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BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — AstraZeneca will increase its coronavirus vaccine deliveries to the EU by 30 percent, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday as the bloc sought to claw back time lost rolling out the jabs. The British-Swedish company had announced last week that it could deliver only a quarter of the doses originally promised to the bloc for the first quarter of the year because of problems at one of its […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Protesters briefly disrupted a coronavirus vaccination distribution center at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, US media reported Saturday. Several dozen people carrying signs demanding the end of lockdowns and promoting anti-vaccination conspiracy theories gathered at the entrance to the site, one of the largest in the US, social media posts showed. “There appears to be only about 30 protestors total. It’s not clear why they’ve shut off the whole […]
by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO Agence France Presse HONG Kong, China (AFP) — A new visa scheme offering millions of Hong Kongers a pathway to British citizenship will go live later on Sunday as the city’s former colonial master opens its doors to those wanting to escape China’s crackdown on dissent. From Sunday afternoon, anyone with a British National (Overseas) passport and their dependents will be able to apply online for a visa […]
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany’s government on Sunday threatened legal action against laboratories failing to deliver coronavirus vaccines to the European Union on schedule, amid tension over delays to deliveries from AstraZeneca. “If it turns out that companies have not respected their obligations, we will have to decide the legal consequences,” Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told German daily Die Welt. “No company can favour another country over the EU after the fact,” he added. […]
by Véronique DUPONT Agence France Presse Only a few weeks ago, Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca was being applauded for the speed with which it developed its Covid-19 vaccine. Experts heralded the launch of the jab as a turning point in the pandemic, not least because it can be transported and stored more easily than its Pfizer/BioNTech counterpart. The Anglo-Swedish firm also won plaudits for promising to provide the vaccine on a non-profit basis to […]
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The EU backtracked Friday over threats to restrict vaccine exports to Northern Ireland after London voiced “grave concerns” over the proposed move. A furious row over shortages of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine has risked stoking conflict with the UK just weeks after London and Brussels sealed a Brexit trade agreement. The EU had warned it would invoke Article 16 — overriding part of a deal with London allowing the free-flow of […]
by Peter MURPHY Agence France Presse BUDAPEST, Hungary (AFP) — Hungary on Friday became the first EU member to approve the Chinese-made Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine, a week after it also broke ranks with Brussels by issuing a provisional permit for Russia’s Sputnik V jab. “Today the National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition (OGYEI) gave its approval for the Sinopharm vaccine,” Chief Medical Officer Cecilia Muller told a briefing. A few hours later Foreign Minister […]
by Jan HENNOP with AFP Bureaus Agence France Presse The European Union on Friday approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for use on all adults, as concerns grow around the world over the effectiveness of different jabs against new strains of Covid-19. Brussels’ announcement after a green light from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) marks the third vaccine approved for use in the EU, following the jabs made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. The pharma giant’s […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US first lady Jill Biden will participate in efforts by her husband’s administration to reunite families split apart by former president Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies, the White House said Friday. In line with his campaign promises, President Joe Biden plans to announce on Tuesday “his launch of a task force on reunifying families and children. Something that he is personally committed to, his wife Dr Biden is personally […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine appeared not to be effective for people over 65 years of age. Speaking to reporters only hours before the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended the vaccine for adults of all ages, Macron also questioned Britain’s decision to delay the second dose of Covid vaccines to inoculate more people. Macron said there was “very little information” available for the vaccine […]
BUCHAREST, Romania (AFP) — At least four people died Friday after a fire broke out in Romania’s main hospital treating Covid-19 patients, officials told AFP. Three patients were found dead at the Matei Bals hospital in Bucarest and a fourth died despite attempts at resuscitation, state secretary of the Ministry of Interior Raed Arafat told reporters. The fire reportedly broke out on the ground floor around 5:00am (0300 GMT), said Orlando Schiopu, head of […]
by Leo RAMIREZ / Hector RETAMAL Agence France Presse WUHAN, China (AFP) — Experts from the World Health Organization visited a Wuhan hospital Friday as the fieldwork began in a closely watched coronavirus origins probe that will take in a food market presumed to be “ground zero” of the pandemic. The WHO investigation has been hobbled by delays, and there are fears over access and the strength of evidence a year after the virus […]
