Delta variant sets records in Russia and locks up Sydney – International

The dreaded Delta type of coronavirus is spreading around the world and causing record infections in Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city, as well as returning to strict confinement in Sydney (Australia) and Bangladesh.

Although the number of new cases in the world is the lowest since February, this strain first detected in India, which is considered more contagious than others, already affects 85 countries and is expanding rapidly in the unvaccinated population, according to the World Health Organization.

The alternative was behind the huge increase in cases in Moscow, which appears to have moved to St Petersburg.

The former imperial city, a European Cup stadium, recorded 107 deaths in the past 24 hours, the highest number of deaths in just one day per infected at a Russian location since the beginning of the epidemic.

This figure coincides with the celebration of the end of the school year in Russia’s second largest city, which, according to the local press, gathered thousands of people on the streets – including many who did not respect security measures.

Nationally, Russia recorded 619 deaths on Saturday, its highest number since December. With infections and deaths on the rise, authorities are trying to persuade skeptics to accept the vaccine.

“To solve this problem, you must be vaccinated or remain in detention,” said Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

The delta shape is the main focus of concern about the pandemic, which has killed 3.9 million people and infected nearly 180 million people worldwide.

It is the dominant strain in the UK, Portugal and South Africa, and in France it already accounts for about 10% of new cases.

– ‘Kick while awake’ –

The progress of the variable has caused restrictions to return even in countries that appear to have left the health crisis behind, such as the United Kingdom, Israel or Australia, one of the countries that have managed the epidemic better.

On Saturday, the Australian authorities extended the confinement that had been initially issued to four areas of the city, after discovering more than 80 cases of Delta type linked to an international flight crew.

The city’s five million residents are expected to stay at home for two weeks, with only being allowed to leave for essential activities.

After months of low local infections, allowing some normality to be restored, the measure affected the bustling city, which woke up with empty streets and closed restaurants.

“We’ve struggled to recover from last year’s confinement. Today, it feels like a kick as you slowly wake up,” said Chris Cricketos, 32, who has a bakery near the port.

Bangladesh, which has a population of 170 million and neighbor India, announced the imposition of severe restrictions after on Friday it recorded the second worst daily tally since the start of the epidemic. Businesses and public buildings will remain closed and citizens can only travel for medical reasons.

“The situation is serious and worrying. If we cannot contain it now, we will find ourselves in a situation similar to the situation in India,” Health Ministry spokesman Rubid Amin told AFP.

As a reminder of the devastating April-May wave in India, the flooding of the Ganges revealed shallow graves and some hundreds of bodies precariously buried in the country in April and May.

The World Health Organization is warning of a third wave of Covid-19 on the African continent, where only 1% of the population is vaccinated.

And on Friday, thousands of people protested in Pretoria, South Africa, to demand more vaccinations.

Thousands also took to the streets in London to protest the postponement of the latest health measures until July.

– Spain without a mask –

The other side of the coin: Vaccination is speeding up in Europe and allowing measures to be suspended in Switzerland, the Netherlands and Spain, where masks are no longer mandatory outdoors from Saturday.

“I feel liberated today,” said Jose Antonio Fernandez, who was, however, one of the few who walked without a mask in Madrid.

Others, like 69-year-old Maria Luisa Ines, preferred to continue to use protection. “The mask is necessary today,” he defended.

The virus continues to threaten the country, as evidenced by a massive outbreak with hundreds of infected people and thousands of people isolated, linked to a student trip to the island of Mallorca.

To prevent this, Uruguay, which has not yet detected any delta-type cases, has decided to require quarantine or a negative test to allow vaccinated people to enter the country, so far exempt from this obligation.