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German health experts have said they are optimistic that the Russian COVID-19 vaccine will be approved for use in the EU. The comments come after Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn had said COVID-19 vaccines from China and Russia could be used in Europe to overcome the EU’s supply shortage.
Such a move, however, could be a geopolitical victory for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
“Regardless of the country in which a vaccine is manufactured, if they are safe and effective, they can help cope with the pandemic,” Spahn had told the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper. He also had added that like other vaccines, it was important for the Chinese and Russian jabs to be thoroughly reviewed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
HELSINKI
A Finnish nurse has made headlines by appearing to disprove pharmaceutical company Pfizer wrong with regards to its estimate that every vial of the COVID-19 vaccine is enough for five jabs, by demonstrating that seven people can be vaccinated using one vial. Read more.
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BRUSSELS
Flemish health minister rejects calls to prioritise youngsters in vaccination. A group of about 40 people from various sectors in Flanders have written a letter asking for young people between 16-25 years to be considered an “essential” group and be given priority in Belgium’s vaccination campaign. Flemish Minister of Health Wouter Beke rejected the idea. Read more.
A group of about 40 people from various sectors in Flanders have written a letter asking for young people between 16-25 years to be considered an “essential” group and be given priority in Belgium’s vaccination campaign. Flemish Minister of Health Wouter Beke rejected the idea.
“It’s the young people who we need for the relaunch of our society. And so we must give them a sign that they are worth investing in,” they wrote in the open letter.
This should not be a “battle between generations” as a choice to prioritise young people is not a choice against the older generations, but for the younger ones, they wrote.
SOFIA
The Russian embassy in Bulgaria reacted sharply against criticism by a US diplomat in Sofia about corruption in the country. Read more.
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EU PRESIDENCY
Minister: Detachment from NATO would widen divisions in the EU. Any attempt to distance the European Union from NATO would only deepen the divisions among EU member states, Portugal’s defence minister, João Gomes Cravinho, has said, arguing instead that the mechanisms of cooperation between the two partners should be improved. Read the full story.
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BERLIN
German state leaders, local officials demand clearer vaccination plan. German state leaders and local officials called for a better-defined vaccination plan ahead of a meeting on Monday between EU, national, and state leaders, as well as members of the pharmaceutical industry. The so-called ‘vaccination summit’ was called to address a rocky immunisation rollout in the country. Read more.