A World Health Organization “pandemic intelligence hub” launched by the UN agency’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and Germany’s Angela Merkel in Berlin on Wednesday will try to help governments identify future pandemics at an earlier stage and improve monitoring of new variant strains of COVID-19. [Read more]. |
The Mu variant, also known as B.1.621, was added to the WHO’s watchlist on 30 August after it was detected in 39 countries and found to possess a cluster of mutations that may make it less susceptible to the immune protection many have acquired. [Read more]. |
Sonny Ross is a freelance artist from Manchester, England. For him, the month of March meant, in his words, “Being a self-employed illustrator obviously comes with risks built in. For me, self isolating is nothing new. But when the whole supply chain does the same, suddenly a very busy month becomes an empty one — and rent is still due. It feels like I’ve been fired eight times already this week”. Artwork © Sonny Ross.
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Jackie Ferrentino is an artist from Brooklyn, New York, United States. Last March POLITICO Europe asked her (as well as other artists from around the world) to draw what she was seeing and feeling in isolation. She captioned her drawing, “Everything now has a sense of unreality. Disconnected from friends, family and the outside world, I feel like I’m nowhere even when I’m right here in my apartment, looking out my window”. Artwork © Jackie Ferrentino.
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“On March 13, 2020, the last coronavirus patient in 铁岭 (Tiělíng), 辽宁省 (Liáoníng province), China, was discharged from hospital. I was walking on a street with few pedestrians, when a spring breeze suddenly blew, wiping away the mask I had worn for a long time”. Caption and photo: 桥窝居士 (Qiáoāo Jūshì).
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Youths remove their mask to record a dance routine on the streets of 武汉 (Wǔhàn), 湖北省 (Húběi province), China, after over two months and half of home confinement due to coronavirus. Photo: Ng Han Guan/AP.
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Surrounded by police, a man exits the sea with his arms raised amid coronavirus lockdown in Galveston, Texas, United States. Photo: Adrees Latif/Reuters.
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An aerial picture of a beach in 香港 (Hong Kong), China on April 19, 2020, featuring well-spaced beach umbrellas amid coronavirus apprehension. Photo: Dale de la Rey/AFP.
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Italy’s response to the coronavirus will bust Europe’s budget deficit rules, no question, leaving Europe’s policymakers with a choice. Do they take the opportunity to rebalance policy so that governments have greater leeway to borrow and the ECB is not required to provide all the stimulus? Or do they treat Italy the way they treated Greece and insist there is no alternative to austerity? Italy is much bigger than Greece and the consequences of making the wrong choice should be obvious. [Read more].
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