Medical staff members check a patient’s information at the pulmonology unit of the AP-HP Cochin hospital in Paris on March 18, 2021, while the number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 is increasing in the French capital.
CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT | AFP | Getty Images
More than a year after the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic, Europe continues to fight the virus amid a third wave of infections and intensified blockade measures.
At the same time, implementation of the bloc’s vaccination remains slow, hit by manufacturing problems and supply problems, to the point that European Union leaders are meeting this week to discuss – once again – the introduction of possible export bans from vaccines.
It is a handful of countries that are reintroducing blockages to contain a third wave of infections, with France, Poland and Ukraine implementing tougher measures over the weekend that should last at least several weeks.
A partial month-long blockade was reintroduced in Paris on Saturday, as well as in 15 other regions of France, in an effort to overcome the growing number of cases, largely attributed to new, more infectious variants of Covid.
The last partial blockade is less stringent than the previous ones, however, which has led some to question the purpose of such a move, while others said the new measures are confusing. The curfew is still in effect and interregional travel remains effectively prohibited. About 21 million people in France are affected by the new rules.
The country reported more than 30,000 new cases daily on Sunday, bringing the country’s total number of infections to more than 4.2 million. More than 92,000 people have died from the virus in France to date.
Meanwhile, Germany, Europe’s largest economy, may extend a national blockade until April, as the country also faces a third wave of Covid-19 cases. Several states have called for an extension of current restrictions, as Covid’s incidence rate has exceeded 100 cases per 100,000 people, a level the government previously said would lead it to implement an “emergency brake” – a suspension of the lifting of emergency measures. blocking – to prevent further spread.
The move would be a blow to Germany, which began easing blocking measures, allowing schools to reopen in February and some non-essential stores to admit customers again earlier this month.
Vaccine fight
As a large part of the EU experiences growing cases of coronavirus, the launch of the vaccine in the bloc remains slow and contentious.
EU leaders are expected to meet virtually on Thursday to discuss whether to block vaccine exports while supplies in the region remain in short supply and their vaccination program lags behind those of other developed nations.
The EU was criticized for requesting coronavirus vaccines after the United Kingdom and the United States, and subsequently had to deal with supply issues, despite two of the vaccines it authorized for use – the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca-University of Oxford vaccines – manufactured in the EU.
There are reports that the EU could block exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced in a Dutch factory – a move that could also hamper the successful launch of the vaccine in the UK. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to contact his European colleagues to try to resolve the impasse over vaccines.
The launch of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine has faced several obstacles in the past few weeks, with a handful of European countries suspending the use of the vaccine due to concerns about a possible link with reports of blood clots.
The World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency conducted safety analysis of the vaccine with the latest decision last Thursday that it is safe and effective and that the benefits outweigh any risks.
The conclusion led to a reversal of vaccine suspension in most (but not all) of European countries that had discontinued its use, but the change could undermine public confidence in the vaccine, which was already shaken due to mistaken questions about effectiveness of the shot in over 65 years.
Since then, real-world data has proven that the vaccine is highly effective in reducing severe cases of Covid, hospitalizations and deaths in adults. The vaccine had another boost on Monday, when the results of a large trial in the United States were published showing that the AstraZeneca vaccine is 79% effective in preventing symptomatic diseases and 100% effective against serious illness and hospitalization.
However, a YouGov survey published on Monday showed that the decision by some European countries to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine “has greatly undermined public perception of the vaccine’s safety in Europe”.
The survey, carried out in seven European countries (UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Denmark and Sweden) between March 15 and 18, found that people were more likely to see the vaccine as dangerous than safe in France, Germany, Spain and Italy. It should be noted that the survey was carried out during the week in which the vaccine’s security credentials were being questioned and mainly before the publication of the vaccine’s safety standard by the EMA.