Glimpses of the Coronavirus Outbreak - different views (information items from 24 - 26 March 2020)

This post includes a variety of information items, such as news articles, videos, as well as opinion pieces. These items represent different viewpoints.  

Please do your own fact-checking.   


24 MARCH 2020  

...And Now the GOOD NEWS! || Episode 37 || Chinese Send Italy Masks, Canadians Start A Caremongering Campaign (video) 
Robert Brzezinski, 24 March 2020 
Focus: General 
* JOANN Fabrics Gives Away Mask Making Supplies, US Businesses Giving Away Toilet Paper, Medical Dramas Donating TV Medical Supplies to Hospitals, IKEA Discovers Lost Medical Masks - Donates to Local University.   

As the Coronavirus Approaches, Mexico Looks the Other Way (video)
The Dispatch, 24 March 2020
Focus: Mexico
* “This is going to be as bad as Italy or worse.” As much of the world shuts down amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic, Mexico City’s streets are bustling and the country’s president insists on calm.

Coronavirus en Paraguay: Dos menores en el grupo de contagiados (video)
SNT Paraguay, 24 March 2020
Focus: Paraguay
* Estas son las muestras numéricas de las personas contagiadas por el COVID-19, entre ellos se encuentran menores de 18 años.

Coronavirus: Guyanese pleading with health authorities for daily updates
St Lucia News, 24 March 2020
Focus: Guyana
* With Guyana having confirmed five cases with one death, the Ministry has only held two press conferences to address the pandemic – March 11 and March 17.

Coronavirus outbreak: This is what cities across Canada look like during the COVID-19 pandemic
Global News, 24 March 2020
Focus: Canada
* Global News filmed cities across Canada as the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to spread. In the midst of social distancing measures, streets and public spaces were largely empty.

Egypt imposes nighttime curfew to slow coronavirus 
Aljazeera, 24 March 2020
Focus: Egypt
* Nationwide two-week curfew from 7pm to 6am will begin on Wednesday, as closure of schools and universities is extended.

Europe must act to stop coronavirus outbreak in Lesbos, say MEPs (video)
Euronews, 24 March 2020
Focus: Greece
* NGOs and MEPs are calling on the EU to act to prevent an outbreak of novel coronavirus in overcrowded camps in Greece.

Italy's death toll falls for the second consecutive day | Coronavirus Update (video) 
DW News, 24 March 2020

Focus: Italy
* Official Coronavirus figures from Italy offer a glimmer of hope that lockdown measures introduced two weeks ago have slowed the spread of the virus.

Namibia announces travel ban, partial lockdown after seventh coronavirus case
Reuters via IOL, 24 March 2020
Focus: Namibia
* Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula announced on Tuesday that travel into Namibia from all countries is banned with immediate effect for a period of 30 days after the Southwest African country recorded its seventh confirmed case of coronavirus.

TB, HIV and COVID-19: urgent questions as three epidemics collide
The Conversation, 24 March 2020
Focus: South Africa
* Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV pose a significant burden on South Africa’s health system. There’s a close relationship between the two. About 60% of TB patients are also HIV-positive. The novel coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2) is likely to be of particular concern for communities with high rates of TB and HIV. Sars-CoV-2 and its resulting disease (COVID-19) haven’t been fully researched and understood yet. But speculation based on the behaviour of other viruses and chronic illnesses raises concerns that HIV and TB patients may have a higher risk of developing severe disease. Emily Wong answers some questions.


25 MARCH 2020

Coronavirus cases in Africa pass 2,400 amid fears for health services
The Guardian, 25 March 2020
Focus: Africa
* There are now more than 2,400 confirmed cases of Covid-19 across Africa and growing warnings that the pandemic will cause major challenges for the continent’s under-resourced health services.

Coronavirus deals blow to Putin's plans to stay in power until 2036
CNN, 25 March 2020
Focus: Russia
* Russian President Vladimir Putin has long provided other world leaders with a template for authoritarian rule. Now he faces a new test: Whether his top-down system can survive the coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus: Iran bans internal travel to avert 'second wave'
BBC News, 25 March 2020
Focus: Iran
* Iran's government has banned internal travel and warned of a "second wave" of its coronavirus disease outbreak, as the official death toll passed 2,000.
* Spokesman Ali Rabiei lamented that some people had ignored advice and travelled during the Nowruz new year holidays.

Coronavirus is Straining Hospitals. Here's How Innovators Are Helping (video)
The New York Times News, 25 March 2020
Focus: United States of America
* Health care workers are facing a serious shortage of critical equipment needed to treat the coronavirus. We spoke to the makers who are building innovative protective gear and ventilators for them.

Coronavirus: ‘Many thousands of Covid-19 cases’ across NI
BBC News, 25 March 2020
Focus: Northern Ireland
* There are "many thousands" of Covid-19 cases across Northern Ireland, Michael McBride, the chief medical officer, has said.  
* At Stormont's daily briefing, Dr McBride warned that the spread of coronavirus is a lot wider than statistics indicate.

Coronavirus Pandemic: Ole Solvang, Norwegian Refugee Council (video)
TRT World Now, 25 March 2020
Focus: Norwegian Refugee Council (different countries)
* Ole Solvang of the Norwegian Refugee Council explains how coronavirus restrictions are preventing hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced people from accessing its aid. 

