Overseas Situation Report Wednesday 28th April 2021
“The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.” – Will Rogers
The last four Overseas Reports have shown how many countries across the world have been affected by the Corona Virus and how many are still feeling the impact. For this report I am concentrating on our nearest neighbour, Spain and look at how they have fared since the start of the pandemic and how they are now experiencing a so called ‘fourth wave’ of infections. As with many southern Mediterranean countries, Spain relies heavily on its tourist traffic and the pandemic has had a devastating effect on the tourist revenues across the country.
So why has Spain seen a fourth wave? Even though almost all of Spain has infection rates in the high or very high risk categories, epidemiologists believe the fourth Covid-19 wave the country is currently enduring won’t be as severe as previous ones. On March 29th 2021, just as the Easter holidays were about to start in Spain, the country’s Health Emergencies Coordinator Fernando Simón said for the first time that Spain was indeed entering the fourth wave of the coronavirus, but that it could end up being “a little wave”.
This remark, which was seen as a misplaced joke by other Spanish epidemiologists, was dependent according to Simón on whether restrictions on mobility over Holy Week worked in stopping the spread of the virus.
The evidence suggests that this did not pan out as hoped by Spanish authorities. After lowering the national fortnightly infection rate below the high risk level by mid-March (127 cases per 100,000 people), it started inching up again even before Easter and by mid-April stood at “extreme risk” levels in half of Spain: over 250 infections per 100,000 people over 14 days.
Despite the alarming figures, Simón’s forecast seems to be coming true this time.
Unlike Spain’s other waves, in which the rebound from the minimum infection rate was immediate, this new increase has been a much smoother and irregular rise.
There have been days in which the infection rate has even decreased within its general upward trend.
By April 23rd 2021, Spain’s Health Ministry reported that the incidence of the virus had plateaued, referring to it as “the start of stabilisation”.
Spain’s fortnightly infection rate has risen by 100 points in a month but a look at the incidence data from the past seven days shows that it stands at 108 cases per 100,000 people, whereas the 14-day rate is around 235 infections per 100,000.
“If the seven-day incidence is below 50 percent of the 14-day incidence, that means that the curve is falling,” Jesús Molina Cabrillana, spokesperson for the Spanish Society of Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Hygiene, is quoted as saying in El País. Pressure on hospitals has increased slightly up to 22.6 percent of occupancy of ICU beds but health centres are not as overwhelmed as they were in March and April of 2020.
However, despite the evidence suggesting that fewer people in Spain are being hospitalised or dying from Covid-19 during this fourth wave, daily infections are still at very high levels and deaths from Covid-19 are still rising.
In the past 7 days the number of recorded new infections was 60,115 compared with 58,098 the previous week, a rise of 3%. However, when you look at deaths in the past 7 days there has been a 10% increase in deaths from 577 to 636 in the last week.
Inter-regional border closures instigated by the national Government over Easter may have played their part in helping to make this latest wave of coronavirus in Spain not as serious overall, but Spain’s vaccine campaign is likely to have been even more crucial.
Over 80’s in Spain have now practically all been fully vaccinated and the regions are now vaccinating their over 70’s population, meaning that those that are generally most vulnerable to the virus and most likely to die or be admitted to the ICU, have been immunised.
According to Spain’s Daily Mortality Monitoring System (MoMo), the country’s excess mortality has been reduced by 60 percent during the fourth wave when compared to the first one. The R number, the rate which measures on average how quickly and how many people a person with Covid-19 infects others, has also fallen below 1.0, levels the Spanish government feels it can control.
Spain’s first wave, which began in March 2020 when the world was coming to terms with the reality of the pandemic, has been the country’s worst to date in terms of deaths, hospitalisations and infections.
The true rate of infections in these early days of testing are not fully known, but a study conducted by Eurosurveillance found that 62 percent of over 80s who caught Covid-19 during the first wave in Spain died.
Following two and a half months of lockdown and a deconfinement plan which led Spain to ease restrictions and restart tourism over summer, the second wave developed in November 2020. Fortnightly infection rates exceeded 500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and without strict lockdowns in place, the speed of descent of the infection curve slowed down.
In fact, Spain’s second wave almost overlapped with the third, which began to skyrocket at the beginning of January 2021 after travel and gatherings were greenlighted by the government over Christmas.
By that stage, hospitals were better prepared and Spain’s testing capacity had been reinforced, meaning that Covid-19 deaths were lower than during the first wave and ICUs weren’t as overwhelmed.
The higher number of PCR tests being carried out did result in the number of reported infections being considerably higher during Spain’s third wave than during its first and second waves.
But in terms of actual coronavirus deaths, Spanish health ministry data shows more than 45,000 for the first wave. The statistics, gained from the medical death certificates, confirm that the death figures in Spain derived from the coronavirus were much higher than the official death data published by the Ministry of Health.
Specifically, between January and May, 32,652 deaths were registered whose cause of death was Covid-19 with the virus identified and another 13,032 people died with suspicion of Covid-19 due to symptoms compatible with the disease (which the INE calls Covid-19 unidentified virus), according to figures published by the National Institute of Statistics.
From July to December 2020, which encompasses the second wave, more than 20,500 Covid-19 deaths were reported by Spain’s Health Ministry.
There is no official recount of total deaths from Covid-19 for Spain’s third wave but a total of 19,200 people did lose their lives to Covid-19 between December 2020 and February 2021, according to data provided by Spain’s National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVE). Almost the same amount of people died in two months as in about six during the second wave.
As of April 26th 2021, Spain’s total number of coronavirus infections since the pandemic began stands at 3.488,469 and the number of deaths has reached 77,738.
Despite pressure from political opponents and some regional authorities, Spain’s national government insists it won’t extend the State of Alarm past May 9th, even if that means that many of the restrictions in place currently are lifted. Spanish government spokesperson María Jesús Montero on Tuesday reiterated that La Moncloa does not intend to lengthen the country’s State of Alarm past the planned end date of May 9th 2021.
“In the last few days we’ve expressed this with absolute clarity, the objective of the Spanish government is that after May 9th the extension of the State of Alarm won’t be necessary,” she stated, adding that fundamental rights such as mobility or the right to gather can only be limited when el estado de alarma (the State of Alarm) is active.
Spain’s infection rate has risen by 100 points in just under a month, with six regions now classified as having “extreme” infection risk with a fortnightly incidence above 250 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
However, Spain’s government spokesperson said the epidemiological situation was still stable enough for the State of Alarm to be lifted.
We will see if this is enough to keep the infections at a manageable level.
Until the next time – STAY SAFE.
Total number of cases worldwide – 149,366,425
Total number of deaths worldwide – 3,149,673
Total number of recovered cases worldwide – 127,047,644
Active cases – 19,169,108 (12.8% of Total Cases)
Closed cases – 130,197,317
Information and statistics from:
https://www.worldometers.info/
https://www.eldiario.es/datos/
https://www.thelocal.es/20210426/
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/weekly-trends/#countries
Overseas Situation Report, Monday 26th April 2021
“Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain – and most fools do”. – Benjamin Franklin
To conclude my ‘Round The World Odyssey’ of the Covid-19 situation, we are back on our own continent of Europe. I finished my last report in Poland and for this report we will look first at France.
In the past 7 days the number of reported new cases was 213,397 compared to 236,397 in the preceding week, a drop of 10%. The rate has been dropping since the start of April, when more measures were put in place by the government to stop the spread. These included a curfew from 6am to 7pm when citizens must stay within 10km of their homes. From 7pm to 6am, a curfew is in force in metropolitan France.
Nurseries are shut until 26th April. The national school calendar has been modified: spring holidays now run from 10th April to 26th April, wherever you are in France.
Kindergartens (maternelles) and primary schools will put in place distance learning from 6th April to 10th April. Pupils will return to school on 26th April.
