Red alert: Stringent measures needed
The number of Covid 19 related deaths reached three million on a global level.
Source: B92
So far, a total of 139,710,707 cases of coronavirus have been registered. According to the Worldometers website, the number of active cases is close to 18,000,000.
Rome, Italy: cemeteries packed, protests of undertakers
Undertakers in Rome protested due to long delay in burials on city cemeteries and told authorities were unable to deal with a large number of Covid 19 related deaths.
Reuters reported that the managers of the city cemeteries announced that more than 2,000 bodies are kept in the only crematorium in Rome, some from the beginning of the year, explaining that the capacity stands at 50 cremations a day, while due to a large number of burials, mortuaries in other cemeteries are full.
"Every few days they tell us that the cemeteries are blocked and that there is no more room to receive the deceased," said Giovanni Cascioli, head of the Italian Federation of Funeral Workers.
The alert status in Tokyo, stricter measures to follow
The Japanese government decided to increase the Covid 19 alert level in the capital and three neighboring prefectures, as well as in some areas in central Japan, enabling the introduction of stricter measures in the fight against the pandemic.
The AP reports that the government has approved alert status for Tokyo, neighboring prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba and Aichi in central Japan, and this decision will enable governors to decide on opening hours for bars and restaurants, along with penalties for those who disobey the rules and compensation for those who obey the rules.
The measures are imposed as of Monday and will last until May 11, when the celebration of Japanese holidays during Golden Week ends.
It was stated that the increase of those infected in Tokyo is related to nightlife and restaurants, but according to experts, new hotspots have been identified in offices, beauty salons, and schools, and the city is in a state of readiness due to the growing infection wave spreading rapidly and causing more serious illnesses in younger people as well.
The Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike called on all but priority workers to suspend travel between the capital and neighboring prefectures, and announced that officials had begun inspecting the restaurants to make sure the required security measures were being followed.
New Covid 19 wave has caused concern among many Japanese because of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, scheduled for summer from July 23 to August 8, with of the MPs of the ruling party explaining that a possibility of canceling the Games is on the table.
Bosnia: More than 1.200
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1,279 new Covid 19 related cases have been registered in the last 24 hours, with a total of 3,479 people tested.
86 people deceased, 26 more than the previous day. Bosnian Federation reported 2,682 people tested, and 1,004 of them were positive for coronavirus. New cases were registered in all cantons, and 57 people deceased. So far, the total number of tested in the Federation is 596,349, and coronavirus was confirmed in 124,300 samples. Since the beginning of the pandemic in the Federation, 4,450 people have died due to Covid-19.
A total of 713 samples were tested in the last 24 hours in the Republic of Srpska; the coronavirus was confirmed in 232 people.
24 people died. A total of 58,865 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Republic of Srpska, and a total of 3,083 people have died due to Covid-19. In hospitals in Srpska, 1,250 people are being treated for the coronavirus, and 103 people are intubated. 43 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered in the District of Brcko, out of 84 tested samples. Five people died.
WHO: Is covid infection rate close to the highest level?
The number of new cases of coronavirus infection, registered on a weekly basis, has almost doubled globally over the past two months, approaching the highest rate during the pandemic so far, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization in Geneva.
"The number of new cases and deaths continues to rise at worrying rates," Tedros said at a conference on the situation in Papua New Guinea and the West Pacific region, Reuters reported.
Croatia: 2.698
2,698 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered in Croatia since yesterday, and the number of active cases in Croatia today reached 16,053 the Civil Protection Headquarters announced.
2,003 patients are hospitalized, of which 186 are intubated. 44 people died.
Minister: The number will go down
The number of people suffering from Covid-19 in Poland "will most likely go down in the next few days" and it seems that the country has gone through the worst in hospitals, said today the Polish Minister of Health Adam Niedzielski, Reuters reported. The country of 38 million inhabitants, the largest in the eastern part of the European Union recorded about 35,000 cases in early April.
Poland also had negative death toll records, and the health care system was on the verge of bursting during the third wave of the pandemic. "Today we should have a more optimistic day. We will see a significant drop, maybe by 10,000 compared to last week," Niedzielski told state radio.
The first contingent of Sputnik V arrived in Vienna, but...
The first doses of Russian Sputnik V vaccines arrived in Vienna, but not as a part of the contingent that will speed up the vaccination process in Austria, but only for the vaccination of Russian diplomats.
Austria, according to a recent statement made by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is about to conclude an agreement on the supply of a million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. Finally, the first vaccines have arrived in Austria, but they will be used for immunization of the Russian diplomatic staff.
Russian Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky posted a photo with two large containers with the Sputnik V inscription via social networks.
The photo led the media to speculate whether it was the first delivery to Austria, but the clarification came from the Embassy that the doses are delivered for employees in diplomatic missions; all doses will be administered by a doctor at the Embassy.
In Brazil, doctors intubate Covid patients without sedatives
In reports coming from Brazil, health workers have been forced to intubate patients without sedation, weeks after Brazilian health authorities warned that the health system was left without key drugs and medications.
A doctor from the "Albert Schweizer" hospital in Rio de Janeiro told the Associated Press today that sedatives have been diluted so that the supplies last longer.
Record number of infected in India again
217,353 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in India, according to the Indian Ministry of Health. This is the eighth record increase in the number of newly infected in the last nine days, Reuters reported.
The total number of confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic reached almost 14.3 million, and according to the number of registered cases, India is the world runner-up, after the United States. In the past 24 hours, 1,185 people died of coronavirus and the total number of deaths is 174,308.
Australia is considering opening borders for those revaccinated
Australian Government will consider opening international borders to allow people revaccinated against Covid-19 to travel abroad, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
Australian citizens and persons who have registered residence in that country cannot leave the country at the moment due to restrictive measures, unless they have a special permit, while passengers returning from abroad must be quarantined for two weeks at a hotel at their own expense, Reuters reported.
"The first goal is to allow revaccinated Australians to travel, especially when it comes to travel that is not essential," Morrison said in Perth.
