in-cyprus 4 December 2020 - by Annie Charalambous
More than 64.57 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1,499,488 have died, according to a Reuters tally.
At the same time, here is what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:
Coronavirus claims 1.5 million lives globally with 10,000 dying each day
Over 1.5 million people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 with one death reported every nine seconds on average in the past week, as vaccinations are set to begin in December in a handful of developed nations.
Half a million deaths occurred in just the last two months, indicating that the severity of the pandemic is far from over. Nearly 65 million people globally have been infected by the disease and the worst-affected country, the United States, is currently battling a third wave of coronavirus infections.
In the last week alone, more than 10,000 people in the world died on average every single day, and the number has been steadily rising each passing week. The disease has caused more deaths in the past year than tuberculosis in 2019 and nearly four times the number of deaths due to malaria, according to the World Health Organization.(Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/34pvUyi)
S.Korea considers tighter restrictions as cases hit nine-month high
South Korea said it is considering tightening its social distancing rules as it reported 629 new coronavirus cases on Friday, the most since the first wave of infections in the country peaked in late February.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said the situation was critical as infections continued to rise at an alarming rate despite the re-imposition of social-distancing rules late last month, and added that the government would decide on Sunday whether to upgrade restrictions.
Authorities are concerned that university entrance exams which nearly half a million students sat on Thursday could prove to be another source of infections. Chung urged students to refrain from visiting high-risk areas such as karaoke bars and internet cafes as they celebrate the end of the exam period.
Japanese PM to hold news conference amid third wave
Japan’s prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, is set to hold a news conference to provide an update on the country’s pandemic response on Friday, his first since coronavirus case numbers surged in November. Suga is expected to explain his backing of a widely criticised travel subsidy campaign meant to help revive the economy amid infection controls.
In recent weeks, a third wave of the coronavirus has arrived in parts of the country, and some medical groups and experts blame it on the government campaign to encourage domestic tourism.
Suga’s approval ratings have dipped, with many unhappy with his handling of the pandemic, polls showed. That could deal a blow to his plan to prop up local economies and may threaten the chances of his premiership beyond next autumn.
Britain to cover vaccine side-effects under damages scheme
Britain will pay individuals who suffer any severe side-effects from COVID-19 vaccines under an existing programme, the government said on Thursday, ahead of a rollout of Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine in the country following emergency approval.
COVID-19 will be added as a “precautionary step” to the list of diseases covered for potential liabilities under the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme (VDPS), the Department of Health and Social Care said. Under the scheme, individuals are entitled to a lump sum capped at 120,000 pounds ($161,676) if they can prove to have been seriously disabled as a result of a vaccination. (https://bit.ly/3mEuZ3I)
Compensation for any possible side-effects from a COVID-19 vaccine has been the subject of much debate in recent months, as drugmakers and governments around the world have worked in record time to develop and approve vaccines against the illness.
