The state of the world facing the pandemic from August 3 to 9

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12 mins

The pandemic does not take a vacation in August, or rather, it seems to benefit him. This week, the global toll of positive cases recorded in the world reached 19.6 million, and there were more than 727,000 victims, or 42,000 more deaths compared to the previous week.

Publicity

On the economic level, the poor results are confirmed, and  many firms , such as the rental company Hertz, or the Technicolor company are in great difficulty. The oil companies are particularly affected, they record colossal losses. The press sector , already not very well before the crisis, continues to lose revenues, in particular related to advertising. The explosion in digital subscriptions is not enough to offset the losses. All over the world, culture is affected, as in Côte d'Ivoire , where artists are mobilizing to ask for state aid in the face of Covid-19. InFrance , almost all CAC40 companies are in the red.

Clever kids have instead found a way to make money with the virus. The pandemic has indeed favored the increase in attacks on the internet . Interpol warns governments and health institutions that are very often targeted. According to Reuters, hackers linked to the Chinese government have also targeted the pharmaceutical group Moderna, which is currently developing a vaccine against Covid-19 in order to steal valuable information.

The crisis also causes ubiquitous situations of people trapped inside their country, or conversely , abroad. Thus these students forced to stay in India , while they are enrolled in French universities , or, more seriously, in Russia ,  Tajik migrants trapped , with the impossibility of returning home. So are those foreigners stuck in South Korea, whose visas are about to expire.

In the same way, the Malagasy present in Europe , Asia, Africa or the Middle East, also find themselves exiled in spite of themselves. Desperate, they launched an online petition to challenge the authorities in Madagascar . In E the United States , it is the French who live there  who are deprived of holiday in their country, because of the "Travel Ban".

Countries where there is good news

Only one country today can claim to have made the disease disappear. This is Mauritius , in the Indian Ocean. It has been three months since the island stopped the spread of the disease, and a week ago, the authorities announced that there were no more active cases in the territory . Completely deconfined since June 15, many residents are now waiting for the reopening of air borders, but for the moment, the Prime Minister favors public health over tourism. The island must nevertheless face another disaster today, an oil spill threatening its  paradisiacal coasts .

Tunisia, the country which has done best in its region , with 51 deaths for 1,656 recorded cases, however fears a new wave, and has just made wearing a mask compulsory.

Some countries still have a hypothetical stabilization in view, but overall, almost everywhere, the epidemic is on the rise, or is experiencing a revival. There is nevertheless some rather encouraging information - including in countries in difficulty - which deserve to be pointed out.

In Ireland , 325,000 people who had lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic have found their work or a new position, particularly in the most precarious jobs. The country, which was in a situation of full employment before the pandemic, could nevertheless find itself with a lasting increase in unemployment.

Indian researchers have also found an ingenious system that can wash and decontaminate N95 masks without reducing their effectiveness. The information could be part of the unusual news, since the idea came to them by plugging two power cables of an electric mosquito repellent racket to a metal plate, which allowed the mask to "recharge" after having been washed.

Some taxi drivers or car lovers in the city may not see this as good news, but everywhere in Europe, it is clear thatthe Covid-19 has upset the rules of mobility , notably with a bicycle boom.

Countries where the epidemic resumes

Several States, which had almost succeeded in containing the disease by taking strong measures, saw it take off again after the lifting of containment, and the abandonment of barrier gestures. A situation that worsened with the summer holidays, which saw new clusters form. In Europe, many countries are affected by this rebound.

So much so that in France , where the indicators are deteriorating, the Scientific Council considers “ highly probable  ” the arrival of a second wave in the fall. The heat wave that set in did not help matters, as holidaymakers rushed to the beaches, in defiance of the barrier gestures. Friday, France experienced a peak of 2,000 reported cases, an unprecedented increase since May. Thus 9,330 cases were recorded in one week. The country has more than 30,300 deaths.

To avoid a new confinement, the authorities of the Member States of the European Union call for responsibility, and toughen travel conditions. This Saturday, Germany thus decided to make the Covid-19 test compulsory for anyone coming from a country "  at risk  ". Many European cities have imposed the wearing of masks, including in open places. In France , this will be the case in Paris from Monday , in the most touristic areas of the capital. In Mayenne, one of the most affected French regions, in cities like Laval,  people now live in masks . In Lille, where this measure was also taken,the debate divides, however.

Paradoxically, in Germany and France in particular, some believe that these restrictions are violations of their fundamental rights. And, against a backdrop of conspiracy theories, the “ anti-mask ” movement is spreading slowly but surely. In Hungary , it was the artists who protested on Friday August 7 against the ban on large gatherings and festivalsuntil mid-August, when football matches are allowed in front of thousands of spectators.

Poland , which is also experiencing a marked increase in contamination , could also see the government impose new restrictions. As in the Bahamas , where new containment measures have been taken , after a new outbreak of cases. In France , however , the health protocol has been reduced for the start of the school year. It will replace the very strict one adopted on June 26.

The Irish Refugee Center has just published a report which says that in asylum seekers' centers in Ireland , more than half of the residents are unable to comply with barrier gestures. Three counties in the country have recorded particularly high contamination rates in recent weeks, in these centers, but also in food processing factories. These three regions, which bring together 368,000 people, were re-defined from Saturday 9 August.

Australia has also taken further restrictive measures . The country, which had rather succeeded in curbing the epidemic by closing its borders, has seen the number of contaminations resume recently, due, according to the authorities, to a relaxation in respect of barrier gestures. Any offender will therefore now be exposed to fines of up to 12,000 euros. In Melbourne, residents have even been imposed a curfew, after four weeks of containment , in the hope of stemming the spread of the virus.

