How Other Countries Are Faring With COVID
Pandemic news from across the globe with a little bit of good news thrown in.
Reuters:
China's Wuhan Declares Red Alert As Floods Disrupt Supply Chains
Large parts of central and eastern China were reeling on Friday from the worst floods in decades, as disruption mounted for key supply chains, including crucial personal protective equipment for fighting the coronavirus, and economic damage piled up. The central Chinese city of Wuhan and the provinces of Anhui, Jiangxi and Zhejiang declared red alerts on Friday as heavy rain swelled rivers and lakes. “It’s just creating another major roadblock here in terms of PPE getting into the United States - it is the worst of times for it to happen but that’s what we’re dealing with right now,” said Michael Einhorn, president of Dealmed, a U.S. medical supply distributor, which sources disposable lab coats and other products from Wuhan and nearby regions. (Stanway, 7/17)
NPR:
Australian State Orders 'No Dancing, No Singing, No Mingling' To Halt COVID-19
Australia's New South Wales state is implementing restrictions on "high-risk activities" such as such as singing in choirs and dancing at nightclubs and bars amid concern of a fresh outbreak of COVID-19 that has spilled over from a neighboring state. The latest prohibitions, which also limit bookings at restaurants, cafes and bars to no more than 10 people, go into effect from midnight on July 24 (10 a.m. July 23 ET), NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced Friday. (Neuman, 7/17)
AP:
2 US Diplomats Among New Virus Cases In Cambodia
Two U.S. diplomats are among five new cases of coronavirus in Cambodia announced Friday by health officials.All five cases involve people who had traveled from the United States. Three are Cambodians who arrived Wednesday via Taiwan, said a Health Ministry statement. The statement described the two Americans as senior diplomats who had flown from the U.S. via South Korea and also arrived Wednesday. (7/17)
ABC News:
UN Makes Largest Single Appeal Amid Warnings Of Unprecedented Hunger Due To Pandemic
The United Nations is warning that 265 million people could be pushed to the point of starvation by the end of 2020 with the first increase in global poverty since 1990 unless urgent action is taken. Humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock made the single largest appeal in U.N. history Thursday, seeking $10.3 billion to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic and its deadly second-order effects, especially the global recession and the diversion of health resources. (Finnegan, 7/16)
The Washington Post:
How World Cities Are Reopening Amid The Coronavirus Pandemic
There was no common strategy when the pandemic hit. The same is true around the world for plans to climb back from shutdowns. The priorities and pace are different on how to reopen businesses, schools, restaurants and everything else hit by restrictions to battle the spread of covid-19. Some countries have adopted a fast timetable. Others are more cautious. And there are places still trying to reach the downside of the infection curve. Washington Post correspondents and contributors across 16 cities are keeping a scorecard on what is back and what is not. (Murphy, 7/16)
CIDRAP:
DRC Ebola Cases Reach 56, Exceed 2018 Equateur Province Outbreak
Officials have confirmed 4 more Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Equateur province Ebola outbreak, raising the number to 56 and passing the total of an outbreak that occurred in the same province in 2018. In a statement today, the World Health Organization's (WHO's) African regional office said the outbreak's continued growth causes major concerns as the WHO and its partners face critical funding gaps. So far, cases are spread across six of the province's health zones. Of 56 cases, 53 are confirmed and 3 are listed as probable. The outbreak was first identified in early June, and half of the cases have been reported over the past 3 weeks. Officials have confirmed 21 deaths. (7/16)
In a bit of good news —
The New York Times:
No One Knows What Thailand Is Doing Right, But So Far, It’s Working
No one knows exactly why Thailand has been spared. Is it the social distancing embedded in Thai culture — the habit of greeting others with a wai, a prayer-like motion, rather than a full embrace — that has prevented the runaway transmission of the coronavirus here? Did Thailand’s early adoption of face masks, combined with a robust health care system, blunt the virus’s impact? Was it the outdoor lifestyle of many Thais, or their relatively low rates of pre-existing conditions? One thing is certain. Despite an influx of foreign visitors early in the year from countries badly hit by the coronavirus, Thailand has recorded fewer than 3,240 cases and 58 deaths. As of Thursday, there had been no cases of local transmission for about seven weeks. (Beech, 7/16)
