WASHINGTON, Nov 27, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Millions of Americans defied Covid-19
guidelines Thursday to spend a subdued Thanksgiving holiday with family and
friends, while questions emerged over the level of protection that one
potential vaccine offers.
About a million people were screened at US airports each day over the last
week, as many appeared bent on enjoying one of the country’s biggest annual
celebrations.
The exodus came despite warnings that mass travel threatens to
significantly worsen the pandemic in the country hit hardest, with a six-
month high of more than 2,400 deaths registered in the US in just the past 24
hours.
President-elect Joe Biden offered a message of hope, however, in a
Thanksgiving video address that rallied Americans to pull together to defeat
the outbreak.
“I know better days are coming, I know how bright our future is. I know the
21st Century is going to be an American century,” he said.
British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, one of three firms that have
reported their vaccine to be ready, said Thursday that further research was
needed after questions emerged over the protection it offers.
The manufacturer initially said its vaccine was 70 percent effective, and
then said it was 90 percent effective when an initial half-dose and then a
full dose were given.
But US scientists said the higher rate came during tests in people aged 55
and under.
Vaccine breakthroughs have raised hopes for an end to the outbreak, though
much of the world faces a gloomy winter dampened by lockdowns, economic
anxiety and devastating loss.
Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, said he was expecting
“a surge superimposed upon a surge” caused by the big holiday getaway.
President Donald Trump, for his part, spent the day golfing at a course he
owns in Virginia, taking time out to attack Biden’s record-setting winning
vote count in the election earlier this month.
“Just saw the vote tabulations. There is NO WAY Biden got more than
80,000,000 votes!!! This was a 100% RIGGED ELECTION,” he fumed on Twitter.
– Thanksgiving ‘gift’ –
Globally, more than 60 million infections and 1.4 million deaths have been
recorded since the new coronavirus emerged in China late last year, according
to a tally compiled by AFP from official sources.
Despite the burst of travel in America — still far below last year’s
Thanksgiving numbers — pandemic restrictions meant that there was a
resolute, stoical undercurrent to this year’s festivities.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, a cherished tradition
nearly a century old featuring giant balloons and colorful floats, went ahead
in a truncated made-for-TV celebration across just one city block, with no
crowds and much of it pre-recorded.
Biden described how he normally travels to the New England coast for a big
family feast but would be staying home in Delaware this year for a small get-
together.
“I know this isn’t the way many of us hoped we’d spend our holiday. We know
that a small act of staying home is a gift to our fellow Americans,” he said
in his video message, posted to social media.
On radio and TV, chefs have been making suggestions on scaling down meals
for smaller gatherings, or even sharing bits of what they cook and leaving it
on the doorstep of friends and family, so it at least feels like a shared
meal.
– Tangible hope –
The New York Times asked readers to state in six words or fewer what they
were grateful for and published some of these lines, as Americans tried to
make the best of the holiday.
“A furtive hug with a friend,” one entry reads.
“Windows have never been so important,” said another.
America’s political divisions were also evident.
Trump’s White House has urged “all Americans to gather, in homes and places
of worship,” despite the health risk.
But Biden has been calling on people to hunker down and keep observing
health guidelines until a vaccine becomes available.
While low-income frontline workers often face the biggest risks from the
virus, it has also run rampant among the world’s wealthiest and most
powerful.
On Thursday, Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip and his wife Princess Sofia went
into self-isolation after testing positive for Covid-19, the palace said.
With Britain and France talking about easing their lockdown measures soon,
Russia is still resisting stay-at-home orders despite registering record
infections and deaths from the virus Thursday.
Countries that have had strong success against the virus are also cracking
down on new outbreaks.
South Korea closed bars and nightclubs this week as it braces for a third
major wave, with virus cases at their highest level since March.
“With some exceptions, governments have made great efforts to put the
wellbeing of their people first, acting decisively to protect health and to
save lives,” Pope Francis said in an op-ed in the Times.
“The exceptions have been some governments that shrugged off the painful
evidence of mounting deaths, with inevitable, grievous consequences. But most
governments acted responsibly, imposing strict measures to contain the
outbreak.”