Lancet Global Health (Comment) - COVID-19 gives the lie to global health expertise
Sarah Dalglish
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30739-X/fulltext
“
As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak began spreading in Europe and the USA, a chart started circulating online showing ratings from the 2019 Global Health Security Index, an assessment of 195 countries' capacity to face infectious disease outbreaks, compiled by the US-based Nuclear Threat Initiative and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health's Center for Health Security. The USA was ranked first, and the UK second; South Korea was ranked ninth, and China 51st; most African countries were at the bottom of the ranking. Things look different now….”
“Is preparedness in the eye of the beholder? COVID-19 is giving the lie to prevailing notions of expertise and solidarity. The global health model is based in large part on technical assistance and capacity building by the US, the UK, and other rich countries, whose response has been sclerotic and delayed at best. A recent report by Global Health 50/50 showed … . Global health will never be the same after COVID-19—it cannot be. The pandemic has given the lie to the notion that expertise is concentrated in, or at least best channelled by, legacy powers and historically rich states. We must move quickly, for our own security, beyond the rhetoric of equality to the reality of a more democratic, more multipolar, more networked, and more distributed understanding and operation of global health. …”
Why WHO needs a feminist economic agenda
Lancet Comment by A Herten-Crabb & Sara Davies;
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30110-0/fulltext
“
In September, 2019, Alan Donnelly and Ilona Kickbusch called for a chief economist at WHO. Such a position, they argued, would enable WHO to better advocate for greater recognition of, and thus action on, the interdependency of health and the economy. We support this proposal: recognition of the interdependence of health and the economy is vital for WHO to achieve its mandate: “the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health…without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition”. Given this mandate, WHO should be more ambitious than the appointment of one economist. A more strategic and enlightened approach, especially in the aftermath of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, would be for WHO to embrace and articulate a feminist economic agenda….”
“A feminist economic agenda interrogates power dynamics and peoples’ relative access to and use of wealth and resources. A feminist economic lens that incorporates intersectionality must address the power dynamics between genders and acknowledge the power relationships between nation states, ethnicities, ages, abilities, and other dimensions of diversity, and how they are interconnected with gender inequality and the economy…”
One of the must-reads of the week.
Lancet World Report - WHO launches crowdfund for COVID-19 response
In other WHO related news, check out this
Lancet World Report -
WHO launches crowdfund for COVID-19 response
“
For the first time, WHO is asking the general public and private donors for support. The project is a test run for the WHO Foundation, to be launched later this year. Ann Danaiya Usher reports.”
“The mechanism is unprecedented for WHO, says Kate Dodson at the UN Foundation. While UN agencies such as UNICEF have a long tradition of private fundraising, this has never been the case for WHO. Because of the agency's standard-setting role, it has been seen as important to keep an arm's length from private interests. This breakthrough was possible in the midst of the current health crisis because the UN Foundation has a well established relationship with WHO, she says….”
“Suerie Moon, co-director of the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, says the donors’ failure to step up left WHO with little choice. “Their backs are against the wall. Ideally, governments would adequately fund WHO to do the work they have asked the agency to do”, she says. “The launch of the Solidarity Response Fund is a good sign that WHO is agile and responding quickly to a rapidly changing situation. But the real question is why do they need to do so in the first place? It reflects donors’ total failure to fund the response to this outbreak at the international level.” According to Gaudenz Silberschmidt, director for health and multilateral partnerships at WHO, the origins of this new COVID-19 fund are linked to another, much larger project: the WHO Foundation, an external independent entity that will broaden WHO's funding base by raising money from the general public, private foundations, and the private sector.;..”
Covid-19
Given that you probably all get your
daily dose of Covid-19 updates, via newspapers like the Guardian/NYT/… or more specific health news media (like STAT, Cidrap News, HPW, …) and daily global health newsletters, as this is a
weekly newsletter, we will try to focus on our
knowledge management role
in our own niche – that is, with a focus on analysis (rather than the latest updates), and links with global health policy/governance and health policy & systems.
Structure of this big Covid-19 section: (1) Some additional
resources; (2)
Funding updates (&
multilateral coordination); (3) some
key news updates (of which you should be aware); (4
) Science (with a focus on readable articles on scientific trends on vaccines, drugs, …); (5)
Analysis (from various angles).
Focus lies on the
Analysis section.
Figures from this morning (via JH university global dashboard): “The global number of confirmed cases of coronavirus has passed
532,000; The latest number of confirmed deaths worldwide was
24,072.”
(1) Resources
Constantly updated.
FT – Coronavirus tracked
https://www.ft.com/coronavirus-latest
Now open access. With the
daily visualisations of trajectories of different countries (also split up subnationally).
Stat News also launched a new
Covid-19 Tracker with helpful data on case numbers by country, state, province and county.
Global MediXchange for Combating COVID-19 (GMCC)
https://covid-19.alibabacloud.com/#J_7231040460
“
The Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation jointly established the Global MediXchange for Combating COVID-19 (GMCC) programme, with the support of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence and Alibaba Health, to help combat the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. This programme was established to facilitate online communication and collaboration across borders, as well as provide frontline medical teams around the world with the necessary communication channels to share practical experience about fighting the pandemic. This center offers overseas Chinese compatriots with COVID-19 prevention and treatment consultation from frontline doctors, and supports medical scientific research institutions with AI, big data, and cloud computing capabilities…”
PS: with the support of the GMCC, the Chinese experts have also published the
Handbook of COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment.
George institute for Global Health - Frontline health workers in COVID-19 prevention and control: rapid evidence synthesis
https://www.georgeinstitute.org.in/frontline-health-workers-in-covid-19-prevention-and-control-rapid-evidence-synthesis
“…
The Government of India is embarking on a mammoth task to prevent COVID-19 spread among communities. The Rapid Evidence Synthesis team received a request to support the planning and development of resources for ensuring preparedness of FLHWs (frontline health workers) for COVID-19 . The rapid evidence synthesis was conducted in a period of three days. The findings highlight what we can learn from recent pandemics such that we are prepared for potential scenarios and challenges due to COVID-19….”
HSG (Wakelet) COVID-19: sharing learning and evidence for health policy and systems
https://wakelet.com/wake/e30cc9ad-dba9-4928-8972-765da1519c04
“
An ongoing collection of articles, blogs, social and multimedia content exploring evidence and learning on and for health policy and systems responses to COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Curated by members of Health Systems Global (HSG)…”
WHO Afro newsletter on Covid-19
http://whotogo-whoafroccmaster.newsweaver.com/JournalEnglishNewsletter/jme2vxx6b31
A weekly newsletter focusing on the African region. See the
WHO Afro website on Covid-19.
You find the
situation reports & newsletters on Covid-19 there, as well as the dashboard. Meanwhile, “African countries move from COVID-19 readiness to response as many confirm cases.” There’s also a weekly
briefing (on Thursday – lunchtime).
Covid-19 visualizer
https://www.covidvisualizer.com/
Using the most-up to date data.
EQUINET Information sheet on COVID-19 - Produced by Training and Research Support Centre for the Regional Network for Equity in Health in east and southern Africa (EQUINET)1 March 20, 2020
https://www.equinetafrica.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/EQUINET%20COVID%20brief1%20%2020March.pdf
Recommended. Focus on East & Southern Africa.
COVID-19 and the Core Humanitarian Standard: How to meet our CHS commitments in the coronavirus pandemic
https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/covid-19-and-the-chs/
(from
Civil society). “The
Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS) sets out our sector’s core commitments to the people we assist.”
Some other resources:
WHO information note on
#COVID19 and
#NCDs. “
Older people and people with preexisting conditions (as heart diseases, diabetes, respiratory conditions) appear to be more susceptible to becoming severely ill with the #coronavirus. “
(2) Funding & coordination
With an overview of funding announcements, multilateral initiatives taken, etc.
UN Launches humanitarian appeal
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1060222
“
To confront the unprecedented worldwide challenge posed by the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, top UN officials on Wednesday, launched a massive humanitarian appeal to mitigate its impact, particularly on fragile countries with weak health systems.”
“
At a joint virtual press briefing, Secretary-General António Guterres, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Mark Lowcock, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore and World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, launched a $2 billion coordinated global humanitarian response plan, to fight COVID-19 in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries in a bid to protect the millions most at risk….”
You find the
full (Global Humanitarian Response on Covid-19) plan here.
PS: you wonder why it’s an ‘appeal’, though, now that central banks etc are ‘creating’ trillions for economic stimulus packages …
Reuters - UN to create global coronavirus fund, Norway says
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-unitednations-norw/un-to-create-global-coronavirus-fund-norway-says-idUSKBN21A0Q4
As you notice, Norway was one of the key initiators of this UN donor fund
. “…The purpose of the fund is to assist developing countries with weak health systems in addressing the crisis as well as to tackle the long-term consequences. … Norway, which suggested the fund, has not committed how much money it would put into the initiative, similar to a 2014 United Nations Ebola Response Fund….”
“…
On Thursday, the UN secretary general António Guterres warned “millions” of lives were at stake if the international community did not show solidarity, especially with the world’s poorest countries, amid the coronavirus outbreak….”
Devex - World Bank, IFC look to quickly deploy COVID-19 funds
https://www.devex.com/news/world-bank-ifc-look-to-quickly-deploy-covid-19-funds-96813
“
Using new funds, existing vehicles, and fast-track authorities, the World Bank and International Finance Corporation aim to get recently announced COVID-19 funding to the countries and companies that need it fast, to tackle immediate health needs, and also to address longer-term economic and social impacts….”
