New Delhi: The novel coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate countries across the world — the latest count being over 5.1 crore cases and more than 12 lakh deaths.
Japan has registered an increase in suicides after the adverse effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy. South Africa records a phenomenon called ‘weekend effect’ wherein testing figures decrease every weekend and El Paso has introduced ‘mobile morgues’ in the midst of a surge in hospitalisation of coronavirus patients.
ThePrint brings you the most important global stories on the coronavirus pandemic and why they matter.
Suicide rates in Japan increase owing to Covid’s impact on economy
According to preliminary police data, the number of suicides in Japan increased in October, for the fourth month in a row, to the highest it has ever been in five years, reports The Japan Times.
The data revealed that the total number of suicides recorded in October was 2,153.
“Cases of suicide had been falling steadily until July but then the economic impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak hit home and the numbers started rising, activists say,” notes the report.
Japan has recorded 1,08,983 cases of Covid-19 and 1,829 deaths.
Also read: UK to mass test university students before they return home for Christmas
South Africa registers dip in testing every weekend
An analysis of testing data in South Africa has revealed that people like to get tested in the middle of the week than the weekend, reports Mail and Guardian.
Professor Anne von Gottberg, co-head of the Centre for Respiratory Diseases at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, explained that people wait until Monday to get tested. Many are now hailing this phenomenon as the “weekend effect”.
South Africa has recorded 7,40,254 cases of Covid-19 and 19,951 deaths.
Infection rates increase in Israel’s ultra-orthodox Haredi sector
On Tuesday, Major Gen Roni Numa, head of the Haredi (ultra-orthodox) division in Israel’s health ministry, revealed that the number of coronavirus cases in the Haredi sector had increased, reports Jerusalem Post.
Out of the 710 people detected with Covid-19 Monday, at least 11 per cent of them were Hared.
“He (Numa) also condemned the community for holding mass weddings, calling the phenomenon ‘completely against regulations and very disturbing’,” states the report.
Israel has recorded 3,20,661 cases of Covid-19 and 2,684 deaths.
Victoria records 12 days of zero Covid-19 cases
The Australian city Victoria has recorded 12 consecutive days with no new coronavirus cases, reports The Age.
The 14-day-average of daily cases has decreased to 0.3, since one case had been recorded on 26 October.
“Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said she was hopeful Victorians would be able to travel to the state without having to quarantine, in time for Christmas,” says the report.
Australia is recording 27,683 cases of Covid-19 and 907 deaths.
Also read: DHL, FedEx and UPS are ready to ship Covid vaccines and save the world
With increasing hospitalisation numbers, El Paso introduces mobile morgues
In the US city El Paso, hospital authorities have introduced ‘mobile morgues’ to manage the increase in Covid deaths in the past few weeks, reports NBC.
According to the report, the pandemic has killed more than 110 people in three weeks in the city and the authorities are now struggling to store the dead. The county already had six mobile morgues and now four more will be added to the fleet.
The main county morgue was completely full with 90 bodies late Monday afternoon, Nicholette Ruiz, an El Paso County senior policy adviser, was quoted as saying.
“One temporary trailer had 13 of its 20 spots filled, a second mobile morgue had 35 of 36 slots taken and a third had 14 of 36 positions occupied,” Ruiz said. The fourth mobile morgue will be used to shuttle remains from the morgue to the new trailers that are expected to arrive shortly, as more Covid-19 victims die, the report adds.
The US has recorded 1,05,59,184 cases of Covid-19 and 2,45,799 deaths.
Medicines used for treatment disappear from stores in Lebanon
Drugs that are used for diabetes, blood pressure and even fever medicines used in Covid-19 treatment, are disappearing from the shelves of medicine stores in Lebanon, reports Associated Press.
“Officials and pharmacists say the shortage was exacerbated by panic buying and hoarding after the Central Bank governor said that with foreign reserves running low, the government won’t be able to keep up subsidies, including on drugs,” says the report.
People in Lebanon are hoarding medicines, food, water, fuel, just the way they had done during the country’s 15-year-long civil war. Most of this hoarding is being done in anticipation of a steep rise in prices after the government removes all subsidies to tackle an extremely weakened economy.
“Lifting subsidies is an inevitable step for the highly-indebted government. This is expected to send prices and inflation soaring and the Lebanese pound tumbling,” the report adds.
Lebanon has recorded 96,907 cases of Covid-19 and 749 deaths.
What else we are reading:
Bolsonaro hails suspension of Chinese vaccine trial: BBC
Hong Kong to step up Covid-19 border controls with city put on alert for fourth wave of infections: South China Morning Post
Also read: Final stage of China’s Sinovac vaccine trial halted in Brazil after serious adverse event