New York – The global race to protect the population from involuntary carriers of the coronavirus intensified on Thursday, confronting governments over the purchase of protective equipment and raising new questions about who should wear a mask, undergo temperature controls and even go outside. From home.
In the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the pandemic started in December, a green symbol on their smartphones dictates the movements of its residents. Green is the “health code” that indicates that a user does not suffer from symptoms, and it is necessary to show it to get on the subway, register at a hotel or enter the city of 11 million inhabitants. There are still restrictions for those with yellow or red symbols.
In northern Italy, the country with the most deaths from the coronavirus in the world with more than 13,000, guards armed with infrared thermometers decide who can enter supermarkets. In Los Angeles, the mayor recommended that its four million inhabitants wear a mask.
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A senior health official from eastern France, the French region most affected by the pandemic, said the Americans entered a Chinese airport to keep a plane loaded with masks that had been ordered by Paris.
“On the track, Americans come in, take out cash, and pay three or four times as much for our orders, so we really have to fight,” Jean Rottner, an emergency physician in Mulhouse, told RTL.
A study by researchers in Singapore estimated on Wednesday that around 10% of new infections could be caused by people who carry the virus but are asymptomatic.
In response, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention modified the way it defined the risks of infection, noting now that essentially anyone can be a carrier, whether or not they show symptoms. Despite the change, his recommendation against everyone wearing masks did not change.
On the other hand, Spain broke a new record on Thursday in victims of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, with 950 deaths in 24 hours, despite the fact that the rate of infections seemed to slow down. New cases rose about 8% to 110,238.
The Spanish health authorities stated that the infections went from a daily average of 20% until March 25, to less than 12% after that date, more than 10 days after the start of the confinement. The government recognized that the actual number of infected could be much higher due to the limited number of tests that are carried out.
More than 95% of coronavirus fatalities in Europe were over the age of 60, the World Health Organization explained Thursday.
From New York to Los Angeles, US authorities warned that the worst is yet to come.
New York state coronavirus deaths doubled in 72 hours to more than 1,900. The region’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, had previously reported that states were competing with each other for the purchase of protective gear and respirators, or that they were losing bids in favor of the federal government.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said even “muffling in a scarf” could slow the spread of the virus and remind people to keep their distance.
In Greece, authorities put an entire refugee camp under quarantine on Thursday after discovering that a third of an infected woman’s 63 contacts had tested positive, with none showing symptoms.
Overall, about 940,000 people worldwide have contracted the disease, according to a Johns Hopkins University count. More than 47,000 have died with COVID-19 and another 195,000 have already recovered.
The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to a paucity of evidence, differing criteria in the death count and minor unreported cases. Critics contend that some governments have deliberately reported fewer cases to avoid criticism.
In most patients, the disease caused by the coronavirus, COVID-19, causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But in others, especially in the elderly and people with previous pathologies, it can lead to more serious diseases, such as pneumonia, and even death.
Asian markets had ups and downs on Thursday after a White House warning that up to 240,000 Americans could die from the pandemic rocked Wall Street on the eve. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost more than 970 points, more than 4%.
