World News

Global coverage of COVID-19

Posted by: The Conversation Global

Date: Monday, 23 March 2020

 

Editor's note

The Conversation, a global publishing platform, exists to ensure public access to independent, high quality and explanatory journalism. Under normal circumstances such journalism underpins a functioning democracy. But in times like these, when people around the world are bracing for a very tough battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, articles that are written by experts and yet are relatively accessible become even more important. They can help the public make sense of the pandemic and better prepare themselves for the battle ahead. It’s our hope that as The Conversation we have stepped up and made a contribution in the fight against COVID-19, recognising that our contribution pales into insignificance compared with the risks that healthcare workers face in the frontline of this battle.

Since news of the spread of COVID-19 broke, academics have reached deep into their knowledge banks to shed light on the pandemic. The Conversation’s eight sites have published more than 500 stories in four languages. There has been a massive rise in demand for the articles which have been read in excess of 45 million times. There has also been a spike in republishing interest, with articles being taken up by a host of publications.

We are proud to have built a news site that can offer trustworthy, evidence-based articles. And that we are part of a collective effort to provide knowledge, insight and guidance in these extraordinary times. That means featuring the specialist academics who can unpack the science that’s providing guidance on how to manage the pandemic. It also means giving prominence to the academics who can reflect on the social, economic and cultural aspects of a disease that’s forced a freeze on day-to-day activities.

We are enormously grateful to all the academics who have continued to write for us despite the disruptions they face as institutions get shut down. We are also grateful to our newsletter subscribers and readers. We believe that the articles we’re publishing are important in a world overwhelmed by disinformation and misinformation. So we’d ask that you encourage others to support The Conversation by: signing up to one of our newsletters; sharing articles we’ve published; using stories as source material.

You can find the latest articles published from the UK site here, the Africa site here, the US here, Australia here, Canada here, Indonesia here, France here and Spain here.

Jabulani Sikhakhane

Deputy Editor and Business & Economy Editor

COVID-19

Parked school buses in Freeport, New York, 18 March 2020. Justin Lane/EPA-EFE

Coronavirus: three ways the crisis may permanently change our lives

Johann Fortwengel, King's College London

Coronavirus may fundamentally reshape some areas of how we life our lives.

Collecting water from a street pump in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Jan. 13, 2020. angladeshi people collecting drinking water from a water pump inside a streeMehedi Hasan/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Coronavirus spotlights the link between clean water and health

David Feldman, University of California, Irvine

Water is essential for health, economic well-being and social equity, but too many people around the world still don't have access to clean drinking water and sanitation.

South Africa’s Alexandra township in the foreground, where the majority live in squalor, and Sandton in the background, representing the most privileged Shutterstock

Panic buying in the wake of COVID-19 underscores inequalities in South Africa

James Lappeman, University of Cape Town

Most consumers in South Africa aren't able to fill up a trolley of groceries for their daily needs, let alone join the panic buying induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus: Racism and the long-term impacts of emergency measures in Canada

Laura Madokoro, Carleton University

Canada has closed its borders to asylum-seekers and non-citizens because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar emergency measures over the years should teach us that now is not the time for nationalism.

COVID-19 treatment might already exist in old drugs – we’re using pieces of the coronavirus itself to find them

Nevan Krogan, University of California, San Francisco

Among the more than 20,000 drugs approved by the FDA, there may be some that can treat COVID-19. A team at the University of California, San Francisco, is identifying possible candidates.

How the COVID-19 pandemic will affect informal workers. Insights from Kenya

Njeri Kinyanjui, University of Nairobi

Many informal workers will not be able to take the precautions that health authorities suggest.

How Australia’s response to the Spanish flu of 1919 sounds warnings on dealing with coronavirus

Frank Bongiorno, Australian National University

Bickering between the states and Victoria's initial silence on the outbreak made the 1919 Spanish flu pandemic worse.

Coronavirus: the UK government’s new emergency powers explained

Nicholas Clapham, University of Surrey

New legislation gives the government power to clamp down on public gatherings – but the changes have a time limit.

Pandemics don’t heal divisions – they reveal them. South Africa is a case in point

Steven Friedman, University of Johannesburg

Reactions in South Africa give little reason for hope that the virus will bring people closer together or trigger more energetic action against poverty.

 
 
 
 
 
 

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