New Delhi: The novel coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate countries across the world — the latest count being over 28.3 lakh cases and more than 9.1 lakh deaths.
Junior doctors in Sydney fear making mistakes after widespread harassment from patients, Hong Kong to begin trials for nasal spray Covid-19 vaccine in October and Portugal removed from UK’s travel list.
ThePrint brings you the most important global stories on the coronavirus pandemic and why they matter.
4-8 lakh Israelis could lose their jobs due to lockdown
After the Israeli government imposed a complete lockdown for two weeks to curb the spread of Covid-19, the country’s finance ministry warned that 4,00,000 to 8,00,000 Israelis face the risk of losing their job, reports The Jerusalem Post.
“On Thursday, business leaders met with Finance Minister Israel Katz and warned him that businesses forced to close now would not survive. Instead of closures, they recommended that the government invest in enforcing existing health regulations, including wearing masks and social distancing,” noted the report.
Jerusalem Post also quoted a former tour guide Elena Gorbacevski as saying, “Better COVID-19 than starvation.”
So far, Israel has recorded 1,45,526 cases of Covid-19 and 1,077 deaths.
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Junior doctors in Australia fear making mistakes, face harassment
Junior doctors in Sydney hospitals are ‘overworked’ and ‘exhausted’, and they also fear making a mistake which could prove fatal for their patients, reports Sydney Morning Herald.
“When it comes to intimidation, patients are the most likely aggressors — a troubling dynamic that has only intensified during the Covid-19 pandemic, doctors-in-training leaders say. Roughly 30 per cent of trainee doctors felt unsafe at work due to verbal or physical intimidation, according to the survey of 1,332 junior doctors in NSW compiled by the Australian Medical Association NSW’s Doctors in Training Committee,” says the report.
So far, Australia has recorded 26,564 cases of Covid-19 and 797 deaths.
Hong Kong set for human trials of nasal spray vaccine
A nasal spray vaccine for Covid-19, which is being developed by University of Hong Kong and Xiamen University, is expected to undergo clinical trials in November, reports Asia Times.
“The vaccine was designed as a nasal spray instead of an injection because the virus usually enters human bodies through the upper respiratory tracts,” says the report.
The spread of Covid-19 has largely slowed down in Hong Kong and the country has recorded 4,914 cases and 99 deaths.
Portugal removed from UK’s travel corridor
In a massive blow to tourists, UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps Thursday announced that Portugal was being dropped from UK’s ‘travel corridor’ due to the sudden spike in cases in the country, reports The Guardian.
“Portugal was first added to the travel corridor list on 22 August. Scotland, which along with other devolved nations has the power to make its own decisions on quarantine restrictions, has already removed Portugal from its list. On Thursday it announced that it was also removing Hungary and Réunion from the travel corridor, but adding Sweden, from 4am on Saturday,” states the report.
In the past 24 hours, Portugal reported the highest Covid cases in four months, with 646 new cases. The total tally in the country stands at 62,126 and 1,852 deaths.
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Virtual health guidelines for online classes in Saudi Arabia
The health council has issued guidelines for children attending online classes, like taking a break from the screen every 20 minutes or adjusting proper lighting, reports Arab News.
“Afnan Abdulfattah, a mother of two girls and a dentist from Riyadh, told Arab News: ‘The guidelines are important. The school my children attend provides a break between every class for different subjects’,” notes the report.
Saudi Arabia has recorded 3,23,720 cases of Covid-19 and 4,189 deaths so far.
Singapore scientists develop ‘smart mask’
Scientists in Singapore developed an ‘integrated monitoring system’ that can be attached to a face mask. This will help monitor whether the person wearing the mask has indications of Covid-19, reports The Straits Times.
“Sensors pick up skin temperature, blood oxygen saturation, blood pressure and heart rate — all of which are parameters associated with coronaviruses,” says the report.
Singapore has recorded 57,229 Covid-19 cases and 27 deaths, so far.
What else we are reading:
Thailand tests nearly 600 people exposed to mystery coronavirus case: The Straits Times
Women ‘abused’ by police enforcing Covid-19 rules in Nigeria: Al Jazeera
Also read: US will no longer screen international travellers for Covid at airports