EU sees vaccination in a few months, Russia gives high praise for its vaccine

Block health agencies will make the first anti-COVID vaccination available in the European Union early next year as Russian developers report the first test results showing that the Sputnik V vaccine is 92% effective. He said it could be.

Russia’s announcement came two days after pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech announced that Phase 3 results would indicate that the vaccine would be more than 90% effective, give hope to fight the virus and stimulate the stock market. It was done.

Andrea Ammon, director of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) based in Stockholm, told AFP that the vaccination program “may start optimistically in the first quarter of next year. , I can’t do more than that. ” It’s accurate. “

However, European Central Bank Governor Christine Lagarde said that even with vaccination, “recovery is not linear, unstable, stop-starting and can depend on the pace of vaccine deployment.” I warned.

In a virtual forum on central banks, she added: “Until widespread immunity is achieved, we may face a recurring cycle of accelerating the spread of the virus and tightening restrictions.”

Lagarde said when the pandemic progressed, the number of cases surged in the United States, a record 200,000 new COVID-19 cases were registered on Tuesday, and another 1,535 people died in 24 hours. Was issued to.

The virus has reached the very end of the globe, with the small Pacific Ocean of Vanuatu reporting the first case and ending its position as one of the few remaining virus-free countries.

With more than 317,525 deaths from about 13,330,000 infectious diseases, many countries are suffering from a surge in the second wave.

The European Commission announced on Wednesday that it intends to establish a new body to prepare for a similar crisis in the future.

Health policy is primarily the responsibility of the 27 member states of the block, but EU health commissioner Stella Kiriyakides said COVID-19 indicated the need for coordination.

Brussels plans to launch a new agency, the Health Emergency Response Authority (HERA), in 2023, Kyriakides said.

On Tuesday, the EU Parliament and Member States signed a contract to unblock € 750 billion ($ 886.0 billion) in the Colonavirus Recovery Fund and pass the block’s multi-year budget.

Vaccine competition

Vaccines are the best chance to break the cycle of deadly virus surges and tight restrictions in many parts of the world since COVID-19 first appeared in China at the end of last year and entered a pandemic. It is considered.

As of mid-October, the World Health Organization has identified 42 “candidate vaccines” during the clinical trial phase from 11 in mid-June.

The developers of Sputnik V calculated based on the results of 16,000 people who received two vaccinations, the Russian Ministry of Health, the state-owned Gamaleya Research Center, and the Russian Foreign Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said in a statement. I will.

Russia became the first country to enroll the coronavirus vaccine in August, but enrolled prior to the ongoing large-scale clinical trials.

40,000 volunteers from 29 medical centers participate in the third and final stages of the Sputnik V trial.

The statement on Wednesday added that interim research data will be published in one of the world’s “major peer-reviewed medical journals.”

It is said that tests are being conducted overseas in the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Belarus, etc.

Despite promising medical news, rising infection and mortality rates are a current reality for many governments.

According to AFP, the virus kills at least 1,275,113 people worldwide and has more than 51 million registered cases worldwide.

Italy’s pioneering rapid tests, with an accuracy of approximately 80-90%, surged from approximately 500 cases per day in August, which was first deployed, to more than 35,000 cases today, with infections set as follows: It has been. Wednesday’s top 1 million.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, nearly 2,000 people in Kiev protested the possibility of weekend restrictions.

As the New Year holidays approach, some governments are looking for ways to help families celebrate together.

The government says UK college students will be allowed to return home in early December after the four-week blockade has been eased.

© 2020 AFP