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Two years to the plague, and the world is still trying to learn how to live with the corona - Walla! news

2021-11-13T12:14:22.329Z


Countries that declared the corona behind them quickly returned restrictions, those that promoted zero-infection policies had to be flexible. Between sanctions, conspiracies and battles for individual freedom, the world is far from cracking the secret of the epidemic, and only one thing is certain - the next mysterious virus is only a matter of time


The virus is no longer mysterious, and there are already effective vaccines and medicines on the way, but the corona remained a major concern of the world even two years after its appearance in Wuhan.



Countries that declared the epidemic behind them and began trying to return to pre-Corona routines were immediately forced to reinstate restrictions and recalculate a route, while those who advocated zero-infection policies realized they had no choice but to learn to live with the virus - except China.

Other countries, which have refused to recognize the severity of the disease and put the economy above health, have paid, and still pay, a heavy price.



Russia, for example, has put a lot of effort into spreading conspiracy theories about Western vaccines among its public and is now having a hard time convincing it to accept the local vaccine.

It has provided financial incentives and ordered a paid vacation week to curb the high death toll and contagious numbers, but the fading of the current wave is not yet in sight.

More than a quarter of a million deaths have already been counted in Russia.

Beat for sin.

Vaccine in Moscow (Photo: AP)

Corona tests in Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Photo: AP)

While mortality rates are lower compared to the first lethal months of the epidemic, the main concern is the emergence of vaccine-resistant strains.

The segments in the population that refuse to be vaccinated contribute to this, and allow the virus to continue to spread and change shape.

So instead of imposing sweeping closures that paralyze the economy, some countries choose to punish the unvaccinated.



"I do not see why two-thirds (of the population) should lose their freedom because of one-third who are hesitant," Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schlenberg said of the government's decision to impose restrictions on the country's two reddest counties, where the immunization rate is "shamefully low," he said.

"For me, it is clear that there should be no closure on the vaccinated out of solidarity with the non-vaccinated."



In Singapore, where one of the highest vaccination rates in the world - more than 85% - went a step further, announcing that it would no longer fund the medical bills of unvaccinated corona patients.

"Unvaccinated people make up the vast majority of those in need of intensive care, and contribute disproportionately to the burden on our health resources," the Singapore Ministry of Health said at a news conference.

Medical bills for those who are not eligible for the vaccine - those under 12 or people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons - will still be paid in full by the government.

Severe sanctions against vaccine refusers.

Singapore (Photo: AP)

Corona test in Ahmedabad, India (Photo: AP)

At the same time as promoting sanctions against the unvaccinated, countries with high vaccination rates - experts say herd immunity will be achieved if 75% of the population is fully vaccinated - start promoting the third dose in light of information indicating a decline in immune protection after a few months.



This is especially evident in Europe, which has returned to being the focus of the global corona, as it was in the early days of the plague.

Germany reopens vaccination centers, France warns that green label will not be valid for those who do not receive the boosters and the Netherlands imposed the first partial closure in Western Europe.



"I see the storm clouds hovering over parts of continental Europe, and I want to be completely honest with the citizens: we have been there before. We remember what happens when waves start," warned British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

While the numbers in the kingdom are starting to drop again, Johnson has warned of their resurgence without receiving the third dose of vaccines.

The battle for vaccines

In the United States, the bitter political debate between Democrats and Republicans makes it difficult to fight the plague.

While the Biden administration is trying to oblige most of the United States workforce to be vaccinated, its opponents are appealing to the courts claiming their freedoms have been violated.

In Republican states the battle reaches as far as schools, and some even ban students from wearing masks.



The children's vaccines, which have already been launched in the United States and received approval in Israel, are the next stage in the war on the plague and in the war of its deniers or skeptics.

Some experts believe that there is no need to rush their vaccines because the virus affects most of them easily and that there is still not enough information about possible side effects.

Others believe it is the way to end the epidemic and turn the corona into a seasonal flu, along with vaccines, drugs and pills.

Funeral services transport body of Corona patient in Bucharest, Romania (Photo: AP)

The source of the epidemic will remain confidential.

Ice Hockey Training in Beijing (Photo: AP)

What will remain a mystery is the source of the virus. While U.S. intelligence has flatly rejected conspiracy theories that the corona was engineered as a biological weapon by China - it doesn't make much sense either because China itself suffered a severe economic blow - but it does not rule out the possibility that it accidentally leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Animal Research. Beijing has no intention of cooperating in a transparent investigation, so vital information about the onset of the epidemic will remain confidential from most of the eyes of the world.



However, it is quite clear that another global epidemic is only a matter of time. The accelerated destruction of the environment brings humanity together with new species and strains of viruses, and the naive thought at the beginning of the corona that humanity would stop doing thinking soon turned out to be false. While in 2020 there was an encouraging decrease in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, due to the prolonged closures and the economic slowdown, this year again there was a jump of almost 5%.



The magnitude of the missed opportunity we see these days at the climate conference in Glasgow, which opened a year late, and is likely to end with promises far from being enough to stop or even delay the climatic catastrophe on the way.

Source: walla

All news articles on 2021-11-13

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