Europe still has a chance not to return to the indicators of last spring, said the EU management, signs of a frenzy demand for toilet paper have reappeared in Britain, Swedes are asked to stop hugging, and in Helsinki, coronavirus is being searched with dogs. The latest news on the Covid-19 pandemic around the world – in our evening review.
The global number of people infected with the coronavirus since the beginning of the epidemic is approaching 32 million. Of these, 22 million have recovered. The number of deaths is approximately 978 thousand.
“The defining moment of the pandemic has arrived for Europe,” said Stella Kyriakides, the European Union’s health commissioner, on Thursday. “The risk of COVID-19 transmission and mortality returning to the peak levels of last spring is rapidly increasing. We are on the verge of new nationwide closures, but the governments of the EU countries can still prevent it,” she believes. “Perhaps this is our last chance to avoid a repeat of last spring,” Kiryakidis said at a meeting of the European Commission’s relevant committee. “All member states need to be prepared for the swift and timely implementation of restrictive measures.” Europe is experiencing a second peak of the pandemic. Governments in many countries are returning to relatively mild restrictive measures, for the most part not daring to impose a strict lockdown as in March.
Authorities in many countries are warning that it will be very difficult to avoid repeated shutdowns unless effective measures are taken and awareness is raised now. Authorities in the United Kingdom are reporting an increase in the number of infected people. In the last 24 hours, 6634 new cases have been registered – almost 500 more than the day before. Officially, this is the highest number of infections in Britain in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. But the BBC’s health correspondent, Nick Triggle, is confident that the numbers in the early months of the epidemic in Britain did not reflect the true situation. “In the spring, at the height of the pandemic, we had such limited testing capabilities that you could say only hospitalized patients could be tested,” Trigg said. “The signals are very clear. The percentage of positive tests is rising in all age groups, and we are seeing a sharp increase in the number of patients in hospitals and intensive care units,” said Yvonne Doyle, director of England’s Public Health Service. “This is a serious warning to each and every one of us.
Some UK supermarkets have announced restrictions on the amount of goods that can be purchased by a single person. Amid rising infection rates, some UK online supermarkets are again restricting the sale of essential items, including toilet paper and disinfectant gel, to prevent panic buying. In the spring, there was a frenzy of demand for these products, as well as eggs, pasta and some other items. Although they now have sufficient stocks, chain store management says this is a necessary precaution. In France, as in Britain, Thursday saw a record daily increase in cases of infection – over 16,000 new cases of the disease. The statistics were released by the French Ministry of Health.
In France, there is talk of the need for additional measures. Prime Minister Jean Castex warned that if urgent measures are not taken, the epidemiological situation in the country will return to that of last March. “It is a critical situation,” he said in an interview on France 2 television. “The public should be vigilant and prudent. If we remain inactive, we may find ourselves in a situation similar to last spring,” he said. There are currently 1048 coronavirus patients in the intensive care units of French hospitals. In the last 24 hours, 52 people have died. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven stated that a worrying increase in the number of Covid-19 cases has been observed in various parts of the country where residents are not complying with social distancing measures with the necessary seriousness.
The number of offers should be maintained: Prime Minister Stefan Löfven urged Swedes to be cautious. He described the overall coronavirus situation in the country as stable compared to other countries, but said there are clear signs of an increase in infections. The head of the government said, “Instead of the caution Swedes showed in the spring, there are more and more parties and hugs, rush-hour bus rides and everyday life that many feel is returning to normal.” “This is alarming. It requires us to be more rigorous in our conduct,” he added. “What we do right now will benefit us in the future. Mistakes now will bring us suffering in the future.”
Coronavirus: Why is Sweden not imposing a quarantine? In Sweden, since the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic, more than 90 thousand people have been infected, almost 6000 have died – significantly more than its Scandinavian neighbors, unlike whom Sweden did not impose a total lockdown, instead urging citizens to take more personal responsibility.
At Helsinki airport, dogs have been used not only to detect weapons and drugs, but also to detect the coronavirus. This week, specially trained dogs to detect the smell of the virus have appeared in the halls of Vantaa airport. They are trained by volunteers, and currently the program is in the testing phase with only 15 dogs.
Dogs do not sniff the passengers themselves, but the cloth with which they wipe their necks. The idea came from scientists at the University of Helsinki. “They are very good at [detecting the coronavirus]. We are approaching a hundred percent result,” said Professor Anna Kilham-Björkman of the university in an interview with the Reuters agency. However, dogs are not yet fully trusted. Passengers who pass the dog sniff test still have to pass the standard test.
Singer and model Famke Louise is one of the stars who launched a campaign against antivirus restrictions. Danish rappers, influencers, and a world-renowned DJ have faced a wave of criticism after announcing that they will no longer do anything to fight Covid-19. Young stars launched a social media campaign with the hashtag #ik_doe_niet_meer_mee. In Russian, this phrase can be translated as “I’m out”. However, some of the participants changed their minds and withdrew from the campaign after a wave of criticism on Twitter and Instagram.