Apologies for the long gap between these emails. Work and life have been busy, and time now unfolds in strange ways; I needed a bit of a mental break from compiling all of this. But a lot has changed in just the couple of weeks since I last sent an update.
Around the world
Jurisdictions across Canada (70K cases, 4,991 deaths) are releasing or beginning their plans to gradually reduce COVID-19 restrictions. Here in Newfoundland and Labrador the government has released plans to slowly open things up. And in Quebec, younger students can return to schools later this month, though many question the value and safety of this plan given the restrictions in place.
Several cities and states across the United States (1.3M cases, 79,528 deaths) are also loosening coronavirus-related restrictions — again, with a mixed response. And analysis of death counts in NYC and other places indicate that the COVID-19 death toll may be larger than known, while in other areas the outbreaks are still continuing and reflect structural inequalities.
In China (84K cases, 4,637 deaths), life is beginning to return to a semblance of normalcy even in Wuhan. But in the original epicenter of the virus, some things remain very different — and its first COVID-19 infection in a month has been reported.
About a month ago, a contact-tracing app was released by the government in India (67K cases, 2,212 deaths), causing concern about government surveillance of those who download and use it — which is a lot of people, because it’s mandatory. The country is also working to repatriate workers stuck abroad during the pandemic.
COVID-19 infections are surging in Japan (15K cases, 624 deaths), which just approved remdesivir as a treatment for the virus. The country also warned that if the Summer Olympics can’t go ahead in Tokyo in 2021, they will be cancelled altogether.
Despite president Jair Bolsonaro’s open skepticism about coronavirus, Brazil ( 162K cases, 11,123 deaths) is one of the world’s emerging infection hotspots.
Things began loosening up in South Korea (11K cases, 256 deaths), but not without some anxiety about the shift. That anxiety appeared to be at least somewhat warranted; an outbreak connected to a nightclub led to the 30-day closure of bars. In a bit of good news, positive tests in patients who appeared to have recovered are said to be incorrect results.
Sweden (26K cases, 3,225 deaths) did not put quarantine measures in place to the same degree as many other European nations. The country had more deaths per capita than its closest neighbours but far fewer than countries like Italy and the UK.
With more than 32,000 deaths, the COVID-19 outbreak in the United Kingdom (220K cases, 31,930 deaths) is now Europe’s deadliest. Some senior experts have said that public health mistakes will continue the country’s outbreak. Meanwhile, the PM released multi-stage plans to reopen the country.
The world’s longest COVID-19 lockdown has been in Italy (219K cases, 30,560 deaths), where restrictions are gradually lifting and parents are trying to figure out how to return to work while children are still out of school and daycare.
Russia (221K cases, 2,009 deaths) now has one of the world’s worst coronavirus updates, which has decreased Putin’s approval ratings and postponed his plans to change the constitution to hold onto power.
COVID-19 and violence at home
All this time at home is boring for many of us but for some, it’s dangerous — even deadly.
Domestic violence is expected to go up by 20 percent during global lockdowns, according to data from the UN population fund. The agency also predicts that tens of millions of women will be unable to access contraceptives and that by 2030 millions of additional girls will experience female genital mutilation or be married off.
Risks like FGM and child marriage may not be a factor in Canada, but that doesn’t mean that women and girls aren’t at risk here too. In some areas of the country, domestic violence rates have gone up by 20 to 30 percent, according to the federal minister for women and gender equality. Many shelters are overwhelmed with calls and requests for help.
Though necessary for public health, stay-at-home orders and social distancing compound the isolation many rural women already face. It also compounds the danger for women in abusive situations, experts say. For example, one B.C. shelter has available beds at a time when it seems abuse is increasing, perhaps because women aren’t able to safely contact them while stuck at home.
If you are able, it’s a good time to donate to women’s shelters, crisis hotlines, and other organizations helping people experiencing violence in their homes. And keep an eye out for the signs of domestic violence among those in your own lives and to support people in those situations.
Everything else
As Donald Trump encourages states and cities to reopen, COVID-19 has come close to him and others high up in the White House. The vice president spent the weekend at home after being exposed via an aide but said he plans to be at work today. Both Trump and Pence are reportedly being tested daily, but Reuters reported that there are no plans to keep them apart in case one becomes ill. Dr Anthony Fauci, the public face of the U.S. government response, and the heads of the Centres for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration are going into a modified quarantine after interacting with a staffer who tested positive.
We continue to learn more about the ways this coronavirus affects our health, and a lot of it is alarming — but not all of it should be surprising. For example, blood clots have been identified as a potential consequence of the virus, which lines up with a century of research connecting clotting issues to infectious diseases. Extremely low oxygen levels are another side effect suspected of being connected to coronavirus deaths in younger, healthy people. In children, Kawasaki disease (or a disease that resembles it) appears to be a rare but serious consequence of COVID-19.
“Whatever it is, coronavirus has made the mighty kneel and brought the world to a halt like nothing else could. Our minds are still racing back and forth, longing for a return to ‘normality’, trying to stitch our future to our past and refusing to acknowledge the rupture. But the rupture exists.”
In both Canada and the United States, meat processing and packing facilities are becoming COVID-19 infection hot points. In Montreal, a Cargill plant was shut down after 64 workers tested positive for COVID-19. Across the country, food inspectors could face sanctions if they refuse to work in plants with cases. In the United States, meatpacking plants are reopening with new precautions in place after hundreds of cases have been tied to the facilities.
Workers in these plants already face conditions that are difficult and hard on their bodies, and they experience high rates of workplace injury. Now those conditions are making the job even more dangerous than usual. They are one more example of the workers we have decided are essential while declining to pay or protect those workers at a level that reflects the importance we’ve decided their jobs hold.
You may have seen the Plandemic video online. You also may have seen it shared by a friend or relative on Facebook, though the platform and YouTube are working to scrub it — not an easy task because the 25-minute clip has been shared millions of times. As I assume you all realize, the video contains dangerous misinformation and straight-up lies. These conspiracy theories spread so quickly online because the people who peddle them understand YouTube culture, which is particularly dangerous at a time when we are primed to buy what they’re selling.
Photos from this great roundup by The Atlantic