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81-527: The Anti-Red Tape Authority ( ARTA ) is a Philippine government agency mandated to ensure ease of business among all agencies of the Philippine government. It was created through Republic Act No. 11032 or the "Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act", which was passed on May 28, 2018. It has since made efforts to streamline and promote digitization of various government services. The authority investigates complaints of red tape within

162-625: A healthy diet are also recommended. Supportive care in severe cases includes treatment to relieve symptoms , fluid therapy , oxygen support and prone positioning , and medications or devices to support other affected vital organs. More severe cases may need treatment in hospital. In those with low oxygen levels, use of the glucocorticoid dexamethasone is recommended to reduce mortality. Noninvasive ventilation and, ultimately, admission to an intensive care unit for mechanical ventilation may be required to support breathing. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used to address

243-615: A variant of concern (VoC) or a variant of interest (VoI). Many of these variants have shared the more infectious D614G . As of May 2023, the WHO had downgraded all variants of concern to previously circulating as these were no longer detected in new infections. Sub-lineages of the Omicron variant (BA.1 – BA.5) were considered separate VoCs by the WHO until they were downgraded in March 2023 as no longer widely circulating. As of 24 September 2024 ,

324-496: A business, which took on average 10 procedures and 28 days. Similar issues persist throughout Latin America . In Mexico in 2009, it took six months and a dozen visits to government agencies to obtain a permit to paint a house. To obtain a monthly prescription for gamma globulin for X-linked agammaglobulinemia , a patient had to obtain signatures from two government doctors and stamps from four separate bureaucrats before presenting

405-493: A comprehensive international study. Such deaths include deaths due to healthcare capacity constraints and priorities, as well as reluctance to seek care (to avoid possible infection). Further research may help distinguish the proportions directly caused by COVID-19 from those caused by indirect consequences of the pandemic. In May 2022, the WHO estimated the number of excess deaths by the end of 2021 to be 14.9 million compared to 5.4 million reported COVID-19 deaths, with

486-656: A fee. On June 2, 2007, the 13th Congress of the Philippines and former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo passed the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007. The act aimed to reduce bureaucratic red tape within the government and reduce the corruption that results from it. The initial implementation of the Anti-Red Tape Act was spearheaded by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and joined by the Development Academy of

567-590: A large number of people". During the COVID-19 pandemic, as with other pandemics, the meaning of this term has been challenged. The end of a pandemic or other epidemic only rarely involves the total disappearance of a disease, and historically, much less attention has been given to defining the ends of epidemics than their beginnings. The ends of particular epidemics have been defined in a variety of ways, differing according to academic field, and differently based on location and social group. An epidemic's end can be considered

648-570: A maximum processing time for government services: 3 days for simple transactions, 7 days for complex transactions, and 20 days for highly technical transactions. Among the first orders by the authority was to compel the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LFTRB) on July 24 to explain irregularities committed by the board, which included delays and issues related to the approval of Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) drivers applications. The authority later ordered

729-448: A median range of 0.24% to 1.49%. IFRs rise as a function of age (from 0.002% at age 10 and 0.01% at age 25, to 0.4% at age 55, 1.4% at age 65, 4.6% at age 75, and 15% at age 85). These rates vary by a factor of ≈10,000 across the age groups. For comparison, the IFR for middle-aged adults is two orders of magnitude higher than the annualised risk of a fatal automobile accident and much higher than

810-664: A potential increase in red tape in the form of compliance tasks. Research conducted into experiences of public-school leaders and teachers in Belgium found that when employees were faced with high levels of red tape from utilising digital tools, they were more likely to experience emotional exhaustion and, therefore, have higher turnover intention. A study of Dutch child welfare employees showed red tape reduced interactions with clients and job effectiveness, which decreased job satisfaction. Highly motivated employees were found to be more sensitive to burdensome rules and procedures. In 2020,

891-815: A random sample have consistently found that total infections considerably exceed the reported case counts. Many countries, early on, had official policies to not test those with only mild symptoms. The strongest risk factors for severe illness are obesity, complications of diabetes , anxiety disorders, and the total number of conditions. During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic it was not clear whether young people were less likely to be infected, or less likely to develop symptoms and be tested. A retrospective cohort study in China found that children and adults were just as likely to be infected. Among more thorough studies, preliminary results from 9 April 2020 found that in Gangelt ,

