World

How COVID is still hitting Europe hard and what the EU can do next

Published

3 years ago

March 29, 2022

How COVID is still hitting Europe hard and what the EU can do next

With practically three-quarters of the European Union’s inhabitants now totally vaccinated towards COVID and the Omicron wave receding, international locations have been rolling again restrictions.

However whereas wall-to-wall protection of the pandemic has receded amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the illness is continuous to kill.

Within the seven days to 27 March, greater than 6,900 individuals misplaced their lives to COVID-19 within the EU/EEA, based on Our World in Information. Within the previous week, 33,000 individuals worldwide had died, 40% of which — 13,047 — had been within the World Well being Group’s (WHO) European area, which spans 53 international locations stretching to Central Asia.

The worldwide demise toll now stands over 6.1 million with greater than 1 million within the 31 international locations of the EU/EEA alone.

“I believe it is necessary to clarify that this pandemic isn’t over although many restrictions are being lifted throughout a number of higher-income international locations,” Rebecca Forman, a well being coverage advisor on the London Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences (LSE), pressured to Euronews.

Free testing and obligatory self-isolation for suspected circumstances or individuals with gentle signs have been dropped in quite a lot of international locations as have face masks necessities with some caveats similar to on public transport or in medical amenities. Using COVID passes — testifying that the holder has examined destructive, submitted to a full course of vaccination or recovered from the illness — has been drastically diminished domestically.

That is largely right down to the Omicron wave beginning to attract again from Europe and the area’s excessive vaccination fee.

Greater than 72% of the EU/EEA’s inhabitants have now acquired two doses of the vaccines, with greater than half additionally getting a booster shot. The numbers rise to 83.2% and 63.2% when solely individuals over the age of 18.

Vaccination fee won’t be excessive sufficient

For Forman, chopping obligatory testing and self-isolation may imply “governments are making themselves extra susceptible to being blindsided by this illness once more” and danger exacerbating inequalities as soon as extra with individuals not financially in a position to independently get examined and self-isolating more likely to be most impacted by the illness.

Moreover, the excessive vaccination fee may simply not be excessive sufficient.

“The issue is that as we speak Omicron BA1 (pressure) and much more so BA2 have a virological profile fairly near the measles virus which requires a vaccination protection near 95%,” Anne Senequier, a researcher at IRIS, a assume tank, advised Euronews.

So the EU’s vaccination fee “is sweet, however it’s nonetheless not sufficient”, she mentioned.

And, as Vasco Ricoca Peixoto, a researcher at Portugal’s Nationwide Faculty of Public Well being on the College of Lisboa, advised Euronews, the BA2 pressure of Omicron was fast to emerge, suggesting “the virus is mutating quick sufficient to scale back earlier immunity from mass vaccination and boosters and from numerous beforehand contaminated inhabitants”.

“That is nothing like different widespread respiratory virus patterns. COVID is turning into some of the infectious illness recognized to people (R0 above 8) even with earlier immunity,” he added.

And Europe at present stays the epicentre of the pandemic, with most EU international locations among the many minority of countries worldwide painted a brilliant pink within the European Centre for Illness Prevention and Management’s (ECDC) 14-day incidence fee map, which means there are a minimum of 960 circumstances per 100,000 habitants.

This means European healthcare methods proceed to be underneath necessary pressure.

One dose, two doses, three doses… 4 doses?

Regardless of this, EU leaders barely addressed the pandemic at their final summit in Brussels on 24 and 25 March. The 11-page-long conclusions of their assembly dedicate simply two paragraphs to COVID-19 to attest that leaders “reviewed coordination efforts” in response to the pandemic and “took inventory” of progress within the deployment of worldwide cooperation on world well being governance, together with on work to develop a future instrument to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

When the COVID-19 vaccines had been first rolled out, well being authorities worldwide emphasised that they weren’t a silver bullet towards the illness and as high-income international locations bought the vast majority of accessible doses, many consultants highlighted the pandemic wouldn’t be derailed till a big proportion of the world’s inhabitants had been additionally inoculated.

