World Monday, May 24, 2021 05

News Pfizer, AZ offer high levels of in brief Thirteen dead in Italy after cable car plummets to the ground Rome Thirteen people died after a mountain cable car came protection against India variant loose and plummeted to the ground in northern Italy on Sun- day, rescue crews said. The accident happened in Italy’s Piedmont region, west of There are insufficient cases Lake Maggiore, on a line that links the resort town of Stresa Both vaccines were and follow-up periods to es- with the 1,500-metre high Mount Mottarone. 33 percent effective timate vaccine effectiveness Two children were injured in the crash and flown by helicop- against severe outcomes from ter to a hospital in Turin, where they were in critical condition, against the Indian the Indian variant but this will the the rescue service reported. be evaluated over the coming The cause of the accident remains unknown. According to variant three weeks weeks, PHE added. media reports, the gondola plunged shortly before reaching the after the first dose Asked about how the data mountaintop station. Images from the fire department and po- could affect the easing of re- lice showed the smashed cabin on a steep slope in a wooded dpa strictions from June 21, Prof area. It was reportedly a hard-to-reach site for rescuers. (dpa) London Hopkins said it was “too early to say.” Italy’s Maneskin crowned winner of The Pfizer coronavirus vaccine She said: “One week post 2021 is 88 percent effective against the last restriction lifting, we the Indian variant after two will be monitoring it very care- Amsterdam Rock band Maneskin won the Eurovision Song doses, a study by Public Health fully.” Hancock said: “This new Contest 2021 with Zitti E Buoni, thanks to a major boost of England (PHE) has found. evidence is groundbreaking votes from the public, ending a 31-year drought for Italy. Both the Pfizer and Astra- and proves just how valuable The Rome band overtook Gjon’s Tears of Switzerland, Zeneca (AZ) jabs were found our COVID-19 vaccination France’s and Malta’s Destiny, who were ahead in to be almost as effective against programme is in protecting the the standings after all jury votes were counted, thanks to 380 symptomatic disease from people we love. points from the public. the B1617.2 strain as they are “We can now be confident “We just want to say, to the whole of Europe, to the whole against the Kent variant after that over 20 million people - world, rock ‘n’ roll never dies,” Maneskin’s frontman Damiano the second dose. more than one in three - have David said after the win, the third for Italy. However, they were only 33 Britain’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock in London recently. (AFP) significant protection against was the first Italian contestant to win in percent effective three weeks this new variant, and that num- 1964, followed by in 1990. after the first dose. 50 per cent against the Kent compared with that from the ber is growing by the hundreds The 2021 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), held in Rotter- Health Secretary Matt Han- strain. second. of thousands every single day dam, saw 26 performers compete in the sparkling finale. The cock described the outcome as Some 12,675 genome-se- He told journalists on Sat- as more and more people get complex voting system combined with some great discrepan- “groundbreaking,” while PHE quenced cases were included urday: “There are bigger num- that vital second dose.” cies in votes between the Eurovision juries and viewers set up said it expects to see even high- in the analysis, but only 1,054 bers that have been vaccinated Dr Mary Ramsay, head a nail-biting end to the competition. (dpa) er levels of effectiveness against were of the Indian variant. with one dose. So I think we of immunisation at PHE, hospital admission and death. The study included data 2,889 cases classify that as moderate cer- added: “This study provides The study, which took place for all age groups from April tainty around the first dose, reassurance that two doses New data from PHE shows Assaults and vandalism overnight in between April 5 and May 16, 5 to cover the period since the but low levels of confidence of either vaccine offer high German city of Heidelberg found that the Pfizer vaccine strain emerged. there have been at least around the second dose.” levels of protection against was 88 percent effective against New data from PHE shows 2,889 cases of the Indian However, Professor Susan symptomatic disease from the Heidelberg, Germany Police officers were attacked as symptomatic disease from the there have been at least 2,889 variant recorded in England Hopkins, PHE’s COVID-19 B1617.2 variant. hundreds of mainly young people partied on the streets of the Indian variant two weeks af- cases of the Indian variant re- from Feb 1 to May 18 strategic response director, “We expect the vaccines to German university city of Heidelberg early on Sunday. ter the second dose, compared corded in England from Febru- said the data