The Take

From the numbers, it was looking like Iran managed to flatten the coronavirus curve. But many Iranians are skeptical of those numbers. They fear the country’s severe shortage of testing and medical equipment — caused largely by US sanctions — has left Iran with few resources in a fight that’s nowhere near over, and could get a lot worse.

In this episode:

Dr. Rasha Ahmadi, an ER doctor in Tehran; Homa, a 27-year-old Iranian teacher; and Hamed Mousavi, a professor of political science at the University of Tehran.

For more:

As Iran struggles to fund virus fight, US keeps squeezing economy

US extends Iran nuclear cooperation sanctions waivers

How Iranians are celebrating, and social distancing, during Nowruz

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 census is still taking place. It's mostly online, which means many people without internet access could be left out of the count. On National Census Day, we're breaking down why inaccurate census data disproportionately hurts indigenous communities within the US.

In this episode:

Journalist and Cherokee Nation citizen Jen Deerinwater (@JenDeerinwater), and Al Jazeera producer Anar Virji (@anarvirji) in Washington, DC.

For more:

US census kicks off at remote Alaskan village

Paper Genocide: The Erasure of Native People in Census Counts

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

If the world doesn't act now, experts warn the coronavirus will decimate refugee camps. And it's just a matter of time before the virus reaches densely crowded camps where there is already little or no water or health care. So what are refugee communities doing to protect themselves from the highly contagious virus?

In this episode:

Al Jazeera senior correspondent Mohammed Jamjoom (@MIJamjoom) reports on the possible outcomes and solutions being proposed to provide aid to global refugee communities.

For more:

Growing calls to evacuate Greek refugee camps amid virus threat

War-torn Syria braces for lockdown after first virus case

Timeline: How the new coronavirus spread

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

Egypt's low-tech, high-energy mahraganat music blasted out of the shantytowns to top the global charts on Soundcloud and rack up hundreds of millions of views on YouTube. But one slip-up at a massive concert in Cairo threw the entire genre's future into question.

In this episode:

We get the story behind some of mahraganat's biggest hits, and its biggest controversy, from Mina Girgis, an Egyptian ethnomusicologist based in California.

For more:

Listen to Bent el Geran / ‘The Neighbors’ Daughter'

Listen to the "Mahraganat" playlist on Spotify

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

Tear gas and buckshot pellets are regularly aimed at protesters by Chilean police. As a result, more than 400 people have suffered eye injuries during the five months of unrest. And now, the entire movement is in jeopardy, as people are forced to move indoors during the coronavirus pandemic.

In this episode:

We hear from two journalists about the unprecedented way Chileans are continuing the fight away from the streets. Nicole Kramm (@nicole_kramm), a Chilean documentary filmmaker, and Charis McGowan (@charis_mcgowan), a freelance journalist in Santiago, Chile.

For more:

Chile protests: What prompted the unrest?

He saw white: Why the eye became a symbol of Chile's unrest

Chile protesters move off streets amid coronavirus outbreak

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

Two teenage girls received a phone call that they never hoped to hear. Their favorite uncle had been killed in Libya, where their family lives. More than 150,000 have been forced to flee their homes in Libya since General Khalifa Haftar started his offensive in Tripoli. We hear from the family in Virginia using the American court system to sue General Haftar.

In this episode:

Hafed Al-Ghwell, a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins University, takes us along General Haftar's journey.

For more:

UN urges Libyans to halt fighting, instead battle coronavirus

US-Libyans sue Khalifa Haftar over civilian deaths near Tripoli

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

The novel coronavirus is spreading rapidly around the world. But it's also slowing to the point of containment in Hubei province, China, where it began. So far, we know that COVID-19 can spread incredibly quickly — and it is possible to stop it. But there's no unified playbook. Every country and community is approaching the outbreak in a different way. So what’s working? And what isn’t? The Take checks in with three journalists in three cities.

In this episode:

Zein Basravi (@virtualzein), Al Jazeera journalist in Tehran, Iran. Erik Kirschbaum (@Erik_Kirschbaum), special correspondent for the Los Angeles Times in Berlin, Germany. Ian Morse (@ianjmorse), reporting for Al Jazeera in Seattle, US.

For more:

Hard-hit Iran frees more prisoners amid coronavirus outbreak

Germany’s extensive medical network apparently helped in early stage of coronavirus

Homeless amid the coronavirus outbreak

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

As the US finally ramps up its coronavirus response, many salaried employees are working from home - and firing up apps to avoid grocery stores, public transportation and more. But the workers who depend on these gigs for their livelihoods often lack basic benefits like sick leave or healthcare. So what will the US response be for gig workers without a safety net? We talk to a freelance journalist, and a rideshare blogger to find out.

In this episode:

Kaelyn Forde (@kaelynforde), a freelance writer for Al Jazeera based in New York City. Harry Campbell (@TheRideshareGuy), founder of the therideshareguy.com.

For more:

Coronavirus highlights lack of safety net for gig workers

Patchy US health insurance complicates fight against coronavirus

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

In Brumadinho, a town in southern Brazil, residents are complaining of an outbreak of skin diseases, depression and odd illnesses they've never seen before. It all started just over a year ago after the local dam collapsed, spreading toxic mud and destroying everything in its path.

In this episode:

Manuel Rapalo (@Manuel_Rapalo), Al Jazeera journalist.

For more:

One year after Brazil's worst industrial disaster

Brazil dam disaster: 'Dead or alive, we just want to know'

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

As coronavirus cases are on the rise, we’re turning our attention to a different virus – one that is winding down. Doctors in Democratic Republic of Congo have released the last Ebola patient, ending an outbreak that began in August 2018. Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi shares how DRC and its community leaders brought Ebola to an end.

In this episode:

Catherine Soi (@C_SOI), Al Jazeera journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya. Audrey Landmann, medical coordinator with Doctors without Borders.

For more:

Last Ebola patient discharged in DR Congo

DR Congo Ebola: Officials hope country cleared in few months

ADF rebels cleared from last stronghold in Beni: DR Congo army

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).