Corona worldwide: Figures in India and Africa reach new million marks - deaths in Mexico are increasing

The corona pandemic can occupy the world for decades, according to the WHO. In India and Africa, new million marks were reached in the number of infected people.

• The coronavirus * pandemic could drag on for a “very long time”, estimates a WHO expert committee after a meeting.
• In India and Africa new million-selling brands of were Corona infections reached. (Update from August 7th, 4:41 pm)
• In Mexico , the death toll has risen to over 50,000. (Update from August 7th, 4:41 pm)
• Here you will find the basic  facts about the coronavirus *  and a map with the current number of cases in  Germany .

Update from August 8th: The Robert Koch Institute has its list of risk areasexpanded. Recently, people who have visited the Victoria region in Australia are also required to take a corona test when entering Germany.

Update from August 7, 4:41 p.m .: India is the third country on earth to have more than two million registered corona infections . As data from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore show, the number of known infections with the Sars-CoV-2 virus rose from one to two million cases in just under three weeks. In India , the known new infections are increasing faster than in other countries on earth - also than in Brazil or the USA , both of which have recorded significantly more infections so far.

Congratulations to Modiji for completing 2 million Corona cases in India # CoronavirusPandemic

Even so, the country continues to loosen its protective measures. Because of the initially very strict lockdown , millions of day laborers lost their jobs and threatened to starve. With more than 41,000 deaths from Covid-19 , the official death rate in India is significantly lower than in many other countries. Experts believe that the numbers are too low. However, the proportion of young people in the total population in India is very high. In young people, the infection is often associated with no symptoms or only with mild discomfort.

In addition, there was a serious plane crash in India on Friday, in which a plane probably broke up.

Coronavirus worldwide: More than a million infections in Africa

According to the African Union (AU), Africa has recorded more than one million proven corona cases . More than 22,000 infected people died, the AU announced on Friday. Accordingly, with 538 184 cases , South Africa accounts for a good half of the registered infections with the Sars-CoV-2 virus . Other priority countries are  Egypt , Nigeria , Algeria and Sudan . According to experts, the number of unreported cases on the continent with its 1.3 billion people is much higher.

The aid organization International Rescue Committee (IRC) therefore spoke of the tip of an iceberg. There is often a lack of tests, of staff and, in some countries, of enough hospital beds. In countries like Tanzania there have been no up-to-date figures for a long time. The helpers therefore often fought in the dark, emphasized Michelle Gayer from the IRC: "Most of these countries are doing what they can to increase the testing possibilities and also improve the access to available data, but they need help."

Corona worldwide: Mexico with over 50,000 deaths - Australia allows borders

Mexico became the third country in the world to have exceeded 50,000 registered deaths related to Covid-19 lung disease . According to the Ministry of Health, the number rose by 819 to 50,517 compared to the previous day on Thursday (local time). Almost a week earlier, Mexico had overtaken Great Britain and moved up to third place worldwide. According to statistics from Johns Hopkins University, the USA ranks first in terms of fatalities with more than 160,000, followed by Brazil with more than 98,000.

#coronavirus update in #Mexico. New cases confirmed 6590, new deaths 819. Total cases in Mexico confirmed 462690, recovered 361764, deaths 50517. + 1.44% daily cases increase, 6590 reported today UTC time.

Australia wants to keep its borders closed for the time being due to the corona pandemic . It will be "a few more months" before foreigners are allowed to enter again, said Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday. "We have decided that the international travel restrictions on arrivals in Australia should continue in their current form," said Morrison. But he hoped that the rules could be changed "sometime in the future". The entry ban for international visitors has been in effect since March . Since then, only Australians and people with permanent residence have been allowed into the country. There is also an exit ban for Australians.

Coronavirus worldwide: WHO expects a "very long pandemic" - a person infected with corona dies every 15 seconds

Update of August 5, 6:50 pm: Good news from the United States in the fight Corona: Researchers are developing an active ingredient that, according to studies, largely kills the coronavirus * . And not only that.

Update of August 5, 6.40 p.m .: It is omnipresent worldwide: concern about the second wave in the corona pandemic . Virologist Christian Drosten is now back with assessments - and explains how, in his opinion, a second Covid-19 lockdown can be avoided.

