World Health Day (7 April ) – “Support nurses and midwives” & World Health Worker week (5-11 April)
https://www.who.int/news-room/campaigns/world-health-day/world-health-day-2020
“
7 April 2020 is the day to celebrate the work of nurses and midwives and remind world leaders of the critical role they play in keeping the world healthy. Nurses and other health workers are at the forefront of COVID-19 response - providing high quality, respectful treatment and care, leading community dialogue to address fears and questions and, in some instances, collecting data for clinical studies. Quite simply, without nurses, there would be no response. In this International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, World Health Day will highlight the current status of nursing and around the world. WHO and its partners will make a series of recommendations to strengthen of the nursing and midwifery workforce….”
WHO - State of the World’s Nursing Report - 2020
WHO;
First ever ‘State of the World’s Nursing report’. “The State of the world’s nursing 2020 report provides the latest, most up-to-date evidence on and policy options for the global nursing workforce. It also presents a compelling case for considerable – yet feasible – investment in nursing education, jobs, and leadership. The primary chapters of the report outline the role and contributions of nurses with respect to the WHO “triple billion” targets; the health labour market and workforce policy levers to address the challenges to nurses working to their full potential; the findings from analysis of National Health Workforce Account (NHWA) data from 191 Member States and progress in relation to the projected shortfall of nurses by 2030; and forward-looking policy options for an agenda to strengthen the nursing workforce to deliver the SDGss, improve health for all, and strengthen the primary health care workforce on our journey towards universal health coverage. The report concludes with a call to Member States and other stakeholders to commit to this agenda. …”
A similar report on the midwifery workforce will be launched in 2021.
For some great
coverage (and key messages), see for example:
HPW - Six Million More Nurses Needed Ensure Health for All by 2030, Says New WHO Report
https://www.healthpolicy-watch.org/six-million-more-nurses-needed-ensure-health-for-all-by-2030-says-new-who-report/
“
The world needs 6 million more nurses in the next 15 years in order to reach the Sustainable Development Goals, according to the first-ever State of the World’s Nursing report released by the World Health Organization, Nursing Now, and the International Council of Nurses. The report, released Tuesday on World Health Day, explores challenges and successes faced by the world’s largest cadre of health workers, whose essential roles have been highlighted even more dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. … … There are just under 28 million certified nurses working around the world today. However, the distribution of nurses is highly unequal – approximately 80% of nurses serve only 50% of the world’s population. The greatest shortages of nurses are in Africa, South East Asia and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region as well as some parts of Latin America. …”
And
Devex -
WHO estimates global shortfall of 5.9M nurses as world battles COVID-19 (with quotes from
Giorgio Cornetto, among others )
UN News – COVID-19 highlights nurses’ vulnerability as backbone to health services worldwide
UN News;
“ Nurses are on the frontline fighting COVID-19 but “an alarming failure” in the global supply of protective clothing and new coronavirus tests – together with “unprecedented” overwork linked to global staff shortages - have highlighted how vulnerable they are, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. The development coincides with an impassioned personal message from UN Secretary-General António Guterres to the world’s medical professionals for World Health Day, marked on Tuesday 7 April.”
Lancet Editorial – The status of nursing and midwifery in the world
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30821-7/fulltext?utm_campaign=eds20&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social
“
Two reports mark the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, and World Health Day, April 7, in honour of their vital work providing health services. State of the World's Nursing 2020, released today, is a comprehensive analysis of nursing around the world, produced by WHO with the International Council of Nurses and Nursing Now. The third global State of the World's Midwifery, building on 2011 and 2014 editions, is due in 2021, and will be foreshadowed by a May, 2020, forum for action organised by WHO, the International Confederation of Midwives, and the International Council of Nurses. These evidence-based reports are essential tools to inform international, regional, and national policy dialogues about where and how to invest in the nursing and midwifery workforces to improve primary health care, strengthen emergency response and resilience, and achieve health for all….”
COVID-19 Emergency – PSI priorities and perspectives
https://publicservices.international/resources/news/covid-19-emergency--psi-priorities-and-perspectives?id=10694&lang=en
“
PSI (Public Services International – the global union federation of workers in public services) realises the moment we are living in requires the whole trade union movement to focus on two fronts: a set of immediate targeted emergency actions and an economic response (composed of 8 points each).”
Hard-hitting recommendations – no empty waffling about ‘honoring our health care heroes’ here 😊.
PSI - Breaking the “cycle of panic and neglect” with solidarity and action
https://publicservices.international/resources/news/breaking-the-cycle-of-panic-and-neglect-with-solidarity-and-action?id=10700&lang=en
“
This year’s World Health Day falls during the gravest public health emergency in the history of the World Health Organization (WHO). Supporting nurses, midwives and all health workers at this moment requires a genuine return to the spirit of the Alma Ata Conference for health as a fundamental human right, based on a radical new economy which guarantees quality public services for all. Healthcare workers on the front line of the COVID-19 response face a perilous situation. They are overstretched because our hospitals are grossly understaffed. And there is not enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect them properly. This sobering situation is worrying for health workers and their families. It also impedes the global pandemic response. Years of privatisation and cuts in the funding of public healthcare preceded this morbid scenario of unpreparedness of health systems. Based on a neoliberal consensus, pushed with the policies and programmes of the international financial institutions, governments have slashed wages and put ceilings on health and social sector employment, despite the pressing need for employing more health workers….”
“As Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus pointed out, the world has to break the cycle of panic and neglect. This can be achieved by applying the positive actions taken by some WHO member states thus far and implementing subsisting international covenants which could ensure universal public health. To achieve this, PSI calls on all governments to:… (with then a number of recommendations, starting by: “Urgently make PPE available to all health workers, including community health workers, as well as workers in all sectors with high risk of contagion. And COVID-19 should officially be considered an actionable occupational disease in the health sector….”
And some links:
Among others, with some great Policy Recommendations to Protect and Support Frontline Health Workers in Low- and Middle Income Countries.
Forbes - Can We Reimagine Global Health In The Post-Pandemic World?
Madhukar Pai;
https://www.forbes.com/sites/madhukarpai/2020/04/06/can-we-reimagine-global-health-in-the-post-pandemic-world/#50ae7ae64c22
Must-read. Plain & simple.
«
When the pandemic is eventually brought under control (hopefully soon!), I believe, along with a dozen experts I interviewed, it will profoundly change the field of global health. In some ways, the pandemic will make global health easier. In other ways, the pandemic will make global health much harder. Much harder…. »
And now,
over to the dreaded Covid-19 section (and disease). Now with over 1.6 million cases and more than 95000 deaths… (via
JH ).
As already mentioned last week, we will again try to
structure the Covid info-tsunami. (1) Resources; (2) key updates/news & WHO messages; (3) funding & initiatives; (4) science; (5) analysis (+ some final snippets).
Covid-19 Resources
The Covid-19 related resources keep on growing, near exponentially – not unlike the virus itself (sigh).
Evidence to inform the COVID-19 response: Collection of Health Policy & Planning papers
http://blogs.lshtm.ac.uk/hppdebated/2020/04/08/evidence-to-inform-the-covid-19-response-collection-of-hpp-papers/
“
What measures were effective in previous pandemics? Can we anticipate the impacts of COVID-19 on nutrition, mental health and other health issues in order to address them proactively? What is health systems resilience and does it explain why some countries are combatting COVID-19 more effectively? These and other critical questions during the COVID-19 health emergency have been addressed by robust health policy and systems research published in Health Policy and Planning. We have made a special collection of papers freely accessible….”
IMF Tracking Policy Responses to COVID-19
http://sdg.iisd.org/news/imf-tracking-policy-responses-to-covid-19/
“
The [IMF] COVID-19 Policy Tracker summarizes the economic responses that governments are taking to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tracker includes information regarding number of COVID-19 cases, deaths and containment measures for each of 193 economies; it also summarizes each economy's fiscal, monetary and macro-financial, and exchange rate and balance of payments policy responses.”
WHO (Alliance for HPSR ) - Bringing together evidence to tackle COVID-19
https://www.who.int/alliance-hpsr/news/2020/bringing-evidence-together-for-covid-19/en/
The Alliance is currently supporting #rapidreview platforms that are working on #COVID19 responses. But many others are gathering evidence to tackle the disease. Find resources for #rapidreviews and #evidencesynthesis on #covid19 …
UNAIDS - New innovations map to strengthen the response to COVID-19
https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/featurestories/2020/april/20200408_covid-19-innovations
“
A Coronavirus Innovation Map has been launched by StartupBlink together with the Health Innovation Exchange—a UNAIDS initiative to leverage the potential of innovations to improve the health of all—and the Moscow Agency of Innovations….”
COVID-19 and Fragility
http://www3.compareyourcountry.org/states-of-fragility/covid/0/
“
In light of the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, the States of Fragility platform, hosted by the Crises & Fragility team in the Global Partnerships & Policies Division of the Development Cooperation Directorate (DCD), will provide key resources and analysis on COVID-19 and fragile contexts. This page features data and visualizations on COVID-19 rates in the 58 fragile contexts on the 2018 OECD fragility framework, updated daily. It also links to publications from the Crises & Fragility team related to COVID-19 and forced displacement, conflict, and fragility….”
IHP – preparedness checklist for Covid-19, especially focusing on limited resource/rural settings in India. (but also relevant for other LMIC settings)
https://iphindia.org/iph-contributing-to-fight-covid-19/
Via one of the initiators,
NS Prashanth: “
Amidst the talk of ventilators and all the specialist advice the strength of Indian/many other country settings is indeed our community-oriented PHC based health systems and hence PHC preparedness will be an important element in responsiveness to COVID-19. “ “I believe this resource may be helpful in many other contexts as well. …”
See also the link from
The George Institute of GH - India website:
COVID-19 Preparedness Checklist For Rural Primary Health Care & Community Settings
New WHO interim guidance - Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19
https://www.who.int/publications-detail/advice-on-the-use-of-masks-in-the-community-during-home-care-and-in-healthcare-settings-in-the-context-of-the-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)-outbreak
For more on this new document ( released 6 April) (and how it’s been received), see the section on Key News
- “This document provides advice on the use of masks in communities, during home care, and in health care settings in areas that have reported cases of COVID-19. It is intended for individuals in the community, public health and infection prevention and control (IPC) professionals, health care managers, health care workers (HCWs), and community health workers. This updated version includes a section on Advice to decision makers on the use of masks for healthy people in community settings.”
WHO - “Solidarity” clinical trial for COVID-19 treatments
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/global-research-on-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov/solidarity-clinical-trial-for-covid-19-treatments
With all updates on the ongoing “Solidarity” clinical trial for COVID-19 treatments.
New WHO guidance on disability
(26 March)
Disability considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak
Nature summarizes must-read papers & preprints on Covid-19 from across all publications
Nature;
Continuously updated.
K2P Covid-19 Rapid response series
Fadi el Jardali et al ;
https://www.aub.edu.lb/k2p/Documents/K2P%20COVID_19%20Rapid%20Response%20Series%20Suppressing%20COVID_19%20Epidemic%20through%20Community%20Centered%20Care%20Approach.pdf
“
K2P COVID-19 Rapid Response Series is a collection of evidence-informed policy documents that aim to inform and provide insights for action to help shape the collective response needed to address COVID-19. …”
See for example :
IDS – K4D COVID-19 Health Evidence Summaries
IDS;
“K4D is publishing daily Health Evidence Summaries to signpost DFID and other UK government departments to the latest relevant evidence and discourse on COVID-19 to inform and support their response.”
UN Women - COVID-19 and ending violence against women and girls
https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2020/04/issue-brief-covid-19-and-ending-violence-against-women-and-girls#view
“This brief highlights emerging evidence of the impact of the recent global pandemic of COVID-19 on violence against women and girls. It makes recommendations to be considered by all sectors of society, from governments to international organizations and to civil society organizations, in order to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, at the onset, during, and after the public health crisis, with examples of actions already taken. It also considers the economic impact of the pandemic and its implications for violence against women and girls in the long term….”
Covid-19 key news updates & WHO messages
Some key news from the past week, as well as WHO messages (and commotion, unfortunately)…
You will have noticed that
this section is not always clearly differentiated from the next ( Covid-19 funding & initiatives), but let’s just say that the emphasis is more on the
big bucks, in that latter section 😊.
Some key news & updates, with
some of the more recent ones first.
For some of the latest (global) updates (
10 April), see
The Guardian -
Global coronavirus cases pass 1.5 million amid fears of second wave of outbreaks or
Cidrap News -
Nations eye COVID-19 lockdown extensions as global cases rise
Science news - ‘We will have many body bags.’ WHO chief responds to Trump’s criticisms
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/we-will-have-many-body-bags-who-chief-responds-trumps-criticisms
On a no-nonsense
media briefing by dr. Tedros on Wednesday. “
The head of the World Health Organization today gave an impassioned but indirect rejoinder to recent comments from U.S. President Donald Trump criticizing WHO’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and suggesting he would try to cut its U.S. funding. “Please quarantine politicizing COVID,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in response to a question from ScienceInsider about Trump’s comments. “We will have many body bags in front of us if we don’t behave.” Tedros also indirectly addressed Trump’s criticisms of China’s early handling of the pandemic and claims that WHO is too accommodating to the Chinese government. “The United States and China should come together and fight this dangerous enemy,” he said, urging politicians not to exploit global political differences. “It’s like playing with fire,” he said. “When there are cracks at national level and global level that’s when the virus succeeds. For God’s sake, we have lost more than 60,000 citizens of the world.”
Cfr a tweet
: “@drtedros says he wants three things: 1. unity at national level 2. honest solidarity at global level incl. honest leadership from US and China 3. "quarantine politicising" of #covid19”.
See also
Cidrap News (8 April)
- Pandemic cases hit 1.5 million; WHO head dismisses Trump criticism
“Regarding the claim that the WHO is too close to China, he said the WHO is close to every nation. "We're color blind. We're wealth blind. Weak and strong, the same," Tedros said. "We respect every nation. We work with every nation. We try to understand the problems of every nation."”
See also
UN News –“ 100 days of unwavering commitment “ (on WHO’s remarkable track record so far, listed by Tedros in his
media briefing of 8 April (which we recommend you read in full)
“With Thursday marking 100 days since WHO was first notified about the new coronavirus, Tedros gave an overview of the agency’s output during this period. “It’s incredible to reflect on how dramatically the world has changed, in such a short period of time”, he remarked. The UN health chief said WHO has been “working day and night” in five key areas which include helping countries in both preparation and response, countering the “infodemic” surrounding the disease, and ensuring supplies of medical equipment for front line healthcare workers. … … WHO and private sector partners, including the International Chamber of Commerce and the World Economic Forum, are ramping up production and distribution of essential medical supplies…. UN agencies are also contributing to a UN COVID-19 Supply Chain Task Force, launched on Wednesday, which will match supply with needs, among other goals….”
For a great overview of these “
five pillars”, see
UN News -
5 reasons the world needs WHO, to fight the COVID-19 pandemic Tedros
outlined five ways the agency is leading the global response.
WHO Timeline (published on April 8) -
WHO Timeline - COVID-19
Starting on
December 31.
