Tuesday news summary

Covid update

The Covid-19 vaccine from Moderna company has arrived in the Czech Republic. A total of 8,400 doses will be used in homes for the elderly in the Moravian-Silesian Region. On Thursday, vaccination is supposed to start there. All the vaccines are currently supplied by the state without the necessary medical supplies, such as needles and syringes. Thus hospitals must take them from their supplies. But they are warning that they will not have enough of the material. The situation is therefore addressed by the State Material Reserves Administration (SSHR). The Czech state has also joined the joint pan-European tender, the union is ordering material from China.

Astra Zeneca to be approved at the end of the month

According to the State Institute for Drug Control (SÚKL), the decision on the Covid-19 vaccine from Astra Zeneca, which today applied for registration with the European Medicines Agency (EMA), could be issued by the end of January. According to the schedule from the vaccination strategy, the Czech government expects to deliver 200,000 doses in February, and three million by the end of the year.

Marks and Spencer is closing its food shops temporarily

The Czech branches of Marks & Spencer are temporarily closing due to Brexit and pandemic. According to current information, it is not worthwhile for the British chain to keep stores open in the current epidemic situation. Due to the current measures, the chain, which focuses primarily on the sale of clothes, is only allowed to operate its grocery stores. The stores are largely located mainly in Prague's shopping centers, where there is currently a small concentration of customers.

Another big coalition formed

In the October elections, the Pirate Party will run together with the Mayors and Independents (STAN) movement. In an internet vote in which all members of the Pirates could participate, 668 out of 848 voters supported the coalition agreement. The broader leadership of the Mayors approved the agreement last week. The coalition wants to aim for victory in the parliamentary elections and gain more than a quarter of the vote. Similar goals are set by the competing coalition of ODS, KDU-ČSL and TOP 09, which wants to draw up a coalition agreement by the end of January and a program by the end of February.