Medical staff members check patient information at AP-HP Cochin Hospital’s pneumology unit in Paris on March 18, 2021 as the number of people hospitalized with the Covid-19 increases in the French capital .
CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT | AFP | Getty images
More than a year after the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic, Europe continues to grapple with the virus amid a third wave of infections and the ramp-up of lockdown measures.
At the same time, the roll-out of vaccines in the bloc remains slow, affected by production and delivery problems, to the extent that European Union leaders are meeting this week to discuss – once again – the introduction of possible vaccine export bans.
It comes as a handful of countries reenacting lockdowns to curb a third wave of infections, with France, Poland and Ukraine all enacting tougher measures over the weekend that will last at least several weeks.
A month-long partial lockdown was reintroduced in Paris on Saturday, as well as in 15 other regions of France, in an effort to overcome rising case numbers largely attributed to new, more contagious Covid variants.
However, the latest partial lockdown is less strict than the previous one, leading some to question the usefulness of such a move, while others say the new measures are confusing. There is still a curfew and travel between regions remains effectively prohibited. About 21 million people in France are affected by the new rules.
The country reported more than 30,000 new daily cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to more than 4.2 million. To date, more than 92,000 people have died from the virus in France.
Meanwhile, Europe’s largest economy, Germany, could extend a national lockdown until April as the country also battles a third wave of Covid-19 cases. Several states have reportedly called for an extension of the current restrictions as Covid’s incidence exceeded 100 cases per 100,000 people, a level the government previously said would implement an ’emergency brake’ – a blocking of lockdown lifting. measures – prevent further spread.
The move would be a blow to Germany, which had begun relaxing lockdown measures, allowing schools to reopen in February and allowing some non-essential stores to allow customers back in earlier this month.
Vaccine struggles
As much of the EU faces increasing coronavirus cases, the roll-out of vaccines in the bloc remains slow and contentious.
EU leaders will meet virtually on Thursday to discuss whether to block vaccine exports, while supplies in the region remain scarce and vaccination programs lag behind those in other developed countries.
The EU has been criticized for ordering coronavirus vaccines in bulk later than the UK and US, and has subsequently faced delivery issues, despite two of the vaccines it has approved for use – the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca-University admissions of Oxford – is manufactured in the EU.
There are reports that the EU could block exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine at a Dutch factory – a move that could also jeopardize the UK’s hitherto successful rollout of vaccines. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to contact his European counterparts to try to resolve the impasse on vaccines.
The rollout of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine has faced several hurdles in recent weeks, with a handful of European countries suspending the use of the injection over concerns about a possible link to reports of blood clots.
The World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency have conducted safety assessments of the vaccine, with the latter on Thursday judging it to be safe, effective and that the benefits outweigh any risks.
The conclusion led to a reversal of the suspension of the vaccine by most (but not all) European countries that had discontinued its use, but the move could hurt public confidence in the vaccine, which was already shaky due to misguided questions about the efficacy of the vaccine. shot in the over-65s.
Real-world data has since proven that the vaccine is very effective in reducing severe Covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths in adults. The vaccine was boosted again on Monday when the results of a major US study were published showing that the AstraZeneca vaccine is 79% effective in preventing symptomatic illness and 100% effective against serious illness and hospitalization.
However, a YouGov poll published Monday found that the decision by some European countries to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine “has greatly damaged public perceptions of the vaccine’s safety in Europe”.
The poll, conducted in seven European countries (the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Denmark and Sweden) between March 15-18, found that people considered the vaccine to be unsafe rather than safe in France, Germany, Spain and Sweden. Italy. It should be noted that the survey was conducted in the week that the vaccine’s safety credentials were called into question and usually before the EMA published its safety statement on the shot.