The EU said the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has “surprisingly” cut the number of doses it intends to supply to the bloc. Senior EU officials went to great lengths to criticize the company.
“The European Union has pre-financed the development of the vaccine and its production and wants to see a return,” said European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides yesterday. The EU said that AstraZeneca did not provide sufficient explanations for the delays and now demands to know how many doses the company produced and to whom they were sold.
The company said production was hampered by a manufacturing problem. “While there is no scheduled delay for shipment of our vaccine to begin if we receive approval in Europe, the initial volumes will be less than initially anticipated due to reduced yields at a manufacturing site within our European supply chain,” he said. AstraZeneca in a statement.
The delays are having a real impact on the bloc’s countries. The Italian government was forced to revise its vaccination plan for Covid-19 due to the reduced supply of vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca.
However, European countries and other wealthy nations are still on the winning side of the global fight to ensure enough vaccines for everyone.
Although US President Joe Biden said yesterday that he expects the United States to vaccinate 1.5 million people a day soon, there are countries that have yet to guarantee a dose.
The launch of the vaccine strongly illuminated global income disparities, and the Middle East is a microcosm of that problem. Although the oil-rich Arab Gulf nations are among the first in the world to receive a vaccine, war-torn countries like Yemen and Syria must face vague deadlines and complex distribution plans for launch, despite being among those most affected by the virus.
The delay in accessing vaccines is likely to exacerbate this inequality, because countries that manage to immunize most of their populations will be able to reopen their economies, while those behind the line will be trapped in perpetual confinements.
YOU ASKED. WE ANSWER.
P: Is it true that vaccinated people can still be infected?
AN: Yes, but the chances are very, very small. In tests, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were found to be about 95% effective, meaning that some vaccinated people were still infected. This may be because it takes some time for immunity to kick in. In addition, no vaccine is 100% effective and manufacturers of vaccines against coronavirus are still evaluating whether injections protect against all infections or just those that cause symptoms.
But there are some positive signs. New data from Israel shows that only about 0.01% of the 128,600 people who received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine tested positive for the coronavirus after the second injection – and these patients had only a mild illness, according to preliminary data from one Israeli health system.
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Send us your questions to President Biden’s Covid-19 team and we will try to get an answer. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith join Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta for a CNN Town Hall this Wednesday at 8 pm Eastern Time.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY
The UK fears it will take much longer to win the new variant
People in the UK have been confined for the past three weeks, hoping that their sacrifice will bring the country’s latest coronavirus outbreak – caused by the new most contagious variant of the virus – under control.
But despite severe restrictions, the number of cases is not falling as fast as experts expected. Deaths continue to rise and public health experts are beginning to warn people that the country will be in this battle for a long time. The government is now considering further restrictions on travel to and from the UK and is expected to make an announcement later today about the use of hotel quarantine by travelers, according to vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi.
Xi Jinping calls for cooperation with coronavirus while China persists on vaccine misinformation drive
China has been praised for its “vaccine diplomacy”, promising injections to developing countries and investing in vaccine candidates that do not require expensive cold storage to be effective. But as questions were raised about the effectiveness of one of these vaccines, the country’s state media reacted aggressively, targeting not only critics, but also other vaccines, in an apparent effort to destroy its reputation in the name of defending Chinese shots. James Griffiths reports.
How a city failed to warn after warning until its health system collapsed
Manaus, an isolated city in the center of the Brazilian rainforest, is witnessing its second wave of coronavirus, a shock to many who thought its first wave was so widespread that collective immunity must be the result. The health care system in the capital and largest city in the Brazilian state of Amazonas collapsed under pressure. That means waiting hours in line to buy an oxygen tank – only to find that there are none left. Or rushing from hospital to hospital with a sick spouse or parent – only to find that beds are not available. Report by Natalie Gallón and Marcia Reverdosa.
ON OUR RADAR
- Biden is set to reinstate the travel restrictions related to the coronavirus that Trump has suspended.
- The Pentagon is considering sending thousands of soldiers to help Biden achieve his vaccination goal.
- Tom Brady’s father revealed his ‘life and death’ battle with Covid-19.
- Merck is halting the development of its Covid-19 candidate vaccines.
- New Zealand’s borders can be closed for most of the year.
- Google Maps will soon display Covid-19 vaccination locations, starting in four states: Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
BEST TIP
It is a quick race to vaccinate Americans. As you prepare to take your photo, here are 10 actions that experts suggest taking – and avoiding.
- DO IT: Get your vaccine when it’s your turn.
- DON’T: Let vaccine misinformation cloud your judgment.
- DO: Get vaccinated if you have already taken Covid-19.
- DON’T: take a picture if you currently have Covid-19 or have been exposed.
- DO: Take the injection even if you still have symptoms of Covid-19 months later.
- DO NOT DO: get another type of vaccine within 14 days after the Covid-19 vaccine.
- DO: Inform the vaccination team of any previous allergies or allergic reactions.
- DO NOT DO: Drive before your 15 to 30 minute wait is over.
- DO: Take your second vaccine injection within the recommended time.
- DO: Continue wearing masks and practicing social detachment after your photos.
TODAY’S PODCAST
“If politics wants to change the findings of science, that’s when you just say no. That line wasn’t clear last year and it needs to be very clear from now on.” – Dr. Richard Besser, former acting director of CDC
With a new administration at the White House and a new director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, there is much hope that the CDC can now more effectively guide the public out of this pandemic. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks to Besser about the challenges ahead. Listen now.
