New Delhi: The novel coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate countries across the world — the latest count being over 7 crore cases and more than 15 lakh deaths.
South Korea is converting shipping containers into temporary wards to fight the third wave of coronavirus. Canada’s Public Health Agency has found discrepancies in the way Alberta is reporting its Covid testing data. A large number of people from Hong Kong are going to mainland China to escape the coronavirus outbreak.
ThePrint brings you the most important global stories on the coronavirus pandemic and why they matter.
South Korea builds ‘container wards’ to combat third wave
South Korea is converting shipping containers into temporary wards and increasing testing to fight the third wave of novel coronavirus, reports The Straits Times.
With the total number of Covid cases crossing 40,000 in the country, at least 500 patients are now facing a shortage of hospital beds in the capital city of Seoul.
“To ease the stress on the medical system, Seoul city government decided to install 48 ‘container wards’ at Seoul Medical Centre in eastern Seoul by yesterday and dispatch another 102 to provincial hospitals in the days ahead,” notes the report.
South Korea has reported 40,786 cases of Covid-19 and 572 deaths.
Also read: Healthcare workers at Covid risk both inside and outside hospitals, US study finds
Errors found in Alberta’s Covid testing data
Canada’s Public Health Agency has found ‘discrepancies’ in the way the province, Alberta, has been reporting its Covid-19 testing data. The agency has alleged Alberta’s compromised data “artificially inflated” Canada’s national test positivity rate, reports The Globe and Mail.
In a press release, the health agency said that it was removing Alberta’s data from the national data because the province had overestimated the percentage of tests that came back positive. No further details were provided.
“It (Public Health) said the national positivity rate for the week of 29 November to 5 December was 6.5 per cent after the Alberta data was removed. For the previous week, the rate was 7.4 per cent with the Alberta data included,” notes the report.
Canada has recorded 4,42,069 cases of Covid-19 and 13,109 deaths.
Germany’s ‘compromise’ lockdown struggles to contain second wave
Early in the pandemic, Germany was praised for its healthcare response. However, the second wave is now exposing the “weaknesses as well as strengths” of Germany’s response, especially with its “compromise lockdown” struggling to contain the second wave, reports The Guardian.
The country had entered a ‘soft lockdown’ on 2 November, with rules tightened on gatherings and bars and restaurants closed. But shops and schools remained open.
Currently, Germany is the only major country in Europe where the daily number of deaths is rising rather than falling, according to The Guardian.
Germany has recorded 12,70,432 cases of Covid-19 and 21,333 deaths.
Also read: London braces for toughest Covid restrictions as it records England’s highest case rate
Sri Lanka to cremate Muslim Covid victims despite objections
The Sri Lankan government announced that it plans to cremate bodies of 19 Muslim coronavirus victims, “overriding” the objections of families against this policy, reports Al Jazeera.
Typically, the bodies of coronavirus victims are claimed by families and then cremated under the supervision of health authorities. However, cremation is forbidden under the Islamic law.
“But families of 19 Muslims killed by the virus have refused to claim the bodies from a morgue in the capital Colombo, triggering an edict to proceed with cremation that was issued by Attorney General Dappula de Livera,” notes the report.
Sri Lanka has recorded 30,613 cases of Covid-19 and 146 deaths.
People from Hong Kong ‘rush’ to mainland to escape virus
A large number of people from Hong Kong are travelling to mainland China to ‘escape’ the outbreak of coronavirus, reports Asia Times.
There are large crowds at the border crossing in Shenzen, as a result. Quarantine hotel rooms in the city are also filling up due to an increase in the number of arrivals.
“Since last month Hong Kong has been seeing the highest number of daily new infections across the Greater China Region,” states the report.
Hong Kong has recorded 7,292 cases of Covid-19 and 114 deaths.
What else we are reading:
Decomposing mink in Denmark ‘may have contaminated groundwater’: The Guardian
‘Moral issue’: African official blasts Covid vaccine inequality: Al Jazeera
Also read: Pfizer shot gets FDA advisers’ nod as agency decision on emergency authorisation nears