ABOUT US  |  CONTACT US  |  RSS  |  ARCHIVE  |  2024-10-08  |  UPDATED: 1403/06/01 - 19:53:2 FA | AR | PS | EN
Talibans new law bans womens voices and faces             Iranian police shut down two illegal centers affiliated with German government             All of President Pezeshkians ministerial picks win parliaments vote of confidence             Wheres Bangladesh Heading after Popular Uprising?            Western Kabul residents say Taliban has failed to ensure security after bombing             Algerian Boxer Khelif files complaint over online harassment after gender row             Federalism in Afghanistan: Opportunities and Challenges             Formation of the Federalist Assembly of Afghanistan             Israel launches missile attack on outskirts of Damascus, killing Syrian civilians             UK national scandal: 20,000 mental health patients raped, sexually assaulted in NHS care             Three US troops killed, dozens injured in drone attack in Syria             Trump says NATO will not come to rescue if US attacked             Ukraine beset by $40m fraud in arms procurement amid war with Russia            US approves sale of F-16 jets to Turkey after Ankara ratifies Swedens NATO membership             UNSC to meet to discuss ICJ ruling on Israeli genocide in Gaza            


DATE PUBLISHED: 1399/02/06 - 15:33:5
VISIT: 957
SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS

World scurries for vaccine as virus death toll nears 200,000


Bodies are moved to a refrigeration truck serving as a temporary morgue at Wyckoff Hospital in the Borough of Brooklyn on April 6, 2020 in New York. (AFP photo)

The global coronavirus death toll approached 200,000 on Saturday as the United Nations launched an international push for a vaccine to defeat the pandemic.

Governments around the world are struggling to limit the economic devastation unleashed by the virus, which has infected nearly 2.8 million people and left half of humanity under some form of lockdown.

The scale of the pandemic has forced medical research on the virus to move at unprecedented speed, but effective treatments are still far away and the United Nations chief said the effort will require cooperation on a global scale.

"We face a global public enemy like no other," Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a virtual briefing on Friday, asking for international organizations, world leaders and the private sector to join hands.

"A world free of COVID-19 requires the most massive public health effort in history."

The vaccine should be safe, affordable and available to all, Guterres stressed at the meeting, which was also attended by the leaders of Germany and France.

But notably absent from the meeting were the leaders of China, where the virus first emerged late last year, and the United States, which has accused the UNs World Health Organization of not warning quickly enough about the original outbreak.

The UN chiefs vaccine appeal came a day after US President Donald Trump prompted outcry and ridicule with his suggestion that disinfectants be used to treat coronavirus patients.

"Is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning?" Trump mused during a televised briefing. "It sounds interesting to me."

As experts -- and disinfectant manufacturers -- rushed to caution against any such dangerous experiment, the president tried to walk back his comments, saying he had been speaking "sarcastically."

The United States is the hardest-hit country by far in the pandemic, recording 51,017 deaths and more than 890,000 infections.

The worlds biggest economy has been hammered by the pandemic, with 26 million jobs lost since the crisis began, and American leaders are under pressure to find ways to ease social distancing measures.

Despite criticism from Trump, the governor of Georgia allowed some businesses, including nail salons and bowling alleys to reopen on Friday, sparking both criticism and relief.

The mayor of the states capital Atlanta condemned the "irresponsible" move, telling ABC News: "There is nothing essential about going to a bowling alley or giving a manicure in the middle of a pandemic."

But some in the city cherished the opportunity to re-engage with society.

"I actually had a great time," beamed Tili Banks, 41, as she and a friend left a bowling alley.

"I was just so happy to be out that I didnt even realize that I had these peoples bowling shoes on when I walked outside."

Early stages

Global COVID-19 deaths have climbed past 195,000, according to an AFP tally, but new reported cases appear to have leveled off at about 80,000 a day.

The daily death toll in Western countries seems to be falling, a sign hopeful epidemiologists had been looking for, but the WHO has warned that other nations are still in the early stages of the fight.

The unprecedented situation has left the world staring at its worst downturn since the Great Depression, and put immense pressure on world leaders to balance public health concerns and economic needs.

Some countries -- including parts of Europe -- have started loosening restrictions, with Belgium becoming the latest to announce an easing on Friday.

Pressure was growing, meanwhile, on the government of coronavirus survivor and Prime Minister Boris Johnson to explain how Britain will get out of the lockdown stage and restart the economy.

On the other side of the world in Australia and New Zealand, where sweeping social distancing measures are in force, people held vigils from the isolation of their own driveways to pay tribute to their war veterans on Anzac Day.

Official memorials were held behind closed doors.

