Today, Thursday, aggregate data on Coronavirus cases showed that the total number of infections around the world is close to 44.5 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University website.

The data also showed that the number of people recovering exceeded 30 million, while the number of deaths exceeded one million and 174 thousand cases.

The United States leads the world in terms of the number of injuries, followed by India, Brazil, Russia, France, Spain, Argentina, Colombia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Italy, Iran and Chile.

Europe ..


Tightening

measures

The European continent is witnessing a second wave, described as violent, of the Covid-19 epidemic, from returning a general stone from tomorrow Friday in France to an imminent tightening of restrictions in Germany and Belgium.

"Like all our neighbors, we are overwhelmed by the sudden acceleration of the epidemic with a virus that seems to be gaining strength as winter approaches and temperatures drop," French President Emmanuel Macron said in a televised address on Wednesday evening.

The French president added, "Once again, we must show a lot of humility, as we are all in Europe surprised by the evolution of the virus," before announcing the imposition of a stone for at least one month.

Thus, France has become one of the rare countries or regions in Europe - along with Ireland and the British province of Wales - that choose to quarantine its entire population, a measure that - according to experts - is the most powerful weapon against the rapid spread of the virus.

Many other European countries have imposed a curfew, a measure that is often described as a last step before a complete quarantine is reimposed.

France has become one of the rare countries in Europe that chooses to stone its entire population (Reuters)

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced drastic measures on Wednesday, including a one-month closure of restaurants and entertainment centers, as well as a subsidy of up to 10 billion euros, to help the economy cushion the shock.

Merkel said that action must be taken now, so that we do not "find ourselves in a state of health emergency," while the number of new infections reached a new record, reaching about 15,000 yesterday, Wednesday.

Merkel warned today, Thursday, of "lies and misinformation" circulating about the Covid-19 epidemic, describing populism as "irresponsible" with the increase in protests against wearing masks in Germany.

Belgium - the country with the most intense spread of the emerging coronavirus in the world - held a new crisis meeting on Friday.

The government spokesman for the "Covid-19" epidemic, Yves Van Lethem - who supports the imposition of a general quarantine again - said that "the worst is yet to come."

Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre de Croo admitted that "more drastic measures may be necessary in the coming days."

A virtual summit of EU heads of state and government is scheduled to take place today to assess the pandemic situation.

European Council President Charles Michel said, "Every important day, we now need firm action at the European level, necessarily on the basis of two points: testing / tracking and vaccinations."

Corona, east


in India, the Indian Ministry of Health announced that the death toll from confirmed cases of the new Corona virus in the country has risen to more than 8 million cases, after 49,881 new infections were recorded.

India is suffering from the worst economic downturn in decades, as the Corona virus forced many companies to close, while the government imposed strict measures to prevent the virus from spreading in the country.

Measures in Tunisia


For its part, the Tunisian government approved, today, Thursday, new strict measures, including a call to impose a night curfew in all countries, suspend lessons and prevent movement between states, to limit the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic and protect its health system.

In a statement today, Tunisian Prime Minister Hicham El Mechichi called on all governors to announce a curfew in all regions, from Monday to Friday from seven in the evening to four in the morning, and on Saturday and Sunday from six in the evening to four in the morning.

Tunisia recently recorded more than a thousand new daily cases of the epidemic, according to official figures, while the country's hospitals suffer from a shortage of equipment and staff, and are facing difficulty in dealing with the influx of patients.

In turn, Iran, the country most affected by the epidemic in the region, expressed its regret that 415 people died of the virus within 24 hours yesterday, surpassing the record recorded the previous day, while hospitals are facing difficulties due to the economic sanctions imposed by the United States.

In some hospitals, the authorities said that patients have to queue to access beds, and medical staff express "mental and physical fatigue" and a shortage of work equipment.

In Lebanon, record numbers were recorded in the number of daily injuries in recent weeks, as the number of injured exceeded 75,000, including more than 600 deaths.

In contrast, the casualty curve began to decline in Israel after a sharp rise in the last period, which led to the imposition of a general quarantine during the past month.