US sees 3 deaths per min as 4,470 die in 24 hours
WASHINGTON/LONDON: The US has endured its worst day of the Covid-19 pandemic, with three Americans dying every minute as global infections have soared past 91 million. The spikes have forced governments around the world to reimpose restrictions such as unpopular and economically painful lockdowns, including in Europe which is battling a devastating second wave.
The United States is the worsthit nation, logging a record 4,470 deaths in 24 hours on Tuesday, as it reeled from a winter surge in infections that has overwhelmed hospitals and clinics in many areas even as vaccines are rolled out.
Keeping in mind the impact of the new mutations of the coronavirus, authorities in the US on Tuesday announced that starting on January 26, all travellers entering the United States by air will need a negative Covid-19 test before departure.
The daily US death toll on Tuesday was greater than the official fatality count for the entire pandemic in China, where the coronavirus was first detected in late 2019.
Canada scrambled to contain a worrying outbreak, ordering residents in Ontario to stay home. Ontario premier Doug Ford said the health care system was “on the brink of collapse”.
Japan expanded a coronavirus state of emergency for seven more prefectures on Wednesday, affecting more than half the population amid a surge in infections across the country. The new declaration, which adds
seven other prefectures in western and central Japan, takes effect on Thursday and lasts until February 7.
Governments worldwide are racing to acquire and deliver vaccines to help end the Covid-19 crisis. One of the Chinese-developed vaccines, CoronaVac, demonstrated a 50% efficacy following tests in Brazil, the organisation in charge of its production in the South American country said on Tuesday.
In the UK, record numbers of personnel from British armed forces have been deployed to help deal the “most dangerous situation” in living memory facing hospitals, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ministers implored Britons not to flout current lockdown rules. This is the largest peacetime resilience operation ever undertaken by the UK armed forces.