Europe has half of the world’s 4m new COVID-19 cases, says WHO
GENEVA: Europe made up almost half of the world’s 4 million new coronavirus cases last week but recorded a nearly 10% fall in infections compared to the week before, thanks in part to strict government lockdown measures that have fanned some discontent, the World Health Organisation ( WHO) reported on Wednesday.
The latest weekly tally from the UN health agency comes found that its 54-nation European region continued to report most new cases worldwide - 46% - but the decline in cases followed “the strengthening of public health and social measures” in the region. But as new cases fell, though, the tally of deaths rose “substantially” in Europe over the last week to more than 29,000 reported virus deaths.
Pfizer said on Wednesday that new test results show its coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective, is safe and also protects older people most at risk of dying - last data needed to seek emergency use of limited shot supplies even as the catastrophic outbreak worsens across the globe.
The announcement from Pfizer and its German partner Biontech, just a week ater they revealed the first promising preliminary results, comes as the team is preparing within days to formally ask US regulators to allow emergency use of the vaccine.
They also have begun “rolling submissions” for the vaccine with regulators in Europe, the UK and Canada and soon will add this new data.
Pfizer and Biontech had initially estimated the vaccine was more than 90% effective ater 94 infections had been counted in a study that included 44,000 people. With the new announcement, the company now has accumulated 170 infections in the study - and said only eight of them occurred in volunteers who got the actual vaccine rather than a dummy shot. One of those eight developed severe disease, the company said.
The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), announced that it conducted 116,396 additional COVID-19 tests and detected 1,292 new coronavirus cases. MOHAP also announced 4 deaths due to COVID-19 complications.
MOHAP also noted an additional 890 individuals had fully recovered from COVID-19.
Pockets of Western Europe have shown signs of turning a corner, particularly in the lowlands near the English Channel.
Belgium said on Wednesday it had taken a major step in containing the resurgence of the coronavirus, reporting a drop in the daily death count for the first time since the latest COVID-19 wave hit the continent this autumn.
Officials in the Netherlands, to the north, were easing coronavirus restrictions amid falling infection rates, and were poised to reopen public venues like cinemas, museums, libraries, zoos and swimming pools.