See also Reuters -
World Bank moving forward on first $1.7 billion in pandemic aid projects
In less positive (WB related) news (FT),
Waiting game continues for pandemic bonds payout
“
Countries will not find out until April whether virus-fighting funds will be released.”
“Poor countries affected by the coronavirus outbreak will have to wait until the middle of next month to find out if the World Bank’s specially designed “pandemic bonds” will release funds to help fight the disease. Some investors are questioning whether they will pay out at all…. …
The bonds require 84 days to have passed since the outbreak date determined by the World Health Organization, which is a milestone that will be reached on March 23. But the World Bank says it will take a further two and a half weeks to determine if the final trigger conditions for the bonds have been met, meaning investors and governments will find out on April 9 at the earliest. … …
Investors are already bracing for steep losses as all but two of these conditions have been reached; among them, a minimum of 2,500 deaths, and more than 20 of them outside of the country of origin…..”
African finance ministers call for $100 billion stimulus, debt holiday
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2020-03-23/african-finance-ministers-call-for-100-billion-stimulus-debt-holiday
(from last week already) “
African finance ministers have called for a $100 billion stimulus package, including a suspension of debt service payments, to help the continent combat coronavirus. … Some $44 billion would come from not servicing debt and they would also tap existing facilities in the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), African Development Bank (AfDB) and other regional institutions. … “ … The ministers held a virtual conference on Thursday to discuss how to deal with the social and economic impacts of the pandemic on African nations, a statement by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa said on Monday….”
Africa leads calls for debt relief in face of coronavirus crisis
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/mar/25/africa-leads-calls-for-debt-relief-in-face-of-coronavirus-crisis
“
IMF and World Bank lend their support in bid to help poorest countries strengthen their health systems.”
“Government ministers across Africa have called for the suspension of debt interest payments as the Covid-19 crisis deepens. … … On Monday the heads of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund expressed support for debt relief to help countries strengthen their health systems in readiness. During a conference call for G20 ministers on Monday, the IMF’s leader, Kristalina Georgieva, pointed to the replenishing of funds used in a debt relief and aid mechanism during the 2014 Ebola epidemic that struck three African countries. The ministers also requested that principal payments – the actual debt payment, as opposed to interest charges – be waived for fragile states, where people are deeply vulnerable to a pandemic….”
“
Covid-19 crisis is raising borrowing costs for poorer nations just as commodity exports, tourism and remittances sent home fall.”
“IMF and World Bank asking countries to agree to requests for forbearance.”
G7
G7 Finance ministers pledged “to do whatever is necessary” (to restore confidence & economic growth…” .
G7 Foreign ministers apparently didn’t reach agreement on a joint consensus statement, as Pompeo (the American Minister of State)
insisted on calling the virus the ‘Wuhan virus’.
G20 virtual summit (hosted by Saudi Arabia) (26 March)
https://g20.org/en/media/Pages/default.aspx
Ahead of Thursday’s G20 virtual summit, a
number of op-eds were published, advocating for a
thorough joint G20 response, both in terms of public health & economic coordination. Or with some more specific demands.
A
virtual meeting of Finance ministers also took place, early in the week (23 March)
The COVID-19 pandemic: A letter to G20 leaders
Erik Berglöf, Jeremy Farrar et al;
https://voxeu.org/article/covid-19-pandemic-letter-g20-leaders
“
The COVID-19 pandemic is a two-pronged health and economic crisis, and requires a two-pronged response. Ahead of an extraordinary meeting of G20 Leaders, this letter signed by 20 economists and global health experts has one simple message: this crisis is global and requires unprecedented cooperation across countries and disciplines.”
Check out what they asked, both in terms of public health response (see also below) (including proper financing of WHO, obviously) & global economic coordination.
Project Syndicate - A Pandemic Strategy as Global as COVID-19
Erik Berglöf:
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/covid19-pandemic-g20-cooperation-by-erik-berglof-2020-03
Excerpt: “
The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board has requested at least $8 billion in immediate new funding, including $1 billion to strengthen the WHO’s emergency and preparedness response, $250 million for surveillance and control measures, $2 billion for vaccine development, $1 billion for distributed manufacturing and delivery of vaccines, and $1.5 billion for therapeutic drugs to treat COVID-19….” … “G20 finance ministers must provide the necessary resources … “
Global Justice Now - G20 must fund ‘massive global health plan’ to tackle coronavirus crisis
https://www.globaljustice.org.uk/news/2020/mar/22/g20-must-fund-massive-global-health-plan-tackle-coronavirus-crisis
Joint statement from Amnesty International, CIVICUS and Transparency International: The G20 must put human rights and the public interest at the heart of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic
Jim O’Neill in Project Syndicate - The G20’s Pandemic Moment
Jim O’Neill also hoped that the G20 would seize the ‘Pandemic Moment’: “
Just as a meager investment to address antimicrobial resistance could yield a 2,000% return in the future, so, too, would an immediate modest outlay to finance development of COVID-19 therapeutics. As world leaders gather to formulate a response to the crisis, they must not lose sight of this simple cost-benefit calculus.”
“Given the risks, the G20 will have no excuse if it fails to muster at least that amount [10 billion] for the immediate provision of COVID-19 diagnostics and treatments, and another $10 billion to kick-start the market for new antibiotics.”
G20 Finance ministers’ virtual meeting (23 March)
“…
Today I want to make a call to action to the G20. I urge all official bilateral creditors of the poorest countries to act with immediate effect to help IDA countries through debt relief, allowing the countries to concentrate their resources on fighting the pandemic. In many cases this will require comprehensive and fair debt restructuring that includes NPV reductions sufficient for restoring debt sustainability. … … I’m calling on the G20 Leaders to allow the poorest countries to suspend all repayments of official bilateral credit until the World Bank and the IMF have made a full assessment of their reconstruction and financing needs…”
“
G20 finance ministers have held telephone talks but were not expected to issue a joint declaration, as divisions persist primarily between the US and China over responsibility for the coronavirus pandemic….”
For the
press release of the virtual meeting, see
G20.
G20 Leaders’ virtual summit (26 March)
Via the
Guardian: “
Leaders of the G20 industrialised nations, meeting in a virtual video conference call, have committed to do “whatever it takes” to minimise the social and economic damage of the world-wide pandemic. But a largely unspecific and uncontroversial joint communique set no specific commitments such as deferring debt repayment to the world’s poorest countries, as sought by the World Bank and the IMF. The two hour long meeting agreed to assess gaps in pandemic preparedness and increase funding for research and development in funding for vaccines and medicines, an area in which the G20 has shown an active interest in the past. However, an IMF call for a doubling of its funding to $2 trillion was not addressed specifically in the communique. The joint statement instead asserted G20 members had already undertaken a $5 trillion stimulus, through targeted fiscal policy and insurance schemes…”
You find the
full communiqué here. With four sections, the first one on ‘Fighting the pandemic’.
A few excerpts: “…
The G20 is committed to do whatever it takes to overcome the pandemic, along with the World Health Organization (WHO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank Group (WBG), United Nations (UN), and other international organizations, working within their existing mandates. We are determined to spare no effort, both individually and collectively, to: …”
“…
We fully support and commit to further strengthen the WHO’s mandate in coordinating the international fight against the pandemic, including the protection of front-line health workers, delivery of medical supplies, especially diagnostic tools, treatments, medicines, and vaccines. We acknowledge the necessity of urgent short-term actions to step up the global efforts to fight the COVID-19 crisis. We will quickly work together and with stakeholders to close the financing gap in the WHO Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan. We further commit to provide immediate resources to the WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovation (CEPI) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, on a voluntary basis. We call upon all countries, international organizations, the private sector, philanthropies, and individuals to contribute to these efforts….”
“We ask the WHO, in cooperation with relevant organizations, to assess gaps in pandemic preparedness and report to a joint meeting of Finance and Health Ministers in the coming months, with a view to establish a global initiative on pandemic preparedness and response. This initiative will capitalize on existing programs to align priorities in global preparedness and act as a universal, efficient, sustained funding and coordination platform to accelerate the development and delivery of vaccines, diagnostics and treatments…”
- PS: notice the difference between the ‘voluntary’ global health funding & “We are injecting over $5 trillion into the global economy, as part of targeted fiscal policy, economic measures, and guarantee schemes to counteract the social, economic and financial impacts of the pandemic.”
“The extra funding makes the UK the largest single contributor to the international coalition searching for a vaccine.”
Global Fund Supports Countries in Response to COVID-19
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/updates/other-updates/2020-03-23-global-fund-supports-countries-in-response-to-covid-19/
“
Under WHO guidance, the Global Fund strongly encourages countries to take prompt action to mitigate the potential negative consequences of COVID-19 on existing programs supported by Global Fund grants. Particular attention should be given to health worker protection, communication with affected communities, maintenance of essential services, supply chain coordination, early replenishment of stocks, disinfection of assets, and waste management. Fifteen countries and a regional grant have already accessed the funds to support their response. The 15 countries include Afghanistan, Belarus, Bhutan, El Salvador, Eritrea, Georgia, India, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Moldova, Myanmar, Rwanda and Ukraine. The regional grant in West Africa covers border screening and passenger tracing in five countries along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor….”
