Amid the spread of the new strain of "virus" in several countries

27 European countries start the Corona vaccination campaign today

Hungarian soldiers carry their first shipment of coronavirus vaccines yesterday.

Reuters

Yesterday, the European Union began receiving the first doses of the "Pfizer-Biontech" vaccine against the emerging corona virus (Covid-19). Vaccination campaigns are scheduled to begin in all 27 European Union countries today, after the regulatory authorities approved the vaccine on December 21, At a time when several countries in the bloc were forced to impose closure measures due to the emergence of a new strain of "Corona", which continues to spread from Britain to France, Spain and Japan.

The "epidemic" has killed more than 1.7 million people, and it is still spreading in most parts of the world, but the launch of vaccination campaigns, at last, has raised hopes that the impact of "Covid-19" will ease in 2021.

The first doses of the "Pfizer-Biontech" vaccine arrived in Italy, Spain and France, which are the European countries most affected by the "epidemic", yesterday morning, and they are ready for distribution to elderly care facilities and health workers' teams.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, described the arrival of these doses as a "touching moment of unity" for 450 million people living in the 27 European Union countries.

"The vaccine is available simultaneously to all European Union countries," von der Leyen said in a video message.

People will start receiving vaccinations in Athens, Rome, Helsinki and Sofia. The vaccinations will help us gradually restore our normal life. ”

The Italian foreign minister, Luigi Di Maio, urged his country's citizens to receive the vaccine, saying, "We will regain our freedom, and we will be able to embrace again."

Several countries, including France, Spain, Japan, Denmark, Germany, Australia and the Netherlands, recorded infections with the new strain, which raised the concern of health authorities, which mainly suffer from pressure.

More than 25 million infections were recorded in Europe, according to a census conducted by the Agence France-Presse, and Russia announced yesterday that it had crossed the threshold of three million HIV infections.

The United Kingdom has passed 70,000 deaths due to the Corona virus, and is facing an increasing number of infections with the new strain.

And imposed isolation measures on six million people in the south and east of the country, as of yesterday, bringing the total population subject to these restrictive measures to 24 million nationwide.

Also, Austria imposed nationwide lockdown measures for the third time since the outbreak began, with all non-essential stores closed, and curfews and closure measures are supposed to continue until January 24.

The first infection in France with the mutated emerging strain of Corona virus was discovered in a citizen residing in Britain, who arrived from London on December 19, according to the French Ministry of Health.

He did not show any symptoms, while he isolated himself at his home in Tours (central France), while a tracing operation took place for the health personnel who had contact with him.

In Spain, four cases of the new strain were confirmed in Madrid yesterday, and the second official in the health district authorities, Antonio Zapatero, told reporters that “the patients are not in a critical condition.

We know that this strain is more contagious, but it does not cause more serious symptoms .. Do not panic. ”

The new strain of the virus, which experts fear will spread faster, has prompted more than 50 countries to impose travel restrictions from the United Kingdom, where it first appeared.

Traffic jams formed by truck queues in southern England receded yesterday, after France lifted the 48-hour entry ban for drivers who had taken a coronavirus test, and their results came back negative, and the port of Calais was kept open on Christmas Day.

South Africa also discovered a similar mutation in some infected people, but denied the statements issued by Britain, which stated that its strain is more dangerous and contagious than the one discovered in the United Kingdom.

Tokyo recorded a record number of daily injuries, which reached 949, and Japan also surpassed the daily number it had recently recorded, which is 3000.

Thailand also witnessed a new outbreak of the epidemic, linked to a seafood market near Bangkok, that affected nearly 1,500 people.

The usual signs of crowding in the markets on the occasion of "Boxing Day" (the day after Christmas, which witnesses sales) were absent from the streets of Sydney yesterday, as most of the residents adhered to the Prime Minister's calls to stay in their homes, in light of the discovery of a new group of infections.

Around the world, residents were called upon to respect social distancing guidelines, while the World Health Organization urged not to "waste" what it described as the "painful sacrifices" that were made to save lives.

At a time when vaccines are launched around the world, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that "vaccines provide a way out for the world from this tragedy, but vaccinating the entire world will take time."

The Pope of the Vatican, Pope Francis, in his message on the occasion of Christmas, touched on the matter, calling for securing "vaccines for all, especially for the most vulnerable and needy groups, in all regions of the earth", noting that "the laws of the market and patents must not be above the laws of love and health." And humanity ».

The European Commission describes the arrival of the vaccine as a "moving moment" ... and affirms that normal life will gradually return.

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A million people in Britain are subject to isolation measures due to the new strain of "Corona".

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