Fight for the new crown vaccine!
Britain boasted that it won the competition, the United States and Europe questioned not being rigorous enough
[Global Times Special Correspondent in the UK Sun Wei Chen Xin] The first batch of Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine manufactured in Belgium arrived in the UK via the Anglo-French Undersea Tunnel on the 4th and will soon be distributed to hospitals around the country.
The UK is the first country to approve emergency use of the vaccine.
It crossed the finish line first, and caused a war of words between Britain and the European Union and the United States.
While proudly boasting, senior British officials did not forget to step on the EU and the United States.
The European Union and the United States questioned Britain’s rush to achieve success and lack of rigorous regulatory procedures.
The American "anti-epidemic captain" Fauci joined the controversy with unrelenting words, which is especially eye-catching.
On the 4th, the global death toll from new coronary pneumonia exceeded 1.5 million.
The number of new infections, deaths, and hospitalizations in the United States, where the epidemic is the worst, has set new records.
The progress made in vaccines casts a ray of sunshine on these gloomy figures, but the war of words between Britain, the United States and Europe has made the outside world worried. Is "vaccine nationalism" rising?
"We are much better than them"
The New York Times reported on the 4th that British and American officials debated how Britain defeated the United States to authorize vaccines in the first place. This debate involves regulatory standards and politics.
British Education Secretary Williamson said triumphantly that Britain won the competition because the country's regulatory agencies are better.
"We obviously have the best medical regulatory agency, much better than the French, much better than the Belgians, and much better than the Americans." In an interview with the London Broadcasting Corporation on the 3rd, he not only praised the government, but also This boast escalated to the entire country, "The UK is the first to authorize the use of this vaccine because we are much better than each of them, right?"
The British government approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on the 2nd, which was made under an emergency approval process.
This procedure allows the UK drug regulatory agency to temporarily approve the vaccine 10 days after reviewing the large-scale trial data.
The British "Urban Morning Post" said that the EU postponed the formal safety assessment of Pfizer/BioNTech and Modena vaccines, which means that Europe will have to wait until next year to get the vaccine, and is lagging behind in the vaccine battle.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will discuss whether to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine urgently until the 10th.
The British "Guardian" said on the 4th that it is not clear whether Williamson was joking, but just before he made the above remarks, British Health Secretary Hancock said that the reason why Britain became the first country in the world to approve the vaccine , Is because of "Brexit".
This statement was quickly responded by many cabinet ministers.
Reuters commented that the granting of emergency use of vaccines is regarded by many as a "political coup" by British Prime Minister Johnson.
He led Britain to withdraw from the European Union, but was criticized for its response to the epidemic.
The European Medicines Agency, which is responsible for approving EU vaccines, has rarely issued a strong statement stating that the UK prioritizes speed above winning public trust.
The New York Times said that in fact, the United Kingdom is still under the European Union's regulatory umbrella in terms of drug and vaccine approval.
Peter Marx, director of the US FDA's Center for Biological Products Evaluation and Research, also joined the controversy on the 4th, saying that the United Kingdom defeated the United States to approve vaccines because the US regulators were more cautious.
To the surprise of the media, Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the United States, who usually dislikes open conflict, bluntly criticized Britain.
In an interview with Fox News on the 3rd, he said: “The UK is not cautious enough to do things. If you are eager to achieve success, only superficially, people don’t want to vaccinate. In contrast, the US FDA has a set of golden regulatory standards.” On the CBS program, Fauci once again criticized Britain for rushing to approve the vaccine, like "taking a shortcut in a marathon and joining in the last mile of the stage."
According to Reuters, Fauci's statement was reported vigorously by major British television news channels.
The director of the British Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Wren immediately rebutted, saying that the approval process did not take shortcuts and was not sloppy at all.
The British "Times" reported that the British government will counter global accusations that its rapid approval of the new crown vaccine is "irresponsible" in order to prevent the public's confidence in vaccination from being damaged.
British health officials dismissed Fauci and others as sour grape psychology.
