WHO asks to accelerate the vaccination process against COVID-19

Copenhagen -

Faster, more effective and if you can more fair. Throughout the world, the vaccination process against Coronavirus, authorizing new drugs and promoting junctions to accelerate the process and achieve more doses, as occurs in beaten countries in Latin America.

This Friday, responsible for the World Health Organization (WHO) asked Europe to be “one” to accelerate their immunization campaign and showed their concern about the advance of the known variants of the virus and others that may appear, which will multiply doubts about the effectiveness of vaccines.

"We must prepare" for other problematic mutations of the virus further reinforcing sequencing, said Hans Kluge, regional director for Europe of the organization, in an interview with theAFP.

In the European Union (EU), the population rate vaccinated with at least a first dose of the vaccine is 2.5%. The objective of the block is to have 70% of its population before the end of the boreal summer, according to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who admitted that this goal will undoubtedly face obstacles such as “production problems”.

"Pharmaceutical companies, which normally compete with each other, must combine efforts to drastically increase production capabilities, that is what we need," Klug insisted this Friday.

"Share vaccines"

The expert admitted that "the big question" is whether approved vaccines will be effective against new variants.

"It is a cruel reminder that the virus is still above the human being, but it is not a new virus, it is an evolution of a virus that tries to adapt to its human guest," he clarified.

Klugo reiterated calls to solidarity with countries that cannot buy the vaccine and suggested that rich countries should quickly share their doses with other poorer, once they have vaccinated a certain percentage of their population.

"Perhaps, when EU countries reach 20% of the vaccination of their population - 20% means elderly people, health personnel, people with comorbidity - it could be time to share vaccines," he said.

His statements are in the Red Cross line, which alerted Thursday for flagrant inequality that presides over the distribution of vaccines.

At this time in the world about 105 million doses of vaccines have been injected into about 82 countries and territories, but according to the Red Cross, almost 70% of these doses have been applied in the 50 richest countries, while 0.1% have gone to the 50 poorest countries.

In the United States, the Johnson & Johnson laboratory on Thursday asked the country's regulatory authorities to urgently authorize their one-dose vaccine against COVID-19.

If you receive green light from the American drug agency (FDA), the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would be the third authorized in that country, after those of Pfizer/Bionntech and modern.

This vaccine is highly anticipated because it has two important advantages with respect to those already approved: it can be stored in a refrigerator and only requires one dose.

According to the first results of the clinical trials he shared, his vaccine has a general effectiveness of 66% and 85% to prevent serious forms of the disease.

"Live more"

According to the last count of theAFPFrom official sources, pandemic has caused at least 2.27 million deaths and more than 104 million infections.

Latin America and the Caribbean is the second most affected region, behind Europe, with 606,273 deaths and 19.2 million infections.

In Mexico, third country in the world with the greatest number of deaths behind the United States and Brazil, with more than 161,000 deaths and 1.8 million infections, samples of patients from COVID-19 of the state of Jalisco (west) are being analyzed to determine if it is a local variant of the SARS-COV2.

In Peru, the proportionally most affected country in Latin America with 125 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, the presence of the Brazilian variant of the virus in three regions was confirmed, Lima among them, which would explain the increase in the infections of the last weeks. Brazil and Peru share 2,800 km of border in the Amazon.

The Peruvian authorities also announced that they will receive 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, although it will have to wait for March for the first installment of 250,000 units.

Paraguay also announced that he reached an agreement with the Russian investment fund to receive the Russian vaccine Sputnik V.

In Chile, which reached agreements to buy about 36 million doses with Pfizer, Syovac, Johnson & Johnson and Astrazeneca, tens of thousands of elderly people have been vaccinated this week. "I am 80 years old and although it is difficult to believe the young people who are partying without a mask, I do want to live more," said Cecilia Valenzuela, 80, after receiving the drug.

In Cuba, the authorities announced that in Havana a new curfew will govern from Friday night (from 9:00 p.m. to 05:00), similar to that applied in September.

With 1.2 million inhabitants, Cuba experiences a rebound in cases, although the balance remains good, compared to other countries in the region, with 220 deaths and less than 30,000 infections.

In the sports field, which also moves to the rhythm of the pandemic, the tennis players who participate in the preliminary matches to the Australian Open gave negative in the diagnostic tests and the matches could retake this Friday in Melbourne. (YO)