The WHO has once again declared Europe the epicenter of Covid-19 infections. In several countries, the number of infected people has increased tenfold compared to the summer-autumn indicators. The majority of patients with severe forms are unvaccinated. This and other news in our traditional roundup.
According to Johns Hopkins University, nearly 253 million people worldwide were infected with the coronavirus during the pandemic. More than 5 million people have died. Yesterday, the World Health Organization again declared Europe the epicenter of Covid-19 infections.
Austria is preparing to introduce a new quarantine only for unvaccinated or partially vaccinated citizens. This means that they will not be able to leave their homes without a valid reason, including going to work, shopping, and outdoor sporting activities. Critics of the measure say the authorities do not have the resources to enforce it. In addition, unvaccinated Austrians have long been unable to visit restaurants, cinemas, beauty salons and ski resorts. However, the Commission of Epidemiologists under the Austrian government believes that the sharp rise in infections across the country poses a real threat and that the introduction of additional restrictions is necessary.
For now, the lockdown will only affect some regions of the country. Starting Monday, it will be introduced in Upper Austria – the region with the lowest vaccination rate, bordering Germany and the Czech Republic. The state of Salzburg is next in line. However, Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schellenberg has warned that a nationwide lockdown may be unavoidable.
On Friday, it was also announced that the Dutch authorities plan to impose three-week restrictions on the operation of shops and restaurants, as well as the holding of sporting events. The Danish government is also prepared to introduce new restrictions. Denmark is one of the few European countries that lifted almost all COVID-19 measures in September this year. The authorities said that the country had managed to avoid a third wave of infections during the spring-summer period thanks to a strict lockdown introduced last Christmas. However, soon after the restrictions were lifted, the number of cases in the country began to rise sharply: an average of 2300 cases for many days in early November, compared to 200+ in mid-September. The Danish authorities are discussing the reintroduction of vaccine passports in all public places, as well as the targeted implementation of additional restrictions in different areas of the country.
The number of new cases of Covid-19 infection in Germany has reached a record high: over 50,000 in the last 24 hours. On Wednesday, one of the country’s leading virologists warned that the new outbreak could lead to the deaths of about 100,000 people. As of today, there are about 16 million unvaccinated people aged 12 and older in Germany. Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel called on regional authorities to take all possible measures to rectify the situation.
Both Merkel and Scholz are trying to persuade Germans to get vaccinated. So far, this is not going very well. Her likely successor, Olaf Scholz, said it was necessary to introduce further restrictions to stop the rapid spread of the infection and “survive the winter.” The number of cases and deaths from Covid-19 in Germany has risen sharply since mid-October. This is thought to be due to the relatively low vaccination rate of just over 67%. The new government proposed to allow only fully vaccinated or pre-vaccinated citizens into public facilities, to tighten vaccination requirements for employees in various companies, and to reintroduce free rapid antibody testing, which was canceled in mid-October. If these proposals are approved by the Bundestag, they will be implemented at the end of November. Meanwhile, some regions of the country have begun implementing restrictions without waiting for orders from above.
Saxony has become the first state in Germany to restrict access to public places for unvaccinated citizens. There has been a sharp increase in cases throughout Germany, but Saxony and Thuringia are leading the way. Approximately 90% of hospitalized patients are unvaccinated. Saxony has seen the fastest increase in Covid-19 cases of any state in Germany in the past week: 522 per 100,000 inhabitants. The national average is 232. At the same time, Saxony has one of the lowest vaccination rates – only 57%. The head of intensive care at Leipzig University Hospital, Professor Sebastian Ster, told the BBC that “a large part of the population still underestimates the danger”. The country’s health minister, Jens Spann, described the current situation as a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.
On November 6, a demonstration of thousands of citizens who refuse to be vaccinated and comply with the imposed restrictions took place in Leipzig. The banner read: “Freedom instead of arbitrariness”. Earlier this week, authorities in Saxony banned unvaccinated citizens from visiting bars, restaurants, public and sports events, and all places of mass recreation and entertainment. Other regions are expected to follow suit. These measures have caused outrage among ideological opponents of vaccines. On November 6, a demonstration in Leipzig, Germany, was attended by thousands of people who said they did not trust the companies that produced the vaccines or the government that approved them. Since the beginning of the pandemic in Germany, 4.9 million people have been infected with Covid-19.
