The vaccination of populations is continuing around the world, while the Covid-19 pandemic continues to claim victims. More than a quarter of the EU’s population has received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine, the European Commission greeted on Tuesday
At least 3.2 million people have died worldwide since the World Health Organization’s office in China reported the onset of the disease at the end of December 2019, according to a report by the World Health Organization. ‘Agence France-Presse (AFP), Tuesday, May 4.
In addition, more than 153 million cases of infection have been officially diagnosed since the start of the epidemic. The vast majority of patients recover, but a still poorly evaluated part retains symptoms for weeks or even months.
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A quarter of Europeans have received at least one dose
“Vaccination is accelerating in Europe: we have just exceeded 150 million vaccinations (…). We will have enough doses to vaccinate 70% of adults in the EU by July ”, tweeted Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European executive, Tuesday, May 4.
Vaccination is gaining speed across the EU: we have just passed 150 million vaccinations. A quarter of all Europea… https://t.co/ioYwQplSdE
More than a quarter of the EU’s population has thus received at least one dose of the vaccine against Covid-19, the European Commission greeted on Tuesday, and more than 9% of its inhabitants are now fully vaccinated, according to a count from AFP.
In detail, at least 153.8 million doses have been administered to around 112.4 million people, or 25.1% of the population of the European Union, according to official figures recorded at midday on Tuesday by AFP. At least 41.9 million people are fully vaccinated (with two doses, or with the single dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson), or 9.4% of the population.
The Commission, responsible for pre-ordering vaccines on behalf of the Member States, expects the delivery of at least 410 million doses in total over the whole of the 2e quarter (250 million BioNTech-Pfizer doses, 35 million Moderna, 55 million Johnson & Johnson, as well as 70 million AstraZeneca).
Brussels has been heavily criticized for the delay in vaccination campaigns in the EU, due to delays in the regulatory approval process and AstraZeneca’s failures in deliveries. Despite the recent acceleration, the EU still lags behind the United States (around 30% of the fully vaccinated population), Israel (58%) and the United Kingdom (23%).
AEM reviews Chinese vaccine Sinovac
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced on Tuesday the launch of a procedure for“Continuous review” vaccine from Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac. The AEM Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has decided “To start continuous review is based on preliminary results of laboratory studies (non-clinical data) and clinical studies”, explains, in a press release, the European regulator based in Amsterdam.
This vaccine uses the classic inactivated virus technique which helps the vaccinated person to produce antibodies against the virus.
The European agency will continue its procedure until it has sufficient information for the laboratory to formally request authorization for its marketing. “The MEA cannot foresee an overall timetable, but the assessment of a possible request should take less time than usual due to the work carried out during the continuous review”, according to the agency.
The Sinovac vaccine was authorized in February in China and is also authorized in Chile, Brazil, the Philippines, Ukraine and Turkey. Currently, four vaccines are authorized in the EU: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. The latter two are available under certain age conditions in most European countries.
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be approved in US for teens
US authorities are preparing to authorize Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for adolescents aged 12 to 15 at the start of next week, reports the New York Times, Monday, May 3, citing federal officials.
This vaccine is already authorized in the United States for those over 16 years of age. But none has yet been validated for children, less exposed to severe cases of the disease and whose vaccination has not been a priority. However, they represent a large part of the population and, according to experts, they will therefore also need to be immunized in order to curb the transmission of the disease.
An authorization to this effect, in the United States, from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is strongly anticipated since the American-German laboratory declared that clinical trials had shown that the vaccine was safe and produced solid antibodies in patients. 12-15 years old. The children had side effects similar to those of young adults, the lab said. The main side effects are pain, fever, chills and fatigue, especially after the second dose.
Scaling up vaccination to adolescents could open up America’s vaccination campaign to millions more. According to official data, the vaccination rate peaked around April 11 across the Atlantic, and although 55% of adults have now received one or more doses, there is still a long way to go to achieve herd immunity.
Europe in turn assesses vaccination for adolescents
Europe is also considering extending the use of the Pzifer-BioNTech vaccine to adolescents, since the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has started its evaluation among 12-15 year olds. These analyzes are carried out after authorization requests filed by the two pharmaceutical companies for this age group in the European Union and the United States. “The EAJ will communicate the results of its evaluation, expected in June, unless additional information is required”, said Monday, the agency, based in Amsterdam.
After evaluation by the EMA, the European Commission authorized the distribution of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in December. The AEM then explained that it made this recommendation for people aged 16 and over.
Moderna, which is approved for use by those over 18, and Johnson & Johnson are also testing their vaccines in adolescents. Data from clinical trials performed by Moderna are expected shortly.
Vaccinated Germans will be able to regain freedoms
Germany will lift several restrictions, including the obligation to test negative to enter stores or the limitations of private meetings, for people vaccinated against Covid-19, Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht announced on Tuesday.
According to a text adopted on Tuesday by the government and which has yet to be adopted at the end of the week by Parliament, the curfew recently introduced from 10 p.m. will no longer apply to people who have received two doses of the vaccine.
Of the 83 million inhabitants, more than 6.7 million people had received the two doses on Monday and nearly 24 million one dose, according to the Robert-Koch Institute.
