New Delhi: The novel coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate countries across the world — the latest count being over 6.5 crore cases and more than 1.5 lakh deaths.
It has now been reported that Wuhan residents had faced difficulties accessing Covid-19 tests in the early days of the pandemic due to “secrecy and cronyism at China’s top disease control agency”. Support for the Swedish government’s anti-lockdown approach has been waning. And thousands of South Koreans sit for the national university entrance exam amid a surge in coronavirus cases.
ThePrint brings you the most important global stories on the coronavirus pandemic and why they matter.
China testing blunders stemmed from secret deals with firms
The residents of Wuhan, where coronavirus is believed to have originated, had faced severe difficulties in accessing Covid-19 tests in the initial stages of the pandemic due to “secrecy and cronyism at China’s top disease control agency”, reports The Associated Press.
“The flawed testing system prevented scientists and officials from seeing how fast the virus was spreading — another way China fumbled its early response to the virus,” the report noted.
It also said that China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention had given test kit designs and distribution rights to just three Shanghai companies, a deal that was struck through “personal ties”.
Several of these kits, however, turned out to be faulty and “only one in 19 infected people in Wuhan was tested and found positive as of 31 January”.
The report quoted one Zhong Hanneng, who had lost her son due to the faulty tests, as saying, “There were very, very few tests, basically none….if you couldn’t prove you were positive, you couldn’t get admitted to a hospital.”
China has reported 86,567 cases and 4,634 deaths so far.
Also read: BioNTech founder Ugur Sahin joins world’s 500 richest after UK approves Covid vaccine
Swedes’ support for anti-lockdown stance slips
In Sweden, public support for the government and its anti-lockdown approach is sliding due to the rising number of deaths and new cases, reports The Guardian.
Support for Prime Minister Stefan Löfven’s centre-left Social Democrats party “had dropped nearly five percentage points to 29.4 per cent since May”, the report noted. This has been based on a six-monthly poll by the Statistics Sweden.
The report quoted Nicklas Källebring of the Ipsos polling agency as saying, “It is quite clear that the increased rate of infection, combined with the measures the authorities have taken, have led to a sharp increase in concern.”
The country Thursday added 6,485 new cases and 33 more deaths to its toll. The government has now announced that high schools will have to switch to distance learning from next week.
Sweden has reported 2,72,643 cases and 7,007 deaths.
South Koreans sit for university exam amid Covid-19 surge
Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, thousands of students in South Korea sat for the national university entrance exam Thursday, reports Al Jazeera.
A high-stakes exam that determines “careers, incomes and even marriage prospects”, it had been delayed earlier due of the pandemic.
The report quoted an 18-year-old student, Kim Chae-eun, as saying, “This exam is important because Korean society makes you study your whole life up till this point for this one exam.”
Despite this, the exam remains “a particular concern, with nearly 500,000 pupils gathering in test centres across the country”.
South Korea has reported 35,703 cases and 529 deaths so far.
Covid-19 disrupts cultural festivities in Kenya
Celebration of cultural festivities of the Maragoli and Tiriki people of Kenya have been marred this year due to the pandemic, reports Nation.
The Maragoli and the Tiriki tribes are among the sub-groups that constitute Kenya’s Lujhya people.
“For the first time in four decades, the annual Maragoli Cultural Festival in Vihiga County will not be held this year following a decision by the elders,” the report noted. This annual festival is usually held on 26 December.
The report quoted Hezron Azerwa of the Vihiga Cultural Society, which organises the Maragoli event, as saying, “We are asking our people to bear with us.”
Meanwhile, “the century-old Tiriki traditional circumcision” have also been “marred by confusion, with elders reading from different scripts over the decision to postpone the ritual”.
Kenya has reported 86,383 cases and 1,500 deaths.
Spanish government asks citizens to stay home for Christmas
The Spanish government has urged its government to stay at home for Christmas, reports El País.
Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa, however, clarified that despite the appeal, movement of people will be allowed across regional lines between 23 December and 6 January. Social gathering has been capped at 10 persons.
“But it remains unclear how compliance with these rules will be enforced,” the report stated, noting discontentment from certain regional administrations, including Catalonia and Madrid, over the plan.
Experts quoted in the report, however, stated that they were happy with the decision to cap gatherings. “To prevent the spread of the virus, the best thing to do would be to eliminate gatherings altogether. It would mean following a tough line that we have not followed to date, but which Italy has done: canceling Christmas,” epidemiologist Javier del Águila has been quoted as saying.
Spain has reported 16,93,591 cases and 46,038 deaths.
What else we are reading:
Life and death in a Covid-19 epicenter: The New York Times
How the UK will roll out Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine: CNBC
Also read: Biden says he will ask all Americans to wear masks for 100 days