temporarily – COOPER GENERAL NEWS

Families begin an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, Jan.

Sgt. Samuel Ruiz | US Marine Corps | via Reuters

Airbnb plans to house 20,000 Afghan refugees worldwide for free, the company’s CEO Brian Chesky said Tuesday.

The refugees will be housed in accommodations listed on the Airbnb platform and the stays will be funded by Airbnb, Chesky said on Twitter, without specifying exactly how much the company plans to spend on the engagement or how long refugees will be housed.

The US announced Monday that it has evacuated around 48,000 people from Afghanistan in the past few days, while thousands are still trying to flee, fearing reprisals from the Taliban fighters now in power.

The main exit point is Kabul Airport, where huge crowds have gathered in the sweltering heat. The Taliban have set August 31 as the airlift deadline and there are concerns that many who want to leave the country will not be able to leave the country.

“The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the US and elsewhere is one of the greatest humanitarian crises of our time,” said Chesky. “We feel a responsibility to become stronger.”

He added, “I hope this inspires other business leaders to do the same. There is no time to waste.”

Chesky urged Airbnb hosts to reach out to him if they would like to host a refugee family and promised to connect them with the right people at the company.

Companies of all shapes and sizes are rushing to show their support to victims in times of great crisis; it is an opportunity to be non-profit while strengthening public relations.

Texas Medical Technology, a medical equipment supplier and distributor, told CNBC Tuesday that it plans to recruit 100 Afghan refugees at a 150,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Houston within a year.

Airbnb, valued at around $ 92 billion, often offers to cover emergency housing costs. Since 2012, 75,000 people have found a place to stay in times of crisis.

A picture taken on January 15, 2021 shows a pharmacist holding a vial of undiluted Pfizer BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19 with gloved hands, which is stored at -70 ° in a super freezer at Le Mans hospital in northwestern France became country runs a vaccination campaign to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Jean-Francois Monier | AFP | Getty Images

LONDON – Pfizer will temporarily reduce the number of doses of its coronavirus vaccine shipped to Europe.

The Norwegian Public Health Institute received a message from Pfizer “shortly before 10 a.m.” on Friday, according to a statement by the agency published shortly thereafter. The NIPH statement said supplies of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine would be reduced from next week “and for an upcoming period”.

“In week 3, Pfizer predicted 43,875 doses of vaccine. Now we appear to be receiving 36,075 doses,” the statement said.

NIPH said the temporary reduction in shipments was “related to an upgrade in production capacity”. “The temporary reduction will affect all European countries,” he added.

Pfizer later confirmed the interruption in supplies in a statement. “As part of normal productivity improvements to increase capacity, we need to make changes to the process and facility that require additional regulatory approvals,” he said.

Pfizer added that while this would “temporarily affect shipments from late January to early February, it will significantly increase the doses available to patients in late February and March”.

Meanwhile, Pfizer said there could be fluctuations in orders and shipping schedules at its facility in Puurs, Belgium, “in the near future”.

Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday that he was confident of “dramatically increasing” production of the vaccine this year, with the goal of producing up to 2 billion doses.

Bourla also said that Pfizer currently has more doses of its vaccine available than are being used.

The European Union announced last week that it was doubling its inventory of Pfizer BioNTech vaccines.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said the deal would allow the EU to buy an additional 300 million cans on top of its existing inventory. The EU executive has already been criticized for not buying more of the vaccine.

Rollouts have been slow in many EU countries including France, Germany and the Netherlands, and this latest news is likely to weigh on vaccination programs in those countries. Canada has also confirmed that its deliveries will be delayed, but said it was hoped that this would not affect its vaccination program.