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Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc are testing their COVID-19 vaccines against the new version of the fast-spreading virus that has emerged in Britain.
Moderna hopes its vaccine’s immunity will protect against the variants and is conducting further testing in the coming weeks to confirm this, the company said.
Countries around the world have closed borders and banned travel between the UK for fear of a highly infectious new strain of coronavirus, causing travel chaos and increasing the possibility of food shortages.
The strain, which some experts refer to as the B.1.1.7 lineage, is not the first new variant of the pandemic virus to emerge, but it is said to be up to 70 percent more transmissible than the previously dominant strain in the UK.
On Tuesday, the United States Senate approved a $ 892 billion coronavirus aid package, while funding federal government activities through September 2021.
There have been 77.3 million cases of coronavirus worldwide, with more than 1.7 million deaths.
Here are the latest updates:
Thai Prime Minister Blames Rise of Virus on Illegal Migration
Thailand’s prime minister has attributed a recent spike in coronavirus cases to illegal migration and said additional regulations to combat the epidemic could be announced this week.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he would meet with his COVID-19 task force this week and could introduce “appropriate” measures ahead of the New Year celebrations, without elaborating.
Prayuth said that the more than 1,000 cases detected mainly among Myanmar workers since the weekend in Samut Sakhon province, the country’s largest coronavirus outbreak so far, were mainly due to the networks responsible for illegal migration.
BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine arrives in the EU as proof of efficacy against a new strain
BioNTech is testing the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine it developed with Pfizer against a highly infectious new strain of virus as it prepares to ship 12.5 million doses to EU countries before the end of the year.
“There is no reason to worry or worry until we get the data,” he said.
The 27 EU member states that want injections to occur at BioNTech’s manufacturing sites in Germany and at Pfizer’s site in Puurs, Belgium, will receive them on Saturday so vaccines can start on Sunday, the chief financial officer said. Sierk Poetting.
New strain of coronavirus not yet found in India
The most transmissible new strain of the coronavirus detected in Britain has yet to be found in India, a senior government official said, as health authorities prepared to screen all passengers arriving from the UK since Nov.25.
People in protective masks leave a train station amid the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mumbai [Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters]VK Paul, one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s top COVID-19 advisers, said that the new strain of the virus would have no impact on vaccines being developed in India.
India has suspended all flights from Britain from Wednesday until the end of the year.
China suspends operations of its visa application service in London
China will suspend the operations of its Visa Application Service Center in London from December 22, the Chinese embassy in Britain said.
Hungary bans landing of UK passenger planes
The Hungarian government has banned British passenger jets from landing in Hungary until February 8 to limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The decree, signed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, extends to scheduled and charter flights, but does not include emergency landings, which are allowed.
Second wave of pandemic appears to have peaked in Hungary
The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic appears to have peaked in Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff Gergely Gulyas said.
Gulyas said the government will maintain the existing restrictions until at least January 11.
There is probably a new variant of the coronavirus in Germany
It is highly likely that the coronavirus mutation that has been found in Britain also exists in Germany, said the director of the Robert Koch Institute’s (RKI) health institute, adding, however, that it had not yet appeared in the data.
South Africa Faces Isolation Amid Fears Over New Strain Of COVID
South Africa faces increasing isolation as more countries ban travel due to the discovery of a new variant of the virus.
The country’s scientists are studying whether COVID-19 vaccines will also offer protection against the new strain.
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France awaits approval of national COVID-19 vaccine
French Health Minister Olivier Veran said the French medical regulatory body was expected to approve COVID-19 vaccines before December 26 after the European Medicines Agency approved the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
France plans to start its vaccination program on Sunday.
WHO calls meeting on new virus variant
The World Health Organization (WHO) will convene a meeting of members to discuss strategies to counter the new strain of coronavirus.
The Geneva-based body warned against widespread alarm over the variant, saying it was a normal part of the evolution of a pandemic and praising Britain for detecting it.
In a statement Tuesday, the WHO repeated that there was not yet enough information to determine whether the new variant could affect the vaccine’s effectiveness, and said the investigation was ongoing.
Great Britain has plenty of food, don’t worry
Food in Britain is plentiful and shoppers shouldn’t worry about supermarkets running out of supplies, Home Minister Priti Patel said.
On Monday, Britain’s two largest supermarket groups, Tesco and Sainsbury’s, warned that gaps would start to appear on British supermarket shelves within days if transport ties with mainland Europe are not quickly restored.
But Patel played down those concerns.
Russia reports 28,776 new coronavirus cases, 561 deaths
Russia reported 28,776 new coronavirus cases, including 7,237 in Moscow, bringing the national tally to 2,906,503 since the pandemic began.
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Authorities also confirmed 561 deaths, raising the official death toll to 51,912.
Uzbekistan closes borders due to new strain of COVID-19
Uzbekistan has closed its borders to residents of eight countries, including the United Kingdom, and to people who have recently visited them amid concerns about a new strain of coronavirus.
The entry ban is in effect until January 10 and will affect Italy, Germany, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, Australia and South Africa, the Central Asian nation’s government said in a statement.
UK and France work to lift border closure, UK minister says
The government of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is working with France in an attempt to find a way to lift the border closures that have tangled one of Europe’s most important trade routes just days before the cliff edge of Brexit.
“We speak with our colleagues in France constantly on a variety of topics and that work has been underway for the last 24 hours and we will continue today,” Interior Minister Priti Patel told Sky.
Guatemala will restrict entry to travelers from the United Kingdom and South Africa
The new measures will require people who have visited Britain or South Africa within 14 days to be quarantined for at least a week upon arrival in Guatemala.
Health Minister Amelia Flores said the restrictions would initially last two months. Guatemala will restrict entry as of Wednesday.
Taiwan reports first locally transmitted case since April 12
The individual who tested positive for COVID-19 was friends with a person who had already been confirmed to be infected with the virus, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said at a press conference.
The United States Congress approves an aid package of 892,000 million dollars
The United States Congress approved a $ 892 billion coronavirus aid package on Monday, providing a lifeline for the pandemic-hit economy after months of inaction, while maintaining funding from the federal government. .
President Donald Trump is expected to sign the package and sign it into law.
The virus relief bill includes payments of $ 600 to most Americans, as well as additional payments to the millions of people who were left without work during the COVID-19 pandemic, just as a larger round of benefits is due Saturday. .
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