New restrictions in most European countries, Israel ends lockdown, mayor of Liverpool demands explanations from government, yodelers endanger all of Switzerland, and how safe is flying? This and more on the pandemic situation in our daily roundup.
According to Johns Hopkins University, since the beginning of the pandemic, nearly 39 million people worldwide have been infected and more than one million have died from Covid-19. Meanwhile, the drugs remdesivir and interferon, which were hoped to show a significant reduction in COVID-19 mortality or to shorten the time spent in hospital by patients diagnosed with coronavirus, did not show any significant results, as shown by the interim results of the “Solidarity” program under the auspices of the WHO.
According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, dexamethasone is the only drug that has been shown to be effective against COVID-19. Previous studies have shown that adding dexamethasone to the treatment regimen reduces the risk of death by 33% in patients on mechanical ventilation (MV) and by 20% in patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). According to scientists, dexamethasone shows significant efficacy especially in the treatment of critically ill patients. Dexamethasone is an inexpensive corticosteroid, so its effectiveness in fighting for the lives of coronavirus patients is particularly relevant for less affluent countries with a large number of cases.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin left the EU summit in Brussels, which opened the day before, after learning that a member of the Finnish parliament whom Marin had recently met at a meeting had tested positive for Covid-19. She is returning to Helsinki, where she will be tested and placed in precautionary isolation.
Sanna Marin is the youngest head of state in Europe. This is the second case in two days: the day before, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, left the summit a few hours after her appearance. Von der Leyen’s own test came back negative. At the summit in Brussels, the main topic of discussion is the alarming epidemiological situation in European countries. A sharp increase in the number of infections has been recorded almost everywhere. Hospitals in several countries are once again overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients. According to some EU leaders, in order to effectively combat the pandemic, European Union countries should implement uniform restrictive measures, but this proposal has not yet gained universal support.
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.
As of Sunday, the county of Lancashire in the U.K. will have the third highest threat level of infection in the new classification of regions in the country. Liverpool was the first to enter this category. Levels can be assigned to both individual cities and entire counties. The gradation is as follows: the first level is medium hazard, the second level is high hazard, and the third level is the highest hazard. Entry into the third category means the introduction of the most restrictive measures. However, unlike the situation in Liverpool, the gyms in Lancashire can continue to operate. The mayor of Liverpool demanded an explanation from the central government, calling the situation complete chaos and injustice.
Overall, the UK’s Office for National Statistics claims that the number of COVID-19 cases in England has increased by 50% in the past week. Authorities in Wales are considering the possibility of a partial lockdown due to the sharp rise in infections. The United Kingdom leads Europe in the number of deaths (43.3 thousand) and ranks third after Spain and France in the number of cases (676.4 thousand).
As of midnight on Friday, a curfew will be in effect in major cities in France – Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Rouen, and others. In total, approximately 22 million people will be affected by this measure. The curfew is from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. First-time offenders will be fined 135 euros, and repeat offenders will face up to six months in jail and a fine of 3750 euros.
Dog owners in France can go outside during curfew hours with a special permit. The only exceptions will be for joggers and dog owners. However, similar to the first closure, they will have to carry a special permit. The number of infections in France has risen sharply recently. Since the beginning of the epidemic, 850.1 thousand people have been infected in the country and 33.1 thousand have died.
In Poland, there is a record number of deaths from Covid-19 and related causes every day – 132 deaths. This is the highest number in the entire epidemic. In addition, 7705 new infected cases have been identified in the last 24 hours – the second highest number.
From Saturday, strict restrictions will be imposed in almost half of the country’s regions, including Warsaw and other major cities. High school and university students will return to distance learning. Large gatherings, including weddings and family holidays with guests from other households, are again prohibited. It is allowed to gather in public places in groups of up to 10 people. The number of visitors to bars and restaurants should not exceed 50% of the capacity of the establishments. As of 9 a.m. yesterday, only take-out service will be available.
A partial lockdown has been imposed in Ljubljana. For the third day in a row, Croatia has broken sad records for the number of new infections. On Friday, over a thousand (1131 people to be exact) new cases were registered in one day. Slovenia has the highest number of new infections for the third day in a row, with 834 new cases reported on Friday. “Partial lockdown has been imposed in 7 out of 12 regions of the country.”
Swiss authorities admit that the yodelers’ concert in the canton of Schwyz in September became a breeding ground for infection in the country. 600 people attended the concert. The concert organizers asked them to maintain social distance, but wearing masks was not mandatory.
Yodeling – a special style of singing unique to the inhabitants of the Alps. Nine days after the concert, it was announced that an entire group of people who had attended the concert had been diagnosed with Covid-19. Over the next few weeks, the number of infected people in the canton reached 1230.
Israeli authorities have agreed to a gradual withdrawal from the second nationwide lockdown imposed in mid-September. Doctors say the daily rate of new cases has dropped significantly in the past month – from 9,000 to less than 2,000.
In one of the squares in Jerusalem, over 2,000 electronic candles were lit in memory of each Israeli who died from the coronavirus. As of Sunday, Israelis will be able to leave their homes at a distance of more than 1 km. Daycare centers will reopen and restaurants will be able to resume take-out service. Visiting beaches and parks and praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem will be allowed again. Muslim and Christian holy sites will also open to visitors. The total number of people infected in Israel since the beginning of the epidemic is 301.3 thousand, with 2139 deaths.
Employees of the U.S. Department of Defense conducted a study showing that the risk of contracting coronavirus on an airplane is minimal if all passengers wear masks. The experiments were conducted during long-haul flights on Boeing aircraft. Scientists have found that within 6 minutes, up to 99% of particles capable of carrying the coronavirus are filtered out by the ventilation system.
At the same time, they emphasize that according to the conditions of the experiment, there was only one COVID-19 patient on board. The situation of passengers moving around the cabin was also not tested. However, the authors of the experiment consider the results to be very promising.