The latest on the corona crisis – UN Secretary General: World fails in vaccine distribution – News

Largest vaccine manufacturer asks the world for patience

 The  world’s largest vaccine manufacturer has indicated that there could be delays in exports of corona vaccines.  The  head of the Indian company Serum Institute, Adar Poonawalla, wrote on Twitter: «Dear countries & governments, As you await COVISHIELD deliveries, I humbly ask you to be patient.

 The  Serum Institute was directed to prioritize the great needs of India while balancing the needs of the rest of the world. We give our best.”

Among other things, the company produces the AstraZeneca vaccine under the name Covishield at affordable prices. It will therefore play an important role in fighting pandemics, especially in poorer countries.

Legend:

According to its own information, around half of all vaccines worldwide are manufactured in India.

 The  country had recently given away millions of cans to poorer countries. Others were sold. But India also needs a lot of vaccines itself and wants to vaccinate around 300 million people by the summer – around a quarter of its 1.3 billion inhabitants.

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Lucerne government wants to open outdoor areas of restaurants

 The  Lucerne government welcomes the Federal Council’s proposal to gradually relax the national Covid-19 measures from March 1, 2021 and basically agrees with the thrust. She advocates a uniform approach across Switzerland. However, the government does not agree with the proposed opening steps for restaurants.

 The  government council requests that at least the outdoor areas of restaurants – subject to strict protection concepts – may be opened from March 1, 2021. He also calls for the number of severe disease courses to be given greater consideration in future when determining the further easing steps.

Canton of Nidwalden for faster relaxation in gastronomy

In principle, the Nidwalden Government Council welcomes the Federal Council’s proposed approach with the gradual opening. From his point of view, however, the easing of the catering industry is not going too far.

In its statement to the federal government, the Nidwalden government council wrote that the protection concepts and the epidemiological situation would allow the catering industry to return to normal operations as early as March 1, 2021. If restaurants cannot open as a whole, they should at least be allowed to use their outdoor areas.

 The  terraces of takeaway offers, which are already open in individual ski areas, should remain open for orderly consumption in the view of the Nidwalden government council.

UN Secretary-General denounces “vaccine nationalism”

UN Secretary General António Guterres has denounced the failure of the world to distribute the first available vaccines fairly – even to poorer countries.

“Equal treatment with vaccines is ultimately a question of human rights,” said Guterres at the start of the meeting of the UN Human Rights Council. “Vaccination nationalism denies these rights.” Only ten countries have used 75 percent of the vaccines available, and more than 130 countries have not yet received a single dose.

 The  Secretary General’s conclusion: “Failure to ensure equitable access to vaccines is yet another moral bankruptcy that sets us back.”

Legend:

 The  UN Human Rights Council meets three times a year in Geneva. Due to the corona pandemic, the four-week meeting will take place almost exclusively online this time.

 The  speeches are recorded on video.

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Federal Minister of Justice expects more freedom for vaccinated people

 The  German Federal Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht (SPD) expects that people who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus will have more freedom than those who have not been vaccinated. “I can very well imagine hoteliers or restaurateurs saying that access is possible for those who have been vaccinated,” Lambrecht told the TV channels RTL and ntv.

However, it limits the availability of data on the transmission of infections after
Vaccination is currently not enough. “If we know that the vaccination actually means that one is no longer infectious, then there is no longer any reason to restrict basic rights,” adds the SPD politician. However, access to a restaurant must then also be possible for people who had a negative rapid test.

I can very well imagine hoteliers or restaurateurs saying that access is possible for vaccinated people.

Zanzibar: “Holidays as if there were no pandemic”

 The  Vice President of the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar, Seif Sharif Hamad, died last week of the consequences of a corona illness.

 The  government officially declared Zanzibar as corona-free. This means that there are no rules such as keeping your distance or wearing a mask, tourists from Switzerland do not have to be quarantined after returning from Zanzibar.

 The  freelance journalist Adrian Kriesch was there in January.