Gavi Board calls for bold engagement to respond to COVID-19
https://www.gavi.org/news/media-room/gavi-board-calls-bold-engagement-respond-covid-19
(21 March) “
With the COVID-19 pandemic already affecting 47 Gavi-supported countries, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance has already taken new steps to help strengthen the preparedness of health systems in lower-income countries with the full support of its Board. Gavi will also be working closely with WHO, CEPI, World Bank, UNICEF and other partners to create the optimal conditions for the acceleration of priority candidate vaccines with a focus on access including assuring adequate scale up of production and delivery to be sure the vaccine gets to where it is needed to stem the pandemic….”
You might also want to read
Seth Berkley’s
Science Editorial -
COVID-19 needs a Manhattan Project
“…
If ever there was a case for a coordinated global vaccine development effort using a “big science” approach, it is now….” Berkley explains what such a Manhattan project for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine would require.
KFF - Preparing for COVID-19 in Low and Middle Income Countries: Leveraging U.S. Global Health Assets
J Kates et al ;
https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/issue-brief/preparing-for-covid-19-in-low-and-middle-income-countries-leveraging-u-s-global-health-assets/
“
To assess where the U.S. government has existing global health assets that could be mobilized when and if needed, we identified all countries that received U.S. government bilateral global health assistance in FY 2018. We also identified LMICs that the U.S. has designated as high-priority for receiving COVID-19 assistance….”
Some other Funding & (stakeholder) coordination news:
- Tweet Tedros: “Today the #COVID19 Solidarity Response Fund reached over $100M in donations & pledges from individuals & orgs.”
- Tweet: “The #EU will support the @WHO global preparedness and response plan with €114 million to help weaker health systems tackle #coronavirus. Another €15 million are for rapid diagnosis and epidemiological surveillance in Africa, including for the Institute Pasteur Dakar.”
- OECD Action plan on Covid-19 : https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/
- Global Financing Facility - The GFF’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
(3) Some Key Updates of the past week
As we already mentioned, it’s impossible to give a full overview of all key updates related to the (now very much global) pandemic, especially as the ‘
Third Wave’ of the pandemic (
after China + East Asia, and then Europe/US) has unfortunately fully started now, also hitting very vulnerable populations
. We will also not try to give a
geographical overview (KFF has good daily updates on this, per continent/region). So in general, for this section, w
e refer to your daily updates, newsletters, media, … Here just some of the things that struck our attention the past week. Many of these will also come back, under some form, in the
Analysis section.
We will also try to give
some key WHO messages from this week. But check out certainly the
daily briefings from Tedros, Ryan, …
here.
In no particular order:
COVID-19: UN chief calls for global ceasefire to focus on ‘the true fight of our lives’
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1059972
Just one example of the bizarre times we’re living in… “
In an appeal issued on Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged warring parties across the world to lay down their weapons in support of the bigger battle against COVID-19: the common enemy that is now threatening all of humankind.”
See also
UN News -
Ease sanctions against countries fighting COVID-19: UN human rights chief
“
As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday called for an easing of sanctions against countries such as Iran to allow their medical systems to fight the disease and limit its global spread. Michelle Bachelet said humanitarian exemptions to sanctions measures should be authorized for essential medical equipment and supplies to avoid the collapse of any national healthcare system. …”
Should be a no-brainer, indeed, but unfortunately the US don’t see it like that (vs Iran, Venezuela, …)
Foreign Policy – The Next Wave
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/03/23/coronavirus-hitting-developing-countries-war-zones-united-nations-urgent-donation-appeal-syria-gaza-yemen-south-sudanthe-next-wave/
Background piece related to the UN Humanitarian Appeal (see above
): “U.N. and relief agencies warn the coronavirus pandemic could leave an even bigger path of destruction in the world’s most vulnerable and conflict-riven countries.”
“…“While all countries need to respond to COVID-19, countries with existing humanitarian crisis are particularly vulnerable and will require all humanitarian partners to look at their existing operations to see how they can be reprioritized and adapted [to tackle the virus],” according to a confidential draft Global Humanitarian Response Plan reviewed by Foreign Policy. … … As the arc of the pathogen spreads from global capitals to war zones and refugee camps, U.N. relief officials and aid organizations are bracing for what they fear could be a cataclysmic second phase of the pandemic: spreading in the close-quarters encampments of the world’s more than 25 million refugees and another 40 million internally displaced people….”
See also
the Guardian -
This virus is ravaging rich countries. What happens when it hits the poor ones?
Guardian - Everyone will be contaminated': prisons face strict coronavirus controls
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/mar/23/everyone-will-be-contaminated-prisons-face-strict-coronavirus-controls
“New WHO guidelines are aimed at protecting one of the most vulnerable sectors of society from the spread of Covid-19.”
WHO - United States could become coronavirus epicenter: WHO
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-who-usa/u-s-has-potential-of-becoming-coronavirus-epicentre-says-who-idUSKBN21B1FT
One of WHO’s key messages this week. And probably an understatement…
“
The United States has the potential to become the new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic due to a “very large acceleration” in infections there, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. Over the past 24 hours, 85 percent of new cases worldwide were from Europe and the United States, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters. Of those, 40 percent were from the United States….”
Some
other WHO messages from this week:
The
pandemic is accelerating (cfr. the now rapidly rising numbers), the ‘
young are not invincible’, … “
India’s swiftness in dealing with Covid-19 will decide the world’s future, says WHO” Or at least countries like India – cfr Ryan: “
The future of this pandemic will be determined by what happens to densely-populated countries.”
Also: “
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the time to act had been a month or two ago. “We squandered the first window of opportunity … this is a second opportunity, which we should not squander,” he said.”
Lockdowns not enough to defeat coronavirus - WHO's Ryan
https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-who-ryan-idINKBN2190E2
Another
key message, both by Tedros & Ryan.
“Countries can’t simply lock down their societies to defeat coronavirus, the World Health Organization’s top emergency expert said on Sunday, adding that there need to be public health measures to avoid a resurgence of the virus later on.” “What we really need to focus on is finding those who are sick, those who have the virus, and isolate them, find their contacts and isolate them… … “The danger right now with the lockdowns ... if we don’t put in place the strong public health measures now, when those movement restrictions and lockdowns are lifted, the danger is the disease will jump back up.”…”
HPW - Protective Equipment Manufacturing Must Increase By 80-100 Times During COVID-19 Pandemic; World Health Organization Projects 26 Million Healthcare Workers In Need
https://www.healthpolicy-watch.org/world-health-organization-projects-protective-equipment-manufacturing-must-increase-by-80-100-times-26-million-healthcare-workers-in-need/
Let these figures sink in. Key message from WHO (last week Friday):
“Manufacturing of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the COVID-19 pandemic response should be scaled up by 80 to 100 times to meet the projected needs of the healthcare workforce, the World Health Organization said on Friday. Amid a growing PPE shortage crisis in hotspots like Italy, the United States, and Iran, some 26 million healthcare workers around the world who may have to engage with COVID-19 patients could be in need of personal protective equipment, WHO projected….”
See also
Cidrap News -
WHO grapples with PPE, test shortages
UN News - Human rights must be maintained in beating back the COVID-19 pandemic, ‘without exception’ – UN experts
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1060372
“Dozens of independent UN human rights experts stressed on Thursday that in addition to public health and emergency measures, battling the COVID-19 pandemic, must respect the fundamental human rights of every individual.”
Life Sciences Companies Commit Expertise and Assets to the Fight Against COVID-19 Pandemic Alongside Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2020/03/Life-Science-Companies-Commit-to-the-Fight-Against-COVID-19-Pandemic-alongside-Gates-Foundation
“
Collaboration to address product development and scale-up challenges posed by the current pandemic.”
“… Following a conference call with Gates Foundation leadership earlier this month, companies are working to identify concrete actions that will accelerate treatments, vaccines, and diagnostics to the field. As a first step, 15 companies have agreed to share their proprietary libraries of molecular compounds that already have some degree of safety and activity data with the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator—launched by the Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and Mastercard two weeks ago—to quickly screen them for potential use against COVID-19. Successful hits would move rapidly into in vivo trials in as little as two months….”
Guardian - Trump signals change in coronavirus strategy that could clash with health experts
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/23/trump-social-distancing-coronavirus-rules-guidelines-economy
Also a big story from this week. (PS: Bolsonaro even outdid him, still not taking it very seriously)
“
Donald Trump has signalled a potential change in his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, amid warnings of a record plunge in economic activity and unemployment…” The Donald wants to get ‘back to business’ for the US by Easter (if it’s up to him). Public health experts clearly think this would be a disaster.
But the
‘long game’ – and exit strategy will become an issue in many countries in the coming weeks & months (see below for Analysis).
U.S. insisting that the U.N. call out Chinese origins of coronavirus
NBC;
“
A Security Council resolution on the coronavirus stalls over attempts to single out China as the country of origin.”
“The Trump administration is pushing the U.N. Security Council to call attention to the Chinese origins of the coronavirus, four diplomats posted to the United Nations told NBC News, triggering a stalemate as the global body seeks to cobble together a response to the pandemic. Talks among U.N. Security Council nations over a joint declaration or resolution on the coronavirus have stalled over U.S. insistence that it explicitly state that the virus originated in Wuhan, China, as well as exactly when it started there. China's diplomats are enraged according to the diplomats, even as they seek to put their own language into the statement praising China's efforts to contain the virus. The dispute at the United Nations comes amid growing finger-pointing between Washington and Beijing over the coronavirus….”
FT Health – Hidden infections challenge China’s claim coronavirus is under control
https://www.ft.com/content/4aa35288-3979-44f7-b204-b881f473fca0
“
Official figures suggest a breakthrough but local medics reveal unreported cases “.
