New Delhi: The novel coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate countries across the world — the latest count being over 6.3 crore cases and more than 1.4 lakh deaths.
Malaysia battles false information and bogus Covid-19 remedies. Africa’s largest clinical trial kicks off in Kenya and New York City opens schools for pre-kindergarten and primary school students.
ThePrint brings you the most important global stories on the coronavirus pandemic and why they matter.
Malaysia struggles with Covid fake news and bogus remedies
Malaysia is struggling with false information on Covid-19 and bogus remedies that are being spreading rampantly in the country, reports The Straits Times.
“Herbs, healing oils, honey and home-made concoctions — these are some of the ‘preventive medicines’ being talked about among Malaysians,” the report notes.
It quotes a former Covid-19 patient whose relative had advised him to “take a young coconut, mix its juice with lime and a spoon of salt” and drink it as a cure against the virus. The tip reportedly went viral on WhatsApp.
Malaysian Public Health Physicians’ Association President Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar called these viral fake remedies “unethical and illegal”.
Malaysia has reported 64,485 cases and 357 deaths, so far.
Also read: 8 inmates killed, 37 injured in Sri Lanka prison riot triggered by surge in Covid cases
Covid-19 drug clinical trials in Africa kick off with Kenya
The largest Covid-19 clinical trial has kicked off in Africa, starting with Kenya, to test two possible treatments for patients with mild and moderate symptoms, reports Nation.
“The trial, ANTICOV, being conducted in 19 sites in 13 African countries will begin testing, against a control arm, the HIV anti-retroviral combination lopinavir/ritonavir and the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which remains the standard of care for Covid-19 today in numerous African countries,” the report states.
In the report, the Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Dr John Nkengasong said, “There is a need for large clinical trials in Africa for Covid-19 to answer research questions that are specific to an African context.”
The trial, which is open-label and randomised, is the largest study in the continent with 2,000 to 3,000 mild-to-moderate Covid-19 patients participating in it.
Till now, Kenya has reported 83,316 cases and 1,452 deaths.
Turkey’s new virus figures confirm experts’ worst fears
Turkey has seen a massive surge in Covid-19 cases after the government changed the way it reports daily infections, reports Associated Press.
Earlier the country was just reporting the number of patients being treated for symptoms. Now, all positive coronavirus cases are being reported, which has pushed the number of daily cases to more than 30,000.
“That came as no surprise to the Turkish Medical Association, which has been warning for months that the government’s previous figures were concealing the graveness of the spread and that the lack of transparency was contributing to the surge,” the report states.
It also quotes head of the organisation, Sebnem Korur Fincanci, who called the situation in Turkey a “perfect storm”.
The country has reported 6,07,628 cases and 13,558 deaths.
Also read: Airlines face ‘mission of the century’ in shipping Covid vaccines
New York City reopens schools for special-education students, younger grades
Schools in New York City will open for youngest students and those with special needs, reports The Washington Post.
“Of those who have chosen the city’s hybrid option (online as well as offline learning), only prekindergarten through fifth-grade students and special education (District 75) students will be permitted to return,” the report states.
The move, announced by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, is a drastic step away from the “previous plan that forced the entire school system to close 10 days ago”, notes The Washington Post.
According to the report, this move will also be “accompanied by ramped-up coronavirus testing”.
US has reported 13,750,404 cases and 273,072 deaths.
Covid infections in England down by nearly a third since second lockdown
The number of daily cases in UK fell by nearly a third after the second lockdown was imposed on 5 November, reports The Guardian.
The R value — which is the average number of people an infected person spreads the virus to — is 0.88 in the UK. An R value of greater than 1 indicates that the infection is rapidly spreading.
The numbers are based on a government-funded study conducted by the Imperial College London and polling expert Ipsos Mori.
“The proportion of people infected in the English areas worst affected in the pandemic’s second wave — the north-west, north-east, and Yorkshire and the Humber — have fallen dramatically,” the report states.
It also highlights a remark by Professor Paul Elliott of Imperial College, who said, “These trends suggest that the tiered approach helped to curb infections in these areas and that lockdown has added to this effect.”
UK has reported 16,17,327 cases and 58,245 deaths.
What else we are reading
The lost days that made Bergamo a coronavirus tragedy: The New York Times
Excess deaths in Spain’s second wave: 23,000 since July: El País
Also read: 7 Pakistani players test positive for Covid, may have been infected between Pak & NZ facility