The World Health Organization hopes to defeat the coronavirus in less than two years. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus compared the current pandemic to the Spanish flu epidemic 100 years ago, recalling that the world suffered for two years. In Lebanon, authorities have imposed a quarantine, Beijingers are allowed to go without masks, and Poland has seen an increase in infections. These and other events around the coronavirus are covered in the review of the BBC Russian Service.
“On the one hand, the world is more globalized, we have more connections and therefore more opportunities to be infected faster, but on the other hand, the situation is significantly different from 1918 because we have more technology and we hope to eradicate the virus in less than two years,” the WHO chief said on Friday.
The total number of people infected with the coronavirus worldwide has reached nearly 23 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. The pandemic affected 188 countries. The daily increase in the number of infected people exceeded 280 thousand. During the entire period of the pandemic, more than 795 thousand infected people died. By way of comparison, Spain experienced three waves of influenza from February 1918 to April 1920, during which 50 million people died and 500 million were infected.
Lebanese authorities are concerned about the growing number of infected people. In Lebanon, authorities on Friday imposed a two-week quarantine, fearing the spread of an infection that local health services may not be able to handle if it surges. The resulting quarantine and curfew will not interfere with ongoing reconstruction efforts in Beirut following the massive explosion at the port. In total, nearly 11,000 cases of infection and 113 deaths from Covid-19 have been reported in Lebanon.
Authorities in South Korea are trying to track down thousands of participants in an anti-government rally that took place over the weekend. The majority of the protesters are members of the Sarang Jeil Protestant Church, around which an increase in new infections has been reported. On Friday, South Korea’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 324 new infections in the past day, the largest increase since early March.
Disinfection of the church in Seoul. Residents of Beijing can now walk the streets without masks for the first time in many months since the quarantine began, as local authorities report a decline in coronavirus cases in the Chinese capital. However, social distancing measures are still in place, and many Beijing residents prefer to wear masks. As of September 1, Hong Kong authorities are offering free coronavirus testing to all residents without exception. Hong Kong has a population of 7.4 million. However, some are wary of the new initiative, fearing that the Beijing authorities may use the tests to collect the population’s DNA for further control. Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, dismissed the concerns, saying that any samples taken would be destroyed. In India, the number of people infected has increased by 68,000 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of people infected in that country to nearly 3 million.
The increase in infections in Poland is the most significant since the beginning of the pandemic. At least 41 schools in Berlin report that some of their students or teachers are infected with coronavirus. Schools in Berlin opened only two weeks ago. Poland has seen the largest increase in infections since the beginning of the pandemic – 903 new cases and 13 deaths, according to the Polish Ministry of Health. According to the authorities, the increase in the number of infected people is due to the return of residents from abroad after vacations and large events, especially weddings. In total, there are 60 thousand infections and 1.3 thousand deaths in Poland, which is significantly lower than in many other European countries.
The queue for testing at the hospital in Barcelona. Spain’s Health Minister Fernando Simon warned on Friday: “Make no mistake: things are not going very well.” In the last two days, more than 3,000 new cases have been detected in Spain. The infection is spreading mainly among young people who do not comply with social distancing measures. In France, the curve is also rising – 4.7 thousand new infections and 35 new outbreaks were identified last day. According to the French Minister of Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, from September all children over the age of 11 will have to wear masks in schools. Teachers in primary schools should also wear masks. In Lithuania, according to the new regulation, the wearing of masks has become mandatory at all events – both outdoor and indoor – and in all catering establishments.
In Japan, new door handles that can be opened with an elbow are being tested. This eliminates the need to touch the door with one hand, reducing the risk of infection. Japanese airline ANA is installing new “elbow handles” at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. One is a sliding lock that allows a person to close and lock the door from the inside using their elbow. The second part of this mechanism allows you to open the door with a slight movement of your elbow. ANA reports that based on the results of the visitor survey, a decision will be made on whether to implement similar handles. Similar mechanisms have been tested in other countries. The American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, together with its German partner BioNTech, reports that the coronavirus vaccine they have developed may be submitted for approval by October. In Ukraine, the number of infections exceeded 2,000 per day for the first time. Germany, Spain and Italy have seen record numbers since late spring. In South Korea, a new outbreak is linked to the Christian community.