After approving, last February, the use of Moderna’s vaccine against Covid-19 in children over the age of six, the European Medicines Agency, the EMA, announced that it had started the evaluation of this same vaccine for children under five. Across the Channel, after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s holiday scandal during lockdowns, it’s the opposition Labor leader’s turn to be investigated for negligence.
- European Medicines Agency assesses Moderna vaccine for under-fives
“We have just begun the evaluation of a request from Moderna to expand the use of Spikevax to children six months to five years old and this is the first request for this young age group,” said during the meeting. a press conference Marco Cavaleri, head of vaccine strategy for the European Medicines Agency.
The US biotech company made a similar request in the United States last week after trials showed its injections were safe and produced a strong immune response. Less vulnerable than older people, children can nevertheless contract cases of pediatric inflammatory syndrome.
For its part, the French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi has admitted having suffered a “failure” in the development of an anti-Covid vaccine, a niche in which it is clearly behind its competitors. The group’s president, Serge Weinberg, admitted to his shareholders at a general meeting that Sanofi had not been “fast enough”.
- In France, an epidemic controlled but not over
“The slowdown in the Covid-19 epidemic is confirmed throughout the country, with a decrease in the incidence (-39%) and positivity (-5 points) rates”, indicated the Public Health agency. France, Friday May 6. If these indicators remain at a high level, the ebb is no longer in doubt: the daily average of new contaminations over seven days stands at 42,048 cases, against 61,628 a week earlier.
“The epidemic is under control but we all know that it is not over,” warned the president of the Scientific Council, Jean-François Delfraissy. We can indeed expect “the occurrence of a new variant, estimated rather at the start of the school year but which may appear before”.
- Non-compliance with health rules: the leader of the British Labor Party under investigation
A few weeks after the fine imposed on the British Prime Minister for non-compliance with the anti-Covid measures decided by his own government, the British political class must face a possible new scandal, this time targeting the main opponent of Boris Johnson, the Labor Party leader Keir Starmer. The latter is under investigation for possible violations of the regulations, in particular the organization of a meal. The position is tricky for Starmer as he had repeatedly called on the Prime Minister to resign after the ‘Party Gate’ revelations.
- Laos prepares to welcome tourists again
Authorities in Laos have announced that from Monday, May 9, the country will drop its border restrictions for fully vaccinated tourists, due to a drop in Covid-19 infections and deaths. The deputy minister said the expert recommendations on entering the country and easing restrictions had been approved. “The government considers it is time to develop the economy,” she added, as this small Southeast Asian country saw a drastic drop in the number of international travelers in 2020: 80% less than the 4.7 million foreign tourists who visited in 2019.
Since January, to enter Laos, travelers must spend seven days in quarantine, present a negative Covid-19 test on entry and can only travel in groups in certain areas.