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Nearly eliminating coronavirus on the continent, Australia could be the blueprint for the world to follow; with the election over Oregon Gov finally asks National Guard to stop Portland rioters; and Denmark may kill all its minks.
As of Thursday, no new cases of coronavirus infections were reported on the continent of Australia, with only seven infections since Saturday (not taking into account travelers and hotel quarantine), the Washington Post reported. Currently, 18 patients in Australia are hospitalized with COVID-19. The country has not reported a case since October 30.
A number of strict measures have been the key to Australia’s success in combating the coronavirus pandemic, and might serve as a blueprint for the rest of the world.
Australia had lockdown roughly 5 million people in the city of Melbourne for 111 days that ended on October 28.
According to experts, there are several practical steps Australia took that contributed to their success in battling the coronavirus pandemic.
The first was closing off the country’s borders early on and keeping them closed. Not only their international border, but domestic borders as well, including severely limiting interstate movement and even intrastate travel in some cases.
Further, the country severely limited civil liberties, which included isolation, prove to be a major factor in limiting opportunities for the virus to spread.
With the 2020 election over, on Wednesday night, following months of violent rioting in the city of Portland, Democratic Oregon Governor Kate Brown has finally ordered the National Guard to go to Portland and quell the unrest. On Monday, Brown had put the National Guard on standby, the Daily Wire reported.
On Wednesday, The Multnomah County Sheriff announced the move on Twitter and explained the rationale: “Unified Command on National Guard activation: Widespread violence is occurring in Downtown Portland. In the interest of public safety, Governor Kate Brown, under advice of the Unified Command, has activated the use of the Oregon National Guard to assist local law enforcement…”
“in responding to any acts of violence, and to maintain public order and ensure community safety. Guard members are trained in crowd control and will be riding with local response teams. They are dressed in military style garb, which is their uniform…Oregon National Guard members are civilian community members helping to protect us. We don’t take this decision lightly. Under the Governor’s Order, we continue to work together and share our resources and information to address any public safety concerns. Our goal is to keep our community safe. We encourage demonstrators to gather peacefully. ###”
A new mutated strain of coronavirus in mink and has jumped to humans, which poses a “risk to the ineffectiveness” of a future vaccine, as well as hamper global efforts to find and develop a vaccine, Sky News reported.
The country of Denmark is one of the largest fur producers in the world, the Washington Post reported. So far, the mutation has infected workers who passed the virus to mink farms and now the minks are passing the mutated virus back to humans.
The problem is that twelve people who were infected with the mutation have demonstrated a lesser ability to produce antibodies, according to scientists at Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut. Such a development could mean that efforts to develop an effective vaccine could be complicated or compromised.
Initially, the country planned a limited call of the animals, but now the Danish government is considering expanding that plan to kill every mink in the country – around 15 million minks. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Wednesday it was a “heavy decision” but the situation required “resolute action.”