trend was “quite be even more effective at pre- Mannheim police headquarters said investigations were with 93 percent effectiveness ary 1 this year to May 18. clear” and was heading in the venting hospitalisation and proceeding into serious breaches of the peace and that a against the Kent strain. Of those, 104 cases resulted died with the variant, while “right direction.” death, so it is vital to get both special investigation unit had been set up. Meanwhile, the AstraZen- in a visit to a hospital emergen- 2,011 cases resulted in an over- PHE said the difference in doses to gain maximum pro- People began to gather in the inner city Saturday evening. eca jab was 60 percent effec- cy department, 31 required an night hospital admission and the effectiveness between the tection against all existing and At its peak, the crowd numbered some 400 in the Old City and tive, compared with 66 percent overnight hospital admission 5,238 required a visit to a hos- vaccines may be due to the As- emerging variants.” up to 1,000 on the banks of the Neckar River. against the Kent variant over and six resulted in a death. pital emergency department. traZeneca second dose being Responding to the findings, Shortly before midnight, the peaceful atmosphere was dis- the same period. The most common strain Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, rolled out later than the Pfizer Professor Adam Finn, profes- rupted, with members of the crowd drunk and verbally abusive, Both vaccines were 33 per- in England, according to the consultant medical epidemi- vaccine. sor of paediatrics at the Univer- the police report said. cent effective against sympto- data, is the Kent variant, with ologist at PHE and the study’s Data also shows it takes sity of Bristol said: “Overall the When police intervened shortly after 1 am to shut down a matic disease from the Indian 132,082 cases recorded over lead author, said there was longer for the AstraZeneca jab results are encouraging in that music system, they were pelted with bottles. Reinforcements variant three weeks after the the same period. more confidence in the data to reach maximum effective- the vaccines are continuing to were called in, and most of the crowd was moved on. (dpa) first dose, compared with about Some 1,569 people have from the first vaccine dose ness. provide useful protection.

Moderna aiming for EU nod Vaccination restricted for younger age groups in India

for vaccine from age of 12 dpa 24-hour period ending early month from 3.2 million doses New Delhi on Sunday, according to the on April 26 to 2.4 million on dpa Moderna’s vaccine is one Health Ministry. May 11 and to 1.5 million on Paris of four coronavirus vaccines Several Indian states have People aged 45 and above Saturday, government data licensed for adult use in the stopped the COVID-19 vacci- are also finding it difficult to showed. US pharmaceutical company EU. nation process for those in the get their second dose in sev- Experts say the slowing Moderna is to make a for- “By the summer, all those 18- to 44-year-old age group eral regions, with a number of down of the vaccine roll-out is mal application to European adults who wish to be vac- due to a shortage of vaccine vaccination centres remain- likely to impact India’s ability medical authorities to ap- cinated will have received supplies, regional officials ing closed in cities like Delhi, to control the pandemic in the prove its coronavirus vaccine their first dose,” Bancel told confirmed on Sunday. Mumbai and Pune, with no- short term. for people aged 12 to 17, chief the newspaper in answer to a States where vaccinations tices outside saying supplies “Vaccination is really the executive Stephane Bancel question whether France was for this age group have been had run out. only answer and Indians are told French newspaper Le threatened by a fourth wave stopped include Chhattisgarh, already paying a heavy price Journal du Dimanche. of the pandemic. Delhi, Karnakata, Maharash- The government had for the way the government The application will be “After that, we should tra and Rajasthan - all among has gone about planning, pric- lodged with European Medi- move on very quickly to the worst-affected by a cur- planned to vaccinate 300 A medical worker inoculates a man with a dose of the Covishield ing and the roll-out,” said vi- cines Agency (EMA) early in young people aged 12 to 17,” rent deadly second wave of the million people by July, but COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine in Amritsar on Saturday. (AFP) rologist T Jacob John. June, Bancel said. he said, suggesting the ideal pandemic. a little more than 195 mil- Federal government rep- The Amsterdam-based would be to protect this age India has been reporting lion shots have been The country began inocu- based Bharat Biotech. resentatives have said the EMA had previously an- group by the end of August. more than 300,000 new in- administered so far lating its 1.3 billion popula- The government had glitch in vaccine supplies was nounced that it