Booster vaccinations against COVID-19 increase protection against severe forms of the disease, including infections from the latest mutations of the virus, but their effect wanes quickly, Le Figaro newspaper reported Tuesday, citing a study.
“Repeated doses increased protection against the risk of hospitalization, but this protection proved to be limited in time,” the publication quotes a report prepared under the auspices of the National Agency for Drug Safety and the insurance fund Assurance maladie.
The publication notes that this is the latest in a series of studies on the effectiveness of anticoviral vaccines since their introduction. Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines are mainly used in France. They have been shown to be effective against severe forms of the disease, although they “marginally reduce the risk of subsequent infection in the medium or long term.”
However, even for cases requiring hospitalization, efficacy tends to decline over time, causing the country’s health authorities to organize booster vaccination campaigns with the third, fourth and already the fifth dose.
At the same time, writes Le Figaro, there is still insufficient data on the real benefit of these sequential booster vaccinations, especially after the emergence of the Omicron strain, which has several varieties and more easily eludes protective measures.
Ukrzaliznytsia JSC (UZ) may create a freight carrier company by the end of 2023 to operate in Europe, UZ board chairman Alexander Kamyshyn confirmed to Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
“It is true, we have to develop a European carrier both in passenger transportation and in cargo transportation. We have shown that we can be efficient, and those of our citizens who have used the services of European railroads have appreciated the difference in schedule, service, and many other things,” Kamyshyn said.
The necessity of creating one’s own company for cargo transportation outside of Ukraine is dictated by the fact that Ukrainian cargo carriers have difficulties working with European carriers. “Unfortunately, it is difficult for our cargo carriers to use European freight,” said Kamyshyn.
According to the head of UZ, such a company can be created by the end of the year. “There is hope, and we are doing everything to make it come true, but the speed of approvals in Europe, unfortunately, we would like it to be faster,” said Kamyshyn.
He also noticed that in order to establish a cargo carrier company one should not only buy the rolling stock, but also to get a license, to register and to hire a team.
Earlier it was reported that in the framework of the project UZ bought 40 tank cars European way, which will be supplied to the chain of diesel fuel in Ukraine, and plans to buy 100 fitting platforms.
The SE “Artemsol” and the fundraising platform United24 to the anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion into Ukraine launched a special batch of salt “Ìіць. Ukrainian stone” of 100 thousand packs in 200 gr, it will be sold in the “Silpo” network and through the online retailer Rozetka for UAH 500 per pack.
According to a press release from Artemsol on Tuesday, the profit of 465 hryvnia from each pack will be used to form a flotilla of kamikaze drones for the needs of the Main Department of Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR).
“Because of Russian shelling, the mines of Soledar stopped producing salt in April 2022. This happened for the first time since World War II. Artemsol workshops burned down, equipment was destroyed, buildings were destroyed, and more than 2,500 people whose lives were inextricably linked to the city of Donbass left their home. Some of the salt reserves were removed, but in the summer of 2022 a packet of Artemsol, which millions of Ukrainians know and love, finally disappeared from the shelves of major grocery chains,” stressed the state enterprise in a press release.
It is specified that UAH 465 of profit from each pack will be used to form a flotilla of kamikaze drones for GUR through the state fundraising platform United24, with one drone costing $700.
“The FPV (First Person View) kamikaze drone has become a revolutionary means of combat, as such drones are used literally as sniper weapons from up to 8 kilometers away. Installed cameras and modern communication means allow the operator to control the aircraft in real time, while remaining at a safe distance. “Thanks to a special batch of Artemsol, we will be able to staff a new FPV drone strike force, which in the near future will be in defense of our country along the entire front line,” Artemsol quotes the commander of the special UAV Wings of the Defense Ministry’s UAV, call sign “Volunteer”, as saying.
SE “Artemsol” – before the Russian occupation was one of the largest enterprises of extraction and sale of table salt in Central and Eastern Europe. Production facilities of “Artemsol” are located in Soledar, Donetsk region.
By the end of 2020, Artemsol reduced salt production by 41% compared to 2019 – to 1.18 million tons due to the impact of weather conditions, quarantine and increased competition in global markets.
The Silpo chain, which is part of the Fozzy Group, includes 325 supermarkets in 60 Ukrainian cities and four Le Silpo delicatessen stores – in Kiev, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Odessa.
Fozzy Group is one of the biggest Ukrainian retailers with more than 690 outlets all over the country. The company develops retail chains of different formats: Silpo supermarkets, Fozzy Cash & Carry wholesale hypermarkets, Fora convenience stores, Thrash! discounters, Bila Romashka pharmaceutical supermarkets, Ringoo personal electronics stores.
According to Opendatabot, the founder of Silpo-Food LLC is Closed Non-Diversified Venture Corporate Investment Fund Retail Capital PJSC (100%, Kiev), with Vladimir Kostelman as the ultimate beneficiary.
The Zhidachevsk Pulp and Paper Mill (ZhCPPM, Lviv region), produced UAH 44.35 million worth of products in January, which is 93.8% more than in January 2022.
According to statistics provided to Interfax-Ukraine agency by UkrPapir association, the output of corrugated packaging increased 2.2 times in volume terms, to 1.62 mln sq.m. In addition, the mill released 890 tons of containerboard and 359 tons of paper, which in January last year was not produced.
Zheleznodorozhnoye has a capacity of paper production (paper-base for corrugating, cardboard, linerboard) 43 thousand tons per year, cardboard production – 50 thousand tons, corrugated cardboard and corrugated packaging – 120 million square meters, molded packaging – 72 million pieces per year.
As reported with reference to the Association, in January, the total production of paper and cardboard in Ukraine by major enterprises of the industry declined by 24% compared to prewar January 2022 – to 40 thousand tons, corrugated board on 18%, to 39.3 million square meters. m.
In 2022 Zhidachevsk Paper Mill produced goods for 510.8 mln UAH, which is 23.1% more than the year before.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in Kiev on Tuesday, her spokesman told AFP.
Meloni is expected to hold talks with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.
Nova Post Group has launched its first Nova Post branch in Katowice, bringing the total number of Polish cities covered by the branches to nine, the company’s press service said.
“You asked – we did. The nineteenth branch in Katowice, Poland is now open. As in other branches you can send and receive parcels and documents”, – said the company, noting that it will open offices in other cities.
As the release specifies, a total of 18 Nova Post offices have already been opened in Poland – in Lublin, Warsaw, Krakow, Riaszew, Poznan, Gdańsk, Wrocław and Rzeszow.
It was earlier reported that in March Nova Post will enter the second foreign market – Lithuania – and open a branch in Vilnius, Lithuania, to receive and dispatch parcels weighing up to 1,000 kg. Work is also underway to open branches in Germany.
Founded in 2001 Nova Posta is the biggest player in the Ukrainian logistics market: its network consists of about 10 ths offices and 13 ths postal terminals throughout Ukraine. The number of shipments in 2021 exceeded 372 million. Besides, the non-banking financial institution NovaPay provides services for money transfers and operations with electronic money. There were 388 million transactions in 2021.
Detailed results of GC in 2022 have not yet been announced, but its co-founder Leonid Klimov said that at the end of last year, the number of shipments recovered to 95% of the pre-war level.
The group also includes Nova Posta Global, which is developing an international partner network to provide customers with express delivery services not only in Ukraine but also abroad. The company performs regular flights to the U.S., Europe and China and delivered 9.3 million international shipments in 2021.
