At the market in Marseille, fish is being traded again.
Daily deaths from coronavirus in France, Italy, and Spain have been at their lowest levels in recent weeks. Authorities in these countries are preparing to ease quarantine conditions. France reported 135 deaths, and Spain reported 164 deaths, the lowest number since mid-March. In Italy, 174 infected people died, the lowest number in two months.
In Russia, the number of new cases continues to rise. Yesterday, 10,633 new cases were reported, breaking the record once again. However, the mortality rate remains low compared to other countries – 58 deaths in one day. In Britain, 315 people died from Covid-19 in one day. British authorities claim that the peak has passed and fewer people are requiring hospitalization.
President Trump stated that a vaccine against the coronavirus will be available in the United States before the beginning of 2021. “We are very confident that we will have a vaccine by the end of the year,” he said in an interview with American television. Scientists around the world are working to develop a vaccine, but most experts believe it will be ready by 2021. Trump is more optimistic. “Doctors tell me not to say things like that. I will say what I think,” he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there was strong evidence that the coronavirus was of laboratory origin. According to him, it originated in a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan and not in the local market. Pompeo did not provide any evidence to support this claim. Speaking on ABC, he accused the Chinese authorities of resisting any kind of investigation and unwillingness to cooperate with international experts.
The Venezuelan authorities have announced that they have managed to prevent the invasion of “terrorist mercenaries” from Colombia. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol reported that a group of people arrived in the country on Sunday morning on high-speed boats and disembarked near the town of Makuto, 34 km from the capital, Caracas. An exchange of fire with the military reportedly resulted in the deaths of eight assailants and the arrest of two others. President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly accused his political opponents of trying to overthrow him with the support of the United States. The opposition has denied any involvement in the attack, saying it was staged. Colombia called the Venezuelan authorities’ accusations groundless. Caracas broke off relations with Bogotá in 2019.
European leaders pledged 7.5 billion euros to develop a coronavirus vaccine. They signed a joint letter to that effect. An international online conference dedicated to this initiative will be held on Monday. The conference is co-chaired by the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Saudi Arabia and the European Commission. Great Britain allocates 338 million pounds to research.
Russians will be evacuated by several flights from Germany, Thailand, USA, Vietnam, Turkey, Tajikistan, China, Israel and Japan from May 4 to 7, the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation announced in its Telegram channel. On May 4, flights are scheduled for Berlin – Kazan – Novosibirsk, Bangkok – St. Petersburg – Moscow, Los Angeles – St. Petersburg – Moscow, and Cam Ranh – Vladivostok.
Italy is easing quarantine conditions and entering a new phase in the fight against the coronavirus starting Monday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Sunday. “Tomorrow begins the second phase of our plan, during which we will have to coexist with this virus,” he wrote on Facebook. “Starting tomorrow, more than 4 million Italians will go back to work. They will use public transportation. Many companies and factories will resume operations,” Conte added. In general, we are talking about companies that are focused on exports. In particular, the automotive industry and the largest Italian fashion houses will resume work.
On Monday morning a rehearsal of the aerial part of the Victory Parade will take place in the skies over Moscow, Rosaviation reported. “According to the presentation of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the operational units of the OCBVD of the European Union have established temporary regulations for the use of the airspace for conducting training exercises for the aerial part of the Victory Parade in the city of Moscow on May 4, 2020 (backup days – May 5 and 6),” the ministry said.
Russian writer Guzel Yahina, who wrote the novel “Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes,” told the Observer newspaper that she was shocked by the strongly negative reaction of certain segments of Russian society to the television series of the same name, based on her book about a Tatar peasant woman who was declared an enemy of the people and sent to a labor camp in Siberia. “The main condition I set was that the movie should not be a love story set in the Gulag. That was important to me. And I’m glad that didn’t happen,” she said. “If this subject were not so painful, the emotional reaction would not be so strong. I think we are still reflecting on our past, and it will take a long time. When the Soviet Union collapsed 30 years ago, it seemed that we could leave everything in the past and move on to a bright new future. But we are still making our way through the past,” the writer quoted in the Guardian.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an interview with The Sun on Sunday that while he was in the hospital, doctors were preparing to announce his death from Covid-19. Doctors gave him liters of oxygen, the prime minister added. “It was a very difficult moment, I won’t hide it. They had developed a strategy that resembled Stalin’s death scenario,” the publication quoted him as saying. Johnson recalls that the seriousness of the situation became clear when he was hooked up to monitoring equipment and moved to the Intensive Care Unit. He said the indicators were moving in the wrong direction, and then he realized there was no treatment for Covid-19. “But there came a moment when the chances of me being intubated, that is, having a tube inserted into my windpipe, was about 50/50… Then they started thinking about how to announce it,” Johnson said in an interview with the newspaper.
Asian giant hornets capable of killing humans have been spotted for the first time in Washington state, according to The Guardian. This is the largest wasp in the world, its length can exceed 5 cm. It poses the greatest threat to bees, which are defenseless against the wasp’s sharp jaws, long sting, and powerful venom. Authorities confirmed four cases of the insect in two cities in December. Asian giant hornets become more active in April, and Washingtonians have been urged to help catch them with homemade traps.
Plastic huts can appear on beaches, separating vacationers. Many airports around the world, including London airports, have already implemented new rules due to the coronavirus pandemic for those who are forced to travel to another country or city. They are based on government recommendations and include maintaining a two-meter distance, making disinfectants available throughout the airport building, and more evenly distributing passenger flow across all terminals. What else can we expect from future travel when it finally becomes possible? Read our article for the answers.
Spanish doctors have found that some patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of Covid-19 have five types of skin rashes. According to clinical observations by Spanish doctors, these symptoms, including the so-called “COVID fingers”, appear most often in children or adolescents and remain on the skin for several days. More details here: Coronavirus: Symptoms may include “covid-finger” and other types of rash.
In Ekaterinburg, Covid-19 has been detected in 78 people – patients and doctors of the 1. The authorities are conducting an epidemiological investigation, and the prosecutor’s office has issued a warning to the mayor of the city. Officials publicly blame the medical staff. Details in the article by Ksenia Churmanova: “The command can not expose the rear lines”. How the coronavirus outbreak occurred in Ekaterinburg.
68-year-old Israeli Yael became a street dance star during the quarantine, thanks to her neighbor, photographer Zohar. Video about how a retiree and a photographer unexpectedly became friends, and the shots from the backyard party – viral.
Street dance star – at the age of 68. Watch the video.
The summary was prepared by Alexander Baranov and Gennady Alasheyev. The interactive updated map shows the largest Covid-19 outbreaks, number of infected and fatal cases by country and region.