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972-457: A social phenomenon, not just a biological one. Time reported in March 2024 that expert opinions differ on whether or not COVID-19 is considered endemic or pandemic, and that the WHO continued to call the disease a pandemic on its website. During the initial outbreak in Wuhan , the virus and disease were commonly referred to as "coronavirus", "Wuhan coronavirus", "the coronavirus outbreak" and

1053-454: A successful red tape reduction initiative requires strong political commitment. The term "red tape" is sometimes employed as "an umbrella term covering almost all imagined ills of bureaucracy," both public and private. However, red tape is usually defined more narrowly as government policies, guidelines, and forms that are excessive, duplicative and/or unnecessary, and that generate a financial or time-based compliance cost. This definition

1134-451: A test. Conversely, deaths of people who died from underlying conditions following a positive test may be included. Countries such as Belgium include deaths from suspected cases, including those without a test, thereby increasing counts. Official death counts have been claimed to underreport the actual death toll, because excess mortality (the number of deaths in a period compared to a long-term average) data show an increase in deaths that

1215-518: Is associated with COVID-19 and is reported in as many as 88% of cases. The disease is mainly transmitted via the respiratory route when people inhale droplets and small airborne particles (that form an aerosol ) that infected people exhale as they breathe, talk, cough, sneeze, or sing. Infected people are more likely to transmit COVID-19 when they are physically close to other non-infected individuals. However, infection can occur over longer distances, particularly indoors. SARS‑CoV‑2 belongs to

1296-401: Is consistent with popular usage, which generally views red tape as negative. Whereas red tape refers to unnecessary rules, administrative burden (sometimes called "white tape") recognizes that regulations that are intended for useful purposes may nonetheless entail a compliance cost. Determining whether a regulation is justified rather than red tape can be difficult. Nevertheless, making

1377-503: Is discouraged altogether by the WHO, due to limited evidence of its efficacy. The severity of COVID-19 varies. It may take a mild course with few or no symptoms, resembling other common upper respiratory diseases such as the common cold . In 3–4% of cases (7.4% for those over age 65) symptoms are severe enough to cause hospitalisation. Mild cases typically recover within two weeks, while those with severe or critical diseases may take three to six weeks to recover. Among those who have died,

1458-439: Is intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID-19 ). Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, an established body of knowledge existed about the structure and function of coronaviruses causing diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). This knowledge accelerated

1539-485: Is not explained by COVID-19 deaths alone. Using such data, estimates of the true number of deaths from COVID-19 worldwide have included a range from 18.2 to 33.5 million (≈27.4 million) by 18 November 2023 by The Economist , as well as over 18.5 million by 1 April 2023 by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and ≈18.2 million (earlier) deaths between 1 January 2020, and 31 December 2021, by

1620-452: Is the ratio of deaths to diagnoses. This metric can be misleading because of the delay between symptom onset and death and because testing focuses on symptomatic individuals. Based on Johns Hopkins University statistics, the global CFR was 1.02 percent (6,881,955 deaths for 676,609,955 cases) as of 10 March 2023. The number varies by region and has generally declined over time. Several variants have been named by WHO and labelled as

1701-406: Is the seventh known coronavirus to infect people, after 229E , NL63 , OC43 , HKU1 , MERS-CoV , and the original SARS-CoV . The standard method of testing for presence of SARS-CoV-2 is a nucleic acid test , which detects the presence of viral RNA fragments. As these tests detect RNA but not infectious virus, its "ability to determine duration of infectivity of patients is limited". The test

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1782-614: Is typically done on respiratory samples obtained by a nasopharyngeal swab ; however, a nasal swab or sputum sample may also be used. The WHO has published several testing protocols for the disease. Preventive measures to reduce the chances of infection include getting vaccinated, staying at home or spending more time outdoors, avoiding crowded places, keeping distance from others, wearing a mask in public, ventilating indoor spaces, managing potential exposure durations, washing hands with soap and water often and for at least twenty seconds, practising good respiratory hygiene, and avoiding touching

1863-672: The 17th Congress of the Philippines and former President Rodrigo Duterte passed the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018. The law, passed on May 28, 2018, officially created the Anti-Red Tape Authority as a new attachment of the Office of the President. Ernesto V. Perez was the first appointed official of the agency, being appointed a deputy director general on October 31, 2018, and later officer-in-charge for

