virus today germany gave the green light for the 1st clinical trials involving humans an experiment in the lab but no experiments on the streets beginning next week everywhere in germany people will be required to wear face masks on public transport and in stores tonight in the battle against the virus a reason for hope for the future and a reality check for the here and now i'm bored going to berlin this is the day. it's not going to seek not just me it's a good sign that here in germany please reached a point with vaccine development that we can actually stop at the 1st trial next season in the hands of global public health crisis caused by covert 19 will not be completely over until science finds a vaccine to the world the best way to defeat reverse the 3 page statement is that

this is only the 5th clinical trial in the world in the quest to find a boxing kit and said think this instills he says a milestone. also coming up tonight is not enough personal protective equipment in the u.k. is coronavirus crisis but plenty of politics has brags it become a matter of life and death for doctors and nurses on the pandemic front line we should want to get every single agent in the side through and it's not me. i could you know why it's a different. goals but no. no if you just said you. and yet. it's a bits of 8. to our viewers on p.b.s. in the united states and all around the world welcome we begin the day with the 1st

steps towards a vaccine against the corona virus the 1st steps involving people today germany's federal institute for vaccines said it is giving the go ahead for the 1st clinical trials testing a possible vaccine in humans in the 1st round $200.00 healthy adults up to the age of $55.00 will be given variants of the vaccine or a placebo and the trials are part of joint research by the u.s. pharmaceutical giant pfizer and the german company bio in tech and the start comes not a moment too soon today germany's robert institute confirmed that the number of new corona virus cases has risen for the 2nd consecutive day more than 5100 people in germany have now died from the virus. a breakthrough perhaps in the fight against kobe had 19 this gym and biotech company has been given the go ahead to start human trials for a potential vaccine the substance named b n

t 160 is being developed together with thomas eagles giant pfizer and could soon be tested in the united states too if regulators approve gemini's health minister warned there is still much work to do. it's not going to think it's a good sign that here in germany we've reached a point with vaccine development that we can actually start with the 1st trials but at the same time it's important to note that it will still take months for a vaccine to pass all the necessary tests so it can be made available on a big scale forced to thank you for staying can spawn was in the bundestag to be quizzed by parliament about the government's response to the pandemic and usually 2 ministers faced questions in the same session the health minister was joined by transport minister andres scheuer he said in view of the growing use of face masks in germany he's looking at the possibility of making them

a requirement for passengers on trains and planes just another sign of how the virus is changing society a point picked up by the german president in a televised address to the nation festive he's only got it to the solidarity we're experiencing now will be needed not just during the crisis we will need it in the future as well we will need that solidarity to cope with the consequences of corona or those consequences now also include the announcement that the berlin marathon will not be held in september as planned last year the race drew more than $40000.00 competitors but the ban on gatherings of more than 5000 people means it will be postponed or perhaps canceled altogether. well i spoke earlier to professor over levy of the harvard medical school in boston he was researching a possible vaccine and i asked him what stage he and his team are at now in their

work oh our team here at the person rex scenes program and harvard medical school in boston children's hospital is really taking a very different approach from the other groups you know normally that seem development would start with developing an antigen something that the body. would respond to as a foreign agent in form and he bodies against him and then tested in mice for example and then in larger animals and eventually in human trials in our group what we do is put the human element 1st because there are species specific effects and we test the if affects of candidate vaccines outside the body we say in vitro in culture and we do so particularly using blood collections from elderly individuals who are most susceptible to severe coronavirus so we want to develop a vaccine that would be effective in those who are at risk of more severe disease what does that mean then for human trials in your development did they come later

then for example than what we're seeing here in germany with bio when taken pfizer they may well come later but we believe that our vaccine might not be the 1st one there but maybe one that is optimized to best protect the elderly we've seen it before if you look at influenza immunizations for example a high proportion of elderly individuals do not mount a sufficiently strong response to the flu vaccine of course they should be getting the flu vaccine that's very important for them it's lifesaving but we wish a higher proportion was giving a robust response a we're working with small molecules called adjutants that boost an immune response and wheat it turns out that adjutants work differently in different age groups so we're making sure we build a vaccine that would work best in those who suffer the worst disease professor you know you talk about a vaccine that works best is it possible that in our haste to find a vaccine and that we could possibly have something on the market let's say next

