Coronavirus
Germany defies WHO’s call against Remdesivir as COVID therapy
The German government has decided not to follow a recent recommendation by the World Health Organisation (WHO) against the use of Remdesivir, an antiviral drug shown to be effective in treating symptoms of COVID-19, government sources in Berlin told EURACTIV Germany.
Merkel urges Germans to be careful or risk third coronavirus wave
Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday (30 November) that Germany could face a third wave of coronavirus infections if citizens are careless in the coming weeks.
Bulgarian doctors exhausted as COVID deaths hit EU record
With coronavirus death rates surging to record levels in Bulgaria, doctors and nurses in a health service already weakened by decades of emigration to the West say they are exhausted.
Pandemic Motors: Europeans snap up old cars to avoid public transport
Want a cheap used car to nip around town without running the gauntlet of coronavirus on public transport? Welcome to Pandemic Motors, we have just what you need.
EU countries at odds over Christmas ski season
The ski season is a key part of the Christmas holidays in Europe, but with COVID-19 cases soaring, the idea of hitting the slopes is proving increasingly controversial this year.
The Brief, powered by Facebook – Christmas slopes on the ropes
We're in the middle of a full-blown second wave of a health crisis, with millions of businesses at risk of bankruptcy and families being separated over Christmas. Yet for some, there is no question more urgent than how we will survive Christmas without skiing.
Coronavirus treatments: some progress, no panacea
Nearly a year after a mysterious pneumonia emerged in China and began its global spread, there is still no silver bullet treatment for Covid-19 despite an unprecedented effort to discover new medicines or repurpose existing drugs.
Off the pistes: Germany seeks to keep EU ski resorts shut
Germany will seek a deal with European partners to close ski slopes through to early January due to coronavirus, setting it on a collision course with resort operators and Austria ahead of the crucial Christmas holiday season.
COVID disinformation in Bulgaria: When mainstream media are no better than Facebook
While in most other countries experts blame disinformation on social media like Facebook or foreign powers such as Russia or China, in Bulgaria, the country’s own mainstream media and politicians have contributed the most to spreading confusion and ignorance, write Julia Rone and Georgi Hristov.
The Brief, powered by Facebook – Vaccines, the next battle
It is no coincidence that COVID-19 vaccines dominated the agenda of the last EU summit and of the more recent G20 summit, both held as teleconferences.
EU’s regions and local authorities brace for difficult times ahead – survey
Regional governments across the EU are bracing for difficult times ahead as they lack technical means and have scarce financial resources, according to a joint survey conducted by the European Committee of the Regions and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. EURACTIV France reports.
Spain PM says virus battle plan ‘is working’
Spain's strategy to curb a rise in coronavirus infections "is working", Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Sunday (22 November) as he unveiled details of plans to vaccinate much of the population next year.
EU beer market sales fell 20% so far this year due to COVID-19
The EU beer market estimates that its sales have dropped by 20% so far this year, a figure which could rise to 25% by the end of the year, the secretary-general of the Brewers of Europe, told EURACTIV in an interview.
G20 throws weight behind global Covid-19 vaccine access at Saudi-hosted summit
G20 nations emphasised the need for global access to coronavirus vaccines at a Saudi-hosted virtual summit Saturday (21 November) dominated by efforts to tackle the pandemic and the worst global recession in decades. World leaders, including US President Donald Trump...
Pharma official: Anti-microbial resistance larger than COVID-19 crisis
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a looming crisis and potentially “even larger than the COVID-19” pandemic, the CEO of one of the few remaining antibiotic producers with a manufacturing presence in the EU told EURACTIV in an interview.
Greece seizes beds from private hospitals as COVID-19 gets out of control
Faced with a steep rise of COVID-19 cases in northern Greece, the ministry of health told private hospitals on Thursday (20 November) to voluntarily provide 200 COVID-19 beds or be forced to do so.
EU could pay over $10 billion for Pfizer and CureVac vaccines
The European Union could pay more than $10 billion to secure hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine candidates being developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and CureVac, an EU official involved in the talks told Reuters.
WHO advises against remdesivir for coronavirus treatment
The anti-viral drug remdesivir should not be used to treat Covid-19 patients no matter how severe their illness as it has "no important effect" on survival chances, the World Health Organization said Friday (20 November).
Inconclusive video summit hashes over EU budget hurdle, vaccines
EU leaders said Thursday (19 November) they would intensify efforts to convince the Prime Ministers of Poland and Hungary to drop their veto of the EU coronavirus economic recovery plan, which has plunged the bloc into a new crisis.
EU warns Hungary against use of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine
Hungary's plans to import and possibly use Russia's touted Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine raise safety concerns and could damage trust in potential shots, the European Commission said, opening a new front in the EU's fraught relations with Budapest.
A one-health approach to prevent COVID-21, COVID-22 and other future pandemics
While still in the grips of a global pandemic, it has become painfully apparent that addressing the complex interactions of human, animal, and environmental health needs multilateral and national adoption of a fully integrated One Health approach, write Cristián Samper and Niels Annen.
EU expands vaccine options with CureVac contract
The EU is to sign a contract with German pharmaceutical company CureVac for another potential Covid-19 vaccine, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Monday (16 November). The deal, to be signed Tuesday, brings to five the number of...
Conditional authorisation ‘most likely’ for COVID-19 vaccine, EMA says
The most likely scenario for COVID-19 vaccine candidates in the EU is a one-year conditional marketing authorisation (CMA), European Medicines Agency (EMA) sources have told EURACTIV.