COVID-19 global death toll rises above 1.3 million
A swathe of new restrictions to curtail a second wave of coronavirus infections were announced or came into force from Austria to Greece, Italy to Portugal on Saturday as the global death toll climbed above 1.3 million, AFP reported.
More than 53 million have been infected worldwide by COVID-19, which is running rampant throughout America and Europe, forcing governments to take more drastic action despite the potential economic devastation.
Austria joined a growing trend announcing schools and non-essential shops would close from Tuesday, just two weeks after a partial lockdown was imposed.
Greece, battling a saturated national health system, announced it would shut all schools after imposing a nationwide night curfew from Friday, said the AFP report.
In Italy, the regions of Tuscany and Campania — of which Florence and Naples are the respective capitals — plunged into “red zones” of tough restrictions, which now cover 26 million of the 60 million population.
New anti-virus curbs also came into force in Ukraine on Saturday, with all non-essential businesses ordered closed for the weekend.
And Lebanon entered a new two-week lockdown, with hospitals in the crises-wracked country almost at capacity.
Bars in New York, the epicenter of the US’s spring outbreak, were ordered to close at 10 pm from Friday. Schools could move to online only teaching as early as Monday.
The US, the country hardest hit by COVID-19, saw 188,858 more cases and 1,596 more deaths Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Poland became the latest country to report record figures with 548 coronavirus deaths over 24 hours, just days after the government decided against introducing a nationwide quarantine.
Lifting the gloom, the European Medicines Agency added to growing hopes that an effective vaccine could be available soon.
The EU body said it expected to give a favorable opinion on a vaccine by the end of the year if test results proved positive. That would allow distribution from January.
But if the hurdles of testing and distribution are overcome, another challenge awaits: will people take a vaccine?
“My fear is that not enough French people will get vaccinated,” French Prime Minister Jean Castex told Le Monde newspaper.
In India, the pandemic and chronic pollution cast a shadow over Diwali celebrations for hundreds of millions on the biggest Hindu holiday of the year on Saturday.
With 8.7 million cases, India has the world’s second-highest coronavirus infection count behind the US.