CNBC - WHO chief addresses death threats, racist insults: ‘I don’t give a damn’
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/08/who-chief-addresses-death-threats-racist-insults-i-dont-give-a-damn.html?__source=twitter%7Cmain
Still on the same conference call: “
The leader of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he’s received death threats and racist insults while running the global efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic. “I can tell you personal attacks that have been going on for more than two, three months. Abuses, or racist comments, giving me names, Black or Negro. I’m proud of being Black, proud of being Negro,” he told reporters on a conference call from the organization’s Geneva headquarters on Wednesday. “I don’t care to be honest ... even death threats. I don’t give a damn.”
Stat - Trump pledges to put a hold on U.S. funding for the World Health Organization
https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/07/trump-hold-who-funding/
And this was obviously big news worldwide this week, mostly for the wrong reasons.
“President Trump said Tuesday that the United States would halt funding to the World Health Organization, the global health agency that has been a leading voice in coordinating the world’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The shocking announcement appears to be in response to Trump’s anger over the WHO’s criticisms of U.S. policy. “They’ve been wrong about a lot of things,” Trump said. “We’re going to put a hold on money [sent] to the WHO. We’re going to put a very powerful hold on it.” Later in the briefing, Trump said his announcement was not a decision to end all U.S. funding for the agency, but rather a chance to give his administration the chance to “look at it.” …”
Reuters - WHO denies being 'China-centric' after Trump comment
Reuters;
“World Health Organization officials on Wednesday denied that the body was “China-centric” and said that the acute phase of a pandemic was not the time to cut funding, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would put contributions on hold. “We are still in the acute phase of a pandemic so now is not the time to cut back on funding,” Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, told a virtual briefing in response to a question about Trump’s remarks. Dr Bruce Aylward, senior advisor to the WHO Director-General, also defended the U.N. agency’s relationship with China, saying its work with Beijing authorities was important to understand the outbreak which began in Wuhan. “It was absolutely critical in the early part of this outbreak to have full access to everything possible, to get on the ground and work with the Chinese to understand this,” he told reporters. “This is what we did with every other hard hit country like Spain and had nothing to do with China specifically.”
See also
the Guardian -
Now is not the time to cut WHO funds, says official after Trump threat “US president and supporters have accused organisation of being biased towards China.”
Guardian - Trump scapegoating of WHO obscures its key role in tackling pandemic
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/08/world-health-organization-coronavirus-donald-trump
Balanced (and recommended analysis) of the (
pretty good) WHO track record so far in this pandemic, with the view of many global health scholars (like
A Jha, G Yamey, L Gostin).
The one issue where Trump has perhaps a point: “
The US president’s accusations that the WHO is “China-centric” have more resonance with public health scholars….”
Guardian - Global coronavirus cases near 1.5m as fresh WHO row erupts
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/09/global-coronavirus-cases-near-15m-as-fresh-who-row-erupts
“…
accusations of racism in fight between Taiwan and WHO…” Let’s hope this gets sorted soon between Tedros & Taiwan – nobody wins from this…
Excerpt:
“
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that he had been subjected to months of attacks, including racist ones against him and black communities, and accused Taiwan of condoning the “campaign”. “This attack came from Taiwan,” said Tedros. “Taiwan, the foreign minister, they know the campaign and they don’t disassociate themselves. “They even started criticising me in the middle of all those insults and slurs.” On Thursday, Taiwan’s foreign ministry demanded a clarification and apology for what it said was a “groundless” accusation and an “extremely irresponsible act of slander”. It said the government in no way condoned or encouraged personal attacks on Tedros. “Taiwan’s 23 million population also experiences serious discrimination from the global health system,” the ministry said. “We can relate [to Tedros] and we condemn any form of discrimination and injustice.”…”
ABC News - Intelligence report warned of coronavirus crisis as early as November: Sources
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/intelligence-report-warned-coronavirus-crisis-early-november-sources/story?id=70031273
“
As far back as late November, U.S. intelligence officials were warning that a contagion was sweeping through China’s Wuhan region, changing the patterns of life and business and posing a threat to the population, according to four sources briefed on the secret reporting. Concerns about what is now known to be the novel coronavirus pandemic were detailed in a November intelligence report by the military's National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI), according to two officials familiar with the document’s contents. The report was the result of analysis of wire and computer intercepts, coupled with satellite images. It raised alarms because an out-of-control disease would pose a serious threat to U.S. forces in Asia -- forces that depend on the NCMI’s work. And it paints a picture of an American government that could have ramped up mitigation and containment efforts far earlier to prepare for a crisis poised to come home. "Analysts concluded it could be a cataclysmic event," one of the sources said of the NCMI’s report. "It was then briefed multiple times to" the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s Joint Staff and the White House…”
Trump’s reaction (via the
Guardian): “
During Wednesday’s White House briefing, Trump also responded to reports that US intelligence officials had warned his office as far back as November that a coronavirus was spreading through China’s Hubei region. According to US media outlet ABC News, a report from the military’s National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI) said it could be “a cataclysmic event” and would threaten US forces in Asia. Trump said: “When I learned about the gravity of [the outbreak] was some time just prior to closing the country to China. So I don’t know exactly, but I’d like to see the information.””
That is probably, for once, true
– see CNN. “
US spy agencies were tracking the rise of the novel coronavirus as early as November, weeks before that information was included in President Donald Trump's daily intelligence briefing, a former US military official told CNN….” “Intelligence is often only elevated to the highest levels of the government once analysts and officials reach a certain threshold of confidence in their assessment. That day came on January 3, the first day the President's daily briefing included information the US intelligence community had gathered about the contagion in China and the potential it had to spread, including to the US, according to a person briefed on the matter.”
Vox - US allies express dismay over US handling of global medical supply chain
https://www.vox.com/2020/4/4/21208250/coronavirus-trump-canada-germany-spain-brazil
“Other countries complain the US is outbidding them, as a German official accuses its ally of “modern piracy.””
See also
the Guardian on the ‘mask wars’ (& other protective medical equipment) - US accused of 'modern piracy' after diversion of masks meant for Europe
See also FT -
E.U. warns of global bidding war for medical equipment
"
A 'global scramble' for anti-coronavirus medical equipment has broken out, a top Brussels official has warned, after days of angry claims by countries that cargoes have been suddenly diverted to the U.S. Janez Lenarcic, the E.U.'s crisis management commissioner, said it was now 'difficult to arrange an orderly procurement' to ensure crucial pandemic gear such as masks and ventilators went to those who needed them most…”
NYT - In Scramble for Coronavirus Supplies, Rich Countries Push Poor Aside
NYT;
“Developing nations in Latin America and Africa cannot find enough materials and equipment to test for coronavirus, partly because the United States and Europe are outspending them.”
“
Scientists in Africa and Latin America have been told by manufacturers that orders for vital testing kits cannot be filled for months, because the supply chain is in upheaval and almost everything they produce is going to America or Europe. All countries report steep price increases, from testing kits to masks. The huge global demand for masks, alongside new distortions in the private market, has forced some developing countries to turn to UNICEF for help. Etleva Kadilli, who oversees supplies at the agency, said it was trying to buy 240 million masks to help 100 countries but so far had managed to source only around 28 million….”
“
For poorer countries… the competition for resources is potentially a “global catastrophe,” as a once-coherent supply chain has rapidly devolved into an arm-twisting exercise. Leaders of “every country” are personally calling manufacturing chief executives to demand first-in-line access to vital supplies. Some governments have even offered to send private jets….”
Guardian - Market for Chinese-made masks is a madhouse, says broker
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/05/market-for-chinese-made-masks-is-a-madhouse-says-broker
“Manufacturers making huge profits supplying to whoever can pay the most and pay fastest.”
WHO and Global Citizen announce: 'One World: Together at home' Global Special to support healthcare workers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic
https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/06-04-2020-who-and-global-citizen-announce-one-world-together-at-home-global-special-to-support-healthcare-workers-in-the-fight-against-the-covid-19-pandemic
On the plans for a mass virtual concert, “One World – Together At Home” on
Saturday April 18th, involving dozens of celebrity stars such as Sir Elton John and Paul McCartney.The event,
in collaboration with Hugh Evans of Global Citizen, aims to raise money for the WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, particularly for test kits and protective gear to shield health workers in low- and middle-income countries from infection.
Curated by
Lady Gaga. (we’re fans, already since ‘poker face’ 😊).
PS: “Last month in response to the global pandemic, Global Citizen launched an urgent campaign in support of the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO, powered by the UN Foundation. Calling on individuals to take action, and asking world leaders and corporations to support the response with sufficient resources, Global Citizens from over 130 countries around the world have taken tens of thousands of actions in support of the response fund. Commitments from supporters and corporate partners will go to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO to support and equip frontline healthcare workers around the world, with masks, gowns and other vital equipment, and to local charities that provide food, shelter, and healthcare to those that need it most.”
WHO - #HealthyatHome campaign
https://www.who.int/news-room/campaigns/connecting-the-world-to-combat-coronavirus/healthyathome
One of a number of
current WHO campaigns to combat the coronavirus .
“
To unite the world in the fight against coronavirus, WHO is bringing together a wide array of partners on a series of engaging initiatives to motivate and mobilize people to Be Ready to beat COVID-19, and to support the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Musicians, footballers, athletes and artists will help you stay connected and healthy through shows of solidarity, lifesaving health messages and entertainment during lockdown….”
HPW - … Countries Must Protect Health & Livelihoods During COVID-19 Pandemic Say WHO and IMF
https://www.healthpolicy-watch.org/covid-19-infections-hit-one-million-mark-seven-fold-increase-in-new-cases-for-south-east-asia-europe-usa-remain-epicentres/
Coverage of the
joined WHO/IMF media briefing from end of last week.
“
As the global count of COVID-19 cases hit the sobering 1 million mark Thursday midnight, countries should not have to face the choice of protecting lives or protecting livelihoods, World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said at a Friday press briefing. … … “We know that this is much more than a health crisis. We are all aware of the profound social and economic consequences of the pandemic,” said Dr Tedros. “The restrictions many countries have put in place to protect health are taking a heavy toll on the income of individuals and families, the economies of communities and nations”….”
Check out WHO’s & IMF’s respective messages.
- “World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus outlined these three "main areas" countries can emphasize to stem the spread of #Covid19: Fully-funded public health; Strengthened health systems; Removed financial barriers to health care.”
“
At the briefing today, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, PhD, urged all countries to put health expenditures at the top of their priority lists, while the IMF and its partners rush support to desperate countries. So far, 85 countries have approached the IMF for emergency financing. She said the group is deploying its $1 trillion capacity, which includes doubling fast disbursements from $50 billion to $100 billion….”
- At the same briefing, Tedros also called on countries to include services for addressing domestic violence as an essential service that must continue during the COVID-19 response. See WHO.
For more coverage of this
joint IMF/WHO message, see also
the Telegraph -
Some say there is a trade-off: save lives or save jobs – this is a false dilemma
“
At face value there is a trade-off to make: either save lives or save livelihoods. This is a false dilemma – getting the virus under control is, if anything, a prerequisite to saving livelihoods. This is what brings the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) so closely together – the WHO is there to protect the health of people and well-placed to advise on health priorities; the IMF exists to protect the health of the world economy – it advises on economic priorities, and also helps provide financing. Our joint appeal to policymakers, especially in emerging market and developing economies, is to recognise that protecting public health and putting people back to work go hand-in-hand….”
UN News - UN chief calls for domestic violence ‘ceasefire’ amid ‘horrifying global surge’
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061052
Not just Tedros, UN SG Guterres also focused on the horrible rise in domestic violence.
“UN chief António Guterres is calling for measures to address a “horrifying global surge in domestic violence” directed towards women and girls, linked to lockdowns imposed by governments responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a reference to his repeated appeals for a ceasefire in conflicts around the world, to focus on the shared struggle to overcome the virus, the Secretary-General pointed out that violence is not confined to the battlefield, and that “for many women and girls, the threat looms largest where they should be safest: in their own homes”….”
Guardian - China reports zero daily deaths from coronavirus for the first time since January
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/07/china-reports-zero-daily-deaths-from-coronavirus-for-the-first-time-since-january
Some of the merrier news is coming from China these days.
HPW - WHO Refrains From Public Mask Recommendation – Health Workers Need Them First; Intensity of Virus Exposure May Drive More Serious COVID-19 Disease
https://www.healthpolicy-watch.org/who-refrains-from-public-mask-recommendation-health-workers-need-them-first-intensity-of-virus-exposure-may-drive-serious-disease/
The “mask saga” continued this week. “
WHO deferred any broad recommendation to the public on the use of face masks, even as more countries were recommending some kind of a face cover or protective mask to reduce COVID-19 transmission. World Health Organization Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed that health workers need to remain the key priority for the use of medical masks….”
“…
In other key comments, WHO’s head of Emergencies Mike Ryan said there is growing evidence of a strong correlation between the “dose” of viral infection to which an individual is exposed and the severity of disease that they develop, but those questions need to be explored further by researchers.”
See also
the Guardian -
No need for healthy to wear face masks, says WHO after review
“Organisation says no evidence that wearing a mask outdoors prevents Covid-19 infection.”
But do read the
new (interim) WHO guidelines for yourself. See WHO -
Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19
BMJ Analysis – Face masks for the public during the covid-19 crisis
https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/369/bmj.m1435.full.pdf
But the debate on the masks continues. See this stance. “
Trisha Greenhalgh and colleagues argue that it is
time to apply the precautionary principle.”
Key messages: “
The precautionary principle states we should sometimes act without definitive evidence, just in case. Whether masks will reduce transmission of covid-19 in the general public is contested. Even limited protection could prevent some transmission of covid-19 and save lives. Because covid-19 is such a serious threat, wearing masks in public should be advised.”
And a new
BMJ Editorial -
Covid-19: should the public wear face masks?
“Yes—population benefits are plausible and harms unlikely“
Stat - WHO director-general endorses a voluntary intellectual property pool to develop Covid-19 products
https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2020/04/06/covid19-coronavirus-patents-voluntary-pool-world-health/
(April 6) “
Amid the race to find a salve for Covid-19, the World Health Organization director-general has endorsed the idea of creating a voluntary pool to collect patent rights, regulatory test data, and other information that could be shared for developing drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics. The concept was proposed two weeks ago by Costa Rican government officials amid mounting concerns that some Covid-19 medical products may not be accessible for poorer populations. By establishing a voluntary mechanism under the auspices of the WHO, the goal is to establish a pathway that will attract numerous governments, as well as industry, universities and nonprofit organizations. “I support this proposal, and we are working with Costa Rica to finalize the details,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement on Monday.”
In related news (HPW) -
The Netherlands Joins COVID-19 IP Pool Initiative
“
Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Hugo de Jonge on Wednesday offered to support the World Health Organization to develop a pool of intellectual property rights for COVID-19 technologies, just days after WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced WHO’s public support for the initiative….”
