140 world leaders and former leaders demand that the vaccine be made available to all people free of charge
coronavirus
14 May 2020
/ 19:23
The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 may "never go away," according to the World Health Organization, which said it could become endemic like HIV
- Britain is in talks with Swiss drug manufacturer Roche on rolling out a COVID-19 antibody test with 100 percent specificity, which it said could be a "game changer" on getting the world's fifth largest economy back to work.
- Roughly 148,000 people in England had COVID-19 at any point over the past two weeks ending 10 May, or 0.27 percent of the population, an official survey has shown. This means that one in 400 people in the country have the virus and could currently be infected.
- Spain's daily death toll has risen above 200 for the first time since 8 May. The overall death toll currently stands at 27,321.
- Roughly five percent (2.3 million) of Spain's overall population has contracted COVID-19, in many cases without symptoms, according to preliminary results from a nationwide antibody study – 10 times more than official figures suggest.
- The European Commission may use a $2.6 billion emergency fund in the vaccine race, as it fears the EU may be unable to produce enough even if a vaccine is developed, according to Reuters.
- France's junior economy minister, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, has said it would be unacceptable for French firm Sanofi to give the U.S. priority access to any coronavirus vaccine it develops and produces in America.
- The EU is pushing to reopen internal borders and urged a return to "unrestricted free movement," albeit with safety measures such as wearing face masks, but recommended Europe’s external borders stay closed until at least mid-June.
- Italy's government has approved a long-delayed, 55 billion euro ($59.5 billion) stimulus package aimed at helping the country's battered businesses and struggling families survive the crisis.
- The widely criticized indefinite emergency powers obtained by Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, to battle the coronavirus crisis could be retracted in late June depending on the progression of the pandemic, his chief of staff has said.
- Slovakia's government has approved a tracking app designed to alert authorities if people break self-quarantine rules during the pandemic. A 1,650 euros ($1,794) fine faces anyone caught breaking those rules.
- More than 140 world leaders, former leaders – including the UK's Gordon Brown – and economists, have signed an open letter calling on all governments to unite behind a people's vaccine against COVID-19. They have demanded all vaccines, treatments and tests be patent-free, mass produced, distributed fairly and made available to all people, in all countries, free of charge.
- Roughly 148,000 people in England had COVID-19 at any point over the past two weeks ending 10 May, or 0.27 percent of the population, an official survey has shown. This means that one in 400 people in the country have the virus and could currently be infected.
- Spain's daily death toll has risen above 200 for the first time since 8 May. The overall death toll currently stands at 27,321.
- Roughly five percent (2.3 million) of Spain's overall population has contracted COVID-19, in many cases without symptoms, according to preliminary results from a nationwide antibody study – 10 times more than official figures suggest.
- The European Commission may use a $2.6 billion emergency fund in the vaccine race, as it fears the EU may be unable to produce enough even if a vaccine is developed, according to Reuters.
- France's junior economy minister, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, has said it would be unacceptable for French firm Sanofi to give the U.S. priority access to any coronavirus vaccine it develops and produces in America.
- The EU is pushing to reopen internal borders and urged a return to "unrestricted free movement," albeit with safety measures such as wearing face masks, but recommended Europe’s external borders stay closed until at least mid-June.
- Italy's government has approved a long-delayed, 55 billion euro ($59.5 billion) stimulus package aimed at helping the country's battered businesses and struggling families survive the crisis.
- The widely criticized indefinite emergency powers obtained by Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, to battle the coronavirus crisis could be retracted in late June depending on the progression of the pandemic, his chief of staff has said.
- Slovakia's government has approved a tracking app designed to alert authorities if people break self-quarantine rules during the pandemic. A 1,650 euros ($1,794) fine faces anyone caught breaking those rules.
- More than 140 world leaders, former leaders – including the UK's Gordon Brown – and economists, have signed an open letter calling on all governments to unite behind a people's vaccine against COVID-19. They have demanded all vaccines, treatments and tests be patent-free, mass produced, distributed fairly and made available to all people, in all countries, free of charge.
