Transcripts For DW DW News Corona Special 20240713

Others. As welcome to the Program World leaders have been sending messages of support to britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson who is in intensive care suffering from the coronavirus chancellor Angela Merkel of germany wished johnson much strength and a speedy recovery while u. S. President of trump said all americans were praying for johnsons recovery the Prime Minister has been hospitalized in london since the weekend after testing positive for corona virus nearly 2 weeks ago his office says johnson is not on a ventilator and does not know monia foreign minister dominic robb is deputising for him when necessary. Knowledge of your correspondent big of mars is monitoring developments there in london bigot what is the latest on the condition of course johnson. Had the latest information is now if you hours also on Tuesday Morning here in london we have had or do you just said that he is in intensive care but that it was more a precaution that he wasnt on the ventilator but of course this all happened quite quickly all through last week downing street had maintained that the Prime Minister is leading the fight against corona virus that hes leading the government and then it came quite suddenly that he was then rushed into hospital on sunday evening and then not much laissez admitted into intensive care as a lot of people here in the u. K. Will be waiting anxiously for more news on their Prime Minister and now there is news another senior minister has gone into self isolation. Well that is michael gove who probably the most Senior Member of forest johnsons cabinet he has a lot of experience in government already serving on the David Cameron so its quite worrying that its not only the Prime Minister but also other people within downing street who have had to self isolate the Health Secretary i have had a self isolate and then the achieve medical officer so it really goes through the political establishment important though to say that michael gave the cabinet minister says he self isolating because a member of his family has had symptoms and he hasnt had that he has symptoms himself but obviously hes extracting himself from the machinery of government at least physically so it is another worrying development as far as the u. K. Is concerned but the Prime Ministers admission to intensive care leaves foreign secretary dominic robb in charge tell us a bit more about him and the role he will now have to play. Well yes hes stepping in because johns not the raymond conned the government hes somebody who is a fellow brick city he doesnt have a lot of ministerial experience he came to be known because he was fighting alongside Boris Johnson for the braggs it cause but like a lot of other cabinet ministers has really been in government for a very long time and so there are concerns as to how functioning there the cabinet is at this crucial moment and even some of the own conservative m. P. s have said that for example when it comes to National Security there needs to be more clarity so at the moment the government is clearly handicapped here in the u. K. Our correspondent big of mars in london this thank you. As the number of new corona virus infections in japan continues to grow japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abbott declared a state of emergency to stop the spread of the virus a state of emergency was inactive for talk show and 6 other procedures which account for about 44 percent of japans population the measures if authorities more power to order citizens to stay at home and close businesses it will last for one months the japanese government also adopted the countrys largest ever economic stimulus package worth more than 900000000000 euros. So what does the state of emergency actually mean in concrete terms thats a question we asked correspondent sonia blushed in tokyo. It means that the governors have the authority to call on people to stay home and if openness is to close whatever they dont have they cant give any penalties and not like a european style lockdown so to speak so people are still free to move its still basically wireless a very strong appeal and. If you compared to europe the situation here is very different. Much less restricted its much more like regular life and im hoping that with the state of emergency this. Sense of crisis so to speak will will change and it effects the 2 main regions in japan it affects tokyo and the greater talk area with 35000000 people and also the greater osaka and kyoto area. Actually for for well over a month. Sonnier speaking to us from tokyo now lets get you up to speed with the latest developments related to the global coronavirus pandemic china has reported no new deaths from the corona virus over the past 24 hours and 32 new cases the country reported were people who returned from overseas israel has announced a complete lockdown over the upcoming passover holiday here in germany the number of confirmed corona virus infections has passed 100000 its the 4th highest caseload in the world and the global death toll from covert 900 has now passed 75000 with over 1300000 infections since the and demick began. E. U. Finance ministers will needs today for Coronavirus Crisis talks as the bloc tries to stave off a looming recession theyll work to finalize a rescue plan for countries worst hit by the wireless but there are deep divisions about whats the best way to cushion the inevitable economic blow from the outbreak i think outside of the box that is what Council President michel told euro zone finance ministers this appears to be the result 3 potential measures to breathe life into europes a virus hit economy. First the e. U. Adapts its bailout fund with the firepower of 410000000000. 00 europes debt pot saved greece during the financial crisis secondly an extra 200000000000. 00 euros in loans for small and Medium Sized Companies from the European Investment bank. And finally a short time work steam suggested by the e. U. Commission worth 100000000000. 00 euros it would encourage companies to cut workers hours not their jobs. Hearted nations such as spain and italy welcome the idea but they say they need more socalled corona bunts a new type of public debt instrument backed by the euro zone so far germany austria finland and the netherlands strongly oppose the idea but financial expert going to involve tells me the positions on mutual i step have been softening so this should not be seen as a backdoor entrance for a fiscal union because if it is that i think it will be not acceptable to the north of europe i mean the north of europe does not want a Permanent Transfer union to be created so it needs to be in a sense temporary and targeted to the coronavirus cost but if that is achieved i think joint debt issuance should be feasible french finance minister lemaire already floated the idea for a common you found and dutch Prime Minister would also has a plan 1. 00 offering grants to those in need rather than alone plenty of material for an outside the box solution whatever is agreed by the finance ministers goes to e. U. Leaders for another Video Conference later in the month im now joined by fabio di masi hes a member of the German Parliament the bonded stock and with the socialist left party mr the massive ego finance ministers want to reach an agreement on a coronavirus rescue package but without corona bones whats your and your partys you on this. Well we certainly need corona bonds because we meet financial power on up to combat the crisis because Everything Else will make the crisis obviously more expensive because markets will start bet against countries like it to him everywhere in the world it is like that no country can go bankrupt in its own currency because the central Bank Guarantees those that currency only in the euro zone we have a different set up where it is not clear whether italy for example would run out of euros so we need to stop that bet against italy in other countries otherwise the crisis will become more expensive than needed but germany is especially opposed to a pooling public borrowing but you say the German Government is risky a new financial crisis with this answer is you can you explain exactly because if markets start to bet against countries like italy then Interest Rates will rise or get to lee and other countries such as spain on the markets and then in the end we will see again large hail all programs which do also pay all of them the banks and other shareholders and this will also be more expensive for taxpayers if indeed we stop Interest Rates from rising for those countries then also those loans can be quite meekly service with future growth rates and then we will not see such an escalation of the crisis secondly i think there is a very easy technical solution to the problem if the European Investment bank which for example the super occur all of them and then the e. C. B. Would buy that bond which is perfectly in line with the current you treaties because the e. C. Cannot directly fund as a government but it can finance a public bank such as the i b then it would be no risk at all because the p. C. B. Can simply never run off euros and so there would be no risk to germany as well well. All this technical stuff aside somebody will end up paying for this who will end up paying for this well if we do not invest know enough to. Do to boost our economy then we will all pay a lot for us its very simple no the economy has been put on a halt and we just fall time although to prepare for example our Health Care Systems to to have enough beds for 4 sick patients but if we do not undertake those investments not and we need for of the cutting to the crisis then we can not reduce the economy so it will be in the long run more expensive because we will destroy corporations we will destroy jobs so in the end if you can Central Banks would guarantee bills investments then we will see growth picking up again and we can then service those loans in the future so i think that this would be the cheapest solution actually the years end loans which German Government proposes tied to a step or 2 measures which in the end will again cost cutbacks the Public Services and weve seen in the last year in italy 15 percent of all hospitals been closed since the last year of crisis and now we all pay the price at. The german left thank you very much thank you for having me. And here are some of the other headlines making news this the former senior Catholic George pell has been freed from prison in australia after the high court quashed his conviction for child sexual abuse later arrived at a monastery near melbourne the high court found that the original trial jury have made errors hell was freed after serving more than 400. 00 days of a 6 year sentence. The court in slovakia has handed down a 23 Year Prison Sentence to the killer of investigative journalist john young could check and his fiance the couple were shot in their home in 2018 as was investigating organized crime former soldier it guilty to carrying out a contract killing. Ukrainian Authorities Say there has been no spike in radiation levels resulting from forest fires in the chernobyl exclusion zone around the disused Nuclear Power plant an official who earlier claim to radiation levels were higher than normal has since withdrawn the Statement Police say they have identified a possible awesomeness. Prosecutors in the us have alleged that several former thief fish kills bribes to vote for russia and qatar to host the 20182022 world cups faced questions over the bidding process for both tournament but this is the 1st time allegations have been laid out in a legal document. Or watching a d. W. News stay tuned for all covert 19 special coverage with monica jones that information and news of. Our corona. Coded 19 special next on d w. Healthcare systems around the world are under stress more and more patients are seeking treatment pushing hospitals to the brink of collapse but if you look closely there are differences in the u. S. Health care is largely privatized in an effort to cut costs many hospitals have reduced staff and stretched resources that are now urgently need it many clinics are overwhelmed the same goes for countries like italy and spain which were burdened with severe austerity measures after the last financial crisis state run Health Care Systems on the other hand are proving to be more robust to deal with the crisis some experts say in many countries this has sparked a discussion about whether health care should be a public good run by the state or a business model. This is your coverage 900 special on g. W. News i want to get germs and the tatty with us now lets agree money cant buy you everything but it can give you a better chance of survival if you can afford a private Health Insurance chances are you get to see your doctor sooner than someone on National Health its not fair but it is what it is but how does it work in a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic and a moment well talk to the c. E. O. Of germanys biggest private hospital operator but 1st this report. The patients just keep on coming the coronavirus outbreak is testing the limits of hospitals all over the world the demand for beds for spiritual equipment protective gear and workers continues to search many former medical professionals have been called back on duty like a qualified doctor the irish Prime Minister as you know rejoined medical register there last month and. Setting aside really one session a week about half a day a week or so far its just. A telephone click the virus which is infected politicians celebrities and Business Leaders is often described as indiscriminate but as hospital staff get to work in a quality rames. Poorer people are more likely to catch the disease and theyre more likely to die from it thats led to calls for a lifting of the barriers for example between public and private hospitals in spain one of the countrys worst hit by the crisis the government has ordered private clinics to share resources with the public system australia has pushed through similar measures in germany meanwhile some private clinics have reportedly applied for Government Support to compensate for the cancellation of lucrative procedures but they simply arent a priority right now. For more im joined now by the c. E. O. Frizzy in yes a Global Health care group with more than 200 set 90000 employees in more than 100 countries and here in germany is also the largest hospital operator welcome stephanie good to have you with us tell me how are your Hospital Holding up in this health crisis. Were going to differentiate between the situation in germany and japan we have 86 hospitals in germany where were still waiting for a large wave of corona patients to arrive on the other hand we have 44 ospital across spain werent particularly in the hot spots in madrid and barcelona we have had more than our fair share of patients to deal with right how how big a role i mean it it feels awful to talk about money in such a situation but how big a role does money play when it comes to providing good health care. Well we have to see that the fatality rate in germany is substantially lower than the one that we are seeing elsewhere but i do believe that 1st and foremost that has to do with quite a few issues that happen outside the hospital. So when it comes to the amount of testing that were doing that denominator in the fatality ratio germany has done substantially more as far as i can see than most of the countries but also when we look at the numerator i believe that in germany the potion population on average is substantially younger than elsewhere a key reason for this may actually be a cultural difference where i think it is more. Towards the german culture to keep the natural social distance relative to what we can observe in italy and its banks. And it comes to the money the Capital Allocation to a Hospital System than i do believe. That germany is a bit better equipped than what were seeing elsewhere and as far as our own hospitals are concerned we have invested quite heavily in the past and we can now also afford to shift resources within this Large Network they are needed right as as you just mentioned about shifting resources you are you do run private hospitals and private hospitals thats and then theyd say they need to be profitable is that a problem now given that treating covered 9000 patients is very time and very cost consuming. No and this is not the time to think about market share gains or profitability this is the time to think about how we can best help the society and as it was mentioned a bit earlier on yes the Spanish Government has drawn on resources to help out and we saw more than happy to do that. I believe that yes whilst were still waiting in germany for. Actually were not waiting but you know we havent seen a large wave of corona patients yet and therefore in many of our hospitals where we have followed the ministers appeal to delay in the elective surgery yes we are seeing in on the utilization of capacity but that is obviously absolutely fine we got to see through this crisis now and Everything Else is going to be taken care of afterwards that is definitely a an almost luxury position to be in the one that you describe here in germany hospitals as you mentioned that so far Germanys Health system managed to keep the number of covered 9000 related deaths fairly well 7 in comparison to other countries but the number of cases keeps rising now as the c. E. O. Of germanys biggest hospital operator how worried are you that nabi e. U. Will not be able to cope with the influx of patients and and have to make hard decisions. This has been a very very Dynamic Development that frankly has beat not so my expectation so i will be cautious with making definitive statements but at the same time. Germany has had the luxury of being somewhat late to this and therefore we have had the opportunity to learn quite a bit from what worked in other countries as an aside we have also had quite a number of volunteers in our german Hospital System to go down to spain and help out our colleagues over there and those who are returning now have real Life Experience as to how we can better deal combat this crisis nobody derives truly arrives here in germany right stefan storm c. E. O. Frizzy news thank you so much for your time and our all the best to you and certainly for your medical staff in the coming days and weeks thank you stay healthy. And now lets get some more answers to your questions remember that you can keep them coming in on you tube on facebook and twitter or via email the science journalist Derrick Williams stands ready to provide some answers. Was germany better prepared for the pandemic than other countries. Ringback throughout this pandemic the number of fatalities in germany has remained remarkably lower than that and other countries only between one and 2 percent of the people who tested positive for covert 19 here have so far died from the disease thats a lower case fatality rate than almost any other country tenser the question germany appears to have been better prepared than many other countries in one key way the number of acute care beds here is very high there are more than twice as many of them per capita as there are and european neighbors like france or italy i dont think any country was really well prepared for a covert 19 but germanys reaction to it looks to have made a significant difference and in how many people it will probably kill here. The u. S. And the u. K. Were supposedly well prepared for this kind of emergency but theyre seeing a lot of infections and fatalities why. Thats a tough question because so many factors appear to be contributing to how effective countries are and grappling with this disease dont forget the situation is unprecedented and were still in the middle of the pandemic its way too close to fast changing events to be able to really say country a got this writing country be about wrong thats one thing in particular hand seem to play a pivotal role in slowing the spread of the disease in some countries and thats early widespread testing as weve heard over and over again you cant fight what you can see right so both the u. S. And u. K. Got off to quite slow starts when it came to testing because Healthcare Systems they are reliant on. Tests from a single government source and those government sources didnt respond very rapidly so despite getting top marks for their Health Care Systems and reports like the Global Health security and a structural aspect of how the u. S. And u. K. Were set up to deal with a possible pandemic might now be making a big difference in the overall numbers. Did williams and hell be back of course tomorrow to answer more off your questions for now that was our 900 special im going to jones in berlin for more on the pandemic to check out our social Media Channels and our websites that is g w dot com where we have information on covert 19 and more than 30 languages. Now we would like to leave you with a story that shows we really are all in this together. At a hospital in taiwan people wait in line to make donations to help italy in its fight against the coronavirus a so far donated more than 3000000. 00 u. S. Dollars to the relief effort its a way of showing their gratitude to italian priest who helped build hospitals in taiwan after the 2nd world war the funds were used to purchase much needed medical supplies for code of 900 stricken areas and its an. Elite meter just shows but it really shows. Obama. The smart way to get when you go. Im going crazy thing in all the time. How to handle our new lives in times of the corona pandemic d. W. Reporter. Just like everyone else and shes looking for answers thankfully with the help of the media join the. Thank you is not life as we know it. All together our new web series. Is for me. Is for you to. Be tough. As for hello. Beethoven. Plato is for the. Beethoven is for us. Is for clucks. Beethoven 2020 the 250th anniversary here on. Live. We are living during the most extraordinary time of the string length