Viernes, 24 de abril de 2020 (Continuación)

News stand in Lagos, Nigeria on April 12, 2020. Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images.

MundoÁfrica, , ,

Nigeria is better placed than many to respond to the arrival of the coronavirus disease. In 2014, it successfully contained a deadly Ebola virus outbreak and the country’s current score on the Epidemic Preparedness Index (38.9 per cent) is higher than the African and global averages.

But the outbreak is compounding Nigeria’s numerous pre-existing crises. It was already grappling with a Lassa fever outbreak that has claimed more than one hundred lives in 2020, the aftermath of recession, and conflict and insecurity within its borders.

Effective leadership to build confidence will be vital. However, President Muhammadu Buhari has made few appearances, delivering his first speech on Nigeria’s response more than one month after the country’s first recorded case.…  Seguir leyendo »

Apples being picked before going into cold storage so they can be bought up until Christmas. Photo by Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images.

Internacional, , ,

The pressure of the coronavirus pandemic is adding to a widely held misconception that trade in food products is bad for the environment due to the associated ‘food miles’ – the carbon footprint of agricultural products transported over long distances.

This concept, developed by large retailers a decade ago, is often invoked as a rationale for restricting trade and choosing locally-produced food over imports. Consuming local food may seem sensible at first glance as it reduces the carbon footprint of goods and generates local employment.

However, this assumption ignores the emissions produced during the production, processing or storage stages which often dwarf transport emissions.…  Seguir leyendo »

InternacionalSalud Pública, , ,

On 10 January 2020, Chinese scientists released the sequence of the COVID-19 genome on the internet. This provided the starting gun for scientists around the world to start developing vaccines or therapies. With at least 80 different vaccines in development, many governments are pinning their hopes on a quick solution. However, there are many hurdles to overcome.

Vaccine development

Firstly, vaccine development is normally a very long process to ensure vaccines are safe and effective before they are used.

Safety is not a given: a recent dengue vaccine caused heightened disease in vaccinated children when they later were exposed to dengue, while Respiratory Syncytial Virus vaccine caused the same problem.…  Seguir leyendo »

Marking the Day of The National Flag of Ukraine, a day before celebrations of the anniversary of state independence. Photo by ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images.

Europa, , ,

First in a two-part series analysing why Ukraine’s attempts at international justice are worth taking - and outlining how the impact goes far beyond just the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Part one examines the response of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to the possibility of holding Russia accountable as a state.

The recognition by Ukraine of the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to consider grave crimes allegedly perpetrated in its territory has led to the ICC Prosecutor’s preliminary examination identifying a wave of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

There are claims of persecution, forced conscription, deportation, sham trials, enforced disappearances, and property seizure - in Crimea.…  Seguir leyendo »

Chain wrapped around the door of a Saks Fifth Avenue Inc. store in San Francisco, California, during the COVID-19 crisis. Photo by David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

InternacionalEconomía,

With the IMF forecasting a 6.1% fall in advanced economy GDP in 2020 and world trade expected to contract by 11%, there is intense focus on the question of how and when to re-open economies currently in lockdown.

But no ‘opening up’ plan has a chance of succeeding unless it commands the confidence of all the main actors in the economy – employees, consumers, firms, investors and local authorities.

Without public confidence, these groups may follow official guidance only sporadically; consumers will preserve cash rather than spend it on goods and services; employees will delay returning to work wherever possible; businesses will face worsening bottlenecks as some parts of the economy open up while key suppliers remain closed; and firms will continue to delay many discretionary investment and hiring decisions.…  Seguir leyendo »

Examining a patient while testing for COVID-19 at the Velocity Urgent Care in Woodbridge, Virginia. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

InternacionalSalud Pública, ,

A controversial debate during COVID-19 is the state of readiness within governments and health systems for a pandemic, with lines of the debate drawn on the issues of testing provision, personal protective equipment (PPE), and the speed of decision-making.

President Macron in a speech to the nation admitted French medical workers did not have enough PPE and that mistakes had been made: ‘Were we prepared for this crisis? We have to say that no, we weren’t, but we have to admit our errors … and we will learn from this’.

In reality few governments were fully prepared. In years to come, all will ask: ‘how could we have been better prepared, what did we do wrong, and what can we learn?’.…  Seguir leyendo »

Al centro, el presidente de Argentina, Alberto Fernández, el 16 de abril. Credit Agustin Marcarian/Reuters

MundoAmérica, , ,

Fue una linda imagen mientras duró. Pero duró poco. La “grieta” política que suele dividir a la Argentina pareció desaparecer ante el avance del coronavirus. Pero fue cuestión de que se presentara una oportunidad para que resurgiera con fuerza. Y acaso eso sea lo mejor para el país: ante la falta de instituciones de vigilancia, el encono de los ciudadanos podría ser lo necesario para oponer resistencia a los excesos del poder.

El término de “la grieta” se acuñó hace unos años para explicar la distancia que separaba a millones de argentinos. Comenzó para distinguir a quienes estaban a favor o en contra del kirchnerismo, pero con el correr del tiempo se expandió a algo más profundo, más ideológico, más inasible, pero presente: se traduce en disenso.…  Seguir leyendo »

Una mujer con mascarilla transita por las calles casi vacías de Nueva York el 22 de abril. Credit Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

ReflexionesPensamiento, Cultura y Ciencia, ,

Fracasamos. Nos creíamos tan poderosos y un virus nos deshizo. Estamos encerrados, muertos de miedo, vivos de miedo, sin más recursos que dejar de hacer lo que hacemos, de ser lo que somos —y esperar que la desgracia tampoco nos toque—.

Fracasamos, y es una suerte que así sea.

***

Acabo de publicar una novela, Sinfín, en que la condición para acceder a la vida después de la muerte es aceptar el aislamiento eterno; la realidad, más modesta, nos pide este aislamiento transitorio como condición para seguir vivos unos años. Y este aislamiento nos convierte a todos en una especie rara, pre-enfermos, casi-enfermos, enfermos-to-be.…  Seguir leyendo »

Students wearing masks have their temperatures checked Wednesday as a precaution against coronavirus as Kim Chaek University of Technology in Pyongyang reopened. (Jon Chol Jin/AP)

MundoAsia

North Korea is making news again. For weeks there have been growing signs that the country is struggling to cope with the covid-19 pandemic. And now we’re hearing rumors that supreme leader Kim Jong Un has undergone heart surgery.

Needless to say, it’s always hard to know how seriously to take any accounts coming from the world’s most isolated country. Yet this time there is one striking bit of information that we do know: Kim didn’t show up for the ceremonies marking the birthday of his grandfather and regime founder Kim Il Sung on April 15 — a major absence, since that’s the most important day in the national calendar.…  Seguir leyendo »

A worker, wearing a protective suit amid concerns about covid-19, collects information from a driver at the entrance of a commercial complex in Beijing on Wednesday. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images)

MundoAsia, , , , , ,

Since my column last week revealing safety concerns regarding the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), some Western scientists have come to the defense of the lab and its scientists. Their perspectives are important, but many of them seem to overlook a crucial point: that all scientific research in China must ultimately subordinate itself to the dictates of the Chinese Communist Party.

This shouldn’t be a controversial assertion. This has been the case for decades, and the message has been amply reinforced by the party’s efforts to cover up the covid-19 outbreak. The Chinese government has systematically thwarted scientific investigation that would either implicate or exonerate the lab — or shed light on alternative theories.…  Seguir leyendo »