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PARIS: The world passed the grim milestone of 1.5 million global coronavirus deaths on Thursday (December 3), as several nations planned to deliver long-awaited vaccines early next year to break the cycle of lockdowns and restrictions.
But even as the latest positive news about a vaccine was announced, and Moderna’s candidate showed that it confers immunity for at least three months, several countries marked new records of COVID-19.
Italy recorded 993 deaths, surpassing its previous record of 969 at the beginning of the year, when it was the first European country affected by the pandemic.
Iran, the worst-affected country in the Middle East, exceeded 1 million cases even as authorities considered easing restrictions and Britain recorded more than 60,000 deaths.
The world’s worst-affected country, the United States, recorded its highest daily death toll, 2,731, since March, as the number of people hospitalized from the virus surpassed 100,000 for the first time.
READ: UN chief analyzes countries that ignored the facts of COVID-19, WHO guide
And Robert Redfield, director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, warned of tough times ahead in January and February.
“In fact, I think this is going to be the most difficult times in the history of public health in this nation,” he said, warning that up to 450,000 could have died in the United States in February.
HACK VAXX
The pandemic shows little sign of slowing down, with more than 10,000 new deaths recorded worldwide every day since Nov. 24, a rate never before achieved, according to an AFP tally.
As the world tires of financially crippling restrictions, attention has turned to the race for a vaccine.
As the world tires of financially crippling restrictions, attention has turned to the race for a vaccine. (Photo: AFP / Francois Lo Presti)
Britain on Wednesday became the first Western country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine for general use, putting pressure on other countries to quickly follow suit.
But leading US infectious disease scientist Anthony Fauci said Britain “rushed” its approval process.
“In fairness to a lot of my friends from the UK, you know, they ran around the corner from the marathon and joined it on the last mile,” he told CBS News.
Also Thursday, a study showed that the Moderna vaccine, which was recently shown to be 94 percent effective, causes the immune system to produce potent antibodies that last for at least three months.
Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews attended the funeral of Rabbi Aharon David Hadash in Jerusalem. (Photo: AFP / Menahem Kahana)
In anticipation of the approval of such vaccines, France announced that its vaccines will be free and will begin in January for one million elderly in nursing homes, in February for 14 million people at risk and in spring for the rest of the population.
France was also mourning the latest high-profile figure to succumb to COVID-19, former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing, who died at the age of 94.
The Belgian government also said it intends to start vaccinating the most vulnerable in January.
READ: COVID-19 vaccines will be free for everyone in Portugal, says Health Minister
But the hopes raised didn’t just attract the attention of governments: IBM said Thursday that hackers are targeting the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain.
The tech giant said it was “unclear” whether a series of cyberattacks it uncovered against companies involved in the effort to distribute doses around the world had been successful.
IBM could not identify who was behind the attacks, but said the accuracy of the operation points to “possible characteristics of the commercial art of the nation-state.”
‘THE VACCINE CANNOT UNDO THE HARM’
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned that even if vaccines are approved quickly, the world will continue to fight the aftermath of the pandemic.
“Make no mistake. A vaccine cannot repair the damage that will spread over the years, even decades to come,” Guterres said, opening a special UN summit on the virus.
Daily COVID-19 infections by world region since February 2 (Infographic: AFP)
Guterres reiterated his call for vaccines to be considered a “global public good” that is shared around the world.
More than 180 countries have joined Covax, a global collaborative initiative of the World Health Organization to work with manufacturers to distribute vaccines equitably.
However, South Africa, the country hardest hit by the virus on the continent, missed its initial Covax payment deadline, local media reported Thursday.
Even assuming an effective vaccine is available, many countries are preparing for the next battle: convincing skeptical populations to get vaccinated.
Former US Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have all volunteered to bring a vaccine before the camera if it helps build public confidence.
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