In an open letter, the MEP and health spokesperson of the largest political group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats) Dr med Peter Liese, addressed the UEFA President to urgently point out the dangers resulting from the Corona situation and especially the Delta variant with regard to the further course of the Euro2020 football championship.
"The health situation, especially in Great Britain, is very dangerous again. The Delta variant, which is much more dangerous, is spreading fast. Our health is priority. The spread of the delta variant makes it impossible for 40,000 spectators to view the final match in London’s stadium. A stricter hygiene concept is urgently needed. Perhaps a relocation is even unavoidable," said Liese.
Read more: Open letter to UEFA President on Covid and EURO 2020
“Everybody has to reflect critically and draw conclusions from the lessons learned in the Covid-19-pandemic, not only the European Commission.”, said Peter Liese, spokesperson of the largest group in the European Parliament (EPP/Christian Democrats) on health policy ahead of a communication of the European Commission that will be published on Tuesday. “Some, especially far-left and far-right politicians tend to blame the European Commission for its actions but hide the fact that they were completely on the wrong track last year when it came to ordering the vaccines.
For example, former Polish prime minister Beata Szydło from the PiS party blamed the Commission for failing at ordering vaccines. In fact, among others, the Polish government argued against any advanced purchase agreement with BioNTech for a long time. When we look at the delivery of vaccines now, we see where we would stand in the vaccination campaign without this company that Poland did not want to cooperate with. Many left-wing politicians and some Greens1 and Social Democrats criticised the European Commission for concluding any advanced purchase agreement at all. However, it is clear that without this advanced purchase agreement, we would not be this far in the vaccination campaign,” clarified the doctor and MEP.
Read more: Communication of the European Commission on lessons learned in the Covid-19-pandemic
"These are very encouraging results. I believe that the vaccine, because of its rather traditional process, can help to convince sceptics and ensure a high vaccination rate in the European Union in autumn," commented the health policy spokesman of the largest group in the European Parliament (EPP/Christian Democrats), Peter Liese, MD, on the publication of the results of the phase III trial of the vaccine manufacturer Novavax.
“Novavax is an American manufacturer but is also setting up production capacities in the European Union, for example in Halle/Westphalia (Germany), in Prague (Czech Republic) and in Uppsala (Sweden). The vaccine is based on rather traditional processes. It is neither an mRNA nor a vector vaccine, but a vaccine that contains only the protein of the coronavirus and thus produces a vaccine response through long-term tried and tested technologies. This may be helpful in case many people do not get vaccinated in the next few months because they are sceptical about mRNA or vector vaccines. According to the company, Novavax has an efficiency of 90% and even a protection of 100% against moderate and severe disease progression. The vaccine also works well against all new variants and was generally well tolerated," said Liese.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has just announced that it recommends the approval of BioNTech/Pfizer's vaccine for 12- to 15-year-old adolescents. The subsequent official approval by the European Commission is also expected later today. This means that it can also be used in the EU with immediate effect. The vaccine is the same one that is already used for people over 16. EPP-MEP Peter Liese, who worked in a paediatric clinic before being elected to the Parliament, welcomed the decision.
"In conversations with EMA chief Emer Cooke and her staff I have continuously promoted the idea to prioritise this decision without compromising on safety. In particular young people with pre-existing conditions such as Down's syndrome, severe respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis, heart defects and severe obesity need the vaccination as soon as possible. This can and should be done as of now. The question of whether healthy adolescents between 12 and 15 should be vaccinated, should be carefully considered by the adolescents themselves and the parents in consultation with paediatricians and adolescent doctors.
Read more: European Medicines Agency recommends BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for adolescents