Update from August 5, 12.47 p.m .: A numerical example illustrates the current extent of the pandemic . More than 700,000 people around the world have now died with Sars-CoV-2 infection * - most of them in the USA , Brazil , India and Mexico . This was the result of a survey by Reuters , which converted these numbers into several comparisons: According to this, there are an average of 5,900 more pandemic deaths every 24 hours. That's the equivalent of 247 deaths per hour, or one death every 15 seconds . The news agency bases the calculations on corona data from the past 14 days.

Update of August 4, 10:07 pm: The United Nations believes that the corona crisis has led to the greatest distortions in education systems in history. The United Nations said that more than 1.6 billion people in over 190 countries on all continents were affected by the learning pandemic when it released a report in New York on Tuesday.

Closed schools and learning institutions have affected 94 percent of all learners worldwide, and even 99 percent in low-income countries. Up to 23.8 million children and young people could leave school out of school due to the economic impact, or may have no access to education in the coming year.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the greatest interruption in education ever."

UN Secretary General @antonioguterres today published the UN dossier on education and COVID-19.

➡️ https://t.co/XuILnIgf8t pic.twitter.com/H3mnRUA3pX

Social differences in education would be exacerbated by the pandemic , it said - for example between the sexes. Governments should therefore make additional efforts to make their education systems more flexible, inclusive and fairer.

Corona worldwide: In response to violations - Australia massively increases fines

Update from August 4th, 10:29 am: Because more and more violations of the corona regulations are being reported, the Australian state of Victoria now wants to more than triple the fines. So if you violate the measures more than once, you can expect a fine of 5000 Australian dollars. That's about 3000 euros. So far it has been $ 1,652. Serious violations even threaten a court hearing, said the state's head of government, Daniel Andrews. In such cases, up to $ 20,000 could be due.

In the capital of Victoria, Melbourne, 500 soldiers are meanwhile deployed to help local authorities enforce the corona measures . Strict rules apply. Among other things, there is a night curfew and a general mask requirement. Many shops are not allowed to open.

Australia's most famous mountain - Uluru - has also been closed again due to concerns about the corona virus. The mountain and the Uluru-Kata-Tjuta National Park were closed to visitors from March to June. From July onwards it was released again for domestic excursionists. But after a plane carrying tourists from Brisbane - a Corona stronghold in Australia - landed at the local airfield on Monday , there were protests by the Aboriginal people. "At the request of the Mutitjulu Aboriginal Community Corporation (MCAC), the national park remains closed," it said on Tuesday in a message from the conservation authority "Parks Australia". Meanwhile, there may be a breakthrough in corona research.

Corona worldwide: The country's largest beer festival starts in China

Update from August 4, 6:39 a.m .: In China , the corona pandemic seems to be largely under control . The east Chinese city of Qingdao , where the country's largest beer festival has started as planned, is now also benefiting from this . As every year, the organizers want to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to the site in the east Chinese province of Shandong by August 23 . 

The organizers like to refer to the Qingdao Beer Festival as “China's Oktoberfest” . However, the number of visitors is still far from the Munich original . Around six million people flock to the Oktoberfest every year. This year, however, the Munich Festival was canceled due to the corona virus. Special rules should apply at the beer festival in Qingdao. Visitors have to wear masks when entering the site, the temperature is measured and registration is required. Employees have to do a corona test every week . 

The “Oktoberfest” 2020 in Qingdao, China, opened despite the corona pandemic (archive picture).

© Friso Gentsch / dpa

"Beer festival" in China despite Corona: More visitors than 2019

The measures do not seem to have a negative impact on the interest of the visitors: As reported by the state media , even more guests came to the start of the beer festival than last year. China has not had a large wave of infections for months. However, there have recently been smaller, local outbreaks in various parts of the country, to which strict measures are usually taken.

WHO expects a "very long pandemic": Corona consequences over decades - amazing school idea in Mexico

Update from August 3, 10:36 p.m.: Last Sunday, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca - the Hajj - came to an end for many Muslims . The trip to Saudi Arabia is the fifth pillar of the five pillars of Islam . But this year this sacred tradition was also dominated by Corona . Where otherwise thousands of people move close together in a circle around the Kaaba , special attention had to be paid to the distance this year.

Update from August 3, 9:14 p.m.: A restaurateur in India has now come up with an extraordinary idea. He wants to offer a “ Covid Curry ” in his restaurant . His vegetarian dish is supposed to be served with corn cakes in mask form and vegetable balls that look like the virus. He also adds very special herbs to his curry that are said to be good for your health. He wants to attract customers to his restaurant again, because people in India are still hesitant to go out to eat. India currently has 1.8 million Covid-19 infected people . 38,000 people have already died.

