The US "Pfizer" intends to request a license for its vaccine in November

Study: The world is facing a "combined epidemic" of chronic diseases and "Covid-19"

"Pfizer" hopes to proceed with the launch of the vaccine after the availability of safety data in the third week of November.

■ AFP

A global study on human health revealed that the world is facing a storm of increased rates of chronic diseases, persistent infectious diseases, and public health failures, which has caused an increase in death rates during the "Covid-19" pandemic, while Pfizer intends to The US government requested a license for its vaccine against Corona in November.

In detail, the global study said that the outbreak of the Corona virus, and the pandemic intertwined with a continuous global increase in chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, in addition to environmental risks, such as air pollution, have exacerbated the number of deaths due to infection with the virus.

The study bears the title: "The Global Burden of Disease" and is the most comprehensive of its kind.

It was published in the medical journal "The Lancet", and analyzed 286 causes of death, 369 diseases and injuries, and 87 risk factors in 204 countries and regions, to provide a picture of the basic health situation of the world population and the impact of "Covid-19".

"(Covid-19) is a serious health emergency," said Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet.

He described the coupling of the Corona pandemic and the high global incidence of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases as a "compound epidemic."

The study concluded that the most important causes of morbidity for people aged 50 and over in the world are ischemic heart disease, strokes and diabetes.

In the younger age groups, between 10 and 49, road accidents, acquired immunodeficiency disease (AIDS), lower back pain and depressive disorders were the most common.

It also revealed that the increase in chronic diseases associated with public health failures, in the face of avoidable risk factors, has made the world's population more vulnerable in the face of health emergencies, such as the Corona pandemic.

Horton said that chronic diseases, such as: high blood pressure, increased blood sugar, obesity, and high cholesterol, which are symptoms experienced by millions around the world, have played an important role in the death of more than a million, due to infection with "Covid-19" , Until now.

He added that these symptoms are due to unhealthy diets and lack of exercise at adequate rates.

He continued, "We will continue to determine the health situation in every country, after the pandemic subsides."

This comes at a time when the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer expects to apply for a license for the emergency use of its vaccine against "Covid-19", in late November, about two weeks after the US presidential elections, scheduled for the third of the same month.

The company hoped to proceed with the launch of the vaccine, after the availability of safety data in the third week of November, which immediately led to a 2% increase in its shares in the US financial markets.

Pfizer President and CEO, Albert Burla, said in an open letter: “To be clear, if we assume that the data is positive, then (Pfizer) will soon apply for a license for emergency use in the United States, after achieving the (verification) phase. From) Safety in the third week of November ».

In the same context, a clinical trial of the World Health Organization concluded that the drug “remdesivir” did not reduce the deaths or hospitalization of patients with the emerging corona virus.

The anti-viral drug is among the first drugs used as a treatment for the "Covid-19" disease, which is caused by the Coronavirus, and it was one of the drugs used recently to treat US President Donald Trump from infection.

The results from the Solidarity trial, conducted by the World Health Organization, which included evaluating the effects of four potential drugs: remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, and an anti-retroviral drug (HIV) consisting of a mixture of lopinavir and ritonavir and interferon. 11,266 adult patients, in more than 30 countries.

The World Health Organization said yesterday that the study found that the drugs had no effect, apparently, on the death rate or the duration of hospitalization of "Covid-19" patients.

Data from an American study of "remdesivir", conducted by Gilead, which produced this drug, showed that the treatment reduced the recovery time from "Covid-19" by five days, compared to patients who took a placebo in a trial that included 1062 patients.

Gilad told Reuters that "the (World Health Organization) data appear to be contradictory, while there is stronger evidence from several randomized and controlled studies published in periodicals ... confirming the benefit of remdesivir."

France: Record number of injuries ... Paris and other cities begin the ban

Paris and its suburbs, in addition to eight other major cities on high alert, have prepared for a curfew that began at midnight last night, after the country recorded more than 30,000 injuries in 24 hours, a record.

Regarding Lyon, Lille, Toulouse, Montpellier, Saint-Etienne, Aix Marseille, Rouen and Grenoble, in addition to Ile-de-France, which has a total population of 20 million, the government decided to impose a curfew, as of midnight last night "for a period of not less than four weeks", or even " More than that if Parliament approves », according to President Emmanuel Macron.

The Prime Minister, Jean Castex, stated that since midnight on Friday, Saturday, "everyone will be in his home from nine in the evening until six in the morning" in the concerned areas, except for some people who have an exit permit, such as: going to work, or to the hospital.

The permit, as was the case during the closure period, will be compulsory and available on the government's website, otherwise a fine of € 135 will be imposed on violators.

And in all of these cities, restaurants will have to close at night, which worries their owners.

For its part, the government defends this only measure that can avoid a complete re-lockdown, an idea that intimidates the French and would weaken the economy.

According to the government, the curfew will not affect the spread of the virus, unless it is imposed for at least two to three weeks.

The current jump in the number of new infections raises fears that hospitals will fill up, while the situation is bad in certain regions, such as: Ile-de-France, where the occupancy rate of intensive care beds for those infected with Coronavirus exceeds 40%.

For all countries, the number of patients currently receiving treatment in intensive care has increased dramatically in recent days, reaching 1,741 out of a total capacity of 5,800 beds, according to Health Minister Olivier Ferrand.

286

Causes of death, 369 diseases and injuries, and 87 risk factors ... the study analyzed them in 204 countries and regions.

Chronic diseases have played an important role in the deaths of more than a million people due to "Covid-19".

A clinical trial concluded that "remdesivir" did not reduce the deaths of Corona patients.

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