Hera (Health Emergency and Response Authority) is born, the new EU agency for the study and treatment of Covid-19 variants. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health makes it known that in the last 24 hours in Italy they have registered 12.074 new positive cases (yesterday 10.386). The new deaths are 369 (yesterday 336), while the discharged healed are 16.519 (14.444). Overall, the positive cases are 388.864, practically 4.822 cheaper than yesterday. The swabs carried out are 294.411, in intensive care I am 2.043 Covid positive patients remain in home isolation 368.547 people infected with the virus.
Hera, EU agency
Many and of great value are the innovations involved in the birth of Hera, the new EU agency. To counteract the new variants of Covid-19 as soon as possible, the EU Commission has developed a strategy based on three priorities. The first is to develop new 'ad hoc' tests and strengthen the sequencing of the genome, which will have at least 75 million euros of EU funds. Then the aim is to speed up the authorization process for vaccines, and strengthen their production. Both by closely monitoring the work of pharmaceutical companies, to help them and solve obstacles, and by developing a voluntary licensing mechanism. This, in order to facilitate the transfer of technology and therefore to extend production to other sites as well.
Hera incubator
The joint research program against Covid mutations is called Hera Incubator. The anti-variant strategy will become the new EU agency for health emergencies (Health emergency and response authority). In detail, the plan envisages helping countries develop the ability to identify variants, with the sequencing of at least 5 percent of positive samples.
To the 75 million euros that the EU will commit to this goal, 150 million will be added from the Horizon fund for research and data exchange. Sixteen European countries, together with five other non-European countries including Israel and Switzerland, will create a network for clinical trials. The aim is to facilitate cooperation and the exchange of information on therapies and vaccines. Furthermore, we want to broaden the scope of the experimentation to children and young people, today generally outside the clinical trials of private individuals.
