The Grim COVID Tallies

"All the Thanksgiving travel ensures no one will catch us, either [in terms of outdistancing the U.S. numbers of COVID cases]."

"The U.S. 'each person for himself' mindset is killing hundreds of thousands of us."

"Devastating to watch."

Dr.Tatiana Prowell, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

"I know we can and we will beat this virus."

"Life is going to return to normal. I promise you. This will happen. This [global pandemic] will not last forever."

U.S.President-Elect Joe Biden

 

"We will very likely, and pending authorization by health authorities, start vaccination of the most vulnerable populations, hence the elderly, as soon as the end of December, early January."

French President Emmanuel Macron

 

"We must learn from the summer and not repeat the same mistakes."

"Relaxing too fast and too much is a risk for a third wave after Christmas."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

The global coronavirus tally has surpassed 60 million. Source: Angela Weiss/AFP

Around the globe countries are agonizing or stalling over the demonstrated necessity to once again curb peoples' freedoms. And this ahead of the most convivial, traditionally cheerful celebratory holiday in the Christian calendar, Christmas, followed by New Year's, at a time when people are fed up with limitations to their daily, weekly, monthly activities normal times have accustomed them to, not as privileges but as entitlements of a civilizational society.

But necessity is the mother of these curtailments of normalcy, as global infections continue to rise, surpassing 60 million just a day earlier. In this climate of burgeoning cases abroad and even more so in the United States, American officials plead with their public to remain home over Thanksgiving and looking ahead to Christmas, there is no sign that these cautionary health measures will be lifted.

Governments across the U.S. are bracing themselves for the inevitable, as millions of Americans ignore the pleas and get on with their Thanksgiving travel plans as they always have, as they feel they always will, as they are compelled to do both instinctively as free agents and reactively, as Americans free to comport themselves as they will. Little wonder the U.S. leads the world in COVID numbers.

In a single day's count, deaths from COVID have now surpassed 2,000 for the first time since the original May invasionary wave. A record 88,000 hospitalizations have been tallied with the country recording 2.3 million new infections in the space of two weeks. Health authorities continue to urge the public to set aside large family gatherings this year, to wear protective face masks and to maintain social distancing, despite knowing their audience.

The good news that Pfizer and Moderna are seeking emergency use permission for their vaccines which have yielded hopeful results in their Third Phase trials have buoyed hopes for an early release from the COVID threat on the world stage. Realistically, an approved vaccine will not be widely available for months to come for the general public. Science continues to impose its rigorous standards for safety alongside effectiveness.

 

The WHO singled out Switzerland’s move to allow skiing. Source: KEYSTONE

 

 

One million new cases have been recorded in just over five days in Europe, totalling over 15 million European cases of COVID, and 365,000 deaths, staggering numbers. Across Europe governments struggle with the need to impose public life restrictions, cavilling over permitting families to celebrate Christmas safely. A national lockdown in Britain is due to complete by next week while Germany, Spain and Italy have announced restrictions over the holiday period.

On Wednesday Germany reported 410 COVID-19 deaths in 24 hours, initial to Chancellor Angela Merkel and her 16 federal state leaders discussing an extension of restrictions through December into Christmas and New Year celebrations. The highest daily toll since March 28 was reported by Italy at 853 deaths, soaring past the 630 it registered the previous day.

An additional 16,282 new cases were announced in France, an increase from the 9,155 new cases recorded the previous day and 4,452 the day before that. Hope-piercing number from every direction, with no end in sight other than fervent wishes for a release from this misery once the first of the vaccines is released for a massive inoculation of the world population. 

 

France's death toll rose to 50,618, with a total of 29,972 patients in hospital, and 4,148 in intensive care units. Including Russia, the European region registered 17.1 million infections with 388,000 deaths. In 52 European countries 1.7 million new cases were documented last week, ten percent fewer than the week before lending hope that the pandemic is stalling. Lithuania and Norway extended their restrictions to mid-December.

 

After Europe, the U.S. and Canada combined logged 13 million cases with 272,183 deaths; Latin America and the Caribbean follow with 12.6 million cases, 438,098 deaths, and finally Asia with 12.1 million cases and 190,108 deaths.

 

Following is the Middle East with 3.2 million cases and 75,700 deaths; Africa with 2.1 million cases and 50,422 deaths, and Oceania totalling over 30,000 cases and 941 deaths. India has logged 9,308,871 cases resulting in 135,752 deaths to date.

More than 135,752 people have died of Covid-19 in India   AFP