1944-501: The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market there, but it is possible that human-to-human transmission began earlier. Molecular clock analysis suggests that the first cases were likely to have been between October and November 2019. The scientific consensus is that the virus is most likely of a zoonotic origin, from bats or another closely related mammal. While other explanations such as speculations that SARS-CoV-2

2025-407: The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimating the true number of cases as of early 2022 to be in the billions. One measure that public health officials and policymakers have used to monitor the pandemic and guide decision-making is the test positivity rate ("percent positive"). According to Johns Hopkins in 2020, one benchmark for a "too high" per cent positive is 5%, which was used by

2106-597: The basic reproduction number (R 0 ) for COVID-19 in January 2020 were between 1.4 and 2.5, but a subsequent analysis claimed that it may be about 5.7 (with a 95 per cent confidence interval of 3.8 to 8.9). In December 2021, the number of cases continued to climb due to several factors, including new COVID-19 variants. As of that 28   December, 282,790,822 individuals worldwide had been confirmed as infected. As of 14 April 2022 , over 500 million cases were confirmed globally. Most cases are unconfirmed, with

2187-474: The coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic ), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ( SARS-CoV-2 ), began with an outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan , China, in December 2019. It spread to other areas of Asia, and then worldwide in early 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020, and assessed

2268-450: The variants of interest as specified by the WHO are BA.2.86 and JN.1, and the variants under monitoring are JN.1.7, KP.2, KP.3, KP.3.1.1, JN.1.18, LB.1, and XEC. Symptoms of COVID-19 are variable, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Common symptoms include headache, loss of smell and taste , nasal congestion and runny nose , cough, muscle pain , sore throat , fever, diarrhoea , and breathing difficulties . People with

2349-429: The "Wuhan coronavirus outbreak", with the disease sometimes called "Wuhan pneumonia ". In January 2020, the WHO recommended 2019-nCoV and 2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease as interim names for the virus and disease per 2015 international guidelines against using geographical locations (e.g. Wuhan, China), animal species, or groups of people in disease and virus names in part to prevent social stigma . WHO finalised

2430-567: The Canadian government released the Blueprint 2020 report, which brought together insights from engagements with over 2,000 public servants about their experiences with internal red tape. This report found that internal red tape is a significant concern for public servants. Key issues included having unclear direction on rules, policies, and guidelines; and poor internal client service. COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as

2511-451: The LTFRB to automatically approve all valid applications. As a result of orders from the authority, the LTFRB launched an online portal for TNVS drivers on October 24. From the start of its operations until June 2021, the authority has expedited the release of over 35 thousand permits to various government agencies, with the majority of permits coming from the telecommunications sector. Prior to

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2592-628: The Philippines, the Office of the Ombudsman , and the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission. Its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR)—a document defining specifics for the law's implementation—was signed on July 24, 2008. In 2016, the 8888 Citizen's Complaint Hotline opened to receive reports of poor government front-line service delivery and corrupt practices in government agencies. In an effort to further streamline government services,

2673-503: The Philippines. The agency's first director general, Jeremiah Belgica, was appointed by Duterte on July 3, 2019. Subsequently, the IRR of the authority was passed on July 17, 2019, over a year after the agency was first formed. The Commission on Audit released a report in 2022 about slowdowns in the authority's complaint resolution process. It wrote the first two stages of complaints took an average of 124 days. Ombudsman Martires called to abolish

2754-790: The U.S. and 1.7% for Canada. The CFIB estimated that the cost of red tape arising from Canadian federal, provincial and municipal government regulations was $ 11 billion in 2020. (This excluded covid-19 related costs, to make the amount more comparable to previous years.) The annual cost of red tape per employee was higher for firms with fewer than 5 employees, at $ 1945, versus $ 398 for firms with 100 or more employees. The Better Regulation Task Force suggested in 2005 that red tape reforms could potentially deliver an increase in income of 16 billion pounds per year, an amount greater than one percent of UK GDP. The European Union 's (EU) "Cutting Red Tape in Europe" report presented suggestions on how to reduce

2835-636: The WHO in the past. As of 10 March 2023, more than 6.88   million deaths had been attributed to COVID-19. The first confirmed death was in Wuhan on 9 January 2020. These numbers vary by region and over time, influenced by testing volume, healthcare system quality, treatment options, government response, time since the initial outbreak, and population characteristics, such as age, sex, and overall health. Multiple measures are used to quantify mortality. Official death counts typically include people who died after testing positive. Such counts exclude deaths without

