Europe and NY report progress in fight against COVID-19 pandemic

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – European countries hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as New York, the epicenter of the outbreak in the US, have reported progress in fighting the coronavirus. There have been reports of lower daily death counts, slowing rates of infection and reductions in the numbers of patients admitted to intensive care units.

The Times of Israel reports that on Sunday Italy, France, Spain, and Britain all recorded reductions in the numbers of daily deaths and a flattening of the infection rate curve. Italy, which has been the epicenter of the pandemic in Europe, reported 433 deaths yesterday, compared to 727 on April 1st. Europe has reported nearly 100,000 deaths out of the global total of 165,000.

In New York, the hardest-hit state in the US, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at a press conference on Sunday: “We are past the high point, and all indications at this point is that we are on the descent.” The state has lost more than 13,000 people to the virus.

The affected states have spent weeks under varying degrees of lockdown and social distancing, with Italy and Spain have very strict measures in place. According to the Times of Israel report, there is increasing evidence that these measures slowed the spread of the virus: on Sunday Spain recorded 410 new deaths, the lowest daily toll in nearly a month. Spanish Health Ministry Emergencies Coordinator Fernando Simon said the number “gives us hope.”

Governments are now considering how to ease lockdown measures, albeit cautiously. Cuomo warned this was “no time to get arrogant.” He added: “We still have to make sure that we keep that beast under control.”

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