It’s a fact as to how some issues garner more attention than others. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been one such issue. From revolving around all Covid-related stories for the past two years to now focussing on every small development in Ukraine – this is how media attention shifted in a span of two weeks.
Russia invaded Ukraine in the early hours of February 24, leading to one of the worst conflicts in Europe. As the world was busy focussing on the atrocities in Ukraine, World Health Organisation’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the pandemic is ‘far from over,’ as global Covid deaths crossed the 6 million mark.
The first outbreak in Pacific islands
Two years on, several Pacific islands are experiencing their first outbreak. Earlier this week, Niue became the second island in the Pacific to lose its Covid-zero status after reporting its first case of Covid. As per the government, the case arrived from New Zealand. Chatham islands also reported its first case over the weekend.
As per WHO, there are just eight countries that are Covid-free. These include Tuvalu, Tokelau, Saint Helena, Pitcairn Islands, Nauru, and the Federated states of Micronesia. The disease has ripped nations all across the globe.
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Situation in China seems to get worse
As Russia continued to bomb Ukraine, killing hundreds of people, many were losing lives due to this one disease which has severely impacted the nation.
The situation in China seems to be deteriorating again, this time even worse than the Wuhan outbreak in 2020. The nation has reported 1,524 Covid cases, its highest daily figure since 2020. Meanwhile, a lockdown has been imposed in the northeastern Chinese city of nine million people Changchun as Covid cases continue to surge. Changchun is the capital of Jilin province and an important industrial base. It has ordered the residents to work from home. As per the new rules, only one person will be allowed out every two days to buy “daily necessities.”
The health commission said that China will be introducing rapid antigen tests for the first time as Covid outbreaks spread.
Several Chinese cities have been recording a surge in cases. Recently, Shanghai ordered its schools to close and shift to online instruction. The asymptomatic infections caused by the Omicron variant have driven Beijing’s daily count to an all-time high.
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Temporary bridge in Hong Kong
Hong Kong, the densely populated metropolis is in the throes of a record virus surge. As the situation worsens, a temporary bridge has been built in Hong Kong to help bring in material from the mainland for the Covid makeshift hospital. Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that China aims to ensure that Hong Kong has enough food and other supplies during the outbreak.
To battle the surge in cases, doctors and nurses from the mainland have also been allowed to work in the city. Beijing, on the other hand, has provided 29 million rapid antigen tests and 54 million masks as of Tuesday.
Earlier, Lam had said that all Hong Kongers must undergo three rounds of compulsory coronavirus testing. “The coming one to three months are crucial in fighting the pandemic,” Lam told a press briefing.
France sees an upward trend
France, also, is experiencing a surge in cases as it prepares to lift most Covid restrictions. After weeks of steady decline, Covid infections are going up again, according to the public health body, Santé Publique France.
On Friday, France recorded 73,000 fresh cases.
Guillaume Rozier, founder of the government-sponsored website CovidTracker, while speaking to AFP said, “The rise in cases is most apparent in northern France and along the Mediterranean coast, roughly corresponding to the areas where children returned to school earliest (on February 21).”
Cases in the UK rising again
While several European nations have eased restrictions, the situation in the United Kingdom seems to be getting a little out of control. Experts have warned that there can be a resurgence of the virus as cases among older people are increasing. The warning came after nearly 100,000 swabs were collected from people all across England.
Latest estimates from the Office for national statistics (ONS) have revealed that Covid infections are increasing across the UK as every one person in 25 is infected. Sub-variant of Omicron, called BA.2, is believed to be the most common strain in most of the UK.
WHO voiced its frustration
While countries are trying to move on from the pandemic, WHO recently voiced its frustration at people marking the second anniversary. It insisted that the real alarm came six weeks earlier. However, few people just bothered to sit up and take notice.
WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern, meaning the highest level of alarm in the global health regulations on January 30, 2020. This was done when outside of China, fewer than 100 cases and no deaths had been reported.
WHO chief Tedros, however, described the worsening situation as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The WHO is not marking the anniversary and is still frustrated at the fact that governments did not heed the original alert.
“The world was possessed with the word pandemic,” said WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan.
“The warning in January was way more important than the announcement in March. Do you want the warning to say you’ve just drowned, or would you like the warning to say the flood is coming?”
Slowly but surely governments have come around to the idea that Covid may be endemic like the flu and have asked people to live with it. WHO, however, is warning against such a conclusion.
