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SINGAPORE – There is no denying that Covid-19 is making a strong comeback in some parts of the world, and authorities and health experts alike fear that something worse is yet to come.
This is due to the onset of winter coupled with exasperated populations with many people now waiting for a viable vaccine to be around the corner.
Japan, whose daily Covid-19 infections numbered in the low hundreds just a few weeks ago, has seen a marked increase in cases over the past fortnight. On Friday (November 13) it reached a new daily high for the second day in a row, with at least 1,693 cases.
Infections in South Korea are also on the rise after a brief lull in daily cases that fell below 100 in September. In the past two weeks, the country has been registering new triple-digit cases most days.
Indonesia on Friday reported a record 5,444 new cases. Malaysia has also been reporting new infections by the hundreds since mid-October. The country recorded between 800 and 900 infections every day this week.
Across Europe, the infection curves also show a clear upward trend.
Russia registered a record 21,983 new cases on Friday, as did Germany with its 23,542 cases. Britain hit another all-time high of 33,470 daily infections on Thursday. On the same day, Greece registered more than 3,000 new cases for the first time and Italy reported more than 30,000 infections almost every day this month.
In the United States, total cases set a new record for the third day in a row with 153,496 infections on Thursday. More than a dozen states have doubled their number of cases in the past two weeks. US cities, including New York, Chicago, Detroit, and California, have reimposed public health restrictions.
The news this week that an effective vaccine was another step toward realization has fueled optimism among people around the world who have been fatigued by months of social restrictions.
Pfizer and BioNTech’s disclosure of the first successful data from large-scale clinical trials of their Covid-19 vaccine sent stock markets skyrocketing.
But officials and health experts have warned against complacency.
With winter descending in some regions, the pandemic may still worsen as people are more likely to gather indoors and spend more time in warmer, less ventilated areas, allowing the coronavirus to spread. With access to a vaccine still some time to go, experts say measures to contain infections should be maintained for now.
“We may be tired of Covid-19, but he is not tired of us,” World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday. “A vaccine is urgently needed, but we cannot wait for a vaccine and put all our eggs in one basket.”
America’s leading infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, agreed: “Now we have to step up public health measures while we wait for the vaccine.”
Asian nations do not give up their efforts.
Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Friday that the government was on high alert in its response to the virus, but added that a state of emergency or the suspension of a domestic tourism campaign was not necessary at this time.
South Korea has started imposing fines on people caught without masks in public, and violators must cough up to 100,000 won (Singapore $ 120).
In China, the Vice Minister of the National Health Commission, Li Bin, reminded citizens that “the work of prevention and control of epidemics cannot be relaxed even for a moment”, warning that sporadic or conglomerate cases could arise in the winter .
Europe’s leaders said restrictions will not be eased for now.
“This is certainly not the time to let go of the reins,” French Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday amid a national shutdown, the second in the country.
“If we lower the numbers a bit now and stop too soon, we could fall into a constant alternation of closing and opening,” Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soeder said of Germany’s partial closure.
British Transport Minister Grant Shapps said the daily case record was “a very, very strong reminder that we have to do the basics” of washing our hands regularly and maintaining social distancing.
But despite all the serious warnings and penalties in place, there is growing evidence that people, tired of restrictions, are increasingly ignoring them.
A poll by global polling firm Ifop this week revealed that 60 percent of the French population admitted to disobeying antivirus regulations, taking the country’s current lockdown much less seriously than the previous one in the spring.
In India, where it is feared that the Deepavali holiday season could see a further rise in infections, 19-year-old student Tanisha echoed the sentiment of many others.
“People just don’t care. People want to go out,” said the student.
Additional information from Reuters
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