Experts predict that the UK will have the highest mortality rate from Covid-19 in Europe.
Britain could become the country with the highest coronavirus mortality rate in Europe. This is the prediction of Jeremy Farrar, a senior advisor to the British government. Britain lags behind many European countries in mass testing. Authorities are unable to detect and isolate people with Covid-19 in a timely manner, preventing the spread of the virus. UK authorities hope to increase testing capacity to 100,000 people a day by the end of April, but many health professionals are unsure if this is achievable. Currently, the United Kingdom ranks fourth in Europe in terms of mortality. On Sunday, the total number of deaths from Covid-19 in British hospitals exceeded 10,000 people.
Meanwhile, Denmark is one of the first countries to begin easing quarantine measures. Austria is also expected to ease restrictions. On Monday, some non-essential businesses will reopen in Denmark. On Wednesday, children under the age of 11 will return to school. Denmark was one of the first European countries to impose a strict quarantine a month ago, and authorities believe they have managed to control the spread of the coronavirus. The country’s borders will remain closed for the time being.
Russia and Saudi Arabia have reached an agreement within OPEC+ to jointly reduce oil production by nearly 10 million barrels per day. The United States has agreed to reduce daily production by 250 thousand barrels. However, the main cuts fall on Moscow and Riyadh – by 2.5 million barrels per day for two months. The restrictions will take effect on May 1. They are intended to put an end to the price war that has developed against the backdrop of low demand during the epidemic. Oil prices are expected to rise when trading resumes after the Easter holidays. More details here: OPEC+ back on the market: Moscow and Riyadh agree to cut oil production.
The quarantine measures in the United Kingdom were implemented on March 23. On Monday, the British government will review the quarantine measures imposed on the country on March 23. There is currently no talk of easing restrictions as the death toll from Covid-19 in the country remains high. On the contrary, some ministers are suggesting that the quarantine should be tightened, as they believe that British citizens are interpreting the permission to go for a walk or exercise too liberally.
French President Emmanuel Macron will address the nation and announce further measures to contain Covid-19. It is expected that the strict quarantine in the country, which was declared until April 15th, will be extended again. The daily number of deaths in France has started to rise again after several days of decline.
Crew commander Jim Lovell selects a cassette for a portable tape recorder. The music sustained the astronauts during those difficult hours. It has been 50 years since the day the Apollo 13 spacecraft suffered an accident on its way to the moon. During radio communication with Mission Control, the crew uttered the famous phrase, “Houston, we have a problem. The successful return of the crew to Earth is still considered one of NASA’s greatest achievements.
The British Tate Gallery is launching a virtual tour of its exhibition of works by Aubrey Beardsley, one of the most prominent representatives of English modernism in the 1890s, under quarantine conditions. You can join the tour on the gallery’s website and YouTube channel.
The British Times writes that now that Boris Johnson has been successfully discharged from hospital, his aides have revealed that the prognosis for his recovery is 50/50. The Prime Minister himself admitted that over a period of 48 hours the situation could have gone either way, as confirmed by the Daily Telegraph. The doctors were at his bedside non-stop for two days. “They saved my life, no questions asked,” said Boris Johnson. The prime minister will not return to work yet. After his release, he and his fiancée went to a country residence where he will undergo rehabilitation therapy.
Ramzan Kadyrov advises to eat garlic and not to be afraid of the coronavirus. “Novaya Gazeta” reports how people with Covid-19 live in Chechnya. The newspaper claims that Ramzan Kadyrov practically equated those infected with the coronavirus in Chechnya with terrorists and called for them to be fought with appropriate methods. Those interviewed by “Novaya” (a Russian media outlet) stated that they are afraid to report their temperature, cough and other symptoms of illness to the authorities. They say that of two evils, they prefer death from coronavirus.
In the conditions of an epidemic, when the streets of cities have emptied, scientists have the opportunity to conduct an unprecedented large-scale experiment – to observe how wild animals come out of their shelters, writes Telegraph. Pumas roaming the streets of Santiago, deer wandering through evacuated cities in Japan, ducks crossing the streets of Paris – these are unique conditions for zoologists to study animal behavior in deserted urban environments. Scientists are particularly interested in what factors caused the animals to become more human-like – the absence of machines, a reduction in noise levels, or, most importantly, the disappearance of humans themselves. “We still have a puzzle to solve,” writes the Telegraph, “how to study the side effects of quarantine when the researchers themselves are in quarantine.
Stella Morris says three-year-old Gabriel and one-year-old Max communicate with their dad via video calls. Julian Assange’s former lawyer, Stella Morris, admitted that she gave birth to two children by him during the time Assange was hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Details – in the material Julian Assange secretly became the father of two children while sitting in the embassy in London.
Bill Gates invests in the development of a coronavirus vaccine. In an interview with the BBC, American billionaire Bill Gates said that a vaccine against Covid-19 could be ready in a year and a half, but in order for it to reach patients sooner, safety tests will have to be conducted in an accelerated mode. Details here: Vaccine against coronavirus: it can be made in one and a half years, says Bill Gates.
“Milo’s phone went dead around 7:30 a.m., and over the next hour four different government agencies tried to reach him. When they could not reach him, the police sent officers to the student and warned him that violating the quarantine could result in his arrest”. How the coronavirus immerses us in Orwell’s atmosphere: Crown Tracking: “Big Brother” as a way out of quarantine.
Virtual dates with strangers, pantsless friends, and Zoom workouts… How to maintain a social life when you haven’t seen people in a long time.
Life via Video Communication: How to Go on Dates, Parties, and Workouts During an Epidemic.
The summary was prepared by Anastasia Uspenskaya and Alexander Baranov.