Pfizer promotes the third shot because mutation drives global outbreaks

Pfizer and BioNTech announced that they will seek authorization for a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to improve its effectiveness, as the Delta variant has caused devastating outbreaks in Asia and Africa, and cases have risen again in Europe and the United States.

With the pandemic raging again, Japan banned fans from participating in most Olympic games two weeks before the opening ceremony and placed Tokyo in a state of virus emergency throughout the Olympics.

Delta is the most infectious virus strain since the start of the global pandemic early last year.

It was first discovered in India, and even in countries with high vaccination rates, it spread rapidly and accelerated the outbreak, leading the World Health Organization to warn this week that as the global official death toll exceeds 4 million, the world is in “dangerous conditions”. time”.

Pfizer and BioNTech said on Thursday that they expect the third dose to perform well against the strain and will seek authorization in the United States, Europe and other regions in the coming weeks.

According to a statement, preliminary data from an ongoing trial showed that the third dose increased the level of antibodies against the original coronavirus strain and Beta variants by 5 to 10 times compared to the first two doses originally found in South Africa.

The two companies said they expect similar results from Delta-but added that they are also developing a vaccine tailored specifically to combat this deadly strain.

Read here | Based on the best available data, how effective is the Covid-19 vaccine against Delta variants

The news was made in Japan that, in view of the new state of emergency imposed on the capital, Japan will prohibit spectators from entering almost all Olympic venues, and this variant currently accounts for about 30% of cases.

The Olympic torch arrived in the Japanese capital on Friday and quietly ended in a nationwide torch relay. The torch relay originally stimulated people’s enthusiasm for the Olympics. However, due to the virus problem, the torch has been removed from public roads or otherwise The method has been changed.

‘Don’t leave your home’

Elsewhere in Asia, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam has entered a two-week lockdown. Residents are now prohibited from gathering in public places, and people can only leave home to buy food, medicine and in emergency situations.

The police also set up checkpoints at the city border, and only those who test negative can enter.

In Indonesia, much-needed oxygen and protective equipment are shipped from neighboring Singapore.

Indonesia has become a global Covid-19 hotspot. A violent outbreak has made it difficult for hospitals to cope-many people now refuse to accept new patients, leaving dozens of people to die at home, while desperate relatives are looking for oxygen tanks to treat patients.

Indonesia has a population of 270 million, and the number of recorded cases now exceeds 2.4 million-but the detection rate is very low, and experts believe the true number is much higher.

Read | As the third wave accelerates in Africa, the July Covid-19 data rises

The virus is also returning to many places that were once seen as a model for fighting a pandemic.

As the new Covid-19 infection hit a record high and the authorities warned that the Delta virus outbreak is out of control, the authorities in Australia’s largest city tightened a three-week lockdown on Friday.

“Don’t leave your home unless you have to,” Governor Gladys Berejiklian told Sydney’s 5 million residents and warned that “since the pandemic began,” their safety has faced the greatest challenge. Threatened.

South Korea said it would raise the coronavirus containment measures in downtown Seoul to the highest level. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyun warned that the record surge in new cases has reached “the highest level of the crisis.”

Now, nearly half of South Korea’s population will be banned from gathering in groups of two or more people after 6 pm, schools will be closed within two weeks, and other new restrictions.

At the same time, Brazil is the country with the second highest known number of Covid-19 deaths in the world after the United States. Authorities say the variant is rapidly spreading in the country’s most populous state of São Paulo.

Africa has also been severely hit and struggling to deal with it. The WHO warned that after the most catastrophic week in the history of the pandemic, the worst has yet to come.

Dr. Macidiso Morti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said: “The rapid development of the third wave of the epidemic continues to accelerate and break new ground.”

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Even where the vaccination drive is strong, Delta Air Lines makes it feel.

Due to a surge in cases caused by Delta Air Lines, France on Thursday advised its citizens not to travel to Spain and Portugal.