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In the United States, the coronavirus pandemic is out of control. This week the country, where 240,000 people have already died, exceeded 10 million infections and in all the states of the country the trend is upward.
(In context: the United States has a record of 200,000 covid-19 infections in one day)
Similarly, the number of hospitalizations has increased as well as the number of deaths, which while not yet reaching the levels reached in the worst case, are increasing: almost 1,500 daily deaths, a figure that continues to rise.
In 44 states of the country’s 50 states, the increase in this last week is more than 10 percent – in 11 of them more than 50 percent – and on average there are more than 130,000 infections per day.
To put it in context, the highest number ever recorded during the first months of the pandemic was around 35,000.
“What we are seeing is widespread contagion at the community level. There are more infections, more hospitalizations and, consequently, more deaths “Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said Wednesday.
The governor is one of many in the country who have decided to reset some of the restrictions that existed in the prison phase, including limiting restaurants to 50% of their capacity and banning indoor events of more than 25 people.
(It may interest you: the United States surpasses 10 million coronavirus cases)
In Nevada and Wisconsin, where numbers are on the rise, authorities have asked their citizens not to go out for the next two weeks to curb the trend
“We have to go back to basics. Telework, no more parties or social gatherings, masks and social distances. It’s not safe to stay away from home “warned Steve Sisolak, who is the governor of Nevada.
What we are seeing is widespread contagion at the community level. There are more infections, more hospitalizations and consequently more deaths
Some authorities of the different states are calling for the restoration of restrictions to stop the infections.
Many people are saturated with the restrictions that the pandemic has imposed and are letting their guard down, many are no longer wearing masks, meeting with friends without taking precautions
In Massachusetts, there is some sort of curfew between 10pm and 5pm. while in Rhode Island, authorities have warned residents that they will have to implement a mandatory business closure if they do not change their behavior.
And even more worrying, in many states, hospitals are already reaching the capacity limits of intensive care units and resources such as ventilators. At this time, according to official data, there are about 65,000 people hospitalized, a similar amount to what existed in April, when the pandemic raged in the United States.
This second wave, expected, is driven by several factors.
“Many people are saturated with the restrictions that the pandemic has imposed and are letting their guard down, many are no longer wearing masks, they meet friends without taking precautions, they went back to restaurants. It’s understandable, but the problem is that the virus is still there, waiting for opportunities to spread, ”says Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at the University of Minnesota.
(Read here: the second covid-19 outbreak in Donald Trump’s close circle)
At the same time, there is half the country – particularly those who have followed President Donald Trump’s guidelines – who are convinced that the pandemic is an exaggeration or an invention of the Democrats and do not even use masks or practice distancing. social.
Added to this was the arrival of autumn and cold, an environment more conducive to infections as it favors the interaction of people in closed spaces.
Experts believe that if drastic measures are not taken, things will get even worse in the coming months when winter comes.
The announcement by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer that it has developed a vaccine that would be effective in 90% of cases has helped to clarify the dramatic picture a little.
Ditto for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision to authorize the use of bamlanivimab, an antibody-based medicine that can help with mild and moderate cases of Covid-19.
But the same authorities have admitted that both remedies are still far from being the panacea against the pandemic. In the case of the vaccine, because it will take many months to produce and distribute it to the general population. The drug, for its part, is effective only in moderate infections and they do not have a sufficient number of doses to cause a short-term impact.
(In other news: Biden asks for masks and insists it’s not “a political gesture”)
And for this Anthony Faucci, the head of the Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, insists that the only effective remedies available at the moment are masks and distances. A message that President-elect Joe Biden reiterated this week when he announced his new plan to combat the scourge.
But this has become subtle and weightless as long as Trump refuses to acknowledge defeat and cooperate with the incoming government.
New European Health Agency *
After the 27 states of the European Union each faced the pandemic on their own, The European Commission proposed on Wednesday to create a new specific agency to ensure that bloc countries have the means to deal with future health crises.
For the moment, however, governments are multiplying restrictions to stop the second wave that is shaking the region. Following the example of France or the UK, Hungary announced on Wednesday a partial blockade that will last at least one month, during which restaurants will be closed and gatherings of people, cultural and recreational events will be banned.
“Let’s go on a trip instead of going to the pub.”summarized Lorinc Fritz, a 22-year-old student in Budapest. Greece, where a second blockade came into effect on Saturday, will strengthen this by applying a night curfew, which will prohibit the movement of people between 9pm and 5am.
Despite the restrictions, the number of deaths and infections in the Old Continent increases significantly. United Kingdom, the European country with the highest total number of deaths, On Wednesday it exceeded 50 thousand deaths, while Spain already has more than 40 thousand and in Italy more than a million positives have been diagnosed.* With agencies
Read also
– Trump’s efforts to hinder the transition of power in the United States.
– US Supreme Court, bent on bailing out Obama’s health plan.
– Strong reaction from Bolsonaro to Biden’s warning about the Amazon.
SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI
Correspondent EL TIEMPO
WASHINGTON
.
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