Coronavirus News (263)

As Virus Surges in Europe, Resistance to New Restrictions Also Grows Public health officials say “pandemic fatigue” presents a real challenge to countries trying to enforce new measures meant to slow the virus while avoiding national lockdowns. ............  France has placed cities on “maximum alert” and ordered many to close all bars, gyms and sports centers on Saturday. Italy and Poland have made masks compulsory in public. The Czech Republic has declared a state of emergency, and German officials fear new outbreaks could soon grow beyond the control of their vaunted testing and tracing. ...............  As the crisis deepens, the once-solid consensus in many countries to join in sacrifices to combat the virus is showing signs of fracturing. New rules are challenged in courts. National and local leaders are sparring. ..............  The intense feuding in Spain reflects a broader political resistance confronting national leaders worldwide. ............ Business groups are issuing dire warnings that whole industries could collapse if restrictions go too far. ............ cases continue to explode ......... Officials are now warning that hospitals could face a greater flood of patients than at the height of the pandemic in April. .......... The World Health Organization on Thursday announced a record one-day increase in global coronavirus cases. Europe, as a region, is now reporting more cases than India, Brazil or the United States. ............  about half the population is experiencing pandemic fatigue ...... These people were searching for less information about the virus, less concerned about the risks and less willing to follow recommended behaviors. ............ Violators in Italy now face a 1,000-euro fine. ......... a clear majority of people are willing to comply with regulations if they are well explained and easy to follow. ........ People may also be more willing to submit to new restrictions if they see hospitals fill and death tolls rise ........ the larger concern is roughly half the population — the “fence-sitters.” .......... “If we have a new lockdown it might be worse, because people wouldn’t respect it.” ........... managing the economy and epidemic was like “squaring the circle,” even more so now that “our maneuvering room is not at all what it was last March.” ...........  a lockdown would lead to “mass unemployment, bankruptcies and never-ending strains on families and children.”  

‘Rural Surge’ Propels India Toward More Covid-19 Infections Than U.S. The contagion is hitting towns and villages where resources are scant and people are skeptical of lockdown efforts. If unchecked, Indian infections could exceed those in the United States. ............ Infections are rippling into every corner of this country of 1.3 billion people. The Indian news media is calling it “The Rural Surge.” ........ In many villages, no one is wearing masks. There is no social distancing. People are refusing to get tested and they are hiding their sick. ........... Hospitals are straining; in the coronavirus ward of one hospital here in the state of Tripura, insects were left to crawl over corpses .......... Out in the rural areas, many people behave as if there is no coronavirus. .......... Many people in Indian villages believe their government is overstating the severity of the pandemic and showing no sensitivity to the economic hardship that they are suffering. ........... India’s relatively low death rate, about an eighth or ninth of those of the United States, Spain, Brazil and Britain. Scientists say this is mainly because India’s population is younger and leaner, though they caution that most deaths in India, from any cause, are not investigated. And India’s deaths are steadily ticking up, by about 1,000 a day, now totaling about 105,000. ...........  This month, the central government is allowing movie theaters to open. ............ “Families in India are living in fear, grief, sadness, depression, anxiety and food insecurity, delaying their care from other health conditions” ........ “It is a tragic time.” ........ attributed the spread of the virus to “habituation, desensitization, fatalism, fatigue, denial.” ......... In Tripura’s small towns and villages, many people are scared to get tested because of the social stigma. .......... families that have followed the rules and taken loved ones to hospitals say the experience was horrifying. 

The rural surge In its villages, where cases are on a sharp upswing, India's battle against the pandemic is on a wing and a prayer, given the desperately inadequate public health infrastructure in the hinterland. ........  “We have no PPE kits, we have made our own masks, and when we visit homes, we have to make do with soap and water, which isn’t always available. Assuming we even isolate positive cases, how do we look after them? Who is going to walk into the isolation room without protection? We don’t have any Covid medication here other than Vitamin C and paracetamol.” ............. To make things worse, in one part of the country, there’s growing resentment and resistance towards testing. To blame is a toxic mix of factors: rumour-mongering, irresponsible politicians, social stigma attached to corona-positive families, poor institutional quarantine and Covid care facilities, expensive private sector care and poor communication. ..............  panchayats in other Punjab villages too have passed resolutions, and village gurudwaras have made announcements to not allow healthcare teams to conduct testing, especially of those who are asymptomatic. .............. The only silver lining is that most infec­tions are still asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. 

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says he is tired of Work From Home Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella finds Work From Home extremely tiring, which makes him drowsy and sleepy. He is now sick of it. .............  he explained it by blaming video calls that are often part of Work From Home routine. “Thirty minutes into your first video meeting in the morning, because of the concentration one needs to have on video, you're fatigued," he said. 

World Mental Health Day | How Covid is also a mental health pandemic. Snapshot of the global crisis In the last six months of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a surge in mental health issues world over. On World Mental Health Day, IndiaToday.in sheds light on this emerging crisis. ............  Experts say a raging mental health crisis is upon us and not enough attention has been given to this aspect of the pandemic. ..............  the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted critical mental health services in 93 per cent of the countries surveyed. ........... Meanwhile, a study in the US found that every third Covid-19 patient brought to the hospital developed some kind of mental ailment. ......... In India too, officials at AIIMS, Patna, had reportedly said that nearly 30 per cent of Covid-19 patients at the hospital were "mentally disturbed". ..................   "Bereavement, isolation, loss of income and fear are triggering mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones. Many people may be facing increased levels of alcohol and drug use, insomnia, and anxiety. Meanwhile, Covid-19 itself can lead to neurological and mental complications, such as delirium, agitation, and stroke."  

Ram Vilas Paswan: A man with no enemies | India Today Insight As Bihar comes to terms with the death of Dalit leader Ram Vilas Paswan, a look at his illustrious political career and his personal charm .......... With three family members in the Lok Sabha and himself in the Rajya Sabha, the Paswans made up the largest political family in parliament. 

Italy's GDP in 2020 to shrink back to same level as 23 years ago: Report A report has predicted that Italy's GDP will shrink by 10 per cent in 2020, setting economic development back 23 years.