By the end of this weekend, the European Union claims to have delivered sufficient vaccine to the EU states to ensure that “at least 70 percent of the adult population” is fully vaccinated in July. By this Sunday, “around 500 million cans would have been distributed in all regions of Europe,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday. There are around 366 million people over the age of 18 in the EU.
The pandemic has not been defeated. “But we are prepared to continue delivering vaccines – also against new variants,” said von der Leyen. She appealed to the member states to do everything possible to ensure that the vaccinations progress. The deliveries made and planned up to and including this Sunday include around 330 million vaccine doses from the supplier Biontech / Pfizer, around 100 million from Astra Zeneca, 50 million from Moderna and 20 million from Johnson & Johnson, according to a commission spokesman. (07/10/2021)
Netherlands restrict nightlife again
In view of the increasing number of infections, especially among young people, the Netherlands are again putting various corona restrictions into force. Clubs and discos have to close, restaurants are only allowed to open until midnight. Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that the regulations should apply from Saturday morning to August 14. There are also restrictions again for music festivals. The measures had only been relaxed a few weeks ago. (07/09/2021)
The EU and Spain warn against hasty steps
According to the EU Commission, the holiday season is not in danger in Europe despite the increasing number of corona infections. “We must now guard against too much excitement and avoid overreactions,” said EU Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni Funke media group. Higher numbers of infections would not automatically create a more dangerous situation. This is thanks to the vaccinations against the corona virus. Gentiloni warned against unilateral, unjustified travel restrictions by individual EU states in response to the increase in the number of infections.
Spain’s tourism industry reacted with a mixture of defiance and criticism that Germany had classified the entire country as a risk area. “Of course we are concerned,” said the President of the Association of Hotel Directors in the Balearic Islands (AEDH), Alicia Reina. But the booking situation is actually still quite good. Seven out of ten hotels in Mallorca are open again.
The Spanish Tourism Minister María Reyes Maroto expressed doubts about the basis of the German decision. This is only based on the number of new corona infections. In view of the high vaccination rate and the low number of corona patients in hospitals, however, the incidence as a measure of a country’s risk is becoming increasingly less important. In terms of the number of fully vaccinated people, Spain is ahead of Germany (43.7 percent) with 47.8 percent and only 6.5 percent of all beds in intensive care units are occupied by corona patients. The death rate from the virus is also lower than in Germany. (07/10/2021)
Biontech have adapted vaccine to the Delta variant
The vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Biontech have adapted their vaccine to the Delta variant and want to test it soon. The “complete spike protein of the delta variant” was used for this, announced the company. The first batch of the new mRNA had already been produced in Mainz. It is now assumed that the first study will be able to start in August.
At the same time, the companies that jointly developed the corona vaccine and brought it to approval, apparently want to apply for approval for a booster vaccination soon. In an ongoing study of a third vaccination “encouraging data” can be observed, they said. It is planned to submit it to the US FDA, its European counterpart EMA and other regulatory agencies in the coming weeks. The details of the study should soon be published in a scientific journal.
The two companies assume that the protective effect of their joint coronavirus vaccine will decrease six months after the second vaccination. This is based on data collected by the Israeli Ministry of Health, it said in a joint statement. Based on the data available so far, it is likely “that a third dose will be required within six to twelve months of full vaccination.” It should receive the highest level of protection against all coronavirus variants tested so far, Biontech and Pfizer said. This also applies to the expanding delta variant. At the same time, the Delta-adapted version of the vaccine is also being developed.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) does not yet see a basis for booster vaccinations. “It is too early to confirm at the moment whether and when a booster dose will be necessary for corona vaccines,” she said when asked by the German Press Agency. There is not yet enough data from vaccination campaigns and studies on the duration of vaccination protection. As soon as they are available, they will be assessed quickly, wrote the EMA. Shortly after the statement by Pfizer and Biontech, a message from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (CDC) circulated in the US media stated that fully vaccinated Americans do not currently need a booster vaccination. But be prepared for the administration of booster doses if scientific evidence shows that they are necessary. US health officials looked into the question, but did not rely solely on data from pharmaceutical companies. (07/09/2021)
Israel tightened quarantine rules for immigrants
Israel is tightening quarantine regulations for newcomers due to an increase in new corona infections. The Ministry of Health announced that everyone – including those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered – would have to be in quarantine for 24 hours after arrival or until the result of their corona test was available from the airport. Everyone in Israel must do this when entering the airport.
