Experts agree that the winter will be harsh. The death rate from coronavirus in Russia may be three times higher than official data, Argentina has started vaccination with the Russian vaccine “Sputnik V”, and British experts warn that the government must take stricter measures in the New Year to prevent a catastrophe.
The most important news about the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide can be found in our daily overview. According to Johns Hopkins University, the number of patients infected with the coronavirus worldwide exceeds 35 million. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 81 million people have been infected, more than 46 million have recovered, and 1.77 million have died. Experts warn that the virus will spread rapidly in the coming months. “In the coming year, we will face new challenges and failures, such as the emergence of new variants of Covid-19,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, on Tuesday. A new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus detected in the United Kingdom on Dec. 14 was identified Tuesday in India, Switzerland and Pakistan. However, the health ministry of the German state of Lower Saxony said the new strain of coronavirus had already been identified there in November – in a patient whose daughter had visited England.
The British government will have to impose even stricter quarantine measures in the early months of 2021 to prevent the rapid spread of the coronavirus, an expert says. “We need decisive, rapid, nationwide action to prevent a catastrophe in January and February,” Professor Andrew Hayward, one of the British government’s scientific advisers, told the BBC. He says the UK is now entering a particularly dangerous new phase of the pandemic. “The emergence of a new, more virulent variant of the virus means that the previous levels of restriction that worked before will not work now, so fourth-level or higher restrictions will be required,” Hayward says. Currently, the highest, fourth level of quarantine has been implemented in London and certain areas of England. People are asked to stay at home as much as possible, all but essential shops, hairdressers and sports clubs are closed. You can only interact one-on-one with residents of different households on the street. In the past 24 hours, a record number of new cases of coronavirus infection have been reported in the UK – more than 53,000. That is 11,000 more than on Monday. According to the government, the number of new infections rose by 22.7% last week. Health officials say the level of infection is unprecedented.
According to official data, more than 3.1 million people in Russia have been infected with the coronavirus. The mortality rate from coronavirus in Russia may be three times higher than official statistics – such a conclusion can be drawn from the statement of Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova. “Mortality for January-November 2020 increased by 13.8%. I would like to draw attention to the fact that more than 81% of the increase in mortality during this period is attributable to COVID-19 and the consequences of coronavirus infection,” she said at Monday’s briefing. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. The number of episodes should remain the same. End of story. Podcast advertising. According to official data, 55,827 people died from coronavirus in Russia. According to Rosstat, the excess mortality compared to the previous year amounted to 229,700 people. However, if we believe Golikova’s statement that 80% of this excess mortality can be attributed to the coronavirus, then we are talking about 186,000 deaths. Different countries use their own methods of counting deaths caused by or directly related to coronavirus, making comparisons between countries difficult. Russia is often criticized for basing its official count of virus deaths on autopsy results that indicate Covid-19 as the primary cause of death. This means that other deaths related to Covid but with a different primary cause are not included in the official statistics. New data suggests that Russia could rank third in the world in terms of coronavirus deaths, behind the United States with 335,000 deaths and Brazil, where 192,000 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Yesterday, Rosstat reported a record number of deaths among COVID-19 patients in November: 35,645 cases.
The first batch of 300,000 doses of the Russian vaccine was delivered to Argentina last week. Argentina is the fourth Latin American country to launch a vaccination campaign. Citizens are being vaccinated with the Russian-developed vaccine called “Sputnik V”. “The idea is to start vaccinating those who are most at risk,” said Hines Gonzales Garcia, the country’s health minister, at a press conference. Vaccinations began simultaneously in several parts of the country. Three weeks ago, President Alberto Fernandes declared that he himself would be among the first to receive the vaccine – so that no one would be afraid, he said. The first batch of 300,000 doses of the Russian vaccine was delivered to Argentina last week.
Sweden’s ski resorts were packed during the Christmas season, despite the government’s call to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary, according to mobile operator Telia. According to the company’s analysis, in the areas of the most popular resorts, Emtland and Selen, the volume of mobile traffic increased by 44% and 48%, respectively, between December 19 and 25. This probably means that there was a significant influx of holidaymakers. At the same time, the company concluded that compared to the same period last year, 40% fewer Swedes were traveling.