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Coronavirus in Lithuania:
* In Lithuania, 28 people died from coronavirus per day, which is the highest indicator since the beginning of the pandemic. 2109 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed per day. The number of detected cases has remained more or less stable in recent weeks, with no significant increase or decrease. 1,885 COVID-19 patients are treated in hospitals, 148 of whom are in resuscitation.
* To curb the spread of the coronavirus, the government has tightened quarantine conditions: it reduced the number of people in public places from five to two and restricted the operation of temporary outlets. The Cabinet of Ministers also approved the purchase of half a million doses of vaccines from the American company Moderna. This is the sixth company from which Lithuania has decided to buy vaccines by participating in a joint European Union acquisition. Outgoing Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis says he expects the first doses of the vaccine to arrive in Lithuania later this year along with other European Union countries.
* The Ministry of Education has decided that the winter holidays for students will not be extended. As planned, the students will go on Christmas break on December 23rd and the break will end on January 5th. The ministry also rejected proposals from some unions to move to universal distance education, which will continue to be decided by the municipalities and schools themselves. The Ministry of Education says that schools are not the main sources of infection.
Coronavirus abroad:
* In Latvia, the state of emergency has been extended until January 11 and restrictions have been tightened. Masks will be mandatory in all enclosed spaces, including workplaces. Private events are prohibited and only essential goods stores will be open in Latvia on weekends. In the neighboring country, 14 previously infected people died in the last day, a maximum of one day after the outbreak began.
Vaccine for COVID-19
* The United Kingdom became the first country on Wednesday to authorize the COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech. Vaccination is scheduled to start next week. The country’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, called it a fantastic message to help the country return to a normal life. Britain has ordered enough Pfizer vaccine to vaccinate 20 million people. people, but it is not yet clear how much of the drug will be available by the end of this year. Logistics are hampered by the fact that the Pfizer vaccine must be stored at extremely low temperatures. To develop immunity, two doses of this drug should be given, three weeks apart.
* In Russia, for the second day in a row, the highest mortality to date is recorded: 589 people died. In Estonia, a record number of new cases per day was established: 524. Another Lithuanian neighbor, Poland, became the sixth European country where the total number of COVID-19 cases exceeded one million.
Government formation. President Gitanas Nausėda continues to meet with the ministerial candidates: on Wednesday he received Gintare Skaistė, a parliamentarian nominated by the Minister of Finance, and Dalia Miniataitė, the Chancellor of the Ministry nominated by the Minister of Agriculture. The ruling coalition, for its part, launched consultations in response to the head of state’s call to change several candidates. According to unofficial information, the president informed the appointed Prime Minister Ingrid Šimonytė that the candidacy of Arūnas Dulkis for the Minister of Health and of Kaspars Adomaitis for the Minister of Transport and Communications was not acceptable to him.
The budget deficit. The candidate for finance minister, G.Skaistė, declared that she believes that next year’s budget deficit, the difference between expenses and income, will be higher than expected by the outgoing government. The draft budget establishes that the deficit should reach 5% next year. GDP, G.Skaistė says that this indicator can reach 6.5 percent. GDP. According to her, measures to alleviate the coronavirus crisis will increase budget expenditures.
Tragedy in Germany. In the southwest German city of Trier, the death toll in a pedestrian squad has risen to five, with a baby among the victims. Another 14 people were injured. According to police, the 51-year-old driver of the car was exposed to alcohol at the time of the incident, and is believed to have mental health problems.
Scanpix Photo / Chang’e 5 probe
Chinese probe. A Chinese space probe that successfully landed on the surface of the Moon began to pierce the ground. It should, for the first time in four decades, transport samples from a satellite on our planet. Beijing has allocated billions of dollars to an army-led space program. The Chinese hope to establish an orbiting station by 2022 and then land people on the moon.
United States elections. United States Attorney General Bill Barr reported that the Justice Department found no evidence of significant fraud during the presidential election that could have led to the victory of Democrat Joe Biden and the defeat of President Donald Trump. Trump’s representatives promise to continue trying to prove that the election was rigged.
Imprisonment of dissident. Hong Kong dissident Joshua Wong and two other young activists were sentenced to prison for organizing protests last year. They will spend between seven and thirteen months behind bars. Hong Kong was rocked by large-scale protests for seven months last year, with frequent outbreaks of violence. The Chinese government has rejected protesters’ demands for free elections and cracked down on pro-democracy activists.
Crisis in Ethiopia. The United Nations has reportedly signed an agreement with the Ethiopian government to allow unhindered humanitarian assistance in the conflict-ravaged Tigris region, or at least in parts controlled by the federal government. This agreement will allow the delivery of the first batches of humanitarian goods to more than 6 million. a region plagued by population isolated from the clashes between the federal administration and the local government of Tigris that began a month ago.
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