Global corona: briefly blocked agreement on EU dispute – politics

Amid fierce controversy over corona vaccines, 27 EU countries did not find a uniform fortress on Thursday. Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia have rejected a compromise proposal that would split the tens of millions of vaccines, as confirmed by Austrian President Sebastian Kurz. As usual the amount will now be allocated according to the size of the population.

According to diplomats, 24 countries, including Germany, have agreed to a fundraising campaign to help countries, especially those with severe vaccine deficiencies, but all three countries have not. A total of 19 countries offer a good 2.8 million cans. It aims to fill gaps in Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Croatia and Bulgaria. According to this model, Germany is forecasting about 500,000 vaccine levels in support of five states.

“This is an important signal in the corona crisis that the majority of the EU is showing solidarity, especially with countries affected by the vaccine shortage,” an EU ambassador said. “It is unfortunate that Austria, Slovenia and the Czech Republic are abandoning this gesture of unity.”

The Portuguese EU Council proposed that three of the ten million vaccine doses should be allocated to six countries in particular need: Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The remaining seven million vaccines are to be distributed in all 27 states in proportion to the population.

Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia disagree. Kurs said in Vienna that Austria would now receive 199,000 vaccine levels instead of 139,000, which was “a solid result”. The reason for the rejection was that the Czech Republic did not receive the required vaccine dose. Austria is now in consultation with other member states on “how can the Czech Republic support both sides on the basis of European unity”. The Austrian president has been complaining for weeks about the unequal distribution of vaccines among the 27 members. That is why last week the EU summit instructed EU ambassadors to split ten million biotech / Pfizer cans to fill the holes in the second quarter.

Basically: Each of the 27 states is entitled to one share according to population size. If one country does not solve this, other EU countries can buy these quantities. Some governments have specifically bet on AstraZeneca, which is now lagging behind due to supply issues. Austria ordered less from Johnson & Johnson, so fear breaks.

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RKI classifies the whole of Croatia

As corona infections continue to rise, the federal government will classify Croatia, including the holiday region of Istria, as a high-risk area from Saturday. This was announced by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on the Internet on Thursday. Anyone entering Germany from Croatia should be isolated for ten days in the future, but it can be removed after five days with a second negative corona test. Do not walk for more than 48 hours after entering the first test.

The Estonian Peninsula was removed from RKI’s risk list on March 7 as one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe. However, three weeks later, the area again exceeded the decisive limit. Countries and regions with more than 50 new outbreaks per 100,000 population within seven days (7-day events) are classified as risk areas. This is the lowest of the three risk types of RKI. The Spanish region of Rioja will also be new in this category from Saturday.

The two regions in Ireland and Finland and the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, will be completely removed from the danger list. This means “risk-free” throughout Portugal. The island of Vidra in the Atlantic is considered the only dangerous part of Madira.

New corona varieties are found in Brazil and Africa

New strains of corona virus have been identified in Brazil and Africa. In Brazil, scientists at the Institute of Button, which integrates a network of alarms for the Covit-19 type, have identified a new variant in the town of Sorogaba, near the metropolis of Sவோo Paulo, the research firm wrote on Twitter. Accordingly, the new variant is similar to South Africa and requires further investigation.

The news portal “G1” reported that the variant was found in a 34-year-old woman who showed mild symptoms. According to Paolo Menisse, director of the Sao Paulo Corona Virus Emergency Center, the patient has not recently traveled to or from Brazil.

A new corona variant has also been recorded in Africa, according to the Pan-African Health Commission Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). He was found in Angola among passengers from Tanzania, Africa CDC President John Nkenskong told a news conference on Thursday. There are 40 mutations in the new variant. “It’s definitely a variation, which is worrying,” he said.

East African Tanzania has not released any information about Kovit since the middle of last year. The CDC explains that there is currently no information on the exact number of cases out there. The recently deceased Tanzanian President John McFuley was late in introducing relatively relaxed corona restrictions.

“Unfortunately, we do not know how this variation responds to vaccines,” Nkengasong said. Tanzania’s neighbors now have a surveillance system, while the mutant is being tested in South Africa. According to the CDC, the highly contagious variant B.1.1.7, first detected in Great Britain, is now found on the continent in 18 countries, and the “South African” variant B.1.3.5.1 in 18 countries.

Through viruses, random changes in a genetic material called mutations continue to occur. Offer the benefits of certain pathogens – for example, by facilitating transmission. In December, a variant of the corona virus (p.1.1.7) was detected in Great Britain and a similar one (501Y.V2, p.1.351) was found in South Africa, and a variant (p1) in Brazil in January.

Johnson & Johnson vaccine module production problem

Manufacturer Johnson & Johnson had trouble with a package for making the corona vaccine. Johnson & Johnson announced Wednesday (local time) that at a partner company’s manufacturing facility, an ingredient did not cross quality control and therefore was not used. The company did not disclose how much of the vaccine was affected by the problem with the contracted manufacturer Emergent Bio Solutions. According to a report New York Times This is said to be about 15 million doses of the vaccine. The company’s vaccine gets the full effect after one vaccination.

Johnson & Johnson said it plans to continue delivering 100 million cans to the U.S. government by the end of May, as previously promised. The company will now provide contract specialist Emergent Biosolutions with additional expertise and a production monitoring site in the US state of Maryland. “Quality and safety are still our priority,” the company said. The production facility for Emergency Biosolutions has not yet been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the vaccine. However, the company is already preparing the product to meet the distribution targets.

Sweden suspends easing

Sweden is expanding restrictions on restaurants, pubs and cafes as new infections become more and more prevalent. According to Prime Minister Stephen Lofven at a press conference in Stockholm, restaurants should be closed at 8.30pm, but can continue to serve food and drinks. Restrictions on the number of visitors and customers in shopping malls, shops and fitness studios will apply in the long run. “If we want to have a normal daily life, we need to reduce the spread of infection,” Lofven said. “There should be no big Easter celebrations.”

Activities will expire on April 11 as planned. However, since mid-February, Sweden has seen a steady increase in the number of new infections, more recently three times more than in Germany. Development is going in the wrong direction, which is why these measures need to be maintained for some time, said Social Affairs Minister Lena Hollenren. The Health Commission plans that these measures will now continue to be in use until May 3.

During the Corona crisis, the Scandinavian EU country took a special path with relatively low and mild restrictions and strong appeals to the public knowledge of the citizens. But some corona measures have also been introduced in Sweden – not as far away as Germany and other EU countries.

Mortality in the United States will increase significantly by 2020

In the outbreak year of 2020, more Americans died than ever before. Compared to the previous year, the mortality rate has increased by 15.9 percent to 3.4 million people, according to the U.S. Health Commission CDC. According to the authority, this corresponds to a population of approximately 378,000, whose deaths may have been attributed to Govt-19. The disease is the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer, at 11.3 percent. The mortality rate was especially high among men over 85 years of age.