U.S., U.K. face hard time as deaths spike

American official compares the crisis to Pearl Harbor, 9/11 attacks; Britain sees over 600 deaths a day

April 06, 2020 10:00 pm | Updated 10:00 pm IST - LONDON

Heroes in the battle:   People in Barcelona, Spain, playing musical instruments and dancing on their balconies, in support of the country’s medical staff, on Sunday.

Heroes in the battle: People in Barcelona, Spain, playing musical instruments and dancing on their balconies, in support of the country’s medical staff, on Sunday.

The U.S. and Britain braced for what could be one of their bleakest weeks in memory on Monday as the human and financial toll of the coronavirus outbreak mounted. But new deaths and infections appeared to be slowing in Italy, Spain and France, suggesting that lockdowns and social distancing are working.

Also read |Trump extends best wishes to Boris Johnson; says will recover from coronavirus

Much of Europe saw glimmers of hope — deaths and new infections appeared to be slowing in much of the three hardest-hit countries, as well as in the Netherlands and Germany. Leaders cautioned, however, that any gains could easily be reversed if people did not continue to adhere to strict social distancing measures and national lockdowns.

Also read |France now has more coronavirus cases than China

In Washington, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams offered a stark warning about the surge of coronavirus deaths the nation is facing. “This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment,” he told “Fox News Sunday.”‘More than 9,600 people have died of the virus in the U.S., and it leads the world in confirmed infections at more than 3,37,000.

President Donald Trump suggested the hard weeks ahead could foretell the turning of a corner. “We’re starting to see light at the end of the tunnel,” Mr. Trump claimed at a briefing.

Italy still has, by far, the world’s highest coronavirus death toll — almost 16,000 — but the pressure on northern Italy’s intensive care units has eased.

Also read |Irresponsibility, dismantling of public health services has impacted Spain negatively, former India Hockey coach Jose Brasa

In Spain, deaths and new infections dropped again on Monday. The Health Ministry reported 637 new deaths, the lowest in 13 days, for a total of over 13,000 dead. New recorded infections were also the lowest in two weeks.

Britain reported more than 600 deaths on Sunday, surpassing Italy’s daily increase for the second day in a row.

‘Rise to the occasion’

In a rare televised address, Queen Elizabeth II appealed to Britons to rise to the occasion, while acknowledging they face enormous disruptions, grief and financial difficulties.

Lacking enough for protective gear against the virus, British doctors and nurses were wearing goggles from school science classes, holding their breath when close to patients, and repeatedly reusing single-use masks, Dr. Rinesh Parmar, head of Doctors’ Association UK, told Sky News.

Worldwide, more than 1.2 million people have been confirmed infected and over 70,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.