A woman (center) skies across a road after snowfall as people wearing face masks stand on a street heavily covered in snow, in Prague, Czech Republic, on Feb 8, 2021. (MICHAL CIZEK / AFP)
LONDON / PARIS / LISBON / BRASILIA / ADDIS ABABA / ROME / BUENOS AIRES / BOGOTA / JUBA / RABAT / SANTIAGO / MOSCOW / KIEV / PRAGUE / VALLETTA / BARCELONA – The Czech Health Ministry will recommend the use of COVID-19 therapies that contain casirivimab/imdevimab and bamlavinimab antibodies ahead of standard approval, the ministry said on Monday.
Both therapies are being reviewed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the agency said last week.
The Czech ministry said it would wait for an expert opinion from the national drug agency SUKL before issuing a final ruling.
The former points to Regeneron’s cocktail of casirivimab and imdevimab, which was authorized for emergency use in the US in November, and was given to then US president Donald Trump during his COVID-19 infection.
The latter, Eli Lilly’s combination therapy of two antibodies, bamlanivimab and etesevimab, helped cut the risk ofhospitalisation and death in COVID-19 patients by 70 percent, data froma late-stage trial showed in January.
Czechs should receive the first 500 doses of the therapy in February, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said last Friday.
The ministry said the treatment would be beneficial mainly for patients with high risk of deterioration, such as people who had received organ transplants.
Global tally
Coronavirus cases worldwide exceeded 106.1 million while the global death toll topped 2.31 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Africa tally
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases recorded in Africa reached 3,667,546 as of Monday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.
The death toll stood at 95,075, it added.
Ukraine
Ukraine, which hopes to vaccinate half of its population against the coronavirus by early 2022, is in talks with other countries including Poland about receiving some of their coronavirus vaccines, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday.
One of Europe’s poorest countries, Ukraine has lagged behind other countries on the continent in starting its vaccination program against COVID-19, which has infected more than 1.24 million Ukrainians and killed 23,644 people as of Feb 8.
It has publicly called on the European Union (EU) and EU member states for help to secure vaccines, while resisting buying Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine due to the strained relations between the two countries since Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Ukraine plans to start vaccinations in mid-February though the government has said that half the population was not willing to be vaccinated.
Spain
About 45 percent of healthcare staff in Spain were at high risk of some type of mental disorder after the coronavirus’ first wave, according to a recent survey of 9,000 professionals in 18 hospitals. It also showed 3.5 percent of them had suicidal thoughts.
Depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder were the most common complaints. The mental health impact was higher among people who caught COVID-19 or whose family members did.
“People, including (health) workers, have difficulties admitting having a psychological problem because they consider it a weakness, a personal fault,” said Eduard Vieta, head of psychiatry and psychology at Barcelona’s Hospital Clinic, which was part of the study.
He said the hospital offered counselling, and had discovered that one of the biggest challenges was to convince health workers to come off the COVID-19 frontline, because they “don’t see their limits”.
Spain has been among the worst-hit countries, with around 3 million cases and more than 61,000 deaths.
Brazil
Brazil has had 26,845 new cases of the novel coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours, and 522 deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.
ALSO READ: Brazil COVID-19 outbreak shows signs of slowing
The South American country has now registered 9,524,640 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 231,534, according to ministry data, in the world’s third-worst outbreak outside the United States and India and the second-deadliest.
Brazil's national vaccination program began in mid-January and so far around 3.5 million people have been inoculated.
France
French Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Monday that he continued to support the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, arguing it provided sufficient protection against “nearly all the variants” of the virus.
Veran was shown on French television receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination centre in the city of Melun, in the Paris region.
France reported a fall in new COVID-19 infections on Sunday for the fourth successive day.
Health ministry data showed there had been 19,175 new confirmed COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours compared with 20,586 the previous day.
ALSO READ: For locked-down Parisians, taxis are a ticket to freedom
But the data also showed the number of patients being treated in hospital for the disease had risen to 27,694 from 27,369 the previous day, following a four-day decline. The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care also rose, increasing to 3,272 from 3,225 the day before.
France’s cumulative death toll in hospitals and nursing homes has reached 78,965, compared with 78,794 a day earlier, the health ministry data showed.
The government is aiming to rein in high contamination rates through an evening curfew and tougher rules on foreign travel. Its junior transport minister said on Sunday that a ban on non-essential travel to and from destinations outside the European Union had halved air passenger numbers in a week.
Doctors are particularly concerned about rising cases of a coronavirus variant first detected in Britain.
The variant could represent a majority of new cases from the beginning of March, Arnaud Fontanet, an epidemiologist and member of the government’s advisory body on COVID-19, told newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.
The country aims to vaccinate up to 4 million by the end of this month, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said in an interview on CNews, without clarifying if this target included the shots from both Pfizer and Moderna.
In another development, the French government said it will provide another 300 million euros for projects to quickly increase the production of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, extending its previous pledges of state aid for the pharmaceutical sector.
Portugal
Portugal’s Directorate-General for Health said that until new data is available, AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine should be “preferably” used for people age 65 and younger.