"We (usually) go away to our various watering holes, pubs or clubs, and we enjoy our mates... you talk about the old times, whilst you were serving and you talk about someone whos missing this year that was there last year," said Ray James, an Australian veteran of the Vietnam War.

"Its going to be sad this year because we wont be able to do that."

Meccas Grand Mosque deserted

Across the Muslim world, hundreds of millions of faithful opened the Ramadan holy month under stay-at-home conditions, facing unprecedented bans on prayers in mosques and on the traditional large gatherings of families and friends to break the daily fast.

In the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the Grand Mosque, usually packed with tens of thousands of people during Ramadan, was deserted as religious authorities suspended the year-round Umrah pilgrimage.

"We are used to seeing the holy mosque crowded with people during the day, night, all the time... I feel pain deep inside," said Ali Mulla, the muezzin who gives the call to prayer at the Grand Mosque.


(Source: AFP)

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/16327


TAGS:






*
*

*



SEE ALSO

UK national scandal: 20,000 mental health patients raped, sexually assaulted in NHS care


US: 3 dead in shooting at Texas apartment complex


UN agency says over half a million Palestinians face catastrophic hunger in Gaza


Survivors of Russian charter flight crash transferred to Kabul


Pro-Israel lobby ousted ABC journalist, prompting staff to call for industrial action


UNICEF: Afghan earthquakes leave 100,000 children in urgent need of aid this winter


Thousands rage in Toronto against Israeli genocide as Gaza war marks 100 days


Thousands rally in front of White House to demand ceasefire in Gaza


Increased Taliban arrests lead to Kabul families restricting womens movement


Taliban arrests dozens of women in Kabul for improper hijab, says womens group





VIEWED
MOST DISCUSSED




POLL

Modi, Merkel Discuss Afghanistan, Radicalisation And Terrorism

SEE RESULT


LAST NEWS

Sudan: The Forgotten War

Talibans new law bans womens voices and faces

Iranian police shut down two illegal centers affiliated with German government

All of President Pezeshkians ministerial picks win parliaments vote of confidence

Wheres Bangladesh Heading after Popular Uprising?

Western Kabul residents say Taliban has failed to ensure security after bombing

Algerian Boxer Khelif files complaint over online harassment after gender row

Federalism in Afghanistan: Opportunities and Challenges

Formation of the Federalist Assembly of Afghanistan

Israel launches missile attack on outskirts of Damascus, killing Syrian civilians

UK national scandal: 20,000 mental health patients raped, sexually assaulted in NHS care

Three US troops killed, dozens injured in drone attack in Syria

Trump says NATO will not come to rescue if US attacked

Ukraine beset by $40m fraud in arms procurement amid war with Russia

US approves sale of F-16 jets to Turkey after Ankara ratifies Swedens NATO membership

UNSC to meet to discuss ICJ ruling on Israeli genocide in Gaza

Taliban: Afghanistan Does Not Have Formal Border With Pakistan

Gazas major health facility collapses amid Israeli attacks: MSF

Americans to redeploy nuclear weapons in UK amid fears of WW3

Biden makes history: 1st sitting US president sued for complicity in genocide

Trump walks out of courtroom during closing arguments of Carrolls attorney

US: 3 dead in shooting at Texas apartment complex

US-UK aggression against Yemen risks expansion of war: Iran

Yemen directly hits US warship with ballistic missile

Hamas has self-reliantly opposed the three giant intelligence agencies of the world!

President Raeisi calls for UN reform, says body unable to end Gaza genocide

Pedram: The Abduction of Hazara and Tajik Women Recalls the Crimes of Abdur Rahman

Special envoys from G7 countries discuss Afghanistan in London meeting

Turkish lawmakers open debate over Swedens NATO membership

UN agency says over half a million Palestinians face catastrophic hunger in Gaza

Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Al-Maghazi operation proved defeat of Israeli regime in Gaza war

European support for Israel damaging energy security on the continent, report says

Pakistan Army Kills Seven Terrorists Near Afghan Border

Israel kills at least 190 people in Khan Younis in 24 hours

UNAMA report: 49 Hazara community members killed in Afghanistan in three months

Indias Modi inaugurates Hindu temple on site of razed mosque ahead of elections

US 2024 election: DeSantis drops out of Republican presidential race, backs Trump

Survivors of Russian charter flight crash transferred to Kabul

Irans anti-terror strikes clear message to certain recipients: Foreign Ministry

Ethnic mass killings in one Sudan city last year left up to 15,000 dead: UN report


MEDICAL NEWS


ANSAR PRESS  |  ABOUT US  |  CONTACT US  |  MOBILE VERSION  |  LINKS  |  DESIGN: Negah Network Co.
All right reserved. Use this website by mentioning the source (link) is allowed. Ԑ یی