BERLIN Germany’s health minister is defending the slow start of the country’s vaccine campaign, saying he understands the desire for a faster rollout but that people should keep in mind that there is a global shortage of doses.
Health Minister Jens Spahn told reporters in Berlin on Wednesday that Germany expects to receive more than 5.3 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by mid-February. If European regulators approve the Moderna vaccine, which they were considering in a meeting Wednesday, a further 2 million doses of that shot are expected to be delivered during the first quarter.
“The problem is the shortage of production capacity with global demand,” he said.
LONDON U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged his government would use “every available second” to shield the elderly and the vulnerable from the coronavirus rampaging across Britain.
Johnson told Parliament why the country needed to return to a third lockdown, saying “the number of patients in hospitals in England is now 40% higher than the first peak in April, it is inescapable that the facts are changing, and we must change our response.” There are more than 26,000 coronavirus patients hospitalized in England.
The U.K. is also experiencing a surge in infections and deaths. Britain reported more than 60,000 daily cases for the first time on Tuesday. More than 391,000 people have tested positive in the past seven days, up 44% from the previous week.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) Nearly two weeks after most other European Union nations, the Netherlands on Wednesday began its COVID-19 vaccination program, with nursing home staff and front-line workers in hospitals first in line for the shot.
Sanna Elkadiri, a nurse at a nursing home for people with dementia, was the first to receive a shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a mass vaccination center in Veghel, 120 kilometers (75 miles) southeast of the capital, Amsterdam.
“This is a very important moment for me as a person who works in the care sector. You want to provide the care knowing that your clients are safe,” Elkadiri said. ”Without the vaccine that is not possible, but from now on I can do it.
Second Covid vaccine approved by EU medicines agency
BRUSSELS - The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Wednesday approved the coronavirus vaccine developed by American pharmaceutical company Moderna. If the European Commission adopts the advice, the EU member states can start using the vaccine.
This is the second coronavirus vaccine approved in the EU. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was given the green light on December 21 and was used for the first time in the Netherlands on Wednesday. The Moderna vaccine also requires two doses, but does not have to be stored at extremely low temperatures like the Pfizer vaccine. It will therefore be easier for family physicians and nursing homes to maintain a supply.
Netherlands begins Covid-19 vaccinations, later than other EU nations shanghaisun.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from shanghaisun.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.