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Day: 4 March 2021

Prince appeals to wide audience during ocean summit

by: Cassandra Tanti
04/03/2021

Prince Albert has delivered the keynote address at this year’s World Ocean Summit, saying there are few issues as urgent and close to us as those concerning the ocean.
Monaco’s sovereign and head of state addressed the Economist Group’s 8th Annual World Ocean Summit Virtual Week on Wednesday 3rd March, whose agenda this year is to deliver fresh, robust, and action-oriented insights into creating a sustainable ocean economy.
“At a time when the world is plunged into a deadly pandemic, it is also our duty to focus together on the ocean and its future,” said the Prince in his address. “Because this future is also our future. Such awareness is not fully shared by our contemporaries. This is perhaps the greatest burden suffered by the oceans – lack of awareness of its importance and our indifference towards it.”
In his 17-minute speech, Prince Albert addressed many ocean issues, including the need for efficient management of marine protected areas, as well as the hopes raised by negotiations on marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Prince Albert also spoke about the need to tackle subjects as vast and complex as health, energy, nutrition, the economy, innovation, trade and international security and their connection to the ocean, and the importance of supporting scientific research which he says is currently manifestly inadequate.
“We need to improve our knowledge of the ocean, and support our scientists in their unique ability to understand the mysterious mechanisms of the ocean. That’s why I have made this a priority,” he said.
The virtual summit involves over 5,000 participants and 150 speakers focusing on high-level conversation and policymaking in plenary sessions as well as specific industry detail in six dedicated tracks.
Other speakers include Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg, Actor and advocate Ted Danson, Secretary-general of The Commonwealth of Nations Patricia Scotland and Norman Wray, Governor of the Galápagos Islands.
Prince Albert said that he wanted his message to extend “beyond these circles” and be heard by the widest audience possible: “There are few issues as urgent and close to us as those concerning the ocean.”
 
Photo of Prince Albert during his virtual keynote address
 
 

Vaccine side effects study

by: Stephanie Horsman
04/03/2021

The French medicines safety agency has been documenting the side effects of the Covid vaccinations since the start of the campaign rollout in France and have found that no serious health or safety problems have arisen from the inoculations.

In an effort to track the effects of the Covid-19 vaccinations in circulation in France, the Regional Centres of Pharmacovigilance (CRPV) set up a survey to “monitor in real-time the safety profile of the vaccines available in France”. These findings are based on declarations made by health professionals, people who had personally had the jab or from their families.

The results were presented and discussed amongst colleagues at the National Security Agency for Medicine and Health Products’ (ANSM) weekly meeting with the French CRPVs on 25th February in an effort to identify possible “signals” and to consider measures to be taken.

Pfizer-BioNTech

Since the beginning of the Covid vaccination period, there have been 5,331 cases of undesirable reactions in those who have taken the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, according to data analysed by the CRPV in Bordeaux and Marseille.

The vast majority of the side effects were not dangerous, and many were expected. They ranged from fever and fatigue to headaches and were most often reported after the second dose of the vaccine was administered. This is the sixth study done on this particular vaccine and no new symptoms have cropped up since the last one.

Moderna

Moderna’s jab has undergone three checks on adverse reactions and the latest shows that there have been 148 reports of reactions as analysed by CRPV in Lille and Besançon.

The greatest number of adverse symptoms involved local delayed reactions, none of which were considered serious. There were reports of high blood pressure, which are being “carefully monitored”, while the Moderna vaccine has had no confirmed safety signal to date.

AstroZeneca

The AstroZeneca vaccine has had two reports to date. Since being added to the vaccine repertoire, there have been 971 adverse case reactions by the CRPV reporters in Amiens and Rouen. Most of these cases have involved flu-like symptoms, including high fever, headache and body aches. These cases confirm a potential signal, which was brought to the body’s attention on 11th February, but this is the only concern for this vaccine so far.

Of the three inoculations being offered in France, CRPV have found that none have serious side effects so far. The organisation will continue their monitoring of the situation and report back regularly, but as it stands, no serious health or safety problems have arisen from the vaccines, a positive development in the fight to end the illnesses and deaths brought about by the virus.

All of the reports are from the time period ranging from dated from 12th to 18th February.

