Europe Opens Without COVID Vaccines... "Need to Find New Ways to Control the Virus"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Hyunwoo Lee and Hyunjin Jung] As European countries are gradually lifting lockdown measures related to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the leaders of the UK and Italy, which have been hit hardest by COVID-19, emphasized on the 17th (local time) the need to "adapt to living with the virus."

According to AP News and others, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an op-ed published in the daily newspaper Sunday Mail that "I said we would mobilize all means to develop a vaccine, but there is still a long way to go," adding, "Honestly, the vaccine may not bear fruit." He emphasized, "We need to find a new way to control the virus."

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also said the day before, "We are facing danger and must accept it. Otherwise, we cannot start again," adding, "We cannot wait for a vaccine." Italy will lift restrictions on the operation of restaurants and pubs starting from the 18th. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also said on the same day regarding the so-called 'travel corridor' being established, "It is necessary to overcome the health crisis as soon as possible," warning, "If we take the wrong steps, we could lose the international trust built up over years."

The reason European countries are actively moving to lift lockdown measures is that a prolonged COVID-19 crisis is expected to cause enormous economic damage. The Eurozone economy is expected to contract by nearly 8% this year, with service industries such as tourism, which have a high share of gross domestic product (GDP), expected to be particularly affected.

However, within Europe, the slowdown in the spread of COVID-19 is becoming clear. The UK, which has recorded the highest cumulative deaths in Europe (34,716), announced that the daily death toll dropped to 170, the lowest since March. Spain also recorded its lowest daily death toll in two months at 87, and Italy recorded 145, the lowest level since early March.

In Russia, where more than 10,000 new cases were reported daily and COVID-19 was rampant, the increase in confirmed cases has also slowed. Russia's new confirmed cases were 9,200, marking two consecutive days below 10,000, raising expectations for a slowdown in the increase. According to Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 statistics, Russia's cumulative confirmed cases stand at 281,752, the second highest in the world after the United States (1,486,375), but the cumulative death toll is 2,631, with a fatality rate of only 0.93%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.