Secondary and high schools (collèges and lycées) have put in place distance learning from 6th April to 10th April and from 26th April to 30th April. Pupils will return to school on 3rd May, with a mix of distance and on-site learning, according to local conditions. All pupils over the age of six must wear a mask while at school (except in kindergartens).
University will continue to apply current rules (i.e. distance learning in most cases). Students may go on-site one day per week.
Shops selling essential goods and services may open, as may bookshops, record stores, DIY shops, florists and garden centres, hairdressers, cobblers, chocolate shops, car sellers and estate agents. These shops must close for 7pm. Bars, restaurants, cinemas, theatres, museums and gyms remain closed.
Public services remain open. Places of worship may open. Congregations must practice social distancing (one row out of two and one seat out of three).
Whilst these measures seem to be having an effect, the worrying trend is that deaths are rising. In the past week France has seen a 5% increase in deaths due to Covid-19. Also in the past week, France has become one of the few nations around the world to register over 100,000 deaths. This week the total deaths stood at 102,713.
In Germany, the number of cases has risen by 2% week on week. A total of 148,280 compared to 14,104 were reported despite the Federal Government on Thursday signing into law new legislation designed to tackle high coronavirus infection numbers across the country.
The national “emergency brake” grants the federal government extra powers if caseloads exceed certain levels and includes measures such as a night-time curfew and limits on social contacts.
The new legislation was passed by the German lower house of parliament on Wednesday, before receiving final approval from the upper house – where Germany’s 16 states are represented – earlier on Thursday.
The changes to the Infectious Diseases Protection Act is aiming to have some impact on Germany’s fight against the third wave of coronavirus infections. Up to now it has been left to the regional governments to set their own rules. The new law has not gone down well in some cities; in Berlin and Cologne large crowds demonstrated against the lockdown rules.
The new law contains legislation to restrict personal contacts to one household and one other person, not counting children under 14. Exemptions include meetings of spouses and partners or the exercise of custody and access rights.
They have also implemented a 10pm to 5am curfew, with exceptions for walking and jogging alone until midnight, and exceptions for emergencies, professional practice, nursing and care, animal care, or other significant reasons. Non-essential shops only allow customers in with a negative Covid-19 test and an appointment. If the incidence rate exceeds 150, customers can only pick up pre-ordered goods (also known as Click & Collect).
In-person teaching will ceases at schools if the incidence rate exceeds 165. Exceptions for graduating classes and special schools are possible. Funerals are limited to 30 mourners. This new law is in effect until the 30th June 2021.
Across the Southern Border in Italy, new cases have started to reduce, from the peak of the third wave in mid-March when the average daily rate was over 22,500, to now in the past 7 days the daily rate has gone down to just over 13,000. This reduction has spurred the government to ease restrictions which have been in place since the start of the year.
On Monday, April 26, Italy will begin to ease restrictive measures as the country shows signs of falling infection numbers and the vaccine effort accelerates (16 million Italians have received the first dose and nearly 5 million are fully vaccinated). It has been confirmed that Tuscany will also return to “yellow zone” status on April 26. The 10pm-5am curfew, while hotly criticized, will remain in place until the end of May, when it will be re-evaluated.
From April 26 to June 15, in yellow zones, a maximum of four people (plus children) may visit another household in the same region once a day. In orange zones, a maximum of four people (plus children) may visit another household in the same municipality once a day. Household mixing is prohibited in red zones.
Museums and exhibitions will reopen in yellow zones on April 26, but on a reservation basis and at weekends. Cinemas and theatres will reopen with 50 percent capacity in yellow zones on April 26. No more than 1,000 spectators are permitted outdoors and 500 indoors.
At the same time, restaurants and eateries can reopen for lunch and dinner, but only outdoors and in yellow zones. A maximum of four persons can sit together, while bigger groups are allowed if you all live together. From June 1, in yellow zones, restaurants may also sit diners indoors until 6pm.
Shopping centres can reopen at weekends on May 15. Also in yellow zones, trade fairs, conferences and congresses will be allowed to resume on July 1. All team and contact sports will be allowed to resume in yellow zones on April 26, although changing rooms will remain out of bounds.
Pools and bathing houses may reopen on May 15 in yellow zones, while gyms can reopen on June 1. Stadiums may reopen in yellow zones with 25 per cent capacity, no more than 1,000 spectators outdoors and 500 indoors.
Finally, on our tour of Europe, we go to Denmark. Whilst the number of new cases in Europe have shown a drop of around 11% in the past week, Denmark unfortunately has shown the reverse with an increase of 14% in new cases and tragically a 69% increase in deaths due to Covid-19 in the past week. In numerical terms, Denmark may not be in the same category as France and Germany with a reported figure of new infections at 5,279 in the past week and the death figure is 22 people died compared to 13 the previous week, but with all this they are the first in Europe to launch a Covid-19 pass scheme to help non-essential businesses reopen.
Hosted on the Danish, digitalhealth portal, sundhed.dk, the Coronapas passport is available via an app or in paper format to people who have been vaccinated or have tested positive for the virus two to twelve weeks previously, or proven negative over the last 72 hours.
The website states that if you have been tested negative for Covid-19 and your test results are no older than seven days you can view and download a Coronapas for a Covid-19 test. sundhed.dk also advises that some countries have different rules and recommends that the traveller informs themselves on the applicable rules on the country in question via the Danish embassy website. The passport currently allows citizens to access certain non-essential businesses including, hairdressers, beauty salons and driving schools.
With the end goal of reopening the economy by 21 May, Denmark’s government estimates it will have vaccinated the majority of people over the age of 50 by that date.
The Scandinavian country aims to expand the passport usage to include terraces, which opened on 21 April, and eventually to museums, theatres, restaurants and cinemas from 6 May. Whether this sort of pass becomes more common remains to be seen but we have already seen the EU looking to introduce a Green Passport which will be valid across the EU for travel and other services.
For all things about travel from and to Portugal check out the Safe Communities website for the most up to date information.
In the meantime, Stay Safe Until the next time.
Total number of cases worldwide – 147,317,329
Total number of deaths worldwide – 3,116,012
Total number of recovered cases worldwide – 124,908,494
Active cases – 19,292,823 (13.1% of Total Cases)
Closed cases – 128,024,506
Information and statistics from:
https://www.worldometers.info/
https://www.france24.com/en/france/
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/weekly-trends/
https://www.dw.com/en/
Overseas Situation Report, Friday 23rd April 2021
“You always pass failure on the way to success.” – Mickey Rooney
This report continues our look at what has happened in the past week with regards to infections, vaccinations and any other news regarding Covid-19.
We will start in Africa. Across the continent the good news is that the number of infections compared to the previous week went down by 11% to 76,632 cases reported.
In this week the country with the highest number of new cases was Tunisia with 15,106 cases compared to 11,733 the previous week, a rise of 29%. Deaths unfortunately rose as well from 393 in the 7 days previous to 519 in the past week, a rise of 31%. This increase comes amid a ban on Health workers speaking to the media about the pandemic, unless authorized by the Government.
The government order came as Tunisia has been facing an unprecedented increase in coronavirus-related hospitalizations that has overwhelmed some intensive care units, and as the number of officially registered Covid-19 deaths approaches 10,000, in a country of around 11 million.
The government has closed schools and an overnight curfew is in place from 10:00 pm, with vehicles prohibited from circulating from 7:00 pm.
Additional measures last week including a ban on all public and private gatherings, the shuttering of weekly markets, and stronger enforcement of mask-wearing and social distancing.
Prime Minister, Hichem Mechichi, has ruled out a new nationwide lockdown, given what he described as the country’s difficult economic situation.
With the Muslim Holy Festival of Ramadan now started, the month of religious fasting usually sees large crowds gathering in shops, cafes and public spaces, and nationwide family gatherings, but the city centre of Tunisia’s capital Tunis, was almost empty before “iftar”, or breaking the fast at sunset on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Also in the North of Africa, Ethiopia has seen a reduction of 6% in cases in the past week while deaths from Covid-19 increased by 14%. Since the start of the year, when the country had a 7 day average case rate of 394, the numbers continued to rise until two weeks ago when the 7 day rate peaked at 2163 cases. Since then they have seen a reduction each week.
