Why the Omicron Variant Is Concerning Scientists | WSJ
Nov 29, 202
Nov 29, 202
South African scientists explore vaccines’ effectiveness against Omicron
Crucial work will study how well current jabs work and whether they need to be updated to tackle new variant
The work in South Africa is part of an urgent global effort to understand the threat posed by Omicron. Ravi Gupta, professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Cambridge, hopes to join the effort soon, first with pseudoviruses and then with live Omicron. Further experiments, he said, will look at how well synthetic antibody treatments deal with the variant. The therapies are crucial for patients who are not able to mount their own immune response to the virus.
Several vaccine manufacturers have also launched studies into how well the jabs protect against Omicron. AstraZeneca is analysing infections and vaccination status in people in Botswana and Eswatini on the borders of South Africa. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Pfizer said the company hoped to have initial results from its own antibody studies “in the coming weeks”.
If the variant largely evades vaccines, both Moderna and Pfizer claim they can produce a new, tailor-made vaccine in about 100 days, subject to approval by regulators.... quoted from
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Crucial work will study how well current jabs work and whether they need to be updated to tackle new variant
The work in South Africa is part of an urgent global effort to understand the threat posed by Omicron. Ravi Gupta, professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Cambridge, hopes to join the effort soon, first with pseudoviruses and then with live Omicron. Further experiments, he said, will look at how well synthetic antibody treatments deal with the variant. The therapies are crucial for patients who are not able to mount their own immune response to the virus.
Several vaccine manufacturers have also launched studies into how well the jabs protect against Omicron. AstraZeneca is analysing infections and vaccination status in people in Botswana and Eswatini on the borders of South Africa. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Pfizer said the company hoped to have initial results from its own antibody studies “in the coming weeks”.
If the variant largely evades vaccines, both Moderna and Pfizer claim they can produce a new, tailor-made vaccine in about 100 days, subject to approval by regulators.... quoted from
Related Articles
Coronavirus – latest updates
See all our coronavirus coverage
变异毒株“奥密克戎”危害性有多大？|
《中国新闻》CCTV中文国际
Nov 29, 2021
《中国新闻》CCTV中文国际
Nov 29, 2021
Why is the euro plunging?
The decline should be seen in a broader context
Nov. 30 - The euro has weakened against the US dollar since the beginning of 2021, from around US$1.23 to its current exchange rate of US$1.13. That’s a fall of about 9 per cent, which is significant, especially since these are the two major currencies of the world. The drop has also intensified in November, falling 3 per cent since the turn of a month, which has seen violence in European capitals over COVID restrictions, migrant problems at the Belarus-Poland border and Russian troops amassing on the border of Ukraine.
The decline should be seen in a broader context, though. The euro is still stronger than a couple of years ago, when it was about US$1.10. It also went through some heavy weekly volatility from February to April 2020 in the early part of the COVID pandemic, bouncing between about US$1.07 and US$1.13 at a time when lots of investors were fleeing to the US dollar for safety and there was much uncertainty about what lockdowns would mean.
Explaining currency movements on a weekly or even monthly basis is well known to be extremely difficult, especially when it comes to major economies like the US and the countries in the eurozone. But certainly we need to look at what is happening in both regions and not just one or the other. Using this simple idea, there are several explanations for the recent euro depreciation.
Inflation differences
The first explanation relates to the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank (ECB) stimulating their economies using quantitative easing (QE), which is essentially creating money to buy financial assets such as government bonds from banks and other major investors. Both central banks have been doing this extensively since the start of the pandemic.
However, with annual inflation in the US now reaching a serious level of 6.2%, compared with a less troublesome 4.1% in the eurozone,.. more
The decline should be seen in a broader context
Nov. 30 - The euro has weakened against the US dollar since the beginning of 2021, from around US$1.23 to its current exchange rate of US$1.13. That’s a fall of about 9 per cent, which is significant, especially since these are the two major currencies of the world. The drop has also intensified in November, falling 3 per cent since the turn of a month, which has seen violence in European capitals over COVID restrictions, migrant problems at the Belarus-Poland border and Russian troops amassing on the border of Ukraine.
The decline should be seen in a broader context, though. The euro is still stronger than a couple of years ago, when it was about US$1.10. It also went through some heavy weekly volatility from February to April 2020 in the early part of the COVID pandemic, bouncing between about US$1.07 and US$1.13 at a time when lots of investors were fleeing to the US dollar for safety and there was much uncertainty about what lockdowns would mean.
Explaining currency movements on a weekly or even monthly basis is well known to be extremely difficult, especially when it comes to major economies like the US and the countries in the eurozone. But certainly we need to look at what is happening in both regions and not just one or the other. Using this simple idea, there are several explanations for the recent euro depreciation.
Inflation differences
The first explanation relates to the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank (ECB) stimulating their economies using quantitative easing (QE), which is essentially creating money to buy financial assets such as government bonds from banks and other major investors. Both central banks have been doing this extensively since the start of the pandemic.
However, with annual inflation in the US now reaching a serious level of 6.2%, compared with a less troublesome 4.1% in the eurozone,.. more
北约将决定对俄行动？俄警告将保持核战备状态 20211129 |
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Nov 30, 2021
《今日关注》CCTV中文国际718 views
Nov 30, 2021
The chief of the NATO military alliance on Monday warned Russia not to make any military moves against Ukraine, saying the cost would be dear.
NATO Chief: Russian Aggression Against Ukraine Would Carry High Price
Nov. 30 - "Any future Russian aggression against Ukraine would come at a high price. And have serious political and economic consequences for Russia," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Latvia's capital Riga starting on Tuesday, Anadolu news agency reported.
The two-day meeting is set to discuss a range of issues, including the Russian military buildup near the Ukrainian border.
"We are also monitoring the situation at the border of Ukraine with concern. This is the second time this year that Russia has amassed large and unusual concentration of forces in this region,” Stoltenberg told a press conference alongside Egils Levits, president of the Baltic state of Latvia.
“We see heavy weapons, artillery, armored units, drones and electronic warfare systems and tens of thousands of combat-ready troops,” he added.
He stressed that Russia has to show transparency in order to reduce tensions and de-escalate the situation.
"NATO’s approach to Russia remains consistent. We keep our defense and deterrence strong, while remaining open for dialogue with Russia," he said... more
NATO Chief: Russian Aggression Against Ukraine Would Carry High Price
Nov. 30 - "Any future Russian aggression against Ukraine would come at a high price. And have serious political and economic consequences for Russia," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Latvia's capital Riga starting on Tuesday, Anadolu news agency reported.
The two-day meeting is set to discuss a range of issues, including the Russian military buildup near the Ukrainian border.
"We are also monitoring the situation at the border of Ukraine with concern. This is the second time this year that Russia has amassed large and unusual concentration of forces in this region,” Stoltenberg told a press conference alongside Egils Levits, president of the Baltic state of Latvia.
“We see heavy weapons, artillery, armored units, drones and electronic warfare systems and tens of thousands of combat-ready troops,” he added.
He stressed that Russia has to show transparency in order to reduce tensions and de-escalate the situation.
"NATO’s approach to Russia remains consistent. We keep our defense and deterrence strong, while remaining open for dialogue with Russia," he said... more
