Israel is a world leader in the coverage and organization of the vaccination campaign. Some of the vaccines purchased will also be given to the Palestinian Authority. The IOC vows to hold the Olympics in Tokyo no matter what, the UK completes vaccination of nursing home residents and begins mass testing in several southern regions, including London, and mass vaccination in Israel shows promising results.
What is happening around the world in relation to the coronavirus pandemic – in our daily round-up.
To date, more than 80,000 people worldwide have been infected with Covid-19, and more than two thousand have died. Approximately 108,000 patients in various countries around the world are in serious and critical condition. It will soon be one year since the first cases of mass infection on the European continent, in Italy. Currently, six European countries are included in the list of the ten most affected countries, but the United States, India, and Brazil still lead the way.
Emergency mass testing of the population for the presence of the South African strain of the coronavirus, using the door-to-door method, will begin in areas of England where cases of infection have been detected during regular random testing unrelated to travel to South Africa. Two people have fallen ill in Surrey. Tests are also being carried out in London, the counties of Kent and Hertfordshire, and the town of Walsall, northeast of Birmingham. Previously, the South African strain was only found in people who had visited South Africa. Scientists are concerned that the new strain, first identified in South Africa last October, is less susceptible to the effects of the vaccine and poses a risk of reinfection for people who have already had “regular” Covid-19.
Despite the postponement of the Games, the organizers decided to keep the Tokyo 2020 logo. IOC Executive Director Christophe Dubi advised athletes to prepare for this summer. In an interview with BBC Radio 5, he said that the situation has changed significantly since last summer, when the Games were postponed for a year, and that he sees reasons for optimism. Last week, the London Times, citing its sources, reported that the Japanese government is inclined to cancel the Olympics, but a final decision will be made at the end of March, depending on the development of the coronavirus situation worldwide. There is a possibility that they will take place without spectators. As of now, the Olympics are scheduled to run from July 23 to August 8, with the official name “Tokyo 2020” still in place.
According to published data from the Israeli Ministry of Health, out of 715,425 residents of the country who received both vaccines, 317, or 0.04%, became infected with coronavirus, and only 16 of them required hospitalization. After conducting tests last year, the Pfizer concern stated that their medication provides protection in 92% of cases. Nearly all nursing home residents in England and Northern Ireland received their first COVID-19 vaccination by February 1. Of the approximately 10,000 establishments, only a few remain uncovered, where the procedure has been postponed due to local complications of the epidemiological situation, but the doctors will arrive there in the coming days. In Scotland, the process will be completed by February 5, while in Wales, 75% of patients have received their first dose.
Nearly 9 million Britons, mostly older people, have already received their first dose of the vaccine. “If anyone has not been offered the vaccine, please let me know and I will personally look into it,” said Social Security Secretary Helen Whately in an interview with BBC Radio 4. “Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the result was an important milestone. The important thing now is to get the vaccination up and running as quickly as possible and to restore the ability of relatives of older people to visit them as before,” said Fiona Carragher, Chief Scientific Officer of the Alzheimer’s Society. According to the government’s plan, by February 15, it is necessary to provide the first vaccination to all citizens over the age of 70 and the medical and social workers who serve them. A record-breaking 600,000 vaccinations were administered in the UK last Saturday. Nearly nine million Britons have already received their first dose, while 490,000 have received two doses.
In exchange for the European Commission’s request, AstraZeneca committed to produce an additional 9 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine, also known as the “Oxford” vaccine, by the end of March, bringing the first quarter supply to 40 million doses. Since the beginning of the year, many European countries have been faced with non-compliance by AstraZeneca and distributors with vaccine supply contracts. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called it a step forward, but the amount is only half of what is needed. Concerns have previously been raised that the vaccination schedule in EU countries could be jeopardized due to a lack of capacity at the Anglo-Swedish company AstraZeneca’s plants in continental Europe. The European Commission has not ruled out suspending exports of vaccines to third countries until domestic needs are fully met. This has drawn criticism from Britain, which left the EU on January 1.