World Coronavirus Dispatch: East Africa uses virus as excuse to gag dissent

China finds virus on Chilean seafood packs, Slack missed out on pandemic's zoom boom, Covid is tearing into parts of Europe that lack doctors, and other pandemic-related across the globe

UK set to approve Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine next week

The United Kingdom is poised to become the first western country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine, with the independent regulator set to grant approval within days. Deliveries of the vaccine will begin within hours of the authorisation. The first injections could take place from December 7. The country has ordered 40m doses of the two-shot product, which preliminary data found to be more than 95 per cent effective in preventing disease. In the US, an emergency approval could come as soon as 8-10 December, with shipments across the country starting within 24 hours of the announcement. Deliveries of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, which will become the first licensed vaccine to use mRNA technology, have to be carefully co-ordinated, as it must be stored at roughly -70C during transportation, and can only be kept in a fridge for a maximum of five days before being administered. Read here

Let's look at the global statistics

Global infections: 62,265,915

Change over yesterday: 620,380

Global deaths: 1,452,430

Nations with most cases: US(13,246,650), India(9,392,919), Brazil(6,290,272), France(2,260,789), Russia(2,223,500)

Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center
 

Hong Kong wave traced to socialites’ love of the cha-cha

Hong Kong is battling a new coronavirus cluster originating from one of the city’s lesser-known elite pastimes — wealthy older women visiting dance clubs for lessons, often with handsome younger instructors. The cluster has fuelled a so-called fourth wave in the Asian financial hub, its worst outbreak in months with 92 cases reported on Friday. The sharp rise in infections has been linked to ballroom dancing venues, including the Starlight Dance Club and Heavenly. The outbreak has forced the suspension of an air travel bubble with Singapore and the temporary closure of high-end business, sports and socialite clubs across the city. Read here

Slack missed out on the pandemic’s zoom boom

Slack was a pioneer in developing tools to allow co-workers to collaborate online. When the pandemic sent millions of professionals working remotely, other companies seized the spotlight, leaving Slack a potential acquisition target. While Slack has moved slowly on video, Zoom and Microsoft were among those that reaped the rewards as videoconferences replaced in-person meetings across businesses. Though Slack has worked on video technology, the company says it was never a strategic focus. Read here

In East Africa, rulers crack down on opposition, citing virus

Several high-profile opposition leaders in East Africa have been jailed, exiled or silenced as they challenge entrenched leaders and political parties. Heads of state have used the coronavirus as a pretext to strengthen their grip on power, according to experts. There has been less international outcry than usual, with many countries that traditionally serve as watchdogs preoccupied with the pandemic and domestic concerns. Opposition movements are facing some of the most dire challenges to their existence since this era of democratization first took hold in the region in the early 1990s. Read here

China finds virus on Chilean seafood packaging

China halted imports from a Chilean seafood producer as a precautionary measure after detecting the Covid-19 virus on the supplier’s packaging. A nucleic acid test on the packaging of a batch of frozen crab showed positive results. China has been vocal about finding traces of the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen on packaging and food, raising fears that imported items are linked to recent virus resurgences. Beijing has ordered a range of precautionary steps, creating disruptions with its trading partners. Read here

Specials

Covid is tearing into the parts of Europe that lack doctors

Europe’s Covid-19 crisis is moving eastward, from the wealthiest and best-prepared countries on the continent into the poorer states that have exported doctors for decades. Now, as Covid-19 cases soar, the bill from that long exodus is coming due. With 238 physicians per 100,000 people, Poland has the lowest doctor to patient ratio in the European Union, nearly half the level of Germany. The average age of Polish nurses is 53, just seven years short of retirement. Largely spared during the spring surge, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Romania braced for autumn by stocking up on ventilators. But they lack people to operate the equipment. As cases pile up, shifts that often spanned two full days before the pandemic are now stretching the limits of human endurance. Read here

Depression-era secrets of retail survival

Since January, upward of more than 12,000 retailers in the US have shuttered their doors – a record rate of decline. Yet shares in Macy’s and its counterparts are surging in anticipation of the world after pandemic, thanks to recent vaccine breakthroughs. How can smaller players get wiped out while the larger chains thrive? The bloodletting that’s taking place right now is eerily reminiscent of what happened during the Great Depression. Contrary to the early 20th century, where independent stores dominated retail storefronts in cities and towns across the nation, the tables have turned, though, with the advent of the first chain stores. Read here