The World Health Organization has announced that it is launching a new global initiative to find a way to treat the new coronavirus and create mechanisms to protect against similar pandemics in the future. According to the head of the WHO, the threat to humanity posed by such pandemics requires a global approach. However, the United States has already refused to join the initiative.
According to Johns Hopkins University, as of Friday, more than 2.7 million people worldwide have been infected with Covid-19, more than 195,000 have died, and approximately 780,000 infected people have recovered. Meanwhile, the number of deaths from coronavirus infection in the United States has exceeded 50,000, with a total of more than 869,000 people infected with the virus in the country. After a few weeks of quarantine, however, some American states began to ease restrictions. One of the most proactive states was Georgia, where the opening of bowling alleys, beauty salons, barbershops and other small businesses has already been announced. And on Monday, theaters and restaurants will open there. It appears that steps are being taken in Oklahoma and Alaska to relax the regime.
Beauty salon in Georgia
US doctors have called Donald Trump’s advice on how to treat coronavirus infections dangerous. During a daily briefing at the White House, the US president suggested injecting coronavirus patients with disinfectants and exposing them to ultraviolet radiation using powerful equipment. According to Trump, research shows that ordinary chlorine can kill the virus in five minutes. In response to criticism, White House officials said that journalists took Trump’s words out of context and that the head of state always encourages people to follow doctors’ recommendations. The United States is the country with the highest number of Covid-19 victims in the world. However, the U.S. population (330 million people) is larger than the most affected European countries, Spain and Italy.
Meanwhile, Italy has seen a record-low daily death rate from coronavirus over the past month. Although 420 people died there in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 25,969, this is the lowest daily increase since March 19. As for the infected, there are now 3,021 more, and the number is approaching 193,000.
Amid the good news, Italy intends to gradually ease restrictions. On Friday, Italian media reported that the strict quarantine measures will be gradually relaxed over the next 4 weeks. Earlier, Spain also confirmed the lowest daily coronavirus mortality in five weeks. France also reported fewer deaths over the past day. In Russia, 5,849 new cases of coronavirus have been detected in the past day, which is almost a thousand more than the previous day. Dozens of Russian regions are affected by the epidemic, but the most difficult situation is observed in Moscow. The total number of infected people in Russia is currently 68,622, with 615 deaths. In the United Kingdom, a new government website was launched on Friday for workers in key industries and their family members to request a coronavirus test. Key industries include the National Health Service (NHS) and all emergency services, with a total workforce of around 10 million people.
The level of testing in the UK is still nowhere near the level indicated by the government. The UK government has set a target to increase testing in the country to 100,000 tests per day by the end of April. This seems unlikely at the moment, as only 20,000 people are being tested each day. However, the country’s Home Secretary, Dominic Raab, who is temporarily acting as Prime Minister in the absence of Boris Johnson, who has contracted the coronavirus, stated that everything possible is being done to achieve this goal. According to data as of Friday, Covid-19 has been diagnosed in 144.6 thousand people in Britain, and about 19.5 thousand patients have died.
Irish authorities are alarmed by the fact that nearly 50% of those who have died from the coronavirus in the country are residents of nursing homes. Since the beginning of the epidemic in Ireland, 794 people with a diagnosis of Covid-19 have died, and 361 of them were under the care of specialized institutions. The authorities intend to check whether the necessary isolation and hygiene measures have been observed in these homes and to take appropriate action.
EU leaders have agreed to create a 1 trillion euro aid fund to combat the effects of the coronavirus. 540 billion of this amount will be allocated for emergency expenses starting June 1, and the rest will be invested in a long-term plan to help the economies of the most affected EU countries. European Union leaders plan to discuss the details of the plan on May 6.
The Czech Republic has lifted restrictions on the movement of people in the streets. From this day on, Czechs can leave their homes whenever they want and spend their time as they see fit. They are even allowed to gather in groups of no more than 10 people. However, social distancing in public places and the wearing of masks remain mandatory. As of Monday, citizens of the country will also be able to travel abroad, but only for valid reasons. Upon their return, they will have to undergo a coronavirus test. Foreign students studying at Czech universities and businessmen on business trips are also allowed to enter the country. The strict quarantine regime was introduced in the country on March 16.
Many Muslims in Indonesia preferred to pray in mosques in anticipation of the holy month of Ramadan. Most wear protective masks, but there is no social distancing. Photo taken on April 23. Muslims around the world began the holy month of Ramadan on Friday. Quarantines or restrictions on mass gatherings are in effect in virtually all Arab countries. Authorities are urging worshippers to pray at home. However, some countries, such as Egypt, Syria and Dubai, have decided to relax the restrictions – more shops will open and people will be allowed to spend more time outdoors. Earlier, some preachers in Pakistan announced that they would voluntarily open their mosques for prayer, while observing all sanitary norms. According to them, it is important to pray together at this time. In Indonesia, too, many mosques are open despite the restrictive measures. Most worshippers cover their faces with medical masks, but no one worries about maintaining social distance – people sit in rows on the floor as usual.
For the first time since mid-March, South Korea has reported no deaths from coronavirus in the past 24 hours. In addition, only six new cases of infection were detected in the country in the past 24 hours. In total, there have been 10,708 confirmed cases and 240 deaths in the country since the epidemic began.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has announced the extension of the quarantine on the largest island of the Philippine archipelago, Luzon, and several other densely populated islands for another two weeks. The previous quarantine period expired last Thursday.
Many Venezuelans illegally cross borders with neighboring countries in search of food and medicine. Protests against the quarantine have begun in several states of Venezuela. Hundreds of people took to the streets to protest food and gas shortages. In the state of Bolivar, a crowd stormed a supermarket and clashed with police, leaving one person dead and several injured.
On Friday, four people died of pneumonia in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. This information was confirmed by the chief physician of the hospital where they were treated. All four were men over the age of 60. According to the chief physician, they were tested for coronavirus during their lifetime, but the results were negative. However, sources in the Tajik media report that there are currently more than 100 other patients with pneumonia in the same hospital, three of whom are in critical condition. Tajik authorities continue to claim that there is no coronavirus in the country and that the increased number of people with respiratory problems is due to bad weather.