Even after over a year of upheaval all thanks to the COVID 19 pandemic, much of Europe continues to wait with bated breath for the arrival of any form of respite hoping that things will be better someday soon. There’s been recession like never before. There are job losses everywhere you see. Industries like tourism and hospitality, manufacturing and aviation continue to suffer and note mounting losses. And what’s worst is that one doesn’t know when will there be a moment of reprieve.
But should an answer be in the form of the J&J vaccine (Johnson & Johnson), then it can be said with a sense of optimism, that there may finally be a solution to tackle what’s clearly been a long litany of woes for one of the most majestic continents on the face of the earth.
As it turns out, it’s believed that the J&J vaccine is soon to arrive in Europe, a continent so desperately searching for normality akin to the times one saw in the pre-COVID world.
To that extent, it’s key to remember that for quite some time now, all members of the European Union (also known as the EU) have been conversing with the consumer goods and medical devices giant Johnson and Johnson regarding the vaccine to take measure of the pandemic.
As a matter of fact, one of the vital business updates from the beating heart of Europe is that the EU has signed an order of no fewer than 200 million doses of the J&J vaccine for nations across the continent.
But is that all? In fact, so critical are these times for the continent that in its ongoing deal pertaining to the J&J vaccine, the EU has kept open an option for 200 million doses in addition to the order that has already been placed.
That being said, here’s what popular news portal from India Live Mint had to report on the interesting story that has its heart a continent desperately awaiting an antidote to the malaise that’s the COVID 19 epidemic:
The 27-nation EU has signed a firm order for 200 million J&J doses and an option for 200 million more.
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As well as being the first that requires just a single injection rather than two, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is easier to store.
The EMA gave the green light after saying clinical trials involving volunteers in the United States, South Africa and South American countries found the J&J jab was 67 percent effective at preventing people from getting COVID.
Furthermore, it is expected that the J&J vaccine shall arrive in Europe around April 19, that’s the third week. These, it must be noted, is the single-shot COVID vaccine, a must for Europe that’s gearing up to speed up the vaccination drive.
As a matter of fact, the pharmaceutical giant’s jab was approved by the EU regulators around the time of mid-March. This was following the approvals extended to several vaccine makers, such as- Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna as well as AstraZeneca.
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That said, at this time, several among Europe’s nations have put into place a new list of restrictions in a renewed effort to curb the surge in cases with night curfews being the norm whether one speaks of France, Germany, Belgium, Finland among the other nations.