Pandemic a year on, a shift in the Amazon + more
Pandemic a year on, a shift in the Amazon + more
🌎 Your briefing from the WorldWise desk.
Welcome to WorldWise, a newsletter to help discerning readers get truly global insight where current affairs meet humanity, written by Anita Makri.
This is a Weekly Briefing with key headlines curated to make sense of the news.
👉 If you missed last week’s post on Women’s Day, catch up here.
It’s a year since the WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic.
What can we say about where things stand?
Overall, we seem to be oscillating between well-founded hope of getting ahead of the virus and glimpses of how rough the terrain is to get there.
On the latter, Brazil is a case in point. Death counts keep rising and the health system is on the brink of collapse (BBC + Axios + LAHT + AP + Al Jazeera + CNN). The crisis is linked to high circulation of variants that are more transmissible—and some argue that this matters globally, by signalling an “accelerated phase” of the pandemic.
There are signs of an acceleration in Europe, where cases are rising and vaccine rollout isn’t progressing at a fast-enough pace (Economist + LAHT + NYT). It doesn’t help that the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab has now been suspended by several European countries—and held up from approval in Venezuela—to investigate reports of blood clots in some patients (NYT + DW + Axios + WaPo + Euronews + AP + FT + Al Jazeera). That’s despite the WHO, EU and many experts insisting there’s no evidence of a link (BBC + WaPo + VOA + Guardian + Quartz + Guardian).
Politicians are jittery. This analysis by the Guardian’s Sarah Boseley is on point about how this goes beyond the science.
So where has the hope come from over the past week? Real world data showing that the Pfizer vaccine prevents 94% of asymptomatic infections (Axios + NBC). Suggestions that Covid-19 survivors may be able to skip a second vaccine dose, helping to stretch supplies. Words from James Hamblin of the Atlantic, who talks of a pandemic “ending in millions of small ways, every day”.
Scroll way down for just a few additional COVID updates this week—first, let’s look at other news.
Beyond the pandemic
CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT | The Amazon rainforest is now a net contributor to greenhouse gas emissions rather than a carbon sink, according to the first study to take into account emissions beyond carbon. In more positive news, the UN has adopted an accounting system that makes the value of nature a part of economic decision-making in a bid to incentivise protecting nature over actions that destroy it (TRF + UN News). The role of indigenous peoples in protecting nature has been disregarded in the past, but this may be changing even though they continue to struggle for land rights. Meanwhile, over 20 countries have weakened environmental protections during the pandemic (TRF + UN).
Beijing’s skies have turned yellow as a result of pollution and the biggest sandstorm in a decade (DW + Digital Journal + WaPo + Guardian + Al Jazeera). A vessel with 130 tonnes of oil has run aground off Mauritius. There’s a risk of toxicity from test drilling for oil in Namibia’s Okavango region. A maize ban over mycotoxins has caused trade tensions between Kenya and its neighbours. Two volcanoes have erupted over the past few days, one in Nicaragua and one in Indonesia (Digital Journal + VOA + WaPo).
HUMAN RIGHTS & CONFLICT | Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte has imposed the world’s longest lockdown, strengthening his grip on the country and condoning the murder of human rights activists (TIME + Al Jazeera). In India, new laws imposing severe controls on digital media have raised fears for freedom of speech; the British envoy was ‘summoned’ over a debate in the UK parliament over the farmers’ protests (more about this here); Hindu vigilante groups have forced a theatre festival to close after objecting to satirical plays; and dozens of Rohinya camping outside the country’s UN refugee office have been detained—they fear that planned deportation back to Myanmar will go ahead despite deadly clashes underway after a military coup (Al Jazeera + VOA + VOA).
China has done some summoning of a UK official too, over an article defending media criticism of the country. A new law in Malaysia is reportedly restricting free speech under the guise of fighting fake news. Women in Egypt are opposing a bill designed to strip away fundamental rights. Clinics have been attacked in Ethiopia’s Tigray region in the grip of conflict. The “living nightmare” of conflict in Syria is now in its 10th year, with no end in sight (UNICEF + UN + WaPo). Conflict is intensifying crises in South Sudan and Yemen (Al Jazeera + Guardian).
HEALTH | There is now stronger evidence, from genetic sequencing, that the new Ebola outbreak in Guinea is a continuation of the 2014-16 epidemic through a survivor infected years ago—suggestions of which we first picked up in this briefing on February 16. This is "probably ... the longest period of time that a virus has ever persisted between outbreaks", according to the WHO (NYT + STAT + AP). Antibiotics have been overused during the pandemic, especially in the early days, fuelling rising resistance (Pew + NPR + Axios + CIDRAP). In Peru, tuberculosis is on the rise while medics are battling Covid-19.
🔹 Other headlines that caught my eye
Madagascar: Climate crisis causing alarming increase in malnutrition - Action Against Hunger
Rising global food prices could presage social unrest - Axios
Western Europe’s biggest oil exporter targets deep-sea mining - Al Jazeera
Mass demolitions drive poor from valuable land in Lagos - Guardian
UN and scientists hit out at UK global research cut - Open Democracy + Guardian
China’s genocide against the Uyghurs, in 4 disturbing charts - Vox
How bubonic plague reshaped the streets of Mumbai - NPR Goats & Soda
🎥 VISUAL | Brazil women suffer in silence as Covid-19 sparks domestic terror - Reuters Wider Image
Catching up with Covid-19
VACCINE ACCESS | The global vaccine-sharing facility COVAX is now on the receiving end of criticism for failing to overcome threats to its mission, including funding and administrative issues (Lancet + Devex). Chile stands out among Latin American countries for its successful vaccine rollout, while in much of the region politics is getting in the way (Economist + ABC). In Pakistan the problem is mistrust, and in India a class divide is emerging. A handful of countries in Africa just aren’t interested.
SCIENCE AT-A-GLANCE | The death rate from the variant that emerged from the UK is 64% higher than that of variants without the B117 mutation. A study from Brazil reports two cases where different variants infected the same person at the same time. New variants are probably evolving inside people with weak immunity. Long COVID remains a mystery, but may not be as unique as we thought (Atlantic + Vox). How the virus affects pregnant women and babies is still unclear, but some evidence shows a higher risk of hospitalisation and severe disease. Women report worse side-effects from vaccination.
🔹 Other headlines that caught my eye
Cambodia reports its first death, one year into the pandemic - WaPo
Philippines battles COVID surge a year after protracted lockdown - Al Jazeera
Covid-19 surges in Papua New Guinea - Al Jazeera + Guardian
A new wave looms in India, but recorded deaths have been surprisingly low - BBC + Reuters + Economist
'No syringes, no beds': Paraguay protests gather momentum - Reuters
COVID-19 brings a new dawn for messenger RNA vaccines - Axios 🌎
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