UK investigates allergic reaction to COVID vaccine
December 9, 2020
British medicines regulators have advised people with a history of serious allergic reactions not to receive the BioNTech-Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Follow DW for all the latest coronavirus news.
Advertisement
British regulators said people with a history of serious allergic reactions should not receive the BioNTech-Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Regulators revealed two reports of possible allergic reactions from people who received the shot on the first day of the country's mass coronavirus vaccination program.
"We're looking at two case reports of allergic reactions," Dr. June Raine, head of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), told a parliamentary committee. "We know from the very extensive clinical trials that this wasn't a feature."
National Health Service (NHS) medical director Stephen Powis said both patients were recovering well and that it was standard practice to receive updated advice from the MHRA.
The MHRA will continue to monitor people who received the vaccine, which trials have proven to be highly effective in preventing COVID-19, the respiratory disease linked to the novel coronavirus.
DW has an overview of the latest major developments around the world.
Europe
Germany saw a new record number of daily deaths on Wednesday after 590 deaths were recorded in 24 hours. The number of cases rose by 20,815 — around 3,500 more than the same time the previous week — bringing the total number of infections to 1,218,524 since the pandemic began.
Asia
South Korea has reported its second-highest caseload since the start of the pandemic, reporting 686 new infections. New cases have consistently been over 600 this past week as the third wave of infections threatens to overwhelm its healthcare system.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's influential sister has lashed out at South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha for questioning the North's claim to be COVID-free. Kang added that the North had been unresponsive to an offer to jointly tackle the pandemic.
India has announced that some COVID-19 vaccines will receive authorization for emergency use over the next few weeks and laid out an initial plan to inoculate 300 million people.
The Royal Caribbean "cruise-to-nowhere" ship had to return to port in Singapore on Wednesday after a passenger tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the almost 2,000 passengers to go into quarantine in their cabins.
Singapore piloted the scheme as a means of resuscitating the battered cruise industry — only passengers from Singapore were able to embark on the no-stop trip around the waters of the city's coast.
Coronavirus: The consequences for tourism
The COVID-19 epidemic poses a threat to the everyday life of people worldwide. Travelers are particularly affected, as are people working in tourism. Here are the latest developments.
Image: Jc Viens/AP/dpa/picture alliance
Cruise ships return to Venice
The cruise ship MSC Orchestra makes its way down the Giudecca Canal in the early morning. Early risers in Venice woke up on June 3, 2021 to the sight of a cruise ship sailing down the Giudecca Canal for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, despite the Italian governments' promises to reroute the huge ships due to safety and environmental concerns.
Image: Jc Viens/AP/dpa/picture alliance
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania reopens to tourists
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will open its hotels to tourists from Germany on June 4. From June 11, day visitors to the northeast will also be able to return. Owners of vacation homes and boats, as well as long-term campers from outside the state, will already be allowed back on May 28. Tourists must present a negative coronavirus test upon arrival, which must be updated every three days.
Image: Jens Koehler/picture alliance
Museums and cafés in France have reopened
For the first time in six and a half months, France’s cafés and restaurants are once again allowed to open their outdoor areas. As of Wednesday (May 19), non-essential businesses and department stores, as well as museums, cinemas, and theaters have also reopened. The nighttime curfew across all of France is now in effect from 9pm – two hours later than its previous start time.
Image: Lewis Joly/AP Photo/picture alliance
Austria lifts quarantine requirement on entry
Austria from Wednesday (May 19) will allow entry from Germany without quarantine. Mandatory, however, remains a proof of vaccination, a negative test or full recovery from a COVID infection. "In many states, the infection rates are declining, so in parallel with the opening up steps in the country, we can also implement facilitation of entry into Austria," said Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein.
Image: Patrick Daxenbichler/Zoonar/picture alliance
Portugal lifts entry restrictions for EU citizens
Portugal is easing its entry restrictions for travelers from most EU countries. People from EU countries where the COVID-19 infection rate is below 500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over a 14-day period will be allowed back into the country, even for "non-essential" purposes. However, testing is strictly mandatory.
Image: Frank Hoermann/SvenSimon/picture alliance
No parties in Mallorca this summer
Francina Armengol, the President of the Balearic Islands, has issued a preliminary rejection of any hopes for parties on the island of Mallorca this summer. “We can only start to allow places to open and nightlife to return once we have a higher vaccination rate”, Armengol said. Responsible tourism will be prioritized. “Nightlife will follow, but later, and probably not this summer.”