2916-419: The WHO, US, European Union, and Australia. On 12 November 2022, the WHO released its Global Vaccine Market Report. The report indicated that "inequitable distribution is not unique to COVID-19 vaccines"; countries that are not economically strong struggle to obtain vaccines. On 14 November 2022, the first inhalable vaccine was introduced, developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical company CanSino Biologics , in

2997-417: The administrative burden when member states implement EU legislation. The total administrative burden reduction potential of all recommendations in the report was estimated to exceed 41 billion euros annually. While a regulation may be useful, the cost of imposing it may exceed the benefits. The Canadian federal government applies a cost-benefit analysis to most regulatory proposals, which takes into account

3078-627: The approval of its IRR, the authority already began accepting and resolving complaints of red tape from businesses and individuals. From the start of its operations until June 2021, the authority received 1,178 complaints, of which 537 were resolved. The authority opened an online complaint management system in 2022, allowing citizens to submit complaints through the internet. Following a memorandum of agreement signed in February 2023, government agencies were now required to respond to complaints of poor service submitted by citizens within 72 hours. The 8888 hotline

3159-601: The authority of giving preferential treatment to Now Telecom . The Office of the President implemented the suspension on June 7. Perez returned as director general officer-in-charge for the authority on June 11. He was later appointed by President Bongbong Marcos as the authority's new permanent director general on November 14, 2022, replacing Belgica. On March 3, 2023, the Ombudsman found the suspended officials guilty of grave misconduct; they were dismissed, disqualified from holding public office, and stripped of retirement benefits. The officials who were removed from position prior to

3240-456: The authority partnered with Meralco to provide 500 computers to LGUs and with telecommunications companies to provide internet connections in isolated areas that have no connectivity. The authority is headed by a director general and three deputy directors general. The Director General is a member of the Cabinet of the Philippines . Three deputy directors general head three different top offices of

3321-482: The authority's Office of the Director General on December 8. The final public hearing for the agency's IRR was held on April 16, 2019, but was blocked from promulgation due to the lack of an appointed director general, who has the sole power to recommend the IRR's approval to the president. In the period between the passing of the original law and the authority's IRR, red tape still remained a problem for businesses in

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3402-479: The authority, arguing that the law was unconstitutional as its functions "solely belong to the Office of the Ombudsman." A joint statement of 30 business groups and foreign chambers opposed the proposed abolition of the authority. On June 2, 2022, Ombudsman Samuel Martires ordered the preventive suspension of Belgica and four other authority officials for six months following a complaint made by Dito Telecommunity Chief Administrative Officer Adel Tamano which accused

3483-575: The authority: administration and finance, legal, and operations. Red tape Red tape can hamper the ability of firms to compete, grow, and create jobs. Research finds red tape has a cost to public sector workers, and can reduce employee well-being and job satisfaction. In 2005, the UK's Better Regulation Task Force suggested that red tape reforms could lead to an increase in income of 16 billion pounds per year, an amount greater than 1% of GDP. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business estimated

3564-448: The broad family of viruses known as coronaviruses . It is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) virus, with a single linear RNA segment. Coronaviruses infect humans, other mammals, including livestock and companion animals, and avian species. Human coronaviruses are capable of causing illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS, fatality rate ≈34%). SARS-CoV-2

3645-586: The burden of government regulations is red tape — ie, is excessive and delivers little or no benefit. However, a survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) found red tape represented about 28% of the total burden of regulation in Canada in 2020. The total cost of regulation for U.S. business was estimated in 2021 at US$ 364.3 billion, and for Canadian business in 2020 at US$ 31.9 billion, or CAN$ 38.8 billion. This cost represents 1.5% of GDP for

3726-630: The centre of a major infection cluster in Germany, 15 per cent of a population sample tested positive for antibodies . Screening for COVID-19 in pregnant women in New York City , and blood donors in the Netherlands, found rates of positive antibody tests that indicated more infections than reported. Seroprevalence -based estimates are conservative as some studies show that persons with mild symptoms do not have detectable antibodies. Initial estimates of