The emergence of the successive, extra transmissible variants has confirmed them proper.

Regardless of its excessive vaccination fee, Europeans are nonetheless susceptible to future variants which can be extra virulent and much more vaccine-resistant.

“It is true that immunity on these first-generation vaccines isn’t very efficient by way of time. We noticed this over the previous two and a half months. Already, with the Omicron variant, we have now an effectivity diminished to 50%,” Senequier mentioned. “It is good however we are able to see that it is not sustainable in the long run. There may be nonetheless a must generate second-generation vaccines.”

This, in fact, would imply that sooner or later within the close to future, Europeans will as soon as extra need to obtain a shot.

And the EU, which has to this point pledged to donate greater than 401 million doses to lower-income international locations — 344 million have been delivered — may and may donate extra, consultants say.

The EU Fee advised Euronews that “the EU has exported over half of the vaccines doses produced in Europe, over 2 billion doses, to 166 international locations all over the world”.

“At this level over 50% of the world inhabitants is vaccinated and a big a part of the doses mandatory for these vaccinations had been exported or shared by Europe. And we are going to do extra.”

“We are going to step up our effort to help Africa the place vaccination is decrease than in different elements of the world. Our intention is to make sure that 70% of the world’s inhabitants is vaccinated by the center of the 12 months.

“To win the battle towards this pandemic, it’s essential to hurry up the vaccination campaigns all over the place. Nobody will probably be protected till everyone seems to be protected,” the spokesperson additionally mentioned.

The EU’s well being sovereignty

Brussels and EU leaders, scarred by the primary few weeks of the pandemic when medical shortages had been rife, have in the meantime additionally pledged to achieve strategic well being sovereignty and to make healthcare methods on the Outdated Continent extra resilient and modern. This, in view to make sure it’s higher ready to react to future epidemics and pandemics.

However to this point, not a lot has been introduced. France, which at present holds the rotating EU presidency, has unveiled a €1.5 billion funding for an Essential Challenge of Frequent European Curiosity on Well being which goals, amongst different issues, to develop modern and greener applied sciences and manufacturing processes fof manufacturing medicines and to develop gene and cell therapies.

But the specter of extra harmful COVID-19 variants is actual and that is compounded by local weather change which boosts the danger of infectious ailments like COVID-19 as disease-carrying animals — similar to mosquitos and different biting bugs — more and more enterprise exterior their conventional habitats. whereas globalisation will do the remaining, because it did for COVID.

In the case of its preparedness for the present pandemic and what it may well subsequent unleash, Peixoto mentioned the EU “ought to agree widespread minimal really helpful measures for COVID-19 prevention. It is clear we nonetheless have one thing to achieve from it as a complete, our economies, our well being methods and our long run well being.”

“Undoubtedly the EU will need to have the aptitude of making, testing and producing its personal vaccines for public well being causes and for autonomy,” he additionally mentioned.

However Senequier pressured that in terms of well being, no nation or continent will be totally sovereign as a result of “the medical area may be very high-tech” and analysis requires a number of investments. At greatest, the EU may safe manufacturing for a few of the most used medication for a few of the commonest ailments however it would not be capable to produce the whole lot it wanted itself.

Well being methods ought to brace for extra shocks

However the EU may make a listing of who does what greatest — for example, France is famend for its medical analysis whereas Germany’s chemical trade is among the many world’s greatest — and develop networks to faucet into when one other pandemic hits.

“There can’t be a typical (sanitary) protocol within the area. We’ve got totally different well being methods, She mentioned. “The thought is to know what to do. As a result of what marked the start of COVID-19 in Europe is that everybody checked out one another dumbfounded, saying to themselves: “Rattling, it is occurring to us, and we’re not ready”,” she mentioned.