“China’s official figures for new coronavirus cases suggest transmission has all but ended in many regions, but local experts have warned that official numbers omit important categories of cases. Hubei, the province where the outbreak originated, has reported no more than one new case a day for more than a week, allowing the government to signal the end of the crisis period. Officials and disease control teams have been able to leave the area, and travel restrictions and quarantines have also been relaxed. But interviews with local medics and disease specialists reveal that the situation in Hubei’s capital Wuhan could be worse than the official figures make out, suggesting any declaration by Beijing of victory against the pandemic would be premature. Experts have highlighted the existence of unreported cases, as well as the large number of asymptomatic cases that the government refuses to publicise in its official tally….”
Reuters - Gilead's potential coronavirus treatment gets FDA's orphan drug label
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-gilead-sciences-idUSKBN21A3PR
This was a big story this week re Gilead’s experimental drug,
remdesivir (causing big uproar, and fortunately, Gilead already backed off).
Cfr
tweet Els Torreele: “
@GileadSciences does it again: morally and intentionally abusing legislation and financial incentives designed to stimulate medical R&D for otherwise neglected health needs, and turning it into a mega money making opportunity, likely precluding access for the most vulnerable…”
For some analysis, see The Intercept -
Coronavirus treatment developed by Gilead Sciences granted “rare disease” status, potentially limiting affordability
See also Stat
Gilead pauses access to experimental Covid-19 drug due to ‘overwhelming demand’
Fortunately, Stat already reported: “
Under intense criticism, Gilead forsakes monopoly status for its experimental Covid-19 drug”
Well done, campaigners!
HPW - Médecins Sans Frontières Announces Campaign For $5 COVID-19 Test On ‘GeneXpert’ TB Platform
https://www.healthpolicy-watch.org/medecins-sans-frontieres-announces-campaign-for-5-covid-19-test-on-tuberculosis-testing-platform/
“
Médecins Sans Frontiéres (MSF) on Tuesday launched a campaign to push for a US $5 price tag on a new COVID-19 rapid diagnostic test that can be used on GeneXpert, a diagnostic instrument widely deployed around the world for diagnosing tuberculosis. The test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, received US Food and Drug Administration emergency use approval just last Friday, and represents a hope for scaling up COVID-19 testing in low- and middle-income countries. The MSF announcement coincided with World Tuberculosis Day, and reflected one of the many ways in which the battle against one of the world’s oldest respiratory diseases…”
HPW - Costa Rica Urges WHO To Lead Global Initiative For Pooled Rights To COVID-19 Diagnostics, Drugs & Vaccines
https://www.healthpolicy-watch.org/costa-rica-urges-who-to-lead-global-initiative-for-pooled-rights-to-covid-19-diagnostics-drugs-vaccines/
“
Costa Rica’s president, Carlos Alvarado Quesada has appealed to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization, to “pool rights to technologies that are useful for the detection, prevention, control and treatment of the COVID-19 pandemic”. The presidential letter dated Monday, 23 March, and co-signed by Minister of Health, Daniel Salas Peraza, proposed that the global pool “should include existing and future rights in patented inventions and designs, as well as rights in regulatory test data, know- how, cell lines, copyrights and blueprints for manufacturing diagnostic tests, devices, drugs, or vaccines”. “It should provide for free access or licensing on reasonable and affordable terms, in every member country.”….”
See also
Stat News -
WHO is asked to create a voluntary intellectual property pool to develop Covid-19 products
Other updates:
“
The UK government has approached Amazon and other companies about using their services to increase urgently the delivery of coronavirus tests to frontline health and social care workers. In a move that would have been unthinkable in Britain’s largely publicly funded health sector before the Covid-19 crisis, the government is in talks with companies about boosting the availability of tests for healthcare staff, according to two public health officials….”
Meanwhile, you see similar trends in Northern (democratic) countries… hopefully they’ll manage to protect privacy better (than Singapore or South Korea).
(4) Science
As we mentioned, given that this is not our niche, with
a preference for ‘readable’ (i.e. not too technical/biomedical) articles here, to sketch
some of the broader trends on the science of Covid-19,
drugs, vaccines, tests, epidemiology, modelling …
Stat - What we’ve learned about the coronavirus — and what we still need to know
https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/26/what-weve-learned-about-the-coronavirus-and-what-we-still-need-to-know/
By
Helen Branswell (26 March). Cutting through the crap. Recommended.
Guardian - Men are much more likely to die from coronavirus - but why?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/26/men-are-much-more-likely-to-die-from-coronavirus-but-why
“
Trend has been replicated in all nations, but scientists cannot yet fathom the cause.” With the various hypotheses.
Science - WHO launches global megatrial of the four most promising coronavirus treatments
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/who-launches-global-megatrial-four-most-promising-coronavirus-treatments
News from late last week. “
On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a large global trial, called SOLIDARITY, to find out whether any can treat infections with the new coronavirus for the dangerous respiratory disease….”
For an update, see
Science - Race to find COVID-19 treatments accelerates (27 March)
“…
The World Health Organization (WHO) last week announced a major study to compare treatment strategies in a streamlined clinical trial design that doctors around the world can join. Other trials are also underway; all told, at least 12 potential COVID-19 treatments are being tested, including drugs already in use for HIV and malaria, experimental compounds that work against an array of viruses in animal experiments, and antibody-rich plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19….”
FT Analysis - The global hunt for a coronavirus drug
https://www.ft.com/content/91bd081e-6e7b-11ea-9bca-bf503995cd6f
“
With a vaccine up to 18 months away, drug companies are testing existing virus treatments.”
“… Scientists are investigating three main types of drugs. The first are antivirals to stop the virus from replicating. Treatment guidelines compiled by the Chinese government during the outbreak include HIV drug combination Kaletra, which US biotech AbbVie recently waived its patents on so it can be made available as a generic; antimalarials such as chloroquine, which generic drugmakers are gearing up to manufacture at scale; and favipiravir, an anti-flu drug from Japan’s Fujifilm. The second category is anti-inflammatories that treat the lungs after the immune system is overwhelmed. Regeneron and Sanofi have partnered on Kevzara, while Roche has started a trial on Actemra, approved for use on rheumatoid arthritis in 100 countries. The third group are antibody-based treatments, derived either from recovered Covid-19 patients or developed in labs, to be given to the seriously ill or as a temporary prophylactic for healthcare workers. Eli Lilly has paired up with Canadian start-up AbCellera to work on antibodies developed from one of the first US Covid-19 patients, while Japan’s Takeda is developing a new drug derived from the blood plasma of others who have survived the virus….”
Stat - When might experimental drugs to treat Covid-19 be ready? A forecast
https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/24/when-might-experimental-drugs-to-treat-covid-19-be-ready-a-forecast/
“…
When it comes to infectious disease treatments, data from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization put the success rate of new medicines just starting clinical testing at 1 in 5. Is there hope that something will be available soon to help us fight this virus, known as SARS-CoV-2? Here’s a look at what’s on tap and how soon it could be ready. For almost any treatment or preventative, supply could be an issue if large numbers of people need it….”
Washington Post – The coronavirus isn’t mutating quickly, suggesting a vaccine would offer lasting protection
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/the-coronavirus-isnt-mutating-quickly-suggesting-a-vaccine-would-offer-lasting-protection/2020/03/24/406522d6-6dfd-11ea-b148-e4ce3fbd85b5_story.html
Some positive news: “
The coronavirus is not mutating significantly as it circulates through the human population, according to scientists who are closely studying the novel pathogen’s genetic code. That relative stability suggests the virus is less likely to become more or less dangerous as it spreads, and represents encouraging news for researchers hoping to create a long-lasting vaccine. …”
Excerpt: “…
There are only about four to 10 genetic differences between the strains that have infected people in the United States and the original virus that spread in Wuhan, he said. “That’s a relatively small number of mutations for having passed through a large number of people,” Thielen said. “At this point, the mutation rate of the virus would suggest that the vaccine developed for SARS-CoV-2 would be a single vaccine, rather than a new vaccine every year like the flu vaccine.” It would be more like the measles or chickenpox vaccines, he said — something that would likely confer immunity for a long time. … “I would expect a vaccine for coronavirus would have a similar profile to those vaccines. It’s great news,” Thielen said….”
Science - Can a century-old TB vaccine steel the immune system against the new coronavirus?
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/can-century-old-tb-vaccine-steel-immune-system-against-new-coronavirus
“Scientists launch trial of bacillus Calmette-Guérin, a vaccine made of living bacteria, to protect health care workers at risk of COVID-19 infection.”
HPW - New COVID-19 Rapid Diagnostic Approved For ‘GeneXpert’ TB Platform Could Pave Way For More Testing In Low- & Middle-Income Countries
https://www.healthpolicy-watch.org/new-covid-19-rapid-test-approved-for-genexpert-tb-platform-could-pave-way-for-more-testing-in-low-middle-income-countries/
“
US Food & Drug Administration authorization of a rapid COVID-19 test on the GeneXpert platform, one of the most widely-used TB diagnostic tools in the world, could be the first crack in the doorway to wider testing capacity in low- and middle-income countries, leading TB advocates told Health Policy Watch.”
PS: by now,
MSF started a campaign related to access for all (see above).
FT – Scientists hopeful warmer weather can slow spread of coronavirus
https://www.ft.com/content/c8ed3692-6db3-11ea-9bca-bf503995cd6f
Last word hasn’t been said about this, though….
Nature - What the cruise-ship outbreaks reveal about COVID-19
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00885-w
“
Close confines help the virus to spread, but closed environments are also an ideal place to study how the new coronavirus behaves.”
