Europe on Monday passed the bad milestone of one million coronavirus deaths as the World Health Organization warned that infections were on the rise exponentially, despite widespread efforts to stop them.
The death toll in the 52 countries in Europe, compiled by AFP from official sources, by 1830 GMT was at least 1,000,288.
“We are currently at a critical point of the pandemic,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19.
‘The orbit of this pandemic is growing … exponentially.
“This is not the situation in which we want a pandemic within 16 months if we have evidence,” she told reporters.
The coronavirus has already killed more than 2.9 million people and infected nearly 136 million worldwide.
But despite the gloomy news in Europe – the world worst hit – Britain on Monday, for the first time in months, lit the curb and allowed Britons to enjoy a taste of freedom with a pint and haircut.
The changes illustrate how countries that vaccinate quickly leave other – mostly poorer – countries.
In South Africa, the president has called for vaccinations produced by Africa, as the continent is lagging behind, and he is struggling with insufficient supplies, as well as a lack of funding and logistical problems.
“Africa needs to harness its own continental capabilities and identify opportunities for cooperation,” Cyril Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa suggested that India or Brazil could help after successfully developing their own generic pharmaceutical industries.
However, both giants are facing serious outbreaks of Covid, and India overtook Brazil on Monday as the country with the second highest number of infections after recording more than 168,000 new cases in a day.
Muslims prepare for the second Covid Ramadan –
Experts have warned that large, mostly maskless crowds at political rallies and religious festivals have fueled the effects of India.
In the Himalayan city of Haridwar, maskless Hindu pilgrims shrugged shoulder-to-shoulder on the banks of the Ganges River on Monday for a dive during the Kumbh Mela ritual.
Several Indian regions have tightened their coronavirus measures, with Maharashtra – the richest state in India and the current center of its epidemic – imposing a weekend lockdown and night watch.
Neighboring Bangladesh has announced that it will virtually shut itself off, and will halt international transport within Wednesday while its offices are closed in an effort to stem its own outbreak.
Across the Muslim world, worshipers are preparing for the start of their second Ramadan of the pandemic, with the holy fasting month kicking off in many countries on Tuesday.
In Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country, sanitary measures are less stringent than a year ago when mosques were completely closed and a curfew was in force.
The mood in Cairo was relatively cheerful as the city prepared for special prayers on Monday night, with bright lights adorning the streets. Many of those who rushed around the city to buy supplies for the last minute were maskless.
Saudi authorities, meanwhile, said only people vaccinated against Covid-19 would be allowed to do the annual umrah pilgrimage from the beginning of Ramadan.
Glitter of hope –
In Britain, despite one of the world’s highest death toll on Covid-19, there was a glimmer of hope on Monday as pubs and restaurants were allowed to serve people outside – a move welcomed by the severely plagued hospitality sector, despite winter temperatures.
“It would be great to see everyone again and see all the residents,” Louise Porter, landlord of The Crown Inn in Askrigg, Northern England, told AFP.
“Our lives have been turned upside down, just like everyone else’s,” she said, adding: “We are still here to tell the story.”
England’s hairdressers, indoor gyms and swimming pools have also been given the green light to reopen.
Once the country worst affected in Europe, Britain has launched a successful vaccination campaign, along with lock-in measures that will reduce deaths from January by 95 percent and cases by 90 percent.
Italy was also one of the countries hardest hit in Europe, and on Monday Rome saw the latest in a series of protests against the closure, with several hundred people showing up in protest at weeks of closing the restaurant.
In France, now the European country with the most infections, the expansion of vaccine vaccination has optimism among residents who do not lock up. Everyone over the age of 55 is now eligible for a vaccination against Covid.
And in other positive news, clinical trial results have shown that treatment with Regeneron antibodies used to treat Covid-19 patients also helps prevent infections.
burs / kjl / to