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STOCKHOLM: The head of the EU disease control agency warned on Friday (February 12) that the new coronavirus could last indefinitely even as global infections slowed by almost half in the last month and vaccine launches fell accelerated in some parts of the world.
In an interview with AFP, ECDC Director Andrea Ammon urged European countries in particular not to lower their guard against a virus that “seems very well adapted to humans” and may require experts to modify vaccines over time, as is the case with seasonal flu. .
“So we must be prepared for him to stay with us,” according to Ammon, director of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control based in Stockholm.
After the latest harsh wave of a pandemic that began in China more than a year ago, glimpses of hope flickered as an AFP database showed the rate of new COVID-19 infections dropped by 44.5 per cent. cent worldwide in the last month.
Andrea Ammon, Director of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, gives a press conference on the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy on February 26, 2020 in Rome. (Photo: AFP / Alberto Pizzoli)
More than 107 million people have been infected worldwide and almost 2.4 million have died from COVID-19.
But disease experts warned that vaccines will not end the pandemic unless all countries receive doses quickly and fairly.
In an open letter published in the Lancet medical journal, the authors said that with vaccine storage in richer countries, “it could be years before the coronavirus is under control globally.”
The warning came as the American vaccine maker Moderna said it was seeking clearance from regulators around the world to put 50% more coronavirus vaccine in each of its vials as a way to quickly increase levels of current supply.
In Britain, a sharp drop in infections and the acceleration of vaccinations have prompted some within the ruling Conservative Party to push for the stay-at-home rules to be lifted in early March.
Much of the country re-entered the lockdown in early January to curb a more transmissible variant of Covid-19 first identified in the UK.
Nonetheless, the British government expressed caution, a slogan that was echoed elsewhere, including Italy, Portugal and Australia.
“IT’S HARD”
In Australia, more than six million people in and around Melbourne were under a five-day coronavirus emergency lockdown.
“It’s tough. It’s going to be a tough few days for everyone,” tennis star Serena Williams said, reacting to the lockdown moments after her latest Australian Open win.
While the game will continue under the restrictions, fans will no longer be allowed and players must be restricted to bio-safe “bubbles.”
READ: Melbourne begins five-day COVID-19 lockdown, no spectators at Australian Open
The cost of sports, entertainment and the economy remained enormous.
The Tokyo Olympics will open in July after multiple delays.
But the organizers of the games are already fighting public doubts about the celebration of the big international event this summer.
LOW RECORD FOR THE UNITED KINGDOM ECONOMY
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, urged the 27 member countries of the EU to accelerate the ratification of a key part of the bloc’s 750 billion euro ($ 900 billion) plan to recover from the impact of the pandemic.
The UK, which has left the EU and has the highest number of virus deaths in Europe after a highly criticized initial response to the pandemic, reported that the economy contracted a record 9.9% last year.
Finance Minister Rishi Sunak admitted that the shock would be a “serious shock” and warned: “We should wait for the economy to get worse before it gets better.”
Meanwhile, Hungary said it will become the first EU nation to start using the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.
The country broke ranks with the EU last month by becoming the first member of the bloc to approve Sputnik V, ordering two million doses to be administered over three months, enough to vaccinate a million people.
Russia registered Sputnik V in August, months ahead of its Western competitors but before the start of large-scale clinical trials, which left some experts suspicious.
However, recent results published in The Lancet found that the vaccine is 91.6 percent effective against COVID-19.
Some EU leaders appear to be excited about the idea of deploying Sputnik V as the bloc struggles with supply shortages for the three vaccines it has approved.
PLANS TO VACCINE ALL AMERICANS
The European Medicines Agency has so far approved vaccines for the block developed by US-German firm Pfizer-BioNTech, US firm Moderna and British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca with the University of Oxford.
The EMA said on Friday it had begun a “continuous review” of a vaccine from German manufacturer CureVac, the first step towards possible authorization.
In the United States, the most affected country in the world with more than 480,000 deaths, health authorities on Friday urged schools to reopen safely and as soon as possible, offering a detailed plan to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The strategy emphasizes universal masking, hand washing, disinfection, and contact tracing. While he recommends vaccination for teachers and staff, he falls short of saying it is necessary, a divisive issue among teacher unions.
The push comes as the United States is in the midst of an aggressive mass vaccination campaign, with the goal of inoculating nearly all Americans by the end of July.
Brazil’s tough push to vaccinate its population has faltered this week as a lack of doses forced authorities to delay or stop immunization in several key areas.
But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the launch of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccines will get back on track in March with increased dose deliveries to make up for recent delays.
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