In the meantime, the government in Brazil reports that one of its members has again contracted Corona . After the head of state Jair Bolsonaro and some ministers and military officials, General Walter Braga Netto has now also tested positive for Covid-19 . Net is "Chefe da Casa Civil", which is comparable to the German head of the Chancellery. He is now in quarantine , but wants to keep his appointments from home.

Corona worldwide: In Mexico, children are to be taught via television and radio

Update from August 3, 7.44 p.m.: Students in Mexico are to be taught on television and radio in the coming school year . A corresponding agreement between the government and four private broadcasting groups was signed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at the daily press conference in Mexico City. Education Minister Esteban Moctezuma said it was not safe for the country's 30 million students to return to the classrooms at the beginning of the new school year from August 24 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Update from August 3, 6:10 p.m.: The USA continues to seem overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic . Donald Trump is polarizing, the American economy is threatened with a fiasco.

Update from August 2, 12:37 p.m.: After the USA and South America, India and South Africa are currently particularly badly affected. In South Africa, the hardest hit country on the African continent, the number of total infections rose to over half a million. According to official figures, the death toll is 8,153, but researchers recorded an excess mortality of 22,000 people between May and mid-July .

The South African economy, which was already in recession before Corona, is also suffering from the consequences of fighting the pandemic . Experts are now calling for reforms in the public service and a streamlining of the bureaucracy to revive the situation. In addition, economic experts hope for a revival in tourism - but the borders are currently still closed.

Since the onset of the pandemic in South Africa, our strategy has been to provide whatever support we can to protect businesses & preserve jobs. Now we must move quickly towards a robust program of reconstruction and recovery - and we must do so together https://t.co/hJbs4tyWlv pic.twitter.com/62M8mQ77V5

A total of 47,000 infections have been officially registered in Nigeria. In the megacity of Lagos, the strict exit restrictions are now to be relaxed somewhat. In the coming weeks the mosques and churches will be allowed to hold prayers and church services again - if the number of visitors is limited.

Coronavirus worldwide: WHO emergency committee expects a “very long” pandemic

First report from August 2, 11:01 a.m .: Geneva - After the meeting of the WHO Emergency Committee on Friday in Geneva, the WHO issued a general forecast for the corona pandemic. According to WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , the pandemic could last “a very long time” and the consequences could still be felt for decades - it was a “ crisis of the century”.

Coronavirus: WHO fears fatigue in control measures

To cope with the pandemic, the WHO emergency committee is making concrete proposals - there must be answers at regional, national and global levels. We especially warn against negligence.

The WHO fears that because of the " socio-economic pressure ", measures to combat the virus could become fatigued. Some states are confronted with another outbreak, others have got the situation under control.

The committee, whose 18 members were interconnected partly by video, called on the WHO to:

• The research * to speed up the origin of the virus, transmission routes, the immunity and consequences.
• Develop coordinated and pragmatic guidelines for appropriate outbreak responses .
• The national health systems strengthening and the joint efforts internationally.
• It is important to ensure that the younger generation also feel obliged to fight the pandemic.

The full statement by the # COVID19 Emergency Committee ⬇️ https://t.co/FUrki4yudz

Coronavirus worldwide: Melbourne declares a state of disaster - new source of infection in Mexico

Australia is one of the countries currently experiencing a setback in the fight against the pandemic - the Australian state of Victoria has declared Melbourne a state of disaster and imposed a strict curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Until September 13th, only one person per household is allowed to go shopping, and each resident of Melbourne is only allowed to exercise in the fresh air for one hour a day.

The reasons for the strict measures are unacceptably high infection rates - 671 new infections were recently reported across the state. Within the metropolis of Melbourne, schools and universities are also returning to online teaching, outside of which people are allowed to leave their homes to go to work, school, university, shopping or the doctor.

The third worst affected state in the world in terms of deaths is currently Mexico - 764 people died here on Saturday night alone. Mexico is now reporting a record of new infections for the second day in a row: 9556 have become infected within the last 24 hours. (kat / dpa) * Merkur.de is part of the Germany-wide Ippen digital editorial network.

List of rubric lists: © Nardus Engelbrecht / AP / dpa