The European Commission, acting with and on behalf of EU Member States through the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), and vaccine developers BioNTech-Pfizer, have reached an agreement to better address Member States’ assessment of evolving needs for COVID-19 vaccines. The amendment to the existing vaccines supply contract takes into account the improved epidemiological […]
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Eurostat: Spain among EU countries with highest excess mortality in March 2023
In March 2023, excess mortality in the EU increased slightly compared with the previous month and stood at +0.3% above the baseline (average number of deaths for the same period in 2016-2019). This followed the positive developments of February 2023, when for the first time since February 2020 (pre-COVID-19 pandemic period), there was no excess mortality in the EU […]
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EU and US launch Health Task Force
Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides and US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra met yesterday in Brussels to launch the EU-US Health Working Group. The Task Force, set up to expand the EU-US partnership in the area of health, will focus on cooperation under three strands: priorities in the area […]
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Statement by President von der Leyen following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic
Welcoming the WHO’s announcement that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a global health emergency, President Ursula von der Leyen made the following statement: “Finally, after more than 3 years, COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency. This is good news. This pandemic has had a heavy toll on people, our society and our economy. But we have […]
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SOLUS project: new diagnostic method for breast cancer funded by European funds
At the end of the SOLUS project in October 2021, his team developed a complete operating system for multimodality imaging and a compact device that could serve as the basis for a portable device that can monitor and diagnose critical tissues. Two years later, ongoing efforts at SOLUS may reduce the number of unnecessary breast […]
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European Commission proposes overhaul of EU pharmaceuticals legislation
The Commission proposes to revise the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation – the largest reform in over 20 years – to make it more agile, flexible, and adapted to the needs of citizens and businesses across the EU. The revision will make medicines more available, accessible and affordable. It will support innovation and boost the competitiveness and attractiveness of the EU pharmaceutical […]
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Eurostat says older people are healthier in cities
Urban social and environmental factors appear to have a significant impact on how well the population is doing. At the EU level in 2021, 43% of city-dwelling adults 65 and older reported having a very or very good health status, which was 2 percentage points (pp) higher than the national average for all individuals in […]
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Autumn vaccination campaigns targeting the elderly and other high-risk groups will be key to reducing the impact of COVID-19
According to ECDC surveillance data, with every new wave of COVID-19 infection, individuals in older age groups are more likely to be hospitalised. Data suggest persisting SARS-CoV-2 transmission in EU/EEA countries and therefore, a continuous risk of severe disease for vulnerable groups. Although no clear seasonal pattern of virus circulation has emerged so far, data […]
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Mental health didn’t get worse during the pandemic, says large-scale study
During the COVID-19 pandemic, academia and media outlets reported that our mental health had declined. But could this be misleading? A major study on COVID-19 mental health has some surprising findings. Led by Canada’s McGill University, research published in the journal ‘BMJ’ shows that the global pandemic had limited impact on mental health. The power […]
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