The number of deaths associated with the Covid-19 in 2021 globally is already higher than the total recorded in all of 2020. This is what emerges from an analysis of the “Wall Street Journal” on data collected by Johns Hopkins University. Vaccines have defeated the virus in the most developed nations, but at the same time the deaths worldwide have been decidedly more numerous. It took less than six months to record more than 1.88 million deaths for Covid-19 this year. These numbers underscore a growing gap between developed and developing nations as US President Joe Biden and G7 leaders prepare to discuss multilateral measures to address this challenge. While Western countries like the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom celebrate a low number of cases of Covid and the significant decline in deaths thanks to mass vaccination campaigns, the escalation of the pandemic in parts of Asia and Latin America has pushed the death toll to an extremely high level. This is the case, for example, of Argentina. “We are experiencing our worst moment since the beginning of the pandemic,” Argentine President Alberto Ferna’ndez said late last month. The Andean country is facing its longest and most serious wave, with over 500 people dying on average every day.
Covid: the G7 will donate 1 billion doses of the vaccine to developing countries
G7 leaders will pledge to provide one billion doses of vaccines against Covid-19 to developing countries at the summit that opens tomorrow in Cornwall, United Kingdom. This was announced by Downing Street, as the London government chairs the G7 summit. The goal, the official statement reads, is to “put an end to the pandemic” in 2022.
The UK, for its part, will donate 100 million doses, while the US – as announced by President Joe Biden – will provide 500 million Pfizer vaccines.
Covid: 2 positives on cruise ship departed from North America
Two passengers on one of the first cruise ships to sail from North America after the pandemic shutdown tested positive. This was announced by the Royal Caribbean company, explaining that all passengers and crew members aboard the Celebrity Millennium had been vaccinated. The two infected are asymptomatic and are now in isolation on board.
Chile: Covid, government decrees new total quarantine for the capital Santiago
The Ministry of Health of Chile has decreed the return to total quarantine for the more than eight million inhabitants of the Metropolitan Region of the capital Santiago in response to the persistent increase in cases of new coronavirus. In addition to the capital, the lockout also includes seven other municipalities in the regions of Valparaiso, O’Higgins, El Maule and Los Lagos. In total, this is an area where approximately 58 percent of the country’s total population resides. “Although in the last week we have seen a slowdown in the progression of infections, we are concerned about the numbers of the Metropolitan Region, which is the most densely populated area”, said the Deputy Minister of Health, Paula Daza. In the last 24 hours, 7,716 infections and 189 deaths have been recorded and in this context there are over 45,000 active cases with an intensive care occupation level of 96 percent. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the total number of cases is 1,453,478, while the deaths are 30,339.