MHRA issued a statement on the 5th, insisting that the UK's approval of the vaccine meets all safety standards.
"After the conflict, Fauci extended an olive branch." The New York Times reported that Fauci appeared on the BBC program late on the 3rd. He looked a little depressed and said he apologized for it.
"The way we do things is a little different, that's it-it's not better or worse, it's just different." Fauci said that the politicization of the epidemic in the United States has led regulators to act more cautiously than in the United Kingdom to avoid losing the public. stand by.
The British "Independent" reported that Johnson was later forced to withdraw the Cabinet Secretary's statement.
His spokesperson welcomed Fauci's change of attitude on the 5th.
Controversy threatens confidence in vaccines
Is "vaccine nationalism" rising?
"Los Angeles Times" said that the United Kingdom may be a case.
For several months, public health experts have been worried about the phenomenon of "vaccine nationalism"-hype about their efforts to fight the epidemic, sometimes at the expense of global cooperation and coordination.
Although it is normal for world leaders to prioritize their own national interests, the situation becomes dangerous when public health decisions are driven by domestic political concerns.
According to the New York Times, this round of disputes between Britain and Europe and the United States was caused by "vaccine nationalism."
The newspaper said that whether the United Kingdom hastily approved the vaccine or the United States is wasting precious time. This issue has caused differences among scientists and attracted politicians.
Facing criticism from the US and EU regulators, some British lawmakers accused the EU of “pretentious”.
But scientists warn that the debate about which country has a better regulatory system could undermine public confidence in vaccines.
"The new crown pneumonia pandemic is a global emergency, not a national matter." The Financial Times commented that the approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is a moving symbol of science transcending national boundaries: the vaccine was developed by the descendants of Turkish immigrants. Developed in Germany, tested in Germany, the United States, Turkey, South Africa, Brazil and Argentina, manufactured in Belgium, and first approved in the United Kingdom.
"Vaccine nationalism has no place in the new crown pneumonia epidemic or other public health issues of global significance," British government science adviser Jeremy Faller told The New York Times that science is an "exit strategy" for this terrible epidemic. , And science is global.
Interpol orange warning: criminal gangs have been eyeing the vaccine
"Vaccines bring hope to ending the epidemic, but the cruel months are still ahead." The Washington Post said that this is a "split screen" moment: The progress on vaccines means that people can now speak with confidence about the end of the epidemic. What do you want to do later.
But at the same time, the number of people infected with the new coronavirus has set a new record, showing that controlling the epidemic is still a frustrating and difficult task.
On the 4th, the number of confirmed new crown pneumonia worldwide exceeded 65.11 million, and the death toll exceeded 1.5 million.
According to the South China Morning Post, on a weekly average, it is equivalent to one person dying of new coronary pneumonia every 9 seconds.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, the number of new confirmed cases in the United States that day set another single-day record, reaching 217,000 cases and 2,900 new deaths.
US President-elect Biden told CNN on the 3rd that after he takes office, he will require Americans to wear masks for 100 days.
CNN said this shows that Biden's response to the epidemic will be completely different from Trump.
Fauci confirmed on the 4th that he "on the spot" accepted Biden's invitation to serve as Biden's chief medical consultant and become a member of its anti-epidemic team.
"The vaccine is here, but does everyone want it?" Qatar Al Jazeera reported that with online rumors, such as vaccines being injected into microchips, a problem the government is facing is how to convince skeptical people .
Biden said on the 3rd that he will vaccinate publicly to show the world its safety.
British Health Secretary Hancock also said that he will be vaccinated live on TV.
Vaccines bring hope to the world, but they also face threats.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the 4th that Interpol issued a global orange bulletin to its 194 members on Wednesday evening, warning that criminal groups call the new crown vaccine "liquid gold." As countries prepare to launch the vaccine, criminal organizations Is planning to infiltrate or disrupt the supply chain.
The newspaper said that the orange bulletin was a warning of serious and imminent threats to public safety.