The State of the World Facing the Pandemic Friday April 3

Text by: RFI Follow

The number of deaths due to the disease explodes in the United States and Great Britain, while the Asian continent wonders about a possible exit from the crisis.

Publicity

France is still awaiting the peak of the epidemic. This Friday saw a new death record: 588 more deaths in 24 hours at the hospital, for a total of 6,507 deaths recorded. Because the count in the Ehpad continues, at least 1,416 dead. This rebound comes when the number of deaths had decreased Thursday (471) compared to Wednesday (509).

The Ile de France and the Grand Est are still in great tension, but in the Grand Est we seem to see a ray of hope: the number of people hospitalized in intensive care only increased by 2.8% between Wednesday and Thursday , against 38% a fortnight ago. There is also a reduction in the pressure on emergencies and centers 15.

Accelerating epidemic in the UK

In Europe, the epidemic is now going very quickly in the United Kingdom with an increase of 20% in daily deaths. The country reached a record 684 deaths on Friday and a total of more than 3,600 deaths on Friday. A huge field hospital, set up in just nine days at a London conference center, opened on Friday to absorb the flood of patients. With a planned staff of 16,000 caregivers, this giant hospital, without equivalent in Great Britain, is trying to respond to the acceleration of its spread. It precedes four other establishments of the same type announced in England, in Birmingham (center), in Manchester (north), Harrogat (north) and Bristol (south-west), representing in total more than 7,000 beds.

Queen Elizabeth II, 93, recorded an address for residents of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries related to the pandemic. It will air on Sunday, announced Buckingham Palace. Apart from its annual and traditional address on Christmas Day, this is the fourth extraordinary intervention by the sovereign in 68 years of reign. Elisabeth II expressed herself in particular during the 1991 Gulf War and the death of Diana in 1997. Tested positive a week ago, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Friday that he still had a fever and would therefore extend his quarantine beyond the seven days recommended by the British health authorities.

Slowdown in Spain, Italy and Germany

The death toll also continues to increase in Italy with 766 additional deaths in the space of 24 hours, and in total now 14,681 deaths. Over three days, this daily balance remains between 722 and 766 deaths, while there were still 837 additional deaths Tuesday and 919 last Friday, the darkest day of the epidemic. On a trend, the number of new infections remains for the fifth day in a row between 4,050 and 4,782, tending to confirm the authorities' hope that the curve of the epidemic is at a plateau and that a decline may follow in a close future. The Italians will probably spend May 1 at home: " I think so, I do not think the situation will have changed by that date " warned the head of Italian civil protection, Angelo Borrelli who coordinates the health response to the pandemic.

The largest crematorium in Milan, overwhelmed, closed, and bodies were taken from Bergamo, the most affected city, to other regions for cremation.

In Spain, the most bereaved country in the world behind Italy, the number of deaths in 24 hours has, Friday as the day before, exceeded 900, bringing the total toll to almost 11,000 deaths, but the rate of increase in deaths, hospitalizations and cases continue to slow. In Germany, restrictive measures are starting to slow the spread of the virus, assure health authorities who insist on the need to "maintain" them. " These figures give some hope, " said the Chancellor. Angela Merkel left her quarantine for 14 days at her home after three negative tests at Covid-19. She had decided to isolate herself after being in contact with a doctor who tested positive.

In central Europe, Austria and several neighboring countries now impose the wearing of masks in shops or public places. Mandatory from this Monday for the Austrians, this measure is a "cultural change" recognized himself Chancellor Sébastian Kurz. To facilitate adaptation and defuse criticism of the mask shortage, the Austrian government has asked supermarkets to supply customers with the new sesame free of charge. Use is already compulsory in public places in Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In Austria, it is not yet a question of punishing offenders, but this is already the case in the Czech Republic where fines of 10,000 crowns (366 euros) have been imposed. The police thus called to order a group of nudists gathered at the edge of a lake in particularly mild weather last weekend.

Is the United States the new epicenter of the epidemic?

With half of the nearly 53,700 deaths worldwide, Europe remains the most affected continent, but with nearly 6,000 deaths, but the United States is poised to become the new epicenter of the pandemic. In 24 hours, 1,169 deaths were recorded, unheard of in a single country, and an extremely significant increase: a third compared to the count of the previous day (884) and the highest daily balance ever recorded in a single country. . The mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, asked his citizens to leave only with their faces covered, anticipating a possible national recommendation from the health authorities. Thousands of hospital beds are being set up in emergency centers from Los Angeles to Miami in convention centers, sports halls and parking lots to deal with the impending coronavirus wave. But another problem is already looming: the lack of nursing staff to manage them. The virus has already killed a total of 6,000 people in the United States and is expected to kill 100,000 to 240,000 people there, according to the White House.

