Immunization in India is progressing at an impressive rate. A record number of coronavirus cases were reported in India, communications were restored between Australia and New Zealand, and North Korea decided not to participate in the Tokyo Olympics. The total number of people infected worldwide has exceeded 132 million.
Mortality rates are also rising significantly in many countries, particularly India and Brazil. Medical experts say the worsening situation is linked to the emergence of new strains of the coronavirus, against which existing vaccines may not be as effective. The most important events surrounding the coronavirus pandemic in our overview.
On Monday, the highest number of new Covid-19 cases in a single day was recorded in India – over 103 thousand infected in 24 hours. Hospitals across the country are experiencing a shortage of beds. In the hardest hit areas, strict restrictive measures are reinstated. Shops, restaurants, markets, entertainment venues are closed, a curfew is imposed. This comes as the country has one of the best immunization rates in the world – about 3 million people a day. Critics blame the situation on the government of Narendra Modi, which has been urging citizens to participate in religious holidays and festivals that began in the country in mid-February. Before that, experts say, morbidity and mortality statistics showed a steady decline. India is among the top three countries in the world for both indicators, with nearly 13 million people infected and more than 166,000 deaths.
Several Latin American countries have published reports on the evolution of the epidemiological situation in recent weeks, and a significant deterioration is evident almost everywhere.
A sharp deterioration in the epidemiological situation has been observed in Brazil. Uruguay and Paraguay are reporting record mortality rates, while the number of people infected in Brazil has exceeded 13 million. Scientists from different countries on the continent agree that the cause of the new wave is the “Brazilian” strain, which is believed to spread faster and be more contagious. Meanwhile, the Brazilian Public Health Institute Fiocruz claims that 92 variations of this strain have been identified. Such super-fast mutations explain why the situation is still not under control, according to the institute. It is believed that the first variant of the strain appeared in the state of Amazonas in November 2020, and by January it had become the cause of 73% of all cases of the disease in the state capital, Manaus, and surrounding areas.
In Spain, the number of people infected has risen steadily over the past two weeks. Since mid-March, the statistics have risen from 151.8 cases per 100,000 people to 163.4. The head of the Emergency Situations Department at the country’s Ministry of Health, Fernando Simon, has confirmed that the burden on hospitals and the health system in general is increasing noticeably. Authorities in Hungary plan to begin lifting coronavirus restrictions as 25% of the country’s 10 million people will be vaccinated by midweek. The country is due to hold another general election this year, and analysts say Prime Minister Viktor Orban is being forced to balance the need to control the pandemic through restrictive measures with the need to revive an economy that has been in deep recession for more than a year. At the moment, Hungary is in one of the most unfavorable situations in Europe, together with the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine.
In Denmark, beauty salons and tattoo parlors have reopened. The gradual return of children to schools has begun. In order to obtain a license to open a particular establishment, personnel must provide negative COVID-19 tests and a plan for customer screening. The Danish authorities expect to have vaccine passports in circulation within a few weeks, which will make it much easier to return to normal life.
The President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, solemnly announced the beginning of the relaxation after another lockdown, calling it a historic day. All shops in the country, with the exception of large supermarkets, have reopened. Cafes and restaurants opened their outdoor terraces. Vaccination in Europe continues to be plagued by doubts and scandals, but there are also optimistic forecasts. EU authorities continue to review AstraZeneca’s vaccine for serious side effects, while blocking its supply to other countries. On Tuesday, the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero published an interview with Marco Cavaleri, a representative of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) responsible for vaccines. Cavalieri said he believes there is a clear link between the formation of blood clots and the vaccine – but it is still unclear what exactly in the drug causes such a reaction in the body. On Tuesday, the agency said it was not ready to reach a final conclusion, but was continuing to study the issue closely. At the same time, the European Union has blocked the shipment of more than 3 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine to Australia, an Australian government source told Reuters on Tuesday. Brussels has decided to block the export of the vaccine produced on its territory after the Anglo-Swedish company was only able to deliver about half of the doses ordered by the European Union. But despite the obstacles, European policymakers remain optimistic: The Bloomberg agency reports that, according to European Commission calculations, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands could vaccinate more than half their populations by the end of June – ahead of schedule.
Overall, the EU is aiming to vaccinate 70% of the bloc’s adult population by the summer. In addition to AstraZeneca, drugs from U.S. companies Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech have already received approval in the bloc. The Russian vaccine “Sputnik V” is being tested for compliance with EU standards.
A passenger from New Zealand arrives at Sydney Airport. On April 19, a “green corridor” will open between Australia and New Zealand, exempting citizens of those countries from quarantine upon arrival. Since October, New Zealanders have been able to travel to certain Australian states without self-imposed quarantine, but the law did not apply in the opposite direction. The decisions announced by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday were eagerly awaited in both countries, which are closely linked by all kinds of ties. Australia and New Zealand are considered to have handled the pandemic most effectively. They were the first to close their borders and implement nationwide lockdowns.
North Korea has announced that it will not participate in this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo to avoid exposing its athletes to the risk of Covid-19 infection. The decision dashed Seoul’s hopes of resuming dialogue with its northern neighbor. In 2018, North Korea and South Korea merged into one team to compete in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. In Seoul, they hoped to use the same format at the upcoming Olympics to bring Pyongyang together.
North Korea also became the first country to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics. The XXXII Summer Olympics were supposed to be held in Japan in 2020, but were postponed due to the pandemic. The opening ceremony will take place on July 23rd. Throughout the pandemic, North Korean authorities have claimed that there has not been a single case of coronavirus infection in the country, but experts are confident that this is impossible. In South Korea, more than 106,000 people have been sickened and more than 1,700 have died.
Strict epidemiologic measures have been implemented in Saudi Arabia. With the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims, only three categories of believers will be allowed to make the lesser pilgrimage to Mecca – ‘Umrah’: those who have been fully vaccinated, those who have received the first dose of the vaccine at least 14 days prior to ‘Umrah, and those who have recovered from the coronavirus. Such a decision has been taken by the authorities of Saudi Arabia. Special permits are issued to all of them to participate in the pilgrimage and to enter the main mosques of Mecca and Medina. Unlike the Hajj (the great pilgrimage), Umrah is not tied to specific holidays and can be performed at any time of the year.