Page 10 - AHATA DEC 14 2020

A29
world news Dialuna 14 December 2020

Italy surpasses UK for worst COVID-19 death toll in Europe

Italy on Sunday eclipsed Among the reasons cited for
Britain to become the na- Italy's high death toll was it
tion with the worst official that was the first country in
coronavirus death toll in Europe to be slammed in
Europe. the pandemic, leaving health
workers to grapple with a
Italy, where the continent's largely unknown virus. Italy
pandemic began, registered also has a lower ratio of med-
484 COVID-19 deaths in one ical staff to patients compared
day, one of its lowest one- to other European nations.
day death counts in about a
month. Germany, a nation much big-
ger than Italy, has a death toll
Still, those latest deaths one-third of Italy's or Brit-
pushed Italy's official toll ain's.
up to 64,520, while Britain's
stood at 64,267, according A little more than half of
to a tally by Johns Hopkins Italy's known COVID-19
University. deaths were registered in the
first surge.
Both numbers understate
the true toll of the pandemic. On Sunday, Italy reported
Counting criteria differ in another 17,938 coronavirus
the two countries, and many infections to raise its official
coronavirus deaths, espe- tally to 1.84 million.
cially early in the pandemic, overall. Day holidays. Starting on On the holidays themselves,
are believed to have gone By far, the region registering Largely heeding the advice Dec. 21 and running through under the nationwide restric-
undetected, including those the highest number of new of medical experts, Italian Jan. 6, people in Italy won't tions, Italians can't leave their
of elderly people in nursing infections was the northern Premier Giuseppe Conte has be able to travel between re- towns, as the government
homes who were not tested region of Veneto. Italy's Lom- tightened travel rules for the gions except for work or ur- seeks to discourage families
for COVID-19. bardy region has the highest period straddling Christmas, gent reasons such as health and friends from gathering in
number of cases and deaths New Year's and Epiphany problems. large numbers indoors.

Silent nights: Germany tightens virus lockdown over holidays

Most stores shut, tight porters in Berlin, noting that still be permitted, but no eat- large number of serious in- a week and visitors to the
limits on social contacts, existing restrictions imposed ing or drinking can take place juries that result every years homes will have to provide a
no singing in church and in November had failed to on site. from mishandled explosives. negative test result before be-
a ban on fireworks sales: significantly reduce the num- ing able to see relatives..
Germany is ratcheting ber of new infections. With the exception of Christ- "We need to be careful that
up its pandemic restric- mas, the number of people Germany doesn't become the The German Hospital Fed-
tions in an effort to cut The seven-day rolling aver- allowed to meet indoors will problem child of Europe," he eration welcomed the new
the stubbornly high rate age of daily new cases in Ger- remain restricted to five, not said. measures, but called it "diffi-
of coronavirus infections. many has risen over the past including children under 14. cult to comprehend" why the
two weeks from 21.23 new Germany has set new records European Medicines Agency
Chancellor Angela Merkel cases per 100,000 people on The sale of fireworks tra- in the number of confirmed had not yet approved the first
said she and the governors of Nov. 28 to 26 new cases per ditionally used to celebrate cases and deaths in recent coronavirus vaccine. Brit-
Germany's 16 states agreed 100,000 people on Dec. 12. New Year's will also be weeks. Overall it has had ain, Canada and the United
Sunday to step up the coun- banned, as will public out- about 22,000 virus deaths, a States have already approved
try's lockdown measures be- Starting Wednesday, schools door gatherings on New toll that is one-third that of the Pfizer-BioNTech vac-
ginning Wednesday to Jan. nationwide will be closed or Year's Eve. Italy and Britain. cine, and the U.K. began vac-
10 to stop the country's ex- switch to home schooling; cinations last week.
ponential rise of COVID-19 most non-food stores will be Bavaria's governor, Markus Finance Minister Olaf Scholz
cases. shuttered, as will businesses Soeder, said the ban on fire- said the government would Hospitals in the hard-hit
such as hairdressers that have works followed appeals from provide further financial sup- eastern region around Dres-
"We are forced to act and so far been allowed to remain hospitals, which said they port for businesses affected den have appealed for people
we're acting," Merkel told re- open. Restaurant takeout will wouldn't be able to treat the by the lockdown. German to responsibly follow social
news agency dpa reported distancing and mask-wear-
that the additional sums ing, saying medical facilities
amounted to 11.2 billion eu- were about to hit full capac-
ros ($13.6 billion). ity.

Employers will be asked to let "Nurses and doctors are al-
staff work from home, where ready at their physical and
possible, for the next month. psychological limits," the
hospitals said in newspaper
Religious services will be ads.
permitted, provided mini-
mum distancing rules are in Three counties in Saxony,
place and masks are worn, where Dresden is located,
although singing will be have reported rates of infec-
banned. tion more than 10 times as
high as the government's tar-
Staff in nursing homes will get. The state has been a hot-
be required to take CO- bed of protests against coro-
VID-19 tests several times navirus restrictions.