国际英语新闻:Spotlight: European Region infections top 1.8 mln amidst vaccine hope, controversy
BRUSSELS/COPENHAGEN, May 14 (Xinhua) -- As COVID-19 has made more than 1.8 million people sick and caused over 163,000 deaths in the European Region's 54 countries, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) suggested on Thursday that a vaccine for COVID-19 could be ready in a year at the earliest.
While there is a vaccine hope, there is also a vaccine controversy. France has cried foul after the country's pharmaceutical giant Sanofi said it would reserve first shipments of any COVID-19 vaccine for the United States.
Also on Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe warned that the emergency fatigue would undermine the gains in fighting COVID-19 and that there was no room for complacency.
An online dashboard, maintained by the WHO European Region, showed that 1,803,789 confirmed COVID-19 cases had been reported in 54 countries in the Region, with 163,458 deaths as of 10:00 a.m. CET (0800 GMT) on Thursday.
VACCINE HOPE CONTROVERSY
The Amsterdam-based EMA, an agency of the European Union (EU) responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines in the EU, said on Thursday that a vaccine for the novel coronavirus could be ready in a year under an optimistic scenario.
For vaccines, since the development has to start from scratch ... we might look from an optimistic side that in a year from now, so beginning of 2021, Marco Cavaleri, the EMA's head of biological health threats and vaccines strategy, told an online press briefing.
The ambition is to try to have such vaccines available in a year from now. This might be possible at least for the frontrunners (of vaccine developers), Cavaleri said.
These are just forecasts based on what we are seeing and what we expect might happen. But again I have to stress that this is a best-case scenario, (and) we know not all vaccines that enter into development may make it till the end and will come to the authorization, he added.
In France, a vaccine-related controversy made headlines after Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson told U.S. media on Wednesday that the U.S. government has the right to the largest pre-order because it's invested in taking the risk.
The declaration of Sanofi boss has upset the President of the Republic (Emmanuel Macron) because this vaccine must be a global public good...The vaccine should be available to everyone at the same time, an official at the Elysee told French media.
A vaccine against COVID-19 should be a public good for the world. The equal access of all to the virus (vaccine) is non-negotiable, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe wrote on Tweeter.
Philippe added that Sanofi's chairman Serge Weinberg had given him all the necessary assurances with regard to the distribution in France of any potential Sanofi vaccine.
Sanofi is among dozens of drug companies that are currently working on vaccine projects against COVID-19. One of its projects involves a partnership with Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services office for preparedness and response.
NO ROOM FOR COMPLACENCY
Until a vaccine or treatments are at hand for everyone, limiting the virus requires a partnership of people and policymakers, Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, told a virtual press conference from Copenhagen.
It has been 16 weeks since they were notified of the first cases of the novel coronavirus in the European Region, Kluge said.
Today, in the 39 countries that are easing restrictions in the European Region, our behavior remains as important now as ever before, Kluge said. There's no room for complacency -- remain vigilant.
Emergency fatigue threatens the precious gains we have made against this virus. Reports of distrust in authorities and conspiracy thinking are fueling movements against social and physical distancing, he warned.
The WHO official said that the risk across all countries in the European Region remains very high and the east of the European Region is seeing continued rising case counts.
Russia, Britain and Spain remained among the top 10 countries around the world reporting the most cases in the past 24 hours, according to Kluge.
Kluge's cautious assessment came one day after a stern warning from another WHO official that the novel coronavirus may never go away.
This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away, Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, said on Wednesday at a press conference in Geneva. It is important that we be realistic and I don't think anyone can predict when or if this disease will disappear.
We may have a shot at eliminating this virus with the help of a vaccine, Ryan said, adding that the vaccine must then be highly effective and made available to everyone and that we will have to use it.
相关文章
-
国际英语新闻:New York Stock Exchange partially reopens as U.S. COVID
NEW YORK, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) partially reopened its iconic trading floor on Tuesday after a two-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. New York State Govern...
2020-05-27 -
国际英语新闻:Spotlight: Europeans continue to heal economic wounds, infections top 2 mln
BRUSSELS/PARIS, May 26 (Xinhua) -- As markets and industries lick their wounds from the impact of the coronavirus crisis, European governments are turning their focus to reopening and rescuing the b...
