Rich culture, exotic food and a work ethic like in no other country – that is what many people associate with Japan. Only few can imagine that the Land of the Rising Sun has a problem with child abuse and neglect. While the childbirth rate is gradually falling, child abuse numbers have seen a sharp increase – jumping by 42% in 2019. And the coronavirus is making a bad situation worse for Japanese children.

Japan was one of the first countries to shut down its schools in early March despite relatively low numbers of officially registered coronavirus infections. Child welfare workers say this decision has put many children in a bad situation. While schools have been closed, Japanese parents remain obliged to go to work. Kids have to fend for themselves, staying home alone for hours on end. Even elementary school children. But a full lockdown could make abusive situations at home worse for those most vulnerable.

Episode 2 - Japan’s struggle with child abuse & neglect is being amplified by the coronavirus

Usually Dr. Florian Krammer would be sitting in his New York laboratory researching influenza viruses now. Because he’s tirelessly working to develop a universal vaccine to eradicate the seasonal flu forever. 

But his life has been turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic. A pandemic Dr. Krammer sensed was coming sooner rather than later.

The campus of Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine has dismissed all activities to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

If Dr. Krammer wants to work in his laboratory, he has to divert his attention from the flu - and focus on the more important infectious enemy. 

In this episode, Dr. Krammer explains how people who recovered from COVID-19 could help current patients, whether we could get re-infected with the virus and how long we might have to stay at home.

Episode 3 - The professor who saw the pandemic coming

This is the story of a city that is falling apart because its authorities did not take the most basic precautions against the coronavirus.

Guayaquil is Ecuador's economic capital. A lively city known for its tropical weather, big rivers and impressive nature.

But two weeks ago, the city plunged into a nightmare with hundreds of corpses piling up on the streets. People living with the bodies of their loved ones for up to a week. The smell of rotten corpses wafting through the air. Rumors of bodies being burned in the daylight. Dozens of journalists dying as they try to report on the situation. Families trying to commit suicide because of hunger as there is no help for daily workers. Reports of thousands of state workers being infected.
Ecuador has become the poster child for the coronavirus' most devastating effects.

Episode 4 - The forgotten corpses of Guayaquil, Ecuador

Health care workers around the world are risking their lives to treat patients who have contracted the coronavirus. But how do they protect themselves - specifically - from also getting infected? What is so-called personal protective equipment (PPE) and why is it necessary? 

We spoke to Dr. Saarah Ebrahim who works as a junior doctor in a hospital in Greater London. She was pulled in to work in the intensive care unit of her hospital and is now treating patients with COVID-19. 
Every day she runs the risk of being infected. Her only shield: the PPE. 

Now that protection could be running out in the UK as the government was slow to respond to the crisis - and countries around the globe compete to buy medical gear. The demand is rising, but the supply is limited.

Episode 5 - “Keep calm and carry on” - Britain and the scramble for PPE

Even before the coronavirus, Moria was renowned for terrible living conditions. The refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos is probably one of the most notorious camps in all of Europe. Originally built for 3,000 people, it is now home to over 18,000. In some parts of the camp one water tap is shared by 1,300 refugees. 

More than a month ago, reports of a coronavirus outbreak on the island sparked international fear about the effects this could have on Moria and its precarious sanitation conditions. The issue was widely reported on in the media, but then quickly forgotten by the public eye. 

We talked to Erik Marquardt, member of the European Parliament, and Anna Pantelia, Field Communications Manager for Doctors Without Borders in Greece, to what the situation is like right now.

Episode 6 - “The worst humanitarian disaster on Europe’s shores”

Body bags, sleepless nights and a packed ICU - this has been Dr. Raymond Garcia’s new reality since he started treating COVID-19 patients in Belem, northern Brazil. 

Like Raymond, most doctors in this overwhelmed hospital are Cuban. And like Raymond, they weren’t allowed to practice medicine for the past two years. Because the program that brought him to Brazil was terminated, the long-time doctor had to work selling snacks, laying bricks and in a pharmacy. 

But as of now, Brazil is facing more than 400,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 25,000 deaths. Its health system threatens to collapse. 

Raymond and hundreds of his Cuban colleagues have been called back to join the front lines of Brazil’s struggling pandemic response. 

This is his story.

Episode 7 - How Corona Got a Cuban Doctor His License Back

"We're not talking about North Korea here, were talking about the United States", says Ines Pohl, DW's former editor in chief. It was almost impossible for her to enter the US as a foreign journalist.  In the end, she was lucky, and has now arrived in Washington DC. 

Four years ago, she covered the presidential elections there. Now she's back in a country where divisions have erupted into protests. At the center of this divide stands President Donald Trump who is accused of downplaying the coronavirus and adding fuel to the Black Lives Matter protests.

Ines Pohl tells us about her first impressions being back in the US and her expectations for the upcoming months.

Episode 8 - Boiling Point - Ines Pohl on her arrival in the US

Berlin is known for its vibrant techno scene - and not even the coronavirus pandemic can stop ravers from getting together to party. Every weekend thousands of people gather illegally in public parks and forests to relive the old clubbing days, making social distancing impossible. 

But what is it like to party while dodging the police? Is the coronavirus even a topic at these raves? And how do people find out about the secret parties?

We will take you on a Berlin night out with us, so you can experience a rave from start to finish.

Episode 9 - Berlin's Pandemic Parties

A podcast brought to you by the DW Akademie Volos.

What does child abuse in Japan have to do with the new coronavirus? And why might Sasha from Russia miss his chance of becoming a German citizen because of a pandemic? Tune into Coronicles to find out. Our reporters from DW will be telling you the untold, quirky and emotional stories from around the world. Using the coronavirus as a looking glass to understand the bigger picture.