WHO warns of Covid-19 scare, Thailand buys 30 million more doses of Pfizer vaccine

According to the global statistics site Worldometers, as of 6am this morning (November 24), there are approximately 259 million people worldwide.Covid-19 infectionand more than 5.18 million people died from the disease. The number of recoveries reached 234.2 million.

America continues to leadworldin the number of new infections when recording about 63,300 more cases in the past day. In terms of new deaths, Russia is at the top with more than 1,243 unfortunate patients.

By continent, Covid-19 is raging most fiercely in Asia, followed by Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Oceania.

WHO warns of Covid-19 in Europe

The World Health Organization (WHO) European office has warned that the 53-country region could see an additional 70,000 deaths from Covid-19 in the coming months.

Europe is currently facing a surge in the virus, with Austria in lockdown and the Netherlands imposing restrictions. Germany is also considering tougher measures.

According to the warning, 25 European countries will face great pressure on hospital beds, and 49 countries could see intensive care units overloaded by March 2022. The death toll in Europe and Central Asia could exceed 2.2 million by March next year.

WHO affirms that, along with vaccination, wearing masks, keeping distance, testing and tracing play a key role in preventing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Austria fines people who do not get vaccinated

Austrian authorities have announced that they will impose fines of up to $4,000 on those who refuse to get vaccinated when the mandatory vaccination program is implemented from February 2022.

The punishment is part of the Austrian government's push to boost vaccinations to control the pandemic, which has been hit by a new wave of infections that has forced the government to reimpose a nationwide lockdown since November 22.

Under the plan, which will take effect from February 1, 2022, authorities will schedule vaccination appointments for people who have not yet received a dose. If they refuse, they will be fined, and if they do not pay, they will even face jail time.

With one of the lowest vaccination rates in Europe, Austria became the first country in Western Europe to make Covid-19 vaccination mandatory.

Netherlands sends Covid-19 patient to Germany for treatment

Starting November 23, Dutch Covid-19 patients were transferred to Germany for treatment to reduce the load on domestic hospitals.

Specifically, in the morning, a Covid-19 patient in the city of Rotterdam was taken by ambulance to a hospital in the German city of Bochum, about 240 km to the east. That same afternoon, another patient was taken on a similar journey.

The number of infections in the Netherlands has increased sharply recently and the hospitalisation rate is now at its highest level since May. The epidemic is expected to become more serious in the coming days.

As of November 22, 470 of the 1,050 intensive care unit (ICU) beds in the Netherlands were occupied by Covid-19 patients, forcing hospitals to reduce treatment for people with other illnesses such as cancer or heart surgery.

Thailand buys 30 million more doses of Pfizer vaccine

The Thai Cabinet on November 23 approved the Department of Disease Control's plan to purchase an additional 30 million doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine.

The vaccines are expected to be delivered in the first quarter of next year, Reuters news agency quoted Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, a spokesman for the Thai government, as saying. Previously, Thailand had ordered 30 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, expected to receive it this year and 60 million doses of AstraZeneca in 2022.

Thailand, which is also producing the AstraZeneca vaccine, has so far vaccinated about 54% of its 72 million population. It has ordered 50,000 courses of Merck & Co.’s antiviral drug Molnupiravir to treat Covid-19 and is in talks with Pfizer to buy Paxlovid.

On November 23, Thailand recorded 5,126 new infections and 53 deaths, bringing the total to more than 2 million infections and 20,489 deaths.