Indians cremate their deceased COVID relatives right on the street. The photo shows the crematorium area in New Delhi. The world has rallied to help India, where the situation continues to deteriorate. Pakistan imposes a lockdown, while Turkey is buying up alcohol ahead of the lockdown. This and other news from around the world is in our roundup.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the number of cases worldwide has approached 150 million, with 3.1 million deaths. The United States continues to lead in both categories (32.2 million cases and 574.3 thousand deaths). However, the situation there has stabilized, in contrast to India, which is now in second place in terms of the number of people infected (over 18 million). India continues to break records for daily infection rates, with more than 379.2 thousand people infected in the country over the past day. This is a huge number, even for a country of 1.3 billion people. According to the WHO, India accounts for 38% of the 5.7 million new cases of the disease recorded worldwide last week.
Meanwhile, the final round of local elections is taking place in the state of West Bengal. Long lines have formed at polling stations. A curfew has been imposed in 11 regions of the state of Jammu and Kashmir from Thursday evening until Monday morning. On Wednesday, more than 3,000 new cases of infection were recorded in the area, double the number 10 days ago. Scientists at the University of Washington have modeled an Indian pandemic scenario and predict that it will not peak until mid-May. But mortality can be reduced immediately if everyone in India starts wearing masks, researchers say.
Despite the pandemic, Indians lined up at polling stations. Since the beginning of the pandemic, this rule has been recommended in the country. Photographs of the recent Kumbh Mela festival, attended by millions of people, show that very few people were wearing masks. Scientists have long been sounding the alarm, urging the international community to pay close attention to India because what is happening there cannot go unnoticed by everyone else. The following countries have already sent humanitarian aid to India, including respirators, ventilators, supplies of concentrated oxygen, and personal protective equipment: United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Singapore and Australia. Now three more countries have joined them – Russia, South Korea, and Canada.
Russia is also sending humanitarian aid to India. Yesterday, President Putin called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and assured him that Russia will be able to help in the fight against the pandemic. Later, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced in his statement that Russia will send a large medical cargo to India in the coming days. Canada has pledged $10 million to help India, while Seoul is negotiating with Delhi to supply medical equipment. The first humanitarian shipment from Britain arrived in Delhi last Tuesday, and London intends to continue deliveries. “India has helped others before, now it’s our turn to help them. We will win this battle,” Prince Charles said. This was the first statement by a representative of the Royal Family on the crisis in India. The situation in neighboring Pakistan, which borders India, has also deteriorated significantly. On Wednesday, the country recorded a record daily death toll for the entire duration of the pandemic – 200 deaths.
A record number of deaths from COVID-19 have been recorded in Pakistan, and authorities are planning to impose a lockdown in 20 cities and regions. Hospitals in many regions of the country, especially in the densely populated Punjab province, complain that they are running out of resources. Starting next week, authorities plan to impose a lockdown in 20 cities and regions. Previously, Pakistani authorities had actively opposed the shutdown, saying it would destroy the country’s economy. Restrictive measures were implemented in provinces led by opposition figures. But events in the neighboring country have caused Islamabad to rethink its positions. On Thursday evening, Turkey will enter its first nationwide lockdown, caused by a new surge in infections and mortality. People will only be allowed to leave their homes to buy food or go to the doctor. Schools will be closed. Intercity travel will require special permission from the authorities.
The market in Istanbul was crowded on Thursday as people rushed to stock up before the lockdown. In the last few hours of relative freedom, the country’s population rushed to stores to buy non-essential goods. The shopping malls in Istanbul and other cities are full of people, the markets are busy and the roads are jammed. During the lockdown, the authorities impose a ban on the sale of alcohol, and the BBC’s correspondents in Turkey say many people are stocking up. Istanbul’s central bus station is also packed with people, some rushing home to the provinces, others leaving the city to stay with relatives and spend the shutdown in the countryside. “The German secret service has begun to deal with COVID skeptics.”
The number of offers should remain:Flags of the German Reich at a protest against the blockade in August 2020 in Berlin. The movements against the lockdown of dissenters have attracted the attention of German law enforcement. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, known as the BfV, is now monitoring some of the participants. Security officials are concerned about the movement’s ties to far-right and other extremist groups, particularly neo-Nazi groups that do not recognize the German government. They are concerned that provocateurs may try to turn peaceful protests into clashes, pointing to attacks on police and journalists during such rallies, as well as the use of the German Reich flag at them. The movement unites COVID skeptics of various interpretations, from anti-vaccine to conspiracy theory. The largest protest of the movement remains the rally in August last year, which gathered 38 thousand people. But the most convinced opponents of the lockdown continue to take to the streets. Last week, police broke up a demonstration of 8,000 people.
Doctors have long talked about the possible link between obesity and the severity of the disease. The leading medical journal Lancet published a study by British scientists showing a possible link between weight and the risk of severe Covid-19, especially in young people. Based on the study of data from nearly 7 million residents of England, researchers have found a correlation between an increase in body mass index and cases of hospitalization, intensive care admission and death from Covid-19 complications. But it’s not just about obesity – people who are underweight are also at risk. The association is particularly strong for people under 40, while it is almost nonexistent for people over 80. The research also shows that the level of risk is higher for black British people compared to other minorities. “Our research shows that even being slightly overweight is associated with an increased risk of severe Covid-19, and the risks rise sharply with increasing body mass index (BMI),” said Carmen Piernas of the University of Oxford, lead author of the study. This is not the first time that scientists have come to such conclusions – last August, researchers from the University of North Carolina in the USA linked excess weight to the risk of severe COVID-19 based on an analysis of 75 studies from different countries.