“Each disaster is all the time totally different and we’re all the time a step behind. So as we speak, to have the ability to come out with a protocol and say we will do it this manner, as a result of that is how it’s, that will maybe be one of many largest errors to make as a result of it could be too inflexible to withstand the subsequent disaster.

“I believe that we should deal with flexibility, on the interconnection between the totally different EU international locations to have the ability to take care of as a lot as attainable. We can’t be capable to be good for the subsequent crises, that is apparent, however in any case, we are able to begin to attempt to capitalise on the capacities of every nation and coordinate the whole lot in order that it is extra fluid,” she added.

Chief amongst that, in fact, is deciding who to observe. COVID-19 confirmed that the ECDC didn’t have the suitable sources to observe and implement measures to deal with the pandemic on the European degree whereas governments worldwide listened to the WHO however then relied totally on their very own nationwide well being authorities leading to very totally different and disparate measures.

Moreover, Foreman pressured, “it’s necessary to recognise {that a} shock to the well being system doesn’t all the time come within the type of an infectious sickness.”

“We’re two years into this pandemic and we’ve seen how a lot stress that’s placed on our well being methods and now we’re seeing elevated pressures on many European international locations’ well being methods because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“These occasions reveal how necessary it’s for our well being methods to be resilient to shocks – whether or not they’re infectious outbreaks, conflicts, pure disasters, or the rest. And sadly, with local weather change we’re more likely to face much more of those ‘shocks’ going ahead,” she added.

Related Topics:covid 19 covid vaccine EU Council European Union Featured

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World

Lo que nos dice la decisión de Trump de involucrarse en disputa de gastos sobre los próximos 4 años

Published

45 minutes ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Lo que nos dice la decisión de Trump de involucrarse en disputa de gastos sobre los próximos 4 años

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tras días de amenazas y exigencias, Donald Trump tuvo por qué mostrar una vez que los legisladores aprobaron un acuerdo presupuestario en las primeras horas del sábado, evitando por poco que las dependencias estatales se vieran obligadas a cerrar antes de Navidad por falta de fondos.

El presidente electo logró que los republicanos de la Cámara de Representantes eliminaran algunos gastos, pero no logró su objetivo principal de elevar el límite de la deuda. Esto demostró que, a pesar de su decisiva victoria electoral y sus frecuentes promesas de represalias, muchos miembros de su partido aún están dispuestos a desafiarlo abiertamente.

La decisión de Trump de involucrarse en el debate presupuestario un mes antes de su toma de posesión también mostró que sigue siendo más hábil para destruir acuerdos que para hacerlos, y presagió que su segundo mandato probablemente estará marcado por las mismas luchas internas, el caos y el juego al borde del precipicio que caracterizaron su primer mandato.

“Estén atentos. Abróchense los cinturones. Prepárense”, dijo el congresista Steve Womack, republicano de Arkansas, un asignador presupuestario sénior.

Una mirada a la agenda de Trump muestra una cascada de oportunidades para enfrentamientos similares en los años venideros. El presidente electo quiere ampliar los recortes fiscales que promulgó hace siete años, reducir el tamaño del gobierno, aumentar los aranceles a las importaciones y tomar medidas enérgicas contra los inmigrantes no autorizados. Muchos de esos esfuerzos necesitarán la aprobación del Congreso.

Para muchos de los seguidores de Trump, la disrupción podría ser un objetivo en sí mismo. El 37% de los que votaron por él este año dijeron que querían “un cambio total y completo”, según AP VoteCast, una extensa encuesta de más de 120.000 votantes. Un 56% adicional dijo que querían “un cambio sustancial”.

Pero los últimos días dejaron claro la dificultad que Trump podría enfrentar para cumplir rápidamente sus objetivos, especialmente dado que los republicanos solo cuentan con mayorías escasas en la Cámara de Representantes y el Senado. Algunos legisladores ya parecen cansados de la aparente ausencia de una estrategia unificada.

