Coronavirus worldwide: the latest developments

USA eases guidelines

In the USA, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has exceeded the six million infection mark, keeping the North American country unchallenged in first place, covering almost a quarter of the 25 million confirmed cases worldwide. Nevertheless, the guidelines for Covid-19 testing have been eased. After the American health authority CDC had initially recommended that all persons who had close contact with an infected person be tested, it is now said that those who do not show any symptoms themselves do not necessarily need a test. US media unanimously report that this decision was made in response to political pressure from the Trump government. The president also accused the FDA, the authority responsible for a coronavirus vaccine, of working too slowly - according to Trump, officials hostile to him are deliberately slowing down the development in order to prevent a success report before the election, the German news agency Tagesschau reports.

India becomes new hotspot

Meanwhile, India is breaking the record for daily new coronavirus infections. Within 24 hours, more than 78,700 new infections were reported there, more than in any other country before. This was announced by the Ministry of Health in New Delhi. With more than 3.5 million coronavirus cases, the country ranks third on the JHU list behind the USA and Brazil. However, experts believe that the number of undetected cases in the Asian country is very high, as there is little testing. The Indian Medical Association also reports that around 17,000 doctors and nurses have become infected with the virus, of whom more than 200 have already died. This is where the Indian healthcare system comes in for criticism, as only around 2% of the gross domestic product is invested in the healthcare sector. The Indian government still insists that it has the pandemic well under control.

Brazil's presidential family strongly affected

In Brazil, which ranks second on the JHU list with over 3.7 million infections, even the highest political levels are not immune to the virus. President Jair Bolsonaro, who from the beginning played down the effects of the virus and dismissed it as a "mild flu", has meanwhile overcome his infection - according to his own statements with the help of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which experts strongly advise against, since no effect has been proven and strong side effects can occur. Bolsonaro's wife Michelle and his son Flávio, who according to a Twitter statement is also being treated with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, are also infected. Michelle Bolsonaro's 80-year-old grandmother, who had previously suffered from respiratory disease, had already died of a Covid-19 infection in early July.

Germany's focus on protests

In Germany, the daily number of new infections is currently between 1,000 and 1,500. After the return of many holidaymakers after the summer holidays, the number of cases has increased, but is still far from the highest daily number of new infections of around 6,000 recorded at the end of March and beginning of April. The protests against the coronavirus measures in the capital Berlin are currently causing massive problems. More and more people are using these demonstrations to show their xenophobic attitudes and their anger against political decisions. Jörg Radek, vice-chairman of the police union (GdP), told the Funke media group: "Since the first hygiene demonstrations, the influence of right-wing extremist groups on the coronavirus protest movement has been consolidating. The right wing is in the process of completely hijacking the movement." The situation is worryingly reminiscent of the development of the Islamophobic Pegida movement.