The Medicines Patent Pool and Unitaid respond to access efforts for COVID-19 treatments and technologies
https://medicinespatentpool.org/mpp-media-post/the-medicines-patent-pool-and-unitaid-respond-to-access-efforts-for-covid-19-treatments-and-technologies/
(3 April, last week on Friday) “
The Board of the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) has decided to temporarily expand its mandate to include any health technology that could contribute to the global response to COVID-19 and where licensing could facilitate innovation and access. With the support of Unitaid, this will allow MPP to offer its IP and licensing expertise to the World Health Organization (WHO) to assist the global effort in any way it can. Both MPP and Unitaid underline their commitment to jointly ensure equitable and timely access to medicines and diagnostics by the most vulnerable populations, as stressed in the G20 Leaders’ 26 March 2020 Statement….”
Reuters - U.N. agency says coronavirus emergency could trump some patent rights
https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-patents/u-n-agency-says-coronavirus-emergency-could-trump-some-patent-rights-idUKKBN21P1PZ
“
Discussions are under way on enabling wider access to some patented drugs and medical supplies during the coronavirus pandemic, the head of the U.N.’s intellectual property agency said on Tuesday. “Francis Gurry, director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), said that during an emergency, health and safety “trumps everything”.
“…WIPO’s Gurry, asked about demands for access to drugs and compulsory licensing, told a separate news conference: “This is a hot issue, and it’s a very sensitive issue as well.” But extraordinary situations call for “extraordinary measures”, he said, adding: “The international legal framework does foresee a certain number of flexibilities for countries to be able to deal with health in particular and health emergencies. “If they are targeted, such as the compulsory license situation, a very specific compulsory license on a very specific product to ensure the supply of product in the market, that’s arguably the sort of action that we need,” he said….”
FT - Covid-19 drugs could be made for $1 per day, say academics
https://www.ft.com/content/e72d0ed3-11c7-43f6-a5e4-53e446f1e5a2
(gated) “Study argues prices for potential treatments are far higher than the actual cost of production.”
FT – African health officials warn of chronic medical shortages
https://www.ft.com/content/72ed316a-32fb-4ae2-aa91-8885e8bbc1d0
“
African health officials have warned of a chronic shortage of the critical care equipment needed to fight coronavirus as the outbreak gathers pace on the continent. Sierra Leone has just one ventilator for its 7.5m people. In the Central African Republic there are three machines for 5m citizens, while Burkina Faso has 11 for a population of 19m.“There is an enormous gap in the numbers of ventilators needed,” said Matshidiso Moeti, head of the World Health Organization Africa. “And this happens in the context of a global shortage and lockdowns that will make transportation of these ventilators a challenge.” … … Both the WHO and Africa CDC are working on an inventory of African countries’ capacity and needs. Some 17 governments — including Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique and South Sudan — have told the WHO they have no intensive care unit capacity to treat severe cases of the virus….”
See also
Devex - These countries have only a handful of ventilators with info on “
a new report by the International Rescue Committee looking at preparedness among fragile and conflict-affected countries in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic….”
Nature - African nations missing from coronavirus trials
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01010-7
From late last week
. “And a new, influential research consortium launches a bid to accelerate trials in low-income countries.”
“The World Health Organization says it wants many more African nations to participate in its SOLIDARITY trial, a global study of four potential COVID-19 treatments. The call comes as a new international consortium of researchers urges faster action on clinical research in countries with weak health systems — and offers to help coordinate the process so that researchers from Africa can more easily join. … … At the same time, countries are moving ahead with their own trials….”
Guardian - Former world officials call on US to ease Iran sanctions to fight Covid-19
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/06/former-world-officials-call-on-us-to-ease-iran-sanctions-to-fight-covid-19
“Group of former diplomats and ministers says shifting rules on medical trade could save hundreds of thousands of lives.”
Politico – The United Nations goes missing
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/08/united-nations-coronavirus-176187
Pessimistic update on the UN security council & Covid-19. “
It took more than three months, a death toll above 87,000 and cases in more than 180 countries, repeated pleas from smaller nations, and a growing sense of shame among senior diplomats — but the United Nations Security Council is finally going to meet to discuss the coronavirus. That is, in a private session unlikely to yield any serious action….”
Interesting read though.
Meanwhile, the meeting took place, see
Reuters -
U.N. Security Council meets over coronavirus as it struggles to act “
The United Nations Security Council met for the first time on Thursday to discuss the coronavirus pandemic as the 15-member body - charged with maintaining international peace and security - struggles to agree on whether it should take any action….”
“
In recent weeks, council members have been negotiating two draft resolutions. The five veto-wielding powers - the United States, China, France, Russia and Britain - have been discussing a French text. The remaining 10 members - elected for two-year terms - have been discussing a Tunisian draft. … … The council met on Thursday at the request of nine of the elected members. After the meeting the council issued a short statement, agreed by consensus, which expressed support for Guterres’ efforts concerning “the potential impact of COVID-19 pandemic to conflict-affected countries.”…”
UN News - ‘Overwhelmed’ health systems have little room for sick refugees, migrants, UN agencies warn
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061062
“
Four prominent United Nations system entities have called on countries to protect refugees, migrants, stateless persons and those forcibly displaced by disasters and conflict – some of the world’s most vulnerable populations – against the rapidly expanding COVID-19 pandemic. In a joint statement released today, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN human rights office (OHCHR) and the World Health Organization (WHO) stressed that refugees, migrants and displaced persons are at heightened risk of contracting the new coronavirus disease. … … “Three quarters of the world's refugees and many migrants are hosted in developing regions where health systems are already overwhelmed and under-capacitated,” the statement reads. It notes that many of them live in overcrowded camps, settlements, makeshift shelters or reception centres, where they lack adequate access to health services, clean water and sanitation.”
Guardian - ‘The NHS needs them’: UK urged to join countries mobilising migrant medics
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/apr/08/the-nhs-needs-them-uk-urged-to-join-countries-mobilising-migrant-medics
As several countries relax immigration rules for medically-trained refugees and migrants in the wake “of coronavirus, campaigners are calling for Britain to follow suit.”
On this issue, see also a
Devex op-ed (by D Vervoort) -
The COVID-19 pandemic — peak of solidarity or peak of neocolonialism?
Excerpt: “…
the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs announced that it is actively seeking to recruit foreign medical professionals, expediting visa processes to allow them to work in the United States. The call to recruit foreign medical professionals is an ironic tangent to the long history of refusing visas to, often, qualified workers, scientists, and health care professionals. While brain drain is a never-ending process and, in a time of rapid globalization, free movement of skilled people is inevitable, encouraging front-line workers to leave countries in need during a pandemic is not only unethical and immoral but also incredibly harmful….”
WHO slams 'racist' calls for Africa to be vaccine testing ground
https://www.wionews.com/world/who-slams-racist-calls-for-africa-to-be-vaccine-testing-ground-290975
“
The World Health Organization chief on Mondy slammed recent comments made by scientists suggesting a vaccine for the new coronavirus should be tested in Africa as "racist" and a hangover from the "colonial mentality". "Africa cannot and will not be a testing ground for any vaccine," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual news conference… "We will follow all the rules to test any vaccine or therapeutics all over the world... whether it is in Europe, Africa or wherever," he added….”
See also
Deutsche Welle -
French doctor apologizes for 'Africa' coronavirus test idea
“
Suggesting Africans test a "repurposed" tuberculosis vaccine to help find a COVID-19 vaccine has triggered outrage. A French anti-racism group slammed the idea floated by two French doctors, one of whom has apologized.”
Business insider - Bill Gates is funding new factories for 7 potential coronavirus vaccines, even though it will waste billions of dollars
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/bill-gates-factories-7-different-vaccines-to-fight-coronavirus-2020-4
“The Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates told “The Daily Show” on Thursday that his foundation was funding the construction of factories for seven coronavirus vaccine candidates. Gates said the foundation would end up picking only one or two of the seven, meaning billions of dollars spent on manufacturing would be abandoned….”
Stat - A $30 billion gamble: Pandemic expert calls for making Covid-19 vaccines before we know they work
https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/07/pandemic-expert-calls-for-making-coronavirus-vaccines-before-we-know-they-work/
Excerpts of this
interview with Hatchett (CEPI CEO):
“Political leaders and captains of industry know preventing Covid-19 infections is the only way to get the global economy back on its feet, said Richard Hatchett, CEO of an organization tailor-made to help spur the critical work of making vaccines. They also know, he said, that vaccine development will not be cheap. Hatchett heads CEPI — the Oslo, Norway-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. By the third week of January, CEPI had already signed funding agreements with three groups racing to develop vaccines. Since then, its portfolio has grown to eight, with more on the way….” “… “So we’re actually up, I believe, to around $660 million toward the $2 billion goal.”
“Bill Gates was talking recently about the need to build vaccine production capacity now, on spec. The problem with that is we don’t know what vaccine platforms are going to work. How do you anticipate that? Or do you think a lot of platforms are going to work with this?
“I think you have to assume that a lot of platforms are going to fail because that’s just our experience with vaccine development. I think — we’ve been quite candid with our donors about this — if we want vaccines as fast as we possibly can and we don’t want to compromise safety, i.e. we want to have a rational clinical development program, we’re going to have to take an awful lot of financial risk, which means doing exactly what Mr. Gates was describing. It means investing in manufacturing capacity for everything — right now — and scaling it up — right now — and even beginning full-scale manufacturing before we know if the vaccine even works.
And that means a huge commitment of resources. That’s well beyond the $2 billion that I’ve been talking about. That’s talking tens of billions of dollars if you include the cost of manufacturing hundreds of millions or billions of doses. And that’s the reality that political leaders need to understand. They also need to weigh that reality. I mean they shouldn’t balk at that. They’re financing trillion-dollar rescue packages for the economy. The fastest path out of this is having lots of vaccine as fast as possible. And if that means making a $30 billion bet, then it means making a $30 billion bet….”
Nature News - If a coronavirus vaccine arrives, can the world make enough?
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01063-8
Recommended read. “Researchers warn production constraints and hoarding could limit SARS-CoV-2 vaccine supplies.”
Quote:
“The production facilities needed will depend on which kind of vaccine turns out to work best. Some researchers say governments and private funders should give vaccine manufacturers money to ramp up their production capacity in advance, even if these facilities are never used. Although money has been pledged to help with this, the promises fall short of the billions of dollars that public-health experts say is needed. Resources for coronavirus will also have to be balanced against the need for other vaccines. Manufacturing facilities around the world can churn out hundreds of millions of doses of influenza vaccine each year, and companies are used to stepping up production at times of high demand. But if billions of people need a new kind of vaccine for coronavirus, and firms continue making the normal array of shots against influenza, measles, mumps and rubella, and other diseases, there could be a production shortage, says David Heymann…”
Reuters - China must step up on Africa debt relief, Ghana finance minister says
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-africa-debt/china-must-step-up-on-africa-debt-relief-ghana-finance-minister-says-idUSKBN21P0Q0
“
China must do more to help ease the debt burden of African countries facing economic calamity from the coronavirus pandemic, Ghana’s finance minister said. Africa accounts for just a fraction of global cases of the disease, but its countries already feel the impact, with the continent’s economies expected to contract, putting about 20 million jobs at risk. “My feeling is that China has to come on stronger,” Ken Ofori-Atta said during a conversation on Monday with Masood Ahmed, president of the Washington-based Center for Global Development that was posted on the think-tank’s website. “African debt to China is $145 billion or so, over $8 billion of payments is required this year ... So that needs to be looked at.”…”
On this issue –
increasingly the world is also looking at China to contribute on the debt relief needed – see also the Analysis section.
Xinhua - Jack Ma Foundation, Alibaba Foundation make second round of COVID-19 donations to Africa
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-04/08/c_138955618.htm
“
Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundations have made a second round of donations to support Africa in the fight against COVID-19. This donation of medical supplies goes to all 54 countries in Africa as the continent grapples with the rise in the number of people infected with the virus. "Batches of medical supplies for Africa are en route with 500 ventilators, 200,000 suits and face shields, 2,000 thermometers, a million swabs and extraction kits, and 500,000 gloves," the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation said in a statement on Monday. … Apart from the medical supplies, the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation are connecting African medical professionals with doctors from China and around the world to collaborate online and exchange hard-earned lessons in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.”
NPR - Aid Groups Say They've Never Faced A Challenge Like The Novel Coronavirus
NPR;
“Humanitarian groups say they've never had to face a challenge like the novel coronavirus.” Read why: billions of dollars are needed but who will give? Staff can’t go where they needed; Rich countries may hold onto medical equipment for their own fight against the coronavirus; still, in spite of everything, all hope is not lost.
Guardian - Coronavirus putting world on track for new Great Depression, says WTO
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/08/coronavirus-putting-world-on-track-for-new-great-depression-says-who
“International trade has dried up as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and could be on course for a collapse as severe as that of the 1930s Great Depression, the World Trade Organization has said. The Geneva-based WTO, responsible for policing the global trading system, said even the most optimistic scenario for 2020 was that trade would shrink by 13%, a bigger drop than in the 2008-09 recession caused by the banking crisis. But it warned there was the risk of a much gloomier outcome under which trade would shrivel by 32%, on a par with the reduction seen between 1929 and 1932….”
Guardian - Coronavirus could turn back the clock 30 years on global poverty
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/apr/09/coronavirus-could-turn-back-the-clock-30-years-on-global-poverty
“
Half a billion people could be pushed into poverty as economies around the world shrink because of the coronavirus outbreak, a new study has warned. Poverty levels in developing countries could be set back by up to 30 years, research released by the United Nations University’s World Institute for Development Economics Research warned on Thursday. “The impact will be quite devastating,” said co-author Andy Sumner, international development professor at King’s College London, who warned of a “poverty tsunami”. “Covid could lead to a very large increase in global poverty, in fact it could send the world back 10 years and could send some regions back 30 years,” said Sumner….”
For more very dire predictions, see also
the Guardian -
Coronavirus could push half a billion people into poverty, Oxfam warns
“
More than half a billion more people could be pushed into poverty unless urgent action is taken to bail out poor countries affected by the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, Oxfam has warned. Ahead of three key international meetings next week, the charity said the impact of shutting down economies to prevent the virus spreading risked setting back the fight against poverty by a decade globally – and by 30 years in the hardest-pressed countries of sub-Saharan Africa, north Africa and the Middle East. An Oxfam report published before virtual meetings of finance ministers of the G20 group of leading developed and developing nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, said by the time the pandemic was over half of the world’s population of 7.8 billion people could be living in poverty. The research – conducted by King’s College London and the Australian National University – said that a 20% drop in income as a result of a recession caused by Covid-19 would push an additional 548 million people below $5.50 a day – one of the World Bank’s definitions of poverty. The meetings of the G20, the IMF and the World Bank will discuss plans to offer debt relief to the world’s poorest countries and whether to increase the funds available to the IMF through the creation of special drawing rights (SDRs), a form of international currency that can be used to help struggling countries. The UN, which says $2.5tn is needed to support developing countries through the crisis, says
nearly half of all jobs in Africa could be lost….”
See the
new Oxfam report (9 April) – “Dignity, not Destitution” – “
An ‘Economic Rescue Plan For All’ to tackle the Coronavirus crisis and rebuild a more equal world.”
“An ‘Emergency Rescue Package for All’ would enable poor countries to provide cash grants to those who have lost their income and to bail out vulnerable small businesses. It would be paid for through a variety of measures including: The immediate cancellation of US$1 trillion worth of developing country debt payments in 2020. … . The creation of at least US$1 trillion in new international reserves, known as Special Drawing Rights, to dramatically increase the funds available to countries. ….”