3807-746: The city of Shanghai, China. For the first two years of the pandemic, no specific and effective treatment or cure was available. In 2021, the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) approved the oral antiviral protease inhibitor , Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir plus the HIV antiviral ritonavir ), to treat adult patients. FDA later gave it an EUA. Most cases of COVID-19 are mild. In these, supportive care includes medication such as paracetamol or NSAIDs to relieve symptoms (fever, body aches, cough), adequate intake of oral fluids and rest. Good personal hygiene and

3888-482: The conviction (which included Belgica) were ordered to pay a fine equal to one year of their salary. Prior to the approval of its IRR, the authority already began enforcing the Ease of Doing Business Act. The authority actively promotes the digitization of government services, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which already pushed government services to use digital platforms. The authority also aims to enforce

3969-512: The cost of the policy to consumers, businesses, and other sectors of society. Since the 1970s, Australian governments have sought to subject regulation to rigorous cost-benefit analysis so as to constrain both the stock and flow of the regulatory burden. It can be difficult to distinguish between justified regulatory costs and unneeded regulations. For this reason, the expression "cutting red tape" has been used to refer to both initiatives to reduce unnecessary regulation, and to policies to reduce

4050-460: The cost to business of red tape arising from federal, provincial and municipal government regulations was $ 11 billion in 2020. This represented about 28% of the total burden of regulation for businesses in Canada. Some governments have introduced initiatives to limit or cut red tape, such as a one-for-one rule that removes one regulation each time a new administrative burden is imposed on business. Experience from British Columbia , Canada suggests

4131-686: The creation of these services was on June 17, 2021—three years after the EODB Act was signed. As part of its digitization efforts, the authority also pushed LGUs to set up an electronic BOSS (e-BOSS) system, where citizens can file and be issued government documents online. For municipalities without the budget to develop their own systems, the authority, partnered with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), offered DICT-developed software free of charge. By March 2022, only 13% of LGUs had an operational e-BOSS system. To aid in digitization,

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4212-480: The cumulative number of infected individuals (including asymptomatic and undiagnosed infections and excluding vaccinated infected individuals). It is expressed in percentage points. Other studies refer to this metric as the infection fatality risk . In November 2020, a review article in Nature reported estimates of population-weighted IFRs for various countries, excluding deaths in elderly care facilities, and found

4293-441: The development of various vaccine platforms during early 2020. The initial focus of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines was on preventing symptomatic and severe illness. The COVID-19 vaccines are widely credited for their role in reducing the severity and death caused by COVID-19. As of March 2023, more than 5.5 billion people had received one or more doses (11.8 billion in total) in over 197 countries. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine

4374-786: The extent to which individuals perceive that red tape exists in a government agency. A survey-based experiment in the context of a jury duty summons found inconsistently-applied rules may be viewed as ineffective or unfair, fueling the perception of a high level of red tape. Perception of red tape (as opposed to useful regulation) may be relevant in the public service context, since employees may be more willing to comply with rules that they perceive as valuable. Red tape can reduce employee flexibility and autonomy, thereby reducing job satisfaction. A 2022 study that used survey data from 354 school principals in Chile found they experienced increased emotional exhaustion and risk of burnout when they were advised of

4455-513: The eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands. Those diagnosed with COVID-19 or who believe they may be infected are advised by healthcare authorities to stay home except to get medical care, call ahead before visiting a healthcare provider, wear a face mask before entering the healthcare provider's office and when in any room or vehicle with another person, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, regularly wash hands with soap and water and avoid sharing personal household items. A COVID-19 vaccine

4536-474: The general public beginning in December 2020, made available through government and international programs such as COVAX , aiming to provide vaccine equity . Treatments include novel antiviral drugs and symptom control. Common mitigation measures during the public health emergency included travel restrictions , lockdowns , business restrictions and closures, workplace hazard controls , mask mandates , quarantines, testing systems, and contact tracing of

4617-534: The government and, depending on findings, recommends subsequent action to be taken by the relevant government agencies. The authority is headed by a director general, who becomes part of the Cabinet of the Philippines , and three deputy directors general. The current director general is Ernesto V. Perez. Prior to 2007, red tape ran prevalent within government services. Because of the long turnaround time for government services, some government officials, termed fixers , expedited provision of those services in exchange for

4698-657: The infected. The pandemic caused severe social and economic disruption around the world, including the largest global recession since the Great Depression . Widespread supply shortages , including food shortages , were caused by supply chain disruptions and panic buying . Reduced human activity led to an unprecedented temporary decrease in pollution . Educational institutions and public areas were partially or fully closed in many jurisdictions, and many events were cancelled or postponed during 2020 and 2021. Telework became much more common for white-collar workers as

