Coronavirus around the world: AI raises accusations against Belgium – politics

Amnesty International (AI) accuses the Belgian government of violating human rights during the corona pandemic because many infected patients were not properly treated in nursing homes. Many of them were not admitted to hospitals, according to AI. Also, the nursing staff was overloaded.

According to the aid organization Doctors without Borders, only 57 percent of serious cases were taken from nursing homes to hospitals. That was the result of a “damaging interpretation of the selection guidelines,” says AI. This is probably why of the 14,400 deaths related to the virus, 61.3 percent were registered in nursing homes. While nursing homes were quickly overwhelmed, the hospitals’ 2,000-bed capacity for intensive care was never exhausted.

Femarbel Nursing Home Association General Secretary Vincent Fredericq told Amnesty that many older people in need of treatment have been neglected. “Everyone was shocked by the images of the Italian and Spanish hospitals,” Ferdericq said. “These situations had a huge impact on our federal decision makers who said from the beginning that it was imperative to avoid overloading critical care. Nursing homes were relegated to a second tier and their residents and staff were the victims.”

The results of the investigation would confirm that the nursing homes and their residents have been abandoned by the authorities, said AI-Belgium director Philippe Hensmans. At least until this was known and publicly condemned and the worst of the first wave had passed.

Belgium was hit by the pandemic in March without the health system being armed with protective equipment and personnel. In the first wave, Belgium had one of the most infections in the world relative to its population. The country, with a population of 11.5 million people, has registered more than 531,000 cases of coronavirus.

Amnesty based its investigation on the testimony of residents and caregivers of homes, NGO employees and directors of nursing homes. Relatives of residents who died from the virus were also interviewed. Most of them did not want their names mentioned. A patient’s wife described the situation as follows: “It was very difficult for my husband to eat alone. He lost weight over time. When I asked the staff about this, a caregiver told me:” We cannot feed everyone all days . “

Brussels Government Health Minister Maggie De Block, who was responsible for the first wave, said in October about the situation in nursing homes that there had never been a message from her or her regional colleagues that the corona patients they needed treatment should not be admitted to hospitals. Neither “elderly and disabled people,” explained the former Minister of Health on the public radio station RTBF. The prime minister’s office did not initially respond to a request from the AP news agency about the AI ​​report.

Rapid expansion in Russia

In Russia, authorities are reporting 22,778 new infections, more than ever before in 24 hours. Only in Moscow 6,360 cases of infection have been detected. Across the country, the number rises to nearly 1.95 million. This makes Russia one of the worst affected countries in the world after the United States, India and Brazil. The death toll increases from 303 to 33,489.

According to the Ministry of Health, the number of new corona infections in Brazil increases by 14,134 to a total of 5.86 million in one day. Another 140 people died from or with the virus. This brings the number of deaths to a total of 165,798.

In the Czech Republic, one of the European countries hardest hit by the second corona wave, the number of new infections is decreasing. The Ministry of Health reports 1,887 new infections in 24 hours. That’s the lowest value since October 4. In total, more than 460,000 people in the country with its 10.7 million inhabitants have been found to be infected with the corona virus. The death toll related to the virus rises from 150 to 6208. The total has doubled since October 29.

According to a tally by the Reuters news agency, the number of infections in the US has passed the eleven million mark for the first time. The number of cases increased by one million in eight days, the fastest since the pandemic began. Previously, it took ten days to register the increase from nine to ten million infected people. 16 days passed between the eight million mark and the nine million mark.

Study: Half of those recovered from Covid-19 are tired for weeks

Persistent fatigue is a problem for many people after recovering from Covid 19 disease. In a study with just under 130 participants, more than half of former patients complained of symptoms of fatigue weeks later. Irish scientists report in the journal Plus one. According to the researchers, whether or not a seriously ill person with Covid-19 needs to be treated in the hospital does not play a major role in subsequent fatigue. Almost 56 percent of the study participants had been treated with Covid-19 as hospitalized patients.

A good 52 percent of the 128 participants, who had survived the acute phase of the disease at the time of the exam, still showed symptoms of fatigue at least six weeks after infection, and for many this was the case even after infection. ten weeks or more. A good 42 percent said that after this time they felt completely healthy again.

“The study emphasizes the burden of post-Covid fatigue. It also shows that post-Covid fatigue is not related to the severity of the disease,” said Liam Townsend of Trinity College Dublin, who conducted the research with several colleagues. . “Therefore, it is not easy to predict trends.”

Lockdown announced briefly, “Don’t know anyone.”

In view of the persistently high number of new infections, the Austrian government is tightening measures in the fight against the corona pandemic. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced this on Saturday afternoon. From Tuesday through December 6 there will be “a second closure like in the spring,” Kurz said.

A partial blockade had already been in effect in Austria since November 3. The gastronomy, tourism, culture and leisure facilities are mostly closed. But so far, the expected successes haven’t come, says Kurz. Austria currently has an average of more than 7,000 new infections per day. Authorities could no longer track 77 percent of new infections. In individual federal states such as Carinthia, Vorarlberg, and Upper Austria, the numbers would increase exponentially.

For the next two and a half weeks, retail should also close as much as possible, with the exception of stores for daily necessities. Close-to-body service providers also have to shut down, including hairdressers and cosmetic studios. All work should, if possible, be shifted to the home office. Schools are closing too: after high schools and universities, schools in the younger grades must now switch to distance education as well.

Exit restrictions that previously only applied at night will be extended to the whole day. Exceptions for leaving home are more clearly and strictly defined: they include, for example, buying basic everyday items, going to work or to the doctor. It is also possible to spend time outdoors for physical and psychological recovery, as in spring. “Don’t know anyone. Any social contact is too much,” appeals Chancellor Kurz. Those who live alone must define a person with whom they can maintain greater contact.

Initially, church services and religious devotions should no longer take place. The Austrian government sought talks with all religious communities, Kurz said. You have agreed to abstain from public services.

The goal is for compulsory schools and retail to be the first to reopen after the December 7 shutdown, Kurz stressed.

British Prime Minister Johnson in quarantine

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson went into crown quarantine. As reported by British media Sunday night, Johnson had contact with a person who later tested positive for Sars-CoV-2. “The prime minister will obey the rules and isolate himself,” a Johnson spokesman said. The move comes shortly before a week with potentially decisive Brexit talks.

In March, Johnson was one of the world’s first heads of government to contract the corona virus. The 56-year-old man was in the intensive care unit with persistent Covid 19 symptoms in April. However, Johnson is currently showing no symptoms of the disease and will continue to work from the official headquarters in Downing Street for the time being, his spokesman said.