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Nurses caring for COVID-19 patients at a UK hospital – Photo: Reuters
“The epidemic is getting worse in areas with more infectious variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. More infections will lead to more hospitalizations and more deaths in all.” Age group “- warned ECDC Director Andrea Ammon.
The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) on January 22 (Vietnam time) warns that three new variants of the corona virus, appearing in the UK, South Africa and Brazil, will lead to many new cases, inevitably the number of deaths. increased.
“Situation very serious”
The ECDC recommends that European Union (EU) member states “should prepare health systems to deal with epidemics.” The UK and several EU countries have been or are considering closing borders with other countries to limit the spread of new variants.
On the same day, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the situation in Europe is “very serious”, due to the new variants and the increase in cases. Leyen said the commission will add a “dark red” color to the risk warning scale and that the new color is for areas with high infection rates. Currently, most of Europe is in the red, according to Reuters.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that European nations should seriously consider the new variant found first in Britain to avoid a third wave of plague. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo also said he would ask EU leaders to stop traveling unnecessarily.
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa also announced the suspension of flights to and from the United Kingdom to control and limit the risk of a new variant of the corona virus. Portugal also ordered the closure of schools for 15 days, starting on January 22, as doctors in the country’s hospitals were exhausted and desperate over the record number of COVID-19 patients.
Prime Minister Costa said the new variant could account for up to 60% of new cases in the country in the coming weeks, up from 20% today. Portugal issued a blockade last week, forcing nonessential stores to close and asking residents to stay home. The number of new cases in this country on January 21 was more than 13,500 cases, lower than the record of more than 14,600 cases the day before.
The Netherlands will impose the first overnight curfew since World War II starting on January 22 in an effort to stop the spread of the corona virus. The curfew will only allow people in urgent need to leave their homes between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., and is scheduled to last until February 9. Violators can be fined 95 euros (115 USD).
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on January 21 that it was too early to talk about ending the lockdown in the context of record numbers of deaths and overcrowding in hospitals. On January 20 it registered 1,820 deaths. Although the death toll on January 21 was lower, Johnson still described these numbers as “shocking.”
The infection rate survey, called REACT-1, found that corona virus infections did not decrease during the first days of lockdown. The UK government explained that the impact of national measures against the epidemic, including blocking orders, which were in effect on January 5, has not been exact.
Prime Minister Johnson attributed the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases by the end of 2020 to a more contagious variant of the corona virus in the UK.
Variants in South Africa, Brazil resistant to vaccines?
The latest study, published by scientists on biorxiv.org on January 20, discovered a variant of the corona virus in South Africa that is resistant to circulating vaccines. The scientists added that there are similarities between the South African variant and another identified in Brazil, suggesting that the Brazilian variant is more likely to be equally resistant to the vaccine.
“The data shows that circulating vaccines may be ineffective with the South African variant. The data also shows the likelihood of reinfection of people who previously had COVID-19 against the variant in South Africa.” – Mr Liam Smeeth, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who was not involved in the previous study, said. However, Mr. Smeeth said larger studies are needed to make more accurate statements.
Currently, pharmaceutical manufacturers such as Pfizer / BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Moderna and CureVac NV are conducting tests to see if their evolved vaccines protect people vaccinated against the South African variant. BioNTech said it will release details of its impact analysis of the vaccine on the South African variant in the coming days.
America joins COVAX
Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to US President Joe Biden, announced on January 21 that the country intends to join the COVAX program, the initiative to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine for poor countries. The first batches of COVID-19 vaccines in the COVAX program, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the GAVI vaccine alliance, are expected to be shipped to poor countries in February, according to Reuters.
Mr. Fauci promised that the United States will remain a member of the WHO, “will meet the financial obligations” of this organization and will work with 193 member countries to “reform” WHO.