PS: There’s also an increasing fear that
the global health crisis is morphing into a global food crisis (Guardian).
ILO warns of ‘devastating’ consequences of COVID-19 on labour markets
https://www.euractiv.com/section/economy-jobs/news/ilo-warns-of-devastating-consequences-of-covid-19-on-labour-markets/
“Lockdown measures decided across the globe to fight the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, are having “devastating” consequences on labour markets, affecting around 81% of the world’s workforce, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) warned on Tuesday (7 April).”
“This is the greatest test for international cooperation in more than 75 years,” ILO’s Director-General Guy Ryder said in a statement. The ILO has monitored the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the world’s labour markets over the past few weeks. Since its first report on 18 March, lockdown measures taken to contain the spread of the disease has affected already around 2.7 billion workers, the organisation estimates.”
See also
ILO - COVID-19 causes devastating losses in working hours and employment.
“
The COVID-19 crisis is expected to wipe out 6.7 per cent of working hours globally in the second quarter of 2020 – equivalent to 195 million full-time workers….”
UN News - Coronavirus-driven debt crisis threatens poor countries already at risk, says UN report
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061492
“As governments struggle to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, billions of people living in countries teetering on the brink of economic collapse are being threatened further by a looming debt crisis, according to a new UN report released on Thursday. In its report, the UN-led Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development explores the steps that governments must take to avert debt overload and address the economic and financial havoc wrought by the pandemic…”
“Particularly alarming for many Least Developed Countries (LDCs) is the prospect of a new debt crisis….”
Some regional analysis
Our
KFF colleagues have daily news links organized per continent/region, so do check out their daily newsletter.
We won’t discuss here all regions/continents, just a few perhaps that caught our attention recently:
Guardian Global Development - Coronavirus in Africa: what happens next?
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/apr/08/coronavirus-in-africa-what-happens-next
View as of 8 April.
Lancet Public Health - COVID and the convergence of three crises in Europe
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(20)30078-5/fulltext
by K Bozorgmehr, D Stuckler, A Kentikelenis et al.
And via
Cidrap News– “
ECDC: Too soon to relax restrictions”
“
As of yesterday, about almost half of all cases (608,500) in the COVID-19 pandemic have come from European countries, where the virus has claimed more than 51,000 lives, the ECDC said. Large increases continue to be reported, but illnesses and deaths have decreased slightly in a few.”
BBC - Coronavirus wreaks havoc in African American neighbourhoods
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52194018
“
Stark statistics from Chicago health officials have underscored the heavy toll of coronavirus on black Americans.”
Social determinants of health… Like elsewhere, Covid-19 is
not a great leveler.
See also
Owen Jones – “
Coronavirus is not some great leveller: it is exacerbating inequality right now” “
Coronavirus is not some grand leveller: it is an amplifier of existing inequalities, injustices and insecurities.”
Some other news links:
(in Sanofi, that is) “
The president has repeatedly touted the anti-malaria drug as a coronavirus treatment despite a lack of medical evidence.”
“Warning comes as destruction of nature increasingly seen as key driver of zoonotic diseases.”
“
American Jack Dorsey putting $1bn into the funding of ‘global Covid-19 relief’”
See also a tweet: “
We need privacy preserving digital health tools for contact tracing and active surveillance. EU has a collaborative effort on this front. Cfr (pre-print): Peer-to-peer contract tracing: a privacy-preserving smartphone application “
Covid-19 Funding & initiatives
As mentioned already above, next week
IMF/WB Spring meetings &
G20 financial ministers’ & central bankers governors’ (15 April) meetings hopefully will lead to some breakthrough.
Some updates:
Reuters - WHO's new funding appeal for coronavirus fight to top $1 billion - diplomats
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-who-idUKKCN21R24E
“
The World Health Organization (WHO) is preparing to launch an appeal soon for more than $1 billion (£807.30 million) to fund operations against the COVID-19 pandemic through year-end, diplomats told Reuters on Thursday. It comes against the backdrop of a salvo lobbed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the WHO over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and suggestions from his administration it might re-evaluate U.S. funding.
The U.N. agency needs more resources than ever as it leads the global response against the disease that has infected 1.4 million people and killed 85,000, diplomats and experts say.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a speech to diplomats on Thursday issued by the WHO, said it would release its latest plan “in the coming days”. “It will be well over $1 billion, maybe several billion,” a Western envoy said. Another diplomat following the discussions said that the appeal would be at least $1 billion….”
Devex - 'The politics of generosity': Brussels aims to counter Chinese narrative on coronavirus
V Chadwick;
https://www.devex.com/news/the-politics-of-generosity-brussels-aims-to-counter-chinese-narrative-on-coronavirus-96944
“
As the European Commission unveils its response to the coronavirus around the world [this week], expect a lot of talk about “Team Europe.” “The European Union is securing more than €15 billion [$16.3 million] to help our partners worldwide to fight coronavirus. And more money will come from our national governments, in a true Team-Europe spirit,” commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Tuesday. “This could help cover immediate needs in the health sector, and it should also support the economy in these countries to keep people in jobs.” The release of the commission’s global COVID-19 policy Tuesday and upcoming meeting of European Union development ministers Wednesday come after an internal note from Koen Doens, the director-general of the commission’s development arm, DEVCO, that emphasized the need for “a strong and coordinated European response in a geopolitical context.” “COVID-19 risks being politicised to the advantage of international actors with a different agenda to ours,” the note read. “This is the case of China, which has moved on from being the cause and the epicentre of the crisis to being perceived as a strong supporter of efforts by affected third countries to contain the crisis.”
Devex – EU rejigs over €15B in existing aid for coronavirus response
https://www.devex.com/news/eu-rejigs-over-15b-in-existing-aid-for-coronavirus-response-96948
Update by Vince Chadwick (April 9) “
The European Commission will reallocate more than €15.6 billion ($16.9 billion) to tackle COVID-19 outside the European Union, with the bloc’s foreign affairs chief vowing that no country will be worse off as a result.”
“The €15.6 billion, of which €5.2 billion came from the European Investment Bank, grew to more than €20 billion by the end of a meeting of EU development officials Wednesday, with a further €4 billion from individual EU member states and €1 billion from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Confirming the additional €5 billion, a spokesperson for the commission did not say which member states had contributed their own money or whether this would be new resources or reallocations of existing commitments. Of the €15.6 billion initially announced by the commission, €3.25 billion is to be channeled to Africa, where cases of COVID-19 this week passed 10,000, with more than 500 deaths….”
“The EU decision to keep its support package within current country envelopes led to some striking results, however. A country-by-country breakdown of the commission announcement, obtained by Devex, shows €8 million going to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, €19 million to Togo, and €17 million to Syria but €322 million to Tunisia and €476 million to Morocco….”
PS: it’s clearly a
trend, to reallocate ODA to Covid19 response. See also
FT -
France to reallocate Africa aid money for fight against coronavirus “
France will reallocate almost €1.2bn of African development aid to the fight against coronavirus.”
Calls for debt relief
BBC - Calls for debt relief for world's poorest nations
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52178968
“More than 100 global organisations are calling for debt payments of developing countries to be dropped this year.”
“These countries include the world's poorest economies which are struggling with the impacts of coronavirus. Major charities including Oxfam and ActionAid International are asking for the debt relief, which would free up more than $25bn (£20bn) this year. They have written to world leaders and major central banks calling for a range of debt relief measures. The call is being spearheaded by UK-based charity Jubilee Debt Campaign and comes a day before a meeting of the G20 group of the world's largest and fastest-growing economies.”
See also the
Guardian:
“
There are also growing calls for dramatic measures to cushion the massive blow delivered by the pandemic to African economies, possibly through widespread cancellation of the massive debts run up by many countries over recent decades. This is more complicated than it sounds however. Once, it was just wealthy western countries and international institutions that were creditors. Now China’s government, banks and companies are owed as much as $160bn while African governments have raised over $55bn on international debt markets in the past two years alone….”
More G20 related advocacy
Guardian - Global leaders urge G20 to tackle twin health and economic crises
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/07/coronavirus-global-leaders-urge-g20-to-tackle-twin-health-and-economic-crises
“Letter
calls for $8bn emergency fund to bolster health systems in world’s poorer countries.”
“
A group of 165 global leaders has called for immediate and coordinated international action to tackle the twin health and economic emergencies caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Past and present politicians – including three former UK prime ministers – joined academics and civil society representatives to warn the G20 that the virus will return unless urgent action is taken to bolster health systems in poor countries of Africa and Latin America. Amid concerns that the fight against Covid-19 is being hampered by a lack of united action by the body that represents leading developed and developing nations, the global leaders said $8bn (£6.4bn) of emergency health funding should be approved to prevent a second wave of infection. A letter from the group urged the G20 to set up a taskforce with executive powers to help coordinate the fight against Covid-19. It called for debt relief for the poorest countries and an increase in the funds available to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. “We are writing to call for immediate internationally coordinated action – within the next few days – to address our deepening global health and economic crises from Covid-19” the letter says….”
Project Syndicate - Now or Never for Global Leadership on COVID-19
Gordon Brown, E Berglöf, J Farrar;
Project Syndicate;
“During the global financial crisis of 2008, G20 leaders coordinated a global response, and in other emergencies – such as tsunamis, civil wars, or epidemics – coalitions of countries have convened donor conferences to generate the necessary resources. Today, we need both.”
“… World leaders should immediately agree to an initial commitment of $8 billion – $1 billion for the World Health Organization to continue its vital work during 2020, and the remainder to support the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to coordinate efforts to develop, manufacture, and distribute effective diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. …”
“The poorest countries need special economic assistance. The international community should begin by waiving this year’s developing-country debt repayments, including $44 billion due from Africa. But the reality is that at least $150 billion in new funds will be needed to protect developing economies. The World Bank can scale up country support while still meeting its lending ceiling. But that will not be enough. In 2009, during the Great Recession, World Bank spending went from $16 billion to $46 billion. A similar expansion of available resources should be guaranteed now. The International Monetary Fund has said it will mobilize all its available resources. The IMF should allocate around $500-600 billion in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)….” “ …. … Time is short. Ideally, all this should be agreed and announced this week and be formally confirmed by the IMF and the World Bank Development Committee when they meet on April 17-19. …”
FT - Wellcome seeks $8bn from business to fight coronavirus
https://www.ft.com/content/d0b36718-797a-487a-add6-8308ce339fc1
(gated) See also Wellcome -
Global COVID-Zero initiative launched to fill $8bn shortfall for coronavirus response
“
Coalition for businesses to help fund vaccines, treatments and testing. Wellcome says this is "world’s best exit strategy" for COVID-19.”
“Wellcome, the global independent foundation, has [today] launched an initiative, COVID-Zero, to help raise at least $8 billion by the end of April to cover a global funding shortfall for vaccines, treatments and testing for coronavirus. This funding gap has been identified by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, an independent body convened by the World Health Organization and the World Bank. Wellcome said that securing this funding now was "the world’s best exit strategy" for tackling coronavirus and would save lives, protect jobs and get the global economy moving again faster than any other option….”
“The $8bn would go to organisations coordinating the global R&D response to this crisis: CEPI, the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, and The Foundation for New Innovative Diagnostics (FIND). It would also go to the World Health Organization Solidarity Fund, to ensure these innovations reach the people who need them the most. The breakdown is as follows: $1.25bn – fund the WHO to support the most vulnerable countries; $3bn – vaccines R&D for COVID-19 ($2bn), plus manufacturing and delivery ($1bn); $2.25bn – therapeutics R&D for COVID-19 plus manufacturing and delivery; $0.75bn – diagnostics R&D for COVID-19 plus manufacturing and delivery; $0.75bn – stockpile of COVID-19 essential PPE, diagnostics, treatments and vaccines.”
Devex - World Bank approves nearly $2B in COVID-19 projects
https://www.devex.com/news/world-bank-approves-nearly-2b-in-covid-19-projects-96921
See also last week’s IHP news. “
The World Bank Board approves $1.9 billion in funding for 25 countries. Bank executives have touted the speed of the financing, but some staff say the process has been hampered by confusion and delays.”
PS: Tweet with an
update on the WB’s pandemic bonds:
“
The first “big day” for the failed #pandemic bonds is on May 15. That’s the soonest the bonds might actually pay toward #COVID19 responses in the poorest countries. This is very late (5 months after outbreak began), certainly not “prompt surge $” promoted by….”
And you might want to ready this
analysis (CGD blog) on pandemic bonds -
A Good Idea Executed Badly: Why the World Bank Should Not Renew the Pandemic Emergency Facility Insurance Window (by E Ritchie et al)
GAVI - COVID-19: Gavi steps up response to pandemic
https://www.gavi.org/news/media-room/covid-19-gavi-steps-response-pandemic
“Up to US$ 200 million available to help lower-income countries to quickly respond to pandemic; US$ 29 million approved as first tranche of funds to protect health workers and boost surveillance, testing. “ “…Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, will provide US$ 29 million in urgent initial funding to 13 lower-income countries to support their response to COVID-19, helping them to protect health care workers with personal protective equipment (PPE), perform vital surveillance and training, and fund diagnostic tests. There are further requests or interest from 21 countries, meaning more support from a total of up to US$ 200 million is likely to be approved in the coming days and weeks. This early funding is designed to provide immediate support until more substantial support from other sources is unlocked….”
Global Fund - Global Fund Partners Unite to Fight
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/2020-04-09-global-fund-partners-unite-to-fight/
“The Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria today unanimously approved a new response mechanism to support countries respond to COVID-19 and mitigate the impact on programs to fight HIV, TB, malaria and systems for health, effectively doubling the amount of available funding to up to US$1 billion. .. The COVID-19 Response Mechanism authorizes funding of US$500 million and comes in addition to up to US$500 million in grant flexibilities that were announced by the Global Fund on 4 March and are already being implemented by 54 countries…”
Devex - Exclusive: DFID poised to announce COVID-19 funding through rapid response network
https://www.devex.com/news/exclusive-dfid-poised-to-announce-covid-19-funding-through-rapid-response-network-96938
“
DFID told NGO leaders to get ready for a new funding package, multiple sources told Devex, after complaints about a lack of NGO engagement in its pandemic response.”
“
DFID plans to release the funding through a rapid response facility that was created during Sierra Leone’s cholera outbreak in 2012 as a way of quickly channeling funds into disaster zones through a group of preapproved organizations….”
Doesn’t sound like a lot of money, though, for the moment.
WHO and UNICEF to partner on pandemic response through COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund
https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/03-04-2020-who-and-unicef-to-partner-on-pandemic-response-through-covid-19-solidarity-response-fund
(3 April) “
WHO and UNICEF [today] announced an agreement to work together on COVID-19 response, through the historic COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund powered by the United Nations Foundation and Swiss Philanthropy Foundation. The COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund has been set up to facilitate an unprecedented global response by supporting the WHO Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan. As part of the agreement, an initial portion of the money from the Fund … will flow to UNICEF for its work with vulnerable children and communities all over the world.
