The world last week: Christmas party 'not peaceful'

The chase between virus and vaccine

According to Bloomberg media, up to this point, scientists have recorded 4,000 different variants of the SARS-Cov-2 virus globally, the full number is certainly higher. Buta variant appearsin south-east England is causing particular concern, leading to an emergency lockdown of London over Christmas.

Several European countries have closed their borders to the UK due to the new variant. Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium have all suspended flights and travel to and from the UK. The European Union has also met to discuss coordinated actions to deal with the situation. The pandemic is casting a shadow over an “uneasy” Christmas in many countries.

London, UK is quiet due to concerns about a new variant of the virus. Photo: Getty

The new variant in the UK, named VUI - 2020 1201, has many mutations in the spike protein. Preliminary analysis by British scientists shows that this mutation can help the virus penetrate cells more easily, and spread from person to person more easily, at a rate of 70% compared to other variants. However, there is no evidence that this variant is capable of causing severe illness or death. Therefore, it will continue to be monitored and analyzed in the coming weeks.

One reason the new variant is becoming more common is that its emergence coincides with the traditional holiday season, when people often gather and visit each other. Scientists have hypothesized that the variant may be the result ofvirus spreadfrom a patient with chronic Covid-19 infection. “The new variant has some kind of biological advantage that makes it spread faster,” said Peter Horby, chair of the Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group. “Scientists don’t have a complete picture yet as to why, but there are a few different hypotheses being explored.”

Paul Hunter, Professor of Medicine at Norwich University, University of East Anglia, said the new variant was responsible for 62% of SARS-Cov-2 infections in London as of December 9, an increase of 28% since the beginning of November.

In addition to the UK, cases have been identified in Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands and Australia. Health experts have also weighed in on whether the new variant could render Covid-19 vaccines ineffective.

Many European countries such as France have closed their borders with the UK, due to concerns about the new virus variant. Photo: AP

Variation of unknownSARS-Cov-2could counteract the immunity provided by vaccination. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that current evidence suggests that the new variant has no impact on vaccines currently on the market. Leading vaccine manufacturers BioNTech, AstraZeneca and CureVac have said that the effectiveness of their vaccines is not affected.

Unlike seasonal flu, which mutates unpredictably each year, the coronavirus has a genetic self-regulation mechanism to minimize mutations. As a result, vaccine makers say the Covid-19 shots have proven effective in trials and can be easily adjusted if necessary. BioNTech claims it will take just six weeks, a record-breaking time, to create a new vaccine that can control the new variant of the virus.

Political scandal

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abesaid he should be held accountable for repeatedly denying that his office made payments related to dinner parties for his supporters during Japan’s famous cherry blossom season. He also claimed he was unaware of the settlement process for the payments, but pledged to take action to correct his wrongdoings.

Shinzo Abe resigned in September 2020, citing poor health. However, critics say the resignation may have had other reasons. The Japanese government has seen its public trust decline due to delays in Covid-19 prevention and control measures, and a series of scandals involving former ministers in Mr. Abe's administration.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to the media at the Diet in early December 2020. Photo: Reuters

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office decided not to prosecute Mr. Abe, citing insufficient evidence. However, the agency has formally indicted a longtime aide to Mr. Abe on charges of failing to report fees and payments for banquets between 2016 and 2019. The indictment alleges that the aide, Hiroyuki Haikawa, 61, failed to report 11.6 million yen ($111,600) in entrance fees collected from guests at the banquets, and a payment of 18.7 million yen ($180,000) to the hotel.

Failure to include these expenses in annual spending reports is considered a violation of political funding. The amounts may not seem large compared to the level of political corruption in other countries, but they have become a serious and high-profile issue in Japan, where politicians have been removed from office for the most minor breaches of financial rules.

Prosecutors have also been investigating whether Mr. Abe, his aides and two executives from his political support group who subsidized party dues violated campaign and election fundraising laws. Japanese law prohibits politicians from giving gifts to election supporters.

Abe has previously denied the allegations and said he was unaware of the illegal payments until the investigation report was released in November 2020. Speaking at a press conference, former Prime Minister Abe said: "Although the accounting was done without my knowledge, I am clearly aware of my moral responsibility. I would like to express my deep and sincere apology to everyone."

The financial scandal has cast a shadow over the administration of Prime Minister Suga, who was once Mr. Abe’s top spokesman. Photo: AP

Not only did former Prime Minister Abe publicly apologize, butCurrent Prime Minister Yoshihide SugaSuga, who served as Abe’s chief cabinet secretary and succeeded him as prime minister in September, has not been accused of wrongdoing. But as Abe’s top spokesman during his eight-year rule, he has defended the former prime minister in parliament and the media over the financial allegations.

The fallout from the election law and political financing scandal has had a major impact on the popularity of Prime Minister Suga's administration, which is reeling from public anger over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. A recent poll by the Asahi Shimbun daily showed that Prime Minister Suga's approval rating has plummeted from a high of 65% when he took office to 39% now.