In this extremely poor nation they need all the help they can get to combat the virus, one company, International Clinical Laboratories (ICL) has launched a free Covid-19 testing program for 50,000 people in Tigray. The Laboratory kicked off the massive campaign earlier this week in collaboration with Tigray Health Bureau and Mekele Hospital after securing a permission from Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) and Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH).
The testing campaign is expected to reach other health facilities in the region, and in addition to the Public Health Facilities in Tigray, ICL is partnering with other private health facilities to offer free Covid-19 testing for individuals who cannot afford the test.
“We are extremely excited to serve the residents of Tigray through this testing campaign. We believe this will contribute to strengthen the Covid-19 response and curb further spread in the community. Covid-19 tests might be costly, especially for the low-income households and those struggling financially. And this is part of ICL’s aim to make Covid-19 testing available for everyone,” said Tamrat Bekele, CEO of ICL- Ethiopia.
Next we go to the country which has been the hardest hit in Africa. South Africa has seen two peaks in infections and since the start of the pandemic has reported 1,569,935 cases and 53,940 deaths from the virus. In the past few weeks they have seen a gradual drop in cases and the latest weekly figures show that they recorded 8376 new cases compared to 7,950 the previous week, a rise of 5%. This spike has occurred in three main areas and the authorities are investigating whether it is a spike or a communal infection.
However, when you see that they were experiencing almost 22,000 cases a day, you can understand why there is room for optimism from the government. Meanwhile the country’s mass vaccination campaign is scheduled to officially start on May 17, 2021 “to achieve population immunity by the first quarter in 2022,” according to Zwelini Mkhize, the Health Minister.
“Provided we receive the vaccines as committed to by the manufacturers, we will be able to vaccinate 46.2 million South Africans by the end of the fourth quarter that is March 2022. This tally excludes the 500,000 that will be vaccinated under the Sisonke Protocol,” he stated. “We are also hopeful that COVAX will be able to deliver 1.2 million doses this quarter,” he added.
South Africa, a country of nearly 60 million people, started vaccinating health care workers in late February.
The Department of Basic Education says that it is considering the return of learners to schools on a full-time basis. However, he said that this decision would only be made after consultations with unions and would be guided by health and safety procedures. A large number of South Africa’s primary schools currently work on a rotational system, where pupils only come in on certain days of the week, in an effort to reduce crowding.
On the days that learners don’t physically go to school, they typically learn online from home. However, education experts have warned that this system is not sustainable in the long term.
And finally, on this tour around the world, we arrive back in Europe. For the past month the signs in Europe have been all about a third wave of infections. Some countries have been able to keep the number of infections down, like Portugal, through hard lockdowns. However, with a number of countries the lack of confinement has increased the number of infections.
Poland has seen its total number of Covid-19 cases more than double since the start of the year. Three weeks ago their 7 day average was 33,689 cases and this last week this has fallen to 10,150. In the past week they have seen a reduction of 35% in cases and a 16% reduction in deaths.
The healthcare system is now handling 29,831 Covid-19 hospitalisations, down from 30,706 recorded the day prior, including 3,229 patients on ventilators, against the total of 4,546 ventilators available, the Health Ministry reported. The health ministry also reported that 252,098 people are under quarantine. So far, 2,380,787 people have recovered. In all, 9,495,317 Poles have already received jabs against Covid-19, with 2,415,993 of those having had both doses of the vaccine, according to data posted on the official government website.
Poland is past the peak of the current third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, and in some regions restrictions can be eased from April 26, the health minister told an online press conference on Wednesday. Among others, Adam Niedzielski announced the reopening of hair and beauty salons and the restoration of hybrid education in grades 1-3 from April 26. He also informed that culture institutions would probably be reopened after the long weekend in May. Niedzielski added that current pandemic restrictions will be upheld in five provinces with exceptionally high infection figures – Slaskie, Dolnoslaskie, Wielkopolskie, Lodzkie and Opolskie.
Coupled with this news is that, on Wednesday, Poland saw a record number of Covid-19 vaccinations with 273,778 completed inoculations, a government official said on Thursday.
Michal Dworczyk, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office and the government commissioner for Poland’s vaccination programme, wrote on Twitter that the Wednesday vaccination count was a record in daily inoculations. He also thanked medical staff involved in the vaccinations. On Wednesday the government website said that 9,210,419 vaccinations have been carried out in Poland so far. Of this group, 6,868,703 persons have received the first shot of the two-phase AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, 2,341,716 have either received both shots or have taken the single-phase Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
And on that note we will leave this here.
Until the next time Stay Safe.
Total number of cases worldwide – 145,398,526
Total number of deaths worldwide – 3,087,230
Total number of recovered cases worldwide – 123,413,163
Active cases – 18,898,133 (13.0% of Total Cases)
Closed cases – 126,500,393
Information and statistics from:
https://www.worldometers.info/
https://www.africanews.com/2021/04/14/tunisia
https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/weekly-trends/
Overseas Situation Report, Wednesday April 14th 2021.
“It’s simple arithmetic: Your income can grow only to the extent that you do”. – T. Harv Eker..
As the death toll from Covid-19 edges ever closer to the 3 million mark and we are seeing a further increase in cases in many parts of the world this Overseas Report is looking at how it seems the richer in the world have got richer and the rich-poor gap has got wider. We also look at how the Virus has caused suspicion and resentment amongst many of the EU countries over vaccines.
In a recent speech the UN Secretary General said, “ Covid-19 has been likened to an x-ray, revealing fractures in the fragile skeleton of the societies we have built. It is exposing fallacies and falsehoods everywhere. The lie that free markets can deliver healthcare for all; The fiction that unpaid care work is not work; The delusion that we live in a post-racist world; The myth that we are all in the same boat. While we are all floating on the same sea, it’s clear that some are in super yachts, while others are clinging to the drifting debris.”
The Covid-19 pandemic emerged as a health crisis in the beginning – later on, it evolved into a global economic crisis, threatening jobs, incomes, and economic activities all around the world. As the death toll rises so the arguments about vaccines get more heated. After one year of worldwide grapple, there is still no sufficient symptom of normalization and the world continues to stay in the grip of the pandemic. The prospect of economic and social recovery remains uncertain.
The cost of the pandemic on the world economy has been devastating. The World Bank estimates showed that the world economy contracted by 4.3% in 2020.
In Europe, the estimated GDP fall for 2020 is around 6.8% in the Euro area and by 6.4% in the EU. The containment measures such as lockdowns and high-scale closures to mitigate and halt the pandemic have severely disrupted the global economic and social activities leading to an acute and unprecedented fall in employment.
The unprecedented fall in employment levels and bankruptcies have increased income inequality all over the world. Millions either lost their jobs and therefore their incomes or were forced to work fewer hours causing deterioration in incomes.
The far-reaching and multi-faceted impacts of the pandemic have hit an already profoundly unequal world, where the richest 1% have hoarded more than twice as much wealth as 6.9 billion people. The pandemic has been a drastic economic and social disaster for hundreds of millions of people all over the world, precipitating unemployment, loss of income, funerals, and other tragedies, while giant multinational companies have skyrocketed their profits during the pandemic, particularly in the e-commerce industry.
Thanks to lockdowns, Netflix got 37 million new subscribers, $25 billion in revenue, and $4.6 billion in profit in 2020. Due to the closure of the physical shops and consumers’ forced homestay, online shops have boosted their sales. Amazon, another Pandemic Winner, reported an increase in annual revenue by 38% amounting to more than $386 billion.
The striking inequality impact of the pandemic has been revealed comprehensively by the research of Oxfam. This research revealed that the increase in the wealth of the 10 richest billionaires during the pandemic could compensate for the pandemic-related poverty for all and could pay Covid-19 vaccine for all the world population.