Lady Gaga has raised $35 million in 7 days for the WHO's global coronavirus response fund, and is spearheading a virtual festival
https://www.businessinsider.com/lady-gaga-raising-money-for-who-announces-virtual-concert-april-2020-4?international=true&r=US&IR=T
“Lady Gaga has raised $35 million in seven days from corporations and philanthropists for the World Health Organization's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. “
US State Department - Continuing U.S. Leadership in the Global COVID-19 Response Through Additional U.S. Foreign Assistance
US State - press statement;
“
Thanks to the unmatched generosity of the American people and the efforts of the U.S. Government, the United States has continued to lead the world’s public health and humanitarian response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are building on that leadership, with another $225 million in health, humanitarian, and economic assistance to further boost response efforts worldwide. This new assistance follows the nearly $274 million in aid already deployed by the U.S. government against COVID-19….”
You gotta admit that sometimes that notorious North-Korean tv hostess comes to mind when reading these sort of American (or is it ‘Pompeo/an’?) press releases
😊
Development Today - US think tanks lobby Congress on new health security fund. ‘Last thing health ministers need,’ says Global Fund chief
https://development-today.com/archive/dt-2020/dt-3-2020/stark-warning-from-global-fund-chief-against-proposed-new-health-security-initiative
(gated) “
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, US think tanks are lobbying Congress to back a new USD 1-billion global health security fund. The Executive Director of the Global Fund Peter Sands expresses strong opposition to the idea. The global health space is already “over-complicated” and a new fund is “the last thing health ministers in low-income countries need,” Sands says to Development Today.”
We obviously agree with Peter.
Amanda Glassman already qualified, though, on Twitter: “
Read the proposal - it is not a “new” fund - think of it as new money in an existing organization (we said @WorldBank but could be @GlobalFund !) with the ongoing intention to incentivize and promote GH preparedness.”
Devex - AIIB launches health infrastructure investments in response to COVID-19
https://www.devex.com/news/aiib-launches-health-infrastructure-investments-in-response-to-covid-19-96958
“
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank recently awarded its first health infrastructure investment in response to COVID-19 as it seeks to create a $5 billion crisis recovery facility that will offer financing to public and private entities suffering as a result of the pandemic. The facility is designed to be flexible and adaptable as the situation changes and will provide financing over the next 18 months, the bank said in a statement. AIIB may increase the amount of money in the fund, depending on demand. AIIB is also exploring how it can use its Project Preparation Special Fund to help especially low-income members impacted by COVID-19. The first project approved is a $355 million deal to support public health emergency response in the Chinese cities of Chongqing and Beijing. The bank is also considering a $250 million project to support the Indonesian government’s COVID-19 response and a $500 million project to support India’s response and health system preparedness, both of which would be co-financed with other donors.”
PS: We also recommend you regularly have a look at
Devex’ interactive tracker: Interactive: Who's funding the COVID-19 response and what are the priorities? (updated as of 8 April)
“
Among new initiatives announced by bilateral donors are €1.5 million ($1.6 billion) initiative to improve health monitoring and management of COVID-19 cases by Agence Française de Développement in Africa, and $260 million pledged to Bangladesh, with the U.K. Department for International Development and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency among the donors.”
Covid-19 science
As this is not our niche, in steno-style and again focusing on more or less ‘readable’ publications & coverage related to vaccines, treatment, modelling & much more.
HPW - Significantly More COVID-19 Deaths Are Occurring In US Communities With Higher Air Pollution Levels
https://www.healthpolicy-watch.org/significantly-more-covid-19-deaths-are-occuring-in-us-communities-with-higher-air-pollution-levels/
“
People with COVID-19 are dying at significantly higher rates in communities in the United States with higher air pollution levels, according to a new Harvard University study – the first such study to systematically examine links between air pollution and higher COVID-19 mortality. …”
Cidrap News - Experts: COVID-19 pandemic unlikely to ebb as weather warms
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/04/experts-covid-19-pandemic-unlikely-ebb-weather-warms
Unfortunate news: “
Although some pundits have suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic will dissipate with coming warm temperatures and high humidity in the Northern Hemisphere, the virus is unlikely to be seasonal in nature, according to a paper published yesterday by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine….”
See also
HPW - Experts Warn COVID-19 Pandemic In Northern Hemisphere May Not Wane With Warmer Weather
Guardian - Lockdowns can't end until Covid-19 vaccine found, study says
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/08/lockdowns-cant-end-until-covid-19-vaccine-found-study-says
“
China’s restrictions have brought the first wave to an end but the danger of a second is very real.”
“NEW—Modelling study in the Lancet suggests strict measures have halted #COVID19 spread in China (excl. Hubei), but real-time monitoring of transmissibility & severity needed to minimise 2nd wave. Study prompts global warning against premature relaxation of measures”
For the
study in the Lancet (8 April), see
First-wave COVID-19 transmissibility and severity in China outside Hubei after control measures, and second-wave scenario planning: a modelling impact assessment
Nature – The COVID-19 vaccine development landscape
Nature reviews
Good overview (as of 9 April) by a number of CEPI experts. “…
there are 78 confirmed COVID-19 vaccine candidates, 5 of which have already entered clinical trials…”
The Telegraph - Progress on groundbreaking German antibody test
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/coronavirus-news-latest-boris-johnson-updates-uk-cases-deaths/
“
A groundbreaking study in Germany has found that far more people may have been infected with the coronavirus than previously thought, suggesting the real death rate is as low as 0.37 per cent and that 15 per cent of people may already have immunity. "This means a gradual relaxation of the lockdown is now possible," Prof Hendrik Streeck, the leader of the study said. Prof Streeck and his team are testing over 400 households in Gangelt, the town at the centre of Germany's most serious outbreak, for antibodies to the virus. Initial results showed far more previously undetected cases than expected. The scientists found 15 per cent of those tested had antibodies to the virus. This suggests those who have survived an infection have immunity to the virus, the scientists said….”
Nature - Respiratory virus shedding in exhaled breath and efficacy of face masks
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0843-2
Caused quite a stir, last week, this study – certainly in the US.
See for example a tweet: “
5 year study on face masks published yesterday in Nature. On this evidence EVERYONE in hospital should wear a face mask. And everyone on a bus or train. The data is in this thread.”
Reuters - School closures will have little impact on COVID-19 control, review finds
Reuters;
“School closures do not tend to help contain the spread of infections during outbreaks of disease such as COVID-19, but will have a big impact on how societies restart after lockdown, scientists said on Monday. Data on the effects of school closures on COVID-19 are limited as the pandemic is still under way, but researchers at University College London said evidence from flu epidemics and outbreaks caused by other coronaviruses suggests their impact on the spread of the disease will be small.”
Guardian - Plasma from coronavirus survivors found to help severely ill patients
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/07/plasma-from-coronavirus-survivors-found-to-help-severely-ill-patients
“Blood transfusion studies by teams in China report striking improvements.”
Stat - Gilead ramps up production of experimental Covid-19 treatment amid criticism over access
https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2020/04/05/gilead-covid19-coronavirus-remdesivir/
“
In response to intensifying demand, Gilead Sciences (GILD) has been ramping up production of its experimental remdesivir treatment that is being tested to combat the novel coronavirus. The drug maker now has 1.5 million individual dosages that could be used for more than 140,000 patients and is supplying the medicine, which is being made available through clinical trials and special access programs, at no charge. “Providing our existing supplies at no charge is the right thing to do, to facilitate access to patients as quickly as possible and in recognition of the public emergency posed by this pandemic,” Gilead chief executive officer Daniel O’Day wrote in an open letter released Saturday night. He added the 1.5 million doses will be donated for “broader distribution” following any potential future regulatory approvals….”
Three Weeks, Two Drug Trials: An update on the Therapeutics Accelerator with Trevor Mundel
https://www.gatesfoundation.org/TheOptimist/Articles/coronavirus-interview-trevor-mundel-drug-trials?utm_source=TM&utm_medium=TW&sf120307093=1
Update by the Gates Foundation’s
Trevor Mundel.
Bloomberg – Nations with Mandatory TB Vaccines Show Fewer Coronavirus Deaths
Bloomberg;
“New study finds a correlation, but clinical trials are still in progress.”
HPW - BCG & Ivermectin – Can Old Solutions Be Repurposed For COVID-19?
https://www.healthpolicy-watch.org/bcg-ivermectin-can-old-solutions-be-repurposed-for-covid-19/
“
While much of the public fanfare around new COVID-19 drugs has centered around the lupus drug, hydroxychloroquine, and a failed Ebola remedy, remedisvir, other researchers are keen to explore the potential of other time-worn remedies – although here, too, experts are urging extreme caution. Ivermectin, the antiparasitic drug that turned the tide in the West African fight against river blindness (onchocerciasis) some 30 years ago has been found to slow the growth in the laboratory of SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19. Meanwhile, a widely circulated preprint study claiming that countries with mandatory Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination against tuberculosis may experience lower rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths has led to the initiation of at least two clinical trials on the prophylactic use of BCG in Australia and the Netherlands, with more countries planning on follow suit….”
Science news - Former FDA leaders decry emergency authorization of malaria drugs for coronavirus
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/former-fda-leaders-decry-emergency-authorization-malaria-drugs-coronavirus
“
The recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization (EUA) for two malaria drugs to treat COVID-19, based on thin evidence of efficacy, has jeopardized research to learn the drugs’ real value against the pandemic coronavirus, say former agency executives under President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama. They also charge that the 28 March EUA for chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate undermines FDA’s scientific authority because it appeared to be a response not to scientific evidence, but to fervent advocacy of the drugs by Trump and other political figures….”
Data for Gilead’s potential coronavirus therapy are coming soon. Here’s what you need to know
https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/06/gilead-remdesivir-data-coming-soon/
With self-explanatory title.
Science News - Trials of drugs to prevent coronavirus infection begin in health care workers
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/trials-drugs-prevent-coronavirus-infection-begin-health-care-workers
“…
White and his colleagues at the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit wondered whether widely available drugs could help. They have designed a trial in which 40,000 doctors and nurses in Asia, Africa, and Europe will prophylactically receive chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, two old drugs against malaria. White hopes the trial will start this month, but its launch has been “incredibly difficult because of bureaucratic processes,” he says. The international study is one of several in preparation or underway that seek to use drugs for what is called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a strategy already widely used against HIV. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is funding plans for another huge study that will test the same two drugs in Africa, North America, and Europe. Separate studies of the same drugs are planned or underway in the United States, Australia, Canada, Spain, and Mexico. Researchers are also considering other potential preventives, including nitazoxanide, a drug used to treat parasitic infections, and the antibody-laden serum from people who have recovered from an infection….”
Atlantic – The Best Hopes for a Coronavirus Drug
Atlantic
“
If there is a way to stop COVID-19, it will be by blocking its proteins from hijacking, suppressing, and evading humans’ cellular machinery.”
Nature News - How does COVID-19 kill? Uncertainty is hampering doctors’ ability to choose treatments
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01056-7
“
Doctors are reaching for drugs that dampen the immune response — but these also undermine the body’s own fight against the coronavirus.”
Bloomberg – It’s Still Hard to Predict Who Will Die From Covid-19
Bloomberg;
“
Among individuals in the same risk group — the same age, say — differences in infection outcome can result from
five different variables outside their control.” “The number of viral particles that cause infection, (maybe) genetics, the route by which a virus enters the body, the virulence of the virus and which infections the immune system has fought in the past.”
Science (News) - For survivors of severe COVID-19, beating the virus is just the beginning
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/survivors-severe-covid-19-beating-virus-just-beginning
“Illness and disability loom after weeks on a ventilator.”
NPR - Ventilators Are No Panacea For Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients
NPR;
“
Most coronavirus patients who end up on ventilators go on to die, according to several small studies from the U.S., China and Europe. And many of the patients who continue to live can't be taken off the mechanical breathing machines….”
Mysterious Heart Damage, Not Just Lung Troubles, Befalling COVID-19 Patients
https://khn.org/news/mysterious-heart-damage-not-just-lung-troubles-befalling-covid-19-patients/
“
While the focus of the COVID-19 pandemic has been on respiratory problems and securing enough ventilators, doctors on the front lines are grappling with a new medical mystery. In addition to lung damage, many COVID-19 patients are also developing heart problems — and dying of cardiac arrest. As more data comes in from China and Italy, as well as Washington state and New York, more cardiac experts are coming to believe the COVID-19 virus can infect the heart muscle….”
South-China Morning Post - Coronavirus: low antibody levels raise questions about reinfection risk
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3078840/coronavirus-low-antibody-levels-raise-questions-about
Worrying news. “
Scientists in Shanghai say some recovered patients show no signs of the neutralising proteins. Early-stage findings could have implications for vaccine development and herd immunity, they say.”
Guardian - Coronavirus testing: how some countries got ahead of the rest
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/02/coronavirus-testing-how-some-countries-germany-south-korea-got-ahead-of-the-rest
Comparative piece (on testing).
Nature (news) – How sewage could reveal true scale of coronavirus outbreak
Nature;
“Wastewater testing could also be used as an early-warning sign if the virus returns.”
Guardian - How can coronavirus models get it so wrong?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/07/how-can-coronavirus-models-get-it-so-wrong
“
Analysis depends on data – so predictions for Italy and Spain, where peak has passed, are more reliable than for UK.”
Cidrap News – Imperial college makes short-term projections
Imperial College makes short-term projections
“… the disease modeling group at Imperial College London today released its latest forecasts for the week ahead covering 42 countries that have active transmission, which suggests the epidemic is stabilizing in 14 of them, including Italy, but growing rapidly in 26 countries spanning several continents. In the report from Imperial College of London, the authors use COVID-19 deaths to make their short-term projections, and they include several caveats, including that accuracy is affected by quality of surveillance and reporting. Their transmissibility estimates show a stabilizing pattern in 14 countries, including not only Italy, but countries elsewhere, including Argentina, Iran, and South Korea. Only two countries—the Netherlands and Spain—show slow-growing transmission. … … Predictions of rapidly growing transmission span several continents, including Latin American and North American countries such as Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Canada, and the United States, plus some European countries, India, Israel, China, Japan, and Algeria. …”
Guardian - Singapore coronavirus surge raises fears of post-lockdown breakouts
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/08/singapore-coronavirus-increase-revives-fears-of-post-lockdown-surge
“Fears have resurfaced about the ability of coronavirus to surge again after lockdowns are eased, as Singapore confirmed a sharp rise in new infections. One of the worst-hit countries when the virus first spread from China in January, Singapore’s strict surveillance and quarantine regime helped slow the outbreak, but recent rises in locally transmitted cases have raised fresh concerns. Singapore reported 142 new infections on Wednesday. … … Countries around the globe are grappling with the complex logistics of when and how to loosen lockdown restrictions to allow economies to recover while also avoiding a second major outbreak.”
NYT - These Coronavirus Exposures Might Be the Most Dangerous
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/01/opinion/coronavirus-viral-dose.html
“As with any other poison, viruses are usually deadlier in larger amounts.” On the importance of the
dose.
