For a long time, Italy led Europe in the number of people infected and the number of deaths. According to scientists, the virus has been spreading in the country since mid-December last year.
The world has entered a new dangerous phase of the pandemic, the virus is still spreading rapidly and it is still deadly, the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said on Friday.
Traces of Covid-19 were found in Italy as early as December last year, the second wave of the epidemic is hitting Pakistan, the situation in Florida is causing concern among health professionals, and the United Kingdom has lowered the threat level for coronavirus infection.
According to Johns Hopkins University, there are over 8.5 million confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide, with 454.5 thousand deaths. Meanwhile, quarantine measures are gradually being eased in various countries.
In Israel, large celebrations such as weddings are now allowed. The number of guests should not exceed 250 people, and they are advised to wear masks. In the UK, in the first working week since retail reopened in the country, sales in furniture and home improvement stores and interior design salons jumped 42%.
Tedros Ghebreyesus on Friday urged all countries that have lifted quarantine restrictions to be cautious and maintain social distancing even after the quarantine is lifted. The World Health Organization believes the coronavirus pandemic has “entered a new and dangerous phase” as the infection spreads due to growing public fatigue with quarantine measures.
“The pandemic is accelerating, WHO received information on more than 150,000 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, the highest daily record so far,” the WHO chief said during a virtual press conference, calling on countries and their citizens to remain vigilant.
According to him, more than half of the new cases are in the Americas, but there are also many cases in South Asia and the Middle East. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what will happen next. The number of episodes should remain the same. End of story. Podcast advertising.
During Friday’s press conference, WHO representative Maria Van Kerkhove, an American epidemiologist, also noted that the coronavirus pandemic “is gaining momentum in many corners of the world. “Although we have seen examples of countries achieving some success in reducing infection rates, everyone should remain vigilant,” she said.
In response, Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, noted that some countries have been able to overcome the peak of the disease without bringing it to a very low level. According to him, the emergence of new cases does not necessarily mean a second wave of the epidemic, but can refer to recurrent peaks during the first wave.
“A situation has arisen in some countries where a second peak may occur because the disease has not been properly controlled,” Ryan emphasized. “The disease recedes and stays at a low level, and then in the fall or at the end of the year, a second wave may come.”
WHO experts praised the authorities in Germany, China and South Korea for their actions during the pandemic. Ireland plans to speed up the process of exiting quarantine. The country’s prime minister, Leo Varadkar, announced that churches, hair salons, theaters, cinemas and gymnasiums will reopen on June 29, earlier than previously planned.
Switzerland has announced that starting next week, mass rallies of up to a thousand people will be allowed. Cyprus continues to lift restrictions on entry into the country. The list of countries from which unrestricted access to the island is now allowed includes France, Italy, Spain and neighboring Lebanon. Ukraine, in turn, is reintroducing restrictions in several regions due to a spike in infections following the country’s exit from quarantine.
In its weekly report, the Higher Institute of Health in Italy (ISS) noted that although the overall situation remains positive, the virus is still active. The report indicates that there are reports from several regions of a significant number of new cases of Covid-19 infection. In the Lazio region, which includes Rome, the number of cases has surpassed those in Lombardy, the original epicenter of the coronavirus in Italy. In the capital itself, where officials say the situation is “under control,” two outbreaks have occurred in recent days – in an illegally occupied building on the outskirts of the city and in one of the city’s hospitals. “All of this speaks to the need to take precautionary measures as the virus continues to circulate significantly in some regions of the country,” the ISS report said.
In Italy, the first country after China where the coronavirus was detected, the number of victims of the epidemic has reached more than 34,500 people. The situation now appears to be under control, with the number of new cases decreasing and the number of deaths dropping to a few dozen per day. Italian scientists claim that the coronavirus was present in the sewage of Milan and Turin as early as December last year, long before the first diagnosis of Covid-19 was made in Italy. This confirms the theory of some specialists in several countries that the virus began circulating in the world much earlier than the mass infection in Wuhan, China. The first reports from there came in late January, and it is believed that China became the epicenter of the pandemic. In May, doctors in France reported that a re-examination of the test results of a man treated for pneumonia at a hospital in suburban Paris in late December revealed that he actually had coronavirus. According to experts in Spain, traces of Covid-19 were found in wastewater collected in Barcelona as early as mid-January – 40 days before the first case of coronavirus infection was recorded in the city.
