CDE News - CorporateDispatchCovid-19 Tracker

Roche looking for new place to test COVID-19 pill after cases plummet in UK

Roche is looking for another location to carry out trials of its pill to fight COVID-19, after plummeting case numbers in Britain made it difficult to find enough patients for its study there, the Swiss drugmaker said on Wednesday. Roche and Boston-based partner Atea Pharmaceuticals are hoping their AT-527 pill could offer an anti-viral therapy to treat COVID-19 patients that would be easier to administer and cheaper than other prospectiv...

CureVac’s shot ready in Europe by May

The COVID-19 vaccine by German biotech firm CureVac candidate should be "ready" in Europe by the end of May, while Europe's medicines agency finish its assessment of Russia's Sputnik in June, the head of Italy's medicine agency AIFA said on Wednesday. "With CureVac we are at a very good stage, we expect it to be registered in Europe and (be) hopefully ready by the end of May," AIFA's Director Nicola Magrini told Italy's Radio 24. "EMA has ...

IATA head Walsh hits out at expensive PCR tests for travel

The head of global airline industry body IATA has hit out at the high cost of COVID-19 testing, accusing providers of profiteering from travel, and calling for the industry to challenge whether PCR tests are necessary. European airlines are counting on a travel rebound this summer after months of COVID-19 restrictions left them struggling with minimal revenues and huge new debts taken on to survive the pandemic. But any demand for PCR ...

Climate, not COVID, the biggest worry among young Europeans – poll

Young people in Europe worry most about climate change - even in the midst of a pandemic that has hammered the global economy and turned daily life upside-down around the world, a poll showed on Wednesday. Almost half of the respondents in the survey of more than 22,000 young people in 23 European countries said they considered global warming among humanity’s most serious problems. Environmental degradation ranked second in the list of...

Israel sees some vaccine efficacy against Indian COVID-19 variant

Israel has registered eight cases of a coronavirus variant first identified in India and believes that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is at least partially effective against it, an Israeli health official said. An initial seven cases of the Indian variant were detected in Israel last week among people arriving from abroad and who have since undergone preliminary testing, the Health Ministry said. "The impression is that the Pfizer v...

French domestic travel restrictions reportedly to end on May 3

French domestic travel restrictions, set up to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus, will end on May 3, said a government source, as President Emmanuel Macron’s administration eyes a gradual exit from the latest lockdown. Macron announced France’s third, national lockdown at the end of March, and the government has said it could re-open some businesses and leisure activities - such as outdoor seatings at bars and restaurants - by mid-May. ...

2020 rules to be basis for seaside access in Italy this year too

Liguria's representative at a meeting of officials on the summer tourism season said that the rules on access to beaches this year will be based on the guidelines used in 2020 to prevent COVID-19 contagion. Among other things, the 2020 rules set strict limits on how far apart beach loungers, deck chairs and parasols should be and on the sanitization of all equipment after each use. Liguria's Marco Scajola reported that Tourism Minister...

UPDATED: Putin says Russia should have collective COVID-19 immunity by autumn

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the Russian public should attain collective immunity from COVID-19 by this autumn and called on Russians to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. "Everyone must have the opportunity to be vaccinated, as this will allow for so-called collective immunity to be developed in the autumn. A solution to this problem lies in our and your hands, in the hands of all citizens. I once ag...

Greece aims to reopen restaurants next month

Greece aims to reopen restaurants early next month, state minister George Gerapetritis said on Wednesday, as the country is desperate for more economic sectors to resume operations ahead of its vital summer tourist season. Greece, which coped relatively well during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, was forced to tighten restrictions late last year to combat a surge in cases, with hospitals around Athens and the northern city of ...

UAE may impose virus curbs on unvaccinated people

The United Arab Emirates has warned it could impose restrictions on people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 as the region’s business and tourism hub pushes its immunisation campaign. The country of some 9 million, which has widened the campaign to those aged 16 and above, has vaccinated about 65% of the eligible population, the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) said. “Strict measures are ...

Interim guidance on the benefits of full vaccination against COVID-19 for transmission and implications for non-pharmaceutical interventions

This document aims to provide interim guidance on the risks for fully vaccinated individuals to develop or transmit infection that will give rise to severe COVID-19 disease in the context of the current epidemiological and vaccine coverage situation in the EU/EEA.
ECDC guidance for adjusting non-pharmaceutical interventions based on vaccination status

Interim guidance on the benefits of full vaccination against COVID-19 for transmission and implications for non-pharmaceutical interventions.
Data on the daily number of new reported COVID-19 cases and deaths by EU/EEA country

The downloadable data file is updated daily and contains the latest available public data on COVID-19. Each row/entry contains the number of new cases and deaths reported per day and per country in the EU/EEA.
Infographic: Mutation of SARS-CoV2 - current variants of concern

This infographic provides information on the three current variants of concern detected in the UK, South Africa, Brazil and Japan.
Communicable disease threats report, 11-17 April 2021, week 15

The ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) is a weekly bulletin for epidemiologists and health professionals on active public health threats. This issue covers the period 11-17 April 2021 and includes updates on COVID-19, influenza, and Ebola virus disease.
Data on hospital and ICU admission rates and current occupancy for COVID-19

The downloadable data files contain information about hospitalisation and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission rates and current occupancy for COVID-19 by date and country. Each row contains the corresponding data for a certain date (day or week) and per country. The file is updated weekly. You may use the data in line with ECDC’s copyright policy.
Data on 14-day notification rate of new COVID-19 cases and deaths

These files contain data on the 14-day notification rate of newly reported COVID-19 cases per 100 000 population and 14-day notification rate of reported deaths per million population by week and country, in EU/EEA and the UK. Each row contains the corresponding data for a given indicator, week and country. The files are updated weekly. You may use the data in accordance to ECDC’s copyright policy.
Data on the daily subnational 14-day notification rate of new COVID-19 cases

The downloadable data file contains information on the 14-day notification rate of new cases per 100 000 inhabitants for COVID-19 by day and subnational region. Each row contains the corresponding data for a certain day and per subnational region. The file is updated weekly. You may use the data in line with ECDC’s copyright policy. The source is either TESSy COVID-19, subnational daily data, or an official Github source, or an official website.