From BBC news, Headline : Trudeau slams ‘unacceptable’ protests as police warn truckers
February 10 th
For the past two weeks, there has been a protest movement against the new Covid measures. Truckers have to be immunised against the coronavirus, which means they have to be infected or have received 3 injections of vaccine. As in France, the anti-vaccines are protesting, they have organised a movement called « Free Liberty » and have blocked the Ambassador Bridge at the border between the United States and Canada. The country’s economic situation is deteriorating, the car industry and agricultural production have to slow down because they can’t import products. In the end there will be layoffs and higher prices because of this movement.
From BBC news, Headline : Was Canada’s Covid response more effective than the US ?
February 14 th
As of 9 February, 80 % of Canadian population is fully immunised against Covid 19 and 5 % partially vaccinated. The Covid situation in Canada is better than in the US, the number of daily cases is twice as high in the US and the proportion of americans vaccinated is lower than in Canada. Therefore, Canadians do not understand why covid measures are stricter in their country than in the US when the daily rate of people in intensive care is lower and the number of deaths too.
From The Guardian, Headline : No light at the end : How Hong Kong’s Covid response went so wrong
February 18 th
In Hong Kong hospitals are submerged by covid cases. Hospitals are under pressure and HK is being hit by he Omicron Wave. Patients are waiting outside in gurneys, private hospital refuse to take covid patients and the number of covid cases are increasing sharply every day. Conditions are unsanitary, bathrooms are dirty and there is no time to clean them. The situation is not under control. HK’s covid measures in the last 2 years was to have a « zero case » policy and isole every mild covid, but now there are severe cases and HK have no resources left.
From the Guardian, Headline : Arthritis drug could help save Covid patients study
March 3rd
An Arthritis drug has been experimented to help covid patients who have been on mechanical ventilation since december. The drug called baricitinib can reduced the risk of death by covid-19 by five. And the drug can help patient not have to use breth machines. But there are long-term effects such as an increased risk of infections and blood clots that can be dangerous for the bloodstream. The treatment will be more expensive than other drugs and will cost between 800£ and 1000£.
From the Guardian, Headline : ‘It’s like we are being left to die’ : Hong Kong tackles deadliest Covid wave
March 11th
Hong Kong is still struggling weeks after the first wave of Omicron, and the policy they adopted to get rid of covid isn’t working :‘Dynamic zero-covid policy’ under scrutiny in region with highest death rate in developed world
Hong Kong hospital was turned into a covid hospital, non-covid patients were transferred to another hospital. Half a million people have been infected by Omicron which spread faster than other Covid variants. Patients have to wait outside for several days because the hospital is overwhelmed with cases and there’s a lack of oxygene that can complicate matters. Oxygene treatment is unavoidable for severe cases to survive because they cannot breath properly. The death rate is higher in HK than in other countries because of HK’s policy which seems to follow China’s policy on covid cases, but due to the rapid spread of omicron the government can’t isolate all cases, and is now submerged.
Headline : South Korea reports record Covid death as daily cases surge past 600, 000
March 17th
There is a surge of covid infections in South Korea, there are more daily cases than expected about 200, 000 people a day. A survey revealed that people think less about the serious consequences of having the virus one day. Despite of the surge of cases, the governement will remove as planned all the restriaining orders in the following days and pushed back a curfew for eateries. 86.6 % of the population is fully vaccinated, that’s why the South Korea has easily avoided Omicron wave without being overwhelmed like in HK wich is struggling with the zero Covid policy.
Headline : China reports first coronavirus deaths in over a year amid omicron surge
March 24th
Since January 2021, China has reported two coronavirus deaths and a surge of 2,000 people infected with the Omicron variant. China has implemented a « zero-covid » policy as in Wuhan two years ago, with a massive testing of residents and strict lockdowns.