EXTREMELY
During the past 24 hours, 111 people have been infected by the coronavirus in
Iran. It takes the total death toll to over 4,500.
In total,
over 73,000 people have been infected in the country, which has been hit
hardest in the Middle East.
Over the
weekend, the government eased the restrictions and lifted a travel ban between
cities in Iranian provinces. Travel between different provinces is banned until
April 20, according to state media.
3,877 of
those infected with covid-19 are reported to be critically ill.
Opened
operations
"The
trend of relatively stable and declining numbers of new infections that have
been reported in recent days has also continued over the past 24 hours,"
said Kianoush Jahanpour, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health during a
televised press conference.
- People
must always continue to avoid unnecessary travel.
Streets full
of people, crowded buses and subway cars in several cities have been shown on
TV, in connection with the opening of many shops and other businesses over the
weekend. However, not in the capital Tehran where restrictions are scheduled to
begin on Saturday.
Experts have
warned the government that a second wave of the infection could hit Tehran
hard.
Activities
that are considered to pose a high risk, such as theaters, bathing and sauna
facilities, beauty salons, schools, restaurants and shopping malls have not
reopened.
Financial
consequences
The Iranian
government, like many other governments, is trying to find the right path to
limit the spread of the corona virus, but is also striving to reduce the impact
on the economy, which in Iran's case has already been hit hard by US sanctions.
- We need to
fight the corona virus and the sanction virus together, says government
spokesman Ali Rabiei.
Iran has
said sanctions are hindering its efforts to fight the corona virus. At the same
time, the country's leaders have turned down US offers of humanitarian aid to
prevent the spread of the virus.
The country
reported its first death in the corona virus on February 19.
EXTREMELY At
least eleven people have died in the wake of tornadoes in Mississippi in the
southern United States.
The
authorities have declared an emergency due to the weather.
Whirlwind
damage is described by local media as disastrous, and the National Weather
Service has issued its highest warning for tornadoes.
The weather
is expected to remain unstable in the state, and more strong tornadoes may
occur.
Mississippi
has declared the emergency "to protect residents' health and safety during
the severe tornadoes and storms that hit the state," Governor Tate Reeves
wrote on Twitter.
"We are
mobilizing all available resources to protect our people and their
property," he writes.
The weather
is expected to continue overnight in Mississippi and also in neighboring states
Alabama and Georgia.
"Heavy
tornadoes, extensive damaging winds and large hail are possible," Storm
Prediction Center predicts.
On Sunday,
Reeves urged residents to take the storm seriously, and also reminded them to
take precautions to slow the spread of the corona virus for those who may be
forced to head to shelters to protect themselves from the storms.
FOREIGN For
young doctors, like 26-year-old Christian Vigil, the fight against the corona
virus is like traveling back in time, to something they can hardly imagine.
- We feel
like a doctor a hundred years ago, when there were no antibiotics, he says.
Christian
Vigil works in an intensive care unit at a hospital in Madrid, Spain. He, like
other doctors of his generation, is educated at a time when medical knowledge
is far advanced. He is used to having an arsenal of life-saving treatments and
equipment.
But in the
ongoing corona eruption, it becomes obvious that there is a limit even to the
medical knowledge of our time.
- The
feeling of not being able to give the patient something, and having so many
patients with this disease, is frustrating. It's an inability we're not used
to, ”Vigil told Reuters news agency in a telephone interview after stepping off
a 24-hour session.
Die alone
There is no
vaccine against covid-19 and although most of those infected recover the death
toll worldwide. And since the only way so far to reduce the spread of infection
is to keep a distance, patients often die without their relatives, with only
medical staff who can comfort.
- It is very
difficult to realize that there is nothing more to do for a patient, especially
when there is someone who has begun to know their neighbor, says Vigil.
He tells of
a 70-year-old woman who died on his shift, despite receiving oxygen treatment.
- The lungs
are basically unable to oxygenate the blood and the patient dies. It's a bit like drowning.
"Can crack one"
Many young
healthcare workers are now working in circumstances that can almost be compared
to how it can be in conflict zones or in connection with natural disasters.
An enormous
workload and concern about infecting other people increases the pressure on
them even more.
"Some
nurses are just over 20 years old," says Rahuldeb Sarkar, a 42-year-old
doctor who works as a lung medicine consultant in Kent, UK.
- This can
crack a scarred war veteran, so they will obviously be affected by this.
