free inoculations across the country, he said. Wednesday the Italian Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza.

Japan’s parliament also passed a bill to provide free vaccinations for all residents.

As in Britain, Italy plans to have medical staff and nursing homes among the first to be vaccinated.

But Speranza warned: “If we let our guard down now, the third wave is just around the corner.”

With tens of millions in England still under restrictions even after a nationwide lockdown was lifted, Johnson also urged public caution.

About 1.5 million people around the world had died from the coronavirus as of 1800 GMT on Wednesday, according to an AFP count based on official sources, while more than 64 million have been infected.

Total cases in the Americas region rose nearly 30 percent or 6 million to 26.9 million, the Pan American Health Organization said Wednesday, releasing figures for November.

– ‘Science will win’ –

Back in Europe, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla declared that the UK certification was a “historic moment in the fight against Covid-19”.

“This authorization is a goal that we have been working towards since we first declared that science will win,” he said.

US giant Pfizer and German newcomer BioNTech added that they expected further regulatory decisions from other countries “in the coming days and weeks.”

Other vaccines expected to go live soon include those from Moderna and AstraZeneca / Oxford University, which have strong backing from the UK government.

Meanwhile, many poorer countries are pinning their hopes on the AstraZeneca / Oxford candidate, which can be kept in normal refrigerators and is offered at cost.

But it is undergoing further data analysis after questions arose about the effectiveness of its dosing regimen.

About 95 percent effective, both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are based on new mRNA technology, which hacks human cells to be effectively converted into vaccine manufacturing factories.

– Large-scale vaccines from Russia –

Not to be left out, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered “large-scale” vaccines to begin next week with the country’s Sputnik V vaccine.

More than 100,000 people have already been vaccinated with Sputnik V, which is currently in the final stage of clinical trials involving some 40,000 volunteers.

Russia has the fourth highest number of virus cases in the world, with a total of 2,347,401 registered cases and 41,053 deaths.

Teachers and doctors will be first in line, Russia has already produced about two million doses.

As mass vaccination gets closer to reality, US health officials have recommended a shorter quarantine period for people exposed to Covid-19, from 14 to 10 days, if they have not developed symptoms.

This could be reduced to just seven days after a negative test, said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientist Henry Walke.

The United States is seeing more than 150,000 new cases a day and fears a sudden increase in the coronavirus after an extensive trip over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Beyond the expected bumps, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and biotechnology firm Regeneron are working on a nasal spray that will stop virus infection, initially testing gene therapy in animals.

The pandemic continues to wreak economic havoc on the International Labor Organization (ILO), warning of “enormous downward pressure on wages in the near future.”

“The wages of women and low-wage workers have been disproportionately affected,” the ILO added.