Doubts about the AstraZeneca vaccine mix the leaves of Europe, and the mutated Corona is expanding

A German recommendation not to vaccinate people over 65 years of age with the British vaccine because its effectiveness has not been proven, which means forcing the continent’s governments to review strategies that focus on priority vaccination for the elderly, and the United States is monitoring the first infections on its soil with the South African version of the virus.

AFP

BERLIN - The German Vaccination Committee recommended Thursday that people over the age of 65 should not be vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which sparked fear in the midst of the further spread of Covid-19 in Europe and the United States detected the first infections on its soil with the modified South African version of the virus.

On Thursday, a team of WHO experts exited from quarantine in Wuhan, China, to start a field investigation into the origin of Covid-19, at a time when Washington demanded a "clear and in-depth" investigation into the sources of the disease that continues to spread in the world.

The United States called for a "clear and in-depth" investigation to be completed, while China condemned it as "political interference."

The toll from the epidemic is increasing daily, with a new global record number of deaths recorded on Wednesday, reaching more than 18,000.

In total, the epidemic has killed at least 2.17 million people and infected more than 100.8 million people since late December 2019, according to a toll prepared by Agence France-Presse Thursday.

According to the World Health Organization, the new mutated versions of the virus do not cease to spread: the British version has become widespread in 70 countries, while the South African version has been detected in 31 countries.

Insufficient data 

Hopes are pinned on vaccines, but there are questions about their effectiveness against mutated versions of Covid-19. Scientists suspect the British, South African and Brazilian versions are more contagious.

Informants Pfizer and Bayontek confirmed Thursday that their vaccine maintains its effectiveness against the British and South African versions.

For its part, Moderna announced that its vaccine is effective against the British version, but less effective against the South African version.

As for the AstraZeneca vaccine, a recommendation was issued by German experts regarding it prior to the European Medicines Agency announcing its decision Friday on licensing its use in the European Union.

The German Vaccination Committee said that due to the lack of evidence of its effectiveness for the elderly, "it is currently recommended to use the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine only for people between the ages of 18 and 64 years." The committee added that "the currently available data are insufficient to evaluate the effectiveness of the vaccine for those over the age of 65 years."

Astrazeneca responded to his spokesman, who confirmed that "the latest tests ... confirm the effectiveness of the vaccine in a group of over 65 years."

The AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to arrive in the European Union to accelerate the vaccination campaigns by injecting millions of additional doses of the Firees-Bionic and Modena vaccines used on the continent.

In the event that vaccination with the vaccine is limited to people under the age of 65, this will force most European governments to reconsider their strategy, which focuses on priority vaccination for the elderly.

European countries complain of the slow production of vaccines developed in record time.

Nevertheless, 70 percent of the doses produced are currently used in rich countries (Europe, the United States and the Gulf Arab states).

Concurrently, the Moroccan Monarch, King Mohammed VI, on Thursday, received a dose of the vaccine against Covid-19, to inaugurate the national campaign for vaccination. Neighboring Algeria will start the vaccination campaign Saturday with the Russian Sputnik-V vaccine.

Continue vigilance

In the United States, the country most affected by the virus in the world (more than 429,202 deaths out of 25,598,359 infections), the first two cases of the South African mutated version were detected in South Carolina. The authorities of this southern state have not proven any link between the injured, and have not identified any recent travel trip that may have caused them.

In Europe, the World Health Organization urged Thursday not "not to reduce the level of vigilance".

Some countries are considering tightening restrictions, such as Germany, which intends to impose a significant reduction in air traffic with the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Africa and Portugal, which they consider the most affected by the mutated versions.

Portugal, where the virus is causing "tremendous" pressure on hospitals, set a new record for deaths Thursday, reaching 303 additional deaths within 24 hours. Lisbon banned unnecessary travel abroad.

In the United Kingdom, the first European country to cross the 100,000 death threshold, pressure on the health system remains strong.

And the British authorities decided to close the country's borders to people coming from the United Arab Emirates on Friday, to prevent the arrival of the South African modified version.

In France, parliament will decide next week on the new restrictions that President Macron may unveil this weekend or Monday.

Reserve documents

The British laboratory, AstraZeneca, has been facing tension with the European Union for days, due to its announcement of the delay in the delivery schedule of vaccines.

The lab said last week that a drop in production at one of its factories in Europe would lead to the European Union delivering "a quarter" of the agreed doses during the first quarter of the year.

But Brussels, which pre-ordered up to 400 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, is unconvinced of the lab's justifications and has requested an inspection of the laboratory's factory in Belgium.

A spokesman for the Belgian Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products told AFP on Thursday evening that the inspection had taken place and that "some documents and data" had been seized and "under examination."

Source: AFP