Image: Lakomski/Jan Huebner/imago images
Germany's annual Oktoberfest canceled again
Munich's Oktoberfest will be canceled for a second year in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic. The decision was made by Bavarian state Premier Markus Söder and Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter. "In the classic beer tents at the big festivals, social distancing, masks and other measures are practically impossible to implement," Söder said. Reiter said canceling the Oktoberfest again was a great pity.
Image: Sammy Minkoff/imago images
Vatican Museums reopen
Following the third wave of the coronavirus in Italy, the Vatican Museums reopened on Monday (May 3). About 1,000 visitors registered for the first day alone, said Barbara Jatta, director of the museums. It was a "great joy" to finally no longer only be safeguarding the works of art, but also to be able to share them with others again, she said.
The U.S. has heightened its travel warnings on account of the coronavirus pandemic, now additionally advising against travel to Germany and other EU countries – where the U.S. State Department's has applied its red-alert level. This represents the highest of its four risk-advisory levels for travel. At the third level, previously in force, the advice was only to reconsider any planned travel.
Image: picture-alliance/robertharding/T. Auzins
Israel open for tourists who have been vaccinated
Starting at the end of May, Israel wants to let tourists with a Covid-19 vaccination back into the country. Tourists will have to comply with the requirements, which include proof of vaccination and negative Covid-19 test results. After the pandemic broke out, Israel had effectively isolated itself, with foreign citizens only allowed into the country in exceptional cases.
Image: Anton Starikov/Zoonar/picture alliance
Greece reopens for tourists from May 14
Starting May 14, Greece plans to open its borders to vacationers from EU countries as well as from some other countries such as Great Britain and Serbia, to save the domestic tourism sector. Travelers will be allowed to enter the country for a vacation without having to undergo quarantine. They will, however, require travelers to either be vaccinated or show a negative PCR test.
Image: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/picture alliance
Vaccinated foreigners allowed to enter Croatia
As of April 1, foreign travellers are permitted to enter Croatia again if they can present evidence that they have been vaccinated against coronavirus. In addition, anyone who has a negative PCR test or an antigen test or can prove that they have recovered from Covid-19 within the past six months may also cross the borders. Before, you had to present a negative PCR test or quarantine for ten days.
Image: Pablo Camacho/PhotoAlto/picture alliance
Malta to reopen to tourists from June
Malta is rapidly progressing with COVID-19 vaccinations and plans to open to tourists on a large scale from June. The island is focusing primarily on outdoor activities such as scuba diving. A total of 20 million euros will be invested in the reopening. Air and sea passengers with vaccination passes will then be allowed into the country, while all others will still have to present a negative test.
Germany introduces general testing as entry requirement into the country
On March 22, the entry rules into Germany were tightened again. After tourist travel to Germany had already been made unfeasible due to the coronavirus pandemic, in future travelers returning to Germany will also have to have a COVID test before departure - irrespective of the infection situation in the country of departure. The Infection Protection Act is to be amended accordingly.
Image: Boris Roessler/dpa/picture alliance
Vacation to Majorca possible again without quarantining
The German Foreign Office removed its travel warning for Majorca on Sunday (March 14). You can now visit Majorca again without needing to quarantine or take a test once you’ve returned to Germany. Bookings have increased significantly, and more flights are being added. The other Balearic islands as well as parts of the Spanish mainland are also no longer considered coronavirus risk regions.
Image: August/Eibner-Pressefoto/picture alliance
Tourism industry pushes for an early open in Europe
Norbert Fiebig, president of the German Travel Association (DRV), has urged that it is "time for a coordinated approach to restore safe travel." He is counting on vaccination certificates and rapid coronavirus tests – strategies also promoted by politicians. The EU decided on February 25, for instance, to have introduced standardized vaccination passports for travelers by the summer.
Image: Clara Margais/dpa/picture alliance
Discussion over travel benefits for vaccinated people
Greece and Israel signed an agreement (Feb 9) to that will allow vaccinated tourists to travel between their two countries withthout restrictions. In Europe, whether vaccinated people should be the first to be allowed to travel again is controversial. While Germany is still reluctant, some countries already allow easier entry with a vaccination certificate, including Estonia, Poland and Iceland.
