The pandemic has killed nearly 1.3 million people worldwide since the start of the health crisis in China in December, according to a report drawn up on Wednesday, November 11, by Agence France-Presse (AFP), in from official sources.
The United States is the most affected, both in terms of deaths and cases, with more than 242,000 deaths, according to the Johns-Hopkins University count. Next come Brazil (163,000 dead), India (128,000), Mexico (96,000) and the United Kingdom (50,000). As for Spain, it officially recorded more than 40,000 deaths on Wednesday.
Italy on Wednesday counted more than 1 million cases since the start of the epidemic, becoming the 10e countries to cross this threshold, after the United States, India, Brazil, Russia, France, Spain, Argentina, the United Kingdom and Colombia.
Page Contents
“First signs” of improvement in Germany
TheGermany, which has closed its bars, restaurants and many public facilities for a month, is experiencing the first signs of an improvement in the curve of infections with the new coronavirus. “The curve flattens out”, rejoiced Thursday, during a press conference, the director of the Institute for epidemiological watch Robert Koch (RKI), Lothar Wieler, made “Cautiously optimistic that the number of cases is no longer increasing as sharply”. Restrictive measures, such as the closure of bars and restaurants, the obligation to wear a mask or the strict restrictions on private meetings, “Show that we are not helpless” in the face of the Covid-19 epidemic, he argued.
The director of the RKI, however, acknowledged that this development could in part be caused by a saturation of the analysis laboratories, overwhelmed by the demands for tests. The latter are no longer carried out as systematically as in the previous months, he admitted: now, a person with mild symptoms should no longer automatically be tested but rather “Quarantine himself for at least five days”.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and her government are in any case preparing the country for a life still long disrupted by the virus, even if a vaccine is discovered. The day before, the Chancellor, who will leave power in a year, warned that the epidemic was going at least “Occupy ourselves all winter”.
Chicago calls on residents to confine themselves from Monday
The mayor of Chicago, the third most populous city in United States, on Thursday called on its 2.7 million inhabitants to stay at home, except for essential trips, including work and school, from Monday. This is a recommendation, tweeted Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “Residents are strongly advised not to receive any guests at their homes, to cancel the traditional Thanksgiving holidays and to avoid traveling”, also specifies the text published by the city. Private meetings will be limited to a maximum of ten people, on a mandatory basis.
The United States has observed a very rapid increase in the number of cases for several weeks, and hospitals in several regions are again under pressure. Americans fear a European-style scenario, when the average contamination exceeds 100,000 new cases every day. Some 62,000 people sick with Covid-19 are currently hospitalized on American soil, according to the Covid Tracking Project, which had never been seen before.
Confinements and curfews in Europe
Many countries in Europe, where more than 13 million cases have been recorded, are subject to varying levels of containment or curfews.
At Portugal, the health restrictions that came into effect this week in most of the country, with a state of emergency with curfews at night and on weekends, will be extended to other territories from Monday, announced, Thursday, Prime Minister Antonio Costa. The number of municipalities with “Aggravated risk” The spread of the new coronavirus will increase from 121 to 191 municipalities. “The situation is serious and more critical than the one we experienced during the first phase of the pandemic”, said the head of the socialist government.
The Republic of Cyprus decided on Wednesday to confine the large port cities of Paphos and Limassol until the end of November, where the number of Covid-19 cases has risen sharply in recent weeks.
The Hungary since Wednesday has imposed a partial confinement supposed to last at least thirty days: gatherings are now prohibited, restaurants closed, cultural and leisure events canceled and the curfew extended from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The Greece, already confined, decreed a night curfew from Friday between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Only the “Travel for work and health reasons” will be allowed.
In Ukraine, authorities have asked all non-essential businesses (restaurants, malls and gyms) to close for the next three weekends.
Hope for vaccinations and competition
In a scenario “Optimistic”, the European Union (EU) could start vaccinations against Covid-19 in the first quarter of 2021, the director of the European epidemic agency said on Wednesday.
The American laboratories Pfizer and German BioNTech have revived hopes by reporting a vaccine “90% effective”, according to the preliminary results of a trial still in progress. Determined to take the lead, Russia claimed on Wednesday a 92% efficacy rate for its own vaccine, Sputnik-V.
- The European Commission on Wednesday announced that it had approved a contract with the two groups to purchase up to 300 million doses of their vaccine.
- The United States, who pre-ordered 100 million doses, say vaccinations could start before the end of the year.
- The Canada announced for his part to have taken an option on 56 million doses. These pre-orders are in addition to the 20 million doses already reserved by the government, confirmed a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Services and Supply.
The EU wants to create an agency to face the next health crises
As the Twenty-Seven face the pandemic in dispersed ranks, Brussels unveiled its project on Wednesday“Health union” to give itself the means to face future health crises. The European Commission wants in particular to create a new agency with extended powers, the Health Emergency Response Authority (HERA). However, it should not see the light of day before 2023.
Our selection of articles on the coronavirus