France coronavirus death toll jumps 240 to 1,100: official
East Coast Radio, 25 March 2020
Focus: France
* Jerome Salomon told reporters that 22,300 people had tested positive for the virus in France, with a total of 10,176 hospitalised of whom 2,516 people are in intensive care. 
* Officials believe that the published number of those infected largely underestimates the real figure, as only those showing severe symptoms are usually tested.

Ill man makes plea for public to take coronavirus seriously
Guardian News, 25 March 2020
Focus: United Kingdom, Personal account
* A 51-year-old man suspected of having coronavirus has made an emotional plea for the public to take Covid-19 seriously. Gasping for breath and struggling to speak, Andy Hardwick says he has been floored by it. 'I wouldn't wish it on my enemy,' he says. 'My spine hurts, my back hurts. You don't want to talk, you get shortness of breath if you move around.'

India struggles with coronavirus shutdown; Pakistan cases top 1,000
Reuters, 25 March 2020
Focus: India
* Reuters photographers witnessed several cases of Indian police officers hitting people out on the street with sticks. One rickshaw driver, who showed bruises on his calf, said he was defying the lockdown because he was unable to feed his four children otherwise.

Inside new makeshift temporary coronavirus hospital at ExCel Centre (video)
The Telegraph, 25 March 2020
Focus: United Kingdom (London)
* A new 4,000 bed field hospital to treat coronavirus patients will be functioning as of next week, the Health Secretary has announced.

Pakistan daily wagers struggle to survive in coronavirus lockdown
Aljazeera, 25 March 2020
Focus: Pakistan
* Daily wage workers and poor face hunger as authorities in Pakistan impose lockdown to check the spread of COVID-19.

Sudan frees thousands of prisoners over coronavirus fears

News24, 25 March 2020

Focus: Sudan
* Authorities in Sudan have ordered the release of thousands of prisoners to prevent the novel coronavirus from spreading in the country's jails, state media reported Wednesday.

Thailand to Impose Broad Lockdown to Fight Novel Coronaviru
Bloomberg, 25 March 2020
Focus: Thailand
* Thailand will become the latest country to go into a broad lockdown when a state of emergency is enforced from Thursday to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus.

What the numbers say about coronavirus in South Africa

BusinessTech, 25 Marc 2020

Focus: South Africa

* The number of confirmed Covid-19 coronavirus infections in South Africa climbed 28% to 709 by late Tuesday, with zero fatalities to date, although two patients are in Intensive Care, according to the latest figures from the government.

26 MARCH 2020

Coronavirus: Life and death in Bergamo (video)

Sky News, 26 March 2020

Focus: Italy

* Stuart Ramsay speaks to the residents of Bergamo about life in their ‘apocalyptic’ town.

Covid-19: SolGold reduces Ecuador operations amid national lockdown
Mining Technology, 26 March 2020
Focus: Ecuador
* SolGold has announced it has reduced operations across Ecuador, following the “stay at home” policy announced by the Emergency Operations Committee (COE) in the country.

Gov't panel says coronavirus infections feared "rampant" in Japan

Kyodo News, 26 March 2020

Focus: Japan

* A government panel of experts on Thursday said new-coronavirus infections in Japan appear highly likely to be "rampant," an assessment paving the way for the launch of a national headquarters to better respond to the outbreak.

Mali on lockdown as first coronavirus cases reported, but parliamentary elections to go ahead

France24, 26 March 2020

Focus: Mali

* Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced a nationwide night-time curfew on Wednesday to limit the spread of coronavirus, but said a parliamentary vote planned for this week will go ahead. 

* Freight will still be allowed into the West African state, he said, and markets will remain open.

South African-based Facebook groups stoked coronavirus fears to sell face masks (article includes videos on different aspects of the lockdown)

News24, 26 March 2020

Focus: South Africa

* A Facebook page linked to Cape Town-based digital marketing firm Fansgate created at least 33 groups between January and March that leveraged fears around the coronavirus to build their respective audiences, a DFRLab investigation has found.

Tucker: Why are media pundits trying to discredit hydroxychloroquine? (video)

Fox News, 26 March 2020

Focus: United States of America

* If President Trump is for it, the media is against it, even if it might save American lives. 

HEPI (Higher Education Policy Institute) Blog - Universities will be changed forever by the Coronavirus crisis – and its aftermath

Title:
Universities will be changed forever by the Coronavirus crisis – and its aftermath

Author:
Anthony Seldon, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham

Published:
HEPI (Higher Education Policy Institute) Blog, 23 March 2020

From the article:
Universities will be changed forever by the Coronavirus crisis and its aftermath. A welcome harbinger has been a greater sense of unity and collective mission among universities than at any point in recent – sometimes – difficult years, and indeed for years before. Universities UK has emerged as a strong sector leader, with the voice of Alistair Jarvis clearly articulating the HE sector’s interest – and contribution – to government and across the media.

To read this article:
https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2020/03/23/universities-will-be-changed-forever-by-the-coronavirus-crisis-and-its-aftermath/

Glimpses of the Coronavirus Outbreak - different views (Information items from 19 - 24 March 2020)

This post includes a variety of information items, such as news articles, videos, as well as opinion pieces. These items represent different viewpoints.

Please do your own fact-checking.


19 MARCH 2020

Churches cancel Easter services to curb Covid-19 spread
SANews, 19 March 2020
Focus: South Africa
* The Methodist Church has cancelled Good Friday and Easter Sunday services to combat the spread of the Coronavirus and the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) has cancelled Friday prayer.   
* In addition, the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) has cancelled its annual Moria pilgrimage.


