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HEALTH-VIRUS,NEWSERIES
Europe seeks to ease vaccine concerns as virus curbs intensify
PARIS, Jan 17, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Officials sought to ease concerns in
Europe on Sunday about deliveries of coronavirus vaccines as nations across
the world doubled down on restrictions to fight the rampaging pandemic.
The contagion is showing no signs of slowing down, with infections surging
past 94 million and more than two million deaths, and Europe among the
hardest-hit parts of the world.
Worries have grown that delays in the delivery of the Pfizer-BioNTech
vaccine could hamper a European rollout that has already come under heavy
fire for being too slow.
US drugmaker Pfizer, which developed the jab in collaboration with
Germany’s BioNTech, said it was working to “significantly” scale up
production at its plant in Belgium in the second quarter.
After a short delay, deliveries should be back to the original schedule to
the EU from January 25.
“There’s a dip,” said France’s Europe minister Clement Beaune. “But it’s
better that it happens now when we have stockpiles than when the wider
vaccination campaign starts.”
He told Franceinfo that a limited delay should not present a huge problem.
– ‘Unacceptable’ –
Nevertheless, several Nordic and Baltic countries have described the
situation as “unacceptable”, and Belgium’s vaccination strategy task force
condemned Pfizer for failing to consult them.
France, which saw its death toll rise past 70,000 at the weekend, is set
to begin a campaign to inoculate people over 75 from Monday. Russia plans to
begin mass vaccinations the same day.
The long process of vaccine rollouts mean countries still have few options
but to rely on lockdowns, curfews and social distancing to control the spread
of the virus.
Switzerland and Italy are tightening their restrictions from Monday and
Britain will require all arrivals to quarantine and show negative tests.
Newspaper reports suggested the UK could try to emulate countries such as
Australia and New Zealand in requiring travellers to self-isolate in hotels
at their own expense.
Foreign minister Dominic Raab said such a system could be difficult to
manage but “we need to look at that very carefully based on the experience of
other countries”.
Austria, currently in its third national lockdown, said that the current
curbs will be extended by another two weeks until February 8 in face of the
rise in infections and the spread of virus variants believed to be much more
contagious.
– Biden pledge –
As Europe manages its vaccine rollout, the United States is struggling
with a contagion that has killed close to 400,000 as president-elect Joe
Biden prepares to take the reins of power from Donald Trump.
Biden says he will sign executive orders to tackle the pandemic on the day
he is inaugurated next week.
He has pledged to set up thousands of immunisation sites, deploy mobile
clinics and expand the public health workforce in a bid to revive the
stuttering rollout of vaccines.
India, second to the United States in the number of coronavirus cases,
aims to inoculate 300 million people by July in one of the world’s biggest
vaccination drives.
It will use two vaccines, the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot made locally by
India’s Serum Institute, and a homegrown jab called Covaxin.
Spain began administering Sunday second vaccine doses to people who had
already received the first at the end of December, mostly nursing home
residents and care staff.
In Norway, where 13 frail elderly people died after a first vaccine
injection, the Medical Medicines Agency, after assessing the cases, suggested
last week that the deaths could be linked to side effects of the jab.
But agency official Steinar Madsen told public broadcaster NRK that the
there was no cause for alarm. “It is quite clear that these vaccines present
very little risk, with the minimal exception of the most fragile patients”,
he said.
– ‘Anti-mask lunacy’ –
With populations across the globe tiring of lockdown measures, protests
continue to be held in many countries.
Roughly 10,000 people marched in Austria’s capital Vienna against
coronavirus restrictions on Saturday, calling on the government to resign.
Most of them refused to wear masks or respect social distancing rules, and
their rally was condemned as “anti-mask lunacy” by a much smaller counter-
protest. The pandemic also continues to wreak havoc on the global sporting
calendar.
The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, was thrown into
disarray Saturday when three people tested positive on two of the 17 charter
flights bringing tennis players and their entourages to the country.
A fourth person, a member of a broadcast team on one of the same flights
tested positive Sunday.
Quarantine rules mean 47 players will not be allowed out to train but
organisers said the tournament was still set to begin February 8.
BSS/AFP/ARS/2028 hrs