Medical staff members review a patient’s information in the pulmonology unit of AP-HP Cochin Hospital in Paris on March 18, 2021, as the number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 increases to 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 increased blockade measures.
At the same time, the deployment of block vaccines remains slow, plagued by manufacturing and supply problems, to the point that European Union leaders are meeting this week to discuss – once again – the introduction of possible bans on vaccine export.
It occurs when a handful of countries reintroduce blockades to curb a third wave of infections, with France, Poland and Ukraine implementing stricter measures over the weekend that will last at least several weeks.
A one-month partial 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, mainly attributed to new, more infectious Covid variants.
The last partial blockade is less strict than the previous ones, however, which caused some to question the point of this move, while others have said the new measures are confusing. There is still a curfew and interregional travel is still banned. 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. To date, more than 92,000 people have died from the virus in France.
Meanwhile, Germany, Europe’s largest economy, could establish a national shutdown in April, as the country is also battling a third wave of Covid-19 cases. According to reports, several states have called for an extension to the current restrictions, as Covid’s incidence rate exceeded 100 cases per 100,000 people, a level the government previously said would charge it with implementing a “emergency brake” – a stalemate in the lifting of the blocking measures – to prevent a new spread.
The move would be a severe blow to Germany, which had begun easing blockade measures, allowing schools to reopen in February and some non-essential stores to re-enter customers earlier this month.
Fighting vaccines
As much of the EU experiences growing cases of coronavirus, the launch of block vaccines remains slow and controversial.
EU leaders will meet virtually Thursday to discuss whether to block vaccine exports while supplies to the region remain scarce and its vaccination program lags behind those in other developed countries.
The EU was criticized for placing massive orders for coronavirus vaccines later in the United Kingdom and the United States, and has subsequently had to deal with supply problems, despite two of the vaccines it has authorized for use: photos of Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca-Oxford University – which are manufactured in the EU.
There are reports that the EU could block exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine at a Dutch plant, a move that could also jeopardize the UK’s successful deployment of vaccines so far. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to contact his European counterparts to try to resolve the vaccine impasse.
The launch of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine has faced several hurdles in recent weeks, with a handful of European countries suspending the use of the shot due to concerns about a possible link to clot reports. blood.
The World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency conducted vaccine safety reviews, with the latest ruling last Thursday being safe and effective and the benefits outweighing the risks.
The conclusion led to the reversal of the suspension of the vaccine by most (but not all) European countries that had stopped using it, but the measure could damage public confidence in the vaccine, which was already unstable. due to erroneous questions about the effectiveness of the shooting to those over 65 years of age.
Real-world data has since shown that the vaccine is highly effective in reducing severe Covid cases, hospitalizations, and adult deaths. The vaccine gained new momentum 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 disease and 100% effective against serious illness and hospitalization.
However, a YouGov poll released on Monday showed that the decision by some European countries to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine has “greatly damaged public perceptions about vaccine safety in Europe”.
The survey, conducted in seven European countries (UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Denmark and Sweden) between March 15 and 18 showed that people were more likely to see the vaccine as unsafe than safe in France, Germany, Spain and Italy. It should be noted that the survey was conducted during the week in which vaccine safety credentials were questioned and, above all, before the EMA issued its safety ruling on the shot.