4779-484: The issue of respiratory failure. Existing drugs such as hydroxychloroquine , lopinavir/ritonavir , and ivermectin are not recommended by US or European health authorities, as there is no good evidence they have any useful effect. The antiviral remdesivir is available in the US, Canada, Australia, and several other countries, with varying restrictions; however, it is not recommended for use with mechanical ventilation, and

4860-576: The majority of the unreported 9.5 million deaths believed to be direct deaths due the virus, rather than indirect deaths. Some deaths were because people with other conditions could not access medical services . A December 2022 WHO study estimated excess deaths from the pandemic during 2020 and 2021, again concluding ≈14.8 million excess early deaths occurred, reaffirming and detailing their prior calculations from May as well as updating them, addressing criticisms. These numbers do not include measures like years of potential life lost and may make

4941-495: The official names COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 on 11 February 2020. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained: CO   for corona , VI   for virus , D   for disease and 19 for when the outbreak was first identified (31 December 2019). WHO additionally uses "the COVID-19 virus" and "the virus responsible for COVID-19" in public communications. WHO named variants of concern and variants of interest using Greek letters . The initial practice of naming them according to where

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5022-427: The outbreak as having become a pandemic on 11 March. COVID-19 symptoms range from asymptomatic to deadly, but most commonly include fever, sore throat , nocturnal cough , and fatigue. Transmission of the virus is often through airborne particles . Mutations have produced many strains (variants) with varying degrees of infectivity and virulence . COVID-19 vaccines were developed rapidly and deployed to

5103-419: The overall regulatory burden. Canada's Red Tape Reduction Act of 2015 implemented a one-for-one rule that requires the removal of a regulation each time regulators impose a new administrative burden on business. Nevertheless, while Regulations decreased from 684 to 605 between 2014 and 2023, regulatory Requirements increased from 129,860 to 149,401. A more successful reduction in red tape took place in

5184-407: The pandemic 2021's leading cause of death . The time between symptom onset and death ranges from   6 to 41 days, typically about 14 days. Mortality rates increase as a function of age. People at the greatest mortality risk are the elderly and those with underlying conditions. The infection fatality ratio (IFR) is the cumulative number of deaths attributed to the disease divided by

5265-491: The pandemic evolved. Misinformation circulated through social media and mass media , and political tensions intensified . The pandemic raised issues of racial and geographic discrimination , health equity , and the balance between public health imperatives and individual rights . The WHO ended the PHEIC for COVID-19 on 5 May 2023. The disease has continued to circulate, but as of 2024, experts were uncertain as to whether it

5346-471: The population's age structure and the age-specific pattern of infections. There have also been reviews that have compared the fatality rate of this pandemic with prior pandemics, such as MERS-CoV. For comparison the infection mortality rate of seasonal flu in the United States is 0.1%, which is 13 times lower than COVID-19. Another metric in assessing death rate is the case fatality ratio (CFR), which

5427-526: The prescription to a dispensary. Mexico was the original home of Syntex , one of the greatest pharmaceutical firms of the 20th century—but in 1959, the company left for the American city of Palo Alto, California (in what is now Silicon Valley ) because its scientists were fed up with the Mexican government's bureaucratic delays which repeatedly impeded their research. It is impossible to know exactly how much of

5508-625: The program was a strong commitment from the minister responsible and the provincial premier. In the United States, cutting red tape was a central principle of a 1993 National Performance Review study requested by the Clinton Administration . In November 2024, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would co-lead a new Department of Government Efficiency which would provide advice from outside government on methods to "slash excess regulations", among other objectives. Applying rules consistently can affect

5589-461: The proper distinction is relevant when implementing reforms, and cutting red tape differs from deregulation . It is generally believed that the term "red tape" originated in the early 16th century with the Spanish administration of Charles V , King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor , who started to use red tape in an effort to modernize the administration that was running his vast empire. The red tape

5670-402: The province of British Columbia , Canada, following a 2001 election promise to reduce the regulatory burden by 33%. At the time, regulation was heavy, with rules imposed on, for example, the size of televisions in restaurants, the number of par-four holes at golf courses, and the maximum seating capacity of ski hill lounges. After three years, a 37% reduction was achieved. A central element of