20 MARCH 2020

Argentina under lockdown as coronavirus cases surge
AA, 20 March 2020
Focus: Argentina
* The country will remain under lockdown until at least March 31, President Alberto Fernandez said in a statement posted on Twitter Thirsday night.

Augmenting your immunity: Fighting Covid-19
tech blog (by Peter Diamandis), 20 March 2020
Focus: General
* Probably the most important precaution (and treatment) each of us must take is to augment the strength of our immune systems, equipping our body’s natural ability to mount an immune response to the novel Coronavirus.  
* This blog covers two routes to strengthened immunity:  (1) Immunotherapy & New Therapeutics & (2) Naturally Augmenting Your Immune System

Coronavirus: the data behind the disease
towards data science, 20 March 2020
Focus: General
* With the coronas in full bloom, I thought now would be a great time to reach out to Jeremy Howard, co-founder of the incredibly popular Fast.ai machine learning education site. Along with his co-founder Rachel Thomas, Jeremy authored a now-viral report outlining a data-driven case for concern regarding the coronavirus. 

COVID-19 News: YouTube is Adding Fact-Checked Videos to its Homepage
IT News Africa, 20 March 2020
Focus: General
* YouTube announced that it will be introducing a whole row of authoritative news videos dedicated to combating the spread of misinformation surrounding COVID-19.

COVID-19: Non-South Africans turned away from OR Tambo airport
The South African, 20 March 2020
Focus: South Africa
* Only South Africans will be allowed to disembark international flights grounded at OR Tambo International Airport.

Filthy lucre: Paper money shunned for fear of virus spread
The Times of Israel, 20 March 2020
Focus: General
* Businesses worldwide discourage cash payment amid pandemic and some shun it completely, but experts say banknotes aren’t a central method of infection.

Germany sends 4 planes to Cape Town to evacuate nationals stuck on cruise ship (article includes video)
News24, 20 March 2020
Focus: Germany, South Africa
* The German government has sent four chartered aircraft to evacuate 1 243 German nationals on the AIDAmira cruise ship in Cape Town.

Is our fight against the coronavirus worse than the disease?
The New York Times, 20 March 2020
Focus: General, United States of America
* There may be more targeted ways to beat the pandemic.

Netherlands Explains Travel Ban for Foreign Travelers
scengen visa info, 20 March 2020
Focus: Netherlands
* Alongside with the rest of the EU countries, the Netherlands has started implementing the EU Commission guidelines on the closure of the external borders of the block, as of Thursday, banning every non-EU travellers from entering its territory, as another measure to curb the coronavirus spread.

Researchers use machine learning to discover coronavirus treatments
TechXplore, 20 March 2020
Focus: General
* Two graduates of the Data Science Institute (DSI) at Columbia University are using computational design to quickly discover treatments for the coronavirus.

Six or seven of every 10 people in SA ‘will get Covid-19’
MoneyWeb, 20 March 2020
Focus: South Africa
* Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says that between 60% and 70% of South Africans will contract coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), but a fraction of that percentage will be serious cases.


21 MARCH 2020

How do I know if I have coronavirus? (video)
BBC News via YouTube, 21 March 2020
Focus: General
* People who are showing particular symptoms are being told to self-isolate in order to stop the coronavirus from spreading further.

Ramathuba advises Limpopo residents based in Gauteng against going home
The Citizen, 21 March 2020
Focus: South Africa
* Limpopo Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba has called on Limpopo residents who are based in Gauteng to heed calls to stay in the province in an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus to rural areas.

Trump Writes to Kim Jong-un Offering Help in Virus Fight, North Korea Says
The New York Times, 21 March 2020
Focus: North Korea, United States of America
* The North, which says it is waging an all-out campaign against the coronavirus, expressed “sincere gratitude” for the president’s letter.


22 MARCH 2020

After Coronavirus the World Will Never Be the Same. But Maybe, It Can Be Better
SingularityHub, 22 March 2020
Focus: General
* But what if life never fully goes back to how it was pre-coronavirus? What if this epidemic is a turning point, and after it the world is never the same?  
* More importantly—or, at least, more optimistically—what if the world could come out of this crisis better than it was before?

Angola, Eritrea, Uganda confirm first cases as coronavirus spreads in Africa
The Star, 22 March 2020
Focus: Africa
* Angola, Eritrea and Uganda confirmed their first cases of coronavirus, while Mauritius recorded its first death as the virus spreads across Africa despite measures by governments to hold it back.

Coronavirus in Mexico: Juárez Catholic diocese closes churches, suspends public Mass
El Paso Times, 22 March 2020
Focus: Mexico
* The Catholic Diocese of Juárez closed churches and is suspending public celebration of Mass indefinitely in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Cuban doctors head to Italy to battle coronavirus
Reuters, 22 March 2020
Focus: Cuba, Italy
* Communist-run Cuba said it dispatched a brigade of doctors and nurses to Italy for the first time this weekend to help in the fight against the novel coronavirus at the request of the worst-affected region Lombardy.

Experts sound alarm over Japan's coronavirus testing
The Japan Times, 22 March 2020
Focus: Japan
* Despite Japan’s efforts to carry out more testing for the new coronavirus, medical experts have cast doubt on whether the country can provide adequate testing for citizens and promote effective policies to contain the outbreak.

Jordan authorises use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 
Aljazeera, 22 March 2020
Focus: Jordan
* As leading doctors warn of widespread infection in Jordan, hospitals can now use malaria drug for serious conditions.

