The coronavirus pandemic is a major problem worldwide. France has another disastrous disease results; the German chancellor calls on citizens to be cautious, the situation of hospitals in one of the British cities is critical.
Appeal of the German chancellor
Chancellor Angela Merkel called on German citizens to limit contacts and refrain from traveling. She did so in a video speech broadcast on Saturday by the daily “Bild”.
Meet far fewer people, be it outdoors or indoors
Merkel announced.
Refrain from any travel that is not really essential, and from any celebration that is not really necessary. (…) Please stay home whenever possible, where possible
– called the German chancellor.
For our own health and the health of everyone we can save from disease. To make sure our healthcare system is not overwhelmed, to keep our children’s schools and kindergartens open. For our economy and our work
– she appealed.
Merkel said Germany is “in a very serious phase of the coronavirus pandemic.” She noted that the pandemic was spreading faster than six months ago.
Summer has ended relatively quietly, now we are facing difficult months
She announced.
The coming days and weeks will decide how our holidays will look like in winter
– she added.
We must now do everything we can to prevent the virus from spreading uncontrollably
The chancellor warned and pointed out that every day counted. Each person can contribute to the fall in the number of infections again by observing the minimum distances and hygiene rules, as well as using mouth and nose protection, she reminded.
Science tells us clearly: the spread of the virus directly depends on the number of contacts and meetings that each of us has
Merkel said.
The chancellor stressed that Germany survived the first six months of the pandemic relatively well. She said it was successful because “we stuck together and followed the rules.”
Out of prudence and common sense
– she added.
Limiting contacts is “the most effective measure we have today against a pandemic,” she concluded.
As announced by the Berlin Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on Saturday, 7,830 new coronavirus infections were found in Germany. 33 more people died. The day before, the RKI reported 7,334 new infections and 24 deaths.
Fatal result in France
In the last 24 hours, 32,427 new coronavirus infections have been confirmed in France, according to data published by the health ministry. This is the largest daily increase in the number of infections since the epidemic began. 90 infected people died.
There were over 7 thousand. more infections than the day before. However, 88 fewer deaths were registered.
The published data show that 7198 patients were admitted to hospitals in the last week in connection with Covid-19, 1269 were referred to intensive care units.
France currently has the highest number of new infections in Europe and the third highest in the world.
Difficult situation in Italy
There are 11 red zones of spread of the coronavirus currently in Italy. They are located at two ends of the country; in the mountains in the north and in three regions in the south. In the north, in the Aosta Valley, three neighboring municipalities were isolated due to the high number of infections. These are the towns of Saint Denis, Verrayes and Chambave, where a total of 2.5 thousand people live. people. Residents are not allowed to depart from there, all activities have been suspended, except for the provision of necessary services. You can only leave the house once a day; one person from each family.
In Alto Adige, the red zones were established by the towns of Sesto and Monguelfo in Val Pusteria with 4.7 thousand. residents. Restrictions are less strict: bars are closed and restaurants may stay open until 6pm.
In Campania in the south, Arzano near Naples was closed. All shops and businesses have been closed, but residents are not forbidden to leave the commune borders.
In Calabria, the towns of Sant’Eufemia di Aspromonte and Torre di Ruggiero were isolated. You can only navigate on them for good, legitimate reasons. In Sicily, Galati Mamertino was closed with 2.4 thousand. inhabitants, Sambuca di Sicilia with 5.7 thousand. people and Mezzojuso, where live 2.8 thousand. people. Large outbreaks of infections were detected in them. There are also numerous restrictions, including the prohibition to move without important professional or health reasons. You can only go shopping once a day.
Problems in Berlin
Berlin is one of the regions most affected by the coronavirus. There have been 21,126 infections since the outbreak began. This week – according to the statistics of the DIVI association – the number of vacant beds in intensive care units in Berlin is significantly lower than in the rest of the country.
According to data from DIVI (German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine), on Tuesday, Berlin hospitals had 190 vacancies for intensive care, i.e. 15.4 percent. On Saturday in Berlin it was a bit better – 211 vacant intensive care beds out of a total of 1,236.
These are the worst statistics in Germany. For all of Germany, the number of vacancies in intensive care this week stands at around 30%. As the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the German capital increases exponentially, more and more people are reporting for testing. The use of power in laboratories is reaching critical levels, the organization ALM (Accredited Medical Laboratories) warned last week.
In early October, Berlin’s senate decided to introduce a “curfew” from 11pm to 6pm. This means that restaurants, bars and night shops close at noon. 23, and you cannot sell alcohol at gas stations at that time. On Saturday, 363 new coronavirus infections were reported in Berlin.
So far, 239 people infected with SARS-CoV-2 have died in the German capital.
Birmingham hospitals at a tipping point
Hospitals in Birmingham, the UK’s second-largest city, are at a tipping point due to the number of coronavirus patients and will stop seeing other patients if they are not urgent, medical authorities have warned.
We are at a tipping point. The next few weeks will be a big challenge
Said Jonathan Brotherton, director of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, which manages four hospitals in the city. It is the largest organizational unit in England within the public health service.
He added that the spread of the virus puts hospitals under increasing pressure, which also affects patients with other diseases.
We can’t deal with all of this at once. People don’t connect it, but if there are more coronavirus cases, someone else won’t have surgery, and that’s what they will.
Brotherton was saying.
In the last six weeks, he said, the number of coronavirus patients in four hospitals managed by the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust has increased from 20 to 206, which means they account for around 10% of the total number of hospitals. hospital beds, and forecasts indicate that they will continue to be accommodated.
Until now, all patients who go to the inpatient emergency departments have been admitted, but as Brotherton announced to ease the pressure, from next week, anyone who does not require urgent inpatient care will be turned back. This will mark a return to the situation from the first wave of the epidemic, when in March, April and May all medical services, except for the most urgent surgeries, were very limited, and all attention was focused on the coronavirus.
At the height of the first wave, there were around 700 coronavirus patients at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust hospitals, including 127 in intensive care units.
mly / PAP
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