5751-458: The risk of dying from seasonal influenza . In December 2020, a systematic review and meta-analysis estimated that population-weighted IFR was 0.5% to 1% in some countries (France, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Portugal), 1% to 2% in other countries (Australia, England, Lithuania, and Spain), and about 2.5% in Italy. This study reported that most of the differences reflected corresponding differences in

5832-496: The same infection may have different symptoms, and their symptoms may change over time. Three common clusters of symptoms have been identified: one respiratory symptom cluster with cough, sputum , shortness of breath, and fever; a musculoskeletal symptom cluster with muscle and joint pain, headache, and fatigue; a cluster of digestive symptoms with abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea. In people without prior ear, nose, and throat disorders, loss of taste combined with loss of smell

5913-411: The time from symptom onset to death has ranged from two to eight weeks. Prolonged prothrombin time and elevated C-reactive protein levels on admission to the hospital are associated with severe course of COVID-19 and with a transfer to intensive care units (ICU). Between 5% and 50% of COVID-19 patients experience long COVID , a condition characterised by long-term consequences persisting after

5994-694: The typical convalescence period of the disease. The most commonly reported clinical presentations are fatigue and memory problems, as well as malaise , headaches, shortness of breath , loss of smell, muscle weakness , low fever and cognitive dysfunction . Many countries attempted to slow or stop the spread of COVID-19 by recommending, mandating or prohibiting behaviour changes, while others relied primarily on providing information. Measures ranged from public advisories to stringent lockdowns. Outbreak control strategies are divided into elimination and mitigation. Experts differentiate between elimination strategies (known as " zero-COVID ") that aim to completely stop

6075-543: The variants were identified (e.g. Delta began as the " Indian variant") is no longer common. A more systematic naming scheme reflects the variant's PANGO lineage (e.g., Omicron 's lineage is B.1.1.529) and is used for other variants. SARS-CoV-2 is a virus closely related to bat coronaviruses , pangolin coronaviruses, and SARS-CoV . The first known outbreak (the 2019–2020 COVID-19 outbreak in mainland China ) started in Wuhan , Hubei, China, in December 2019. Many early cases were linked to people who had visited

6156-443: Was accidentally released from a laboratory have been proposed, as of 2021 these were not supported by evidence. Official "case" counts refer to the number of people who have been tested for COVID-19 and whose test has been confirmed positive according to official protocols whether or not they experienced symptomatic disease. Due to the effect of sampling bias , studies which obtain a more accurate number by extrapolating from

6237-450: Was also given the power to act as complainant for these cases. In 2023, the authority claimed that it had resolved over 98% of the complaints it had received. The authority was mandated by the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) Act to ensure the creation of Business One Stop Shop (BOSS) services within local government units (LGUs). Local government units were required to set up a single window where this service would be rendered. The deadline for

6318-528: Was popularized in Thomas Carlyle 's writings, protesting against official inertia with expressions like "Little other than a red tape Talking-machine, and unhappy Bag of Parliamentary Eloquence". As of the early 21st century, Spanish bureaucracy continued to be notorious for extreme levels of red tape (in the figurative sense). In 2013, the World Bank ranked Spain 136 out of 185 countries for ease of starting

6399-457: Was still a pandemic. Pandemics and their ends are not well-defined, and whether or not one has ended differs according to the definition used. As of 30 November 2024, COVID-19 has caused 7,075,455 confirmed deaths. The COVID-19 pandemic ranks as the fifth- deadliest pandemic or epidemic in history . In epidemiology , a pandemic is defined as "an epidemic occurring over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries, and usually affecting

6480-502: Was the most widely used. According to a June 2022 study, COVID-19 vaccines prevented an additional 14.4 million to 19.8 million deaths in 185 countries and territories from 8 December 2020 to 8 December 2021. On 8 November 2022, the first recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine (Novavax's booster Nuvaxovid ) was authorised for use in adults in the United Kingdom. It has subsequently received endorsement/authorisation from

6561-668: Was used to bind the most important administrative dossiers that required immediate discussion by the Council of State , and separate them from files that were treated in an ordinary administrative way, which were bound with ordinary string. In Britain, Charles Dickens spoke of red tape in David Copperfield : "Britannia, that unfortunate female, is always before me, like a trussed fowl: skewered through and through with office-pens, and bound hand and foot with red tape." The English practice of binding documents and official papers with red tape

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