In no situation should the vaccination of older people be delayed if only the AstraZeneca vaccine is available, the Directorate-General of Health said on Monday in a statement posted on its website.
The country received on Sunday the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine from the AstraZeneca/Oxford consortium – to the tune of 43,200 doses, the task force of the Portuguese immunization program against COVID-19 told Lusa news agency.
This is the third kind of COVID-19 vaccine arriving in Portugal, which had received 387,270 doses from BioNTech/Pfizer and 19,200 doses from Moderna.
ALSO READ: Portugal 'forever grateful' as Germany sends COVID-19 aid
According to information from the Portuguese government, two more vaccine deliveries from Moderna and three from Pfizer are scheduled for February, in addition to the second batch from AstraZeneca.
Portuguese health authorities expect to receive a total of 3.2 million doses of vaccines in the first half of 2021. The country's vaccination plan started on Dec 27, giving priority to health professionals, the elderly and people over 50 with chronic diseases.
UK
A COVID-19 booster in the autumn and then annual vaccinations are very probable, Britain’s vaccine deployment minister said on Sunday as countries race to administer injections in the face of new variants.
Britain has already injected over 12 million first doses of COVID-19 vaccines and is on track to meet a target to vaccinate everyone in the top most vulnerable groups by mid-February.
The UK is on track to vaccinate all over-50s by May, with almost 1,000 people a minute receiving shots during the busiest period, vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi said.
Pedestrians walk past an NHS COVID-19 vaccination centre in Westfield Stratford City shopping centre in east London on February 6, 2021 as Britain's largest ever vaccination programme continues. (JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
Among coronavirus variants currently most concerning for scientists and public health experts are the strains that were found in Britain, South Africa and Brazil, which appear to spread more swiftly than others.
“We see very much probably an annual or a booster in the autumn and then an annual (vaccination), in the way we do with flu vaccinations where you look at what variant of virus is spreading around the world,” Zahawi told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.
ALSO READ: Britain will not introduce COVID-19 vaccine passports
AstraZeneca said on Saturday its vaccine developed with the University of Oxford appeared to offer only limited protection against mild disease caused by the South African variant of COVID-19, based on early data from a trial.
Britain reported on Sunday a further 15,845 cases and 373 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to official figures.
The success of the UK’s vaccine rollout, however, is spurring debate about how soon the government can ease broader lockdown restrictions, amid plans to reopen schools in England in March.
As some nations consider a vaccine passport to enable the easing of travel measures, Zahawi said Britain would not introduce such a system but people could seek proof from their doctor if needed.
“That’s not how we do things in the UK. We do them by consent,” he said. “We yet don’t know what the impact of vaccines on transmission is and it would be discriminatory.”
US
The United States' COVID-19 tally has exceeded 27 million while the death toll topped 463,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
US President Joe Biden said it’s unlikely that the United States will reach herd immunity for the coronavirus before the end of the summer due to a shortfall in vaccine availability.
In the US, logistical delays and vaccine shortages have meant only a small fraction of the population has received shots since two different vaccines became available in December.
Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious disease expert, said US vaccine supply should improve in February and March as the “capability of manufacturing” escalates.
Fauci warned Americans not to delay their second does of the vaccine, after other health experts suggested recently there may be a benefit to pushing more people to get a first shot and possible delaying the follow-ups a bit.
New COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the US all dropped this week, according to The COVID Tracking Project.
Fresh cases were down more than 16 percent over the previous week, and dropped below one million for the first time since the week of Nov 5.
Mexico
Mexico’s health ministry on Sunday reported 6,065 newly confirmed coronavirus cases and 414 more confirmed fatalities from COVID-19, bringing the totals in the country to 1,932,145 cases and 166,200 deaths.
Germany
Germany needs to keep coronavirus restrictions in place for the time being as new infections are likely to remain above the government’s target in coming days, according to Health Minister Jens Spahn.
Germany’s contagion rate is “coming down, and it’s coming down in an encouraging way,” Spahn told reporters on Monday.
Spahn also said that current evidence suggests all three vaccines approved in Europe for COVID-19 provided effective protection against serious infections.
Spahn's remarks on keeping virus curbs echoed that of Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder, who said earlier that Germany will have to extend its lockdown when state and federal leaders meet on Wednesday to discuss COVID-19 strategy.
Chancellery officials in Berlin have concluded it’s too early to ease restrictions even though infections are declining, and the lockdown is likely to be extended for two weeks, people familiar with the discussions said last week.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 4,535 to 2,288,545, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday. The reported death toll rose by 158 to 61,675, the tally showed.
The government has said Germany’s seven-day incidence rate per 100,000 people needs to come down to 50 or below and stay there. It has declined steadily since peaking at almost 200 before Christmas, but edged up Monday to 76, according to the latest estimate from the RKI public-health institute. Merkel and the state leaders are expected to extend the current restrictions for at least two weeks until the end of the month.
Italy
Italy reported 270 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday, down from 385 the day before, the health ministry said.
The daily tally of new infections fell to 11,641 from 13,442 on Saturday, it said.
