 Health workers spray disinfectant in Daegu city, South Korea. |
Since the coronavirus outbreak begun one person has died of Covid-19 every 18 seconds. No one can say whether the pandemic will resurge and multiply these losses.
Visible risks
6 months after the SARS-CoV-2 virus first appeared in Wuhan, China, infections continue to spread worldwide.
Daily infections in the US began falling off several weeks ago, but now the number of new infections is increasing again, with 40,000 cases last Friday alone, most since the pandemic began. 30 European countries have seen sharp increases in new infections over the past 2 weeks.
South Korea, a model of Covid-19 containment, is reporting new community infections in many cities. Australia, also thought to have Covid-19 under control, is seeing a second wave of infections in Victoria. Health experts are warning of a dangerous resurgence of Covid-19.
In Latin America, the number of Covid-19 infections has tripled to about 2.5 million people, mainly in Brazil and Mexico. The pandemic is threatening the economic health of many countries.
The cost will be astronomical
Right now, there is no vaccine for the novel coronavirus. Hasty reopening of many economies is a major reason for the Covid-19 resurgence. European governments started opening their borders on July 1st after 3 months of closure. Some EU members are urging the European Council to reopen the Schengen area because revenues from tourism and MICE (meeting, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) account for a large proportion of their GDPs.
The second wave of the 1918 flu pandemic was much worst than the first wave. The virus returned more virulent than before. Over 500 million people contracted the virus and 50 million people died.