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AMSTERDAM: The European Union approved on Friday (January 29) the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus prick for use in all adults, as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned rich countries against “nationalism of the vaccines, “saying it will only prolong the pandemic.
Coronavirus outbreaks are wreaking havoc around the world with COVID-19 deaths approaching 2.2 million, and while some parts of the world are struggling over limited vaccine supplies, it is feared that the less privileged may not have access for a long time.
The vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford became the third to gain EU approval after Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, but it came under the shadow of a bitter diplomatic dispute with Britain over which countries will get the meager doses. currently available.
“I hope the company (AstraZeneca) will deliver the 400 million doses as agreed,” tweeted the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, when announcing the authorization.
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The British-Swedish firm has admitted that it will only be able to deliver a fraction of the promised doses to the bloc in the short term due to production problems, saying there is not enough to deliver on supply promises to both Britain and Europe.
The supply problem is a serious blow to the already shaky launch of the vaccine in Europe, putting it on a collision course with Britain, which left the bloc just weeks ago.
In a sign of escalating tensions, the EU on Friday released a redacted version of its contract with AstraZeneca, while announcing a mechanism that could allow it to deny the export of vaccines manufactured on European soil.
But he backed down from a threat to restrict exports to Northern Ireland after Britain voiced “serious concerns”.
“VACCINE NATIONALISM”
The fight between the EU and Britain has highlighted the impact of shortages on ambitious mass vaccination programs, even in wealthy nations, and fears are mounting that the developed world will hog the doses, leaving behind the most developed nations. poor.
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned on Friday against “vaccine nationalism”, saying there is a “real danger that the very tools that could help end the pandemic – vaccines – may exacerbate “global inequality.
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Parts of Africa and Asia have only just begun to secure and deploy vaccines.
The global fight for vaccines comes as more worrying data emerges about new variants of the coronavirus, which is known to have infected more than 101 million people around the world.
The variants first detected in Great Britain, Brazil and South Africa are believed to be more contagious.
Scientists are concerned that the South African variant could elude some vaccines, a potential hurdle in the global effort to defeat COVID-19 through mass inoculation.
New data from Thursday and Friday showed an average shooting efficiency of 89 and 66 percent for shots from Novavax and Johnson & Johnson.
But while Novavax’s jab was highly effective against the British variant, both were less effective against the South African strain.
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Pfizer and Moderna have said their vaccines are effective against the variants.
In a separate but closely watched scientific mission, WHO experts continued their investigation on Saturday in Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus first appeared in late 2019, in hopes of uncovering more clues to the origins of the pandemic. .
They visited Jinyintan hospital, which received the first patients officially diagnosed with COVID-19.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN BOOST
With vaccine launches still in their early stages, movement restrictions remain one of the few options for governments to try to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Sudden surges on all continents have overwhelmed healthcare systems even in wealthy countries like Britain and the United States, while Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi warned that southern African hospitals are “rapidly reaching the limits of their capacities. “.
Citing concerns about the new strains, Germany said on Friday it would ban travel from countries where the new variants are prevalent starting this weekend, while Canada announced a hotel quarantine for all newcomers.
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France has announced the closure of its borders to all non-EU travelers, except for essential travel.
The pandemic has destroyed the international sports calendar, and doubts are growing about the long-delayed Tokyo Olympics.
But there was good news from Australia, which has largely kept its outbreak under control due to aggressive travel restrictions.
Organizers of the Australian Open said on Saturday that between 25,000 and 30,000 tennis fans will be able to watch the season-opening Grand Slam.
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