The Second Wave Of Coronavirus Is Coming!!!!

 

WORLD

Waves Ahead

White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Deborah Birx recently told CNN that the US was entering a new, dangerous phase of the coronavirus pandemic. She added that Americans should consider wearing a mask inside their homes if they live with someone who has a preexisting condition that might make them more vulnerable to the virus.

The US has failed to control the coronavirus compared to other wealthy nations.

But the rest of the world, like the US, is girding for a resurgence of the virus that has already killed more than 700,000 people worldwide. Many countries whose leaders believed they had brought down Covid-19 cases are now seeing concerning upticks in infections, the Washington Post reported.

Asian countries viewed as models of containment – China, Hong Kong, Japan and Vietnam –have experienced spikes, wrote Voice of America. Vietnamese leaders had been boasting about 100 days without a new case, a remarkable accomplishment for a country bordering China, where the virus originated, and one where cross-border traffic is high.

Australia, another country that serves as a model, is also seeing new cases.

“On some days the virus wins, on other days we beat it,” said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in an interview with NBC News. “But I think we’ve got to be careful not to slip into some idea that there’s some golden immunity that Australia has in relation to this virus.”

Iran has detailed a spike in cases in recent weeks, Al Jazeera reported. Latin American countries are setting new records in the rate of infections, Reuters said. The pandemic has not yet struck Africa as hard as other regions but the spread there is accelerating, noted the BBC.

In Europe, France is warning everyone to stay vigilant and many cities are requiring masks to be worn in public, even outside. German officials issued warnings after thousands marched in Berlin to protest measures to stop the spread earlier this month, according to Politico. The protesters didn’t wear masks or social distance, leading the co-leader of the Social Democratic Party, Saskia Esken, to dub them “Covidiots.”

It’s hard not to blame Germans for wanting to slough off safety measures, though. In fact, the World Health Organization warned recently of “pandemic response fatigue” as a major potential factor in more cases, Agence France-Presse wrote.

That fatigue could lead to other worrisome developments. The Islamic State could use the pandemic as a chance to expand its reach in Africa, the Defense Post argued. Chinese officials used the pandemic as an excuse to postpone elections in Hong Kong, the New York Times noted. Covid-19 has forced a fundamental reassessment of the European Union among its members, warned the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

It’s hard to tell if the second wave is more dangerous than the many tiny ripples that preceded it and now follow it.

W