Member states and Commission ramp up #Coronavirus measures

More importantly,in the meantime in the wider world, it has become clear that health systems across the EU are under capacity when it comes to hospital beds and also ventilators as we attempt to deal with what is now a critical problem. Lock downs or no, the virus has far from peaked yet and we can expect worse before it gets better.

Fake news and misinformation is, as ever, rife. Part of the key going forward is certainly the need for better information (and its optimal sharing), not only in the public domain to keep citizens accurately informed, but also between EU healthcare systems and associated sectors to encourage cooperation and raise effectiveness. Public panic clearly doesn’t help, either.

EAPM has always flagged up the need for more co-operation at EU level. The Alliance has been calling on this for years, as far back as during the early stages of the cross-border healthcare directive, as well as in respect of the recent (and current) HTA negotiations.

Countries should not ‘do their own thing’ amid such a pandemic

As the situation stands, it doesn’t help that different EU countries and beyond have different strategies, and while President Donald Trump in the US has recently added the UK and Ireland to Schengen to its banned travellers plan, there is consternation that many countries are doing too little, too late.

The UK is generally regarded to be a few weeks behind Europe in terms of infections and has now employed a controversial strategy that, as yet, has not shut bars, restaurants or restricted public-space gatherings.

Expect that to change this week. Ireland has already done it and has effectively called off any St Patrick’s Day celebrations, while urging its citizens to be sensible and responsible.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plans to work towards developing a ‘herd immunity’ - which in itself will take months and relies on a majority of the population being infected by the virus and recovering from it. This will inevitably lead to deaths in the most vulnerable, as Johnson has acknowledged.

In another part of the strategy, Matt Hancock, the country’s health secretary, has described the coronavirus outbreak as “the biggest public health emergency in a generation” while calling on industry to build important medical equipment including ventilators.

Hancock called for “dramatic action, at home and abroad, of the kind not normally seen in peacetime”.

They UK has been accused by many scientists of putting too much focus on the economics of keeping businesses open rather than zooming in on public health and containing the threat.

On top of this, eyebrows have been raised by Virgin Atlantic chief Richard Branson - a multi-billionaire - asking Johnson to approve a £7.5 billion bailout for the struggling airline industry.

Surely, any big money being splashed around should be geared towards making healthcare systems more resilient, rather than being targeted at certain sectors.

In cases where, for example, Belgian hospitals have found it necessary to indefinitely suspend non-urgent medical procedures, what is required is the funnelling of public resources to build up health care and social care systems.

We need to remind ourselves that EU values and systems exist in order to ensure that citizens are all adequately cared for and can expect the best-possible quality of life. 

This is not happening at the moment as already badly affected countries such as Italy and Spain are (so-far) privately admitting that treatment will only be able to be given to those whose chances are survival are the best. The bottom line is that others will not be treated and will die.

New and current measures

Elsewhere, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia have announced theywill close borders to non-nationals.

This chimes with partial closures and more in Austria and Hungary.

Germany is tightening its borders, too, while an extra measure in Denmark has seen the populace now barred from buying any more prescription medicines in pharmacies than they would normally use, according to the Danish Medicines Agency.

Pharmacies and supermarkets will no longer sell more than one pack of over-the-counter medicines per customer, in order to prevent hoarding.

The agency chief, Thomas Senderovitz, said: “There are presently no signs of supply failure of medicines caused by the outbreak of coronavirus. We must keep it this way.” 

Meanwhile, Belgium has closed bars and restaurants in a way not even seen during the deadly bomb attacks on the airport and metro systems of a few short years ago.

And beyond Europe, Turkey has banned travel from certain badly affected countries - a swathe (including Belgium) were added in the past days.

Actions from the EMA

Individual countries aside, for its own part, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will now only meet, like us, ‘virtually’ until the end of April. 

The aim is partly to “limit international travel”.

Also, the agency has said it will waive fees for scientific advice for anyone developing medicines or a vaccine to combat the virus.

Currently, there are no vaccines available to fight the disease, and vaccine development is still at an early stage. Clinical trials will not start until April at the earliest.

“Once there is sufficient information available, EMA is ready to assess any applications for marketing authorisation within the shortest possible timelines,” the agency has said.

It added: “EMA’s priority is to accelerate the approval of safe and effective therapeutic candidates to treat people infected by the virus as soon as possible.”

Again, there is a clear need for more EU coordination in healthcare. The Covid-19 crisis has shown - as if we didn’t already know - that different member states have both different capacities and different strategies.

A little good news…

Finally, some cooperation and cross-border help is taking place, however.

In some good news, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced that France and Germany have agreed to adjust export restrictions on personal protective equipment.

Berlin had imposed an export ban in this respect, while Paris was requisitioning face masks. 

Germany has now pledged to send face masks to Italy - around one million of them - according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

Von der Leyen made a very clear point, saying: “It is not good when Member States take unilateral action,” as this creates a “domino effect” and “amounts to reintroducing internal borders”. She’s not wrong.

“For any measure to be effective, they need to be coordinated at EU level,” von der Leyen added. Cooperation, everyone!

The Commission, meanwhile, has said that Poland, Hungary and Spain will be chief beneficiaries from a coronavirus investment plan launched by the Executive.

Warsaw, for example, will receive more than €7 billion, with the Commission planning for over €37bn of investment to be rushed to member states.

The biggest winners from the cash will be, as noted, Poland followed by Hungary, Spain, Romania, Slovakia and Italy.

And so it goes… Be sure to join us online for the conference on 24 March and keep up-to-date with all developments.