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Coronavirus digest: 'Success story' Vietnam records first deaths

Vietnam's Health Ministry has reported the country's first two coronavirus deaths amid an outbreak in Da Nang. Catch up with that story and everything else you need to know from around the world with DW's overview.

New and noteworthy

Vietnam reported its first-ever deaths  from COVID-19, as it grapples with a renewed outbreak in the tourist city of Da Nang.

The country's Health Ministry said a 70-year-old man had died after he caught the disease while being treated for a kidney illness at a hospital in Da Nang. Later on Friday, it said a 61-year-old man had also died.

More than 100 new cases were confirmed in the past week.

Da Nang is Vietnam's most popular beach destination, with thousands of visitors spending their summer vacations there. Authorities across Vietnam are now scrambling to test people who have returned home from the city.

Vietnam had been seen as a global success story in tackling the coronavirus, with no officially recorded deaths and no apparent local transmission for more than three months.

Here's a roundup of the other major stories regarding coronavirus around the world:

North America

The top US infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, testified before Congress on Friday. A statement released ahead of the hearing said he would tell lawmakers that it was still "unclear how long the pandemic will last."

During his testimony, Fauci refused to recommend that protests taking place in Portland and other US cities be limited because of the risk posed by the Coronavirus, foiling efforts by Trump ally and Republican Representative Jim Jordan.

"I’m not favoring anybody over anybody" but people "should stay away from crowds, no matter what the crowds are," Fauci said. 

The expert was cautiously optimistic about the possibility of a vaccine being available by the end of the year, although access would likely be assigned on a needs basis. “Ultimately, within a reasonable time, the plans allow for any American who needs the vaccine to get it,” he said.

Europe 

The pandemic prompted an unprecedented slump in the eurozone, the group of 19 EU states that use the euro currency. The area's GDP dropped by over 12 percent during the second quarter of 2020.  Read our full story here. 

Poland is mulling new anti-pandemic steps after reporting record high numbers of new cases for two consecutive days.

Read more: Germany plans mandatory coronavirus tests for travelers from Luxembourg

Middle East

Muslim pilgrims in Mecca started the ritual stoning of the devil, one of the final rites of the hajj pilgrimage, throwing sterilized pebbles at a pillar due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Just 10,000 people, all of them Saudi-based, have been allowed to attend the religious event rather than the 2.5 million people from around the world who normally make the pilgrimage. All pilgrims had been tested for the virus, and were required to wear masks and observe social distancing.

  • Workers at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca lay out lines to direct pilgrims

    2020 hajj: Amid COVID-19, thousands flock to Mecca

    Final touches

    Ahead of this year's hajj, the most important pilgrimage for Muslims, crews at the Grand Mosque were busy with more than just the usual cleaning and maintenance work. To keep people at a distance from each other and avoid spreading the virus, strips of tape have been stuck to the ground around the Kaaba, Islam's most sacred site, showing people where to walk.

  • Pilgrims circumambulating around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the centre of the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca

    2020 hajj: Amid COVID-19, thousands flock to Mecca

    Keeping a distance

    In past, tens of thousands of faithful have thronged to Mecca. This year, however, crowds were more manageable — only 10,000 people were allowed to attend. Participants were chosen in an online process. Their temperature was checked upon arrival in Mecca, and they were quarantined for two weeks.

  • Wide shot of pilgrims circumambulating around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine

    2020 hajj: Amid COVID-19, thousands flock to Mecca

    Hands off

    Pilgrims at the Grand Mosque are required to keep the proscribed distance from each other, circling the sanctuary counterclockwise seven times while staying at least 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) from the next pilgrim. They are also strictly forbidden from touching the Kaaba, the cube-shaped building in the center.

  • Security officers wear protective masks

    2020 hajj: Amid COVID-19, thousands flock to Mecca

    Uniforms and face masks

    Wearing face masks, these security officers have set an example for the pilgrims chosen to participate in the 2020 hajj. The pilgrims are Saudi, or foreigners living in Saudi Arabia; arrivals by plane weren't allowed this year. Saudi Arabia has been severely affected by the pandemic, with more than 270,000 infections reported as of late July and around 3,000 to 4,000 new cases every day.

  • Muslim pilgrims wear protective masks heading to the Meeqaat

    2020 hajj: Amid COVID-19, thousands flock to Mecca

    Once in a lifetime

    Faithful Muslims are obliged to make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in their lives, as long as they are healthy and of age and "if they find a possibility to do so," according to the Quran (surah 3, verse 97). The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam.

  • Saudi officials are seen where Muslim pilgrims head to cast stones at pillars symbolizing Satan

    2020 hajj: Amid COVID-19, thousands flock to Mecca

    Disinfected stones for Satan

    The ritual stoning of Satan at Mina, near Mecca, is part of the hajj pilgrimage. Here too, people must keep their distance. The pilgrims also receive disinfected stones for the ritual, a prayer rug and hand sanitizer.

  • Muslim pilgrims walk back to their tents during the annual Haj pilgrimage on the first day of Eid al-Adha in Mina

    2020 hajj: Amid COVID-19, thousands flock to Mecca

    A view of the past

    In 2018, more than 2 million faithful made the journey to Mecca, with many staying in this tent city in Mina. In addition to its religious significance, the hajj is also an economic event: Past pilgrimages have netted Saudi Arabia more than €10 billion ($11.8 billion) annually. In Mecca and the surrounding area, hundreds of thousands of jobs depend on the event.

    Author: Konstantin Klein


Asia

Hong Kong authorities postponed elections for the local legislature by one year, initially scheduled for September, citing coronavirus concerns. Pro-democracy activists accuse the government of using the pandemic as an excuse to stop the opposition from taking over the chamber. Read our full story here. 

Media in Vietnam reported the country's first ever coronavirus death. The country has been held up as a global role model over its successful anti-pandemic strategy, and enjoyed a period of nearly 100 days without any new cases.

China rejected the charges of backing hackers who targeted US vaccine developer Moderna Inc. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the accusations were baseless and without evidence, and that Beijing had no need to engage in technology theft.

Africa

As the continent approaches 1 million confirmed infections, the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that Africa still has a "very good chance of beating back this virus" with a comprehensive strategy that includes testing assertively. 

Meanwhile, the country with nearly half of Africa’s virus caseload, South Africa, has eased its 9 p.m. curfew by an hour.

And The UN food agency has warned that nearly 60% of Zimbabwe’s population could become "food-insecure" by December without a further $250 million (€210 million) aid package.

Read more: Africa's Muslims woeful over scaled-down hajj

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dr,see/rt (AFP, Reuters, AP)



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