The coronavirus crisis in Europe appears to have reached a stagnant stage as the past two days have not recorded a massive spike in new CoVID-19 cases but stringent measures are still necessary to ensure that no new clusters will be formed, experts say.
Italy Outbreak Reaches Plateau
On Tuesday, the Italian Civil Protection department confirmed 837 new coronavirus deaths in the country and 4,053 new patients who contracted the disease, The Local Italy reported.
The National Higher Health Institute noted that the CoVID-19's current movement in the country is "at a plateau." The institute's president Silvio Brusaferro noted that the data doesn't mean Italy already reached the peak.
Brusaferro added that it also doesn't mean the coronavirus outbreak in the country is done with. Instead, he recommended that the quarantine measures in place be enforced continuously to ensure the descent of the outbreak.
As of Tuesday, Italy recorded a total of 105,792 confirmed CoVID-19 cases and at least 12,428 deaths.
Spain's Protective Gear Starts to Run Out
In Spain, the coronavirus situation is just as grim, as it was revealed that the stock of protective gear for healthcare providers has started to run out, resulting in a spike in CoVID-19 infections among medical service teams.
According to NPR, president of the Spanish Confederation of Medical Unions Tomás Toranzo, revealed that hospitals across Spain need basic protective gear for medical teams as well as intensive care unit (ICU) beds and ventilators for patients.
Toranzo noted that the government has promised more material as the coronavirus outbreak heightens but the promised items have not arrived. Many medical staff have since created makeshift protective gear out of raincoats or plastic bags.
As of Friday, Spain reported over 9,400 medical personnel who tested CoVID-19 positive. The country has at least 87,956 confirmed coronavirus cases and around 7,716 deaths.
France Sees Nearly 500 Deaths in One Day
On Tuesday, France reported record-high coronavirus deaths at 499. The said number of deaths does not yet include patients who succumbed to the novel virus in retirement homes or those who were receiving treatment in their homes, The Local France reported.
The new deaths in France brings the country's total death toll to 3,523, with director general of health Jerome Salomon noting that the current CoVID-19 situation in the country is "completely unprecedented in the history of French medicine."
As of Tuesday, France registered at least 44,550 confirmed coronavirus cases.
Deaths Expected to Climb in Germany
More and more experts are predicting that Germany's death toll will hike in the coming weeks as global health authorities warned that the coronavirus pandemic will most likely ensue for "weeks and months."
While Germany has the lowest death rate in all of Europe at 687 deaths as of Tuesday, head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) Lothar Wieler said there are now confirmed CoVID-19 cases in nursing home facilities.
Wieler also urged citizens to take the coronavirus situation seriously as the country registered at least 66,885 CoVID-19 cases.
London's Pollution Levels Drop Dramatically
Since the United Kingdom's London enforced strict quarantine measures on residents, the capital has seen a dramatic drop in pollution levels, the London Air Quality Network revealed, as reported by BBC.
The pollution monitoring agency revealed that the average air pollution levels in London have plummeted to their lowest since the recording kicked off in 2000, marking another milestone in the earth's healing since the coronavirus outbreak started.
The news came after the U.K. recorded 381 deaths on Monday, bringing the country's total CoVID-19 death toll to 1,789. The country has registered at least 22,141 confirmed cases as of Tuesday.
Sweden Urges More Testing Among Healthcare Providers and Patients
The Swedish government on Tuesday urged the Public Health Agency to come up with a national action plan that should ramp up coronavirus testing among healthcare workers and patients, The Local Sweden reported.
The news came after the PHA recommended that older people should not receive visits temporarily to prevent infections among the elderly. Sweden remains lax in terms of anti-coronavirus measures.
As of Tuesday, Sweden registered at least 4,435 confirmed CoVID-19 cases and at least 180 deaths.
