John Amanam, a 32-year-old former special effects expert, builds hyper-realistic prosthetics that match Nigerians' skin tones. Most prosthetic body parts available in the country until now have been white, or made from materials such as wood that also look unrealistic.

How COVID-19 patients are battling with the deadly virus in Nigeria

As Covid-19 tears through southern California, small hospitals in rural towns like Apple Valley are overwhelmed, with coronavirus patients crammed into hallways, makeshift ICU beds and even the pediatric ward. "It's most definitely the darkest period of my entire career," palliative care supervisor Kari McGuire says while fighting back tears.

In Barcelona's Hospital del Mar, all the beds in the Covid-19 intensive care unit are occupied by patients. The healthcare workers are struggling to cope with a spike in cases in recent weeks. Over the past fortnight, the number of people going to hospital rose by 82 percent while intensive care admissions increased by 60 percent, prompting some regions, such as Valencia to set up field hospitals.

COVID19: The struggle, battle And controversy

Here is why you should pick up a copy of The Guardian on Friday. Here are some of the stories to look out for when you grab a copy of The Guardian on the newsstands on Friday.

Difficulties breathing, walking, concentrating: five months after being diagnosed with Covid-19, Canadian Violaine Cousineau, like many others, continues to suffer severe persistent symptoms that prevent her from resuming a normal life.

Around 1,500 medical workers and Covid-19 patients, many in full PPE, join for a mass performance of the angklung, a traditional Indonesian instrument made of bamboo. The act marks the opening of the country’s largest Covid-19 hospital which has treated more than 70,000 patients.

Jennifer and Matthieu, sufferers of 'long Covid', have a lot in common. They're both in their mid-thirties, caught Covid-19 in March 2020, and suffered mild flu-like symptoms at the time. They have both seen their lives turned upside down as they've since struggled with long-term symptoms, including difficulty breathing, trouble concentrating and chest pain. But while treatment programmes for long Covid are now being developed, finding the health professionals to carry them out is another challenge.

Several people died after the oxygen supply to a hospital was cut off because of a problem with a gas tank. The incident comes as India grapples with an unmanageable third wave of coronavirus infections.

The blaze at a hospital in western India comes as the country grapples with the world's biggest daily surge of COVID infections since the beginning of the pandemic.

In Madrid, heavily dependent patients with reduced mobility are being vaccinated with the single dose Janssen vaccine first. Soledad Holgado, a doctor in the Madrid region, says the single dose means "we are going to speed up the vaccination process".