In India, an average of 300,000 people are getting sick every day for the past week. Experts are calling the situation in India the worst humanitarian disaster in the country’s history, with people dying before reaching hospitals and a severe shortage of oxygen in the country. Meanwhile, the Everest outbreak threatens the climbing season, European countries are easing restrictions slightly, and the British government has incurred the largest debt since World War II. This and other news about the evolving pandemic situation around the world – in our roundup.
The world’s attention is now focused on India, where a very difficult situation has arisen. Over the past day, 332.7 thousand new cases of coronavirus infection have been identified in the country, and over 2.2 thousand people have died. Similar statistics have been recorded for several days. Hospitals cannot accommodate all infected people, and people with severe forms of the disease are left without help for hours, dying in the arms of their loved ones. A doctor at one of the hospitals in Delhi told the BBC that some people are coming in with their own oxygen tanks, but it’s no use because all the places for tanks are taken. The hospitals themselves have a catastrophic shortage of oxygen.
Oxygen cylinders are currently the most valuable in India. To help the greatest number of people, doctors say they need to discharge undertreated patients who are showing early signs of recovery. India is second only to the United States in the number of cases, with 16.2 million infected, and fourth only to the United States, Brazil and Mexico in the number of deaths (nearly 187,000). Epidemiologists say that what is happening in India can be considered the sharpest increase in infection rates observed anywhere during the year of the pandemic.
The coronavirus has reached Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak. The mountain has been closed for over a year, and the climbing season has only recently opened. One of the climbers, Norwegian Erlend Ness, felt ill on the mountain for six days until a helicopter was called to evacuate him on April 15. He was taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with Covid-19. It is reported that Ness has now recovered and is staying with friends in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu.
Mount Everest, like other Himalayan peaks, has been closed to climbers for more than a year. An influx of tourists was expected in April, but now it is uncertain. Ness believes he may have been infected in one of the traditional tea houses in the Khumbu Valley of the Nepalese Himalayas. According to him, almost no one along the route – neither climbers nor locals – wears masks. Later, the disease was found in one of the local porters accompanying the Norwegian group. In the early stages of Everest’s ascent, some climbers are accompanied by Sherpas – representatives of the local population. For Nepal, the situation is extremely unfavorable. The country relies heavily on Everest mountaineering revenue (approximately $4 million per year), and the season, which has not even begun, is now in jeopardy.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the number of vaccinated people will reach 40% of the country’s adult population next week. Holders of vaccination cards will be able to freely enter cinemas, gyms, hotels and theaters. However, the rate of infection in the country is still high and the government intends to review plans for the reopening of primary schools, which were due to return to face-to-face teaching next Monday.
The Danish parliament has approved the lifting of the curfew, allowing open terraces in cafes and restaurants to resume. However, the daily infection statistics in the country are currently the highest since January. On Thursday, there were reports of 9,700 new cases in 24 hours. But authorities are focusing on their vaccination campaign, with the goal of vaccinating 5 million people in Denmark by the end of next week, almost the entire population.
The Prime Minister of France, Jean Castex, believes that the peak of the third wave of the coronavirus epidemic in the country has passed. Over the past 10 days, statistics have dropped by an average of 17% in all areas. On Monday, kindergartens and elementary schools will reopen, but strict testing protocols will be in place. High school students will return to their desks on May 3.
As a result of the pandemic, the UK government has incurred the largest debt since the Second World War. The national borrowing for the period from March 2020 to March 2021 amounted to 303.1 billion pounds sterling. This is 250 billion more than the previous fiscal year. According to economists, more than 200 billion of this difference was spent on additional expenses dictated by the pandemic, the rest – on tax cuts.
The British government spent hundreds of billions to support the economy during the pandemic. The past year forced the government to put all its efforts into supporting the economy: support for small and medium-sized businesses, payment of benefits and compensation. Money in debt Downing Street was taken by selling government bonds to banks, funds, investment companies and private investors. Economic advisors explain that despite the enormous debt figures, it turned out to be £100 billion less than predicted just two months ago. It was expected to be £400 billion by the end of the fiscal year (which in Britain is the end of March). But this is little consolation, experts say. Job support is calculated at least until the fall, and large loans will continue. Only a stable recovery of certain industrial sectors will help them return, and this will be possible with additional tax cuts, which in turn will require money.