Record new deaths in the United States with the virus ... and the "AstraZeneca" vaccine enhances hope

Countries of the world start receiving the new year under isolation measures

New Year celebrations in Sydney with fireworks.

Reuters

Yesterday, the countries of the world welcomed the new year, in light of restrictions to limit the spread of the new Corona virus, weighing their weight on the celebrations of billions of people eager to bid farewell to the year 2020 that the pandemic marked, with the hope that vaccines, including AstraZeneca, will allow the elimination of this epidemic, while the states approached The United States fell from the threshold of 4,000 deaths from "Covid-19" within 24 hours, the day before yesterday, a new record.

After a difficult year, in which at least 1.7 million people died of the "Covid-19" epidemic, new mutations have caused the re-imposition of isolation measures, and forced night owls to continue their habit in 2020, which is to follow activities from home.

Johns Hopkins University announced the death of 3,927 people with the emerging corona virus, the day before yesterday, in the United States, the country most affected in the world by the epidemic, while 189,671 thousand new infections were recorded.

Thus, the total number of infections in the United States has reached 19.715.899 million, and 341.845 thousand deaths since the virus began spreading.

The period of end-of-year holidays, during which there is a lot of movement and travel, would contribute to exacerbating the spread of infection, but the authorities concerned about the situation adhere to the measures taken to limit the epidemic, and even intend to strengthen them, as happened in Germany, Ireland and England.

From Sydney to Rome, citizens watched fireworks and crackers and live concerts on the Internet or television.

The first hours of 2021 have arrived in Kiribati and Samoa in the Pacific Ocean, while the uninhabited islands of Howland and Baker will be the last areas to receive the new year 26 hours later.

Although the Pacific Islands remained untouched by the worst repercussions of the epidemic, the restrictions imposed at the borders, curfews, isolation measures and closures make New Year's Eve different this year.

In Sydney, the largest Australian city, light shows illuminated the harbor with a dazzling display, but few people attended the event.

Plans to allow in crowds were canceled after a focus of around 150 new infections was recorded, leading to severe restrictions on travel to and from Sydney.

Italy is currently subject to a nationwide lockdown until January 7, with a curfew starting at 10 pm.

To get out of this crisis, the British authorities are relying on the vaccination campaign that began in early December. The vaccination campaign was strengthened, the day before yesterday, for a vaccine developed by the British group AstraZeneca, in cooperation with the University of Oxford.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed this measure, saying it was "good news" and "a victory for science in Britain."

We will now vaccinate the largest number of people as soon as possible. ”

The vaccine will be used in the United Kingdom from January 4, and London has recommended 100 million doses.

A few hours later, Argentina followed suit, issuing an urgent one-year license for this vaccine.

On the other hand, the European Medicines Agency considered that it is unlikely that this vaccine will be licensed within the European Union in January, while the Americans do not expect it to be approved before April.

This vaccine was very expected for practical reasons, as it is much less expensive than the vaccines distributed so far in the country, and it can be stored in a regular refrigerator between two degrees and eight degrees Celsius, which facilitates vaccination on a large scale.

From France to Latvia and Brazil, police, and in some cases military, deployed to ensure that the curfew or ban on gatherings was observed in large numbers.

New Zealand is free of the virus, one of the places where citizens can celebrate without the use of a screen, with many cities organizing fireworks displays, amid limited measures.

In Beirut, which is still trying to overcome the disaster of the August 4 port explosion, the authorities have also relaxed procedures.

The curfew was delayed until 3 am, bars, restaurants and nightclubs reopened with the announcement of big New Year parties.

Pictures and videos of crowded clubs and restaurants are spread on social media, prompting authorities to warn of the possibility of imposing new closures after the holidays.

Fears about the repercussions of the celebrations are widespread, and there are significant indications that new strains of the virus could make the coming months more difficult.

In her wishes for the new year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned citizens that the "historic" emerging coronavirus crisis could continue in 2021, even with the hope that vaccines carry.

In Brazil, which recorded more than 193 thousand deaths from "Covid-19", which makes it the second most affected country by the epidemic in the world, frightened medical teams are waiting for a new wave.

In recent days, social media platforms have been filled with videos showing people without masks or masks enjoying an evening out, and TV channels have shown scenes of police officers closing bars full of people.

"The epidemic reached its peak between May and July, when there were not many movements, and we took care of ourselves more," said University of Sao Paulo microbiologist Luiz Gustavo de Almeida.

Now there are a lot of cases and people are acting as if there was no pandemic. ”

• From Sydney to Rome, citizens watch arrow shows and crackers and live concerts on the Internet or TV.

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