Russia
Russia’s death toll from COVID-19 in 2020 was nearly three times the level previously reported by the government, and accounted for half of all excess deaths last year, according to official data.
The Federal Statistics Service reported 44,435 deaths linked to COVID-19 in December in a statement Monday, lifting the full-year total to 162,429. The number of deaths in 2020 reported by the government’s virus response center was 57,555.
In total, 2,124,479 Russians died in 2020, nearly 324,000 higher than the previous year, according to the statistics service data. There were 94,000 additional deaths in December compared to 2019, a 63 percent increase.
December was the deadliest month for Russia in the pandemic, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said in a televised briefing Monday.
Russia on Monday reported an additional 407 deaths, raising the official death toll to 77,068
Another 15,916 new cases were logged in the last 24 hours, including 1,728 in Moscow, taking the nation's infection tally to 3,983,197.
Argentina
Argentina has detected the first cases of two Brazilian variants of the coronavirus in travelers from the neighboring nation, the government said on Monday.
“The Amazonas P1 variant was recently detected in two samples, and the Rio de Janeiro P2 variant in two other travelers. All of them from Brazil,” Argentina’s Minister of Health Ginés González García said in a tweet.
Argentina on Sunday reported 3,658 new COVID-19 cases, bringing its tally to 1,980,347, said the Ministry of Health.
The ministry said 61 more patients have died of the disease, raising the death toll to 49,171.
Ireland
Ireland extended its system of fines to include travelers crossing the border between the north and south of the island on non-essential journeys.
People found crossing the 500-kilometer frontier running from near Derry in the north to Dundalk in the south without good reason can be fined 100 euros (US$120). Ireland currently bans travel more than 5 kilometers from home.
Colombia
Colombia registerd 300 more deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 55,993, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection said Sunday.
Another 6,009 new COVID-19 cases were registered, taking the total caseload to 2,157,216.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia registered 885 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the tally to 142,338, the Ministry of Health said Sunday.
The death toll rose to 2,148 after three additional deaths were recorded.
Norway
Norway’s second-largest city, Bergen, will go into lockdown after transmission of the South African virus variant was detected at construction sites. Shops, cafes, restaurants, gyms and museums will close, and all events will be banned in the city and two nearby municipalities for one week from 6 pm on Sunday.
South Sudan
South Sudan said Sunday that it was preparing to import 864,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the coming days to strengthen its fight against COVID-19 amid a spike in cases.
John Rumunu, director-general for preventive health services at the Ministry of Health, said the first consignment of the vaccine is expected to reach the country from Europe by the end of February.
Rumunu said that once the vaccines arrive, the government will first immunize frontline health workers and people with underlying conditions like diabetes and people living with HIV/AIDS.
The east African nation confirmed 57 new COVID-19 cases within the last 24 hours, bringing the cumulative number of cases to 4,492.
The death toll stood at 66.
Morocco
Morocco reported on Sunday 389 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally in the North African country to 475,355.
The number of recoveries increased to 454,504 after 583 new recoveries were added, while the death toll rose by 13 to 8,394, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.
Chile
The Chilean Ministry of Health registered on Sunday 3,804 new COVID-19 cases and 79 more deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to 751,886 infections and the death toll to 18,974.
The ministry said there were 22,493 active cases while a total of 710,029 patients ho have recovered.
The ministry also reported that 592,475 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the country so far, including 13,169 who have been inoculated with the first and second doses.
Austria
Austria is warning against non-essential travel to its Alpine province of Tyrol because of an outbreak of the so-called South African variant of the coronavirus there, the government said in a statement on Monday.
Almost 300 cases have been confirmed with another 200 suspected, according to a broadcast interview on Monday with virologist Andreas Bergthaler. That rate of infection is three times more than in the UK and higher than anywhere else on the continent, he said.
Earlier, Austria's interior ministry said the country was tightening controls at its borders with Germany, Switzerland and Italy starting Monday to increase enforcement of existing travel restrictions.
On Wednesday, new test requirements will start for commuters, who were previously exempted. The tightened border controls come as some lockdown rules in Austria are eased on Monday.
Peru
Peru on Sunday received the first batch of vaccines from Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinopharm, as the South American country prepared for mass vaccination campaigns against COVID-19.
"We will start (vaccinations) with intensive care units, emergency units, surgical centers and those who directly support, that is, all those who are in the front line of defense against the effects of the pandemic," Peruvian President Francisco Sagasti said.
The distribution of the vaccines to 13 hospitals and health institutes will start Monday, according to the coordinator of the COVID-19 vaccination team of the Health Ministry, Nancy Olivares.
As of Sunday, Peru has reported 1,186,698 COVID-19 cases with 42,308 deaths, according to the Health Ministry.
Malta
Malta received on Sunday evening its first consignment of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.
This is the third COVID-19 vaccine arriving in Malta, which had received doses from BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna.
According to latest figures published on Monday by local health authorities, Malta has so far recorded 18,813 coronavirus cases, of which 2,352 were active cases. The death toll stood at 282.
So far, 39,257 vaccine doses have been administered in Malta.
