The WHO experts spent 14 days in quarantine at a hotel in Wuhan.
Independent WHO experts in Wuhan have completed quarantine and are beginning to investigate the causes of the pandemic.
EU countries argue over vaccine supplies.
There is a new outbreak in New Zealand, and authorities in Tanzania advise citizens to treat Covid-19 with inhalation therapy.
This and other news about the evolution of the coronavirus situation around the world – in our almost daily roundup.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the total number of people infected worldwide is over 100 million, and the number of deaths is 2.1 million.
The group of World Health Organization experts who arrived in the Chinese city of Wuhan in the first half of January to investigate the causes of the pandemic left the hotel Thursday for the first time after the mandatory quarantine. All this time, the experts (13 people) have been communicating with their Chinese counterparts by video, but now they are ready to start the investigation directly. It is still unclear whether they will be granted access to all the planned facilities. It is known that they plan to visit a number of laboratories where initial analyses were carried out, as well as the bird market, which is often referred to as the first source of the new disease. On Thursday, Chinese authorities called on WHO experts to work impartially and without political interference. The day before, the U.S. said the investigation should be thorough and its conclusions extremely clear. White House press secretary Jen Psaki expressed doubts about the accuracy of the information provided by, as she put it, “some sources in China”. According to the Chinese authorities, the leadership of several states is trying to give a political subtext to the work of the experts. However, relatives of the victims of Covid-19 in Wuhan confirm that they are under pressure from the authorities. In particular, a group they created to exchange data and opinions has been removed from Chinese social networks.
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The Standing Committee on Immunization in Germany (STIKO) said on Thursday that it can only recommend the AstraZeneca vaccine for people up to 65 years of age because it does not have enough information about its effectiveness in older adults. Other than that, the STIKO sees no problems with the use of this vaccine. Earlier, there were reports in the German press, citing unnamed sources, that the effectiveness of this vaccine in people over 65 was no more than 10%. Both AstraZeneca and the German Ministry of Health have denied these statements as untrue. “False claims do not become true just because they are repeated several times,” said a Ministry representative, acknowledging the fact that fewer elderly people participated in the clinical trials of the AstraZeneca vaccine compared to trials of vaccines from other manufacturers. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is expected to approve the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine on Friday. European Union countries are suing AstraZeneca for delays in vaccine deliveries, demanding that supplies come from the company’s plants in the United Kingdom if there is insufficient capacity in continental Europe. Many European countries are also experiencing severe shortages of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is already the only vaccine in widespread use. In particular, the Spanish authorities report that they have had to suspend universal vaccination for at least two weeks due to a shortage of vaccine. The same situation occurred in the Czech Republic. AstraZeneca’s vaccine does not need to be stored at very low temperatures, making it easier to handle logistically, and many European countries have based their vaccination plans on it. The company’s statement that it may not be able to deliver the ordered quantities within the contractual deadlines has caused extreme dissatisfaction among the authorities of the EU and its member states. The British government on Thursday called on AstraZeneca to fulfill its obligations first and foremost to the British people, as the situation in the country is the worst in Europe. The country is actively conducting a vaccination campaign. To date, more than 7 million Britons have received the first dose (but less than half a million have received the second dose). By mid-February, it is planned to vaccinate about 15 million people in the most vulnerable categories. On Thursday, the government assured that there would be no disruption in the supply of the vaccine. AstraZeneca claims that the factories cannot cope with the production of the required amount of vaccine. In the United Kingdom, the number of new cases has been declining for about two weeks. Authorities believe this is a result of the lockdown imposed on the country before Christmas. However, according to them, the improvements are not happening as fast as expected and the level of epidemic threat remains very high. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the long-awaited reopening of schools after the February holidays will not take place. It is possible that this will happen on March 8, but even this date is not final. Great Britain is the fifth country in the world in terms of the number of infected and deceased – 3.7 million and 102 thousand, respectively. According to statistics, the current situation in the country is worse than during the spring peak.
Lisbon’s hospitals are full. Doctors warn of a shortage of oxygen for critically ill patients in the coming days. Germany has sent its military doctors to help Portugal. The World Health Organization has urged Tanzanians to follow science-based advice from experts after the country’s president, John Magufuli, said that coronavirus vaccines are dangerous. He said vaccinations are not necessary if people believe in God and practice traditional medicine, particularly steam inhalation. The WHO has urged Tanzanians to wear masks and authorities to release data on the sick and the dead. Tanzania has not updated information on the progress of the pandemic since May. The country’s Catholic Church has said there has been a recent increase in funerals, which could indicate a rise in the number of cases.
Food markets are one of the main sites WHO experts plan to visit in China. China is implementing heightened sanitary measures in anticipation of the Lunar New Year holiday. Typically, tens of millions of Chinese travel to other regions of the country to visit relatives. This year, however, the authorities are actively restricting such travel, advising people not to leave their provinces and, in some regions, not even to leave their cities.
In Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, where there have been no new cases for more than two months, two infected people were detected on Thursday. Their tests revealed the so-called South African strain, which is considered more contagious. The first case was detected a few days ago. Local experts believe this is a new outbreak of cluster infection.
After 2.5 months without a virus, the streets of Oakland returned to normal life, but now the measures will most likely be tightened again. The independent Australian analytical institute Loui has ranked countries based on pandemic preparedness indicators. According to the institute, New Zealand has done better than anyone else in the world. Brazil is at the bottom of the list, ranked 98th. The United States, Mexico, Colombia and Iran are also at the bottom of the list. Vietnam also made the top ten. However, on Thursday, after nearly two months of perfect performance, authorities in the country reported a new outbreak.