World 2.7 million USA 870K+ Turkey 100K+
World fatalities 190K+ Recoveries 740K+
The United Nations has warned that the coronavirus pandemic may lead to ‘multiple famines of biblical proportions’. Director of the World Food Program, David Beasley, said that the WFP already provides food to almost 100 million people across the globe, including 30 million people who depend on it to stay alive. Mr Beasley, who is recovering from COVID-19 himself, said that the coronavirus pandemic could lead to 300,000 people starving to death every day. In the worst case scenario, he said that famine could affect about three dozen countries.
In stark contrast, the rate of infection is falling sharply here in Australia and there’s talk about eradication versus containment. Either way, restrictions will be wound back gradually. Eradication is said to have happened when you have four weeks without any new cases. New Zealand is striving towards that goal, but Australia’s objective is containment. The way things are going, with only a handful of new cases being diagnosed each day now, and with testing increasing, it’s possible that we could eliminate the virus from Australia too. This would mean keeping our borders shut for quite some time, until a vaccine is developed. With most of the world in a far worse position than Australia, this battle will continue for the foreseeable future, so we’re not going to open up our borders any time soon. If New Zealand and Australia could eliminate the virus, our two countries could be the first in the world to do so and forge a new trans-Tasman agreement. Other countries that are on track to potentially eliminate the virus include; South Korea, Thailand and Iceland. In other news, the Ruby Princess departed Port Kembla yesterday.