The European Union can protect itself with the vaccine by restricting the export of the drug. At the virtual EU summit, European leaders discuss what to do about the shortage of coronavirus vaccines in European countries. The United States has forced AstraZeneca to correct data on the effectiveness of its drug. Meanwhile, scientists have found that middle-aged women are more susceptible to the long-term effects of Covid-19, and computer fraudsters are increasingly taking advantage of the pandemic in the UK. This and other news about the situation with the pandemic in the world – in our review.
According to Johns Hopkins University, nearly 125 million people worldwide were infected with the coronavirus during the pandemic, and more than 2.7 million died from the disease. Leaders of EU countries are holding a virtual summit to solve the problem of shortage of Covid-19 vaccine in European countries. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that since the beginning of December, the EU has exported 77 million doses of the vaccine, which exceeds the total number of vaccinations carried out on the territory of the bloc. At the same time, more than 30 million doses have been sent to low- and middle-income countries as part of the international immunization program.
During the EU summit, the possibility of introducing control over the export of vaccines produced in the EU, including the AstraZeneca drug, is being discussed. In particular, Brussels has proposed tightening the conditions for exporting the drug to countries with higher vaccination rates than the EU. This could primarily affect the United Kingdom and the United States, where approval for the use of AstraZeneca’s product is expected soon. In recent weeks, a third wave of the pandemic has been observed in many EU countries, with an average of only 12.9 vaccinations per 100 people in the block. At the same time, in the United Kingdom, an average of 44.7 people per 100 inhabitants are vaccinated, and in the United States – 37.2. The European Commission believes that pharmaceutical companies, primarily AstraZeneca, have not fulfilled their promises to supply vaccines to the EU. Representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, however, deny that they have reneged on the contracts signed with them. “Some EU countries (such as Austria) insist on developing a clear distribution system within the bloc.” The summit will also discuss the introduction of a unified vaccination certificate, which will make it possible to regulate the travel of Europeans during the summer holidays. Estonia hopes to have such a document in circulation by April, while Denmark says it has started work on a COVID passport. The leaders of the European Union need to come up with a system where similar certificates from different countries will be recognized as valid throughout the EU.
In Germany, the number of infected people is again rising sharply – more than 22.6 thousand in the past day. Vaccination centers vaccinate an average of 280 thousand people per day, but they are capable of vaccinating many more if it were not for the shortage of vaccine. For the same reason, only half of the population over 80 in Spain has been vaccinated. France will only begin vaccinating the over-70 age group next Saturday.
Spain is experiencing such a shortage of vaccines that it has not even finished vaccinating the most vulnerable group, people over 80. The French authorities also intend to combat gatherings of more than six people by imposing fines. It is still illegal to gather in large groups in the country, even outdoors. The rule only applies to funerals or work meetings. Sixteen departments in France are already under lockdown, and three more may soon join them.
Leaders of one of the churches in the Dutch town of Urk have claimed they are receiving death threats after services for hundreds of parishioners resumed in the church. According to the authorities, the number of people in closed public places should not exceed 30. However, church representative Hessel Snuk says that the infection rate in Urk is low and that the church was almost full last Sunday. AstraZeneca has adjusted the data on the effectiveness of its vaccine from 79% to 76% after representatives of the U.S. health system raised doubts about the accuracy of the information provided.
More than 32,000 volunteers participated in clinical trials of the AstraZeneca vaccine – most of them in the United States, some in Chile and Peru. Last Monday, the company announced the results, which showed that the vaccine was 79% effective in preventing symptoms of Covid-19 and 100% effective in preventing severe disease. On Tuesday, however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States announced that American experts who monitored the trials doubted the accuracy of the conclusions about the effectiveness. At the same time, the country’s chief epidemiologist, Anthony Fauci, reassured the press by saying that the Anglo-Swedish conglomerate would simply make adjustments to its report. The FDA is currently reviewing AstraZeneca’s vaccine for approval in the United States.
Middle-aged women are most affected by coronavirus, especially if the illness was severe. They experience prolonged anxiety, shortness of breath, chronic fatigue, muscle pain, and cognitive fog. These are the conclusions reached by the authors of two independent studies conducted in the United Kingdom.
Similar symptoms were observed in 70% of the women who recovered at about age 50, five months after recovery. Surveys have shown that the health effects of Covid-19 have forced 18% of respondents to quit their jobs and another 19% to change careers. In the next phase of research, scientists hope to understand exactly what makes middle-aged women’s bodies react to the virus in this way, and what prevents them from effectively fighting it.
During the year of the pandemic, the British police recorded more than 6,000 crimes directly related to Covid-19. These included hacking into National Health Service computers, hacking into the vaccine delivery system, disruption of the vaccination campaign, online extortion and blackmail. For example, cybercriminals have learned to infect hospital emergency response systems with malicious software and agree to remove it only for a large ransom. The number of crimes against individuals has also risen sharply. According to police reports, since March 1, 2020, criminals have defrauded or stolen £34.5 million from residents of the British Isles through fraudulent schemes. This is because people have started to shop online while at home, and are more likely to give their address to food delivery services or various online retailers.
This is the message allegedly sent by a bank employee. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. The number of offers should remain episodes. The end of the story. Advertising Podcasts. For example, the recent major scam that robbed many people of their life savings was based on the fact that people were using postal services more frequently. Cybercriminals created a website that looked almost identical to the Royal Mail website and sent people messages saying that their parcel was already at their local post office, but that they needed to pay a pound or two under some new terms. The message suggested proceeding with the payment by following a link that took the user to a fake Royal Mail website, where a few more manipulations gave the scammers access to the user’s banking information. Extortion has become common on dating sites. Criminals take advantage of the fact that lonely people are in a vulnerable position because of the block. After establishing a connection online, they eventually find a way to force the person to transfer money for future vacations, medical treatment, joint purchases, and the like.