UK
London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared a “ major incident ” due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus across the capital and the increase in Covid-19 cases in hospitals, which put the NHS at risk of being overwhelmed. his office wrote in a press release.
He made the decision because the number of Covid-19 cases in London was over “1,000 per 100,000,” adding pressure to the National Health Service (NHS), which saw the number of patients increase by 27% between December 30 and January 6 rise.
“We are reporting a major incident because the threat this virus poses to our city is at a crisis point. If we don’t take immediate action now, our NHS could be overwhelmed and more people will die, “Khan said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Moderna became the third Covid-19 vaccine to be approved by UK regulators. The government has agreed to purchase an additional 10 million doses on top of its previous order of 7 million, the UK Health Department announced Friday.
However, it’s because the UK recorded 1,162 Covid-19-related deaths on Thursday, the highest number since the first peak in April.
Germany
The daily death toll related to the coronavirus in Germany has reached a record high of 1,188 deaths in the past day. The previous record was 1,129, recorded on December 30 last year.
Germany’s Ministry of Health said Friday it will receive more than 60 million doses of the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine through the EU. In addition, there is a secure option for an additional 30 million doses nationwide. Germany will receive 50 million doses from Moderna through the EU alone, and additional doses are under national negotiation.
This means that BioNTech / Pfizer and Moderna Germany alone has the potential to receive at least 140 million vaccine doses this year.
Spain
Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa warned on Friday that the country will face some difficult weeks as Covid-19 cases continue to increase.
On Thursday, the country surpassed two million cumulative Covid-19 cases, doubling in the past 11 weeks, according to an ongoing CNN count based on data released by the Department of Health.
Sweden
Sweden has long called out an outlier for not implementing a full coronavirus lockout like its European neighbors, but Sweden went in a more conventional direction on Friday when parliament voted in favor of a law that would allow tighter restrictions.
This includes forbidding public gatherings if necessary and effectively gives the government the legal right to impose a “lockdown” of any degree.
European Union
The European Union remains committed to securing vaccines for its member states. On Friday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU will renew its contract with Pfizer / BioNTech for “up to 300 million additional vaccines” by 2021 – doubling the number of doses of that vaccine.
Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) expects AstraZeneca to submit a “conditional marketing application” for its Covid-19 vaccine “next week,” the regulator said in a statement on Twitter Friday.