South Africa has taken strong steps to stop the spread of the coronavirus – but what about the economy?
BusinessTech, 22 March 2020
Focus: South Africa
* South Africa’s government won praise for taking swift action to contain the coronavirus outbreak. It’s said little on how it plans to protect the economy.


23 MARCH 2020

13 new coronavirus cases in Lothians as Scotland total rises to 499
Edinburgh News, 23 March 2020
Focus: Scotland
* Thirteen more coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the NHS Lothian area, as the total number of cases in Scotland jumped by 83 in the last 24 hours to 499.

Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro says coronavirus crisis is a media trick 
The Guardian, 23 March 2020
Focus: Brazil
* Far-right president has resisted strong measures to stop spread of what he calls a ‘little flu’

California police to use Chinese-made patrol drones with night-vision cameras during coronavirus lockdown
Washington Examiner, 23 March 2020
Focus: United States of America
* A California police department is planning on using drones equipped with cameras and loudspeakers to monitor a coronavirus shutdown.

Chile's Health Minister says coronavirus could still mutate into a 'better person' amid lockdown calls
Newsweek, 23 March 2020
Focus: Chile
* Speaking to Canal 24 Horas on Friday, Jaime Manalich said Chilean President Sebastian Pinera should not bow to pressure to order Chile's residents go into quarantine like neighboring Argentina, which has fewer confirmed cases of the virus.

China is to blame for Covid-19 (video)
BlazeTV via YouTube, 23 March 2020
Focus: China
* Glenn Beck explains how China is entirely to blame for COVID-19. China lied, people died.

China’s Mobile Carriers Lose 21 Million Users as Virus Bites
Bloomberg, 23 March 2020
Focus: China
* China Mobile subscriptions fell by more than 8 million over January and February, data on the company’s website show. 
* China Unicom Hong Kong Ltd. subscribers fell by 7.8 million in the period, while China Telecom Corp. has said it lost 5.6 million users last month.

Coronavirus death toll in Wales reaches double figures after seven more patients die, health officials say
Evening Standard, 23 March 2020
Focus: Wales
* Public Heath Wales said 12 people diagnosed with the disease have died in the country since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak. 

Coronavirus: Spain death toll tops 2,000 (video)
BBC News via YouTube, 23 March 2020
Focus: Spain
* The death toll in Spain has reached 2,182, the government has announced, after 462 people passed away in the past 24 hours.

Coronavirus: Italy's lockdown resolve weakens (video)
Sky News via YouTube, 23 March 2020
Focus: Italy
* Two weeks into a lockdown and Northern Italy is struggling to keep to the strict rules designed to stop the coronavirus spreading.

Coronavirus: Pakistan Ulema Coucil tells masses to avoid public gatherings, cooperate with govt
Geo News, 23 March 2020
Focus: Pakistan
* In a press release, the council called on people to stay indoors and do Zikr (remembrance of Allah) to avoid the virus.

Coronavirus: Positive signs for Italy but situation in Spain worsens (video)
ITV News via YouTube, 23 March 2020
Focus: Spain
* On the day that the coronavirus claimed 350,000 infections worldwide, the news from Italy is better, from Spain much worse.

Coronavirus restrictions upped: Go to work, supermarket only or face fines 
The Jerusalem Post, 23 March 2020
Focus: Israel
* Coronavirus cases climbed to 1,442 on Monday, an increase of 371 in one day.

COVID-19: Turkey to start mass respirator production 
AA, 23 March 2020
Focus: Turkey
* Turkey appointed 32,000 new healthcare personnel to help curb coronavirus spread, says health minister.

'Enough is enough': Trudeau tells Canadians to stay home, major province clamps down
Reuters, 23 March 2020
Focus: Canada
* A clearly unhappy Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said people defying advice to isolate themselves to fight a coronavirus outbreak should “go home and stay home” or face sanctions.

FDA updates Covid-19 testing guidelines to allow self-swab tests
TechCrunch, 23 March 2020
Focus: United States of America
* While a number of companies who currently offer at-home medical and health diagnostics had rushed to produce kits that would allow for self sample collection by people who passed a screening and believed they might have contracted the new coronavirus, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration  (FDA) has updated its Emergency Use Authorization guidelines to private labs that specifically bar the use of at-home sample collection.

Here's how Australia is handling the coronavirus pandemic
CNN, 23 March 2020
Focus: Australia
* States around Australia have brought in strict new measures to control the spread of coronavirus.

How Iran is responding to the coronavirus outbreak
The Jerusalem Post, 23 March 2020
Focus: Iran
* An alarming report at ISNA media in Iran sheds light on the disaster. These are official reports that reflect the regime narrative but still illustrate what has happened and the concerns of officials about how bad it will get.

In full: Boris Johnson orders three-week lockdown of UK to tackle coronavirus spread (Video)
ITV News via YouTube, 23 March 2020
Focus: United Kingdom
* Boris Johnson has announced a lockdown of the UK for the next three weeks to limit the spread of coronavirus.

Ingraham: Starve the virus, not the economy (video)
Fox News, 23 March 2020
Focus: United States of America
* Along with the human death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic carnage is mounting.

Iran tests 33 million people for coronavirus
Middle East Monitor, 23 March 2020
Focus: Iran
* Iran’s Minister of Health, Treatment and Medical Education announced on Sunday that his medical teams have tested 33 million people for coronavirus.

'Kiwis – go home': New Zealand to go into month-long lockdown to fight coronavirus
The Guardian, 23 March 2020
Focus: New Zealand
* New Zealand is preparing to enter a month-long nationwide lockdown from Wednesday night, with the entire country ordered to stay home apart from those in essential services.

