Coronavirus News Update – Nov. 20: European Nations Expand Limits on the Non-Vaccinated as Protestors Push Back
An historic building at the Openluchtmuseum (Open Air Museum) in Arnhem
New and stricter measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus in Europe brought on protests in Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland as the continent once again became the pandemic’s epicenter.
As Austria is set to become the first Western country to mandate vaccines for its populaton while instituting a fourth lockdown that starts Monday, other countries mulled similar actions.
Several Bundesländer in Germany – those with the highest number of new daily cases – will see lockdowns shortly and violent protests in Rotterdam greeted plans announced by the Dutch government to enact legislation that would exclude non-vaccinated people from restaurants, cafes, bars, fitness centers, and cultural institutions.
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic will require proof of vaccination or recent recovery from Covid for entry into such establishments starting Monday as cases there hit new pandemic highs. Even Portugal, which has fared reasonably well in recent months with a population that is 87% fully vaccinated, is considering placing new limitations on the non-vaccinated.
As of Saturday morning, the world has recorded 257.2 million Covid-19 cases, an increase of 0.6 million, and 5.2million deaths, according to Worldometer, a service that tracks such information. In addition, 232.2 million people worldwide have recovered from the virus.
The average daily number of new coronavirus cases in the United States over the past 14 days is 93,196, a 30% increase. The average daily death toll over the same period is 1,134, a change of -6% over the same period.
In addition, since the start of the pandemic the United States has, as of Saturday, recorded over 48.5 million cases, a higher figure than any other country, and a death toll of 791,184. India has the world’s second highest number of officially recorded cases, 34.5 million, and a death toll of 465,349, although experts believe that both numbers are in reality significantly higher. Finally, Brazil has recorded the second highest number of deaths as a result of the virus, 612,411, and has seen just over 22 million cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that, as of Saturday, 229.3 million people in the United States – or 69.1% – have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Of that population, 59%, or 195.9 million people, are now fully vaccinated, and the total number of doses that have been dispensed in the United States is now 448.2 million. Breaking this down further, 81.9% of the population over the age of 18 – or 211.4 million people – has received at least a first inoculation and 70.8% of the same group – or 189.9 million people – is fully vaccinated.
Some 53.1% of the world population has received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, according to Our World in Data, an online scientific publication that tracks such information. So far, 7.66 billion doses of the vaccine have been administered on a global basis.
Meanwhile, only 5% of people in low-income countries have received one dose, while in countries such as Canada, China, Denmark, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States, at least 65% of the population has received at least one dose of vaccine. In countries such as Ethiopia, Haiti, Syria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda, for example, vaccination rates remain in the single digits, if not lower.
Figures from the World Health Organization show that well-off countries are vaccinating people at the rate of one person per second, while the majority of poor countries have yet to give a single dose to its citizens.
It is critical that the world do a better job of sharing vaccines with poorer nations.
Sharing vaccines is not merely a form of charity. Rather, the equitable distribution of vaccines is in every country’s health and economic interest and no country will be able to move past the pandemic until other countries have recovered as well.
Jonathan Spira contributed to this story.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
