International
The Covid-19 pandemic in 10 figures
January 30 | By AFP |
Here are 10 key numbers in the Covid-19 pandemic.
6.8 million dead
Since early 2020, more than 6.8 million deaths from Covid-19 have been officially recorded, out of 752 million cases worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) on January 27.
The United Nations’ health agency, however, considers the figures to be greatly underestimated, saying the real toll could be two to three times higher.
13 billion jabs
Some 13.25 billion anti-Covid vaccine shots have been administered around the world, according to Our World in Data (OWID) on January 30.
While 69.4 percent of the world’s population has received at least one dose, only 26.4 percent has in lower-income countries.
Six out of 10 in lockdown
At the height of the first wave of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, more than 4.5 billion people in 110 countries or territories were forced or called on to stay at home to fight the spread of the virus, according to an AFP count on April 17, 2020.
That represents nearly 60 percent of the world’s population.
Eight schoolchildren out of 10 at home
On April 20, 2020, schools and universities were closed in 151 countries, affecting 1.29 billion youths, or 81.8 percent of schoolchildren and students around the world, according to UNESCO.
Hundreds of billions of masks
On public transport, in schools, in shops and even in the open air, masks have become the most symbolic accessory of the pandemic.
From March to end December 2020, China alone exported 224 billion masks around the world, according to Chinese customs figures.
3.1 percent global GDP drop
By bringing activity to a halt in numerous economic sectors, the pandemic led to a 3.1 percent fall in global gross domestic product in 2020, according to the World Bank. By comparison, GDP fell by 1.3 percent in 2009 during the sub-prime crisis.
GDP then bounced back by 5.9 percent at the world level in 2021.
135 million jobs lost
The pandemic had a heavy impact on employment, with 135 million jobs lost in 2020, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Although the situation has started to pick up, 56 million more people are out of work in 2022 than before the pandemic, and an estimated 37 million are expected to remain so in 2023.
60 percent fewer air passengers
Air travel was hard hit by the pandemic with its lockdowns and border closures. In 2020, the number of passengers more than halved, down 60 percent compared to 2019, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The aviation industry has yet to fully recover.
In 2022, the number of passengers is expected to be 27 to 29 percent lower than that of 2019.
5.2 percent less carbon emissions
Carbon emissions dropped by a record 5.2 percent in 2020, according to the Global Carbon Project (GCP) in November 2022.
That was not sufficient to stop global warming and its impacts in their tracks. The decrease was over a short period. Emissions are expected to hit record levels in 2022.
A quarter more depressions
Cases of anxiety and depression around the world increased by 25 percent in the first year of the pandemic, according to the WHO in March 2022.
Blaming the unprecedented stress caused by social isolation during the pandemic, it said young people and women were the most badly affected.
International
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
COVID-19 vaccines prevented an estimated 2,533,000 deaths worldwide between 2020 and 2024, according to an international study led by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy and Stanford University in the United States, published in the journal JAMA Health Forum. Researchers calculated that one death was prevented for every 5,400 doses administered.
The analysis also found that the vaccines saved 14.8 million years of life, equivalent to one year of life gained for every 900 doses given.
The study, coordinated by Professor Stefania Boccia, revealed that 82% of the lives saved were people vaccinated before becoming infected with the virus, and 57% of deaths avoided occurred during the Omicron wave. In addition, 90% of the beneficiaries were adults over 60 years old.
“This is the most comprehensive analysis to date, based on global data and fewer assumptions about the evolution of the pandemic,” explained Boccia and researcher Angelo Maria Pezzullo.
International
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump criticized a federal judge’s ruling on Friday that reinstated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, stressing that the immigration program was never intended to serve as a “de facto asylum system.”
On Thursday, Judge Trina Thompson extended protections for about 7,000 Nepalese immigrants, whose TPS was set to expire on August 5. The ruling also impacts roughly 51,000 Hondurans and nearly 3,000 Nicaraguans, whose TPS protections were scheduled to end on September 8.
Immigrants covered by TPS had sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging that the program’s termination was driven by “racial animus” and stripped them of protection from deportation.
DHS Deputy Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement saying the decision to end TPS was part of a mandate to “restore the integrity” of the immigration system and return the program to its original purpose.
“TPS was never conceived as a de facto asylum system; however, that is how previous administrations have used it for decades,” McLaughlin emphasized.
She also criticized Judge Thompson, calling the ruling “another example” of judges “stirring up claims of racism to distract from the facts.”
McLaughlin added that DHS would appeal the decision and take the legal battle to higher courts.
The Trump administration has also terminated TPS protections for approximately 160,000 Ukrainians, 350,000 Venezuelans, and at least half a million Haitians, among other immigrant groups.
International
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
The U.S. government under President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that it will begin construction in September on a new 8,000-square-meter ballroom at the White House.
The announcement was made by Karoline Leavitt, the administration’s press secretary, during a briefing in which she explained that the expansion responds to the need for a larger venue to host “major events.”
“Other presidents have long wished for a space capable of accommodating large gatherings within the White House complex… President Trump has committed to solving this issue,” Leavitt told reporters.
The project is estimated to cost $200 million, fully funded through donations from Trump himself and other “patriots,” according to a government statement. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and is expected to be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2028.
The Clark Construction Group, a Virginia-based company known for projects such as the Capital One Arena and L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., has been selected to lead the project.
The new ballroom will be built on the East Wing of the White House, expanding the iconic residence with a space designed for state dinners, official ceremonies, and large-scale events.
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