India had reason for pride back on March 24, when the country of approximately 1.4 billion people had only 500 known cases of COVID-19, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed a nationwide lockdown on business and travel, determined to crush the virus before it could spread further. For a while, it worked.
No more.
With 4.2 million cases, India vaulted past Brazil to second place in total infections yesterday, behind only the United States and its 6.3 million. The country’s caseload doubled from early August to early September; 90,802 cases were recorded between Sept. 6 and 7 alone.
The virus is running rampant in India for several reasons, not least being that Modi's tough restrictions were lifted in June. When businesses closed, hundreds of millions of people were left suddenly unemployed. The country’s GDP shrank a staggering 24% in the past quarter, leading to widespread hardship, poverty and no shortage of outrage and despair (the country’s suicide rate is estimated to have leapt by 70%). Despite the risk to public health, India’s leaders decided it was time to change course.
“While lives are important, livelihoods are equally important,” said Rajesh Bhusan, the top official at India’s federal health ministry, during a news briefing last week.
Modi points to India’s relatively low case fatality rate—1.72%—as evidence that the death rate is under control despite the rising caseload. But spotty reporting and India’s high proportion of young people—who tend to weather the disease better—may be responsible for that seemingly good news. Plus, at least some people who survive the virus still face long-term health consequences, and India’s health system is ill-equipped to deal with struggling patients. Either way, the country’s nearly 73,000 deaths put it third in the world in mortality, behind the U.S. and Brazil.
Still, saving livelihoods now seems to be India’s first priority. Most businesses are now open and public markets are as crowded as they were before the pandemic. Workers who fled the cities for their rural villages when the outbreak began are now pouring back. Yesterday, the Delhi Metro transit service started carrying passengers again. “We are on our way. It’s been 169 days since we’ve seen you!” the Metro tweeted.
On its way India may be—but the virus is along for the ride.
More than 27.3 million people around the world had been sickened by COVID-19 as of 1:15 a.m. EDT today, and more than 892,000 people have died. Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
On Sept. 7, there were more than 228,000 new cases and 9,104 new deaths confirmed globally. Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here is every country with over 300,000 confirmed cases to date ("per cap" is number per 100,000 people):
In what’s likely a PR stunt, Chinese pharma giants Sinovac Biotech and Sinopharm displayed what were said to be samples of their vaccines at a Beijing trade fair this week. It’s impossible to know what was actually in the vials, but the companies claimed that the genuine articles should be approved by the end of the year, and ready to roll out shortly after.
The United Kingdom has an informal new slogan meant to keep people mindful of social distancing and mask wearing: “Don’t kill your gran.” The quote in full came from Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who said on a BBC radio show aimed at young audiences yesterday, “Don’t kill your gran by catching coronavirus and then passing it on.” Hancock—and the nation’s grans—have reason for worry. Three thousand cases were reported on Sept. 6 and again on Sept. 7, a tripling of the 1,000-per-day caseload that held throughout August, and the highest figures since May.
Saudi Arabia, which has more than 321,000 cases, is being clobbered in an especially vital spot: its oil industry. The country slashed prices by 1% yesterday, the latest cut as global demand remains suppressed due to lockdowns and travel restrictions. China—the world’s biggest oil importer—reduced purchases last month, plunging the sector further into turmoil. And things look likely only to get worse, with summertime—peak driving season—now drawing to a close for much of the world.
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. had recorded more than 6.3 million coronavirus cases as of 1:15 a.m. EDT today. More than 189,200 people have died. Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
On Sept. 7, there were more than 24,000 new cases and 267 new deaths confirmed in the U.S. Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
U.S. President Donald Trump has teased the idea of a coronavirus vaccine by Election Day, but the drug companies are not playing along. Today, nine biopharmaceutical companies working on a vaccine signed a pledge not to yield to government pressure to release theirs before it's ready. Two of them—Moderna and Pfizer—have vaccines in late phase 3 trials. But all were adamant in their pledge that they would “only submit for approval or emergency use authorization after demonstrating safety and efficacy through a Phase 3 clinical study that is designed and conducted to meet requirements of expert regulatory authorities such as [the U.S. Food and Drug Administration]."
Even when a vaccine is approved, initial demand is all but certain to exceed supply. First priority will go to those in greatest need, especially frontline medical workers, people with underlying medical conditions and those over 65, the Washington Post reports. That ranking may be established through an emergency use authorization, with full approval for the general population taking up to another six months. On that schedule, even if a vaccine is approved by the end of this year, it will be early summer 2021 before the population as a whole begins its turn.
The U.S. Senate is once again showing its signature ability to turn a full measure into a half measure and ultimately no measure at all, as lawmakers meet to consider a scaled-back coronavirus stimulus bill. Democrats favor a total stimulus of $2.2 trillion with the full $600 in extra unemployment benefits restored. Republicans are countering with a $1 trillion plan including just $300 in extra unemployment, but $105 billion for schools, accelerated testing and the United States Postal Service. Those last three are sweeteners for the Democrats, who are seen as likely to block the measure, which they view as inadequate, no matter what.
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of September 8, 1 a.m. eastern time. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
'The Pandemics of Racism and COVID-19'
As the U.S. struggles with police shootings of Black Americans and systemic racism more broadly, a mother-daughter team (mom a pediatrician at Johns Hopkins University and daughter a third-year medical student) have penned a thoughtful commentary in the journal Pediatrics on the rise in racism directed at Asian Americans during the pandemic, which originated in Wuhan, China. Read more here.
Black and Native Americans Are Getting Hit the Hardest
Not all Americans are created equal—at least as far as the coronavirus is concerned. A project known as Color of Coronavirus is tracking the disparate rate at which communities of color in the U.S. are affected by the pandemic. Among its top-line findings: death rates for Asian Americans and white Americans remain relatively low (at 36.4 per 100,000 and 40.4, respectively). But Black Americans are experiencing more than double those figures, at 88.4 per 100,000, and Indigenous Americans are not far behind, at 73.2. Read more here.
The Virus Hits Hard in Gaza
With 1.8 million people packed into a 140-sq. mi. strip of land that has been under blockade since 2007, it was only a matter of time before COVID-19 took hold in the Gaza Strip. And so it has. Health care workers more accustomed to treating fighting wounds are now battling the pandemic, the Associated Press reports—while trying not to get sick themselves. Read more here.
Ground Zero's Rebirth Put On Pause
As the 19th anniversary of the September 11 attacks approaches, Ground Zero in New York is under a different kind of assault, as its generation-long rebirth has stalled due to the pandemic, Reuters reports. A construction site for more than a decade, it had stirred back to vibrant life, but work on a new skyscraper and performing arts center are on indefinite hold, while tourist traffic and office workers are mostly nowhere to be seen. Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com.
If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, click here.
Today's newsletter was written by Jeffrey Kluger and edited by Alex Fitzpatrick.
沒有留言:
張貼留言