Bloomberg – Coronavirus May ‘Reactivate’ in Cured Patients, Korean CDC Says
https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2020-04-09/coronavirus-may-reactivate-in-cured-patients-korean-cdc-says?__twitter_impression=true
“The coronavirus may be “reactivating” in people who have been cured of the illness, according to Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 51 patients classed as having been cured in South Korea have tested positive again, the CDC said in a briefing on Monday. Rather than being infected again, the virus may have been reactivated in these people, given they tested positive again shortly after being released from quarantine, said Jeong Eun-kyeong, director-general of the Korean CDC….”
NYT – Location data says it all: staying at home during coronavirus is a luxury
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/03/us/coronavirus-stay-home-rich-poor.html?referringSource=articleShare
On
mobility data. “
The data offers real-time evidence of a divide laid bare by the pandemic — one in which wealthier people not only have more job security and benefits but also may be better able to avoid becoming sick." A truly haunting look at inequality and corona.”
Harvard News - Epidemiologist says COVID-19 may be more infectious than thought
Harvard;
Harvard epidemiologist Michael Mina suggests crowded nursing homes may no longer be safe for vulnerable elderly people.
Lancet Global Health - COVID-19 and risks to the supply and quality of tests, drugs, and vaccines
P Newton et al;
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30136-4/fulltext
“
Emergency efforts are underway to find optimum medical products to prevent infection and diagnose and treat patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Production and supply chains for COVID-19 candidate drugs (such as chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine), and for many other essential medical products, are being impaired by this crisis. Supply chains for vital drugs for other diseases (such as systemic lupus erythematosus) are being disrupted because they are being repurposed to use against COVID-19, without adequate supporting evidence. Without preparation for the quality assurance of diagnostic tests, drugs, and vaccines, the world risks a parallel pandemic of substandard and falsified products. Interventions are needed globally to ensure access to safe, quality assured, and effective medical products on which the world's population will depend….”
Covid-19 Analysis
From a number of angles. Do scan and then decide which analyses you’d like to read in more detail. First some more general (& also governance related) analyses, later on more specific issues.
Global Dashboard - The Virus and the Global Goals: What Could COVID-19 Mean for Sustainable Development?
Sarah Mendelson ;
https://www.globaldashboard.org/2020/04/07/the-virus-and-the-global-goals-what-could-covid-19-mean-for-sustainable-development/
One of the must-read analyses of the week (as already flagged in the intro). What are the
implications of Covid-19 for the SDG agenda? With
three possible future scenarios.
Nature Medicine – If the world fails to protect the economy, COVID-19 will damage health not just now but also in the future
M McKee & David Stuckler; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0863-y
“Previous crises have shown how an economic crash has dire consequences for public health. But in the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is entering uncharted territory. The world’s leaders must prepare to preserve health.”
Lancet GH - Softening the blow of the pandemic: will the International Monetary Fund and World Bank make things worse?
A Kentikelenis et al;
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30135-2/fulltext
Absolute must-read. “
The G20 countries envisaged the two leading global financial institutions, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, playing a central role in supporting these countries, acting as “financial firefighters”. In recent weeks, both announced a set of tools to deal with the pandemic's impact. But is this the best way to achieve lasting global health security? “
Read in detail what the flaws are of these tools & approaches, both of IMF & WB.
The authors conclude: “
Once again, both the IMF and parts of the World Bank are pursuing policies that will have adverse consequences on health outcomes because they prioritise fiscal objectives and market-driven solutions. Is there an alternative? We argue, yes….”
BMJ Editorial -Covid-19: how a virus is turning the world upside down
I Kickbusch et al;
https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1336
“We may emerge from this with a healthier respect for our common humanity.”
Helicopter view. Concluding like this: “
Covid-19 has taught us that health is the basis of wealth, that global health is no longer defined by Western nations and must also be guided by Africa and Asia, and that international solidarity is an essential response and a superior approach to isolationism. We may emerge from this with a healthier respect for the environment and our common humanity. All citizens, governments, businesses, and organisations must heed these lessons. Covid-19 is the virus that is turning the world upside down. It will destroy the world as we know it; in the process we may learn to hold it together.”
The Global and Mail - WHO’s early coronavirus response raises awkward questions about Beijing relationship
N Vanderklippe;
The Globe and Mail;
Interesting (and balanced) analysis.
Complement with
Helen Branswell’s (Stat) -
Trump faulted the WHO’s coronavirus response. But it’s guided by rules the U.S. helped write
(with focus on
the IHR in this analysis, and what they allow and not allow).
G2H2 - Time to rally behind the World Health Organization: A civil society statement (April 2020)
http://g2h2.org/posts/time-to-rally/
We obviously agree!
SCMP - China should be sued for $6.5 trillion for coronavirus damages says top UK think tank
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/china-should-be-sued-for-6-5-trillion-for-coronavirus-damages-says-top-uk-think-tank-20200405-p54h5b.html
“…
China should be sued under international law for trillions of dollars for its initial cover-up of the coronavirus pandemic which has caused more than 60,000 deaths and trillions of dollars in economic damage, a new report says. According to the report, Coronavirus Compensation? by conservative London think tank The Henry Jackson Society, China could be sued under 10 possible legal avenues, including the International Health Regulations, which were beefed up after the SARS outbreak, which China also tried to cover up. … The report said had China provided accurate information at an early juncture, "the infection would not have left China."…”
On China’s legal responsibility, see also
here.
It’s clear that right-wing think tanks & politicians will beat this drum (on China’s responsibility) a lot in the months to come.
CGD (blog) - A Reckoning for China’s Opaque Overseas Lending
S Morris et al;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/reckoning-chinas-opaque-overseas-lending
It’s clear that, with a view on
debt relief for LMICs, China’s role is more and more being zoomed in on.
“
We are so accustomed to the Chinese government’s lack of transparency that the opaqueness of China’s overseas loans seems unremarkable at this point. But as we face what inevitably looks like a global debt crisis, one that is likely to hit low-income countries particularly hard, a clear accounting of the scale of the problem is critical. “
CGD (blog) - In Global COVID-19 Response, New CGD Research Shows China Should Lead on Poor Country Debt Relief
Scott Morris et al ;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/global-covid-19-response-new-cgd-research-shows-china-should-lead-poor-country-debt-relief
“
In new research, we find that China’s role as a creditor has likely been a key driver of more burdensome lending terms in the form of higher interest rates, shorter maturities, and shorter grace periods for lower-income countries.”
See a related
CGD working paper (by Scott Morris et al)
Chinese and World Bank Lending Terms: A Systematic comparison across 157 countries and 15 years.
Stat - An interview with the CDC director on coronavirus, masks, and an agency gone quiet
H Branswell;
https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/04/an-interview-with-the-cdc-director-on-coronavirus-masks-and-an-agency-gone-quiet/
“
Robert Redfield (CDC director) describes the coronavirus pandemic as the greatest public health crisis in a century. And yet the storied agency that Redfield leads — one that has been used as a model by countries around the world, including the China CDC — has played a largely invisible role in the nation’s response since the White House took over communications about the outbreak last month. CDC experts, who held regular briefings to update the public about previous health threats such as the H1N1 flu pandemic and the Zika outbreak, have been silenced. It has been nearly a month since the last CDC media briefing, which took place March 9. STAT asked Redfield about the agency’s role, whether he was satisfied with it, the agency’s evolving thinking about whether people should wear cloth masks in public, and how he sees the pandemic unfolding. “ Interesting interview (with some remarkable answers…).
View David Nabarro & John Atkinson – Need for a Pandemic Emergency Coordination Council
https://www.4sd.info/covid-19-narratives/narrative-sixteen/
“…
A high-level Pandemic Emergency Coordination Council should be established now. At its core would be the heads of UN, WHO, IMF and WB. It would be connected to leaders of the G20 and other nations, as well as to platforms that bring together leaders from local authorities, business, civil society, and beyond. It would meet frequently and should be established now. It would report to all UN Member States. …”
K Mahbubani - Can humanity make U-turns?
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/can-humanity-make-u-turns
“The coronavirus pandemic has underlined the importance of supporting multilateral organisations like the World Health Organisation, rather than progressively weakening them.”
Think Global Health - What We Talk About When We Talk About Coronavirus
Roopa Dhatt & Ilona Kickbusch; https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-coronavirus
“A gendered and political analysis of world leaders’ COVID-19 pandemic statements in March 2020.”
FT - Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs — an urgent manifesto
https://www.ft.com/content/48f1da74-782b-11ea-bd25-7fd923850377
“Michael Osterholm’s persuasive blueprint demands a rethink for the post-coronavirus era.”
Excerpts: “….
Now, Osterholm argues, we must identify diseases with the potential to disrupt the world order so that we can “make rational decisions about where to put our resources, where to direct our policy, and, frankly, where to direct our fear.” … … Osterholm prioritises four classes of microbial enemy. First are the so-called pathogens — disease-causing microorganisms — of pandemic potential. These include influenza plus the various nasties implicated in antimicrobial resistance, a killer that threatens the foundations of modern medicine, like surgery and childbirth. Then come the pathogens that cause huge regional outbreaks, such as Mers, Sars, Ebola, Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases. Third are the pathogens such as anthrax or smallpox that are released either intentionally in acts of bioterrorism, or accidentally through “gain-of-function” studies, which involve labs legitimately tinkering with viruses to investigate severity. Finally, pathogens that cause endemic diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis mostly in the global south. Vaccines, Osterholm writes, are one obvious solution that nobody, crazily, has ultimate responsibility for financing. … … Such thinking shapes his Crisis Agenda, a nine-point plan for reimagining the global institutions and policies needed to keep the world safe. Chief among them are setting up a US-led “Manhattan project” to develop a game-changing flu vaccine; establishing an international organisation to tackle antimicrobial resistance; and, given the increased contact between humans and animals through urbanisation and intensive food production, which raises the threat of viruses jumping species, the broad merging of human and animal health under a “One Health” banner. … … “
PS: He also added a very dumb idea, a ‘
Nato for Health’.
Bill Gates urges rich countries to fund coronavirus vaccine search
https://www.ft.com/content/d2f75357-2c4d-40b0-8802-7d820414f3c6
“Microsoft founder says developing world needs help in fighting pandemic.” (in line with the CEPI CEO view (Hatchett), see above).
“…
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has urged rich countries to put “a few per cent” of their gross domestic product towards finding and distributing a Covid-19 vaccine, highlighting a potentially huge shortfall in current investment levels. In a video interview with the Financial Times, Mr Gates said that despite the economic strain developed countries were under, there was a “compelling” case to spend tens of billions of dollars to support the manufacturing and distribution of a vaccine that would also be accessible for the poorest countries….”
An Island of Internationalism: The African Union’s Fight Against Corona
A Witt;
https://blog.prif.org/2020/04/07/an-island-of-internationalism-the-african-unions-fight-against-corona/
“
Although corona is a global health threat, immediate reactions to contain its spread have mainly followed a logic of national sovereignty, threatening many of the hard-won achievements of decades of international cooperation. In this situation, the African Union (AU) is a rare case of internationalism: it has played an important role in providing coordination, expertise and technical support to its member states, engaging in advocacy, and mobilizing resources. It is imperative to applaud, but more so to support the AU in continuing to play its vital role as one of the few islands of internationalism these days.”
Includes also quite some info on
Africa CDC’s work so far.
Stat - This tiny federal agency was built to respond to a crisis like coronavirus. Now that it’s here, is BARDA ready?
Stat
Analysis of BARDA, in the current pandemic and more in general.
«
It seems like an agency tailor-made for a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, was created to invest in drug development projects that private industry wouldn’t touch, such as anthrax vaccines and therapies for Ebola, Zika, or swine flu. Lawmakers were so confident that BARDA could help scientists develop a coronavirus vaccine, therapy, or even a diagnostic test that Congress has showered the agency with a $3.5 billion boost in funding, more than tripling its total budget. But consultants and experts in biotech and in academia told STAT they had serious concerns about BARDA’s preparedness to absorb the massive new workload it will take to identify targets for a coronavirus vaccine or therapy. Already, stakeholders are raising concerns about the responsiveness of a long-troubled contracting shop within BARDA, which will play an outsized role in doling out the new funding. In addition, the office has informed the companies it is partnering with on other matters — Ebola or influenza, for example — that its staff needs to put aside other obligations to focus solely on Covid-19. …”
FT - Arundhati Roy: ‘The pandemic is a portal
https://www.ft.com/content/10d8f5e8-74eb-11ea-95fe-fcd274e920ca
Open access. With
focus on India. She concludes: “
Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.”
But also with this poignant quote
: « If it really were a war, who would be better prepared than the US”?
Project Syndicate - Will COVID-19 Remake the World?
Dani Rodrik;
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/will-covid19-remake-the-world-by-dani-rodrik-2020-04
Nice one from Rodrik. «
No one should expect the pandemic to alter – much less reverse – tendencies that were evident before the crisis. Neoliberalism will continue its slow death, populist autocrats will become even more authoritarian, and the left will continue to struggle to devise a program that appeals to a majority of voters. »
« …The crisis seems to have thrown the dominant characteristics of each country’s politics into sharper relief. Countries have in effect become exaggerated versions of themselves. This suggests that the crisis may turn out to be less of a watershed in global politics and economics than many have argued. Rather than putting the world on a significantly different trajectory, it is likely to intensify and entrench already-existing trends….”
Foreign Affairs - U.S.-Chinese Distrust Is Inviting Dangerous Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories
Foreign Affairs;
“And Undermining Efforts to Contain the Epidemic.” Analysis by
Yanzhong Huang.
LA Times - Trump administration is battling coronavirus without a war room
LA Times;
In the early days of 2017, “
The NSC team, called the Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense, had helmed the country’s preparations for months, coordinating health agencies, the State Department, and even the Pentagon to prepare for its spread to the U.S. That virus, H7N9, never did. Less than three years later, its successor — the novel coronavirus — broke out. But by then the directorate had been dismantled by the Trump administration….”
Lancet Public Health Letter - Economic sanctions and Iran's capacity to respond to COVID-19
A Murphy, M McKee, E Ahmadnehzad et al;
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(20)30083-9/fulltext
Cfr a
tweet by McKee: “
Together with Iranian colleagues @adriannakmurphy & I call for lifting of sanctions to help global struggle against #COVID19 @TheLancetPH. Every country is only as secure as the weakest. It makes no sense to weaken anyone facing this crisis.”
Reuters (Special Report): Johnson listened to his scientists about coronavirus - but they were slow to sound the alarm
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-path-speci-idUSKBN21P1VF
Recommended read, also useful for non-UK citizens.
Excerpts:
“
Interviews with more than 20 British scientists, key officials and senior sources in Johnson’s Conservative Party, and a study of minutes of advisory committee meetings and public testimony and documents, show how these scientific advisers concluded early the virus could be devastating. But the interviews and documents also reveal that for more than two months, the scientists whose advice guided Downing Street did not clearly signal their worsening fears to the public or the government. Until March 12, the risk level, set by the government’s top medical advisers on the recommendation of the scientists, remained at “moderate,” suggesting only the possibility of a wider outbreak….”
… Now, as countries debate how to combat the virus, some experts here say, the lesson from the British experience may be that governments and scientists worldwide must increase the transparency of their planning so that their thinking and assumptions are open to challenge…”
Guardian – Scientists can model this pandemic, but politicians must take the decisions
David McCoy; https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/10/modelling-pandemic-politicians-decisions-science
“It’s convenient for leaders to say they are following the science, but technical evidence is no substitute for sound political judgment.”