Washington Post - The coronavirus isn’t alive. That’s why it’s so hard to kill.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/23/coronavirus-isnt-alive-thats-why-its-so-hard-kill/
“The science behind what makes this coronavirus so sneaky, deadly and difficult to defeat.” One of many similar pieces.
FT - Coronavirus may have infected half of UK population — Oxford study
https://www.ft.com/content/5ff6469a-6dd8-11ea-89df-41bea055720b
“New epidemiological model shows vast majority of people suffer little or no illness.” Unfortunately, it was too good to be true. And thus already debunked by now by many experts.
Modelling clearly has some risks as well these days, and potentially vast consequences (see below – Analysis).
Imperial College Covid-19 Response team (new report) - The Global Impact of COVID-19 and Strategies for Mitigation and Suppression
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-Global-Impact-26-03-2020.pdf
According to this new report, “
The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe could hit 1.8 million worldwide this year even with swift and stringent measures to stop it.”
(26 March) “….
Here we combine data on age-specific contact patterns and COVID-19 severity to project the health impact of the pandemic in 202 countries. We compare predicted mortality impacts in the absence of interventions or spontaneous social distancing with what might be achieved with policies aimed at mitigating or suppressing transmission. Our estimates of mortality and healthcare demand are based on data from China and high-income countries; differences in underlying health conditions and healthcare system capacity will likely result in different patterns in low income settings. We estimate that in the absence of interventions, COVID-19 would have resulted in 7.0 billion infections and 40 million deaths globally this year. Mitigation strategies focussing on shielding the elderly (60% reduction in social contacts) and slowing but not interrupting transmission (40% reduction in social contacts for wider population) could reduce this burden by half, saving 20 million lives, but we predict that even in this scenario, health systems in all countries will be quickly overwhelmed. This effect is likely to be most severe in lower income settings where capacity is lowest: our mitigated scenarios lead to peak demand for critical care beds in a typical low-income setting outstripping supply by a factor of 25, in contrast to a typical high-income setting where this factor is 7. As a result, we anticipate that the true burden in low income settings pursuing mitigation strategies could be substantially higher than reflected in these estimates. Our analysis therefore suggests that healthcare demand can only be kept within manageable levels through the rapid adoption of public health measures (including testing and isolation of cases and wider social distancing measures) to suppress transmission, similar to those being adopted in many countries at the current time. If a suppression strategy is implemented early (at 0.2 deaths per 100,000 population per week) and sustained, then 38.7 million lives could be saved whilst if it is initiated when death numbers are higher (1.6 deaths per 100,000 population per week) then 30.7 million lives could be saved. Delays in implementing strategies to suppress transmission will lead to worse outcomes and fewer lives saved.”
Science - New blood tests for antibodies could show true scale of coronavirus pandemic
Science;
“…
Florian Krammer, a virologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and his colleagues posted a preprint yesterday describing a SARS-CoV-2 antibody test they have developed, and directions for replicating it. It’s one of the first such detailed protocols to be widely distributed, and the procedure is simple enough, he says, that other labs could easily scale it up “to screen a few thousand people a day,” and quickly amass more data on the accuracy and specificity of the test. Together with increased availability of commercial tests, that means some important answers about immunity to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, may be available soon, he says….”
Stat - Can location data from smartphones help slow the coronavirus? Facebook is giving academics a chance to try
Stat;
“
It’s emerging as one of the more promising — and potentially controversial — ideas to slow the spread of the coronavirus: collecting smartphone data to track where people have gone and who they’ve crossed paths with. The White House has discussed the notion, and several companies are reportedly in talks with the Trump administration to share aggregated user data. Researchers in the U.K. are working on one such app, and a team led by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is building another, with an eye toward protecting user privacy. China and South Korea developed their own smartphone surveillance systems to try to clamp down on their own outbreaks, though their approaches likely wouldn’t be palatable in countries with greater expectations of privacy. Then there’s Facebook, which collects data from its users around the world who opt in to sharing their location when using its smartphone app. Facebook does not share this information with governments. But in recent weeks, the social media giant has been sharing these data — in aggregated and anonymized form — with academic and nonprofit researchers analyzing the spread of the coronavirus. Among the universities where Covid-19 researchers are harnessing Facebook’s data: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, University of Pavia in Italy, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine….”
Nature - Covert coronavirus infections could be seeding new outbreaks
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00822-x
“
Scientists are rushing to estimate the proportion of people with mild or no symptoms who could be spreading the pathogen.”
See also South China Morning Post -
A third of coronavirus cases may be ‘silent carriers’, classified Chinese data suggests
“
More than 43,000 people in China had tested positive without immediate symptoms by the end of February and were quarantined. It is still unclear what role asymptomatic transmission is playing in the global pandemic.”
But it’s clear that it’s a big one…
FT - Coronavirus patient shows encouraging immune system fightback
https://www.ft.com/content/70945888-6938-11ea-800d-da70cff6e4d3
On a case study. “Woman in study makes recovery three days after doctors saw numerous infection-free cells.”
China reports deeply disturbing coronavirus development
https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/healthmedicine/china-reports-deeply-disturbing-coronavirus-development-c-765460.amp?utm_campaign=share-icons&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&tid=1585266223158&__twitter_impression=true
“
China’s reduction in cases of COVID-19 has been applauded the world over, as proof that there is light at the end of the lockdown tunnel. However, new research has shown that there could be a second wave of infections looming. As many as 14 per cent of recovered coronavirus patients in China have tested positive again, according to medical experts. Research showed that between three to 14 per cent of patients were diagnosed with the coronavirus, after already being given the all-clear….”
And some
quick Science related links:
On the huge mental health burden of health workers (involved in Covid-19) in China. Figures, and which categories were are being hit the most by mental health issues.
“Singapore modelling study estimates impact of physical distancing on reducing spread of COVID-19.” “First of its kind modelling study in Singapore indicates that quarantining of people infected with the new coronavirus and their family members, school closures plus quarantine, and workplace distancing plus quarantine, in that order, are effective at reducing the number of COVID-19 cases, with a combination of all three being most effective in reducing cases .”
“
People age 50 and older are around 2-and-a-half times more likely to progress to a severe case of COVID-19. That's according to a new study that quantifies the risk factors that increase the odds that people infected with the coronavirus will develop a severe case of the disease….”
See also
Stat -
For people with underlying health conditions, the coronavirus presents ‘all the ingredients’ for danger
See also
Stat News -
Doctors warn an inability to smell could be a symptom of Covid-19 — but caution the evidence is preliminary
“
We are collating an overview of all SARS-CoV-2 tests commercially available or in development for the diagnosis of COVID-19.”
“
Disposable rubber gloves are indispensable in the global fight against the new coronavirus, yet a month’s lockdown in stricken Malaysia where three of every five gloves are made has upended the supply chain and threatens to hamstring hospitals worldwide.”
“
In a research letter today in JAMA Pediatrics, Chinese researchers say that they can't rule out mother-to-baby COVID-19 transmission in three infected newborns, indicating the need for increased vigilance before and after delivery. Meanwhile, an observational cohort study yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases presents evidence that children may be more likely than adults to spread coronavirus because their often-asymptomatic illness makes infections harder to identify.”
(5) Analysis
As you know, there’s so much good analysis now being produced on Covid-19 and its various angles, that it’s hard to give some overview. Still, we will try below to provide you with a good variety, so that you have an idea on all the debate(s).
So do
scan and then
pick the analyses you want to know more about to read in full.
Lancet Editorial – COVID-19: learning from experience
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30686-3/fulltext
The Lancet’s take on the current situation (and what we should learn from it).
Alan Whiteside’s weekly update - The World wakes up (25 March)
https://alan-whiteside.com/tag/covid-19/
Nice overview (4-pager), also
zooming in on the situation in different regions/continents.
He also has quite a clear view on the issue of climate – and
which Climatic conditions are less conducive to the spread of Covid-19.
Global Policy (blog) - Africa and the Third Wave of Covid-19
N Webster;
https://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/25/03/2020/africa-and-third-wave-covid-19
“Neil Webster on how bilateral and multilateral donor agencies can help Africa weather the Third Wave of Covid-19.”
BMJ (Editorial) - Covid-19 risks and response in South Asia
Z Bhutta et al ;
https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m1190
“The region is ill prepared for the crisis that lies ahead.”
Foreign Affairs - The Coronavirus Is Exacerbating Sectarian Tensions in the Middle East
T Matthiesen ;
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/middle-east/2020-03-23/coronavirus-exacerbating-sectarian-tensions-middle-east
“Faced With a New Disease, Many in the Region See an Old Enemy.” “… The coronavirus crisis appears to be amplifying anti-Shiite prejudice and demonization”.
Guardian - Coronavirus: how Asian countries acted while the west dithered
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/21/coronavirus-asia-acted-west-dithered-hong-kong-taiwan-europe
Great piece, focusing on
Europe. “
In Hong Kong and Taiwan, deaths are in single figures. But Europe gambled on a containment strategy.” Recommended comparative piece (European countries’ responses vs East-Asian ones)
Guardian - Coronavirus threatens to turn aid crises into 'humanitarian catastrophes'
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/mar/25/coronavirus-threatens-to-turn-aid-crises-into-humanitarian-catastrophes
“Stringent new international restrictions on movement introduced because of the coronavirus pandemic are threatening the lives of millions of people across the world already caught up in humanitarian emergencies. UN agencies, aid groups and international experts have warned that the new restrictions, which have closed borders and ports, and severely limited the movement of key staff from Africa to South America and Asia, threaten a “dramatic” knock-on effect in countries suffering from conflict, extreme climate events and other crises….”