would decide Without widespread vac- fections and 3,000 to 4,000 tion on January 16 with the planned to vaccinate 300 mil- temporary and there would be this month on whether to ap- cination, the risk of a fourth deaths daily since mid-April. two vaccines approved by its lion people by July, but a little around 2 billion doses of vac- prove the vaccine from BioN- wave could not be ruled out, Experts claim both figures “Delhi is also running drugs regulator. more than 195 million shots cines available between June Tech/Pfizer for young people Bancel said. France has been are likely to actually be much short of Covaxin doses for the These are Covishield, have been administered so and December. over 12 years old. The United badly hit by the pandemic, higher. 45-plus age group, we have which is the name under far. Only 43 million people Experts have questioned States has already approved with well over 100,000 peo- The daily infections have supplies for just one more which the AstraZeneca vac- have received both the neces- the estimates, pointing out the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine ple dying from COVID-19, the come down in the past week, day, we have a week’s sup- cine is produced in India by sary shots for full vaccination. that four of the vaccines the for use on children in this age respiratory disease caused by but deaths remain high. There ply of Covishield,” said Atishi the Pune-based Serum Insti- The number of vaccines government was basing its group. the coronavirus. were 240,842 new infections of Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi tute of India, and Covaxin, being administered daily has projections on are still in the and 3,741 deaths during the Party. manufactured by Hyderabad- come down during the past clinical trials stage. Ryanair flight diverted to detain blogger Goma residents begin returning dpa Nexta an extremist organisa- after Congo eruption causes panic Moscow tion. It had repeatedly called for mass protests against dpa European leaders are de- Lukashenko’s rule after Lu- Goma manding answers after a Ry- kashenko claimed victory in anair flight was diverted to an disputed elections in August. Residents of the city of airport in Belarus on Sunday, Lukashenko has long con- Goma in the Democratic Re- apparently so authorities in sidered Protasevich to be an public of Congo began return- Minsk could detain a blogger enemy. ing to their homes on Sunday who had been travelling from The country’s KGB secret after a volcanic eruption nearby Athens to Vilnius in the plane. service had put his name on caused panic overnight. The Irish airline Ryanair a list of people accused of al- Mount Nyiragongo in the confirmed the incident. Crew leged terrorism, according to Virunga National Park, less on the plane had been alerted the tut.by internet portal, in than 20 kilometres north of to a possible security threat a report released via the Tel- Goma and near the Rwandan by Belarusian authorities and A Belarusian dog handler checks luggages off a Ryanair Boeing 737- egram messaging app. border, erupted on Sunday directed to land at an airport 8AS (flight number FR4978) parked on Minsk International Airport’s Speaking to local media, evening. Children play with lava from Mount Nyiragongo in Goma on Sunday. (afp) near Minsk, the company apron in Minsk on Sunday. (afp) airport officials confirmed A part of the lava flow head- said. “Nothing untoward was that a fighter jet had inter- ed towards Goma, which has a restrictions to let the Goma home to endangered mountain found,” it said. control,” read a statement. larusian human rights group, cepted the plane, which then population of some 2 million, residents through. gorillas. “Ryanair has notified the According to Belarusian Protasevich was detained af- asked for permission to land. but stopped before it reached Most of the lava flowed Mount Nyiragongo last relevant national and Euro- media, Minsk used the oppor- ter the plane landed. Furthermore, they said the city limits. through the national park, the erupted in 2002, when lava pean safety and security agen- tunity to detain Roman Pro- Nexta, another opposi- that the bomb scare proved to Residents who left the city head of Goma’s volcanological destroyed large parts of Goma. cies and we apologise sincere- tasevich, a blogger critical of tion news channel, and one be a hoax and that the other and fled into Rwanda started observatory, Celestin Mahinda, Some 250 people lost their ly to all affected passengers the government who was on that was founded by Protase- 123 passengers on board are returning to their homes on told state radio station RTNC. lives, while the eruption de- for this regrettable delay, the plane. vich, confirmed that he had waiting at the airport so they Sunday morning. Rwandan The park is Africa’s most stroyed the homes of 120,000 which was outside Ryanair’s According to Viasna, a Be- been detained. Belarus calls can continue their journey. authorities relaxed the border biodiverse protected area, and others.