The wealth of these richest people increased by $540 billion between 18 March and 31 December 2020 in a world where about half of the world population was forced to survive by less than $5.5 a day. Another research conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies showed that the wealth of 2,365 billionaires have increased more than $4.35 trillion, rising from $8.04 trillion to $12.39 trillion, between 18 March 2020 and 18 March 2021. Thirteen of those billionaires had a five-fold increase in their wealth in this period.
The number of billionaires on Forbes’ 35th annual list of the world’s wealthiest exploded to an unprecedented 2,755 — 660 more than a year ago. The total combined net worth of all these billionaires is estimated at US$13.1 trillion, up from US$8 trillion in last year.
While a huge amount of people are surviving under drastic poverty conditions, advocating and promoting a small number of privileged people to become Billionaires is a complete failure of the economic system. As the report of Oxfam proposes, the economic system should be reconstructed to prioritize society, rather than supporting rich shareholders to hoard colossal wealth. A minimum income to prevent poverty and fair wages to avoid inequality, besides the introduction of maximum wages, should be guaranteed for all.
The inequality that has come with the pandemic is seen in other ways. In Europe, the EC leaders no longer meet round an oval table. Instead, each of the 27 watches the other heads of state or government with suspicion via a video screen that shows a mosaic of faraway capitals.
Hopes that the crisis would encourage a new and tighter bloc to face a common challenge have given way to the reality of division: The pandemic has set member nation against member nation, and many capitals against the EU itself, as symbolized by the disjointed, virtual meetings the leaders now hold. Leaders fight over everything from virus passports to push tourism to the conditions for receiving pandemic aid. Perhaps worse, some attack the very structures the EU built to deal with the pandemic. Last month, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz decried how vaccine-buying in the bloc had become a “bazaar,” alleging poorer countries struck out while the rich thrived.
In some places, there have been demands for political accountability. In the Czech Republic recently, Prime Minister Andrej Babis fired his health minister, the third to be sacked during the pandemic in one of Europe’s hardest-hit countries. Last week, Slovakia’s government resigned over a secret deal to buy Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, and in Italy, Premier Giuseppe Conte was forced to resign over his handling of the economic fallout of the pandemic.
But overall, political upheaval across the EU has been muted, considering that half a million people have died in the pandemic. At the EU level, there has been no serious call for the ouster of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the bloc’s chief executive, despite her acknowledgment that serious mistakes were made.
The EU and its countries, of course, fell victim to some events beyond their control, as other nations around the globe did. Good arguments can be made that part of the the bloc’s problems are due to delayed deliveries from Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. But some of the crisis was plainly self-inflicted.
The typical complaint is that there is no united EU health structure to tackle the pandemic and that largely health is still a national domain. But for years, the bloc has had a common drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency. And since last summer, the EU decided to pool vaccine purchases and spread them equitably But while some non-EU nations were speeding ahead with emergency use authorizations, the EMA moved more slowly, at least in part because it followed a process that was largely similar to the standard licensing procedure that would be granted to any new vaccine. The agency’s first vaccine greenlight came some three weeks after one was OK’d in the United Kingdom — the first country to authorize a rigorously tested Covid-19 shot.
The bloc never caught up. On Friday, the U.K., for example, had given 46.85% of their citizens at least one dose, compared to 14.18% in the EU. The EU also made the mistake of overly equating securing vaccines with getting shots in the arms — and underestimating the difficulties involved in mass producing and distributing such a delicate product. While EU negotiators were focusing on liability clauses in a contract, other nations were thinking about logistics and pushing for speed and volume.
Stay Safe until the next time.
Total number of cases worldwide – 137,799,968
Total number of deaths worldwide – 2,965,489
Total number of recovered cases worldwide – 110,800,145
Active cases – 24,034,334 (17.4% of Total Cases)
Closed cases – 113,765,634
Information and statistics from:
https://www.worldometers.info/
https://www.brusselstimes.com/
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
https://www.seattletimes.com/
Overseas Situation Report, Monday 12th April 2021.
“Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality.” ― A rthur Schopenhauer
When the first cases of Covid-19 started to appear back in 2020, few would have thought that this “so called” flu like virus, as it was seen at the time, would have such a huge impact on our lives. At the start of a new week which has seen the number of deaths reach 3 million across the world, this report is looking at how religion and the act of worship has been affected in many parts of the world.
Religion is the medium through which humans forge threads of connectedness in varying degrees. Different religious systems that have their origins in specific cultural locations render the connections between humans in culturally mediated patterns. The mandate of the World Health Organization geared towards protecting humanity from the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic involves corporeal distance between people, which seems at first glance to be diagonally opposite of what religion stands for.
The mandate of the WHO which hinges on physical distancing as a proven response to halt the spread of the coronavirus, meant that for the religiously oriented people, life would not be normal for some time to come. Followers of religions have responded to these altered realities in different ways. While some have found religiously sanctioned instructions symmetrical to the guidelines given by WHO, others have discovered in the repository a mandate not just to accept the WHO guidelines on face value but to oppose them on religious grounds, as deliberate attempts to undermine the influence of religion in public life.
Many of the religions throughout the world are sustained by rituals, rites, processions and ceremonies. It is these that have been severely curtailed in the fight against the virus.
With days left until the start of Ramadan, the traditional month of fasting and feasting in the Islamic world, governments are announcing new measures against Covid-19. New cases continue to emerge, along with new mutations and variants of the virus, prompting painful restrictive measures that reduce contact between family members. In Saudi Arabia, home of the holy city of Mecca, Saudi authorities said on Monday that only people immunised against Covid-19 will be allowed to perform the year-round Umrah pilgrimage, starting from the holy month of Ramadan. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said in a statement that only “immunised people” will be granted permits to perform Umrah as well as prayers in the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca. These include individuals who have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, those having received one dose of the vaccine at least 14 days before performing the pilgrimage, or a person who has recovered from the virus, the ministry said.
The ministry also said it would increase the operational capacity of the holy mosque in adherence with Covid-19 measures and restrictions. With infections on the rise, it remains to be seen if this same policy will be used at the annual Haj pilgrimage later in the year.
From Morocco to Indonesia, the virus continues to worry public health officials. Ahead of Ramadan, governments feel the need to restrict movement among citizens in fear of a new wave of Covid-19 infections that could threaten months of progress. The continued threat of Covid-19 to Muslims across the world was emphasized by the sheer amount of new cases detected over the past 24 hours. In the Maghreb, Tunisia is the worst affected country currently with 1,833 new cases discovered, followed by Libya (869), Morocco (635), and Algeria where 112 new cases were discovered.
In the Middle East, nations similarly struggle to contain the spread. Iran is in the middle of a fourth wave of infections, with 22,586 cases reported on Friday while Turkey has recorded 55,941 new cases. Saudi Arabia, home to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, reported 902 new cases as well as announcing new restrictions on the Umrah pilgrimage as well as visits to the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.
To a greater extent, much of the worship has gone online and this in itself has proved difficult for many to remain focussed. But it is also the case that for others this pandemic has seen them re-acquaint themselves with their old religion or in some cases finding a new focus.
Like many last March, the pandemic took Misha Allard by surprise. The 36-year-old from Toronto, Canada, had recently quit her corporate job to pursue an acting career – something “I guess I kind of felt I was being led to all along,” she says, looking back with hindsight she felt was her “calling”. With productions halted and no work in sight, Ms Allard decided to use the spring to explore another calling – her growing interest in spirituality. Like many millennials, Ms Allard had not attended church in years. She went every Sunday as a child, but when she hit her teenage years, she lost interest. Now, with nothing but time on her hands, she decided she would revisit her faith and see if she could find it a home. The pandemic had caused most churches to go from in-person worship to online services, which made it easy for her to try out different denominations.