2020-05-27 -
国际英语新闻:Africas confirmed COVID
ADDIS ABABA, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the African continent surpassed 115,616 as the death toll from the ongoing pandemic surged to 3,479 as of Tuesday aftern...
2020-05-27 -
国际英语新闻:U.S. never stops legislation on national security
WASHINGTON, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The United States, recently attacking China over the national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), has never stopped its own l...
2020-05-27 -
国际英语新闻:Roundup: China
ADDIS ABABA, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The long-standing relations of China and Africa would continue further as Africa sees China a strategic partner that shares similar historical background and common i...
2020-05-27 -
国际英语新闻:Indias COVID
NEW DELHI, May 26 (Xinhua) -- India has about 0.3 COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 of population which is amongst the lowest in the world, against the statistics of 4.4 deaths per 100,000 population for ...
2020-05-27 -
国际英语新闻:Turkey reports 987 new COVID
ANKARA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The total number of COVID-19 cases in Turkey reached to 157,814 on Monday, with 987 new daily cases, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. The death toll surged t...
2020-05-26 -
国际英语新闻:UK COVID
LONDON, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Another 121 COVID-19 patients had died in Britain as of Sunday afternoon, bringing the total coronavirus-related death toll in the country to 36,914, the Department of Hea...
2020-05-26 -
国际英语新闻:9 killed, 27 wounded in Chicago Memorial Day weekend shootings: media
CHICAGO, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Nine people have been shot and killed in Chicago over the Memorial Day weekend, the deadliest one since 2015, Chicago Tribune reported Monday. The dead are among at lea...
2020-05-26 -
国际英语新闻:Egypt registers 702 new COVID
CAIRO, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian government on Monday announced 702 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the North African country to 17,967. Meanwhile, 19 new d...
2020-05-26 -
国际英语新闻:News Analysis: Israeli PM strives to use new govt as protection in court trial
JERUSALEM, May 24 (Xinhua) -- With newly appointed ministers behind him, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his trial opened on Sunday is an effort to bring him down and his right-wing p...
2020-05-25 -
国际英语新闻:Italys daily COVID
ROME, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Italy recorded just 50 deaths from COVID-19 Sunday, its lowest daily death toll since the COVID-19 outbreak's earliest days, though the hard-hit northern region of Lombardy ...
2020-05-25 -
国际英语新闻:U.S. imposes travel restrictions on Brazil due to COVID
WASHINGTON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The White House on Sunday announced travel restrictions on Brazil, which has become the nation with the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases. Today, the President...
2020-05-25 -
国际英语新闻:COVID
PARIS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The number of patients hospitalized for the COVID-19 infection in France rose by seven to 17,185 in the last 24 hours, the first such increase since mid-April, according to...
2020-05-25 -
国际英语新闻:Argentine capital steps up restrictions as COVID
BUENOS AIRES, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Argentina's capital Buenos Aires on Sunday said it was stepping up social distancing measures in the lead up to an expected spike in cases of the novel coronavirus (...
2020-05-25 -
国际英语新闻:China
VIENTIANE, May 23 (Xinhua) -- As each row of 14 cement sleepers laid smoothly across the Ban Nong Khay Tunnel at the prescribed distance and then the 500-meter long tracks settled on the sleepers pr...
2020-05-24 -
国际英语新闻:Erdogan, Trump hold phone conversation over regional issues
ISTANBUL, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed regional issues particularly the situations in Syria and Libya on a phone conversation, ...
2020-05-24 -
国际英语新闻:Turkey reports 1,186 new COVID
ANKARA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The total number of COVID-19 cases in Turkey climbed to 155,686 on Saturday, with 1,186 new daily cases registered, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. The deat...
2020-05-24 -
国际英语新闻:UK COVID
LONDON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Another 282 COVID-19 patients have died in Britain as of Friday afternoon, bringing the total coronavirus-related death toll in the country to 36,675, British Transport Se...
2020-05-24 -
国际英语新闻:Pakistan conveys condolences to India, Bangladesh over cyclone losses
ISLAMABAD, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Saturday extended condolences to India and Bangladesh over the human losses and destruction after severe cyclonic storm Amphan killed dozens in both countri...
2020-05-24