year that is not optimal that may not help as many people as we would like are are we looking at the future maybe at 1st with 2nd rate vaccines being the 1st ones on the market. well none of them are 2nd rate i don't want to disparage any of the efforts there must be over $100.00 groups around the world and probably invent many more and we wish each group the very best you know this is this is not a game people are dying every day around the world in our community here in boston as well so we wish all the groups the very best and as you know trials have already begun in the united states and around the world and even if we see here in a few months that these trials are positive in the sense that the vaccine appears safe and induced in anybody response there's still the matter of how do you scale this solution to make hundreds of millions or billions of doses this is where we think an admin can be helpful because an adjutant may allow you to create a vaccine with less of the expensive part the antigen the protein for example and and more of the advent that's is typically

a small molecule that's less costly to produce so there for michael economic reasons that an accident might be a solution to scale a vaccine and it also might induce a more durable response so that you don't need repeat dosing so this is an approach we're taking of course there are other groups looking at how humans as well but we believe our group to be unique in 1st modeling the human immune response outside the body and focusing on the elderly. fessor over at livi of the harvard medical school speaking to me earlier from boston. where scientists here in germany and in the u.k. are starting trials on humans in what has become a global race to develop a vaccine against the novel coronavirus research and trials are already happening at an unprecedented speed on average it usually takes about 4 years to develop a vaccine researchers say the earliest that we can expect a vaccine on the market is sometime in 2021 possibly 2022 in the meantime with no

cure or treatment the only weapons that we have against the virus are our behavior including hygiene and social distancing and what we wear that means face masks now the world is a patchwork of countries some requiring some not requiring people to wear facial protection in public here in germany chancellor angela merkel she has been a vocal champion of the facemask always recommending that people wear them but today in all of germany's 16 states that recommendation was replaced by a requirement starting next monday across the entire country it will be mandatory to wear face masks on public transportation and in shops and stores. and we would like customers to wear a mask it's not compulsory in shops in berlin only on public transport but i think it'd be better if everyone wore them for our safety for the safety of my employees and our customers should they sign a musket to. cite specific time i haven't had

a mask up to now although yes of course it's to protect other people but we always have disinfectant and wants honest i have a bottle in the calm which we used and he when we go a bit further we'll probably disinfect again. but you can't really do much more than that. i think a month and i think we should open a lot more of the shops and the need to give people the chance to live their lives . and that can only happen if the shops are open again he says. but this is the measures the good ok so yes open the shops with safety measures ok. you have to say berlin is the exception here in germany it's the place where you have to have a face mask only on public transport but not in stores let's talk a bit more about that i'm pulling in my colleague our political correspondent kate brady she's here in berlin good evening to you kate the authority here in germany to make face masks in public mandatory that lies with the states and not with the

federal government what we have seen in the last week is one state following another almost like dahlman the following falling how do you see it. exactly but every day has been a domino effect in the past week or so again it's only been a week today since i came out and address journalists announcing that many of the social distancing measures would be remaining in place for another couple of weeks but that some shops would be opening and now at the time a week ago. that she strongly recommended that people when mosques but they were not of libertarian of course that has now changed and why seeing germany's federal system in action here and i think there really is a sense of peer pressure as well that we've seen play out across germany in this past week and of course none of the 16 german states wants to be seen as the weakest link they want to be seen as doing everything possible to prevent the

numbers of coronavirus rising again of course the main aim here is to make sure that the number of coronavirus cases continues to fall. you mentioned this present monday in stores and shops reopened here in germany after a 5 week shutdown we learned today that the number of new coronavirus infections has increased every day since monday here in germany is this facemask requirement do you think it's a could it be a result of these higher numbers is there a connection here. well it's certainly a factor in this decision but like i say there has been an awful lot of peer pressure a lot of state premiers here in germany trying to hear their voice heard the loudest and there was also a lot of confusion this week in germany as well when it came to walk shops were open which ones would be allowed to be open and where and what was still required

