Spain crumbling as infection rate rises
SPAIN has become the third country to surpass China in coronavirus infections after the United States and Italy.
With a population of only 47 million to China’s 1.4 billion, Spain’s tally of infections reached 85,195 yesterday, a rise of 8% from the previous day.
Spain also reported 812 new deaths in the last day, raising its overall fatalities from the virus to 7,300.
The health systems in Italy and Spain have been crumbling under the weight of caring for so many desperately ill patients at once.
The two European nations have more than half the world’s 34,000 deaths from the virus that has upended the lives of billions of people and devastated world economies.
In a situation unimaginable only a month ago, Italian officials were cheered when they reported only 756 deaths in one day on Sunday.
Meanwhile, in a stark reversal of his previous stance, US president Donald Trump extended federal guidelines recommending that Americans stay home for another 30 days until the end of April to slow the spread of the virus.
The turnabout came after Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said up to 200,000 Americans could die and millions become infected if lockdowns and social distancing did not continue.
“We want to make sure that we don’t prematurely think we’re doing so great,” Dr Fauci said.
The US now has more than 143,000 infections and 2,500 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, while around the world almost 725,000 people are infected.
The true number of cases is thought to be considerably higher because of testing shortages and mild illnesses that have gone unreported.
Moscow went on its own lockdown yesterday as all of Russia braced for sweeping nationwide restrictions. Russian president Vladimir Putin has asked all citizens to stay at home, and Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin began enforcing a strict lockdown for all city residents except those working in essential sectors.
“The extremely negative turn of events we are seeing in the largest European and US cities causes extreme concern about the life and health of our citizens,” Mr Sobyanin said. He said an electronic monitoring system will be used to control residents’ compliance with the lockdown and warned “we will steadily tighten the necessary controls”.
Moscow, a city of 13 million, accounts for more than 1,000 of Russia’s 1,836 coronavirus cases.
In Italy, which has seen by far the most deaths from the virus worldwide, officials expressed cautious optimism that the drastic measures they have taken to keep people apart are having an impact.
Italy has reported 97,689 infections and 10,779 deaths so far, but on Sunday said the number of positive cases in the last day increased just 5.4%, and the number of deaths has shifted down about 10% a day since Friday.
“These are big changes that reflect the fact the health system is responding and of the impact of the measures that have been put in place,” said Dr Luca Richeldi, a lung specialist, told reporters.
“We are saving lives by staying at home, by maintaining social distance, by travelling less and by closing schools.”
Experts say the critical situations in hospitals in Italy and Spain will be soon heading toward the US.
Coronavirus patient Andrea Napoli, 33, told The Associated Press that what he saw at a Rome hospital shocked him.
While he was being treated, three patients died in his ward. He saw doctors stressed and exhausted from the long hours, out of breath from pushing equipment around, dressed in protective masks, suits and gloves.