Image: Frank Hoermann/SVEN SIMON/picture alliance
Tourism slumps worldwide
Just how disastrous the 2020 travel year was is made clear in the latest survey by the UN tourism organization UNWTO: 74% decline in global tourism worldwide, with over a hundred million jobs tied to it. Forecasts for 2021 also remain cautious in the face of travel restrictions. The emerging trends are home-based holidays, nature-based vacations, and more interest in sustainable travel.
Image: Felicitas Wilke/DW
Beijing cancels flights and trains for Chinese New Year
Hundreds of millions of Chinese are currently seeing their travel plans put on hold for the Chinese New Year on February 12, with flights and train services canceled on Thursday, especially in Beijing, at the start of the most important travel season of the year. Across the country, people are being asked to refrain from traveling to prevent a major outbreak that could lead to "massive lockdowns."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/SIPA/Hao Qunying
Israel suspends international flights
Israel is largely suspending its international flights for nearly a week. The flight suspension goes into effect at 00:00 local time on Tuesday (Jan. 26) and will remain in effect until Sunday. The measure is intended to prevent coronavirus strains from entering the country. Up to 40 percent of new cases in Israel are due to the British COVID-19 mutation.
Image: picture-alliance/W. Rothermel
Tourists allowed back into Sri Lanka - under conditions
Ten months after the border closure, international tourists can travel to Sri Lanka again. As confirmed by officials on Monday (Jan 18), travelers will be able to re-enter the island from Jan. 21 if they comply with strict security regulations, present a negative PCR test and stay in a quarantine hotel for 14 days.
Image: picture-alliance/robertharding/R. Francis
Pompeii reopens to visitors
Despite extended coronavirus restrictions in Italy, as of Monday (Jan 18), museums and exhibitions in some regions will be able to reopen. This rule applies to the so-called Yellow Zones, where the coronavirus infection situation is less tense. Among others, the Archaeological Park in Pompeii is again able to receive visitors because it is located in the yellow region of Campania.
Image: Colourbox
Australians allowed quarentine-free travel to New Zealand again from 2021
New Zealand is setting up a "travel bubble" with neighboring Australia. After months of border closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, New Zealand will once again allow tourists from Australia to enter the country without quarantine requirements in the New Year. New Zealanders have been able to travel to Australia again since October without having to go into quarantine.
Image: picture-alliance/All Canada Photos
After an eight-month break Aida Cruises launches cruise again
On Saturday (December 5) the first Aida cruise ship is scheduled to leave for a one-week trip to the Canary Islands. The ship, designed for 3300 passengers, will reportedly be 50 percent full. All passengers will need to provide a negative coronavirus test, no more than 72 hours old. On board, strict hygiene and distancing rules apply, and only guided shore excursions will be possible.
Image: Ingeborg Knol/imabeBROKER/picture alliance
Australian airline to introduce obligatory vaccination
Australian airline Qantas wants to introduce compulsory vaccination for intercontinental flights. "We will require international travelers to be vaccinated before we allow them on board," Qantas CEO Alan Joyce stated. The general terms and conditions would be adjusted accordingly. Whether this will also be a requirement for domestic flights has not yet been decided.
Image: Bai Xuefei/Xinhua News Agency/picture-alliance/dpa
Machu Picchu is open again
Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca city in the Peruvian Andes mountains, has reopened almost eight months after it was closed down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Peruvian authorities organized an Inca ritual to mark the reopening. To allow for distancing, a maximum of 675 tourists per day are allowed to enter the old Inca city. That is less than a third of the normal number allowed.
Image: Martin Mejia/AP Photo/picture alliance
Rio cancels its famous carnival parade for the first time in a century
Rio de Janeiro's famous annual Carnival spectacle will not go ahead in February. Organizers said the spread of the coronavirus in Brazil made it impossible to safely hold parades which with some seven million people celebrating are a cultural mainstay, tourism magnet and, for many, a source of livelihood. Brazil has the second highest death rate in the world after the United States and India.
Image: Alexandre Schneider/Getty Image
Germany to enter a one-month lockdown
To curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic the German government has announced though new measures to start Monday, November 2. The new restrictions effect the travel business as overnight stays in hotels for tourist purposes will be banned, entertainment facilities such as theaters and cinemas will be closed as will bars and restaurants, which will only be allowed to offer take out services.
