Masks Can Prevent COVID-19 Lockdowns — Top WHO Official
- par Thibaud Popelin
- dans Monde
- — Nov 20, 2020
In Berlin on Wednesday, violent clashes broke out between policeand those who oppose health measures.
The number of coronavirus cases in Europe surpassed the 15 million mark on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, as the region sees a surge in infections with the onset of winter, reporting a million new infections about every four days.
The World Health Organization's top official in Europe says face masks can prevent COVID-19-related lockdowns.
The latest weekly tally from the U.N. health agency found that the 54 nations it classifies as part of Europe accounted for 46% of new cases. In Europe, the United Kingdom has the highest death toll at 53,870, while France has the highest number of cases at 2,115,717.
Worldwide, more than 1.3 million people have died of Covid-19 and over 55 million have been infected with the virus since it first surfaced in China late previous year, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.
The only region that saw a decline in the number of new cases and deaths last week was Southeast Asia, WHO said.
America remains the second most hit region.
Pockets of Western Europe have shown signs of turning a corner, particularly in the lowlands near the English Channel. The numbers of daily infections have been surging across Europe. More than 55 million people have since contracted the disease.
Meanwhile, South Korea recorded its largest daily increase in coronavirus infections in almost three months as it gets set to tighten distancing rules in the greater Seoul area. He added that Britain is now the first country in the region to record more than 50,000 deaths.
He stated that the 53 countries that make up the WHO's European region have recorded 355,000 deaths.
It is the first time the country's daily caseload exceeded 300 since late August.
Switzerland, which has registered some of the highest transmission rates in the world in recent weeks, on Wednesday stepped up government support to help people affected by the virus and by lockdown measures - including a extra 1 billion Swiss francs in state aid - even as case counts eased back from recent peaks.
Japan has confirmed 120,815 cases overall, including 1913 deaths, according to the health ministry.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others.