El senador Kevin Cramer, republicano de Dakota del Norte, dijo que la batalla presupuestaria fue “una lección valiosa sobre cómo organizarnos”.

El fracaso de las exigencias de Trump

El problema comenzó cuando los principales legisladores publicaron una copia de la iniciativa de ley, conocida como una resolución continua, que era necesaria para asegurar el funcionamiento del gobierno federal hasta marzo. No fue el presidente electo, sino Elon Musk, el hombre más rico del mundo y confidente de Trump, quien primero comenzó a generar oposición a la ley en las redes sociales al calificarla de gasto excesivo.

Trump eventualmente se sumó a la batalla. Ordenó a los republicanos cancelar el acuerdo bipartidista que habían hecho con los demócratas y exigió que aumentaran el límite de la deuda, el tope de cuánto puede pedir prestado el gobierno, con la esperanza de evitar que ese espinoso problema surgiera cuando ya estuviera en funciones.

Aumentó la presión incluso después de haber modificado sus demandas iniciales. Primero quería eliminar el límite de la deuda por completo. Luego quería suspenderlo hasta 2027. Luego propuso una extensión hasta 2029.

Si las dependencias estatales se vieran obligadas a cerrar por falta de fondos, el presidente demócrata Joe Biden sería culpado, insistió Trump.

“Todos los republicanos, e incluso los demócratas, deberían hacer lo que es mejor para nuestro país y votar ‘A FAVOR’ de esta iniciativa de ley, ¡ESTA NOCHE!”, escribió Trump el jueves, antes de una votación sobre una versión del proyecto de ley que incluía un límite de deuda más alto.

En cambio, 38 republicanos votaron en contra. Fue un desaire sorprendente para Trump, quien a veces pareciera no tener ningún control sobre su propio partido.

“Sin esto, nunca deberíamos hacer un acuerdo”, escribió en Truth Social, su red social.

Si no conseguía lo que quería, Trump dijo que debería haber un cierre del gobierno. También dijo que sus correligionarios pagarían el precio en las elecciones primarias si se negaban a seguir adelante, y dijo que “los obstruccionistas republicanos tienen que ser eliminados”. Señaló especialmente al representante Chip Roy, de Texas, por su nombre y con insultos.

Pero al final, los legisladores dejaron fuera ese aumento del techo de la deuda, y un acuerdo final se aprobó el sábado a primera hora.

Musk y otros aliados de Trump intentaron presentarlo como una victoria porque la ley final se redujo significativamente y omitió elementos impopulares como un aumento salarial para los miembros del Congreso. Charlie Kirk, un prominente activista conservador, escribió en X que Trump ”¡ya está dirigiendo el Congreso antes de asumir el cargo!”.

El presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, Mike Johnson, republicano de Luisiana, dijo que había estado en “contacto constante” con Trump, quien, aseguró, estaba “ciertamente feliz con este resultado”.

Si Trump estuvo de acuerdo, él mismo no lo dijo.

Tras días de publicaciones frecuentes en redes sociales, Trump volvió a guardar silencio el viernes. No ofreció una reacción a la votación final ni emitió ningún comunicado. En cambio, fue a jugar golf en su resort en Florida.

Karoline Leavitt, una vocera de Trump, dijo que el presidente electo ayudó a prevenir un acuerdo original “lleno de despilfarros demócratas y aumentos salariales para los miembros del Congreso”.

“En enero, el presidente Trump y el Departamento de Eficiencia Gubernamental (DOGE, por sus siglas en inglés) continuarán esta importante misión de eliminar el despilfarro de Washington, una ley a la vez”, dijo. El DOGE es un panel asesor que será liderado por Musk y el empresario Vivek Ramaswamy.