One of those churches was the Meeting House, a protestant church that a friend had told her was “a church for people who don’t like church”. “I happened to attend their Sunday service, and they were doing a four-part series on basically love, and the fact that Jesus is love, and that so resonated with me, because I really believe that, and now more than ever do we really need love,” she says. Ms Allard has since become a regular member, attending at least one online service a week.
In the Vatican, the home of the Roman Catholic church many of the services have been online since early 2020. The recent Easter festival, a highlight of the religious calendar saw the Pope conducting Mass on-line with a very small audience of specially invited people. Normally thousands would gather in the Vatican Square to hear his Easter sermon.
For the Vatican, the pandemic has brought another issue to the fore. The buildings and basilicas of the Vatican are a massive tourist attraction generating big revenue for the Church. With very few tourists around the church has started to bring in pay cuts for Cardinals and other Vatican staff with cuts of up to 10%.
In a statement issued last week, the pontiff has said that low-ranking staff will not face wage cuts but neither will they see traditional biennial pay raises. The lowest earners at the Holy See will not suffer reductions to pay checks, nor will any staff who can prove that cuts would make it, “impossible to meet fixed expenses related to their health conditions,” or that of close relatives.
The pay cuts announced on Wednesday will also apply to several Vatican basilicas in Rome as well as to the Vicariate, or diocese of Rome, all of which are under the Pope’s direction.
In a decree signed on Tuesday, Pope Francis noted that the Holy See’s finances, already troubled by several years of deficits, have worsened dramatically due to the global coronavirus pandemic, “which has impacted negatively on all the sources of revenue of the Holy See and Vatican City State.”
Finally, we take a look at Thailand, Thailand was the second country after China to have registered a Covid-19 case. Buddhist monks and local temples play a central role in towns and villages across Thailand. Monks engage with the community on a daily basis, while temples (each led by a chief monk) are often the institution people turn to when they feel anxious or troubled. The temples have also offered worship of various kinds and are at the centre of pilgrimages during certain observances and festivals. They have been the primary source of support, comfort, guidance, direct health care and social service. To fight against Covid-19, however, temples all around the country have been closed to the public. Temple personnel have adopted innovative measures such as setting up sanitizing tunnels and wearing a mask while performing their religious duties in order to comply with social distancing measures.
The new normal living with Covid-19 includes conducting masses online in order to respect social distancing (1.5 meters) measures, always wearing a mask, making spiritual communion, receiving the blessing, staying at home, and taking care of the sick and the elderly. Buddhist devotees, who comprise 95% of the Thai population, also closely follow lockdown rules. The approved pandemic response to Covid-19 is continuing with analysis and observing social distancing to stop asymptomatic transmission. The monks who go to their daily alms round, or pindacara, dressed in face masks as well as robes, have become a common sight during the Covid-19 pandemic in Thailand.
The Virus knows no boundaries and affects everyone whether religious or not so …..
Stay Safe until the next time.
Total number of cases worldwide – 136,431,277
Total number of deaths worldwide – 2,945,610
Total number of recovered cases worldwide – 109,688,030
Active cases – 23,797,267 (17.4% of Total Cases)
Closed cases – 112,635,773
Information and statistics from:
https://www.worldometers.info/
https://www.dw.com/en/
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/
Overseas Situation Report, Friday 9th April 2021.
“Life is a mix of good and bad phases. Make the most of the good times, and never lose hope during the bad times.” ― Dr Prem Jagyasi
We are all in this together….
Today’s Overseas Report is looking at the current state of the pandemic in all parts of the world and where the “hotspots” are currently.
With the US, UK and some other countries showing a declining graph for daily new Covid-19 cases against the backdrop of increasing vaccination rates there, Brazil and India are now the new pandemic epicentres. A fresh wave of infections is spreading fast in the two countries, with Brazil reporting new peaks in daily cases and India’s cases touching five-month highs.
The surge in India has particularly alarmed the world. In the past week there have been over 600,000 new cases recorded from India. From 1st March the number of active infected people has risen from 135,000 to just over 690,000 people. Deaths in India, at just under 168,000, are compared to the rest of the world at a low 120 deaths per 1 million people. However, the testing regime in India is very low so the actual number of cases may be much higher than recorded.
One of the main reasons for the alarm around the world is because India is also a vaccine manufacturing hub. In normal times, it caters to over 60% of the vaccine demand from developing countries. In the present pandemic, India 
has emerged as the biggest exporter of the AstraZeneca vaccine through a local firm, the Serum Institute of India (SII), which is also the world’s biggest vaccine maker.
However, following the emergence of the second wave, India decided to restrict the Covid-19 vaccine exports, besides lowering the minimum age for vaccination from 60 and above earlier to 45 and above from April 1st. While India is doing the right thing in prioritizing its population over other countries, what has compounded the situation is the country’s heavy reliance on the AstraZeneca vaccine, one of the only two vaccines cleared for use in the country.
India has committed to supply 200 million doses to low-income countries under the Covax programme of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) and the World Health Organization (WHO). SII has a manufacturing capacity of around 60 million doses per month. GAVI says Covax has already notified participating countries that deliveries from SII will be delayed in March and April.
There were 2.6 million new cases reported across the world last week, up 7% from the prior week, the WHO said in its weekly epidemiological update that reflects data received as of Sunday morning. That follows six consecutive weeks of declining new cases all over the world.
The reversal could be caused by the emergence of several new, more contagious variants of the coronavirus, relaxing public measures and so-called pandemic fatigue, in which people become tired of following precautions, the WHO said in its weekly report. Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said during a Q&A event at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva on Wednesday that the global health agency is trying to better understand what’s causing the reversal in trends in each region and country. “I can tell you what we’re worried about is with the introduction of vaccines and vaccination in a number of countries, we still need people to carry out their individual-level measures,” she said, urging people to practice physical distancing and continue to wear masks when around others.
“By seeing this one week of increase in trends, it’s a pretty stern warning to all of us that we need to stay the course,” Van Kerkhove said. “We need to keep adhering to these measures at hand.”
Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies program, suggested that the uptick could be because “we may be relaxing a little before we’ve got the full impact of vaccination.” He added that he understands the temptation to socialize more and to revert to more normal behaviour, but “the problem is every time we’ve done that before the virus has exploited that.”
Ryan noted that deaths have not yet risen with cases, but that could change in the coming weeks. Hopefully, he said, a rise in deaths can be avoided due to the vaccination of those most vulnerable to the disease.
While the rollout of vaccines is cause for optimism in some countries, Ryan noted that many nations across the world have not yet received doses. He said that 80% of doses have been administered in just 10 countries.
Meanwhile in Europe, cases have risen again across many areas of Europe. In France, as they enter their third lockdown and closure of schools, new restrictions are being rolled out across the country. Schools are closing and moving to remote learning at least until 26th April. Non-essential shops across the country also have to close. People will be allowed to exercise outdoors within 10km (6 miles) of their home but cannot travel to other parts of the country unless they have a valid reason. As in previous lockdowns, they will have to fill out a form to explain why they have left their homes. There is a nationwide curfew between 19:00 and 06:00.
Germany has recorded its largest public sector deficit in decades as the country struggles with the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, the country recorded its largest shortfall since German reunification. Germany’s public finances went into the red for the first time since 2013 as the coronavirus pandemic took its toll on the country’s economy last year, according to official figures released Wednesday.
Covid-19 lockdown measures drove up public spending and hit tax revenue hard enough to produce the largest deficit since German reunification in 1991.
As Germany struggles to tackle a third wave of Covid-19 cases during a sluggish vaccination campaign, several state leaders have backed calls for a period of strict restrictions. On Wednesday, a German government spokeswoman said the chancellor was in favour of a short nationwide lockdown to help stem rising coronavirus figures.
The differing rules across the country’s 16 states “is not contributing to security and acceptance at the moment,” she added. Under Germany’s federal system, each state ultimately has the power to decide its own coronavirus rules. Some have failed to impose tougher restrictions despite case numbers that exceed a nationally-agreed “emergency brake,” and even gone ahead with a relaxation of the rules. Among those calling for a short and tougher lockdown is Armin Laschet, the leader of Merkel’s Christian Democrat party, who said a “bridge lockdown” could be needed to keep cases down until more people have been vaccinated. He has also called for talks between the chancellor and other state premiers, scheduled for next Monday, to be brought forward.