With also this important
quote on modelling:
“Modelling is vital and could assist greatly in going forward. In particular, two things should be urgently modelled. The first is to model the impact of different strategies that will help us avoid the harms of draconian, population-wide lockdown. This should include modelling the costs and benefits of weekly viral testing of the whole population (not 100,000 tests a day, but 10 million tests a day), or a more modest but greatly expanded testing regime, combined with aggressive case detection and contact tracing, coupled with continued physical distancing and improved hygiene. The former idea may sound radical and extreme, but is a serious proposal that could be implemented if there was sufficient political will. Second, we must model (and then keep monitoring) the health and socioeconomic impacts of both the virus and the control measures, with short-, medium- and long-term timeframes, and with a social lens to look at how the virus has impacted differentially across society. For some reason, there was no modelling of the socioeconomic impact of lockdown. This was an omission – and as we enter the beginning of what could be a global economic recession, we could see thousands of lives cut short from this collateral damage.”
IISD - It Takes More Than Markets: First Governance Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic
L Meuleman;
IISD ;
“
Three first lessons are about the critical value of having an effective public sector, the importance of culturally sensitive governance, and the feasibility of transformative change.”
Brookings (blog) - The early days of a global pandemic: A timeline of COVID-19 spread and government interventions
D Brahma et al;
Brookings;
Comparative analysis “
When tackling a virulent virus like COVID-19, early interventions are crucial to stay ahead of the disease and we restrict our analysis to the first few hundred cases. We use COVID-19 data from Johns Hopkins CSSE repository and data on a few commonly used government interventions from the Oxford COVID-19 government response tracker…”
CGD (blog) - How are International Development Agencies Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis?
M Gavas et al ;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/how-are-international-development-agencies-responding-covid-19-crisis#.Xo7SjV92Ve8.twitter
“
COVID-19 has become the biggest stress test in decades for international cooperation. Will donors be able to deliver effective, sustainable development for the world’s poor while also scrambling to support health systems cope with this crisis?”
CGD - Faced with COVID-19, the Humanitarian System Should Rethink its Business Model
J Konyndyk et al ;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/faced-covid-19-humanitarian-system-should-rethink-its-business-model#.Xo2aw_OGLng.twitter
“
This is a crisis of truly global scale and it will place enormous constraints on traditional humanitarian operations.” With some very sensible recommendations. Use a systems approach; localize; be anticipatory and adaptive.
Devex - As aid groups scramble to contain COVID-19, malnutrition set to increase
https://www.devex.com/news/as-aid-groups-scramble-to-contain-covid-19-malnutrition-set-to-increase-96912
“In the rush to stall the spread of COVID-19, experts are warning of disastrous increases in malnutrition in both the immediate and long terms as key programs to deliver food and micronutrients to vulnerable populations are interrupted. Communities dealing with malnutrition are doubly vulnerable because of the pandemic. Since malnutrition can weaken the immune system, these populations may be more vulnerable to acquiring COVID-19. Government policies aimed at containing the virus’s spread, such as banning large gatherings, may cost them access to key sources of nutrition or micronutrients. Alternatively, the pandemic could force people to take on additional transmission risks by continuing to seek out those resources.”
Lancet Editorial – Palliative care and the COVID-19 pandemic
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30822-9/fulltext
“WHO has issued guidance on how to maintain essential health services during the pandemic, highlighting immunisation, maternal care, emergency care, and chronic diseases among others, but there was no mention of palliative care. This was an oversight. Indeed, palliative care ought to be an explicit part of national and international response plans for COVID-19….”
Lancet Editorial – The gendered dimensions of COVID-19
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30823-0/fulltext
“SARS-CoV-2 does not discriminate, but without careful consideration, the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic might. Demographic data from small studies are already informing political decisions and clinical research strategies. Women and men are affected by COVID-19, but biology and gender norms are shaping the disease burden. The success of the global response—the ability of both women and men to survive and recover from the pandemic's effects—will depend on the quality of evidence informing the response and the extent to which data represent sex and gender differences….”
“…. The European Association of Science Editors and other organisations urge all involved in collecting COVID-19 data to follow guidelines (eg, CONSORT, STROBE) and include age and sex in demographic data. We echo this call and encourage a gender focus in all research efforts. Obscuring sex and gender differences in treatment and vaccine development could result in harm.”
Lancet Comment - Centring sexual and reproductive health and justice in the global COVID-19 response
K S Hall et al;
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30801-1/fulltext
“Global responses to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are converging with pervasive, existing sexual and reproductive health and justice inequities to disproportionately impact the health, wellbeing, and economic stability of women, girls, and vulnerable populations. People whose human rights are least protected are likely to experience unique difficulties from COVID-19. Women, girls, and marginalised groups are likely to carry a heavier burden of what will be the devastating downstream economic and social consequences of this pandemic. A sexual and reproductive health and justice framework—one that centres human rights, acknowledges intersecting injustices, recognises power structures, and unites across identities—is essential for monitoring and addressing the inequitable gender, health, and social effects of COVID-19.”
The authors conclude
: “A sexual and reproductive health and justice policy agenda must be at the heart of the COVID-19 response. The response must ensure that universal health coverage includes pregnant women, adolescents, and marginalised groups and must designate sexual and reproductive health, family planning, and community health centres as essential health providers, reallocating resources accordingly. Policy makers should scale up telemedicine for needed, evidence-based care for women and girls, including sexual and reproductive health care. Finally, the response must eliminate legal and policy restrictions to sexual and reproductive health service provision and reverse the PLGHA and Global Gag Rule to ensure comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care for women and girls around the world.”
CGD (blog) - Strengthening the Basics: Approaches to COVID-19 Care in Low-Resource Settings
S Ismail, T Baker, K Chalkidou et al;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/strengthening-basics-approaches-covid-19-care-low-resource-settings
Recommended. “
This blog focuses on hospital treatment for COVID-19 patients in low-resource-settings, considering what we know about the spectrum of COVID-19 illness and what this tells us about where resources might best be focused in low-resource-settings. As elsewhere, decision makers, global and local, must prioritise resourcing and capacity development for the ward-level care and simple oxygen therapy that most hospitalised COVID-19 patients will need—not the high-end clinical care that may well be impossible to scale-up in time in countries with limited resources. “
IDS (blog) - Covid-19 in low-income countries – we need rapid learning about effective handwashing initiatives
J Myers;
https://www.ids.ac.uk/opinions/covid-19-in-low-income-countries-we-need-rapid-learning-about-effective-handwashing-initiatives/
“
Frequent and proper handwashing with soap is one of the most important measures that can be used to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus, along with physical distancing, avoiding touching one’s face (eyes, nose and mouth) and practising good respiratory hygiene. However, like physical distancing measures, frequent handwashing with soap and water is next to impossible for huge swaths of the global population.”
CGD (blog)- An Open Offer for Consumer Masks?
C Kenny et al ;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/open-offer-consumer-masks
“
Non-medical masks are a comparatively affordable intervention that could be rolled out at scale in developing countries, were WHO guidance to change. At the moment, apparel firms in developing countries have considerable spare capacity because of cancelled orders. Taking all of this into account, we propose donor support for local cloth mask manufacture and—if WHO guidance were to change—free distribution.”
CGD (blog) - Flatten the Curve without Flattening the Economy: How to Stop COVID-19 from Causing Another Catastrophe for Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
L Clarke, K Chalkidou et al ;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/protect-livelihoods-covid-19-prevent-another-health-catastrophe-low-and-middle-income-countries
“Dozens of low- and middle-countries (LMICs) have now implemented stringent policies to slow the spread of COVID-19 in communities, including closing schools, workplaces, and enforcing physical distancing. These policies accompanied by population-level testing–where possible–can help flatten the epidemic curve.”
CGD (blog) - Masks and Handwashing vs. Physical Distancing: Do We Really Have Evidence-based Answers for Policymakers in Resource-limited Settings?
A Saleh et al ;
CGD ;
“As more governments grapple with the immense difficulty of bringing their country to a halt, leaders from low- and middle-income countries are increasingly skeptical of mimicking policies that may have worked elsewhere because of radical differences in demography, health system capacity, and cultural context.”
Project Syndicate - The East-West Divide in COVID-19 Control
Jeffrey Sachs;
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/west-must-learn-covid19-control-from-east-asia-by-jeffrey-d-sachs-2020-04
“
The public health response will be decisive in stopping the COVID-19 coronavirus before it devastates entire populations in the West and around the world. And the right approach requires that the United States and Europe learn what we can from East Asia as rapidly as possible.”
A number of analyses of various country responses
There are many worthwhile reading (and learning from). We flag just a few reads here on
Vietnam & Germany:
“Hanoi mobilises limited resources by focusing on quarantines and contact tracing. “
"Vietnam has focused on isolating infected people and tracking down their second- and third-hand contacts...and the conscription of medical students, retired doctors and nurses to join the fight." Zero deaths.
See also
Project Syndicate - Vietnam’s Low-Cost COVID-19 Strategy
“
Tightened border controls, agile health departments, tech platforms, and a hand-washing song that went viral have added up to a frugal but highly effective response to the threat of COVID-19. The country's success provides a model that other developing an emerging economies should follow.”
FT -
Germany’s testing success looks real — for now
“But statistics that show how many days one country is behind another are humbug.”
NYT -
A German Exception? Why the Country’s Coronavirus Death Rate Is Low
“
The pandemic has hit Germany hard, with more than 92,000 people infected. But the percentage of fatal cases has been remarkably low compared to those in many neighboring countries.”
“
There are several answers experts say, a mix of statistical distortions and very real differences in how the country has taken on the epidemic. … … there are also significant medical factors that have kept the number of deaths in Germany relatively low, epidemiologists and virologists say, chief among them early and widespread testing and treatment, plenty of intensive care beds and a trusted government whose social distancing guidelines are widely observed….”
UHC 2030 - All hands on deck: mobilising the private sector for the COVID-19 response
https://www.uhc2030.org/news-events/uhc2030-blog/all-hands-on-deck-mobilising-the-private-sector-for-the-covid-19-response-555347/
By
David Clarke, WHO HQ; Dr. Mark Hellowell, Director, Global Health Policy Unit University of Edinburgh; Barbara O'Hanlon member of the
WHO Expert Advisory Group on the Governance of the Private Sector; & Cynthia Eldrige, Impact for Health.
Guardian - Human impact on wildlife to blame for spread of viruses, says study
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/08/human-impact-on-wildlife-to-blame-for-spread-of-viruses-says-study-aoe
“
Hunting, farming and the global move of people to cities has led to massive declines in biodiversity and increased the risk of dangerous viruses like Covid-19 spilling over from animals to humans, a major study has concluded. In a paper that suggests the underlying cause of the present pandemic is likely to be increased human contact with wildlife, scientists from Australia and the US traced which animals were most likely to share pathogens with humans. Taking 142 viruses known to have been transmitted from animals to humans over many years, they matched them to the IUCN’s red list of threatened species….”
Think Global Health - Tracking Coronavirus in Countries With and Without Travel Bans
S Kiernan, T Bollyky et al ;
https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/tracking-coronavirus-countries-and-without-travel-bans
“Travel restrictions have neither stopped the spread of this novel coronavirus nor prevented it from becoming a pandemic”
“…These travel restrictions have neither stopped the spread of this novel coronavirus nor prevented it from becoming a pandemic. Early research and scenario analysis, however, suggest the combination of travel restrictions within China and international travel restrictions against China may have delayed the spread of COVID-19, but more so in nations that also use that time to reduce community spread of the virus. Many nations, however, may not have done so….”
See also an HHR blog -
Controlling COVID-19: The Folly of International Travel Restrictions
Economist – Big Tech’s covid-19 opportunity
https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/04/04/big-techs-covid-19-opportunity?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/ed/winnersfromthepandemicbigtechscovid19opportunityleaders
““Surveillance capitalism” is no longer seen as exploitative, but essential to beat the covid-19 pandemic.”
Think Global Health - Fighting COVID-19 With One Hand Tied Behind Our Backs?
Roopa Dhatt et al ;
https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/fighting-covid-19-one-hand-tied-behind-our-backs
“For better health security, it's
time to end gender biases that keep women out of global health leadership positions.”
Lancet Respiratory Medicine- Adoption of COVID-19 triage strategies for low-income settings
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30114-4/fulltext
From 11 March already.
JAMA - Understanding and Addressing Sources of Anxiety Among Health Care Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2764380
JAMA viewpoint.
F2P blog - How is COVID playing out in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings?
Duncan Green;
https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/how-is-covid-playing-out-in-fragile-and-conflict-affected-settings/
“I was on a fascinating Zoom check-in on this late last week, involving researchers of the Action for Empowerment and Accountability research programme (I’m on its advisory board). A4EA is focussing on Pakistan, Mozambique, Myanmar and Nigeria, but the conversation took in a few other places as well. Things that jumped out as new, or at least new angles on current discussions on Covid’s impact….”
New Humanitarian - Briefing: Five ideas on how to ease the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns in Kenya
http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2020/04/06/kenya-coronavirus-lockdowns
“This briefing looks at five ideas being touted in Kenya that could help ease the economic disruption of lockdowns.”
Devex - Here's what the COVID-19 response looks like in refugee camps
https://www.devex.com/news/here-s-what-the-covid-19-response-looks-like-in-refugee-camps-96874
“With social distancing and regular hand-washing almost impossible to do in refugee camps, Devex explores how organizations are working to protect the communities from COVID-19.”
WEF - We could be vastly overestimating the death rate for COVID-19. Here's why
Nina Schwalbe;
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/we-could-be-vastly-overestimating-the-death-rate-for-covid-19-heres-why/
“A
lack of adequate testing means many of those who have been infected with the coronavirus will not appear in official statistics. This suggests that many estimates for its mortality rate are much too high. We need to build better systems for sharing and reporting data.”
Covid-19 Watch: The Complexity of Data
A Whiteside;
https://alan-whiteside.com/2020/04/08/covid-19-watch-the-complexity-of-data/
Alan Whiteside’s weekly update, this week focusing on the complexity of the data ( in the JH database), and also with a view per continent (as usual). Recommended!
NYT - The Rising Heroes of the Coronavirus Era? Nations’ Top Scientists
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/05/world/europe/scientists-coronavirus-heroes.html?referringSource=articleShare
“Scientists in Europe are becoming household names, fulfilling societies’ emotional and practical need for the truth.”
“The new celebrities emerging across Europe as the coronavirus burns a deadly path through the continent are not actors or singers or politicians. Instead, they are epidemiologists and virologists who have become household names after spending most of their lives in virtual anonymity.”
ODI (Briefing paper) - How tax officials in lower-income countries can respond to the coronavirus pandemic
Ian Steele et al;
https://www.odi.org/publications/16816-how-tax-officials-lower-income-countries-can-respond-coronavirus-pandemic
“
This paper was produced as part of the DFID funded Centre for Tax Analysis in Developing Countries (TaxDev) project. TaxDev aims to contribute to more effective tax policy-making in LMICs through applied research and policy analysis, as well as a focus on improving the analytical capacity of partner governments.” Check out the key messages.
