The great pandemic: a global update

New Zealand: is no longer Covid-free. The virus has returned thanks to two women who recently came home from the UK, and now have tested positive. 

The United States: Data models predict that the death toll will be 201,129 by October 1. The reason: complete social distancing fail! A leading epidemiologist says of Americans: “They’re either just over it, or they’ve come to believe it’s a phony pandemic because their own personal grandmother hasn’t been affected yet… People just think this is a nothingburger. So they think the risk is exaggerated.”

China: is taking a series of extreme “wartime” measures to crack down on the latest outbreak in Beijing—which now has 106 cases. But some experts think this is overkill: “The government should learn to balance [public health with] preparing for economic and social recovery… I’m a little bit puzzled by this overreaction.”

The UK: Manchester United star Marcus Rashford scored big over Boris Johnson. The government had refused to shell out $150 million for free school meals over the summer holidays—until Rashford publicly and repeatedly shamed its leaders on social media. Boris did a full U-turn.

The torture of Indian embassy staff

According to fresh news reports, the two embassy staff members arrested by Pakistani police “were repeatedly beaten with rods and wooden sticks and made to drink filthy water.” ICYMI: we explained this diplomatic row in our Tuesday edition.

Climate forecast: A hotter, wetter India

The first ever Indian study on the impact of climate change on the subcontinent. And it predicts temperatures will rise by 2.7°C by 2040 and 4.4°C by the end of the century. And summer heat waves will be three to four times higher, as well. Plus: increased intense rainfall over smaller areas such as cities, and more extreme weather events like cyclones. So nothing we didn’t already know. (The Hindu)

Siri can save you from the police

Just yell "Hey Siri, I'm getting pulled over," and your iPhone will automatically hit ‘record’.

“[T]he shortcut—which a user must first install themselves—will pause any music that you're playing, turn down the brightness of your phone, turn on the "Do Not Disturb" mode to block any incoming calls, open up your front-facing camera and start a video recording.”

And as an added precautionary measure, it sends a message to a predesignated contact, giving them your current location—and flagging the fact that you’re being pulled over by the cops.

The latest Covid gyaan is here

Steroids can save you: A UK study shows that low doses of dexamethasone reduced death rates by nearly 30-plus%. The result is being described as a "major breakthrough"—and doctors say it should immediately become part of standard Covid treatment. 

Bat snot offers clues: Scientists are looking at ‘goblet cells’ in bats that produce mucus for possible protection against the virus. The reason: “Because of the acute respiratory symptoms and the curious loss of the sense of smell in some human patients with Covid-19 there is a hint that cells in the nasal passage are afflicted first.” And if we understand how bats’ noses block the disease, then so can we.

HCQ is out again: First came the Lancet study raising red flags about the use of hydroxychloroquine. Then the study was discredited. Then WHO un-suspended its suspended trials of the anti-malarial drug. Now, the US Food and Drug Authority has banned the emergency use of HCQ, saying the drug’s unproven benefits “do not outweigh the known and potential risks.”