Latest on Crown Crisis – First Brit to Vaccinate With AstraZeneca Domestic Vaccine – News

First British vaccinated with local AstraZeneca vaccine

“I am very happy to have the Covid vaccine today and very proud that it is a vaccine that was invented in Oxford.” These words were spoken early Monday morning by 82-year-old dialysis patient Brian Pinker at Churchill Hospital in Oxford. Pinker is the first person to be vaccinated with the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and the British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

Since December 8, the UK healthcare system has been distributing the Biontech / Pfizer vaccine to healthcare workers, residents and nursing home staff. As of today, Monday, the arsenal has been expanded to include the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, which is cheaper and requires less cold storage.

Authorities say the UK has around 530,000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine on hand and aims to vaccinate two million people a week as soon as possible.

Unlike other countries, the UK plans to give people the second dose of both vaccines within twelve weeks of the first vaccination instead of 21 days to speed up the vaccination of as many people as possible.

The UK is in the midst of an acute outbreak with more than 50,000 new coronavirus infections per day for the past six days.

Legend:

Proud of the origin of the vaccine: Brian Pinker, 82, is vaccinated against Covid-19 with the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine. Vaccination marks the beginning of vaccination at the national level with the national vaccine.

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France promises faster vaccination rate

After criticizing the slow start of the French vaccination campaign, government spokesman Gabriel Attal has assured that progress will be faster. In an interview with the French newspaper “Le Parisien”, he said that acceleration was already underway. The means of bringing vaccines to nursing homes are being strengthened. And over the weekend they began to vaccinate medical nurses over 50 years old.

Attal said that information on vaccines should be published transparently starting Monday. So far there is no precise information on how many people were vaccinated. The French media sometimes speak of a few hundred and refer, among other things, to the CovidTracker website, which is operated by a data scientist. According to the company’s own information, the figures are compiled there based on the health authorities. These would be made available to the site operator by authorities, it said upon request. According to CovidTracker, around 430 people in France had been vaccinated as of Saturday night.

France, with its nearly 67 million inhabitants, has been hit hard by the corona pandemic. About 64,900 people died and about 2.6 million were infected with the virus.

We are strengthening the means to bring vaccines to nursing homes.

Norway prescribes “social New Year holidays”

Norway is introducing stricter measures due to concerns about the increase in the crown number. Among other things, serving alcohol is prohibited across the country in pubs and events. Private gatherings outside your own home with more than five people are taboo. Stores and shopping centers must limit the number of their customers. Those who can should work from home.

The new rules apply from today, Monday, for the first 14 days, as Prime Minister Erna Solberg announced at a press conference in Oslo on Sunday night. All Norwegians should now help prevent a new wave of infections. Therefore, he asked his compatriots not to receive visitors at home for the next 14 days. Health Minister Bent Høie spoke of a “New Year’s social recess for everyone.”

In a European comparison, Norway has weathered the corona pandemic quite well. In terms of population, the non-EU country currently has one of the lowest numbers of new infections in the European Economic Area (EEA) along with Finland, Iceland and Greece.

Other Swiss cantons are starting to vaccinate

Lucerne, Zug, Schwyz, Nidwalden and Appenzell Innerrhoden have shown the way, today other cantons are following their example: Zurich, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Solothurn, Uri, Obwalden, Glarus, Jura, Graubünden and Ticino are starting their vaccination campaign. The first vaccinations will be carried out from tomorrow in the cantons of Schaffhausen and Aargau.

Belgium controls tens of thousands of people entering the country

To enforce quarantine obligations in the Corona crisis, Belgium checked around 35,000 people who entered the country in a week. The Belgian news agency reported this on Sunday, citing federal police. Most of the controls were carried out at the airport and train stations, but around 500 also on the roads in the border area. There were a total of 98 reports of rule violations.

All returnees from foreign red zones with a high number of infections in Belgium have been in quarantine since Thursday. You have to do a corona test on the first and seventh days of quarantine. Travelers who are not residents of Belgium must also present a new negative corona test. There are exceptions for trips of less than 48 hours.

Little Belgium with around 11.5 million people had the highest per capita corona infections in Europe and 15,000 new cases or more every day. Tight restrictions have slowed the spread. More recently, the country registered an average of 1601 new infections per day, as the Sciensano health institute announced on Sunday.

Skiers accepted protective measures

Several Swiss ski areas registered fewer visitors during the holiday season than in previous years. For example, 6,000 to 7,000 people have stayed at the Flumserberg ski area in the canton of St. Gallen every day since New Year’s Eve. According to the head of the mountain railway, Heinrich Michel, this is about a fifth less than in previous years. “We are very satisfied,” he said.

A fifth of the guests were also at the Adelboden-Lenk ski resort in the Bernese Oberland during the festive season, according to a spokesperson. Mountain railway companies in the canton of Graubünden reported on Saturday that they had 17 percent fewer guests and nearly 23 percent less transport turnover than in the same period last year since the start of the season.

According to several mountain train operators, acceptance by guests of Corona’s protection measures was high. Masks were worn and distances to the waiting fences at the ski lifts were well maintained. “The guests were exemplary,” said Urs Keller, manager of Hoch-Ybrig Mountain Railways.

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Guests have kept their distance while queuing, mountain train operators say.

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