“COVID-19 Update: WHO Ends International Emergency but Virus Remains a Global Threat”

Last week an important announcement was made by the World Health Organization (WHO), headed by Tedros Adhanom: more than three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was decided to end the international emergency. However, this health crisis was not minor, since it caused around 20 million deaths.

Although the agency’s decision sounds encouraging, the virus remains a global health threat, with thousands of infected fighting for their lives in intensive care units and others living with the debilitating effects of the disease’s aftermath. In addition to this, due to the forced confinement, people experienced loneliness, isolation, anxiety and depression, and to this is added the great economic crisis that various productive sectors are experiencing worldwide today. For this reason, countries will keep their guard up to immunize their citizens against SARS-CoV-2 variables.

In this regard, Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, developed by the American Pfizer and the German BioNTech laboratory, were applied in Mexico; the Russian Sputnik V; those of Chinese origin, Sinovac and CanSino; Covax, from Indian pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech International Limited; Johnson & Johnson, from the Janssen subsidiary; and AstraZeneca/Oxford, designed by the University of Oxford and the Anglo-Swedish laboratory.

Regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine, nations such as the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain and Italy suspended its use as a precaution, because some people suffered thrombosis – a condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep vein. after receiving it. It should be remembered that, despite the cases, mainly registered in Europe, the brand’s arguments were that there was no evidence that they were associated with the vaccine.

Likewise, in the pandemic, the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, which Julio Ordaz directs in Mexico, was one of those that strengthened its profits, since in 2021 the sales of its products increased by about 41 percent, reaching 36 thousand 541 million dollars, with everything and income from the COVID-19 vaccine. Of this biological, 77.4 million doses were delivered to be applied to more than 38 million Mexicans, after an initial agreement in 2021 with the federal government.

But it was not the similar case with other nations, for example, with the Dominican Republic, where the pharmaceutical multinational led by Pascal Soriot, failed to meet the deadlines for the delivery of vaccines.

Even the Dominican president, Luis Abinader, was willing to take the conflict before international courts, after a contract was signed on October 30, 2020 to acquire 10 million biologicals for an amount of 40 million dollars, of which the private sector would contribute the first payment of eight million dollars. However, the doses delivered were less than 900,000, so the Caribbean country received CoronaVac vaccines, manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Sinovac.

Voice-over

Bad decision by Goodyear Mexico not to report what is happening at its San Luis Potosí plant. Not long ago we told you about the conflict that exists with the legitimization of your collective bargaining agreement, because the interests of chiefs were sentenced to continue having control of the employees. The case is so serious that labor attachés from the United States Department (DOL) have been in that entity verifying all the anomalies. Perhaps when you read this a new vote has already been given to legitimize the employment relationship with this tire company, otherwise, the matter will worsen today when the ownership still belongs to a union affiliated with the Confederation of Workers of Mexico (CTM). .