More than 1.5 million deaths from Covid-19 worldwide

Washington: The spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, which infected more than 65 million people and killed more than 1.5 million, has accelerated around the world, while vaccination plans are becoming evident in several countries.

To date, there have been one million 704 thousand 480 deaths out of 65 million 202 thousand and 960 injured in the world since the first injuries were announced in China last December, according to a toll prepared by Agence France-Presse this Friday .

Since November 24, more than ten thousand deaths have been registered daily in the world on average, at an unprecedented level.

During the current week, 601,700 new cases were registered per day on average, an increase of 4% compared to the previous week.

The health organization warns
On the other hand, several countries announced imminent vaccination campaigns. However, the World Health Organization has warned that universal vaccines alone will not be enough to eradicate the deadly virus.

“Vaccines do not mean zero covid,” Mike Ryan, director of the WHO Emergency Health Cases Program, said at a news conference. It is clear that by itself “it will not accomplish the mission”, adding that “the vaccine will not be available to everyone early next year.”

Britain licenses the vaccine
In Britain, which was the first country to license the Pfizer-Bionic vaccine, the Agency for Medicines and Health Products confirmed on Friday, after criticism over the speed of approval of the vaccine, that “no vaccine is licensed in Britain. if it does not respect the standards of safety, quality and efficacy “.

Britain, the most European country to record deaths (60,113 deaths), will start vaccination next week for the nursing home and the staff who work there.

The French fear the vaccine
In France (326 dead on Thursday), the number of French who do not want to receive the vaccine increases as the date of vaccination approaches. Official figures released by the French Public Health Authority showed that half of the French intend to get vaccinated, compared with two-thirds in July.

And French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced Thursday that vaccination will be free for all. The vaccination campaign will begin in January for the elderly in nursing homes and will continue in February to include vulnerable groups, as long as the vaccine is available to all groups in society from the spring.

Record number in the United States
In the United States, which is paying the highest price for the epidemic with the death of 276,401 people, on Thursday it registered more than 210,000 infections in one day, a record number since the beginning of the outbreak, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that the number of hospitalized patients “has increased by 86 percent in the last 14 days.” He announced that unnecessary gatherings and activities will be banned in all areas where the epidemic could lead to hospitals exceeding capacity.

US health officials have warned that Thanksgiving travel by millions of Americans a week ago may cause “an outbreak of the disease that will join the outbreak now,” according to respected immunologist Anthony Fauci.

Pfizer / Biontech and Moderna have submitted my license applications to the US Drug Administration In the event of a green light, both vaccines may be available by the end of the current year in this country.

Russia … next weekend
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin has requested that free “large-scale” vaccines be available “by the end of next week.”

The “Sputnik-V” vaccine, developed by the Gamalia Research Center in Moscow, is in the third and final phase of clinical trials with the participation of 40,000 volunteers. The vaccine is confirmed to be 95% effective, as is the Pfizer / Biontech vaccine.

Kazakhstan, which is developing its own vaccine, announced that it will start producing the “Sputnik-V” vaccine on December 22, in order to enable a large vaccination campaign “from early 2021”, with priority for doctors, teachers and security forces.

Brazil closes schools and beaches
In Brazil, this week a science committee recommended closing schools and banning beaches in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil recorded more than 700 deaths in one day for the first time since mid-November, bringing the number above the 175,000 mark on Thursday.

The far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has questioned preventive measures since the start of the pandemic. But the infectious disease expert Giulio Crouda of the University of Mato Grosso de Sol said in an interview with Agence France-Presse: “If preventive measures are not taken … we will witness a tragedy.”

As for Europe, the situation is mixed.

A record number of deaths in 24 hours was recorded in Italy on Thursday, with 993 cases. The first wave of the epidemic hit this country last spring. The government tightened restrictions on movement within the country on the occasion of the end of the year holidays.

Czechia opens its doors
In the Czech Republic, shops, restaurants and museums have reopened.

In Greece, the closure imposed a month ago was extended for another week due to the continuing high level of infection.

An image of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, showing him standing without a muzzle, alongside five people he met during a bicycle trip more than an hour from Athens, sparked much controversy in Greece, which imposed a blockade a month ago . The image was widely disseminated on social media and in opposition newspapers.

The Greek Orthodox Church is forced to face the reality of the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, after it largely opposed the restrictions imposed to contain it, due to the injury of five of its bishops, including the president himself.

Six million doses in Israel
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the signing of an agreement with Moderna to obtain six million doses.

The additional cost of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, postponed to next summer due to the outbreak of the new Corona virus, will reach $ 2.4 billion, organizers announced on Friday, in the face of an unprecedented delay, and a set of health measures that they inflated an already controversial budget.

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