World Coronavirus Dispatch: Will people keep cleaning even after Covid?

South Africa limits sale of alcohol, half of Singapore's migrants living in dorms had Covid, Italy to set up 1,500 temporary structures for vaccine delivery and other pandemic news around the globe

UK sees threat from new Covid variant

British authorities have found a new variant of coronavirus, a potential risk to the mass vaccination drive that began last week. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been alerted about the same. Though it is unclear, whether the new variant can cause severe disease or is responsible for the recent surge in infections, mutations in virus will likely threaten the efforts to end the pandemic. Experts say it would take several weeks to know about the nature of the mutation, and whether the variant affects those even with a past infection and vaccinated people. Read here

Let's look at the global statistics

Global infections: 73,463,135

Change Over Yesterday: 613,485

Global deaths: 1,635,158

Nations with most cases: US (16,716,777), India (9,932,547), Brazil (6,970,034), Russia (2,682,866), France (2,447,406).

Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center.

China’s factory output rises at fastest pace this year

China's industrial production rose 7 per cent year-on-year in November, the fastest pace recorded this year as the country continues to emerge stronger from the depths of the pandemic. After a setback in the first quarter, the country returned to growth on the back of strong revival in manufacturing and exports. Exports grew in double-digits, while the retail sales rose 5 per cent during the same month under consideration. However, sustaining current momentum depends on how Joe Biden's office sees tech war with China and the recovery entails "hidden risks," analysts say. Read here

South Africa restricts sale of alcohol, shuts beaches

Even as the local liquor producers and distributors lobbied hard to convince the government to avoid a third ban on alchohol consumption, South Africa announced that booze sales will be limited as part of latest measures to contain the coronavirus infections. The country will also close some beaches. The large scale curbs will likely threaten the country's fragile economic recovery and weigh heavily on already strained tourism and hospitality sectors. South Africa is currently enduring second wave of infections that are rising at a faster pace than during the first time. Read here

Covid has transformed China's nightclubs

Nightclubs in China have weathered the shutdowns in January as many lined up to the clubs, once they reopened, without any hesitancy. But the industry wasn't immune to the disruption caused by the virus. For one, the demand for foreign DJs has come down in recent times, thanks to the restrictions on international travel and as a result local music performers are getting more opportunities to prove their mettle. While, it is not making much difference to the people, one local performer feels the lack of exposure to overseas trends is bad. Another change is that the club culture is spreading beyond the traditional hubs. Read here

Nearly half of Singapore's dorm-living migrants had Covid

Almost half (47 per cent) of Singapore's migrant workers from dormitories were found to have had antibodies for coronavirus as the government conducted mass serology testing to gauge the virus spread. Serology tests detect the presence of antibodies in the bloodstream and a positive result indicates a past infection. While the official coronavirus count pegs the infections among these workers at 54,505, nearly 98,000 more were found positive in latest tests. Majority of the country's official infections too were detected among those living in the dorms. About 0.25 per cent of country's population outside these dorms had Covid, another sero-prevalance study has found. Read here

Italy to set up 1,500 temporary structures to dispatch vaccines

Designed by one of the country's celebrated artists, Italy is planning to set up 1,500 circular-shaped temporary structures across the country that will act as vaccination hubs. The country's immunisation drive is likely to start next month with Pfizer shots. The intent is to convey a "symbol of serenity and regeneration," according to the artist who created the project free of cost. The structures will have an attractive graphic flower design on the top and are easy to break up and build elsewhere. Read here

Specials

Will people keep cleaning even after Covid?

In an interview to Wall Street Journal, a germ expert looks at how people kept themselves clean when they first heard about the threat of a pandemic, how did they adapt and evolve during the last nine months and what the future holds. Jason Tetro, a microbiologist, says fear was the biggest factor that drove  people to follow instructions and sanitize their hands regularly in the initial period. As time passed by, people were less rigorous and there has been a drop in hand washing and disinfection. According to him, even after the pandemic, while some may still continue to stay focused on cleaning, it will likely resemble pre-pandemic normalcy for the majority. Read