of people whether with regards to social distancing and whether or not they indeed needed to but there have been other factors playing into this as well because there was a lot of pressure here in germany as well to indicate to the public that there was so much sense of normalcy on its way and there was growing pressure from some opposition parties as well being at the need to talk about an exit strategy for example but of course this is a time of caution as well is something that we've heard from angela merkel time and time again and she spit a set to speak in public again tomorrow to the press and i expect that we can hear the same messages from her again that now is not the time to become careless not certainly is a risk now that some social distancing measures have been relaxed. we know that the world health organization's officials. do not necessarily offer protection in this pandemic i'm wondering why here germany's policy makers

decide to depart from the w h c u. well of course those are still being taken into consideration and this fits in with all of the measures that are still in place in germany of course social distancing is still required to be upheld making sure that you're keeping at least 1.5 to to me says oh way from other people but as i mentioned there is a sense here in germany that people wanted to quickly try and return to the normal daily life which of course is going to happen for many many months to come and go herself has said that while that is still no vaccine available of course we will have to continue living with this virus and of course although the facemask a here in germany have now become a blink of terri or at least the covering of the nose and mouth for example that is still the fear now that people could become complacent which having been out and

about in berlin at least just in the last couple of days that certainly seems to be the case we are seeing many more people already beginning to wear face masks or facial coverings here in public but certainly at least in my experience a lot of people are starting to move around each of the much more closely than we were seeing just a couple of weeks ago so that certainly is still a risk and we still also have a long way to go the main thing here in germany though which experts and german chancellor angela merkel keep reiterating time and time again is keeping an eye on that reproduction right as well of the virus and we've also seen that creep up in the last couple of days as well in the main aim here is to keep that reproduction rate below the below one and the moment it looked to 8 in between north point 7 and north point 9 so the progress that germany has made so far as merkel has pointed out is very fragile fragile is definitely the word tonight key bridges always get

we appreciate your reporting thank you. could that brags be behind the shortage of personal protective equipment for u.k. doctors and nurses is breaks it to blame for the deaths of more than 50 frontline u.k. medics have politics been put before the welfare of patients in this pandemic now these are grave questions and tonight the british government is struggling to deliver an answer it's facing criticism for not taking part in the european union's joint purchases of medical supplies such as ventilators in mass the u.k. left the e.u. on january 31st of this year but it is still entitle to participate in european purchases until the end of this year and yet it placed no orders why when today the u.k. health secretary appeared before parliament he faced a lawmaker is furious with the british government's response to the crisis. chafey

. chafey i'm right in the fact that i understand that that is the whistleblower of us was suddenly a song on french threatened with disciplinary action that was just all brave young adult as a national study out and telling it what it was like only from is that the facts and you get is that to get the answers many of us do not believe that he's telling the truth so the people of this country they believe you know. misspeak i think that the. who just spoke completely misses the tone and as missed the point of what we're trying to do as a nation and could he at length what steps he's seeking to address the long term nursing shortage is an england especially for us narcisse from the european union there is never a part to work on our on our coronavirus response our that's the

british parliament there with parliamentarians zooming and to. with each other let's put my colleague one correspondent to she's on the story for us tonight good evening to you show a lot to i mean this is worse than embarrassing we've got political ideology put before the welfare of patients that's what it looks like in the u.k. government can't seem to get its story right well definitely it's more than embarrassing brand i mean here you have the e.u. saying look we have we are going to buy buy medical equipment much needed medical equipment and we're going to include the united kingdom even though they have left european union officially this year already and the u.k. says no for what reason well we feel very very mixed messages there critics now accusing the government of course of putting ideology before saving lives wrecks it

before breathing is the slogan we're hearing at the moment and the u.k. really has no explanation for that in the beginning they said they had didn't receive an invitation from the european union the european union said we send one then the u.k. said we did this. but it was a political decision because brics it was already done and we wanted to go our own way that was quickly rejected now met hancock the health secretary saying it was not a political decision we joined the scheme and the e.u. deny set so really you have 2 political realities 2 parallel universes there and remember the u.k. and the e.u. have to find a trade deal in the summer exactly i want to talk about matt hancock here from all but the health secretary he is an unknown figure side of the u.k. i mean he's really not known as being one of the main brics it's yours if breaks it