Look inside the hospital in China where coronavirus patients were treated by robots
Make It, 23 March 2020
Focus: China
* The idea of humanoid robots taking jobs previously done by humans may feel dystopian, but in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, robots can free up human hospital medical staff and limit the possibility virus spread.

Map: How many coronavirus cases does each Indian state have?
Aljazeera, 23 March 2020
Focus: India
* More than 400 infections have been confirmed in India and seven people have died of the COVID-19 disease.

President Ramaphosa: South Africa in 21-day lockdown (video)
Eyewitness News via YouTube, 23 March 2020
Focus: South Africa
* President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africa will go into lockdown for 21 days, starting from 26 March 2020, midnight.

Rouhani: U.S. should lift sanctions if it wants to help Iran fight coronavirus
Reuters, 23 March 2020
Focus: Iran, United States of America
* The United States should lift sanctions if it wants to help Iran to contain the coronavirus outbreak, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday, adding that Iran had no intention of accepting Washington’s offer of humanitarian assistance.

Severe Coronavirus Cases Among Young Americans Raise New Alarm (video)
Today via YouTube, 23 March 2020
Focus: United States of America
* As the coronavirus spreads throughout the United States, there is increasing alarm about the number of unexpectedly severe cases among young people.

Singapore's Big Brother fights against coronavirus
Axios, 23 March 2020
Focus: Singapore
* The government of Singapore is tracing the coronavirus in ways that are simultaneously impressive and terrifying for those who worry about high-tech dictatorship.

South Korea reports fewest new coronavirus cases since February 29 peak
Reuters, 23 Marc 2020
Focus: South Korea
* South Korea reported on Monday its lowest number of new coronavirus cases and the extended downward trend in daily infections since the peak on Feb. 29 has boosted hopes that Asia’s largest outbreak outside China may be abating.

Sri Lanka extends nationwide curfew to fight coronavirus pandemic 
Aljazeera, 23 March 2020
Focus: Sri Lanka
* Nearly 3,500 people, including 31 foreigners from 14 countries, quarantined in 45 centres across the island nation.

Switzerland: Coronavirus infection rate "accelerating" - WHO (video)
Ruptly via YouTube, 23 March 2020
Focus: WHO (general)
* WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the coronavirus "pandemic is accelerating" while speaking in Geneva on Monday.

Syrians rush to stock up on supplies as country reports first coronavirus case
Global News, 23 March 2020
Focus: Syria
* Syrians rushed to stock up on food and fuel Monday amid fears that authorities would resort to even stricter measures after reporting the first coronavirus infection in the country, where the health care system has been decimated by nearly a decade of civil war.

The CDC launches a 'coronavirus self-checker' bot called Clara for people in te United States
TechCrunch, 23 March 2020
Focus: United States of America
* The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention introduced a bot over the weekend to help people make decisions about what to do if they have potential symptoms of COVID-19. 

The Day After Pandemic: Changes Coming to the Post-COVID-19 World (video)
Bill Whittle via YouTube, 23 March 2020
Focus: General, United States of America
* The COVID-19 pandemic is going to go away, but it will leave us changed in its wake. Bill Whittle, Scott Ott, and Stephen Green, talk about some of the reformations, and revolutions, that will shape the post-COVID-19 world.

'Total stupidity': Welsh town hits out at Londoners escaping to the country to avoid coronavirus
Independent, 23 March 2020
Focus: United Kingdom
* Where hospital beds are scarce.

US-China spar over coronavirus origin 
Aljazeera, 23 March 2020
Focus: China, United States of America
* Global blame game continues over where the coronavirus came from as China, the US, and Iran point fingers.

Venezuela, already in crisis mode, struggles to fight coronavirus
Aljazeera, 23 March 2020
Focus: Venezuela
* COVID-19 has reached Venezuela, creating an additional threat to a burdened healthcare system.

Zero coronavirus cases in North Korea? Experts doubt Kim Jong Un
NDTV, 23 March 2020
Focus: North Korea
* Some international experts are sceptical of North Korea's assertion that it has not had a single case of the new coronavirus, which was first detected in neighbouring China.


24 MARCH 2020

India plays catch-up on coronavirus testing 
Financial Times, 24 March 2020
Focus: India
* Health experts say country is ‘flying blind’ as companies prepare to ramp up production.

Possible new cure for Chinese coronavirus (video)
Tipping Point with Liz Wheeler on OAN via YouTube, 24 March 2020
Focus: United States of America
* Liz Wheeler's view on the use of existing medication.

SANDF deployed to support the police during the 21 day lockdown
(video)
eNCA via YouTube, 23 March 2020
Focus: South Africa
* The SANDF are being deployed to support the police during the 21 day lockdown. 

Short Article - Universities having to adapt fast to the coronavirus crisis

Title:
Universities having to adapt fast to the coronavirus crisis

Author:
Anna Fazackerley

Published:
The Guardian, 17 March 2020

From the article:
"With a shift to online teaching as some institutions cancel lectures, there are fears that disadvantaged students may be missing out."

To read this article:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/mar/17/universities-having-to-adapt-fast-to-the-coronavirus-crisis

Reflecting on 4 Lifestyle Changes due to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Reflecting on 5 lifestyle changes due to the Coronavirus Pandemic (in no particular order):

1. It is Mother's Day, but please don't visit your mother
Boris Johnson, UK prime minister, said that the best gift you can give your mother on Mother's Day is to stay away. 

