Intensive care units in Ukrainian hospitals are rapidly filling up. The European Union removes Ukraine from the “green list” of countries due to the outbreak of infection and mortality, German doctors begin to cancel planned surgeries due to the increase in COVID patients, Boeing employees increasingly speak out against vaccination, and New Zealanders are tired of lockdowns and have taken to protesting. This and other news about the coronavirus situation around the world – in our roundup.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the number of people infected with Covid-19 worldwide during the pandemic exceeded 250 million, with more than 5 million deaths. Now many countries are experiencing a sharp increase in disease. The situation is worst in the USA, Great Britain and Russia, although the death rate in Great Britain is not increasing. Following this trio, Turkey, Ukraine and Germany.
On Tuesday, it became known that the European Union is excluding Ukraine from its “green list” of countries with a favorable epidemiological situation. Over the past 28 days, there have been over half a million cases and 14.6 thousand deaths, while the total mortality rate in the country throughout the pandemic is 78 thousand. The “green list” includes countries whose citizens the EU authorities recommend lifting restrictions on non-essential (i.e. tourist) travel; now such travel is recommended to be limited. However, as the EU authorities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine explained, this does not mean that Ukrainians will automatically lose the right to visa-free travel to Europe. Each country makes a decision on this issue separately, and at the moment the majority of EU countries allow entry to Ukrainians who have been fully vaccinated with internationally recognized vaccines”.
After Ukraine’s removal from the EU’s “green list,” there will be no complete closure of the European Union’s borders, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba wrote on Twitter. – This is a recommendation, and the final decisions will be made by each country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is actively working with partners to maintain maximum freedom of travel for Ukrainians”.
In Germany, the sickness rate continues to rise. Doctors are warning that the current situation is forcing them to cancel and postpone planned operations and procedures, some of which are vital to patients’ lives.
The situation in the country has been deteriorating for several weeks in a row. According to Johns Hopkins University, nearly half a million people in Germany have been infected in the past 28 days. Vaccination rates in the country have slowed.
On Tuesday, the British government will announce the introduction of mandatory vaccination for all healthcare workers. Staff in care homes and boarding schools were already required to be vaccinated earlier this year. The Israeli government is discussing behind closed doors the possibility of granting permission to vaccinate children.
Spontaneous protests have taken place in several cities across the country. Security was tight around New Zealand’s parliament building. Thousands of people gathered there to protest against vaccination passes and local lockdowns that are still being implemented in the country as the epidemiological situation changes. New Zealand was the first country in the world to completely close its external borders at the onset of the pandemic and implement a total lockdown. The country’s government has been praised internationally for the speed and determination of its response, and it has been noted that there is a high level of public confidence in the authorities.
The number of employees of the American company Boeing who are seeking exemptions from mandatory vaccinations for medical and religious reasons has reached 11,000 people. This is 9% of the company’s total workforce in the United States. The U.S. authorities have encountered strong social resistance to vaccination. “Forced vaccination is inhuman,” reads the banner of these protesters. According to sources close to the situation who spoke to Reuters, Boeing management was aware of an anti-vaccination campaign brewing within the company, but did not expect it to become so widespread. Earlier, a number of companies across the country, as well as several state attorneys general, filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Labor over its mandatory vaccination rule. Late last week, the federal appeals court in New Orleans stayed enforcement of the mandate. But the litigation continues, and on Monday, representatives of the Joe Biden administration told the court that the White House has sufficient authority to impose mandatory vaccination in businesses with one hundred or more employees.
As of December, Singaporean authorities will no longer reimburse hospital bills for Covid-19 treatment for unvaccinated patients. The only exceptions will be those who are medically exempted from vaccination. Singapore is experiencing the strongest wave of infection throughout the pandemic, despite a population that is almost fully vaccinated. Singapore’s healthcare system consists of public and private sectors, with free healthcare partially funded by mandatory contributions from Singaporeans to special funds. However, with the onset of the pandemic, the government decided to pay the medical bills of citizens infected with COVID-19 through direct government subsidies (excluding those who became ill after traveling abroad). Now, for those who choose not to vaccinate, this exemption is being removed. The strict measures are in response to a sharp increase in the number of cases in the country. According to the authorities, Singapore is experiencing the most severe wave of the pandemic so far: 2-3 thousand new cases daily, dozens of deaths. At the same time, Singapore’s immunization coverage is one of the most impressive in the world: 85% of the country’s 5.5 million people have received both doses of the vaccine.