is to blame for anything in this pandemic where are the leaders why are they so silent now. well they are not really silent to be honest met hank called might not be a big breaks in the house secretary but deputising for prime minister boris johnson the reason why he is in the cabinet she's a foreign secretary now as i said deputizing for stocks and still recovering from 19 at this point he is in the cabinet because he is a bright city because he's always supported that and you really have a bunch of bricks. and a saying very mixed messages about this crisis that might not be in the headlines at the moment at the front pages but it really is on everybody's mind you feel like in the cabinet and they are saying no matter what happens at the end of the year the transition period is over and we are leaving the european union even if there

is no trade deal at this point while. personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses what is the status of orders and deliveries in the u.k. . are they going to get what they need. so just to give you a sense at the moment you are hearing here in london more ambulances than there used to be planes so the number of hospitalisations might be flattening a little bit but it's not and no way the situation in the hospitals is really dramatic and doctors and nurses. around the clock 24 seventh's to save as many patients as they can and what they have the most protective equipment equipment that they for it that the u.k. for example could have gotten through that e.u. scheme which they didn't participate and so doctors and nurses he is saying at the frontline said they don't have enough that they feel like they are not protected that they can protect their own families who they go home to at night and this is

a huge issue you mentioned 50 doctors and nurses of the national health service of have died an addition. we are looking at 100 people and the youngest being 20 a 20 year old pregnant she had died 1900 kids survived yeah so much needless tragedy in this story. but the latest tonight in london is always thank you. the german container ship express started its journey from europe to asia back in january before the corona virus had spread around the world of the crew started becoming aware of the seriousness of the outbreak has they traveled ever closer to its epicenter or. they still don't know when they will be able to set foot on.

366 meters long with the load capacity of 13000 containers the essen express runs between europe and asia regularly kept and to be as common and his crew took off in general from the italian city of genoa back then the corona virus was not yet a pandemic few people had even heard of it. what the crew experienced in the following weeks and months was like a chronicle of the pandemic. in egypt from. the series. they passed through swiss canal in early february the days on the ship changed little it was impossible to impose social distancing restrictions the company asked them to take body

temperature stately and send the crew protective gear the captain stashed away some extra food. well enough for 2 weeks more than usual. leaving infected. to minimize the risk of infection contacts with staff at the ports were reduced to the essential and just as dependent make reached its peak the essen express arrived in china pilots were working with food protective gear the crew was not allowed to go ashore and a change of crew was impossible. possible because many ports. 'd and there aren't any flights. to get them on board. the pandemic spread quickly across europe and the s. an express crew was trapped on board captain come on orders extra sim cards so the

crew members could stay in touch with their families their next stops were in barcelona. and genoa where the crew had to stay on board only the cargo of medicine and medical equipment unloaded it. does make you feel a little proud because you are helping people. by bringing groceries or maybe even some face. like. now they're on the way back to asia perhaps the crew will finally be able to disembark in singapore or hong kong. well we wish them well the day is almost done the conversation continues online and remember whatever happens between now and then tomorrow is another day we'll see that everybody.

greenland is melting and the buying craze has already begun the melting of the ice sheet in the country has exposed a valuable land china in the u.s. already there and new companies are being set out. to thomas is this a consequence of climate change a threat or an opportunity. on the world. next on d.w. . cutting edge technologies. tight organization.

and strict surveillance. seems to have the coronavirus pandemic under control we go to china south korea taiwan and japan. 190 sustainable is a sure way. in 45 minutes on d. w. . we know that this is a scary time for us but corona virus is changing the world changing our lives so please take care of yourself keep your distance and wash your hands if you can stay at how we are d.w.p. are here for you we are working tirelessly to keep you informed on all of our

platforms we are all in this to get on together or making sure. everybody. is facing stay safe please stay safe. hello and welcome to focus on europe with me lar about a little. single case could bring the pork industry to a grinding halt and cause billions of euros in losses health authorities in eastern europe are trying to fight the spread of african swine fever and are taking drastic measures to do so sometimes even against the will of the farmers it's.