"Instead of a visit, the prime minister recommended a phone call, video call or Skype. And in what sounded like a ban on kissing or hugging, he said physical contact or getting close should be avoided."

Click here for more information

2. It is Friday / Saturday / Sunday, but please don't pitch up at your place of worship
Many places of worship have been forced to discontinue their physical services during the coronavirus pandemic.

"But for Pastor DJ Soto's church, that hasn't been a problem - as it only exists in virtual reality."  

Click here for more information

3. It is a lovely sunny day and the beach is just around the corner, but please stay away!
"Australian authorities close Bondi beach and removed hundreds of people from other popular Sydney beaches on Saturday, citing the 'irresponsible behaviour' of large crowds that had gathered in defiance of public health warnings."

Click here for more information

4. It is such a privilege to attend a top university as an international student, but then you're asked to leave the campus and country ... an opportunity that may never happen again
"The sudden closure of university campuses across China and elsewhere has necessitated the virtual delivery of vast numbers of courses. And while there have been inevitable teething problems, observers are wondering whether the future might just have become the present."

Click here for more information

List available - All articles published in the University World News regarding Coronavirus Crisis & Higher Education

TAKE NOTE:

A list of all articles on the Coronavirus Crisis and Higher Education from correspondents and commentators worldwide published in University World News can be found under this link:

https://www.universityworldnews.com/topic-page.php?topic=CoronavirusCrisisHE


The University World News website:
https://www.universityworldnews.com/page.php?page=UW_Main

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/uniworldnews/

SOUTH AFRICA - Over 1.5 million South Africans engage with COVID-19 WhatsApp Helpline

Title:
Over 1.5 million South Africans engage with COVID-19 WhatsApp Helpline

Author:
Jenna Delport

Published:
IT News Africa, 18 March 2020

From this article:
"Just a couple of days ago, South Africa’s National Department of Health (NDoH) launched COVID-19 Connect – a WhatsApp-based helpline to deliver accurate, up-to-date information to South African citizens during the current COVID-19 global pandemic."

To read this article:
https://www.itnewsafrica.com/2020/03/over-1-5-million-south-africans-engage-with-covid-19-whatsapp-helpline/

Latest Forbes Under 30 Voter Poll - Many Millennials Remain Unconcerned About Coronavirus — Still Socializing, Dining Out, Dating

Title:
Many Millennials Remain Unconcerned About Coronavirus — Still Socializing, Dining Out, Dating

Author:
Steven Bertoni

Published:
Forbes, 20 March 2020

From the article:
"In recent days, President Trump, billionaire investor Bill Ackman, numerous governors and several of the nation’s top doctors have scolded young Americans for brushing-off warnings about the deadly coronavirus, ignoring pleas for social distancing and going about their regular social lives."

To see the outcome of this poll:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2020/03/20/exclusive-poll-many-millennials-remain-unconcerned-about-coronavirus---still-socializing-dining-out-dating/#4963e54d76f8

Covid-19 - Some articles/videos (Mostly covering 18 - 20 March 2020)

BEFORE 18 MARCH 2020

Title: Fearing end of the world, man returns ancient stolen relic 
Published: Israel21c, 16 March 2020
* Coronavirus fears led an Israeli to return a 2,000-year-old ballista stone taken in Jerusalem 15 years ago, as he wanted to clear his conscience.


18 MARCH 2020

Title: (South Africa) All bars, shebeens and some restaurants must close at 18:00 under strict new state rules
Published: fin24, 18 March 2020
* With immediate effect, all establishments - including bars, clubs, shebeens and restaurants - that sell liquor must close at 18:00 on weekdays and Saturdays, and at 13:00 on Sundays and public holidays.

Title (Video): Coronavirus | Zimbabwe declares COVID-19 a national disaster
Published: SABC Digital News via YouTube, 18 March 2020
* Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared COVID-19 a national disaster. This although the country has yet to record its first confirmed case of the virus. Gatherings of more than a hundred people have been banned, as well as sporting events, but schools will remain open until the first term ends.

Title: Facebook Watch Party: How to group-watch videos during the pandemic
Published: Pocket-lint, 18 March 2020
* Facebook offers a Watch Party feature that allows its users to simultaneously watch Facebook videos together. Their streams are synced so that they can comment and react in real-time.

Title: Ghana First in Sub-Saharan Africa to Cut Rates to Combat Virus
Published: Bloomberg, 18 March 2020
* Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to cut interest rates in response to the coronavirus pandemic, reducing its benchmark to an eight-year low.

Title: Greenland halts all air traffic to island to limit coronavirus spread
Published: The Local (dk), 18 March 2020
* Greenland will halt all air traffic to the Arctic island and close its schools to limit the spread of the new coronavirus, where just one case has been detected.

Title: I'm a teacher in Italian quarantine, and e-learning is no substitute for the real thing
Published: The Guardian, 18 March 2020
* With schools on lockdown due to coronavirus, we’re seeing how this possible ‘future of teaching’ would only benefit some children.

Title: Online therapy service to offer free sessions to people self-isolating
Published: E&T, 18 March 2020
* An online therapy service will be offering free 20-minute sessions aimed at vulnerable older people and others who are self-isolating or struggling during the coronavirus outbreak, after therapists across the UK have volunteered their help.

Title: Pandemic "will last 18 months or longer," leaked US gov't report warns
Published: ArsTechnica, 18 March 2020
* Gov't report warns of medical-supply shortages and "multiple waves" in pandemic.