Guardian - World's most vulnerable in 'third wave' for Covid-19 support, warn experts
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/mar/20/worlds-most-vulnerable-in-third-wave-for-covid-19-support-warn-experts
“
Fears that lack of coronavirus testing and supplies could mean refugees and those caught in crises are left behind.” “The world’s most vulnerable people could be last in line for support to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, experts have warned. Countries already dealing with humanitarian and refugee crises face a struggle to find the resources to deal with the pandemic by the time it reaches them, specialists said in a webinar hosted by the New Humanitarian news agency on Thursday. Protective equipment and resources for testing are already a concern for China and Europe, but a third wave could leave developing countries with weakened health systems in a worse position – even though most currently have a relatively small number of cases.”
BMJ Editorial – Europe’s migrant containment policies threaten the response to covid-19
S Hargreaves, M McKee et al;
https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m1213
“Policy makers must include migrant camps in their national plans.”
Global Policy Journal (blog)- In Practice, there are Two Pandemics: One for the Well-Off and One for the Poor
https://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/20/03/2020/practice-there-are-two-pandemics-one-well-and-one-poor
“
Rodrigo Fracalossi de Moraes explores the inequalities creating two very different pandemics in Brazil and elsewhere.”
How to budget for COVID-19 response? A rapid scan of budgetary mechanisms in highly affected countries
H Barroy, J Kutzin et al;
https://p4h.world/en/node/8821
By the
WHO Health financing team. A must if you work in
public finance management.
Tax Justice Now - Tax justice and the coronavirus
Nick Shaxson;
https://www.taxjustice.net/2020/03/24/tax-justice-and-the-coronavirus/
As you can imagine, I agree with pretty much every proposal in this blog post 😊.
CGD (blog) - “Spend What It Takes” to Respond to COVID-19 in Poor Countries, Too
Masood Ahmed;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/spend-what-it-takes-respond-covid-19-poor-countries-too
“
It is now only a question of when, not if, the COVID-19 pandemic will exact its human and economic toll on the poor and developing countries of South Asia, Africa, and Latin America the way it is already ravaging East Asia, Europe, and North America. And when it does, they too will need to respond with exceptional health and financial measures in the face of this unprecedented global challenge.”
Project Syndicate - Flattening the COVID-19 Curve in Developing Countries
Ricardo Hausmann ; https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/flattening-covid19-curve-in-developing-countries-by-ricardo-hausmann-2020-03
From an economical angle
. “The more contained you want the novel coronavirus to be, the more you will need to lock down your country – and the more fiscal space you will require to mitigate the deeper recession that will result. The problem for most of the Global South is that policymakers lack fiscal space even in the best of times.”
Devex - Opinion: How debt burdens could cripple Africa's COVID-19 response
https://www.devex.com/news/opinion-how-debt-burdens-could-cripple-africa-s-covid-19-response-96821
By David Archer (Action Aid).
CGD (blog) 5 Principles on the Uses and Misuses of Debt Relief to Address the Coronavirus Pandemic
Scott Morris;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/5-principles-uses-and-misuses-debt-relief-address-coronavirus-pandemic#.XnsE86UsV5o.twitter
“
Debt relief for low-income countries is on the table of measures to consider for coronavirus response. The imperative right now is to get cash to LICs as quickly as possible. Suspending some debt service payments may be a good first step in freeing up some budget space for new spending. Beyond that, protracted debt-relief negotiations with multilateral and commercial creditors right now could be a distraction at best but could also actively undermine the ability of institutions like the World Bank to offer new financing for crisis response.”
F2P blog - Why Debt Relief should be part of the Covid Response
https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/why-debt-relief-should-be-part-of-the-covid-response/
Duncan Green stiches together great new analysis from Eurodad, ODI, CGD & Guardian here.
David Fidler (Think Global Health) - Coronavirus: A Twenty-Year Failure
https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/coronavirus-twenty-year-failure
“Unheeded warnings and past pandemic preparedness policy failures have left the world vulnerable to COVID-19”.
IPS - Fighting Coronavirus: It’s Time to Invest in Universal Public Health
http://www.ipsnews.net/2020/03/fighting-coronavirus-time-invest-universal-public-health/
I would say it’s past time. Must-read by
Isabel Ortiz & Thomas Stubbs.
“
Austerity policies pushed by international financial institutions have weakened public health systems, despite current financial support packages, condemning many people to die. As health systems of East Asia, Europe, and the Americas buckle under the strain of coronavirus, developing countries are expecting an even higher human toll. Decades of austerity promoted by international financial institutions (IFIs) such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and regional development banks have weakened public health systems, impeding the ability of governments to respond to the pandemic…..”
Chatham House (Expert Comment) – Heads of state should grasp the opportunity to become universal health heroes to strengthen global health security
Rob Yates; https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/lets-emerge-covid-19-stronger-health-systems
“Heads of state should grasp the opportunity to become universal health heroes to strengthen global health security.”
Science - Mathematics of life and death: How disease models shape national shutdowns and other pandemic policies
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/mathematics-life-and-death-how-disease-models-shape-national-shutdowns-and-other
Excellent stuff, this. “….
COVID-19 isn’t the first infectious disease scientists have modeled—Ebola and Zika are recent examples—but never has so much depended on their work. Entire cities and countries have been locked down based on hastily done forecasts that often haven’t been peer reviewed. “It has suddenly become very visible how much the response to infectious diseases is based on models,” Wallinga says. For the modelers, “it’s a huge responsibility,…”
UNAIDS calls for a human rights approach to the COVID-19 outbreak that puts communities at the centre
https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2020/march/20200320_human-rights-approach-covid-19
“
UNAIDS is calling on countries to adopt a human rights-based approach in responding to the global outbreak of COVID-19 that puts communities at the centre and respects the rights and dignity of all. To help guide governments, communities and other stakeholders in planning and implementing measures to contain the pandemic, UNAIDS has produced a new guidance document that draws on key lessons from the response to the HIV epidemic: Rights in the time of COVID-19: lessons from HIV for an effective, community-led response. …”
HHR - COVID-19 and Detention: Respecting Human Rights
J J Amon;
https://www.hhrjournal.org/2020/03/covid-19-and-detention-respecting-human-rights/
New Statesman - The seven early lessons of the global coronavirus crisis
I Krastev;
https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2020/03/coronavirus-early-lessons-global-crisis
By
Ivan Krastev. Bit dark, these 7 early lessons, but very much recommended. “
The new anti-globalist moment could weaken populist political actors who, even when they have a point, do not have a solution.”
“
Governments will eventually be forced to choose between containing the spread of the pandemic at the cost of destroying the economy, or tolerating a higher human cost to save the economy….”
The Atlantic - What does feminist leadership look like in a pandemic?
Ed Yong;
Atlantic;
“Feminist leadership understands that we’re only as safe — or empowered — as the most vulnerable among us. “
“…At its heart, so much of feminist leadership is about making undemocratic, untransparent and asymmetrical power relations and dynamics visible, and then trying to transform or disrupt them. This means taking a clear-eyed look at the economic, social and political systems that are producing and reproducing the inequalities that the virus is throwing into stark relief. Feminist leaders need to shine a light on the oppressive structures that have created a situation where basic health coverage for survival is a pipe dream for approximately 50% of the world; where the gig economy has meant that there is a lack of sick leave provision for so many; and where the presence of a pandemic means there are likely increased risks of domestic violence, workplace violence in the health sector and abuse of vulnerable women domestic workers….”
World Politics Review - How ‘Medical Nationalism’ Is Undermining the Fight Against the Coronavirus Pandemic
J Youde;
https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/28623/how-medical-nationalism-is-undermining-the-fight-against-the-coronavirus-pandemic
“
Increasing the production of medical supplies should be part of a long-term public health strategy, not an emergency measure for fighting the current outbreak, writes Jeremy Youde”.
“In addition to the political, economic and social impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, this outbreak highlights the particular challenges related to maintaining medical supply chains. Across the globe, we are seeing health systems struggle to cope with overwhelming demand for medical equipment and limited or uncertain supplies. This forces serious and often uncomfortable global debates about who should have access to them. … …. Hoarding medical supplies or only making them available to a certain country’s citizens puts everyone at greater risk. Global public health is what’s known as a weakest link public good, meaning it is generally only as effective anywhere in the world as it is in the country with the lowest capacity. Artificially restricting the supply of medical supplies and decreasing their availability elsewhere only increases the likelihood that the coronavirus will continue to spread unabated in other countries—which means that everyone continues to remain at risk. It feeds into a kind of medical nationalism, at the precise moment when we need more of an international approach.”
AP - As virus spreads, Africa gets supplies from China’s Jack Ma
https://apnews.com/76a74141bfc88456df0f0fa42e6b7574
It’s not just the Chinese government that is engaging in ‘soft power’, also the Chinese philanthropist Jack Ma (Alibaba) is doing this, via Addis Ababa, to a large number of African countries.
Wired - The Dangers of Relying on Philanthropists During Pandemics
Rob Reich;
https://www.wired.com/story/opinion-the-dangers-of-relying-on-philanthropists-during-pandemics/
“
Bill Gates and Jack Ma have stepped in where Donald Trump has failed. But public health shouldn't be dictated by the whims of the rich.” That’s a government responsibility.