Más enfrentamientos en el horizonte

La atmósfera circense de la lucha por el presupuesto recordó al primer mandato de Trump. En aquel entonces, un enfrentamiento presupuestario llevó a un cierre del gobierno cuando Trump exigió dinero para su muro fronterizo entre Estados Unidos y México. Después de 35 días, el cierre más largo de la historia, accedió a un acuerdo sin haber logrado los fondos que había exigido.

Fue un punto bajo político para Trump, y el 60% de los estadounidenses lo culparon por el cierre, según una encuesta realizada por The Associated Press y el NORC Center for Public Affairs Research en ese momento.

Trump no dejó de intentar doblegar a los republicanos a su voluntad en ese entonces y ciertamente no lo hará en este momento.

Trump está aumentando la presión sobre su propio partido por sus elecciones para el gabinete, empujando a senadores republicanos reacios a aceptar algunos de sus nombramientos más controvertidos, como el activista antivacunas Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a quien eligió como secretario de Salud y el presentador de Fox News Pete Hegseth como secretario de Defensa.

Pareciera que los debates sobre el presupuesto del próximo año definitivamente pondrán a prueba aún más la influencia de Trump en la Cámara de Representantes. Muchos conservadores ven el rápido crecimiento de la deuda federal como una amenaza existencial para el país que debe abordarse. Pero algunos republicanos temen una reacción negativa de los votantes si se realizan recortes drásticos a los programas federales de los que dependen los estadounidenses.

Las preocupaciones sobre el gasto deficitario podrían intensificarse si Trump impulsa los recortes fiscales costosos que prometió durante la campaña, como eliminar los impuestos sobre las propinas, la Seguridad Social y el pago de horas extras.

Trump también pretende ampliar los recortes fiscales que promulgó en 2017 y que deberán llegar a su fin el próximo año. Ha pedido una reducción adicional de la tasa de impuestos corporativos de Estados Unidos del 21% al 15%, pero sólo para las empresas que producen en Estados Unidos.

Trump ha dicho que pagará las caídas en los ingresos con aranceles agresivos nuevos, los cuales, advierten los economistas, resultarán en precios más altos para los consumidores.

El representante Dan Crenshaw, republicano de Texas, dijo que la reducción del gasto público probablemente seguirá siendo un abismo entre Trump y los republicanos de la Cámara de Representantes.

“Eso nunca ha sido realmente una promesa de campaña de Trump, pero es una gran prioridad para los republicanos de la Cámara de Representantes”, dijo.

No había indicios de que la animosidad estuviera disminuyendo el sábado. Algunos republicanos culparon al liderazgo de la Cámara de Representantes por no asegurar la “bendición” de Trump en el acuerdo original. Los demócratas presentaron a Trump como segundo violín de Musk.

Mientras Trump se mantenía callado, Biden anunció que había promulgado la ley presupuestaria.

“Este acuerdo representa un compromiso, lo que significa que ninguna de las partes obtuvo todo lo que quería”, dijo. “Pero rechaza el camino acelerado hacia un recorte de impuestos para multimillonarios que buscaban los republicanos, y asegura que el gobierno pueda continuar operando a plena capacidad”.

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Boak reportó desde West Palm Beach, Florida, y Colvin desde Nueva York.

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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de la AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

World

Pope to skip outdoor Sunday prayer after catching cold days ahead of Christmas Eve, Day Masses

Published

1 hour ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Pope to skip outdoor Sunday prayer after catching cold days ahead of Christmas Eve, Day Masses

The pope has contracted a cold and will skip his usual outdoor Sunday prayer, instead giving the blessing indoors just days ahead of his Christmas Eve and Day Masses, the Vatican said Saturday.

Chilly weather and the pope’s busy schedule during Christmas week were cited as reasons for the 88-year-old giving the blessing from his residence at the chapel of the Vatican’s Santa Marta quarters.

The pope usually addresses the public from the window of St. Peter’s Basilica overlooking St. Peter’s Square on Sundays.