On Friday, the first mass after the lockdown was held in the Barcelona Cathedral. On Monday, the first performance since the end of March will take place at the Barcelona Opera, and it will be an unusual one. Eutinio Ampudia will perform arias from Puccini’s opera “Chrysanthemums” in front of 2,292 plants. After the performance, he will distribute the plants with personalized certificates to health workers as a thank you for their work during the epidemic. The performance will be streamed on the opera house’s website for the audience.
The heads of state and government of the countries of the European Union will hold a video conference on Friday in which they will make another attempt to coordinate an aid package to overcome the consequences of the pandemic. Part of the plan is to allocate 500 billion euros to the countries most affected by Covid-19, but the authorities of several European states are opposed to this point.
The Hungarian Parliament has voted to revoke the extraordinary powers granted to Prime Minister Viktor Orban during the fight against the epidemic. However, Orban said he would not hesitate to take the necessary measures in the event of a second wave.
According to Johns Hopkins University, there are currently 4081 infected people in the country, with 568 deaths. British authorities have lowered the threat level for coronavirus transmission from fourth to third. The third level indicates that the virus continues to circulate, but the number of new infections is stable. The fourth level indicates a high or exponentially increasing contagion index. There are five levels in total.
According to Health Secretary Matthew Hancock, this is a very important moment for the country as it shows that the government’s strategy is working. Authorities believe it will soon be possible to move to the next stage of easing quarantine measures. In particular, from July 1, authorities may lift the mandatory 14-day quarantine for arrivals from a number of countries. The initiative to create special corridors was put forward by French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited the United Kingdom this week. It is reported that several European countries are participating in the discussion on the rules of the British quarantine, and it is known for sure that Portugal is among them.
Despite the positive momentum, the UK remains the hardest hit country in Europe. This is clearly stated on the bus stop sign – “The worst [situation] in Europe”. According to the UK Office for National Statistics, the risk of dying from Covid-19 is twice as high for people with disabilities and men of Jewish origin. Researchers came to this conclusion by analyzing data on those who died from the coronavirus between March 2 and May 15. Out of 200,000 people with disabilities, 340 men and women became victims of the epidemic in Britain, with more men than women. The statistics for people without disabilities show 106 deaths per 200,000 people, of which 70 are men. Analysts attribute the higher mortality rate among the Jewish community to the specific performance of religious rituals. Among Christians and Muslims, the Covid-19 death rates are about the same, while among Hindus and people who do not observe any religious rituals, the numbers are significantly lower.
As businesses around the world begin to return to work, Queen Elizabeth II thanked companies from various countries for their generous support of vulnerable populations and healthcare systems. In her speech, she wished the companies success and prosperity.
American virologists fear that Florida could become the new epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic. In the US state of Florida, 3207 new cases of coronavirus infection have been reported in the past 24 hours. This is the highest daily total since the outbreak began and the fourth record low in the past week. Florida is the hardest hit state in the country: 86 thousand infected, more than 3 thousand dead. However, the Republican governor of the state, Ron DeSantis, announced that he does not plan to abandon the easing of quarantine measures necessary for economic recovery.
The United States continues to lead the world in the number of people infected and the number of deaths – nearly 2.2 million and 118.4 thousand, respectively. The U.S. Navy will not reinstate Captain Brett Crozier because the command believes he bears some responsibility for the coronavirus crisis that broke out on the aircraft carrier in his charge. According to the investigation, Brett Crozier, who was removed from his position as captain of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, “clearly failed” to perform the duties assigned to him. “I will not reinstate Captain Brett Crozier to the position of commanding officer of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, and I will prevent him from holding any future command positions,” Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday said at a Pentagon press briefing.
In Iran, 2615 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the last 24 hours, with 120 deaths. Iran is one of the first countries to be hit by the epidemic and the hardest hit country in the Middle East.
Controversy surrounds the Pakistani government’s decision to impose selective quarantine only in areas where the daily incidence of new cases reaches 300 or more. The authorities cite economic reasons, but the medical community and the opposition point out that the country’s infection statistics have risen sharply again. The WHO proposes an interim solution – 15 days of general quarantine, followed by 15 days of relaxation. Since the epidemic began in Pakistan, 165,000 people have been infected and 3,229 have died.
The UN has stated that the health system in Yemen has ceased to function at all. A UNICEF plane delivered 10,000 population testing kits for COVID-19 to Yemen’s capital, Sana’a. Another 8,000 kits will arrive in the coming days in the country’s other major city, Aden. The UN recently warned that Yemen’s health system has completely collapsed. This is a poor country ravaged by years of armed conflict, where hundreds of children are dying of starvation. The first case of COVID-19 was detected there on April 10, with a total of 909 confirmed cases and 248 deaths.