Coronavirus Reads, Digest 11
More healthcare workers get infected in India, and a new investigation shows the U.S. is undercounting COVID-19 deaths.
It’s Monday, April 6th.
A tiger has tested positive for the coronavirus in the Bronx zoo in New York, after its dry cough was noticed. Six other tigers have symptoms. It is believed it was transmitted from an asymptomatic official to the big cat. Indian zoos have also been put on high alert, India has as many as 145 zoos and over 2900 tigers overall.
India news
Over 4,200 infections and as many as 111 deaths in India.
A hospital in Mumbai has been sealed and declared a containment zone after 26 nurses and 3 doctors were tested positive for COVID-19, due to the lack of PPE when treating a patient. Meanwhile in Pune, 92 healthcare workers have been quarantined after treating an autorickshaw driver who later tested positive for the virus.
The Resident Doctors Association of Safdarjung hospital has requested adequate protective equipment to keep healthcare workers from getting infected.
The Indian Railways says they have converted 2,500 coaches into isolation wards.
In the state of Madhya Pradesh, a woman with COVID-19 symptoms died after she was kept out of the hospital because she wasn’t a confirmed COVID patient. Later, her test came back positive for COVID-19. A newspaper editorial suggests liberalising hospital admission norms is urgent
BBC’s Soutik Biswas reports on the “race” to contain the virus through contact tracing in the sprawling, densely crowded “slum” of Dharavi in Mumbai, where 1 million people live and 4 people tested positive, of which 1 has died.
India, along with almost every other country in the world, faces a dire shortage of ventilators needed for the severest of cases. Here’s an explainer from The Wire on how they work and the different types.
President Trump has asked India to allow exports of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine which is being used to treat severe cases of COVID-19 patients. India is considering the request. The drug continues to be an unproven treatment and can have serious side effects, and people in the US and Nigeria have died of chloroquine poisoning.
U.S and International
After similar reports from China and Italy, a new investigation shows that the U.S. is undercounting its COVID-19 victims. New York is providing healthcare workers with criminal and civil immunity over decisions on treating coronavirus patients. This NYT Op-Ed argues that it is a welcome move and others should follow.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson who is positive for COVID-19, has been admitted to the hospital; officials say it is a preventive measure. Irish PM Leo Varadkar, who is also a physician, has offered to work shifts during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Japan will be declaring a state of emergency for a month after clusters of cases have risen in Tokyo and Osaka.
Indian Prime Minister Modi connected with other regional leaders of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) for the first time since 2014. Could this be an opportunity for greater regional cooperation? Mandira Nayar writes in The Week.
And an incredibly reported feature from NYTimes Magazine on the first COVID-19 patient in New Jersey, and how he connected his doctors with contacts in the medical community in China, to figure out how to treat him as he got progressively more ill. He survived.
How New Jersey's First Coronavirus Patient Survived, by Susan Dominus
Coping with the Pandemic
Sarah Lyall of the New York Times recommends familiar books to turn to at overwhelming and emotional times.
A Reader Looking for Remedies Thinks Back to Other Difficult Times, Sarah Lyall
If you’re looking for something to do during quarantine, you can help librarians and archivists by deciphering old handwritten notes, transcribe oral histories, and assist in archiving images.
How to Help Librarians and Archivists From Your Living Room, Atlas Obscura
Side Effects of the Pandemic
Could Google search data reflect new symptoms of the coronavirus, and the prevalence of emerging hotspots?
Meanwhile, a South African couple that went to the Maldives on their honeymoon on March 22nd was stuck at their resort after airports and borders shut down.
Everyone says they want to be stuck on a tropical island, until you’re actually stuck,” Ms. De Freitas said. “It only sounds good because you know you can leave.”