Global COVID-19 scenario: lockdowns sweep across Europe, mortality rates soar in the United States
In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world are responding with a mix of strengthened global cooperation and national measures, while facing significant social and political reactions in some areas.
Globally, 124 countries adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement in May 2025, aiming to improve pandemic preparedness and equitable access to health tools such as diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics, especially for lower-income countries[1]. This treaty establishes legal and financial frameworks to promote cooperation and faster response to future pandemics. The WHO is also developing a five-year Strategic and Operational Plan for Coronavirus Disease Threat Management (2025–2030), which signals a shift from emergency response towards sustained and adaptive disease threat management[2]. Efforts like the 100 Days Mission aim to ensure rapid development and deployment of medical countermeasures within 100 days of identifying a new viral threat, a lesson drawn from the COVID-19 experience[3].
Regarding national responses and social reactions:
- In Germany, Denmark, and Peru, there continue to be protests against COVID-19 protective measures, reflecting public resistance to ongoing restrictions or vaccine mandates. Agnes Westermark, a protester in Denmark, states that they are protesting like everywhere in Europe, Australia, the USA, all over the world, and want a free press to know what's really happening, and want children to go back to school[4]. These protests indicate persistent societal tensions around pandemic policies, although the search results do not detail the specific nature or scale of these protests.
- In contrast, the United States, Europe, South Korea, and Cuba have implemented tightened restrictions to manage the pandemic, although the exact measures are not specified in the available results. These nations continue to respond actively with public health interventions to limit spread, consistent with WHO recommendations and national strategies[1][2].
In the United States, over 90,000 people died from the coronavirus in January, a number nearly as many as American casualties during World War I[5]. Medical professionals in the United States are in panic due to the high number of infection victims[6]. Residents in the United States are clearing supermarket shelves of food and essential goods ahead of an impending lockdown, with no plans to leave home for the next five days[7].
In Peru, a lively demonstration is taking place against restrictions, despite a new COVID-19 outbreak and a two-week lockdown[8]. Residents in Peru believe the government is pushing them into hunger and poverty[9]. In Peru's capital, hundreds gathered for a torchlight procession against restrictive measures[10]. Hundreds of COVID-19 deniers marched through Berlin, demanding the cancellation of protective measures in Germany[11].
In South Korea, restrictions have been extended until mid-February as a precautionary measure ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations[12]. In contrast, Cuba is tightening sanitary controls for foreign tourists, reducing flights from the US, Mexico, and several regional countries[13]. The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has almost reached 103 million[14]. Denmark has extended its lockdown by three weeks to save lives[15].
A World Health Organization delegation is continuing its work in China, searching for the origins of the coronavirus, focusing particularly on the city of Wuhan[16]. The seafood market in Wuhan, China, is a point of interest for the World Health Organization as it is believed to be where the coronavirus was first spread a year ago[17].
This juxtaposition shows that while multilateral frameworks and cooperation are advancing to better handle the pandemic globally, individual countries face challenges in balancing public health needs with societal acceptance. The ongoing adoption of the Pandemic Agreement and strategic plans seeks to harmonize these efforts and prepare better for current and future coronavirus threats.
- To help mitigate the health-and-wellness challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization is developing a five-year Strategic and Operational Plan for Coronavirus Disease Threat Management (2025–2030), aimed at shifting from emergency response towards sustained and adaptive disease threat management.
- In an attempt to address medical-conditions like COVID-19 more effectively, 124 countries adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement in May 2025, with the goal of improving pandemic preparedness and equitable access to health tools, particularly for lower-income countries.