Several African countries are said to be in the process of stabilization, such as Ghana , Egypt , or Algeria , but the WHO is concerned about a resurgence in the number of cases in Zimbabwe , Kenya , or Ethiopia . In Gabon , where the peak was observed last May, the figures were rather down, but recently, 125 people have tested positive at several oil sites .

In Nigeria , one of the most affected countries on the continent (more than 45,000 cases recorded for 930 fatalities), some regions are relaxing the light containment measures taken by the government until mid-September. The city of Lagos, epicenter of the epidemic, has thus decided to reopen places of worship.

In addition, the Control and Prevention Centerof the African Union warns against figures coming from the continent. If the bar of two million positive cases was officially crossed on Friday, the Center recalls that 80% of tests in Africa are only carried out in ten countries. There are therefore strong reasons to believe that the number of cases on the continent is greater.

The É the United States , countries most affected in the world with more than 162 000 dead and a number of positive tests has surpassed the 5 million Sunday, reported Thursday 2060 new positive cases. A daily figure that had not been reached for three months. In addition to this catastrophic toll, the country must assume the social consequences of the epidemic, which are being severely felt. 40 million Americans are in fact in the process of being evicted from their homes. In the absence of agreement in Congress between Republicans and Democrats, it was Donald Trump who promulgated a plan to help the Americans by decree . These measures include protection against tenants threatened with eviction.

Countries where the epidemic is progressing

The epidemic is resuming, therefore, where it had once weakened, but it is also continuing its path in many countries, almost without weakening.

In Brazil , the second most bereaved country, the 100,000 dead mark was crossed this weekend (10% more deaths in a week). President Bolsonaro, however, continues his crusade against overly strict preventive measures. Claiming to have a clear conscience, he thus called the pro-containment governors “ dictators ”. Among these too many losses, Brazil saw Aritana leave, a great indigenous chief of the Yawalapiti tribe, mobilized in the fight against deforestation, and died this Thursday of the coronavirus. The country has recorded 2.9 million cases since the start of the epidemic.

South Africa , the most affected country on the African continent, officially crossed the 10,000 death mark this week. A figure largely underestimated according to experts. Equipment is sorely lacking for health workers, and is said to be the subject of corruption at the top of the state.

All of Latin America as  well as the Caribbean is the region most affected in terms of death toll, with more than 218,000 deaths, and does not seem to see the end of the tunnel. Peru , which has passed the 20,000 dead mark,  has authorized foreign doctors in the country - many of whom are Venezuelans - to practice, without necessarily having their diploma validated in Peru.

Mexico , the third most bereaved country in the world, now has more than 50,000 victims (52,000 dead this Sunday, August 9). Mexican families who have relatives in the United States can nevertheless count on their solidarity. In the first six months of the year, Mexicans who went to work across the border sent their families $ 19 million, 10% more than last year over the same period.

Fifth most affected country in terms of number of victims, with - officially - more than 42,000 deaths, and the milestone of two million positive cases exceeded this week (i.e. one in ten cases worldwide), India must contend with extremely populated cities, like Bangalore (8.4 million inhabitants), become one of the epicenters of the disease in the country. The municipality has decided to open free testing centers in the city's 198 neighborhoods.

In Madagascar , the disease continues to progress. Dissent has emerged at the head of state, the Minister of Health having appealed this week for international aid. In a letter addressed to donors, he explained that the pandemic "has been  evolving in recent weeks in a very critical fashion, with major epidemic outbreaks  " in several regions, including the capital Antananarivo. The government subsequently said it was “  appalled  ” by this “  personal initiative  ”. On the Big Island, the unions also criticized the personal loan project proposed by the government to workers deprived of their jobs because of the Covid-19. They demanded support for technical unemployment measures by the State.

The Russian finally fourth in the world for the number of infections after the United States, Brazil and India, saw its number of cases daily increase of 5212 cases in 24 hours on Sunday. Officially, the epidemic has claimed more than 14,800 victims in the country.

Health info

Research around the coronavirus and its action on the body continues. In France , researchers have discovered the role that a protein produced by the body could play in a context of inflammation, and in particular in the most serious forms of Covid-19. Targeting this protein, which goes by the sweet name of calprotectin, could help fight the worsening disease.

Another study of more than 300 people in South Korea shows that 29% of people infected with the coronavirus never developed symptoms, but carried as many viruses within them as symptomatic people.

Finally, the United Kingdom has announced millions of tests to come by the fall , thanks to new technologies that allow more people to be tested in record time (90 minutes). The country is among the most affected on the European continent, with more than 46,000 deaths.

The unusual info

Cough punishable by red card in football . The question was urgent, and absolutely had to be decided, with the reopening of national championships all over the world - many of which are played behind closed doors. And the International board (Ifab), guarantor of the rules of the game of football, has just given its verdict: any player who voluntarily coughs towards an opponent, may be excluded from the game. "  If it is clearly accidental, the referee will not have to act, as if the cough occurred at a sufficient distance from any other player,  ”nevertheless indicated the institution.

In Mexico, luchadores put back their masks (the real ones) to save wrestling . Deprived of public shows due to coronavirus, wrestling professionals are in an untenable situation. A dozen luchadores met, Tuesday, August 4, to compete on an island located in a nature reserve, in the middle of a maze of canals dating from the Aztecs, south of Mexico City. The objective of these fights recorded and sold online was to raise funds to help fans of the sport.

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• Coronavirus: the state of the world facing the pandemic
• Coronavirus
• United States
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