Covid torments US, claims 2,400 lives in one day
Coronavirus has been surging nationwide for weeks, with nearly 200,000 infections reported on Wednesday
WASHINGTON/BERLIN: In the US, thousands of grieving families were bracing for a Thanksgiving marked by loss. Americans usually criss-cross the country to be with family and friends to mark one of their most important national holidays. But the Covid-19 pandemic has been surging nationwide for weeks, with daily numbers of new cases regularly topping 150,000.
On Wednesday, it spiked to nearly 200,000 cases, with a death toll of more than 2,400 - a six-month high. More than 262,000 people have been killed by the virus in the US so far.
In recent days, images on social media of crowded airports fuelled concerns Americans were not taking advice from health authorities to curb travel seriously. But officials and passengers in Los Angeles noted an eerie quiet compared to previous years.
In Germany, the government has announced that it will
extend its virus curbs until 2021 and plans to seek a deal with European partners to close ski slopes until January 10.
A statement from Chancellor Angela Merkel dovetailed with French plans announced one day earlier to shutter ski resorts through the year’s end.
Russia on Thursday registered record numbers for both daily infections and deaths for the second time in less than a week. Officials reported 25,487 new infections, bringing the national total to 2,187,990 cases since the beginning of the pandemic - the fifth-highest caseload in the world.
Health authorities also reported 524 deaths, raising Russia’s total fatalities from Covid-19 to 38,062.
South Korea reported its highest daily number of coronavirus cases since March on Thursday, with a surge of new infections sparking fears of a major third wave. Officials announced 583 new cases after several weeks of fresh infections ranging between around 100 and 300.
Bilawal Bhutto tests +ve, goes into isolation
Pakistan’s leading opposition politician Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Thursday he has tested positive for the coronavirus, days after attending a massive rally in Peshawar. The 32-year-old chief of Pakistan Peoples Party and son of former two-time PM Benazir Bhutto went into isolation after being infected. “I’ll continue working from home... Wear a mask everyone, see you on the other side,” Bilawal tweeted.
Culled mink resurface after burial in Denmark
Some of the thousands of mink culled to cut the risk of them re-transmitting the coronavirus to humans have risen from their shallow graves in western Denmark after gases built up inside the bodies, authorities said.
“The gases cause the animals to expand and in the worst cases, the mink get pushed out of the ground,” Jannike Elmegaard of the Danish veterinary and food administration said. He said it happened to “a few hundred” animals.