America leads the world in coronavirus deaths. The number of coronavirus deaths worldwide has exceeded 5 million. As of November 1, Kiev introduces strict restrictions and vaccination certificate checks. Thailand is lifting restrictions for vaccinated tourists, but Russians are not yet included. In addition, Shanghai Disneyland has been closed for two days due to a single case of infection. This and other news related to the coronavirus pandemic is covered in our roundup.
According to Johns Hopkins University, as of Monday morning, the number of coronavirus deaths worldwide has exceeded 5 million. Nearly half of the reported deaths have occurred in high-income countries (such as the United States, EU countries, and Brazil), home to one-eighth of the world’s population. In the United States alone, more than 740,000 people have died from coronavirus – more than in any other country. Experts estimate that coronaviruses have caused as many deaths as all global conflicts since 1950 combined, making them the third leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease and stroke.
At the same time, scientists are confident that the 5 million figure is almost certainly lower than the actual number because not all of the deceased were tested for coronavirus, and those who died at home without medical care, especially in poor countries, were not registered. In the 22 months since the pandemic began, the hotspots of infection have shifted. Currently, the virus is spreading rapidly in Russia, Ukraine and other countries in Eastern Europe, particularly in areas where rumors, disinformation and mistrust of authorities are hampering vaccination efforts. Starting from Monday, Kyiv is included in the so-called red zone with an increased level of epidemiological danger, and new strict measures have been introduced in the Ukrainian capital.
Checking vaccination certificates in the Kyiv Metro. All city residents will be required to show proof of full vaccination or negative COVID-19 tests if they wish to use public transportation, visit cafes, restaurants, gyms, shopping centers, or entertainment venues. Employees of all these establishments are also required to be fully vaccinated. Schools in Kyiv are switching to distance learning, while kindergartens are allowed to remain open, but only if their staff has received all the necessary vaccinations. To ensure compliance, city authorities have deployed special police and National Guard units to check vaccination certificates on public transport. Cafe and restaurant staff have also been instructed to check their customers.
As of November 1, Ukraine has recorded 2.94 million cases and more than 68,000 deaths from coronavirus, but only 7.4 million people have been fully vaccinated – less than one-fifth of the country’s total population. The majority of Ukraine’s regions are classified as red zones.
By Monday, tens of thousands of vaccinated tourists from low-risk countries (not including Russia) are expected to arrive at resorts in Thailand. The country’s authorities have expanded the list of countries whose vaccinated citizens can travel to Thailand without quarantine. Currently, 63 countries are on the list. Airports in Bangkok and Phuket are preparing to receive passengers from China, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom and most countries of the European Union. As for tourists from Russia, vaccinated citizens of the country with “Sputnik V” will be able to visit only certain areas of Thailand and will not be able to leave them for a period of seven days.
Tour operators in Phuket are getting ready to welcome tourists. At the same time, Thailand itself is still registering up to 10,000 new cases of coronavirus infection per day, and only just over 40% of the population is fully vaccinated, so many strict restrictions remain in place for the local population. The pandemic has dealt a severe blow to the country’s economy, which relies heavily on incoming tourists. Some 40 million people used to vacation there every year, but last year the flow of tourists dropped by 80 percent. The country’s authorities hope that tourism revenues will return to pre-pandemic levels by 2023, although many experts are concerned that China’s reluctance to fully open its borders could hinder this. The thing is, before the pandemic, it was Chinese tourists who were the most numerous in Thailand. In 2019 alone, about 12 million Chinese visited Thai resorts.
As of Monday, the existing 19-month ban on citizens traveling abroad without special permission has been lifted in Australia. Australians return home after 20 months of restrictions. Some of the world’s strictest border measures have been put in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus. As of November 1, travelers are no longer restricted from leaving the country, provided they are fully vaccinated. At the moment, this only applies to Australian citizens, but the authorities promise that foreigners will soon be allowed to leave the country. “By the end of the year, we hope to be able to welcome fully vaccinated professionals and foreign students,” said Home Secretary Karen Andrews. Children under the age of 12 are allowed to travel to Australia without compulsory vaccination, but all other unvaccinated citizens still require special permission and must spend two weeks in quarantine in special hotels on their return.
Shanghai’s Disneyland has been closed for at least two days after a weekend visitor tested positive for coronavirus upon returning home.
Meanwhile, 92 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in China on Monday. The Serbian Ministry of Health has released data indicating that more than 16,000 people in the country have been tested for coronavirus in the past day, with nearly 5,000 testing positive. There are currently 281 patients in intensive care and 65 people have died.
Meanwhile, as Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic pointed out, more than 3 million adult citizens of the country have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. “Thank you to everyone who protected themselves and others in this way, helped our health system and showed responsibility and solidarity,” she wrote on Twitter, once again reminding that vaccination is the only way to defeat the virus. Earlier, the authorities of Serbia reported that the country received an additional 500,000 doses of the Russian vaccine “Sputnik V” on Sunday night. In total, there are already about 3.5 million doses of this vaccine in the country, which is partly produced in Serbia (as well as in Argentina) and partly supplied by Russia. This makes Serbia one of the countries in the world that has received the most doses of the Russian vaccine.