Inflation Around the World: How Does the US Compare to Canada and the EU?

Link: https://mishtalk.com/economics/inflation-around-the-world-how-does-the-us-compare-to-canada-and-the-eu

Graphic:

Excerpt:

  • Inflation in the US was the first to peak.
  • US inflation peaked in June at 9.06 percent and is currently (through September) at  8.20 percent.
  • Inflation in France peaked at the lowest rate, 6.08 percent.
  • France also has the lowest current rate of 5.55 percent.  
  • Inflation in Germany is 9.99 percent and still rising
  • Inflation in Italy is 8.87 percent and still rising
  • Inflation in Spain was the highest peak so far at 10.77 percent
  • Inflation in the UK is 8.80 percent matching the July high.
  • Inflation in Canada peaked at 8.13 percent and is now 6.86 percent

Author(s): Mike Shedlock

Publication Date: 3 Dec 2022

Publication Site: Mish Talk

Europe faces ‘cancer epidemic’ after estimated 1m cases missed during Covid

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/nov/15/europe-faces-cancer-epidemic-after-estimated-1m-cases-missed-during-covid

Excerpt:

Experts have warned that Europe faces a “cancer epidemic” unless urgent action is taken to boost treatment and research, after an estimated 1m diagnoses were missed during the pandemic.

The impact of Covid-19 and the focus on it has exposed “weaknesses” in cancer health systems and in the cancer research landscape across the continent, which, if not addressed as a matter of urgency, will set back cancer outcomes by almost a decade, leading healthcare and scientific experts say.

A report, European Groundshot – Addressing Europe’s Cancer Research Challenges: a Lancet Oncology Commission, brought together a wide range of patient, scientific, and healthcare experts with detailed knowledge of cancer across Europe.

One unintended consequence of the pandemic was the adverse effects that the rapid repurposing of health services and national lockdowns, and their continuing legacy, have had on cancer services, on cancer research, and on patients with cancer, the experts said.

“To emphasise the scale of this problem, we estimate that about 1m cancer diagnoses might have been missed across Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic,” they wrote in The Lancet Oncology. “There is emerging evidence that a higher proportion of patients are diagnosed with later cancer stages compared with pre-pandemic rates as a result of substantial delays in cancer diagnosis and treatment. This cancer stage shift will continue to stress European cancer systems for years to come.

Author(s): Andrew Gregory

Publication Date: 15 Nov 2022

Publication Site: The Guardian UK

Europe Confronts a Covid-19 Rebound as Vaccine Hopes Recede

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/europe-confronts-a-covid-19-rebound-as-vaccine-hopes-recede-11615558520

Graphic:

Excerpt:

The European Union’s fight against Covid-19 is stuck in midwinter, even as spring and vaccinations spur hope of improvement in the U.S. and U.K.

Despite months of restrictions on daily life, new Covid-19 cases have been rising again in the EU since mid-February, as more-virulent virus strains outpace vaccinations.

By contrast, virus infections and deaths have been falling rapidly in the U.S. and U.K. since January as inoculations take off among the elderly and other vulnerable groups. U.S. infections and deaths, which were higher on a per capita basis for most of 2020, have fallen below the EU’s.

Author(s): Marcus Walker in Rome, Bertrand Benoit in Berlin and Stacy Meichtry in Paris

Publication Date: 12 March 2021

Publication Site: Wall Street Journal

EU and Italy Block Export of AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine to Australia

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/eu-and-italy-block-export-of-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-to-australia-11614875649?mod=djemwhatsnews

Excerpt:

Italy blocked the export of AstraZeneca PLC’s Covid-19 vaccine to Australia, in a move coordinated with European Union authorities, reflecting mounting frustration in Europe with slow deliveries of vaccines.

The move was prompted by the persisting shortage of vaccines in Italy and the EU, delays in the supply of vaccines by AstraZeneca and the fact that Australia is considered a “nonvulnerable country” to Covid-19 under EU regulations, Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The decision affects 250,700 doses, a number the ministry said was high compared with what has been delivered so far by AstraZeneca. The doses were bottled at a factory near Rome that is part of the company’s supply chain. AstraZeneca has delivered around 1.5 million doses to Italy, according to the government.

Author(s): Giovanni Legorano,  Jenny Strasburg

Publication Date: 4 March 2021

Publication Site: Wall Street Journal