Pfizer jab is effective against severe disease caused by two variants, Biden backs suspending vaccine patents, and other pandemic-related news across the globe
Israel shows the world what return to office will look like
Helped by one of the fastest vaccination drives in the world, Israel has more or less reopened its economy and nearly two months after doing so, it is moving on from the work-from-home era, something the world is keeping a close eye on. Employers and employees around the world are watching with interest to see what happens in a country that has come to be seen as a late-pandemic bellwether and how the life after coronavirus looks like. Israel offers a glimpse for other economic hubs of what work may look like soon, as workers and employees alike seek to rekindle the sense of community they lost last year. Read here
Let’s look at the global statistics
Global infections: 155,216,499
Global deaths: 3,242,360
Nations with most cases: US (32,557,606), India (21,077,410), Brazil (14,930,183), France (5,767,541), Turkey (4,955,594).
Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center
Biden backs suspending patents on vaccines
Amid criticism for not doing enough as the world leader, Biden has set out to take, what he calls, some extraordinary steps to help the world tide over the coronavirus crisis. In line with this, Biden administration said it backs waiving intellectual property rights for vaccines against the deadly coronavirus disease at the World Trade Organization (WHO). The proposal if cleared, could allow drugmakers across the globe access to the closely guarded trade secrets of how the viable vaccines have been made. This comes in the wake of raging inequality in access to vaccines between the developed and developing nations, especially among the poor countries. Read here
Pfizer vaccine is effective against severe disease caused by two variants, finds study
Studies based on real-world data from Israel and Qatar suggest the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine is extremely effective against the severe disease caused by two variants, found in UK and South Africa. Earlier reaearch showed vaccines appeared to be less effective against B.1.351 (South African Variant). The katest study, which appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, is based on information about more than 200,000 people from Qatar’s national Covid-19 databases between February 1 and March 31. The researchers found that the vaccine was 97.4 percent effective at preventing severe, critical or fatal disease from any form of the coronavirus, and 100 percent effective at preventing severe, critical or fatal disease caused by both UK and South African Variants. Read here
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