With cases rising, and the Easter period a time when people meet up the German Authorities in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania sent hundreds of people were asked to leave by authorities after they failed to present a valid reason for their stay, The northern state, known for its Baltic Sea coastline, is a popular tourist destination, particularly among day-trippers.
A total of 343 people in 189 vehicles were expelled from the state on Good Friday, and 193 people were asked to leave on Saturday after officers checked 91 vehicles in Neubrandenburg in Mecklenburg’s lake district, the police said. “Overall, the people who were turned away behaved in a cooperative and friendly manner. A total of 790 vehicles were checked,” they said.
The police further urged “all citizens to observe the current coronavirus regulations in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and refer in particular to the existing restrictions and hygiene regulations.” Tourism, even as a day trip, is not permitted in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as part of the pandemic restrictions. Visits to members of immediate family, such as parents and children, are allowed.
In many other European countries similar events have been taking place as well as demonstrations against the lockdowns. It remains to be seen how much longer these events will have to continue before we get back to normality.
Until the next time Stay Safe and Stay Home.
Total number of cases worldwide – 134,069,075
Total number of deaths worldwide – 2,906,571
Total number of recovered cases worldwide – 108,054,587
Active cases – 23,107,917 (17.2% of Total Cases)
Closed cases – 110,961,158
Information and statistics from:
https://www.worldometers.info/
https://www.dw.com/en
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/cases-2019-ncov-eueea
Overseas Situation Report, Wednesday 7th April 2021.
“When you wear a mask you’ll be saving a life. That life could be your own, or someone who means a lot to you.” ― Ron Baratono
This Overseas Report is looking at the more stranger happenings during the Covid-19 Pandemic across the world. Some are amusing, some not, but they all offer a taste of what life is like for people trying to live as normal a life as they can in these very different times.
First, we go to the Eternal City of Rome, Italy. Social distancing isn’t usually part of the ballroom dancing lexicon. But in an industrial zone on the outskirts of Rome, couples of every age twirl and turn across the dance floor, even through a pandemic, just as ballroom dancers have done for decades around the world.
While much of Italy is in a coronavirus lockdown, with live music and theatrical performances barred, cinemas shuttered and many sporting activities limited, competitive ballroom dancing is alive and well in Rome, albeit with precautions.
The couples at the New Dancing Days Hall are preparing for the Italian Championships in Rimini in July and as such are allowed to keep practicing, given that the government considers their activity in the national interest. Its the same allowance that has enabled other federally recognized competitive athletes to keep training in Italy, even during the latest round of virus-related closures.
“Yes, we can do it. Here we can keep on dancing,” said Raffaella Serafini, the 45-year-old owner of New Dancing Days and a 35-year veteran of competitive ballroom dancing.
In the huge hall with mirrors on the walls and multi-coloured lights, couples wear masks during warm-ups and pauses but are allowed to remove them while performing traditional Ballroom or Latin dances. Most keep them on anyway.
“It’s something beautiful for us because we’re older, but we can still put ourselves in play,” said Franco Cauli, a 70-year-old dancer, who along with his 74-year-old partner, is training for a competition at the end of April.
He said he felt safe with the health protocols taken by the school and says participants rigorously respect them.
The Italian Dance Sport Federation has decreed that 34 athletes are allowed to train in a school the size of New Dancing Days, recognizing that continuity in practice is necessary. Currently there are 17 couples, aged nine to 76, who train up to five days a week.
From a viewing spot above the dance floor, Serafini keeps an eye on her twirling students and shouts directions to them. If she sees something wrong, she’ll stop the music, go down to the dance floor and demonstrate the correct way to do a step, pose or twirl.
“The school is my great pride. When I see them on the dance floor, it is like I am there,” she said.
Not far away in Paris, France – French authorities are investigating accusations that government ministers and others dined in secret restaurants in violation of pandemic restrictions.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said an investigation was opened Sunday into possible charges of endangerment and undeclared labour, and to identify the organizers and participants of the alleged gatherings.
A documentary that aired on French network M6 over the weekend included an unidentified man saying that he had eaten in two or three clandestine restaurants “with a certain number of ministers.”
Government members quickly denied knowledge of such wrongdoing. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin asked police to look into the claims.
The prosecutor’s office said on Monday that the investigation is continuing despite reports that the man featured in the documentary had retracted his claim.
French restaurants have been closed since October to slow the spread of the coronavirus. France just entered a new partial lockdown in response to intensive care units again filling with Covid-19 patients.
Government spokesman, Gabriel Attal, said on LCI television Sunday night that authorities have been investigating reports of clandestine parties and restaurants for months, and 200 suspects have been identified and face “heavy punishment.”
In Toronto, Canada – as temperatures gradually rise and spring begins, another seasonal visitor looms on the horizon – allergies.
While Canada continues to implement measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19 and the virus variants, Dr. Jason K. Lee of the Toronto Allergy and Asthma Clinic says its paramount to get allergy symptoms under control to know the difference between whether you’ve contracted coronavirus or just have allergies.
“In general, usually people with allergies have a long history with seasonality, if you’ve had this before you’ll have this recurring,” Lee said on CTV’s ‘Your Morning Monday’. “There’s more nasal symptoms, runny nose, congestion, chains of sneezing [associated with allergies]…with Covid-19, as it’s an infection, fever and what we call constitutional symptoms of chills, muscle aches – those are more likely to point to Covid-19.”
Lee said that coughing and shortness of breath is also more associated with coronavirus infections but there are a “few caveats here or there,” depending on what type of asthma and allergies people have.
One of the most important things doctors have learned a year into the pandemic is that allergy sufferers are “more likely” to be more potent spreaders of Covid-19, Lee said.
“If you have allergies and you get Covid-19 it’s more likely that you’re going to aerosolized it by sneezing – so it’s very important to control your symptoms” Lee explained, noting that if you leave allergies untreated it can predispose you to getting infections in general.
Staying in Toronto, – Stigma towards people with obesity could be preventing some from signing up for early Covid-19 vaccine prioritization, advocates and doctors say.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has said people with severe obesity have a higher risk of catching Covid-19 and dying from it, so some provinces such as Ontario and Alberta have been offering them early vaccine access.
But doctors and advocates say people in this at-risk group could feel hesitant to sign up because of judgment from others in line or even from medical staff. “While most people in our community that I have spoken to have been overwhelmingly positive about the prioritization in some provinces for obesity, I have spoken to several individuals who are hesitant to register for the vaccine in the prioritization,” Ian Patton, patient advocate and a registered kinesiologist, told CTVNews.ca in an email.
“Some are embarrassed or worried about what their friends and family will say and are terrified of having to justify their early access to the vaccine,” said Patton, who is also the Director of Advocacy and Public Engagement at advocacy group Obesity Canada. “Especially with how brutal some of the stigma around obesity has been during the pandemic.”
And to end this report we go back across the Atlantic to Sweden. On March 25th, 2023 the world will reach a milestone – or at least one country will. In Sweden, cash will be declared useless, and all payments will be digital. That Sweden is the host of this experiment won’t be a surprise to anyone who has tried to use cash there recently: It was the first country in Europe to introduce bank notes, in 1661, and has been at the forefront of banking innovations ever since.
A cashless future has been in the air for a while. Twenty-three years ago in Hong Kong, the Octopus card launched, providing a contactless payment system that could be used in stores as well as on all public transport, including its ferries. This innovation was copied by other cities such as London with its Oyster card – the sea creature link is not coincidence. Since then, though, Oyster has been bypassed by contactless debit cards—on public transport and elsewhere – and companies like Visa and Mastercard reign as the kings of ‘cashlessness’.
