Leaders in the United States (US) have struck a pessimistic tone about the COVID-19 pandemic in recent weeks amid rapid spread of the Omicron variant.Janet Woodcock, acting commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recently testified before Congress that “most people are going to get COVID”.
Outside a small store in South Jakarta, dozens of people line up for the chance to save the life of their loved ones.In the Indonesian capital, oxygen is an increasingly precious commodity as the country battles a relentless surge in cases of COVID-19.
When COVID-19 arrived in India, few places looked as vulnerable as Mumbai.
Something has gone horribly wrong in India. Yesterday, the country reported 346,786 new cases of COVID-19 for the previous 24 hours, with 2,624 deaths – the world’s highest daily toll since the pandemic began last year. Overall, nearly 190,000 people have died from COVID in the country, while more than 16.6 million have been infected.The new outbreak in India is so severe that hospitals are running out of oxygen and beds, and many people who have been taken ill are being turned away.
For Gio Pineda, a young doctor in the Philippines capital of Manila, the past few days have been among the most harrowing of his life.
The Philippines will extend a coronavirus lockdown of more than 24 million people, an official said Saturday, as it deploys tents and health workers to overwhelmed hospitals in the capital where cases are surging.People in Metro Manila – the national capital region – and four neighbouring provinces will have to stay home for another week unless they are essential workers, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.The announcement came as the number of new infections for a single day hit a recor
Indonesian hospitals are beefing up security at their morgues after a spate of body-snatchings by relatives seeking traditional burials for family members who died of COVID-19, police said on Friday.Under new rules in the sprawling archipelago, COVID-19 victims must be wrapped in plastic and buried quickly to prevent the virus from spreading; meaning that grieving relatives are unable to follow Muslim funeral practices, which include washing the dead from head to toe.Families in the Muslim-ma
Gridlock in Manila is costing lives as ambulances stuck in traffic face severe delays in the race against the clock to reach the city's hospitals, medics warn.Special lanes for emergency vehicles are not enforced, the infrastructure is outdated, and local drivers are often unwilling or unable to make way – a situation experts say is causing patients to die en route."You feel empty.
