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500 new infections in Tokyo in just one day
7.00 am: Japan has reported a new record for new infections. Across the country, 2,000 new infections were reported in one day, 500 of them in the capital Tokyo alone. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Thursday called the “highest level of alert” and, according to broadcaster NHK, commissioned a panel of experts to investigate the causes of the increase.
Suga had previously announced that the government would support possible stricter measures in the regions.
Swiss clinics overloaded: soldiers should support
6.40 am: Due to the dramatic situation in hospitals, the Swiss government announced on Wednesday that it would provide additional support to overburdened hospitals. Defense Minister Viola Amherd said the soldiers could support the clinics with logistical and contact tracing until the end of March and replace infected personnel. The day before, the Swiss Society of Intensive Care Medicine announced that all intensive care beds in the country were occupied.
Nationwide, more than 6000 new infections with the corona virus were registered in Switzerland on Wednesday, 84 people died. This increased the number of recorded infection cases in the country since the start of the pandemic to nearly 280,000, and the number of corona-related deaths rose to 3,377.
Doctors in Hungary also warned that the country’s clinics would soon have reached their limits. Due to the recent sharp increase in new infections, the Budapest government extended the state of emergency until February on Tuesday. Originally, the measure should have ended on December 11. According to the EU health authority ECDC, Hungary currently has the fourth highest death rate per crown in the EU.
More than 22,000 new infections in Germany
5.30 am: In Germany, health authorities reported 22,609 new corona infections to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in 24 hours. That’s roughly 5,000 more cases than the day before. A little more cases have been reported compared to a week ago. Last Thursday, the number of new infections reported was 21,866. The peak was reached last Friday with 23,542 reported cases.
The RKI has counted a total of 855,916 proven Sars-CoV-2 infections in Germany since the start of the pandemic. The number of deaths related to the virus rose by 251 to a total of 13,370 on Thursday, and the RKI estimates that around 562,700 people have recovered.
According to RKI’s situation report on Wednesday night, the so-called seven-day R was 0.95 (previous day: 0.97). This means that, in theory, 100 infected people infect 95 more people. The value represents the onset of the infection 8 to 16 days ago. If it is below 1 for a long time, the infection process subsides.
US Airlines Demand Help for Vaccine Distribution
4.20 am: The seven largest U.S. airlines are asking for a cash injection to deal with the logistics of corona vaccines. “As the nation looks to the future and faces the logistical challenges of distributing a vaccine, we need to have enough certified personnel and aircraft in service to have enough capacity to do the job,” he said. Letter from the Airlines for America industry lobby to Congress. Trained employees would be needed to cope with an economic rebound. The prospect of a vaccine in the coming months underscores the urgency, airline CEOs wrote.
Congress is not expected to meet again until November 30.
Politicians and Police Call for a Ban on New Year’s Fireworks Due to Corona
3.15 am: Due to the corona pandemic, there is a growing demand to ban New Year’s firecrackers this year. The president of the German police union, Rainer Wendt, told the newspaper “Bild” that the New Year’s Eve fireworks would have to be canceled this year. Alcohol, crowds and a party atmosphere quickly join the New Year’s firecrackers, Wendt said. However, given the spread of the corona virus, this is not the case.
The Minister of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia, Herbert Reul (CDU), referred in the newspaper to the “strongholds of the party”, where tranquility reigned on Halloween weekend. “I wish it were the same on New Year’s Eve,” said the CDU politician. The decision to ban fireworks on New Year’s Eve corresponds to the municipalities.
CSU member of the Bundestag Michael Kuffer described it as dangerous for people to run through the streets with explosives in today’s heated environment. “New Year’s Eve gluttony” and fireworks should be banned this year, “Bild” said.
US reports more than 250,000 corona deaths
2.30 am: The virus keeps the US firmly in check; it is now falling to a high level: more than a quarter of a million people have died in the country from Covid-19. And the trend continues in the wrong direction. Read more here.
UNICEF warns of “lost generation” due to pandemic
1.55 am: In view of the various restrictions of the crown in the medical and social field, including for young people, the UN children’s aid organization Unicef warns of a “lost Covid generation”. Henrietta Fore, director of UNICEF, said that the interruption of important services is the biggest threat to children. »The longer the crisis lasts, the more serious its effects on the education, health, nutrition and well-being of children. The future of an entire generation is in danger. “
According to a corresponding report by the organization, the number of children receiving certain medical measures is decreasing in around a third of the 140 countries surveyed. This includes vaccinations, outpatient treatment, and delivery care. The reason for this is fear of infection.
Furthermore, some 265 million girls and boys still would not receive school meals. Every third student worldwide is affected by school closures, or a total of 572 million.
UNICEF estimates that between six and seven million children under the age of five will suffer from malnutrition this year, mainly in Africa and South Asia, an increase of 14 percent. An estimated 150 million children had fallen into “multidimensional poverty” by mid-2020.
According to Unicef, the consequences of the restrictions caused by the crisis could be devastating: “Due to the interruption of vital services and the increase in malnutrition, another two million children could die in the next twelve months and the number of stillbirths could increase. in 200,000 “.
The Swedish failure
1.40 am: The second corona wave is also emerging in Sweden, contrary to the forecasts of the state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell. Now the government has to intervene drastically and is considering closing schools. Read more here.
Lambrecht accuses “lateral thinkers” of attacking the basic democratic order
1:30: Federal Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) has accused parts of the so-called “lateral thinkers” movement of unconstitutionality. “Anyone who writes slogans like ‘Berlin must burn’ has a different goal than to demonstrate against an infection protection law,” Lambrecht told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “These people are targeting our state and our basic democratic order.”
Ahead of the most recent demonstration against the Crown’s requirements in Berlin on Wednesday, Lambrecht said the question was “whether the movement has become a repository for right-wing extremists, anti-Semites and conspiracy theorists.” What he can no longer understand is the “story of the simple and concerned citizen who takes to the streets.”
On Wednesday, the Berlin police broke up a demonstration with around 5,000 participants against the crown’s requirements with water cannons and pepper spray. Previously, there had been hours of clashes between protesters and the police. The German Association of Journalists also reported attacks on journalists.
The demonstration was also directed against the reform of the Infection Protection Act, which was approved by the Bundestag and Bundesrat on Wednesday. The participants compared the ordinance with the enabling law of the National Socialists. Lambrecht harshly criticized him: “This is an infamous comparison that pokes fun at the victims of the Nazi regime and for which I have no understanding,” he said. At that time, the rights of parliament and the constitution were de facto suspended. “Today we are strengthening the rights of the Bundestag and clearly showing what restrictions are possible and under what conditions.”
Nor is the Infection Protection Act a “certificate of good health”, the Minister of Justice rejected the corresponding criticisms of the former president of the Federal Constitutional Court, Hans-Jürgen Papier. “In the new paragraph 28a, particularly intensive protective measures are specifically named and the conditions for their order are specified,” the minister said.
cop / mrc / dpa / AFP / Reuters / AP