 

Photo by Hakan Nural on Unsplash

 
 

New subsidies for electric mobility

by: Cassandra Tanti
04/03/2021

Electric vehicles and bikes purchased from Monaco dealerships will benefit from a new government subsidy designed to kickstart the local economy and accelerate the Principality’s energy transition.
The Government has offered an incentive policy for the purchase of electric vehicles for more than 25 years now, with the objectives of improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which account for a third of all emissions in the Principality.
Over the years, the policy has evolved to refocus on the latest vehicles taking into account technological developments.
Now, as part of Monaco’s Economic Recovery Plan, the government has decided to support car and motorcycle dealerships in the Principality while accelerating the energy transition.
It is offering a bonus until 30th June 2021 for ecological vehicles or electrically assisted bicycles that have been purchased in the Principality. The vehicle must produce less than 60g of emissions per kilometre and the purchase price must not exceed €50,000 including tax.
The total stimulus package is worth 5 million euros, €950,000 of which has been allocated since November 2020.
“Today, electric and hybrid vehicles represent nearly 8% of the fleet registered in Monaco – an encouraging figure, but one that only calls for progress,” said Marie-Pierre Gramaglia, Minister of Equipment, Environment and Town Planning. “The aid allocated within the framework of the recovery plan can be an incentive for those who want to take the step towards electricity. I encourage them to do so.”
For electric bikes, the government will subsidise 30% of the price with a maximum of €400, while a threshold of €3,000 or 30% will be offered for two wheelers which produce zero emissions.
The subsidies for cars, depending on the level of emissions, can range from €4,000 to €10,000.
 
 

EU to give another Covid jab the green light

by: Stephanie Horsman
04/03/2021

The European Union is likely to approve a single dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson in March, after the USA cleared it for emergency use last weekend.

A single-dose jab by American pharma giant Johnson & Johnson will most likely be approved in the not-too-distant future in Europe, according to French Industry Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher, who spoke about it to France 3.

This green light from the European Union will be given “at the beginning of March since the European Medicines Agency is reviewing all the information given to it by Johnson & Johnson in order to be able to market this vaccine,” she said.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the vaccine the go-ahead on Saturday, citing that it is effective in preventing severe Covid-19, even when one of the newer variants is the cause.

EU approval is said to be coming in “early March”, which means roll out could begin as soon as the end of March or the beginning of April. The Johnson & Johnson jab offers good news to vaccine-starved Europeans, especially as it is intended to work with only one dose as opposed to the others on the market which require two.

Once approved, the EU is asking for 600 million doses to be delivered by the end of June, 77 million of which are earmarked for France.

“This corresponds to the population quota, that is to say each time 10 million doses are delivered in Europe, there are 1.5 million for France because we represent 15% of the European population,” explained Pannier-Runacher.  

These additional jabs will go a long way toward France’s goal of inoculating the 15 million from the most vulnerable population segment by the end of June.

In clinical trials, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine showed an 85.9% efficacy against severe Covid in the USA, 81.7% in South Africa and 87.6% in Brazil. This is less protective than the Pfizer and Moderna double shot regimen, which have an efficacy rate of roughly 95% of all forms of the virus.

 
 

ASM title prospects suffer blow

by: Cassandra Tanti
04/03/2021

Monaco’s 12-game unbeaten run has come to an end with the shock loss to Strasbourg Alsace on Wednesday.
Niko Kovac’s side endured an off night at the Stade de la Meinau, punished by the hosts who scored the only goal of the game in the first minute of added time at the end of the game.
Frédéric Guilbert, the on-loan Aston Villa full-back, was the hero, as he advanced towards the penalty box before letting fly from 20 metres, his low left-foot strike beating goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte and finding the bottom corner. The result gives Strasbourg breathing space at the foot of the table and leaves Monaco still fourth but now seven points behind Lille.
It was the team’s first loss since mid-December.
“We have played very well over the past two months, and we have had some great results,” said Coach Kovac after the game. “I’m not changing my mind, we are not armed to win the title this year. We’ll move on and we will concentrate on securing fourth place.”
The next game for Wissam Ben Yedder and his teammates comes on Monday with the third derby of the season, in the Coupe de France at the Allianz Riviera.