Virus mutations and the sharp jump in morbidity paralyze the continent • Britain breaks infection records and prolongs general closure • Germany also tightens restrictions • Sharp criticism in France over fiasco: only 5,000 people vaccinated as of yesterday
A deserted street in London during the closure // Photo: EPI
In view of the rapid spread of Corona virus mutations, the British and German governments have decided to intensify national closures in the coming weeks.
These governments and other governments across Europe are receiving very harsh public criticism for the slowness and ineffectiveness of the mass vaccination campaigns of the population against the epidemic.
The London government has decided to impose a third nationwide closure for six weeks, until mid-February.
Schools have closed, and the entire education system will be operated by digital means.
The UK population was called upon to stay indoors and reduce social contact as unnecessarily as possible.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that the coming weeks will be the hardest Britain has known since the onset of the plague.
"People understand that we have no other choice, and want to be sure the government takes advantage of every moment of the closure period to build a wall of protection around the most vulnerable adults and groups, to bring the crisis to an end," Johnson said at a news conference last night.
The UK government has decided to transfer £ 9,000 in financial assistance to businesses in the retail, hotel and leisure sectors to help deal with the damage caused by the closure. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have also declared full closures on their territory. The British Mutation. "
Yesterday, a new record of about 61,000 new cases of infection was recorded in the UK.
830 people have died from the virus in the last day.
The number of corona patients currently hospitalized in the United Kingdom is 40% higher than the number of patients recorded at the height of the first wave of epidemics in April last year.
To date, 1.3 million people out of a population of 67 million have been vaccinated throughout the United Kingdom.
In the coming weeks, the vaccination campaign will focus on the four most vulnerable groups: nursing home residents, adults over the age of 70, patients from risk groups and medical staff.
More restrictions in Germany
The emergence of new mutations in the corona virus is also what prompted German authorities to decide to extend the nationwide closure imposed before Christmas, at least until January 31.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and German provincial prime ministers yesterday decided to tighten the restrictions imposed on the population so far, so that Germans can meet only one person outside their family cell and travel only 15 km from their homes in areas where the weekly infection rate is 200 people per 100,000 Residents.
The German population was also called upon to stay at home and reduce social contact to the bare minimum necessary.
In nursing homes and nursing homes across Germany, the means of protection will be strengthened.
An official document submitted to the prime ministers read: "The months of January, February and March will require tolerance and discipline from everyone because the winter months are accelerating the spread of the plague."
The possibility of extending the closure across Germany will be discussed at the end of the month in accordance with infection and mortality data.
At the same time, the German government decided to step up efforts to vaccinate the country's population and accelerate the supply of vaccines to Germany.
Chancellor Merkel spoke by telephone yesterday with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the possibility of cooperation between the two countries in developing vaccines.
It should be noted that by the end of 2020, Germany had received 1.3 million vaccines.
By February 1, 2.7 million vaccines will arrive in Germany.
Slow immunization in France
In France, the government is under severe criticism for the slowness of the population's vaccination campaign, despite strong opposition from the population to get vaccinated.
So far only 5,000 people have been vaccinated.
The French government promises to open 500-600 immunization centers across the country by the end of the month.
The opposition is demanding that the government disclose how many vaccines it has ordered.
The French Ministry of Health said half a million Pfizer vaccines would arrive each week, and half a million Modern vaccines would arrive each month.
The French government intends to vaccinate 5 million people over the age of 75 living in their homes by the end of the month.
The European Union's Pharmaceutical Agency is due to approve the use of vaccines by the American company Modern today.
The EU intends to double the amount of vaccines it has ordered so far from the German company Biontech, which works with Pfizer, to 300 million vaccine units.
The importance of the double vaccine
Meanwhile, against the background of the intention in the UK to allow an interval of up to 12 weeks between the injection of the first dose and the second of vaccines, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a statement yesterday in which it actually rejected the recommendation of the British Council of Scientists.
As you may recall, the British scientists devised the idea of rejection in order to allow resources to be allocated to expand the circle of the vaccinated.
But the Food and Drug Administration warned yesterday that this is a very problematic idea.
"Without supportive information, there is a significant public health concern," so the second dose of Pfizer and Modernera vaccines should be injected as originally approved, that is, after a few weeks.
Meanwhile around the world the spread of new variants of the virus is being watched with apprehension.
The "British" virus that led to the new closures in the kingdom was also identified in New York State on Monday, which could lead to new steps in the US. ).
Erez Lin participated in the preparation of the article