Spanish Health Minister Carolina Darias said at a press conference after the meeting of the Asturias Regional Health Council that virtual consultations with doctors and pharmacists will be made as widespread as possible in the country. Spain has achieved great success in the fight against Covid-19 and does not intend to retreat from the positions gained. Spain can be proud of having the highest rate of fully vaccinated population in Europe – 89% (in the UK this indicator is 74%), and the lowest rate of infection spread: 63 cases per 100,000 population. The main success of the vaccination program in Spain is the almost complete (99%) coverage of elderly people aged 70 and over. In addition, the warm climate has played a positive role in containing the epidemic, allowing Spaniards to gather and spend time outdoors rather than indoors.
The warm climate proved to be a useful factor in the fight against the epidemic, allowing Spaniards to gather outdoors. This photo was taken in Madrid on November 8. However, some experts warned that new cases of the disease will return because vaccines are not a hundred percent effective, especially against new strains of the coronavirus. However, Spain is not currently planning to introduce new restrictions and recommendations in addition to the existing ones: wearing masks, social distancing and regular ventilation of premises.
The number of COVID patients in Bulgarian hospitals is so high that doctors are afraid they won’t be able to cope. The number of new cases and deaths is increasing every day. If we compare Denmark and Bulgaria (with a population of 5.9 million and 6.9 million, respectively), where the number of new cases is about the same, several hundred Danes are hospitalized compared to several thousand Bulgarians. And the problem is not that there is a shortage of vaccines in Eastern Europe. In 2021, the number of unused doses in Europe will be 282 million. The problem is that Eastern Europeans do not want to be vaccinated. In Spain, there are 5.5% of such refusals, and in Bulgaria – 50.9%.
The memorial wall and vaccination center at St. Thomas Hospital in London. Volunteers have painted over 150,000 hearts in memory of each person who has died from Covid-19. England has seen the longest continuous period of weekly decline in new cases of coronavirus disease. This positive trend has been observed since February 2021 and has also affected the number of hospitalizations, which decreased by 12%. Professor Julian Hiscott of the University of Liverpool noted that this gradual decline is unique because it is “almost entirely due to the ‘immunity wall’ and not to changes in behavior or the introduction of new restrictions”. He also added that thanks to the fact that the third vaccination (for the elderly and people with weakened immunity) started in October, “the peak of the population’s immunity will coincide with the winter months, when all health services are under particular pressure”.
Until recently, 80% of New Zealanders approved of the government’s approach to coronavirus control. But they, like the rest of the world, will have to come to terms with the fact that coronavirus will become as common a phenomenon as, say, seasonal flu outbreaks. Announcement on the shop door: “Our entire staff is fully vaccinated.” The popularity of New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has dropped by almost 20%, from 65 to 47. This is most likely related to the changing coronavirus situation in the country. Until recently, New Zealand had been able to keep the spread of the epidemic more or less under control, quickly eradicating small local outbreaks. However, the sharp increase in cases of the Delta variant has shown that the population will have to get used to the fact that Covid-19 is becoming a reality that we will have to live with. Previously, the overwhelming majority of New Zealanders supported the government’s actions to combat the coronavirus, but now that at least some of those actions have been proven to be in vain, the approval rating has dropped from 60% to 46% in just one month.
Cases of dogs being infected with the coronavirus are extremely rare. The Countess of Wessex is at the guide dog training center. As you can see, neither she nor the dog are wearing masks. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what will happen next. The number of offers should remain: episodes. End of story: Podcast Advertising. The first case of Covid-19 in a dog has been reported in the United Kingdom. However, the UK’s Health and Safety Executive has stated that such cases are extremely rare and that there is currently no significant evidence that dogs, cats and other pets can infect their owners with the coronavirus. Owners of both cats and dogs are encouraged to wash their hands as often as possible, at least as a matter of regular hygiene. According to the agency, animal fur can be a very short-term carrier of the coronavirus, as can, for example, door handles. The UK’s chief vet, Christine Middlemiss, told the BBC that “the infected dog was being treated for a completely different reason and is now recovering. Dogs very rarely get the coronavirus and recover within a few days. The Health Security Agency promised to report immediately on any new data that showed a real risk of human infection from pets. In Singapore, the coronavirus was confirmed in two lions at the zoo.