Tests to detect infection and contacts are insufficient to contain "the virus"
Tightening restrictions to prevent the spread of "Covid-19" in the world
Health workers register people at a Corona test center in Rome. Reuters
In the face of the resurgence of the number of new infections with the new Corona virus (Covid-19), the authorities of a number of countries of the world yesterday tightened the restrictions imposed from returning quarantine procedures to closing dangerous companies, as well as nightclubs, while a study concluded that tests revealed infection and contacts Essential, but not sufficient to contain the Corona virus.
In Malta, where the number of infections has been rising for a month, bars, nightclubs, showrooms and sports clubs closed their doors yesterday, until further notice.
New restrictions are taking effect in South Korea as well, after it has so far succeeded in surrounding the epidemic thanks to an advanced strategy of examinations and contact tracing.
Twelve categories of establishments were considered high-risk among them, especially nightclubs, bars and restaurants offering open meals in Seoul, Incheon and neighboring Gyeonggi Province. And public institutions, such as museums, must close their doors in this vast area, which includes half of the population of South Korea.
And the World Health Organization said in the Asia-Pacific region, that the disease is currently spreading among young people who sometimes do not know that they are infected.
"The epidemic is changing. People in their 20s, 30s and 40s are increasingly the source of the threat," said WHO Director of the Western Pacific Region, Takeshi Kasai.
Italy also stressed the role of these young people who travel on holidays, and the Italian media published many testimonies of young people who were injured during their summer vacation.
Austria has included the Balearic Islands on its list of dangerous destinations.
To curb the epidemic, Ireland decided to tighten restrictions on gatherings, including sports centers, while Montenegro postponed for a month the resumption of studies in schools.
In France, where the number of people with "Covid-19" entering hospitals has increased again after a decline in the beginning of the summer, the government intends to impose the wearing of masks in closed places and in companies in which employees share the workplace.
In return, Uruguay will reopen its borders to tourists from the European Union, at a date yet to be determined, according to Tourism Minister German Cardoso.
In the face of the horrific toll of the virus, countries are pinning their hopes more and more on discovering a vaccine.
In Greece, the Minister of Health stated that he hopes to receive a first batch of this vaccine from the pharmaceutical group "AstraZeneca" by December.
In order to distribute the vaccine in the future, the World Health Organization has called again to adopt its procedures to ensure access to it.
For his part, a UN expert called on “the government not to allow people to become homeless during this pandemic, because they have lost their jobs and cannot pay their rent or mortgage,” stressing the need to prevent the eviction of tenants.
"Losing housing during this epidemic can mean a loss of life," said the expert, Balakrishnan Rajagopal in Geneva.
This comes at a time when British researchers concluded, yesterday, that tests to detect infection with "Covid-19" and contacts are basic measures to slow the spread of the Corona virus, but they are not sufficient if they are not accompanied by other steps.
The strategy of "examination - detection - isolation", if conducted in an effective manner, is capable of reducing the virus's reproduction by 26%, according to the team of researchers from the "Imperial College" in London, which used mathematical models to analyze data from previously published studies.
The rate of reproduction refers to the average number of people to whom the infection is transmitted from a person infected with the virus, if it is above (1) then this means that the epidemic is spreading, and if it is less, it means that it recedes.
Countries succeeded in regaining control of the epidemic after the first wave of infections, but they find it difficult to avoid a re-outbreak, and they record rates higher than this level.
Nicola Grassley, a professor at the School of Public Health at Imperial College, who supervises the study published in the "The Lancet Infectious Diseases" journal, warned that "our results prove that examination and contact detection can reduce the rate of reproduction of the virus, but only if it is applied effectively and quickly."
The rate of reproduction decreases by 26% if tests are conducted as soon as symptoms appear, results are published within 24 hours, contacts are also isolated within 24 hours, and at least 80% of those infected with the epidemic and their contacts are detected.
These are ambitious standards that are not respected in most countries.
In France, the period between the appearance of symptoms and the examination in the ranks of people without symptoms is estimated at 3.5 days, according to the Public Health Agency in France.
The result does not appear until several days later, just as in the United States and Britain.
The study concluded that even in countries that approach these criteria (South Korea, Taiwan, and Germany), this will not be sufficient to significantly reduce the rate of reproduction.
• The Italian media published many testimonies of young people who were infected with "Corona" during their summer vacation.