Project Syndicate - A Pandemic Is No Time for US Economic Sanctions
Project Syndicate;
By
Jeffrey Sachs & F Rodriguez. “
During the current COVID-19 crisis, containment efforts must be global, and at-risk countries must be able to count on all necessary international assistance. Sanctions by the government of the world’s largest economy make this impossible.”
IISD - Human Rights Expert Recommends Ways to Protect Persons with Disabilities from COVID-19
IISD;
“
The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities warned against measures that aim to fight the COVID-19 pandemic but are impossible for people with disabilities, thus leaving them behind. She recommends allowing family members and caregivers to support people with disabilities and providing financial aid to prevent greater vulnerability or poverty for people with disabilities and their families.”
NYT – Search for coronavirus vaccine becomes a global competition
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/us/politics/coronavirus-vaccine-competition.html
With among others, the
US, China and Europe all sprinting to get there first. With some potentially dangerous (geopolitcal & access) spin-off effects. Increasingly, there’s a realization that
biotechnology is a strategy industry, for example.
Piece by Peter Sands - Former Bank CEO: I Tried to Sound the Alarm About Pandemic Risk. Finance Didn’t Listen.
https://www.barrons.com/articles/why-economists-didn-t-predict-a-coronavirus-recession-51585094897
Recommended read by the current Global Fund CEO,
Peter Sands.
“
If being the CEO of a major international bank and now head of a global health organization has taught me one thing, it’s that there’s a chasm of mutual incomprehension between the worlds of global finance and global health. Finance leaders haven’t taken seriously the economic risks attached to infectious disease outbreaks. Health leaders have failed to understand why they haven’t. Our unpreparedness for Covid-19 and our panicked, stumbling, and unbalanced global response have their roots in this divide….”
Global Policy Journal (blog) - The Securitization of COVID-19: Three Political Dilemmas
https://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/25/03/2020/securitization-covid-19-three-political-dilemmas
“Nathan Alexander Sears wonders whether the explosion of state power in response to COVID-19 will abate or become a feature of our lives.”
HSG Blog – Reacting now, preparing for the future: pandemic dynamics in informal settlements
M Mwoka;
https://www.healthsystemsglobal.org/blog/404/Reacting-now-preparing-for-the-future-Pandemic-dynamics-in-informal-settlements.html
Covid-19 in
slums is indeed a major worry.
UN News - Water access critical to beating back COVID-19 spread in slum areas
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1060042
“
As regular hand washing is a key tool in combating COVID-19, the UN and its partners are taking steps to ensure people living in informal settlements have access to running water at this critical time, according to the agency working to achieve more sustainable cities.” (UN Habitat)
“Flattening the curve is a key tactic but a long term strategy is now needed”
https://www.itg.be/E/Article/flattening-the-curve-is-a-key-tactic-but-a-long-term-strategy-is-now-needed
Op-ed by
ITM Director Marc-Alain Widdowson on the importance of the
long term strategy (that we should also begin to ponder). So we should already think through what to do in the next 6-18 months.
Stat - When can we let up? Health experts craft strategies to safely relax coronavirus lockdowns
https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/25/coronavirus-experts-craft-strategies-to-relax-lockdowns/
Special report on the “long game”. Recommended.
“…
there is growing recognition that the time will and must come to tiptoe back toward normalcy. … That recognition is driving the next life-and-death questions in the coronavirus pandemic: What is the exit strategy? How will we know when it’s safe to implement it? … … The “when can we?” research, unfortunately, is playing out against a highly politicized background. … … apolitical experts are nevertheless cautiously starting to figure out how smarter, targeted approaches could serve as an off-ramp for the current control measures and how to do better next time, especially if Covid-19 cases rebound after the current outbreak fades…”
Lancet Letter - Parenting in a time of COVID-19
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30736-4/fulltext
For the many parents among you😊 “…
times of hardship can also allow for creative opportunity: to build stronger relationships with our children and adolescents. WHO, UNICEF, the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children, the United States Agency for International Development USAID, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Parenting for Lifelong Health, and the UK Research and Innovation Global Challenges Research Fund Accelerating Achievement for Africa's Adolescents Hub are collaborating to provide open access online parenting resources during COVID-19….”
Think Global Health - Epidemics and Infodemics in the Post-Truth Era, from Ebola to COVID-19
S Stokes et al;
https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/epidemics-and-infodemics-post-truth-era-ebola-covid-19
“
Social media can be a powerful weapon in the post-truth era. Or it can be a catalyst for the next global health disaster.”
NEJM - Fair Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources in the Time of Covid-19
E Emmanuel et al ;
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsb2005114?query=featured_home
«
The Covid-19 pandemic has already stressed health care systems throughout the world, requiring rationing of medical equipment and care. The authors discuss the ethical values relevant to health care rationing and provide six recommendations to guide fair allocation of scarce medical resources during the pandemic.”
For
coverage of this NEJM article, see
Cidrap News -
Life, or death? Experts guide pandemic medical equipment decisions.
CGD (blog) - COVID-19, Information Problems, and Digital Surveillance
M Pisa;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/covid-19-information-problems-and-digital-surveillance?utm_source=200324&utm_medium=cgd_email&utm_campaign=cgd_weekly
« As
the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, the effectiveness of national response efforts has hinged on governments' ability to measure its spread through digital surveillance, Michael Pisa writes. But as reliance on these digital tools increases, he notes, how can we prevent governments from using them to track individuals for other purposes after an outbreak has subsided? »
Stat News - Antibiotic resistance: the hidden threat lurking behind Covid-19
https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/23/antibiotic-resistance-hidden-threat-lurking-behind-covid-19/
“…
Already, some studies have found that 1 in 7 patients hospitalized with Covid-19 has acquired a dangerous secondary bacterial infection, and 50% of patients who have died had such infections. The challenge of antibiotic resistance could become an enormous force of additional sickness and death across our health system as the toll of coronavirus pneumonia stretches critical care units beyond their capacity….”
https://globalvoices.org/2020/03/25/across-africa-covid-19-heightens-tension-between-faith-and-science/
Very worrying. “
Some leaders reject expert advice to ban religious gatherings.”
Lancet Letter - National UK programme of community health workers for COVID-19 response
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30735-2/fulltext
By
Andy Haines et al. With some reverse learning from LMICs’ CHW experiences. Also useful beyond the UK setting.
Lancet Global Health (Comment) - Early in the epidemic: impact of preprints on global discourse about COVID-19 transmissibility
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30113-3/fulltext
Cfr a tweet: “
@maiamajumder & K Mandl use preprint & peer-reviewed studies that estimated the transmissibility of SARS CoV-2 on or before Feb 1 to investigate the role that preprints have had in information dissemination during the ongoing #COVID19 outbreak.”
Protect Worker Health, Support Incomes: ILO Urges Early Action on COVID-19
IISD;
“
ILO released a briefing note that calls for three key measures: protecting workers in the workplace, stimulating the economy and employment, and supporting jobs and incomes. The note concludes by stressing that these measures will help but cautions that preparedness and early action are critical.”
BMJ Global Health (blog) - Sex, gender and COVID-19: Disaggregated data and health disparities
A Purdie, S Hawkes, K Buse et al;
https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjgh/2020/03/24/sex-gender-and-covid-19-disaggregated-data-and-health-disparities/
By the
Global Health 50/50 team. “….
Sex-disaggregated data are essential for understanding the distributions of risk, infection and disease in the population and the extent to which sex and gender affect clinical outcomes. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, sex-disaggregated data can help guide pathways for clinical care, addressing questions such as whether older men with co-morbidities require additional prevention or earlier intensive intervention than younger people or those without co-morbidity….”
Guardian - China shows way to ease lockdowns before vaccine, says report
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/china-shows-way-to-ease-lockdowns-before-vaccine-ready-suggests-report-imperial-college
“
China’s tough lockdown and physical distancing measures in Wuhan and other provinces appear to have successfully ended new locally transmitted coronavirus infections and may chart a route back to normal life, according to a report from Imperial College London. The report, from Prof Neil Ferguson and his team, who have been the main modellers of the epidemic for the UK and other governments, suggests it is possible to lift the physical distancing restrictions, as China has begun to do, without a resurgence of the epidemic. …”
What a Population’s Age Structure Means for COVID-19’s Impact in Low-Income Countries
David Evans et al ;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/what-populations-age-structure-means-covid-19s-impact-low-income-countries
“Low-income countries also differ from high-income countries in that they have far fewer elderly citizens, and COVID-19 is not affecting all segments of the population equally. What this means is that an uncontrolled virus could have a far lesser death toll in a much younger population.”
NYT – The virus can be stopped, but only with harsh steps, experts say
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/22/health/coronavirus-restrictions-us.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage
By
Donald McNeill (NYT’s global health correspondent). Focus on the US.
Stat - A plea from doctors in Italy: To avoid Covid-19 disaster, treat more patients at home
https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/21/coronavirus-plea-from-italy-treat-patients-at-home/
“.. dozen physicians at the epicenter of Italy’s Covid-19 outbreak issued a plea to the rest of the world on Saturday, going beyond the heartbreaking reports of overwhelmed health care workers there and a seemingly uncontrollable death toll to warn that medical practice during a pandemic may need to be turned on its head — with care delivered to many patients at home. “Western health care systems have been built around the concept of patient-centered care,” physicians Mirco Nacoti, Luca Longhi, and their colleagues at Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo urge in a paper published on Saturday in NEJM Catalyst, a new peer-reviewed journal from the New England Journal of Medicine. But a pandemic requires “community-centered care.”…”
International Journal for Equity in Health -Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in complex humanitarian crises
https://equityhealthj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12939-020-01162-y
Commentary by D Poole et al.
