TOP headlines

• Germany’s vaccination committee has recommended mixing AstraZeneca with another jab, such and Pfizer or Moderna, for better protection against the Delta variant. It added that the immune response is “clearly superior” when the first dose of AstraZeneca is mixed with an mRNA vaccine.

• The European Medicines Agency claims that two doses of its four approved vaccines are effective against the more aggressive Delta variant. This came after the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the variant could trigger another fall wave in Europe.

• An estimated 1.36 million foreign tourists visited Spain in May this year. a sharp contrast to the same period last year when no tourists were allowed in because of the lockdown. Travelers boosted the economy by spending $ 1.64 billion, but that was 83 percent less than the amount shared in May 2019.

• Portugal is imposing a night curfew in 45 municipalities. including Lisbon and the city of Porto to curb an increase in cases. The curfew applies between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Every day.

• COVAX, the vaccine sharing initiative, urged the EU not to give preference to some WHO-approved vaccines over others when imposing travel restrictions. Covishield does not recognize the EU-wide vaccination certificate that recently came into force, the version of AstraZeneca’s Jab made in India and widely used in Africa.

• The pandemic killed at least 3.9 million people worldwide. according to reports from health authorities around the world. The US is the hardest hit country with 604,714 deaths. This is followed by Brazil, India, Mexico and Peru.

• India’s official death toll now stands at over 400,000, That puts it just behind the US and Brazil. However, Experts believe the number is closer to being over 1 million due to the previous surge that overwhelmed hospitalswhich means many people died without ever being treated.

• China administered 19.47 million doses yesterday, with a total of 1.26 billion administered doses, according to Reuters.

UK tourists are required to provide either a negative test or proof of vaccination before traveling to the Spanish Balearic Islands. / AFP / Jaime Reina

UK tourists are required to provide either a negative test or proof of vaccination before traveling to the Spanish Balearic Islands. / AFP / Jaime Reina

THROUGHOUT EUROPE

Ryan Thompson in Frankfurt

Despite an increase in the number of cases of the more highly transmittable delta variant, the number of new infections continues to decline across Germany. As of Friday, the national incidence rate was 5.0 – meaning the average number of new daily cases for seven days per 100,000 people was only five.

Some parts of the country are throttling their payments for free rapid tests, which has guided Germany’s cautious reopening. This also includes Thuringia in south-east Germany, where the number of pharmacies that offer free tests on behalf of the health authorities has recently fallen from 70 to 57.

Penelope Liersch in Budapest

Hungary recorded no daily deaths yesterday for the first time since September 2020. Today the success was repeated. Prime Minister Viktor Orban promised in his weekly radio interview that the next vaccination target of 5.5 million first doses will be achieved on Friday.

Once the milestone is reached, restrictions will be further eased, removing mask requirements with the exception of hospitals and social services. Certificates of immunity and vaccination certificates are no longer required for restaurants, hotels, leisure facilities, cinemas and theaters. Vaccination cards are still required for mass events such as festivals and sports games.

Orban also spoke of concerns about a fourth wave being discussed by the government. There are concerns about the delta variant and its effects on those who are not vaccinated.

He is confident that the damage will be less than in the third wave. According to government reports, almost 30,000 people have died in Hungary. With a population of 10 million, it has one of the lowest per capita death rates in the world.

Nawied Jabarkhyl in London

COVID-19 will be high on the agenda when Chancellor Angela Merkel meets with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday. The trip will be her last in the country as the leader of the richest nation in the EU.

Travel between the two sides is to be discussed as concerns about welcoming tourists from the UK increase in the bloc following a surge in Delta variant cases in the country.

Meanwhile, doctors and nurses in England could go on strike if the government does not raise their proposed 1 percent pay increase. Unions representing health workers say the numbers should be much higher given the ongoing pandemic.

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

CGTN Europe: EU introduces digital COVID-19 certificate, but only for approved vaccines

CGTN-China: Mainland China is reporting 18 new COVID-19 cases, all from overseas

CGTN America: Colombia begins lifting COVID-19 restrictions

CGTN Africa: World Bank funds the introduction of vaccines for developing countries

Log In Here to receive the COVID-19 Europe Bulletin straight to your inbox.

CGTN Europe has reported in detail on the development of the novel coronavirus.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR