‘We are literally sinking’
Inflation in Britain rose to 10.1 percent in July compared with a year earlier, as consumer prices grew at their fastest pace since 1982. Many Britons, especially the most vulnerable, who have borne the brunt of the effects of inflation, are bracing for more sacrifices. Food banks in the country have had to cut back on hot meals amid rising demand and falling donations.
Food prices rose 2.3 percent from June to July, the steepest monthly increase in 21 years, with notable increases among staples like bread, cereal, milk, cheese and eggs. The surge in checkout prices comes as a contest to be Britain’s next prime minister has left the country in a leadership vacuum, and policy responses remain unsettled.
Rising prices are troubling households and central bankers globally, multiplying the challenges facing lawmakers. Many countries are experiencing multi-decade highs in their inflation rates as pandemic-related supply chain disruptions push up prices. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also set off an energy crisis, particularly in Europe.
Worldwide highs: Prices in Britain are rising faster than in the U.S. (8.5 percent) and the eurozone’s largest economies: Germany (8.5 percent), France (6.8 percent) and Italy (8.4 percent).
First person: “Before, we were keeping our head just above the water,” one woman in London said of the price increases. “Now, we are literally sinking.”
Europe’s unequal access to monkeypox vaccines
The outbreak of monkeypox in Europe has disturbing echoes of the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, when protective gear, tests and vaccines were inadequately and inconsistently produced and distributed across the continent. Some nations are better equipped than others, leading to competition for limited vaccine supplies.
“Vaccine tourism” — crossing borders in search of shots — is also back. Though Spain has been the center of Europe’s outbreak, the country until last week had access to only about 5,000 shots. France, with fewer than half as many confirmed cases, had already vaccinated 27,000 people. Only one vaccine, produced by the drugmaker Bavarian Nordic, has been approved by European regulators.
The E.U. created a new health emergency agency last year that was supposed to act decisively and put all 27 member countries on an equal footing. But experts say the new agency does not have the full powers envisioned for it, in part because individual countries have been unwilling to cede sufficient authority to it.
By the numbers: More than 30,000 people have been infected with monkeypox worldwide, and millions are considered at risk. About 58,000 vaccine doses of the E.U.’s initial order of 110,000 two months ago have been delivered, with the rest expected by the end of August.