Image: Jens Kalaene/dpa/picture-alliance
Nuremberg cancels Christmas market
The city announced on Monday (Oct.26) that this decision had been made in view of the rapidly increasing number of coronavirus cases. The mayor explained that it was to be assumed that in the near future the Covid-19 traffic light in Nuremberg will change to dark red. "Against this background, we think it would be the wrong signal to go ahead with the annual Christkindlesmarkt Christmas market.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Ebner
Global cruise ship association to require coronavirus tests for all
The cruise industry has decided to make coronavirus testing mandatory for all guests and crew members aboard cruise ships. The Cruise Lines International Association, the world’s largest such organization, announced on October 8 that passengers can only board ships by providing proof of a negative test result. All member shipping companies worldwide must now comply with this rule.
Image: Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa/picture-alliance
German government declares all of Belgium and Iceland risk areas
In the wake of significant increases in coronavirus infection figures in Europe, Berlin has announced further EU countries as risk areas for travelers. In addition to Belgium and Iceland, additional areas of France and Great Britain, including all of Northern Ireland and Wales, were also classified as risk areas on September 30.
Image: Stefan Ziese/imageBROKER/picture-alliance
Taj Mahal reopens for tourists
India's most famous building was closed for six months, but since Monday ( September 21) it can be visited again, under strict restrictions. Only 5000 online tickets will be issued per day. There are temperature checks at the entrance. Selfies are allowed, group photos are prohibited. The Taj Mahal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is normally visited by 8 million people every year.
Image: Pawan Sharma/picture-alliance/AP Photo
Historical sales losses in global tourism
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the tourism sector has suffered a loss of 460 billion dollars (388 billion euros) from January to June, the World Tourism Organization reported in Madrid. The loss of sales was five times higher than during the international financial and economic crisis of 2009, and the total number of tourists worldwide fell by 65 percent in the first half of the year.
Image: AFP/D. Martin
Berlin to start 'differentiated system' for travel warnings
The German government has extended its travel warning for around 160 countries through September 30. The advisory applies to "third countries" — i.e. countries that are not members of the EU or associated with the Schengen area. From October 1st, a "differentiated system" will apply, in which individual travel and safety information will be given for each country.
Australia has extended its travel restrictions for a further three months. The borders will remain closed for visitors from abroad until at least December 17. However, the government announced that domestic travel will soon be allowed for residents of the country. An exception will be the state of Victoria, with its metropolis Melbourne, for which a lockdown has been in place since early July.
Image: SeaLink Travel Group
Germany extends global travel warning
The German government has extended the travel warning for around 160 countries outside the European Union by two weeks until September 14. A spokeswoman for the German Foreign Ministry explained the move on Wednesday (Aug 26) with rising coronavirus infection rates. "The situation will not relax sufficiently by mid-September to be able to lift the worldwide travel warning," she said.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Arnold
Compulsory COVID-19 tests on entry into Germany
Anyone entering Germany from a high-risk area must take a coronavirus test from August 8, after an order by Health Minister Jens Spahn. Currently, many countries are classified as risk areas, including the United States and Brazil. In the European Union, Luxembourg, the Belgian region of Antwerp and the Spanish regions of Aragon, Catalonia and Navarre were risk areas as of early August.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Setback for cruise holidays
Norwegian cruise operator Hurtigruten has stopped all cruises on August 3 until further notice after an outbreak of the coronavirus on one of its ships. At least 40 passengers and crew members on the Roald Amundsen tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, German cruise line Aida Cruises has also postponed its planned restart due to the lack of necessary permits.
The United Arab Emirates has said China's experimental Sinopharm vaccine has 86% efficacy against COVID-19. Citing interim results of a study conducted in the Gulf state, authorities said the "analysis shows no serious safety concerns" with regard to the vaccine. The trial enlisted 31,000 volunteers from 125 different nations, but the UAE did not provide additional details such as how many people were given a placebo or what side effects participants experienced.
The president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, said his country is having difficulty buying medicine and health supplies amid the coronavirus pandemic due to US sanctions. Iran has seen the worst outbreak in the Middle East with nearly 51,000 deaths and over 1 million COVID-19 infections.
The United States insists humanitarian goods, including medicines, are exempt from sanctions, but many companies fear doing any business with Iran will bring about a punitive response from Washington. The country is also cut off from the international banking system, making it difficult to transfer payments.
