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The World Health Organization warned that the coronavirus “may never go away,” as its experts predicted that a global mental health crisis caused by the pandemic was looming.
The global health body warned on Wednesday that it should not try to predict how long the coronavirus will continue to circulate, and called for a “massive effort” to overcome it.
“It is important to put this on the table: this virus can become another endemic virus in our communities, and this virus will never go away,” said Michael Ryan, WHO chief emergency officer.
“I think there are no promises in this and there are no dates. This disease may or may not be a long-term problem, “he said.
A report from the WHO’s mental health department to the UN warned of another impending crisis: “Isolation, fear, uncertainty, economic turmoil: all cause or may cause psychological distress,” said department director Devora Kestel. . She said the world could expect to see an increase in the severity of mental illness, even among children, youth, and health workers.
“The mental health and well-being of entire societies have been seriously affected by this crisis and are a priority that must be urgently addressed,” he said.
The statements came as Russia it became the nation with the second highest number of infections with 242,271, behind the United States with just under 1.4 million. The official death toll in Russia has 2,212, although authorities attributed the deaths of more than 60% of coronavirus patients in April to other causes. Moscow, the center of the country’s outbreak, accounted for 1,232 of those deaths. Tatyana Golikova, Russia’s health minister, denied any falsification of the statistics.
At U.S, President Donald Trump said his chief infectious disease expert’s warnings about the dangers of lifting the restrictions too soon “are not acceptable.”
Trump said he was “surprised” by Anthony Fauci’s caution to reopen the economy and schools too soon.
“For me it is not an acceptable answer, especially when it comes to schools,” Trump said. “Our country must return and must return as soon as possible, and I do not consider that our country will return if the schools are closed,” he said, adding that the only thing that would be acceptable would be teachers or teachers “over a certain age” who do not teach. .
The seemingly widening gap between the two men came on a day of more sobering economic warnings, with Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell predicting a US recession “significantly worse” than any recession since World War II, with a job record. losses and worse ahead.
“The path ahead is highly uncertain and subject to significant negative risks,” Powell said in a webcast speech. He also rejected Trump’s suggested use of negative interest rates to aid recovery.
Meanwhile, the United States Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, warned that waiting too long to reopen the economy entailed serious economic damage “and the health impact that this generates.”
Global infections with the virus reached almost 4.36 million, with deaths close to 300,000.
In South Korea, 24,000 people have been evaluated in relation tor the Seoul nightclub group, which caused the closure of bars and entertainment venues in the capital, according to the city’s mayor. Cluster-linked cases have grown to 120.
Japan It was expected on Thursday to lift the state of emergency for 39 of its 47 prefectures, local media reported, while the capital Tokyo will maintain the restrictions until it sees compelling containment of the coronavirus.
While the nation has avoided the type of explosive growth seen elsewhere, its tests have also been among the lowest, with 188 tests per 100,000 people, up from 3,159 in Italy and 3,044 in Germany. Tokyo, the most affected, has conducted only 50,000 tests so far, of which around 5,000 were positive. With the hospitals still stretched, the capital and the surrounding prefectures will remain in a state of emergency.
Brazil has A record number of new cases of the new coronavirus were recorded on Wednesday, beating France’s count to become the sixth most affected country as the disease sends the economy into its worst year since at least 1900.
The government confirmed 11,385 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing its total count to 188,974 coronavirus cases since the outbreak began. Early Wednesday morning, France revised its total number of confirmed and suspected cases with a decrease of 0.3% to 177,700.
In other coronavirus developments:
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China reported three new cases of Covid-19, all locally purchased, and there were no new deaths or suspected cases.
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Stock markets in Asia Reacted badly to Powell and the WHO’s comments and concerns about a second wave of infections. Japan’s Nikkei fell 07%, while indices at Australia, Hong Kong, Korea and China they all fell about 1%. But australia reported an unemployment rate of 6.2%, which was lower than expected.
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Only 5% of SpainThe population has been infected by the new coronavirus, although that number rises to more than 10% in Madrid and in the central areas of the country, according to a study published by the government on Wednesday.
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South Africa It will further loosen the coronavirus blockade across the country later this month as the number of confirmed cases increased by more than 12,000, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday. Came like Lesotho, which is landlocked by South Africa and was the last African country to be unaffected, announced its first Covid-19 case.
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New ZealandThe finance minister unveiled a NZ $ 50 million fund to save jobs in the next four years.
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Hong Kong He will examine hundreds of families, local media reported, after his 23-day series of no local infections broke with the Covid-19 diagnosis in a 66-year-old woman with no recent travel history, and her five-year-old granddaughter. . Several other family members reportedly also showed symptoms.