He says: “In May 2020, official figures were published for the last time. Hospitals are not allowed to give out any information about Covid patients.

 The  media does not report on the virus. And even people with symptoms are not tested when entering and leaving the country. ” This is how to keep the island «corona-free», said Kriesch.

 The  result: “You can go on vacation there as if there was no pandemic.” A corresponding number of charter flights would currently fly there.

 The  canton of Schwyz also wants faster easing

 The  Schwyz government council also wants the corona measures to be relaxed more quickly than the Federal Council has proposed.

 The  State Chancellery announced that restaurants as well as professional cultural and sporting events should be possible again as early as March 1, subject to compliance with protective concepts.

 The  Schwyz government council also recommends that the Federal Council make further easing steps not only dependent on the number of people who tested positive for the coronavirus, but also on the number of tests carried out. Because more people without symptoms are to be tested, the Schwyz government council expects the number of cases to rise, but this does not automatically mean a worsening of the epidemiological situation.

UK Vaccination Minister: Vaccination appears to prevent transmission

Vaccines appear to be effective in preventing the transmission of Covid-19, the UK vaccines minister said ahead of a government announcement about a way out of the lockdown.

“Suffice it to say the signs are good,” Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News when asked if the vaccines were effective in reducing infections. «We would not be in this place this morning to be able to say that we will reopen the schools on March 8th and … that we will see the rule of six people and two families seeing each other outdoors when the school holidays start on March 29th … if we weren’t confident that the vaccination program is actually beginning to bear fruit. ”

 The  British government plans to present precise data on the effectiveness of its vaccination campaign this Monday afternoon. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will also present a plan to ease corona measures. According to a previous announcement from the government, all schools in England are to open again from March 8th. From the end of March on, social contacts and recreational sports should be possible again, at least outdoors.

Schleswig-Holstein wants to vaccinate school staff soon

 The  German state Schleswig-Holstein wants to offer school staff a vaccination in the coming weeks. Teachers, social workers and educators at schools as well as daycare workers should be vaccinated as a priority, says Education Minister Karin Prien on Deutschlandfunk.

Once these people have been admitted to group two of those entitled to higher vaccinations, it should be possible to start vaccinating in the next few weeks. As planned in Baden-Württemberg, the active ingredient from Astra-Zeneca should be used for this, says the CDU politician.

Legend:

Vaccinate school staff before others. US President Joe Biden also considered this idea. In Germany, however, the head of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), Thomas Mertens, sees no reason to preferentially vaccinate teachers, as he told the Rheinische Post last week.

Reuters

A few hundred people at the canceled Basel «Morgestraich»

In normal times, the Basel Carnival would have started this morning at 4 a.m. This year, only several hundred carnival people came to Basel city center for the quiet “Morgestraich”.

 The  people stood together in small groups, some of them were in costumes.

With very few exceptions, those present adhered to the ban on drums and whistles; At 4 a.m. sharp, piccolos and drums could have been heard occasionally, but at 5 a.m. it was quiet again, said SRF regional correspondents.

 The  Basel canton police were present, but reluctant.

Economiesuisse criticizes corona crisis management

According to Christoph Mäder, President of the economic umbrella organization Economiesuisse, Switzerland’s vaccination management in the corona pandemic is a single disappointment.

In a country that regards itself as highly technological, it could not be so difficult to provide a functioning IT tool for registrations reasonably timely, said Mäder in an interview with the daily newspaper “Blick”.

Mäder also sees a need for action in communication. A lot went wrong in the past.

 The  absolute worst case scenario at the beginning of the crisis was the discussion about the usefulness of masks. To this day he could not understand how one could say that masks are useless. That did great damage to credibility and trust. This also applies to the hacking between the federal government and the cantons. In addition, one hesitated far too long with broad testing.

Legend:

If the crisis has anything good, then hopefully that digitization is really being pushed forward with verve, says Economiesuisse President Christoph Mäder in “Blick”.

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