Corona mutations and vaccines cause discord and tension in Europe

Societies feel that the end of the pandemic is imminent with the presence of an anti-virus vaccine, but at the same time, the commitment to restrictive measures in the face of the threat of new virus strains causes anxiety, fatigue and confusion.

Despite continuing efforts to provide vaccines against the Coronavirus, the European continent is still facing a significant increase in infections and deaths.

While the developments in the manufacture of these vaccines give a glimmer of hope to societies, they also cause tension and anxiety as a result of the emergence of new strains of the virus, according to an official with the World Health Organization.

"The increasing expectations regarding the development of anti-virus vaccines are causing tensions in societies with the increase in infections and deaths," said Hans Kluge, director of the organization's branch in Europe, in a press conference held Thursday in Geneva.

"More than 700,000 Europeans have lost their lives due to a virus that has had a brutal impact on our economies, our mental health, our education, our private and professional lives and our relationships," Kluge added.

He pointed out that "more than 38 thousand people died in Europe only last week, due to the virus."

He noted that there are tensions in the region over vaccines and their distribution, as country leaders and drug makers face disputes over the provision of vaccines.

And Kluge continued by saying: "We are facing a paradox with regard to the pandemic, while vaccines provide great hope, the new strains of the worrying Corona that have recently appeared raise more uncertainty and danger."

On Wednesday, representatives of the European Union and AstraZenik, a pharmaceutical manufacturer (British Swedish), failed to resolve the dispute between them over the issue of the company’s supply of its developed vaccine against the Coronavirus. The dispute between AstraZeneca and the European Union raised concerns about securing vaccines, as countries seek to end the epidemic and return to life natural make sure you get the largest possible number of vaccines.

The dispute between the two sides after the EU refused to AstraZeneca the charge that the company failed to meet its obligations to deliver the vaccine virus.

The company says the numbers contained in its contract with the European Union were goals that could not be met due to problems in rapidly expanding production capacity.

Countries are seeking to end the epidemic and return to normal life to make sure to get the largest number of vaccines possible

Stella Kyriakides, a member of the European Union Commission responsible for health, said on Twitter that she had discussed with Pascal Soriot, CEO of the company, the issue of securing the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is expected to be approved for use in the Union this week.

The boom raises increasing concern

In the context, Kluge said that 35 countries in the European region have begun to vaccinate their populations, and have provided 25 million doses so far, adding that the measures have shown the effectiveness and safety of the vaccination process.

"The growing expectations about science development, vaccine development, production and fair distribution are not being met at the speed we all would like," he added.

The official noted that "societies now feel that the end of the pandemic is imminent, with the presence of a vaccine against it."

However, at the same time, Kluge explained that "calling on the population to adhere to restrictive measures in the face of a new threat (new Corona strains) causes tension, anxiety, fatigue and confusion."

He stated that "the persistence of high rates of infection spread and the worrying new Corona strains, made the task of vaccinating priority groups more urgent."

He pointed out that within two days, a year will pass since the World Health Organization declared that the outbreak of the Coronavirus represents a public health emergency of international concern, the highest warning level of the organization.

And on Wednesday, the number of global infections exceeded 100 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, a third of them in the European region.

Collaboration in the vaccination process

On the same front, Siddhartha Datta, Director of the Diseases Program at the World Health Organization, said: "We heard from AstraZeneca and Pfizer about delays in manufacturing units."

Datta stressed the need for there to be "a shared responsibility between the government, the public and private institutions, so that everyone can work together."

He stressed that "no one can provide this full range of vaccination on their own," adding that everyone should be responsible for "participating and ensuring that these challenges can be addressed", with vaccines being introduced and produced.

As of Saturday, the number of injuries had exceeded 103 million and 45 thousand, including more than two million and 225 thousand deaths, and more than 74 million and 615 thousand recovered cases.