Some final Covid-19 snippets
(gated) “
Decision to make any coronavirus vaccine available on a non-profit basis chimes with group’s corporate values”
Will probably also become a buzzword, soon – ‘certified recovered’.
- Tweet – “Do not refer to people as “COVID-19 cases”. It is important to separate a person from having an identity defined by COVID-19, in order to reduce stigma.”
By JP Dossou and other members of the WANEL network.
Covid-19 “collateral damage” on other global health programs/issues
Lots of other global health causes are affected (see also last week), sometimes in a massive way. A few examples (coverage) from this week:
“
What experts from sexual health organisations and rights groups are saying about how COVID-19 is affecting sexual healthcare - and what should be done about it.” “Women from Nepal to the United States are struggling to get abortions during the COVID-19 outbreak as lockdowns and medical shortages create barriers to care. Sexual health organisations and women's rights groups have called on authorities to recognise access to abortion as a human right that must be protected during the pandemic….”
See also
AP -
Lockdowns mean millions of women can’t reach birth control
“
The lockdown imposed to contain Covid-19 has made it difficult for people with other diseases to access the medicines they need to survive.” Similar problems elsewhere in the world, in many places.
“
Could the impact of COVID-19 on routine immunisation be an even bigger threat in low-income countries than the virus itself?”
For an update on that, see
Science News (10 April) -
Pandemic brings mass vaccinations to a halt.
“
The world’s most contagious virus has killed thousands in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 23 countries have suspended measles vaccination campaigns as they cope with SARS-CoV-2.”
Health Systems Global (update)
HSG – Introducing the 2020 HSG board candidates!
https://www.healthsystemsglobal.org/blog/411/Introducing-the-2020-HSG-Board-Candidates-.html
Check out the (12) new candidates. Voting opens on 13 April.
“
This webinar will explore the power dynamics in global health, within global agencies, journals or local health departments that hold women and other groups back from reaching their full potential – and what can be done to address these? …”
- And check out some of the latest HSG blogs, among others:
Strengthening capacity for health policy & systems (with some insights from
the survey done recently among HSG members)
And a number of
blogs, focusing on Covid-19:
Tackling Covid-19 in Uganda: private medicine outlets at the frontline (by
E Hutchinson & other members of the
Anti-Corruption Evidence Research Consortium (SOAS-ACE) ) (on the opportunities to foster collective action among drugs sellers in Uganda, as a way to enhance the response to COVID-19)
#
Covid19 - Evidence and policymaking: personal reflections from an LMIC setting (by
G Gotsadze, executive director of HSG)
Health Workers are vital to defeat Covid-19 - but only if they are at work (by
D Balabanova, M McKee & other members of SOAS-ACE) (on how to have a human approach to absenteeism given the multiple pressure faced by health workers during COVID-19, including political and social).
Social determinants of health
JAMA - Addressing Social Determinants of HealthTime for a Polysocial Risk Score
J Figeroa, A Jha et al ;
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2764321
“
This Viewpoint introduces the notion of a polysocial risk score, much like a polygenic risk score, which might help predict the risk that varying combinations of social conditions contribute to specific health outcomes.
JAMA - The Role of Physicians in Addressing Social Determinants of Health
N Maani, S Galea;
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2764320
“This Viewpoint acknowledges that physicians in clinical roles may be limited in their ability to influence social determinants of patients’ health but proposes they have a role to play in educating others of its importance through teaching and training, diverse student and workforce recruitment, and activism. “
Some papers & reports of the week
Duke (Center for Policy Impact) (Working paper) – Transitioning away from donor funding for health: a cross-cutting examination of donor approaches to transition
http://centerforpolicyimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2020/04/Cross-cutting-donor-transition-report.pdf
New working paper that takes a cross-cutting approach to examining how donors are transitioning out of country assistance. The authors analyzed the transition approaches adopted by
six key global health donors, three multilateral and three bilateral, who provided nearly 75% of all disbursed official development assistance for health in 2016. Check out the key findings.
WHO Bulletin - A survey of nongovernmental organizations on their use of WHO’s prequalification programme
A Nebot et al ;
https://www.who.int/bulletin/online_first/BLT.19.233882.pdf?ua=1
This article aimed to obtain the perspectives of some small- and medium-sized (both Belgium & non-Belgian) organizations on the World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification programme for medicines and to ascertain organizations’ unmet needs.
Some of their conclusions: “
We recommend that the WHO-prequalified products be expanded to include essential antibiotics and medicines for noncommunicable diseases. The WHO Prequalification Team could require prequalified manufacturers to make publicly available the details of their authorized distributors and facilitate a process of harmonization of quality assurance policies across all donors. Prequalification of distributors and procurement agencies could help create more transparent and stringent mechanisms. We urge WHO Member States and funders to sustain support for the WHO Prequalification Team, which remains important for the fulfilment of universal health coverage.”
IJHPM - Without Systems and Complexity Thinking There Is no Progress - or Why Bureaucracy Needs to Become Curious; Comment on “What Can Policy-Makers Get out of Systems Thinking? Policy Partners’ Experiences of a Systems-Focused Research Collaboration in Preventive Health”
J Sturmberg;
http://www.ijhpm.com/article_3783.html
“
The bureaucracy’s goal is to maintain uniformity and control within discrete areas of activity and relies on hierarchical processes and procedural correctness as means to suppress autonomous decision making. That worldview, however, is unsuited for problem solving of real world VUCA (Volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) problems. Solving wicked problems in the VUCA world requires curiosity, creativity and collaboration, and a willingness to deeply engage and an ability to painstakingly work through their seemingly contradictory and chaotic pathways. In addition, it necessitates leadership. Leaders require a deep – indeed academic – understanding of the nature of the problems and the veracity of various problem-solving approaches. Leadership after all means “[facilitating] the necessary adaptive work that needs to be done by the people connected to the problem.” That are the people at the coalface who understand and have to manage the complexities relating to problems unique to their local environment for which of the shelf solutions never work. Systems and complexity thinking is more than a tool, it is – in a sense – a way of being, namely deeply interested in understanding the highly interconnected and interdependent nature of the issues affecting our life and work. Hence, system and complexity thinking is, contrary to what Haynes and colleagues state in their “summation for the public reader,” neither “overwhelming and hard [nor difficult] to use practically.” Such a view is as much misleading as self-defeating.”
BMC Health services - How are pay-for-performance schemes in healthcare designed in low- and middle-income countries? Typology and systematic literature review
R Kovacs, T Powell- Jackson, J Borghi et al ;
https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-020-05075-y
«
We develop a typology to classify the design of P4P schemes in LMICs, which highlights different design features that are a priori likely to affect the behaviour of incentivised actors. We then use results from a systematic literature review to classify and describe the design of P4P schemes that have been evaluated in LMICs. … … We identify 41 different P4P schemes implemented in 29 LMICs. We find that there is substantial heterogeneity in the design of P4P schemes in LMICs and pinpoint precisely how scheme design varies across settings. Our results also highlight that incentive design is not adequately being reported on in the literature – with many studies failing to report key design features….”
BMJ Global Health (Analysis) - Justice: a key consideration in health policy and systems research ethics
B Pratt et al ;
https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/4/e001942
“
Health policy and systems research (HPSR) is increasingly being funded and conducted worldwide. There are currently no specific guidelines or criteria for the ethical review and conduct of HPSR. Academic debates on HPSR ethics in the scholarly literature can inform the development of guidelines. Yet there is a deficiency of academic bioethics work relating to justice in HPSR. This gap is especially problematic for a field like HPSR, which can entail studies that intervene in ways affecting the social and health system delivery structures of society. In this paper, we call for interpreting the principle of justice in a more expansive way in developing and reviewing HPSR studies (relative to biomedical research). The principle requires advancing health equity and social justice at population or systems levels. Drawing on the rich justice literature from political philosophy and public health ethics, we propose a set of essential justice considerations to uphold this principle. These considerations are relevant for research funders, researchers, research ethics committees, policymakers, community organisations and others who are active in the HPSR field.”
HP&P - The development of hospital accreditation in low- and middle-income countries: a literature review
W Mansour et al ;
https://academic.oup.com/heapol/advance-article/doi/10.1093/heapol/czaa011/5817951?searchresult=1
“Hospital accreditation has been transferred from high-income countries (HICs) to many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), supported by a variety of advocates and donor agencies. This review uses a policy transfer theoretical framework to present a structured analysis of the development of hospital accreditation in LMICs. The framework is used to identify how governments in LMICs adopted accreditation from other settings and what mechanisms facilitated and hindered the transfer of accreditation. The review examines the interaction between national and international actors, and how international organizations influenced accreditation policy transfer. Relevant literature was found by searching databases and selected websites; 78 articles were included in the analysis process. The review concludes that accreditation is increasingly used as a tool to improve the quality of healthcare in LMICs. Many countries have established national hospital accreditation programmes and adapted them to fit their national contexts. However, the implementation and sustainability of these programmes are major challenges if resources are scarce. ….”
Healthy Developments – Trusted partners for Universal Health Coverage - Learning from support to large-scale reforms in India and Indonesia
http://health.bmz.de/ghpc/case-studies/trusted-partners-universal-health-coverage/index.html
By C Gros. “
This comparative review of GDC’s experience in India and Indonesia yields four broad lessons for how German technical cooperation can position itself and what type of support it can deliver to advance social health protection in partner countries:. The pursuit of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is primarily a political, rather than a technical undertaking. German Development Cooperation (GDC) support to UHC reforms in India and Indonesia has been most effective when the advisors had a deep understanding of the dynamics of the local context and purposefully engaged in the political-administrative reform process with a solution-focused, adaptive, and politically informed approach….”
Journal of Public Health - Global health without justice or ethics
S Venkatapuram; https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/advance-article/doi/10.1093/pubmed/fdaa001/5816017?guestAccessKey=7d10da8c-1ed2-49c1-804d-7cfb9c3ba5ee
“The great promise at the start of the twenty-first century that Anglo-American philosophers would produce transformative theories and practical guidance for realizing global health equity and justice has largely gone unfulfilled….”
“…Progress in global justice philosophy seemingly promised real-world progress in global health equity and justice, because health inequality was the foremost issue in philosophical debates on global inequality, poverty and claims of the ‘global poor’. At the same time, largely driven by HIV research, bioethics went global as it was exported alongside medical research to resource poor settings. Bioethicists also began to go beyond clinical and research settings to examine public health ethics, social inequalities in health and social determinants—from local conditions all the way to global institutions and processes. Nevertheless, as of 2020, it is difficult to identify any compelling conceptions of global justice or global health justice or to identify any significant philosophical contributions to the practical improvement of global health and inequalities. What happened?...”
CGD (blog) - Assessing the G20’s Finance for International Development
Ian Mitchell et al;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/assessing-g20s-finance-international-development
Blog linked to a new
working paper.
“
Next week the finance ministers of the G20 countries will meet to discuss the global economic response to COVID-19. Our colleagues, and those at ODI, have called for a major scaling up of development finance in response to the pandemic. Leaving aside the pressing matter of coronavirus finance for a moment, to date, there has not been a comparable measure of government-provided development finance, with the OECD’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) only available for 13 of the G20. With a global pandemic and response, a comparable measure will be more important than ever before to ascertain the resources provided by countries in their international development efforts. In this blog, we use our new measure–Finance for International Development (FID)–to look at the G20’s finance for development and consider which countries can step up their financial contribution, both during COVID-19 and beyond….”
For the related
working paper, see
Finance for International Development (FID): A New Measure to Compare Traditional and Emerging Provider Countries’ Official Development Finance Efforts, and Some Provisional Results
“
It is increasingly recognised that countries outside the OECD are important players in development. However, there is no consistent measurement of development effort across all major economies. In this working paper we present a new indicator—Finance for International Development (FID)—that attempts to fill this gap by measuring in a comparable way the flows of official, cross-border concessional finance provided by 40 major economies. These countries collectively account for 88 percent of global GNI, and in 2017 provided $150 billion of development assistance by our measure, 18 percent of which was from countries outside the OECD. We present estimates of FID for each country, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of GNI, and outline differences between FID and existing indicators. Finally, we outline some limitations and how we would like to develop FID in the future.”
Journal of Global Health - Political challenges to prioritizing gender in global health organisations
http://www.jogh.org/documents/issue202001/jogh-10-010702.htm
by
Y R Shawar & J Shiffman. They analysed the factors shaping attention to gender in organisations involved in global health governance.
“
In seeking to reform the policies and practices of global health organisations, gender proponents confront patriarchal organisational cultures, hostile political environments and an issue that is difficult to address as it requires upsetting existing power structures. Proponents also face three linked challenges internal to their own networks. First, there is little cohesion among champions themselves, as they are fragmented into multiple networks. Second, proponents differ on the nature of the problem and solutions, including whether reducing gender inequality or addressing harmful gender norms is the primary goal, the role of men in gender initiatives, which health issues to prioritise, and even the value of proponent cohesion. Third, there are disagreements among proponents on how to convey the problem. Some advance an instrumental case, while others believe that it should be portrayed as a human rights issue and using any other argument undermines that fundamental justification. Prospects for building more gender-responsive global health organisations will depend in part on the ability of proponents to address these disagreements and develop strategies for negotiating difficult organisational cultures and political environments.”
Blogs & mainstream articles of the week
Martin Khor: The Making of a Global Activist
https://fpif.org/martin-khor-the-making-of-a-global-activist/
Well worth a ready, this obituary of a remarkable man. “
The late Martin Khor united activists, officials, and thought leaders against trade and climate policies that plundered the Global South. Here’s how his comrades remember him.”
Some tweets of the week
- Sana Contractor (Indian EV, on the EV Googlegroup):
"
What is very clear, though, is that one cannot expect to contain an epidemic effectively when you are working with deeply damaged social contracts, an unequal socioeconomic system and a starved health system. None of these things is going to change overnight."
“
Please remember this. Dictatorships across the world are lying about their cases and deaths. Because it makes them look competent and strong, and because the WHO and other authorities will not challenge their numbers and will simply accept the data they are given.”
Weighing in on: “
A friend of mine died of #COVID in #Rwanda this weekend. Rwanda's govt says he died of a heart attack. But it placed the man who found my friend dead in 14-day quarantine. This is how authoritarian govts are managing their coronavirus death counts.”
Concluding: “
In sum, power politics is a fact of life for international organizations. After all, they're ultimately accountable to member states. The @WHO is no different. But in the case of #COVID19, the need to balance its survival & appease member states may have indeed cost lives.”
“
Herd immunity strategy is a misnomer: it should have been called pandemic cleansing.”
“
I long-feared that a pandemic could wipe out the development gains of the last century. Here is a blog I wrote in 2015. https://blogs.worldbank.org/health/pandemic-response-time-act-now… Now, as the Cabinet member responsible for social protection in a country of 200 million, I can actually see this unfold #COVID.”
Carl Bildt:
“In my discussions with global friends in the last few days the issue of a second wave of COVD19 is emerging strongly. It’s a big issue in East Asia, including China, already. This makes the question of winding down restrictions in different countries even more tricky to handle.”