COVID-19 spread is accelerating in Europe: WHO

The World Health Organisation says there has been a further acceleration in the speed of COVID19s spread in Europe which was responsible for about half of the globes new cases reported last weekThe WHO on Tuesday said European countries also recorded a 46 per cent increase in deaths compared with the previous week Although deaths also rose in the Americas the rate of increase there was only 2 per cent In Europe France Italy and the UK reported the highest numbers of new cases while Andorra the Czech Republic and Belgium reported the highest rate per capitaRecord spike in RussiaRussian officials on Wednesday reported 19768 new coronavirus infections and 389 new deaths both the highest since the beginning of the pandemic Russias tally of confirmed cases mdash currently the fourth largest in the world mdash is nearing 17 million amid a rapid resurgence of the outbreak that has been sweeping the vast country since September The governments coronavirus task force has also reported over 29000 deaths since MarchDespite the number of daily new infections in Russia hitting new records every week this month authorities have so far shunned imposing a second lockdown or shutting down businesses nationwide insisting that the health care system is able to cope with the surgeHowever in recent weeks alarming reports have surfaced about overwhelmed hospitals drug shortages and inundated medical workers in a sign that Russias health system is under a significant strainHungary minister tests veHungarys foreign minister tested positive for the virus after arriving in Thailand for an official visit Thai and Hungarian officials said on WednesdayThai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Peter Szijjarto and his 12member delegation were tested after their arrival Tuesday from Cambodia but only FM Szijjarto was found to be infectedUK expects vaccine trial results by early DecThe chair of Britains coronavirus vaccine task force says data evaluating the efficacy and safety of the two most advanced candidates should be available in early December Kate Bingham said on Wednesday that data on the two vaccine candidates mdash developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and Pfizer and BioNTech mdash should be available by then After that the vaccine candidates will need regulatory approval Bingham says If we get that we have the possibility of deploying by year end she says Dr Robin Shattock one of the scientists behind another vaccine developed by Imperial College London says The first vaccines may reach the bar of preventing severe disease but they may not necessarily block transmissionS Korea OKs single test for COVID fluHealth officials in South Korea have approved a new test thats designed to detect both COVID19 and seasonal influenza from the same samples which would help prevent disruption at hospitals as the pandemic stretches into the flu seasonThe country has struggled to stem the spread of the coronavirus which some experts say could spread more broadly during cold weather when people spend more time indoorsBelgium virus crisis is slowing downBelgium still the worsthit nation in Europe said on Wednesday there are increasing signs that a turning point in the crisis was drawing close The highspeed train is slowing down said virologist Steven Van Gucht of the Sciensano govt health group The infection centre is stabilising and hospital admissions are increasing at a slower pace Belgium has the highest proportional incidence of cases in the EU with 1753 per 100000 peopleKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever