Europe is in turmoil as daily coronavirus deaths reach record highs and countries scramble to expand testing and rescue hospital systems that are buckling under the pressure. Health experts warn that despite hopeful news with a vaccine rollout starting in the UK, drastic action is still needed to save lives as coronavirus tears through nations attempting to regain some semblance of normality. Russia and Germany reported record daily COVID-19 deaths on Friday, and October was Russia's deadliest month in a decade. Stockholm's intensive care units hit 99 percent capacity as Sweden proposed a spring "pandemic law" to potentially force closures of certain public spaces. And France said its lockdown would not be eased as planned on Tuesday after daily case numbers rose on Thursday compared with last week. Germany tallied 598 fatalities in a span of 24 hours, according to the country's center for disease control, the Robert Koch Institute. The nation also added a record 29,875 new infections on Friday, roughly 6,000 more than the day before. German lawmakers are set to meet in the coming days to tighten lockdown measures in a bid to get the surge in infections under control. Chancellor Angela Merkel this week made an impassioned plea for Germans to limit their social contacts ahead of the holidays and called for more restrictions. Despite the country's much-vaunted health system and success in containing the virus earlier in the pandemic, its recent partial lockdown has failed to stop the second-wave surge. Russia also reported its highest ever single-day death toll with 613 deaths on Friday, according to data published by the country's coronavirus task force. It reported 28,585 new cases, bringing its total to 2,597,711 cases with 45,893 deaths. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned on Thursday that the number of coronavirus cases was rising again in some regions after flattening in recent weeks in the wake of England's November lockdown. The UK is averaging 16,000 new cases a day, a higher number than last week. The UK recorded 20,964 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, a rise of almost 5,000 in the previous 24 hours, and 516 deaths. It brings the case count to almost 1.8 million and the death toll to 63,082. France has decided the easing of restrictions scheduled for Dec. 15 will not happen in the light of recent COVID-19 infection figures, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said at a news conference on Thursday. "On Dec. 15, we will move to a new stage, but the rules will be stricter than what we had envisioned," Castex told reporters, adding that the target of 5,000 new cases per day —which President Emmanuel Macron had set as a precondition to lifting the lockdown — would not be met by that date. The Swedish government — which famously opted not to lock down during Europe's first wave of the pandemic — wants to introduce a temporary "pandemic law" in the spring that would give it powers to potentially force closures of certain public spaces, as health officials said 99 percent of intensive care beds in Stockholm were full. Social Affairs Minister Lena Hallengren and Minister of Culture Amanda Lind said Wednesday that the proposed law, if passed by parliament, could take effect on March 15. "We are currently in a serious situation and we need help," Stockholm's Health Director Bjorn Eriksson told a news conference Wednesday. — Courtesy CNN