While there is a much separate discussion about Bitcoin and digital currencies, the cash question is just a matter of practicality. It is all to do with what consumers want, and Covid-19 has moved things along. Last March the World Health Organization told us all to switch to contactless “to slow virus transmission.” Among the evidence it likely used is a 2017 study in which researchers swabbed one-dollar bills to see what was living on them. Among hundreds of species of microorganisms, they found microbes from mouths and DNA from pets and viruses.
Whether this will catch on with other countries or not we can see that the world as we once knew it has changed considerably since the pandemic entered our lives.
Until the next time Stay Safe and Stay Home.
Total number of cases worldwide – 133,050,039
Total number of deaths worldwide – 2,886,728
Total number of recovered cases worldwide – 107,300,824
Active cases – 22,862,487 (17.2% of Total Cases)
Closed cases – 110,187,552
Information and statistics from:
https://www.worldometers.info/
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/
Overseas Situation Report, Monday 5th April 2021.
Happy Easter to you all. Feliz Páscoa, Joyeuses Pâques, Frohe Ostern, Buona Pasqua, Vrolijk Pasen, God påske, Glad Pask.
I would have liked to start with some good news but unfortunately the Virus is not allowing this to be. The world is still seeing increasingly more cases of the virus in the past 6 weeks.
Since the start of the pandemic back in February 2020, the world saw a steady increase in daily infections to January 8 2021 when a record 844,590 cases were reported in a single day. Since then, we hoped that this peak would see a regular decrease in cases which happened until the 19th February where we saw a 7 day moving average of 361,643 cases. Unfortunately, since then we have seen the daily case rate increase until we now have at the latest count, 701,660 cases reported on the 1st April 2021.
This worrying trend is being seen in many countries and it helps us all to focus on the fact that this virus is nowhere near beaten and we must all keep to the plans put out by governments to beat it.
The subject of this report is all about how the Virus has changed our world. In a recent paper published by the organisation ReliefWeb, they have for the past year been compiling statistics across a wide range of subjects and they make very interesting reading. I have highlighted some of these in this report.
It has now been over a year since the pandemic began, and statistics are becoming available that quantify the year-on-year impacts of this terrible crisis and begin to hint at what a recovery and “post-COVID” world might look like.
Some key findings include:
- 8.8 percent of global working hours were lost in 2020, equivalent to 255 million full-time jobs, an amount that is four times greater than the job losses during the 2009 financial crisis.
- COVID-19 is estimated to have pushed 119-124 million people into poverty in 2020, a substantial increase from earlier estimates.
- Aviation passenger traffic declined by 60 percent in 2020, while shipping activity—as measured by vessel port calls—likely declined by around 10 percent.
- The Human Development Index recorded its first drop since 1990 due to the pandemic, which has erased decades of progress in the female labour participation rate.
- International tourism recorded its worst year ever on record; international tourism declined by 74 percent.
- CO2 emissions declined 6 percent in 2020 largely attributable to reduced activity in aviation and transport. As countries undertake recovery efforts, many are including green and sustainable targets in their planning.
To look at two of these in more detail, I have chosen subjects that have impacted many of us in our daily lives, rather than governmental issues like GDP and Government debt.
First, we look at the world of aviation.
The latest economic impact analysis of COVID-19 on civil aviation by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) reveals that for the year 2020, as a whole, global passenger traffic fell drastically by 60% or 2.7 billion, compared with 4.5 billion in 2019.
This brings global air travel totals back to 2003 levels. Resulting from the plunge in air traffic, airline financial losses are estimated to reach USD 370 billion, with Asia/Pacific accounting the biggest losses by 32%, followed by Europe (27%) and North America (24%).
Estimation in ICAO air traffic dashboards shows that airports and air navigation services providers (ANSPs) have lost a further USD 115 billion and USD 13 billion, respectively. With the wide-scale lockdown measures, border closures, and travel restrictions being set out around the world, by April the overall number of passengers had fallen 92 per cent from 2019 levels.
Subsequent to the April low point being reached, passenger traffic saw a moderate rebound during the summer travel period. However, that upward trend was short-lived. Hampered by the resurgence of infection in many regions since September of 2020, sectoral recovery became more vulnerable and volatile again, indicating an overall double-dip recession for the year.
There has been a persistent disparity between domestic and international air travel impacts. Overall, the number of domestic passengers ended 2020 with a decline of 50% year-over-year, while international traffic stayed stagnant at far below 2019 levels, with 74% or 1.4 billion fewer passengers.
Due to the drastic fall in traffic, aircraft utilization dropped sharply by 58%, 50% and 43% for single aisle, twin aisle and regional jets, respectively. Nevertheless, the average utilization of dedicated freighters increased by 4%. The near-term outlook is for prolonged depressed demand, with downside risks to global air travel recovery predominating in the first half of 2021.
ICAO’s projection (March 2021) indicates that global passenger number in 2021 would be 44% to 56% lower than 2019 levels. This traffic reduction would translate into further USD 281 to 351 billion loss in gross passenger operation revenues of airlines.
The second subject of interest is International Travel.
International tourist arrivals have fallen from almost 1.5 billion in 2019 to around 380 million in 2020, a 74 percent decline. This represents a loss of an estimated 1.3 trillion USD in international tourism expenditure, about 11 times the loss of the 2009 global crisis. This unprecedented impact has disproportionately affected SIDS (Small Islands & Developing States) and their population for a number of reasons.
Tourism is one of the hardest hit sectors by the COVID-19 pandemic, with unprecedented impact from an economic and social point of view. According to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer (January 2021), international tourist arrivals have fallen by 74 percent from almost 1.5 billion arrivals in 2020 to around 381 million in 2019, reaching the lowest levels on record.
While all regions have been heavily affected, Asia and the Pacific has suffered the most during this period, with a decrease of 84 percent in international arrivals, followed by the Middle East and Africa, with a decline of 75 percent. It is expected that international tourism will take between 2.5 to 4 years to return to the 2019 levels. The fall in international arrivals in 2020 translates into an estimated loss of 1.3 trillion USD in global inbound tourism expenditure with respect to 2019, more than 11 times the loss experienced with the 2009 global crisis.
In 2020, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) lost 77 percent of international tourist arrivals according to UNWTO data. The conjunction of several factors: a) heavy economic dependence on tourism, weak domestic markets, which are the ones expected to recover faster, undiversified source markets based in other regions that require long-haul air travel, and (b) the deep impact of the pandemic and travel restrictions on the main source markets, has placed SIDS and their inhabitants in a critical situation.
Let’s hope that if we all follow the guidelines, with the vaccine now available, that sometime soon the world will be more open for business, and we will all have the option of travelling safely.
Until next time, Stay Safe.
Total number of cases worldwide – 131,576,586
Total number of deaths worldwide – 2,862,454
Total number of recovered cases worldwide – 105,964,441
Active cases – 22,749,691 (17.3% of Total Cases)
Closed cases – 108,826,895
Information and statistics from:
https://www.worldometers.info/
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/CCSA_COVID19_Volume-III.pdf
Overseas Situation Report, Friday 2nd April 2021.
“It’s Friday. I’m alive. I’m breathing. I’m living. I’m blessed. Life is good”. – Unknown
Welcome to the Overseas Report. As we reach the end of the first quarter of 2021 and for many countries the anniversary of when the Pandemic first started to hit, this report is focussing on the current situation within Europe and across the world.
Globally, new Covid-19 cases rose for a fifth consecutive week, with just over 3.8 million new cases reported in the last week. The number of new deaths increased for the second consecutive week, increasing by 5% compared to last week, with over 64 000 new deaths reported. All regions reported an increase in the number of cases this week, and all regions, except for the African Region, reported an increase in the number of deaths. The European Region and the Region of the Americas continue to account for nearly 80% of all the cases and deaths.
The highest numbers of new cases were reported from Brazil (533 024 new cases; 5% increase), the United States of America (421 936 new cases; 13% increase), India (372 494 new cases; 55% increase), France (254 228 new cases; 24% increase), and Poland (192 441 new cases; 27% increase).