Highly criticized by the opposition for his reaction deemed too slow, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced compulsory confinement for people under 20 years of age starting at midnight Friday, tightening measures to stem the epidemic of new coronavirus which is accelerating in Turkey. Vehicles will no longer be allowed to enter or exit in 31 cities, including Istanbul and Ankara, for 15 days. The over 65s and the chronically ill were already subject to compulsory confinement.

In Peru and Panama, which have restricted the movement of their population, women and men are no longer allowed to leave their homes on the same day to go shopping. In Brazil, on the other hand, President Bolsonaro, who until a few days ago still described the virus as "little flu", said Friday that Brazilian society would be unable to keep two or three months in confinement to fight the coronavirus. " You know my position: this will lead to mass unemployment ," he said to his supporters gathered outside the presidential residence in Brasilia.

Contrary to almost all the leaders of the planet, the Brazilian president still refuses the idea of ​​confinement and denounced the measures of "social distancing" taken at the level of states and municipalities of Brazil.

According to the latest official data available, Covid-19 has killed 324 patients in Brazil for 8,044 confirmed cases of contamination with the new coronavirus.

Contrasting situation on the Asian continent

China will hold a three-minute national meditation moment on Saturday in memory of those who died as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic, the government said. At 10:00 local time (02:00 GMT), the whole country will freeze, while the sirens and horns of cars, trains and boats will sound in tribute to the victims. The national flag will be flown at half-mast throughout the country and in embassies and consulates abroad. China will also suspend all public entertainment and leisure activities on its territory on Saturday.

This moment of national meditation will also be organized in memory of the 14 people qualified on Thursday by China as "martyrs" of the epidemic. Among them are Doctor Li Wenliang, who died of Covid-19. The 34-year-old ophthalmologist was accused by the police of spreading "rumors" after alerting colleagues of the spread of a SARS-like virus. In Wuhan, the cradle of the epidemic, the drastic quarantine began to be lifted: traffic resumed and shops reopened, but the population remained on the alert.

On the other hand, in Singapore, where it had successfully contained the coronavirus epidemic, in particular by tracing cases and carrying out tests, the country is now facing a resurgence of cases of infections. The Prime Minister announced Friday the closure of schools (except for children whose parents must continue to work and have no alternative), and businesses from Tuesday and asked residents to stay at home. Singapore has also prohibited its territory from non-residents. Singapore has recorded 1,114 cases of Covid-19 infections and five deaths.

In India, the police have closed part of the access to Dharavi, one of the largest slums in Asia, whose narrow and overcrowded alleys are known worldwide since the film Slumdog Millionaire. Eight so-called containment areas have been set up in Dharavi, home to a million people. " We have confined the inhabitants to their homes and sealed off the access so that no one can enter or leave these areas. We have also strengthened the control of social distancing, " said Vijay Khabale-Patil, spokesman for the municipality. from Bombay.

Authorities fear the virus will spread exponentially in the giant slum. The deaths of two residents of Dharavi, near Bombay, and the announcement of the contamination of a third, led the authorities to take drastic measures, a few hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on his fellow citizens confined to produce of light Sunday evening at their windows or on their doorstep against "the darkness of the coronavirus". India has officially largely escaped the pandemic that is unleashed in the world, with only 2,300 cases recorded, including 56 deaths, but these figures, observers believe, are probably underestimated due to poor screening.

More than 3.9 billion people, or half the world's population, are now called or forced to stay home to fight the spread of Covid-19, according to an AFP count. This threshold of 50% of humanity (7.8 billion, according to the UN) was reached after the introduction of a curfew in Thailand (from this Friday).

Our selection on SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus

• Listen to Infos coronavirus , our daily chronicle on the pandemic

• Analysis - What strategies to deal with the Covid-19 epidemic?

• Practical questions:
→ What is the lifespan of the virus?
→ Who are the vulnerable people ?
→ Quarantine, what are we talking about ?
→ How do you treat Covid-19 patients?
→ How the Institut Pasteur hopes to find a vaccine

• Doctors' answers to your questions about the Covid-19

Find all our articles, reports, chronicles and programs on the coronavirus by clicking here .

See also our contents on containment .

Newsletter With the Daily Newsletter, find the headlines directly in your mailbox

Follow all international news by downloading the RFI application

• Coronavirus