Germany | Common News Update

Mar312021 by adminNo Comments

Germany halts use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to those under 60

World

March 31 (UPI) -- German health officials restricted the use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to those over the age of 60 due to concerns of rare yet severe cases of blood clots in younger people who had received the shot. Chancellor Angela Merkel and Health Minister Jens Spahn made the announcement during a press conference on Tuesday to halt administering the drug to those under 60 years of age on the recommendations of the country's independent Standing Vaccination Commission. Advertisement Merkel added that those below 60 may still receive the life-saving jab at a doctor's discretion. Concerning the 2.2 million younger Germans who have already received the first shot of the two-dose regimen, Merkel said the STIKO will make a recommendation by the end of April. "The recommendations o...

Mar302021 by adminNo Comments

Leaders of Russia, France, Germany discuss global crises

World

The Kremlin says the leaders of Russia, France and Germany had a call to discuss coronavirus vaccines and a slew of international crises, including the situation in eastern Ukraine, Libya, Syria and the Iranian nuclear standoff among other issuesBy VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated PressMarch 30, 2021, 10:16 PM• 4 min readShare to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleMOSCOW -- The leaders of Russia, France and Germany met by conference call Tuesday and discussed coronavirus vaccines, the Iranian nuclear standoff and the conflicts in eastern Ukraine, Libya and Syria.The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin also responded to questions about jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny raised by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in their “frank and bus...

Mar202021 by adminNo Comments

COVID-19: Thousands protest restrictions in Germany amid surge

World

March 20 (UPI) -- Thousands protested COVID-19 restrictions across Germany on Saturday despite surge in cases. Police estimated 10,000 demonstrators engaged in protests in the central city of Kassel after the court overturned the city's demonstration ban amid the third wave of the pandemic across Europe and rallies in various other cities, Deutsche Welle reported. Advertisement Several protesters, most of whom weren't wearing masks, according to DW, chanted the "Wir sind das Volk ("We are the people") slogan of the peaceful protests that triggered the end of communist East Germany in 1989. Police in Hessen, Germany, tweeted that they used water cannons at the intersection of of Altmarkt to disperse protesters after demonstrators attempted to break police barriers and threw bottles at them...

Mar152021 by adminNo Comments

Germany, France, Italy and Spain pause Oxford jab amid blood clot concerns

World

Germany, France, Italy and Spain are suspending use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine as EU regulators investigate reports some people developed blood clots after having the jab.The German health ministry, the Italian medicines authority and French President Emmanuel Macron said the measure was a "precaution" while the European Medicines Agency (EMA) looks into the matter. Mr Macron said EU regulators were expected to give guidance on Tuesday afternoon.Spain joined the group early on Monday evening, with a pause in its use of the vaccine to last at least two weeks, and Slovenia has also temporarily halted its rollout of the jab.The countries are the latest European nations to stop administering the AstraZeneca vaccine amid concerns over possible links to the clots. ...

Feb192021 by adminNo Comments

The Latest: Germany sees drop in new cases levelling off

Health

HONG KONG— China's Sinovac delivered 1 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac to Hong Kong on Friday evening.Government officials approved Sinovac’s two-dose vaccine on Thursday. The semi-autonomous city is relying on three vaccines and has purchased 22.5 million doses in total.Priority groups include health care workers and those above the age of 60, as well as essential workers. Online appointments will begin on Tuesday.The city is also expecting 1 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine by the end of February. It has also purchased Astrazeneca’s shots.Sinovac has yet to publicly release clinical trial data from its last stage of testing, drawing criticism for lack of transparency.The Hong Kong government says the Sinovac vaccine has received unanimous approval from an expert...