BIDEN HEADING TO VATICAN CITY NEXT MONTH TO MEET WITH POPE FRANCIS, MELONI IN FINAL OVERSEAS TRIP

Pope Francis exchanges the season’s greetings with Vatican employees on Saturday. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis sounded congested on Saturday as he gave his annual Christmas greeting to Vatican bureaucrats.

The octogenarian has suffered from bronchitis before, including last year when he was hospitalized, and he also missed a climate change meeting in Dubai last year because of the flu and lung inflammation.

The pope has contracted a cold and will skip his usual outdoor Sunday prayer, instead giving the blessing indoors just days ahead of his Christmas Eve and Day Masses, the Vatican said Saturday. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

POPE FRANCIS REVEALS HE WAS NEARLY ASSASSINATED DURING HISTORIC IRAQ TRIP

The pope developed pleurisy in his 20s and was forced to have part of his lungs removed in his native Argentina.

Pope giving blessing from St .Peter's Basilica window

The pope usually addresses the public from a window of St. Peter’s Basilica overlooking St. Peter’s Square on Sundays. (Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Christmas Eve also marks the beginning of the Vatican’s Holy Year in which around 32 million pilgrims are expected to head to Rome throughout 2025.

The pope will open the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve and On Dec. 26, he will go to Rome’s main prison to inaugurate the start of the Holy Year there.

The Holy Year, also known as the Jubilee, is usually held every 25 years.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

World

Iceland says it will put EU membership to referendum by 2027

Published

2 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Iceland says it will put EU membership to referendum by 2027

Iceland has traditionally been ambivalent about joining the bloc but issues like the 2008 financial crisis, Brexit and a range of domestic issues has meant the country is slowly warming to the idea of membership.

Iceland’s new government has said it aims to put the question of EU membership to a referendum by 2027.

The incoming administration of Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, which takes over on Sunday, also said it will set up a panel of experts to look into the advantages and disadvantages of retaining the Icelandic crown over adopting the Euro.

“We agreed that a motion in parliament be agreed upon, stating that we will have a referendum on the continuation of Iceland’s European Union accession talks and that this referendum be held no later than 2027,” said incoming Foreign Minister, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir.

Gunnarsdóttir also heads the pro-EU Liberal Reform party and is widely expected to spearhead any accession talks.

According to a poll conducted by market research company Maskína in June, support for EU membership among Iceland’s population is growing.

That poll found just over 54% of respondents were in favour of joining the bloc, with the majority saying they thought households would be financially better off as part of the EU.

That’s a significant swing in favour of membership in a country that has generally been ambivalent about joining the EU.

In his ‘Public Opinion on the EU in Iceland since 1980’ paper published by Denmark’s Aarhus University, Ragnar Auðun Árnason said that for much of the 1980s and 1990s, Iceland was broadly split into three equal camps regarding EU membership; for, against and undecided.

But issues like the 2008 financial crisis, Brexit and a range of domestic issues has meant that Icelanders seem to be slowly warming to the idea of joining the bloc.

And a significant majority of those polled by Maskína – 74.2% – said it was important that the issue be decided by referendum.

New government unveiled

The new government was presented to the public by president Halla Tómasdóttir at a ceremony in the southwestern town of Hafnarfjörður.

Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, who is the leader of the centre-left Social Democratic Alliance, said she aims to cut inflation and interest rates.

“This new government will face challenges united. Our first task is to stabilize the economy and lower interest rates with strong leadership in fiscal policy. In the meantime, this government will break the deadlock, and work towards greater creation of wealth in the private sector. The quality of life in the country will be increased through unity surrounding these challenges,” she said.

The Social Democratic Alliance became the biggest party in November’s snap elections, called after the previous coalition government led by Bjarni Benediktsson collapsed due to infighting.

It agreed to form a government with the Liberal Reform Party and the centrist People’s Party. It’s the first time in Iceland’s history that the leaders of all the governing parties will be women.