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In South African COVID-19 ward, medics battle worst infection wave yet

In South African COVID-19 ward, medics battle worst infection wave yet

SISIPHO SKWEYIYA AT an emergency COVID-19 ward run by a charity in southern Johannesburg, medics wheel gasping patients to their beds, rush from room to room with oxygen cylinders and pat the back of someone in the grip of a coughing fit. The scenes in the converted community hall are a reminder of how badly South Africa has been hit by its third and most debilitating COVID-19 wave yet, as the infectious Delta variant surges through a mostly unvaccinated population. "The Delta variant has caused enormous strain on the resources ... Every hospital is getting strained, every healthcare worker is…
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Sudanese search for oxygen cylinders

Sudanese search for oxygen cylinders

KHALID ABDELAZIZ SUDAN is struggling to provide hospital beds, drugs and medical oxygen to COVID-19 patients hit by a third wave of infections that is straining the country's patchy healthcare system beyond what it can cope with. With a population of over 40 million, Sudan has recorded 33,000 cases and over 2,600 deaths since the start of the pandemic, but officials say the real numbers are likely to be much higher given low rates of testing. In recent weeks, an acute shortage of oxygen, partly due to power cuts that impeded production at the country's main plant, has left hospitals…
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India’s COVID-19 meltdown exposes new front in digital divide

India’s COVID-19 meltdown exposes new front in digital divide

SAURABH SHARMA and ROLI SRIVASTAVA AS India's daily coronavirus cases set global records, people desperately searching for hospital beds and oxygen cylinders are finding help on social media. But for others like Ruby Yadav, who has never heard of Twitter, time and hope is running out. Travelling by rickshaw, Yadav and her mother - who is seriously ill with COVID-19 - have been turned away by nearly a dozen public hospitals in the northern city of Lucknow this week as the country's health system crumbles. "I'm losing hope. We know what will happen next, but I can't bear to watch…
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