As Ohio reports 4,117 new coronavirus cases, both cases and hospitalizations up sharply over last summer – cleveland.com

Ohio coronavirus cases reported daily has tripled since the end of July.

Source: As Ohio reports 4,117 new coronavirus cases, both cases and hospitalizations up sharply over last summer – cleveland.com

Madagascar on the brink of climate change-induced famine – BBC News

The drought – the worst in four decades – has devastated isolated farming communities in the south of the country, leaving families to scavenge for insects to survive. “These are famine-like conditions and they’re being driven by climate not conflict,” said the UN World Food Programme’s Shelley Thakral. The UN estimates that 30,000 people are currently experiencing the highest internationally recognised level of food insecurity – level five – and there are concerns the number affected could rise sharply as Madagascar enters the traditional “lean season” before harvest. “This is unprecedented. These people have done nothing to contribute to climate change. They don’t burn fossil fuels… and yet they are bearing the brunt of climate change,” said Ms Thakral. In the remote village of Fandiova, in Amboasary district, families recently showed a visiting WFP team the locusts that they were eating.

Source: Madagascar on the brink of climate change-induced famine – BBC News

COVID-19: B.C. university students will not need proof of vaccination to attend classes in person | Globalnews.ca

Michael Byers, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia, said he will not teach in a lecture room unless there is a vaccine mandate for students.

Source: COVID-19: B.C. university students will not need proof of vaccination to attend classes in person | Globalnews.ca

The Secret of Costa Rica’s Successful Health Care System

People who have studied Costa Rica, including colleagues of mine at the research and innovation center Ariadne Labs, have identified what seems to be a key factor in its success: the country has made public health — measures to improve the health of the population as a whole — central to the delivery of medical care. Even in countries with robust universal health care, public health is usually an add-on; the vast majority of spending goes to treat the ailments of individuals. In Costa Rica, though, public health has been a priority for decades.

Source: The Secret of Costa Rica’s Successful Health Care System