A Weekly COVID Report by PPE Needed — Week 37

In Case You Didn’t Follow the News — Here’s What Happened During the 2nd Week of September

Legislation in the Second Wave

Last week was all about finding a balance between safety and the semblance of normality. While Asia’s AFC Soccer Cup was canceled, schools and beaches have started to reopen, and the preparations for the Tokyo Olympics are in full force. Governments are still working tirelessly to provide their citizens with effective legislation. Most recently, Hungary has announced a coronavirus “ war plan” to safeguard the local economy, and England has doubled down on its social distancing regulations.

International efforts are also on the move. Despite criticism directed at the EU due to a nonunified response to coronavirus, the Council of Europe Bank has signed a € 300 million loan agreement to aid Italy in their Covid-19 response. Many European coalitions have also held meetings and events, such as the ASEM and Democracy Week.

Countries are working towards the best COVID-19 health safety measures.

Unfortunately, the pandemic still hasn’t slowed down. Most of these new regulations are following a spike in cases: Israel, for example, has called a three-week national lockdown after a sudden spike in cases. With more than 100.000 cases a day, India has neared 5 million cases and Latin America has passed the 8 million mark. In Europe, France and Spain lead the contagion, the former in the absolute number of cases and the latter in infection rates. In fact, although the US remains the country with most cases worldwide, Europe as a whole might be a bigger Covid-19 hotspot.

Hoaxes and Youth: Drivers of the Second Wave?

This summer’s Covid-19 resurgence seems to have targeted a different demographic. There has been a much higher contagion rate in young people this time around. Several countries were quick to point the finger and targeted them with ads to remind them of their social responsibility. This contagion amongst the young might continue in the future, as the first cases of contagion in schools have surfaced.

Young people on holiday have been labeled as the main spreaders of the virus.

Besides, conspiracy theories have not helped the spread of the virus. An alarming number of people around the globe believe that the Covid-19 pandemic is nothing but a hoax. In Switzerland, social media have spread the claim that the government has tampered with the tests used to diagnose the virus, and a third of Kosovo thinks the novel coronavirus does not exist.

Overseas, a private recording dated February 2020 has recently resurged. In it, Donald Trump admits the danger of the novel coronavirus — right before comparing it to the flu in public. In a press conference, the US president claimed he prioritized “tak[ing] care of the situation we were given” and he denied downplaying the virus.

Covid-19, Health and Social Change

By now, most people are familiar with the usual manifestations of Covid-19. Headache, loss of smell, cough, sore throat, and fever are amongst the most dreaded symptoms these days. Hospitals are now bracing themselves for the fall when they will have to deal with coronavirus and seasonal flu at once. but there’s more. Scientists have reported an increase in mental health issues, such as bruxism in adults and OCD in children — and Thailand has suffered an increase in suicides as well.

It is then clear that coronavirus affects much more than “just” physical health. It has very real social consequences, from high unemployment rates to exacerbating issues that were manageable before the pandemic — and some are expecting a boom in divorces, too.

COVID-19 has exacerbated global unrest.

Omit, some of these social changes may turn out for the best. The amplification of global unrest we have seen in the past few months may bring attention to existent social issues and demand change. This past week in Europe, the yellow vests have come back to demand a pension reform in France, and a group of health workers has stormed Bruxelles demanding an end to “ commodification of care”. It might even bring an improvement to gender inequality, as the change in the labor market has placed a new focus on women’s unpaid labor.

Constant Improvements: Research and Vaccines

Amongst all the change, a constant effort is placed in understanding Covid-19. And it’s paying off! We are understanding more of the disease — both about what could be the long-term effects, and what policies are the safest.

COVID-19 research is constantly advancing.

Unsurprisingly, research has shown that the most effective public health measures are social distancing and contact tracing, especially with extensive fast testing. Also, people who eat out are more likely to test positive for coronavirus, and traveling has exacerbated contagion. Even the Oxford vaccine, whose trials had to be halted due to suspected neurological damage, has resumed their tests!

What Now?

Every bit of help counts, and we at PPE Needed are doing our part to connect frontliners to much needed personal protection equipment.

Want to help out? Check out and share our free platform and our GoFundMe page — or join the team!

Originally published at https://learn-more.ppeneeded.com on September 17, 2020.