The lack of
intensive care sites and respirators in many countries causes doctors to face
terrible dilemmas, such as having to decide who should receive care and who
might be able to cure a treatment.
"These
are difficult decisions for young doctors, even if you do not make them
yourself," says Joyce Scholtens, a 27-year-old doctor in the Belgian city
of Boussu.
At the
hospital she works, experienced doctors make the most difficult decisions, but
based on younger colleagues' assessments, which thus share some of the
responsibility.
- We really
do our best. We are all affected by this and develop, ”she says.
Takes a beer
To recover,
Vigil takes a beer with his friends with whom he shares an apartment - one of
them is also a doctor, the other is studying film science. He reads, watches TV
or talks to his parents who live in another part of Spain. The parents worry
but are also proud, especially when many go out and pay tribute to the medical
staff in the evenings.
- They have
told me that they go out every night at 8pm and applaud and that they applaud
me, says Vigil.
One of the
doctors' main tasks is to be a channel for troubled families - both through
daily updates by phone and by communicating personal belongings such as bags,
phone chargers and other things. They also become a kind of therapist who helps
patients face their fears, while also ensuring that they are not themselves
infected.
"Don't
romanticize"
Vigil, who
recently counted 120 patients in the waiting room when he left home, says he is
working to keep his composure. He relies on protective material and his young
age to protect him and says at the same time:
- If I were
60, I wouldn't be as calm.
He started
dreaming of becoming a doctor already as a teenager and what he has been with
lately has not deterred him. But he has a very concrete advice to the public
and government officials:
- I do not
want people to have a too romanticized image of us doctors and thus forget that
we need good working conditions. We are inundated with work even in ordinary
cases.
FOREIGN
After signs of a more controlled virus spread, Spain today begins to allow
certain groups to return to their jobs.
The
government is striking a difficult balance between curbing the outbreak and
avoiding economic collapse.
The death
toll in the country fell several days in a row last week and last Saturday saw
the lowest figures of almost three weeks. The next day a slight increase came
again. But it was followed by a new drop on Monday when 517 new deaths were
reported.
"We are
still far from victory," Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Sunday.
Since
mid-March, extensive quarantine rules have been in force in the country. In a
month's time, the 47 million inhabitants have only been allowed to leave their
homes to get to work or to do absolutely necessary matters.
Respiratory
protection is distributed
In addition,
during the past two weeks, all non-societal activities have been shut down.
But with an
economy in free fall, the government has decided to allow certain companies
that cannot carry out teleworking to resume their operations from Monday. This
applies, among other things, to the construction industry and the manufacturing
industry. However, most Spaniards are allowed to continue to stay at home -
schools, bars, restaurants, cultural and entertainment venues and more remain
at a loss.
To try to
prevent a new virus stop, ten million respirators will be distributed in public
transport to those now returning to work. New guidelines have also been issued
to disinfect all items used outside the home, such as glasses and mobiles, and
that companies should ensure that there is no congestion at the entrances to
the workplace.
Criticism:
"Huge risk"
Some
regional leaders and some unions believe it is too early to start opening up
the economy.
"The
risk of a new outbreak and a second shutdown is enormous," said
Catalonia's regional president Quim Torra this weekend.
Sánchez says
the decision was made in consultation with experts and that the government will
wait with continued relief until the situation looks brighter.
According to
government experts, the population flows in the cities decreased by about 70
percent after the first decision on a general curfew. They declined by another
10 percent following the decision to shut down all unnecessary operations.
- Now it may
be that the population flows are increasing by 10 percent again and that we are
getting more infected, says epidemiologist Toni Trilla, one of the government's
advisers, to El País, but emphasizes that the increase does not have to be so
great if the population continues to follow the rules.
Historical
recession
So far, the
shutdown is estimated to have resulted in around one million lost jobs in
Spain. The economic situation is the worst since the Spanish Civil War
(1936–39), former Finance Minister Luis de Guindos said in an interview this
weekend.
More and
more voices are now warning that the economic problems may have worse
consequences than the virus outbreak. Some also note that the shutdown does not
solve any problems in the long run.
- Even if we
continue for a longer period, the population will still be susceptible to the
virus. When you open up, more people will be infected, says Javier Arranz at
the medical research association Semfyc to El País.
- We have
made an effort to slow this wave, but life goes on. We have patients with
chronic problems in their homes that need to be looked after, hospitals that
have stopped operating. All such things must begin to take hold.