Yesterday, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, stated that millions of people could suffer from extreme poverty in Africa due to the emerging epidemic of Corona virus (Covid-19), calling for increased international solidarity with this continent, while the highest daily death toll from the virus was recorded in major Brazil Latin American countries, but the hard-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, remains strongly opposed to the closure measures, which he said were unnecessary in front of what he described as "just a small flu", while the Latin continent began to feel the impact of the epidemic strongly after it invaded it.
In detail, Guterres said in a statement annexed to a United Nations study that also includes recommendations on the African continent that "the epidemic threatens the progress achieved in Africa, as it will exacerbate existing inequality and increase hunger, undernutrition and vulnerability to disease." He expressed his satisfaction that Africa “moved quickly in the face of the epidemic,” noting that “the number of casualties recorded so far is less than we expected.”
"The virus has caused the death of more than 2,500 people in Africa," he said.
He continued: «African countries must have the same possibility to obtain quickly, fairly and at a reasonable price any vaccine or treatment to come, they must be considered universal public property.»
"The epidemic is still in its infancy in Africa, and global solidarity with Africa must be demonstrated - from today and for the better recovery again, and the epidemic in Africa must be ended to end it all over the world," Guterres said. In his recommendations, Guterres calls for "international mobilization to strengthen health systems in Africa, maintain food financing networks and avoid a financial crisis."
He explained that "education must also be supported, jobs must be preserved, families and companies should be funded, and the continent be protected from loss of income and export earnings."
Guterres said that "more than $ 200 billion more should be secured from the international community's support for Africa." He stated, "It is necessary to work to establish a comprehensive framework for debt, starting with a general freeze on the debts of countries unable to pay their services."
With the number of casualties rapidly increasing to five million, while deaths exceeded 323,000 in a devastated global economy, there are fears that the next worst is in the poorest regions of the world that are trying hard to contain the outbreak of the virus. The toll rose alarmingly in Brazil the day before yesterday, as the number of deaths by "Covid-19" within 24 hours exceeded the first 1,000. "Our country is going from bad to worse, the situation is getting worse," retired Gilberto Ferreira said in Rio de Janeiro. "We have an ineffective government and people also do not abide by the rules (imposed by) the epidemic."
The number of infections in Brazil, the third-highest in the world, is increasing by the thousands, and the outbreak in the sixth largest country in the world is expected to accelerate while it is not expected to reach its peak before the beginning of June.
The rise in the number of new cases of coronavirus in Latin America prompted some regions to suspend their plans to ease restrictions, as is the case in Cordoba, second cities of Argentina, which retracted its plan to ease the closures due to the high number of infections.
Warnings of the repercussions of the epidemic were issued to the poorest societies, as World Bank President David Malpas said yesterday that he could push nearly 60 million people “into extreme poverty.”
In a worrying sign of worsening economic pressures, the Chilean authorities, which are also experiencing a high number of casualties, deployed soldiers on the outskirts of its closed capital, Santiago, after clashes with protesters angry over food shortages and job losses.
On the other side of the world, the authorities are working hard to move people to a safe place while trying to prevent the outbreak of the Corona virus, at a time when the strongest typhoon in the Bay of Bengal in decades hit millions of areas in eastern India and Bangladesh.
Researchers reported, the day before yesterday, that global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels will decrease by up to 7% this year due to the epidemic, in the biggest decline since the Second World War.
But this huge drop "will hardly affect the continuous accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," according to Richard Bates, head of climate impact research at the British Hadley Meteorological Center.
As Asia began to assess the damage caused by the epidemic, some countries realized that it brought with it benefits that were not taken into account despite the most affected economic devastation.
During the isolation period, Vietnam experienced a drop in crime rates, while Hong Kong welcomed the end of its annual flu season early. Thailand, which is known to have a high number of road traffic fatalities, has seen a marked improvement in road safety.
• 60 million people in the poorest societies may be pushed by Corona into extreme poverty.
• Guterres calls for "international mobilization to strengthen health systems in Africa, to maintain food finance networks, and to avoid a financial crisis."