Title (Video):  People With Type A Blood May Be More Vulnerable To Coronavirus, China Study Finds
Published: MyNation via YouTube, 18 March 2020
* Researchers in China have found that people with Type A blood are likely to catch Coronavirus than those with Type O. The study in Wuhan also found those with Type A blood are more likely to die from COVID-19. 

Title: Scientists say mass tests in Italian town have halted Covid-19 there 
Published: The Guardian, 18 March 2020
* A study in Vò, which saw Italy’s first death, points to the danger of asymptomatic carriers.

Title: Why Covid-19 is worse than the flu, in one chart 
Published: Vox, 18 March 2020
* It’s more contagious, more deadly (particularly for older people), and it has a greater potential to overwhelm our health care system.

Title: (China) Wuhan cherry blossom live stream launched amid virus lockdown
Published: Bangkok Post, 18 March 2020
* Chinese state media outlets are live streaming the famed cherry blossoms at Wuhan University for an internet audience, as the city where the coronavirus was first reported remains locked down and closed to visitors.


19 MARCH 2020

Title: Before virus outbreak, a cascade of warnings went unheeded
Published: The New York Times, 19 March 2020
* Government exercises, inlcuding one last year, made clear that the US was not ready for a pandemic like the coronavirus. But little was done

Title: Coronavirus may mean automation is coming sooner than we thought
Published: SingularityHub, 19 March 2020
* In a thought-provoking talk at Singularity University’s COVID-19 virtual summit this week, Peter Xing explained how the outbreak is accelerating our transition to a highly-automated society—and painted a picture of what the future may look like.

Title: COVID-19: Libya closes Ras Jedir border crossing with Tunisia
Published: Panapress, 19 March 2020
* Inbound and outbound traffic at Ras Jedir land border crossing shared with Tunisia, has been closed on both sides, Zouara municipality's media center, 120 km west of Tripoli, announced on Thursday.

Title: Facebook bans ads for hand sanitizer, surface disinfecting wipes and COVID-19 test kits
Published: CNBC, 19 March 2020
* Facebook said Thursday it has banned ads and commerce listings for hand sanitizer, surface disinfecting wipes and COVID-19 test kits.
* This move came nearly two weeks after Facebook announced it was also temporarily banning ads and commerce listings for medical face masks.

Title: (South Africa) Govt announces emergency price controls for toilet paper, masks and other goods
Published: fin24, 19 March 2020
* Government has just announced strict new regulations to prevent price gouging during the coronavirus crisis.

Title: Half of Uruguay's coronavirus cases traced to a single guest at a society party 
Published: The Guardian, 19 March 2020
* Covid-19 struck 44 guests at a glamorous wedding after a designer attended despite having had a fever and just arriving from Spain.

Title: Here’s why Trump and Elon Musk see potential in a drug called chloroquine to treat coronavirus
Published: CNBC, 19 March 2020
* Elon Musk and President Trump have both touted the drug on social media.
* The early data is promising, scientists and biotech experts say. But there are still many unknowns.

Title: Updated: Trump Says FDA Approved Anti-Malaria Drug Chloroquine To Test As Coronavirus Treatment
Published: Forbes, 19 March 2020
* President Trump said in a Thursday press briefing that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, drugs used to treat malaria and severe arthritis, were approved by the Food and Drug Administration to test as a COVID-19 coronavirus treatment, as the number of cases nationwide continues to increase.

Take note with regard to Chloroquine: 
See also:
Title: Researchers Look To Old Drugs For A Possible Coronavirus Treatment – It Might Just Work
Published: Forbes, 18 March 2020
* An old malaria and autoimmune drug is showing promise as a potential treatment for COVID-19 – although health officials are urging caution until clinical trials are done. The drug, hydroxychloroquine, sold under the brand name Plaquenil, was reported March 9 in Clinical Infectious Diseases journal to be effective at killing the virus in laboratory experiments.

There was already an earlier scholarly article published on chloroquine and remdesivir on 4 February 2020,namely:

Wang, M. [et al.]. Remdesivir and chloroquine effectively inhibit the recently emerged novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in vitro. Cell Research, 30, 269-271. 
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41422-020-0282-0
  
[This article was included on my blog post named Comprehensive List of Coronavirus-related Scholarly Articles (2019 & 2020), including MERS & SARS, as well as Covid-19 / 2019 Novel Coronavirus posted on 14 February 2020] 

See also the following:

Colson,P. [et al.]. (4 March 2020). Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as available weapons to fight COVID-19. Int J Antimicrob Agents, Article 105932, 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2020.105932

Gao, Z. [et al.]. Breakthrough: chloroquine phosphate has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of COVID-19 associated pneumonia in clinical studies Biosci Trends (29 February 2020), https://doi.org/10.5582/bst.2020.01047 [Epub ahead of print]

Multicenter Collaboration Group of Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province and Health Commission of Guangdong Province for chloroquine in the treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia Expert consensus on chloroquine phosphate for the treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia [in Chinese] Zhonghua Jie He He Hu Xi Za Zhi, 43 (2020), p. E019, 10.3760/cma.j.issn.1001-0939.2020.0019

Yao, X. [et al.]. In Vitro Antiviral Activity and Projection of Optimized Dosing Design of Hydroxychloroquine for the Treatment of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Clinical Infectious Diseases, ciaa237.
https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa237   


20 MARCH 2020

Title: Australia's Covid-19 travel ban comes into force for all non-residents and non-citizens – as it happened
Published: The Guardian, 20 March 2020
* Government says airline industry ‘essential’ as Australians overseas scramble to get home and health authorities try to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Title: Bats are not to blame for coronavirus. Humans are
Published: CNN, 20 March 2020
* Zoologists and disease experts have told CNN that changes to human behavior -- the destruction of natural habitats, coupled with the huge number of fast-moving people now on Earth -- has enabled diseases that were once locked away in nature to cross into people fast.