Due to the corona pandemic, only a limited number of vaccinated tourists are currently allowed to enter in groups. Everyone who came from countries with a special travel warning due to high corona numbers would now also have to be in quarantine for at least ten days, it said. So far, exceptions have always been valid for vaccinated and convalescent people. The new regulations apply from Friday next week.
The number of new corona infections in Israel has risen significantly again in the past few weeks. The Ministry of Health announced on Friday that 450 new cases had been reported the day before. Most of the new cases are linked to the delta variant of the virus, according to official information. More than 5.7 million of the 9.3 million people living in the country (more than 61 percent) have already received a first corona vaccination, and around 5.2 million people (around 56 percent) have also received the second dose. (07/09/2021)
Portugal requires a test or proof of vaccination for hotel stays
In the future, Portugal will require a negative corona test, a full vaccination or a recovery for hotel stays. On Friday evenings and on weekends, this evidence is also required for indoor restaurant visits in large parts of the country – including Lisbon and Porto – as the government has announced. A night exit ban has been extended to other parts of the country. In Portugal, the number of infections has risen steadily over the past few weeks. (07/09/2021)
Delta variant apparently tricked the immune system
The delta variant of the coronavirus, which is now also predominant in Germany, appears to partially escape antibodies from those who have been vaccinated for the first time and those who have not been vaccinated. A study in the trade journal delivers on this Nature More information.
In the experiments, the antibodies formed after a single dose of Biontech / Pifzer and Astra Zeneca were barely able to bind to the mutant discovered in India and render it harmless, report researchers working with Olivier Schwartz from the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Both vaccines would have elicited an efficient reaction against Delta only after the second dose – in 95 percent of the people (after one dose: ten percent).
According to the study, antibodies in blood samples from unvaccinated convalescents are less able to bind to Delta than the previously predominant variant alpha. After analyzing samples from convalescents who had already received a vaccination, the researchers write that the results strongly suggested that such a booster would most likely protect convalescents against a variety of circulating strains of the virus, including Delta.
Results from such laboratory experiments cannot be directly transferred to vaccination protection in practice. The team of authors writes that the examined levels of so-called neutralizing antibodies would, however, be considered a strong indication of immune protection against symptomatic corona infections. The human immune system not only defends itself against pathogens with antibodies, there is also cellular immunity. (07/08/2021)
England lifts quarantine for the British upon arrival
Fully vaccinated Britons will no longer need to be in quarantine from July 19 when they return from countries with a medium risk of infection. Transport Minister Grant Shapps announced. This should give the country’s corona-plagued airlines and travel agencies a boost. In the UK, 65 percent of adults are fully vaccinated. So far, the British have had to go into quarantine for up to ten days when returning from countries such as Spain, France, Italy or the USA.
Tourists from Germany, for example, have to be in quarantine at home for at least five days after July 19 after arriving in the United Kingdom. The British government is lifting the mandatory self-isolation for fully vaccinated travelers and minors – but this only applies to people residing in the country.
“We would like to welcome international visitors back to the UK and are working on extending our approach to vaccinated passengers from major travel destinations,” said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps in Parliament on Thursday. He hoped that the extension to countries like the US and EU member states could take place “over the summer”. A spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson made it clear that the vaccinations must have been given by the British health service NHS in order to be allowed to enter without quarantine.
Brits or people residing in the United Kingdom must continue to present a negative Corona test from July 19 when entering from “yellow countries” such as Germany, France or Italy, which must not be older than 72 hours. You also have to take another test after arrival and within two days, but the self-isolation and another test after at least eight days are not applicable, as Minister Shapps said. The rules apply to England and may differ in the rest of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Japan declares a state of emergency for the Olympic city of Tokyo
The corona emergency will be imposed again in Tokyo during the Olympic Games. As expected, the government of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga decided on Thursday. The state of emergency will apply from next Monday until August 22, provisionally. The Olympic Games are scheduled to take place from July 23rd to August 8th.
The reason for the now fourth state of emergency for Tokyo are again significantly increasing numbers of corona infections. However, the state of emergency is not a lockdown with tough curfews like in other countries. While citizens are called upon to stay at home if possible, restaurants are not allowed to serve alcohol, offer karaoke and have to close earlier than normal in the evening.
Many people in Japan fear that the games could turn into a super-spreader event. Japan’s Olympic organizers and the International Olympic Committee have always emphasized that everything will be “safe”. For this reason, the games will now take place differently than planned without spectators. (07/08/2021)