Advertisement
Americas
US President-elect Joe Biden has vowed that his administration would carry out at least 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days in office. He also said he needed Congress to fully fund delivering vaccines to all corners of the country.
Canada has approved the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine, according to the country's health authority, and is set to receive up to 249,000 doses this month and 4 million more by March.
Health Canada is currently reviewing three other vaccine candidates, including one from Moderna.
Mexico could order an additional 22 million doses of Johnson and Johnson's vaccine as early as this week, Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell has announced.
Johnson and Johnson is currently in the midst of its late-stage testing, trialing its vaccine in up to 60,000 volunteers at more than 200 sites across the US, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.
Catch up on DW content
Breathing issues, brain fog and a lingering loss of taste are just some of the long-term effects seen in coronavirus patients. Now, experts are warning that COVID-19 could also make it difficult to get an erection. Click here for the full story.
Germany had hoped that a partial lockdown would be the best way to tackle the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. But infection rates are still high and the number of people dying from COVID-19 is rising. Click here for the full story.
Magnificently decorated squares and boulevards: When the holiday season begins, cities in Europe light up. The lights are to bring hope and optimism, which is more important than ever in these times of coronavirus. Check out our gallery here:
Christmas lights across Europe
Magnificently decorated squares and boulevards: When the holiday season begins, cities in Europe light up. The lights are to bring hope and optimism, which is more important than ever in these times of coronavirus.
Image: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/picture alliance
London, Regent Street
The nationwide lockdown in Great Britain has ended. Stores and restaurants have been allowed to open again, life is returning to the streets. Just in time for Christmas shopping. This is even more fun under artistic fairy lights.
Image: Dominic Lipinski/empics/picture alliance
Vienna, Rathausplatz (Town Hall Square)
Austria's capital is also relaxing its coronavirus restrictions. This means that the curfew does not begin until 8 pm. Therefore the Viennese can use the evening hours for a stroll across the square in front of the city hall, past the Christmas tree and the arch of lights with the four Advent candles.
Image: Herbert Neubauer/apa/picturedesk/picture alliance
Prague, Old Town Square
The Christmas tree is the centerpiece on the Old Town Square in the Czech capital. Usually tourists from all over the world crowd the picturesque square, but this year it belongs to the local residents. Here and in the surrounding alleys of the Old Town, the people of Prague get in the festive mood for Christmas.
Image: Hurin Martin/CTK/dpa/picture alliance
Paris, Galeries Lafayette
Très chic! One expects nothing else from the French. The Christmas decorations in the famous department store Galeries Lafayette are again a small sensation this year. Fortunately, the hard lockdown has ended in France as well, so people can again visit the temples of consumption, to shop and marvel at the decorations.
Image: Sebadelha Julie/abaca/picture alliance
Krakow, Podgorski Square
In Poland, too, people can breathe a sigh of relief: coronavirus infections are declining, and the tough restrictions are being eased. So people in the southern Polish city of Krakow can also enjoy the magic of the Christmas season.
Image: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/picture alliance
Brussels, Grand Place
It is large, it is magnificent and yet somehow also homey: The richly decorated facades of the town houses and the town hall on the Grand Place in the heart of the Belgian capital offer the perfect backdrop for the 18-meter-high Christmas fir tree. Incidentally, the central square has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.
Image: Zheng Huansong/Xinhua/dpa/picture alliance
Moscow, St. Basil's Cathedral
In Russia it is not Santa Claus who brings presents, but Father Frost. And that only on December 31, New Year's Eve. The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7. Despite those differences, the streets and squares in Moscow are just as festive.
Image: Mikhail Metzel/TASS/dpa/picture alliance
Madrid, Plaza Mayor
The Spanish capital celebrates the Christmas season every year with a great Festival of Lights, illuminating the main streets, squares and monuments until January 6. And this year, despite the coronavirus pandemic, this includes the Christmas market in the Plaza Mayor.
Image: Cordon Press/R4097/picture alliance
Berlin, Brandenburg Gate
Christmas markets are not to be found in the German capital, as they have all been cancelled due to the coronavirus. But as every year, the festively decorated Christmas tree at the Brandenburg Gate is sparkling with the goddess of victory Victoria at the top of the quadriga behind it.