Title: ‘Clap our hands,’ says Modi, but India needs more to tackle coronavirus crisis
Published: France24, 20 March 2020
* India on Friday reported 206 coronavirus cases and five deaths. But with its population, poverty and poor public health service, the world’s largest democracy could be a COVID-19 ticking time bomb. So when Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation this week, Indians were looking for measures to tackle the crisis. They got populist symbolism instead.

Title: (South Africa) Coronavirus in SA: All the confirmed cases
Published: health24, 20 March 2020
* Here are the 202 confirmed positive cases of coronavirus in South Africa, by province.

Title: Coronavirus pandemic: Netflix and YouTube reduce video quality in Europe because data is needed for work from home
Published: India Today, 20 March 2020
* Netflix has announced that it will reduce the bit rates of its streams in Europe for the next 30 days. The company estimates this will reduce Netflix traffic on European networks by around 25%

Title: Coronavirus: The taxi driver falsely accused of links to
Published: BBC News, 20 March 2020
* The story was fake, but the impact on Jude Ikuenobe, the man whose photo was used in the post, has been very real.

Title: Coronavirus: 'Your NHS needs you' - 65,000 ex-doctors and nurses asked to return 
Published: Sky News, 20 March 2020
* Thousands of former healthcare workers are set to answer the call to arms as the COVID-19 outbreak spreads.

Title: COVID-19 detection in under 20 mins – Iceni Diagnostics offers new approach
Published: Technology.org, 20 March 2020
* The emergence of COVID-19 has exposed a frailty in our ability to rapidly detect and screen new infectious diseases. Iceni Diagnostics is developing a new approach that identifies the virus – not by its genetic code, which can mutate, but by using its reliance on chains of sugars which are constant and unchangeable.

Title: Data from China shows the majority of people with Covid-19 only suffer mild symptoms, then recover
Published: CNN, 20 March 2020
* Last month, scientists from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention published a research paper analyzing the data for the first 72,314 people diagnosed with Covid-19.
* Fascinating stats!

Title: Donald Trump cancels G7 at Camp David over coronavirus concerns
Published: ABC News, 20 March 2020
* US President Donald Trump will cancel an in-person meeting of G7 leaders at Camp David in June because of the coronavirus and will hold a video conference instead, the White House says.

Title: Facebook, Gumtree wait for users to report ads exploiting coronavirus 
Published: News.com.au, 20 March 2020
* Facebook has promised to do more to stop essential items being advertised at massively inflated prices but one in demand item is not on the list.

Title: How Spain’s coronavirus outbreak got so bad so fast — and how Spaniards are trying to cope 
Published: Vox, 20 March 2020
* After a slow response from the government and the public, Spaniards now say “I will resist.”

Title: Indonesians refusing to stay home for prayers 
Published: Aljazeera, 20 March 2020
* Thousands of Muslims travel to South Sulawesi for mass gathering, despite cancellation of event.

Title: Latin American countries step up coronavirus restrictions as cases spread
Published: France24, 20 March 2020
* Brazil said it was closing land borders and prohibiting entry to people from European and many Pacific Asian countries to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, as Mexico and Peru reported their first virus deaths, and Argentina announced a "preventative and compulsory" lockdown from Friday.

Title: (Nigeria) 'No work, no food': For Kibera dwellers, quarantine not an option 
Published: Aljazeera, 20 March 2020
* Residents of Nairobi's vast informal settlement prepare for coronavirus but still need to work to put food on the table.

Title: Police in North Carolina find stolen trailer full of toilet paper
Published: Fox News, 20 March 2020
* With the American population fighting over a single precious roll of toilet paper amid the coronavirus outbreak, police in North Carolina uncovered nearly 18,000 pounds of commercial bathroom paper products inside a stolen tractor-trailer on Wednesday.

Title: The unlikely positives from coronavirus outbreak
Published: News.com.au, 20 March 2020
* It’s not all doom and gloom as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the world, with dolphins returning to waterways, canals clearer in Venice and less air pollution in China.

Title: Snapchat rolling out mental health awareness tool soon with focus on coronavirus pandemic
Published: HindustanTimes, 20 March 2020
* Snapchat has accelerated the launch of its ‘Here For You’ tool. The company will now roll it out to its users globally in next week.

Title: South Africa to build 40km fence along Zimbabwe border 
Published: Aljazeera, 20 March 2020
* Authorities say fence will stem irregular migration as well as spread of coronavirus in the country.

Title: Tourists' Departure Leaves Madagascar Forlorn as Coronavirus Fears Bite
Published: USNews, 20 March 2020
*  On a pristine island off the northwest coast of Madagascar famous for its orchids and turquoise, turtle-filled waters, residents are bracing for disaster - but it's not the coronavirus. It's the disappearance of tourists that keep the island's economy afloat.

Title: Tucker Carlson on the coronavirus' impact on higher education: 'Not enough federal bailout money in the Treasury to save every pointless university'
Published: Fox News, 20 March 2020
* Tucker Carlson ripped the higher education establishment Thursday previewing the likely culling colleges and universities face in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.