A breakdown of each region shows us the following:
African Region
After reporting a decline in new cases for two consecutive weeks, the African Region reported a 22% increase in new cases (>62,000 cases) compared to the previous week, and over 1300 new deaths, a 6% decrease. The highest numbers of new cases were reported from Ethiopia (13 153 new cases; 11.4 new cases per .000 population; a 14% increase) and Kenya (9167 new cases; 17 new cases per 100,000; a 25% increase). The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from South Africa (566 new deaths; one new death per 100,000 population; a 31% decrease) and Ethiopia (137 new deaths; <0.1 new deaths per 100,000; a 28% increase).
Region of the Americas
The Region of the Americas reported over 1.3 million new cases and over 32,000 new deaths, an 11% and 4% increase respectively compared to the previous week. Overall, there has been an increasing trend in weekly reported cases in the last five weeks. A slight increase in new deaths has been reported in the last two weeks after a decline in deaths for the six prior weeks. The highest numbers of new cases were reported from Brazil (533,024 new cases; 250.8 new cases per 100,000; a 5% increase), the United States of America (421 936 new cases; 127.5 new cases per 100 000; a 13% increase), and Peru (60,739 new cases; 184.2 new cases per 100,000; a 24% increase). The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from Brazil (16,798 new deaths; 7.9 new deaths per 100,000; a 10% increase), the United States of America (6,995 new deaths; 2.1 new deaths per 100 000; a 7% decrease), and Mexico (3,643 new deaths; 2.8 new deaths per 100 000; an 8% increase).
European Region
The European Region reported over 1.6 million new cases and just under 24,000 new deaths in the past week, an 11% and a 7% increase respectively compared to the previous week. The number of new cases in the Region has been steadily increasing over the past five weeks while the number of new deaths has increased for the past three weeks.
The highest numbers of new cases were reported from France (254,228 new cases; 389.5 new cases per 100 000; a 24% increase), Poland (192,441 new cases; 508.5 new cases per 100 000; a 27% increase), and Turkey (186,421 new cases; 221.0 new cases per 100,000; a 47% increase).
The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from Italy (2,994 new deaths; 5.0 new deaths per 100,000; an 8% increase), the Russian Federation (2,710 new deaths; 1.9 new deaths per 100,000; an 8% decrease), and Poland (2,584 new deaths; 6.8 new deaths per 100,000; a 22% increase).
Eastern Mediterranean Region
The Eastern Mediterranean Region reported just under 271,000 new cases and over 3,400 new deaths, a 3% and a 5% increase respectively compared to the previous week. Both cases and deaths are on an upward trajectory with new cases increasing for the past seven weeks and deaths for the past five weeks.
The highest numbers of new cases were reported from Jordan (55,467 new cases; 543.6 new cases per 100,000; a 4% decrease), the Islamic Republic of Iran (53,118 new cases; 63.2 new cases per 100,000; a 2% decrease), and Iraq (37,767 new cases; 93.9 new cases per 100,000; an 8% increase).
The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from Jordan (684 new deaths; 6.7 new deaths per 100,000; a 36% increase), the Islamic Republic of Iran (584 new deaths; 0.7 new deaths per 100,000; similar to last week), and Pakistan (359 new deaths; 0.2 new deaths per 100,000; an 11% increase).
South-East Asia Region
The South-East Asia Region reported over 437,000 new cases and just under 3,000 new deaths, a 46% and a 21% increase respectively compared to the previous week. Cases in the Region have been steadily increasing over the past three weeks, with a sharp increase in the past two weeks.
Almost 85% of cases in the Region over the past week were from India which reported 372,494 new cases (27 new cases per 100,000; a 55% increase). The other countries reporting the highest numbers of new cases in the Region were Indonesia (36,214 new cases; 13.2 new cases per 100,000; a 12% decrease) and Bangladesh (23,100 new cases; 14.0 new cases per 100,000; an 85% increase).
The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from India (1,797 new deaths;< 0.1 new deaths per 100,000; a 57% increase), Indonesia (917 new deaths; 0.3 new deaths per 100,000; an 18% decrease), and Bangladesh (201 new deaths; <0.1 new deaths. per 100,000; a 43% increase).
Western Pacific Region
The Western Pacific Region reported over 84,000 new cases and just over 500 new deaths, a 32% and a 7% increase respectively compared to the previous week. The Region has reported a steep increase in the number of new cases over the past three weeks.
The highest numbers of new cases were reported from the Philippines (56,380 new cases; 51.5 new cases per 100,000; a 43% increase), Japan (11,211 new cases; 8.9 new cases per 100,000; a 28% increase), and Malaysia (8,929 new cases; 27.6 new cases per 100,000; a 4% decrease).
The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from the Philippines (229 new deaths; 0.2 new deaths per 100,000; a 40% increase), Japan (219 new deaths; 0.2 new deaths per 100,000; a 13% decrease), and the Republic of Korea (26 new deaths; <0.1 new deaths per 100,000; a 4% decrease).
At the beginning of the year the WHO issued a call for all wealthy countries to work together to ensure vaccination begins in all countries within the first 100 days of the year.
As of the end of the month of March, 177 countries and economies have started vaccination. In just one month, COVAX has distributed more than 32 million vaccines to 61 countries. However, there are still 36 countries without vaccines. Of those, 16 are scheduled to receive their first doses from COVAX within the next 15 days. That leaves 20 countries who are still waiting for vaccines.
Across the world the vaccine programmes have started, but in many places the pace has been criticised. In Europe, new cases are increasing in every age group, except in people 80 years and older. It is only in this most vulnerable population that we have seen a steady decline in cases and a decreasing proportion of Covid-19 deaths since the beginning of 2021, reflecting early signs of the impact of vaccination.
New data from Public Health England suggest that Covid-19 vaccines have saved, at the very least, over 6,000 lives among people over 70, since vaccination started in December 2020. Similarly, data from Israel show that the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine is around 90% effective at preventing infection, severe disease and hospitalisation after the second dose.
“Vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic. Not only do they work, they are also highly effective in preventing infection. However, the rollout of these vaccines is unacceptably slow. And as long as coverage remains low, we need to apply the same public health and social measures as we have in the past, to compensate for delayed schedules. Let me be clear: we must speed up the process by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administering vaccines, and using every single vial we have in stock, now,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
To date, only 10% of the Region’s total population has received 1 vaccine dose, and 4% has completed a full vaccine series.
“The risk of ongoing vaccination providing a false sense of security to authorities and the public alike is considerable – and that carries a danger,” Dr Kluge explained.
Every high-income country in the Region is vaccinating against Covid-19, while only 80% of upper-middle-income countries and 60% of lower- and lower-middle-income countries are. To date, 10 middle-income economies in the Region have received doses through the COVAX Facility.
“In past weeks, we’ve seen both remarkable solidarity across borders in the Region as well as countries hoarding vaccines. Vaccinating health-care workers and the elderly in every country is everybody’s moral responsibility. It is vital that we provide the benefit of this global public good to health- and social-care workers.
While acknowledging the intent of governments to protect their own populations, before the vaccines are extended to other age groups, I strongly urge governments to share excess doses of WHO-approved vaccines with COVAX or with countries in need, once health-care workers and the most vulnerable have been vaccinated. Not doing so is self-defeating,” said the Regional Director.
With Easter about to come we can only hope that we all do not see the same increase in infections that we saw after the Christmas holiday.
Until the next time, Stay Safe and Stay Home.
Total number of cases worldwide – 129,706,830
Total number of deaths worldwide – 2,831,759
Total number of recovered cases worldwide – 104,565,246
Active cases – 22,309,825 (17.2% of Total Cases)
Closed cases – 107,397,005
Information and statistics from:
https://www.worldometers.info/
https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update-on-covid-19
https://www.euro.who.int/en/media-centre
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en