These stories are part of Global Voices’ special coverage of COVID-19 and offer a view on the pandemic from the perspective of our global community of contributors.
Stories about COVID-19
The burden of women with HIV in Bolivia
Women with HIV in Bolivia face little access to health, informal work, family abandonment and more discrimination than male patients.
Azerbaijan continues to keep its land borders closed, citing COVID-19 as a concern
Three years on, while the world, including Azerbaijan, lifted most, if not all, pandemic-related restrictions, Azerbaijan continues to keep its land borders closed for passenger traffic, citing the pandemic as a threat.
Singapore under the pandemic: The normalisation of digital authoritarianism
"Surveillance has reinforced a culture of self-censorship and fear in Singapore which further mutes public criticism of the government."
WHO claims to serve all but repeatedly excludes 23 million Taiwanese
The WHO meets in Geneva, claiming to focus on public health at a global level, yet it denies the right of over 23 million Taiwanese to be included and protected
Chinese ‘white-hair’ protestors denounce medical insurance reform
Despite huge efforts made by official media outlets to highlight the positive side of the medical insurance reform, public distrust continues spreading.
Reports on COVID fund management show scale of corruption in Africa
The misappropriation of Covid response funds was identified in management reports, thus angering the civil society in Togo and Senegal alike.
After two long years, mas has come again in Trinidad and Tobago
[T]here is a fluorescence of joy and creativity like when dawn pierces a long and unnatural dark, splitting an entire horizon with a radiance that awakens.
In Togo, singer Elias Atayi uses music as a vehicle for human rights
In Togo, the promotion of human rights is not only the work of civil society organizations. Artists also contribute to the cause.
How the US anti-vaccine disinformation on COVID-19 is appropriated in China
Without verifying the content, China propagandists and spokespeople cited American far-right disinformation spreader Project Veritas, and urged the US to investigate Pfizer's role in engineering the COVID-19 virus.
Anti-zero-COVID ‘white paper’ protesters face forced disappearance in China
An unknown number of anti-zero COVID policy protesters were forced into disappearance during Christmas and Lunar New Year break in China.
From 37 to 60,000: China’s official COVID-19 death toll data remains opaque
...there are a total of 35,519 hospitals, the 60,000 figure implies that, on average, there was fewer than two COVID-related death per hospital between December 8 and January 12.
Why was the major COVID-19 drug Paxlovid delisted from China's medical insurance scheme?
The Chinese poor will not be able to access the WHO-recommended "life-saving" COVID-19 drug after delisting Paxlovid from China's basic medical insurance scheme. But online patriots are backing the decision.
The borders between Hong Kong and China reopen ahead of Lunar New Year
Official narratives frame the border reopening as a “new start” for businesses. Many Hong Kong residents had suffered from almost three years of separation under the zero-COVID policy.
China falls into a chaos amid a Tsunami-scale winter COVID-19 outbreak
Many countries have announced new travel restrictions on travellers from greater Chinese regions due to inadequate sharing of epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data.
Climate change, digital authoritarianism and disinformation campaigns ruled in South Asia in 2022
With 2022 nearly over, situations in countries like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka were extremely difficult. So, what did this year hold in store for South Asia? Read on.
The Venezuelan diaspora in London seeks ways to save lives in Venezuela
"It is as if the heaviness of migratory grief for so many losses and even regrets has been transformed into a source of honor and an impetus of solidarity and brotherhood."
The journey of Trinidad's parang music, in one informative podcast
"Parang is not just a music of joy at the birth of Christ, but also tells part of the story of conquest and conversion."
In defense of whom? Protesting Jordan’s perpetual state of emergency
Human rights groups challenge Jordan's Defense Law but the government wants to keep it in place until the World Health Organization has declared the pandemic finished.
China faces a rough road to ending its zero-COVID policies
Under the zero-COVID policy, public resources have been spent on PCR tests, building quarantine facilities, propaganda, and controlling people's movement rather than vaccinations or improving medical infrastructures.
Istanbul's Uyghur community protest outside the Chinese Consulate despite the cost of reprisals
Today's demonstration comes at a great risk amid fears of retribution for the members of the Uyghur community living in Turkey.
Soaring food prices and funding shortfalls add to growing food insecurity in Uganda’s refugee settlements
"The agency is aware that conflicts may arise when refugees don’t get enough to eat. Food shortages can cause tension and anxiety, which can threaten peaceful coexistence between refugees and host communities" said Frank Walusimbi, the associate communications officer at UNHCR.
