LONDON (AP) – Despite growing access to vaccines, January appears black worldwide as the coronavirus reappears and reshapes from the UK to Japan in California, filling hospitals and threatening life again, while governments block businesses and compete to find solutions.
England went back to the blockade. Mexico City hospitals have more patients with the virus than ever before. Germany reported one of the highest daily deaths on Tuesday. South Africa and Brazil are struggling to find space for the dead. Even Thailand’s successful pandemic is battling an unexpected wave of infections.
And as doctors face or prepare to increase the number of COVID-19 patients after the end-of-year holiday meetings, more and more countries are reporting cases of a new, more contagious variant that has already passed into the UK.
January will be a “tough one,” said Dr. Margaret Harris, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization. “This idea seems to be ‘Ah, we’re all tired. We want to look at something else. Oh, that doesn’t apply to me ‘… it has to go away. It really is all hands on deck. “
While the UK launched a second vaccine this week and some US states are starting to give the second round of vaccines, access to global vaccinations is suddenly unequal. The offer is not close to meeting the epic demand needed to defeat an enemy that has already killed more than 1.85 million people.
“We are in a race to prevent infections, reduce cases, protect health systems and save lives as we launch two highly effective and safe vaccines for high-risk populations,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “It is not easy. These are hard miles. “
England is facing a third national blockade that will last at least six weeks, while authorities are fighting to stop the growth of COVID-19 infections and to improve hospitals, where some patients are left to wait in ambulances in a parking lot for access to overcrowded wards.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new tough order to stay home for England, in force at midnight on Tuesday. It will close schools, restaurants and all non-essential shops and will not be reviewed until at least mid-February. Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon imposed a blockade that began on Tuesday.
The two leaders said that restrictions are needed to protect the National Health Service amid the new variant that has led to an increase in infections, hospitalizations and daily deaths.
The NHS is “probably going through the most difficult time of its life,” said Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at the King’s Fund think tank.
Elsewhere in Europe, Italy and Germany have extended their Christmas closures, Spain is restricting travel, and Denmark has reduced the number of people who can gather in public from 10 to five. France is likely to announce tougher measures on Thursday, and Ukraine will close schools and restaurants starting Friday.
In Latin America, some warn that the worst is yet to come.
“The momentum we are experiencing here in Brazil is much worse than it was a few months ago,” said Domingos Alves, an assistant professor at the University of Sao Paulo.
The number of patients in intensive care in Brazil has reached its highest level since August, as the nation reopened its shops and offices after the end-of-year holidays – and the big country has not yet approved or received any vaccines. Some Brazilian hospitals have reinstalled refrigerated containers outside to hold the bodies of COVID-19 victims.
The Mexican capital has more patients with the virus than at any time during the pandemic and flies to doctors in less affected states. Its beach resorts are preparing for several cases after thousands of American and European tourists visited for the holidays.
“Probably in the third week of January, we will see that the system has emphasized more, that there will be more outpatient cases and cases requiring hospitalization,” said Dr. Mauricio Rodriguez of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He accused the increase of fatigue with social distancing, mixed messages from public figures and Mexicans who take their guard off during the holidays.
Zimbabwe reintroduced a crook, banned public meetings and suspended the opening of schools indefinitely. In South Africa, which sees yet another rapidly spreading virus and is the continent’s most affected nation, the authorities again imposed an extinguishing nest, banned the sale of alcoholic beverages and closed most of the beaches.
Funerals in South Africa are struggling to cope with rising deaths, state-owned Funeral Practitioners SAI National Music Association Muzi Hlengwa told state broadcaster SABC.
“It’s something you’ve never seen before. … I ran out of coffins, I ran out of space at the morgue, “he said.” Normally we have cremations during the day, but now we have cremations even at night. “
The pandemic reaches even countries that seemed to have the virus under control.
Thailand is facing an increase that has infected thousands in recent weeks, accused of dissatisfaction and poor planning. The government is blocking large parts of the country, including the capital, Bangkok, and is considering tougher measures.
Japan is preparing to declare a state of emergency this week, tightening border controls and speeding up vaccine approval following an increase in cases around New Year’s Eve.
And the holiday worries are not over now, when 2021 has arrived.
Pope Francis has abandoned an annual baby baptism ritual in the Sistine Chapel in connection with Wednesday’s Epiphany celebration. Orthodox Christian countries such as Russia and Greece could face several infections after celebrating Christmas on Thursday. And China is closing schools early before next month’s New Year’s Eve celebration, telling migrant workers not to go home and tourists to avoid Beijing.
Vaccinations start very slowly in many places. In the United States, where more than 350,000 people have died, some states are struggling to secure enough fire and organize vaccinations. The Netherlands has been heavily criticized for being the last nation in the European Union to start vaccinations, which he will do on Wednesday. Australia does not intend to do so until March. And most poorer countries are even further behind.
Opposition politician Geert Wilders called the Dutch government “the idiot of the European village.”
However, India offers a glimmer of hope. Its infection rate has dropped significantly since its peak in September, and the country is launching one of the largest inoculation programs in the world, aiming to vaccinate 300 million people by August.
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PA reporters from around the world contributed.
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