The Covid-19 pandemic worries in the United States and Latin America and threatens to leave in Europe, where the inhabitants are called to remain vigilant.
Texas, one of the first American states to have reopened its economy, suspended the process and ordered the closing of bars on Friday, quickly imitated by Florida, a state known for the intensity of its nightlife, which has prohibited the sale of alcohol in bars.
In the United States, contagions are increasing in 30 of the 50 states, especially in the largest and most populous in the South and West, California, Texas and Florida. So much so that local and federal officials are considering new measures to stem the spread of the epidemic, after two months of deconfinement deemed too permissive.
“It is clear that the increase in the number of cases is largely due to certain types of activities, in particular to the Texans who gather in bars,” said Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
“Wake up America. What is happening in the country is not a second wave, it is always the first wave,” tweeted Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York.
Florida youth affected
In Florida, the number of infections exploded in June after the containment ended. And the disease mainly affects young people: the average age of infected people is 33 years, against 65 two months ago.
“I’m 25, I don’t think I need to worry. I’ve had more complicated things before. I’m from the Bronx, you know what I mean. If I survived that, I can survive everything “, boasted Mike Oliveira while drinking a vodka at midnight facing the sea.
As a sign of concern over the progression of the epidemic, the Presidential Crisis Cell on the virus will hold a press conference at the White House on Friday at 4.30 p.m. GMT for the first time since the end of April.
“People don’t understand the meaning of exponential, it means that if we start from 7,000 cases today in Texas, we could have 14,000 in four days. We are very late,” said Barry Bloom, professor of health. public at Harvard.
Thursday at 8:00 p.m. GMT, the United States had more than 37,000 new cases and 692 additional deaths in 24 hours, according to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).
In total, the pandemic has killed at least 487,274 people worldwide, since China announced the first cases in December, according to an AFP report on Friday. The ten million mark is expected to be crossed next week, according to the WHO.
$ 30 billion for research
To develop tests, vaccines and treatments, the WHO evaluated Friday more than 30 billion dollars the necessary funds, on the eve of a conference of donors. To date, $ 3.4 billion has been pledged.
Saturday will also be a big virtual concert: megastars like Shakira, Coldplay, Usher or Justin Bieber will mobilize to support the collection of donations in medical research against Covid-19.
After the United States (122,238 deaths for 2,398,491 cases), Brazil suffered the most deaths (54,971). Mexico deplored Thursday more than 25,000 deaths from the virus for 127 million inhabitants.
In Europe, residents are tempted to turn the page on the pandemic after weeks of strict containment, even if the WHO is concerned about an acceleration of contamination in eleven countries of the continent, rather in the East, which could “pushing health systems to the brink once again”.
Proof of this persistent threat, Ukraine recorded 1,109 cases of new coronavirus on Friday, a record, contagions accelerating since the lifting of restrictions on May 11. A “serious wave” according to the authorities who are preparing new hospitals.
As European states try to revive bloodless economies without relaunching the epidemic, Paris-Orly airport welcomed the takeoff of a first flight in three months, watered by the water cannons of the firefighters during a ceremony called “water salute”.
Crowded British beaches
In the UK, the government has called on the British to be careful, threatening to close the beaches where thousands of people have gathered in recent days as a heat wave crosses Europe.
Clashes occurred two nights in a row when police intervened to scatter parties on the streets of London. 22 police officers were injured Wednesday night in Brixton.
Thousands of Liverpool supporters have also defied health recommendations to celebrate the club’s first English championship title in 30 years on Thursday evening.
In Singapore, the release cost four Britons dearly, who lost their work permits for having visited bars in full confinement.
As a sign that the pandemic is here to stay, the final phase of the Davis Cup tennis, scheduled for November, has been postponed to November 2021.
But reassuring news, a European study has shown that deaths from Covid-19 are extremely rare in children, occurring in less than 1% of cases, because the disease remains mild in them.
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