SRHM - COVID-19: What implications for sexual and reproductive health and rights globally?
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/26410397.2020.1746065
Editorial by Julia Hussain.
Guardian - For some people, social distancing means being trapped indoors with an abuser
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/21/coronavirus-domestic-violence-week-in-patriarchy?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
One of the many (huge) concerns of the lockdown.
Devi Sridhar (on Undark ) - For the Rich, Covid-19 Protections. For Health Workers, a Shrug.
https://undark.org/2020/03/19/covid-19-health-worker-protection/
“
While Covid-19 testing and protections become “luxury” goods among the wealthy, health workers are left wanting.”
Helen Branswell - Understanding what works: How some countries are beating back the coronavirus
Stat;
Overview of various countries’ response strategies.
CGD (blog) Strategic Investments for COVID-19 and Future Epidemic Threats
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/strategic-investments-covid-19-and-future-epidemic-threats
by
K Chalkidou et al. “
Building upon our earlier blog post on COVID-19 and smart health spending in developing countries, we developed a presentation on some of our early thoughts and research findings—focused on current gaps and much needed areas of development in research and resources for better outbreak preparedness. Here we summarise a few thoughts on important areas for new and sustained investment…”
BMJ Editorial - Covid-19: control measures must be equitable and inclusive
Z Berger, A Phelan et al ;
https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m1141
“Failure to respect the needs of vulnerable groups will seriously undermine response efforts.”
London School - COVID-19 control in low-income settings and displaced populations: what can realistically be done?
M Dahab et al ;
https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2020/covid-19-control-low-income-settings-and-displaced-populations-what-can
Containment may buy some time (at best). This view also focuses on the importance of
shielding risk populations.
Think Global Health - Where WASH Figures in the COVID-19 Fight
https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/where-wash-figures-covid-19-fight
“
Hard-sought health security in sub-Saharan Africa should build on WASH programs, which are already proven to save lives.”
Think Global Health - Six Proactive Steps in a Smart Trade Approach to Fighting COVID-19
J Hillman;
https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/six-proactive-steps-smart-trade-approach-fighting-covid-19
“
Tariffs, subsidies, waivers, licensure, and what a trade agenda to support the fight against coronavirus might look like.”
LSE (blog) - We only changed our behaviour when we saw Covid-19 at our doorstep
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2020/03/23/we-only-changed-our-behaviour-when-we-saw-covid-19-at-our-doorstep/
“
Research explains the relatively late behavioural reaction to the information of Covid-19 in Europe, writes Joan Costa-Font.”
Medicines Law & Policy - Covid-19 and the comeback of compulsory licensing
https://medicineslawandpolicy.org/2020/03/covid-19-and-the-come-back-of-compulsory-licensing/
Blog by
Ellen ‘t Hoen.
LSE (blog) Editorial: Social science in a time of social distancing
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2020/03/23/editorial-social-science-in-a-time-of-social-distancing/
“
Whilst the medical and scientific establishment have mobilised to respond to the outbreak, discussions around how social science will both impact and be impacted by Covid-19 have been more muted and often secondary to scientific concerns, yet they remain, now more than ever, necessary. … … There is little doubt that an effective response to Covid-19 will require social scientific expertise….”
Guardian - Coronavirus measures could cause global food shortage, UN warns
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/mar/26/coronavirus-measures-could-cause-global-food-shortage-un-warns
“Protectionist policies and shortage of workers could see problems start within weeks.”
World TB Day (24 March)
Devex - To stop tuberculosis, learn 'the COVID lesson'
https://www.devex.com/news/to-stop-tuberculosis-learn-the-covid-lesson-96827
“The World Health Organization has released new guidelines on preventing and treating tuberculosis, as experts warn that people living with TB are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.”
“The novel coronavirus outbreak is further derailing progress toward ending tuberculosis, experts say. At the same time, COVID-19 is providing an example of what is possible when an infectious disease is met with a high-profile, global response.”
For more, see WHO -
World TB Day.
For the
official WHO press statement -
New WHO recommendations to prevent tuberculosis aim to save millions of lives
“…
The new consolidated guidelines recommend a range of innovative approaches to scale up access to TB preventive treatment…”
IHP – Something old, something new: Linkages and lessons in the responses to tuberculosis and Covid-19
https://www.internationalhealthpolicies.org/featured-article/something-old-something-new-linkages-and-lessons-in-the-responses-to-tuberculosis-and-covid-19/
Great analysis by
André J van Rensburg, comparing the responses to TB & Covid-19.
World Water Day (22 March)
Guardian - Water saving an important but ignored weapon in solving climate crisis, says UN
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/22/water-saving-an-important-but-ignored-weapon-in-solving-climate-crisis-says-un
“
Decades of chronic underfunding of water infrastructure is putting many countries at worse risk in the coronavirus crisis, with more than half the global population lacking access to safely managed sanitation, experts said as the UN marked World Water Day on Sunday.”
“…The UN World Water Development report, published on Sunday, pointed to the underfunding of water infrastructure around the world, despite its importance….”
UN - World Water Day: Often overlooked, water resources are essential part of solution to climate change
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1059952
“
On World Water Day, the United Nations launched a flagship report which says that reducing both the impacts and drivers of climate change will require major shifts in the way we use and reuse the Earth’s limited water resources. The new global report calls, among others, for concrete efforts to address rising water stress and improve the efficiency of water use in agriculture and industry, and it outlines actions in three areas: first, enabling people to adapt to the impacts of climate change; second, improving the resilience of livelihoods; and, third, reducing the drivers of climate change….”
“In her message on the Day, UNESCO chief Azoulay said that with four billion people worldwide forced to contend with water scarcity, “without sustainable access to water, we will be unable to achieve goals such as quality education or the development of more prosperous, fairer societies…”
The UN estimates that
over 50 % of the population might suffer from water scarcety by 2050, if we don’t change tack.
Commission on Health Determinants, Data, and Decision Making
How Data Science Could Revolutionize Population Health: New $2.5 million initiative will use data on social, economic health determinants to improve policies around the world
http://www.bu.edu/articles/2020/how-data-science-could-revolutionize-population-health/
“…
with the help of a $2.5 million grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, Abdalla and other researchers from SPH and collaborating institutions will use data science to examine social determinants of health—such as clean water and safe housing—toward informing better policy decisions that affect the health of populations. The Commission on Health Determinants, Data, and Decision Making, nicknamed the 3-D Commission by its founders, will be made up of 25 member researchers from around the world and chaired by Sandro Galea, dean of SPH and Robert A. Knox Professor. … … Comprising health, data science, and policy experts, the 3-D Commission will develop pragmatic guidance for how decision-makers can more efficiently and systematically improve population health in countries across the wealth spectrum. … … Abdalla says the 3-D Commission will hold its first meeting in April. Commission members were originally scheduled to meet in New York City, but their meeting will now be held virtually, in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Team members hope to officially launch their efforts at this year’s World Health Assembly, scheduled to convene this May in Geneva, Switzerland. The commission’s work will culminate in September 2021, coincident with the United Nations General Assembly, with the team presenting a final report that will provide policymakers with actionable recommendations.”
Wilton Park (report) - Healthy societies for healthy populations
https://www.wiltonpark.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WP1734-Report-1.pdf
The report of the meeting of 10-12 February. “…
The aim of the meeting was to explore social, economic and environmental determinants of healthy societies, the promotion of cross-sectoral approaches for better health and the prioritization of health in other sectoral policies and settings. The meeting explored how to take practical steps to ensure that societies become ‘healthier’, where people stay healthy and need minimal medical services.”
I admit, bit a weird title for the current days…
Some key papers and reports of the week
Tropical Medicine & Infectious Disease - Impact of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic in Coastal Kenya
F Andayi, MA Widdowson et al ;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6631354/
Good to have a good look at this paper, given the ominous start of the Third Wave in Africa of Covid-19. “
The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most significant pandemic recorded in human history. Worldwide, an estimated half billion persons were infected and 20 to 100 million people died in three waves during 1918 to 1919. Yet the impact of this pandemic has been poorly documented in many countries especially those in Africa. We used colonial-era records to describe the impact of 1918 influenza pandemic in the Coast Province of Kenya. … … We found that crude mortality rates and healthcare utilization increased six- and three-fold, respectively, in 1918, and estimated a pandemic mortality rate of 25.3 deaths/1000 people/year. Impact to society and the health care system was dramatic as evidenced by correspondence. In conclusion, the 1918 pandemic profoundly affected Coastal Kenya. Preparation for the next pandemic requires continued improvement in surveillance, education about influenza vaccines, and efforts to prevent, detect and respond to novel influenza outbreaks.”
Special Edition on Anti-Corruption, Transparency and Accountability
https://hsgovcollab.org/en/news/special-edition-anti-corruption-transparency-and-accountability
“
WHO has commissioned a special edition in Global Health Action on Anti-Corruption, Transparency and Accountability (ACTA). This special edition aims at providing an introduction to this crucial topic while also including deep-dives on specific aspects, and raise the profile of ACTA issues in the global health community. It is the result of a collaboration between WHO's Health Governance and Financing Department and WHO's Gender Equity and Right Team, supported by DFID….”
Check out the articles.
Performance-Based Financing, Basic Packages of Health Services and User-Fee Exemption Mechanisms: An Analysis of Health-Financing Policy Integration in Three Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings
F Jacobs, S Witter et al;
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40258-020-00567-8
“
As performance-based financing (PBF) is increasingly implemented across sub-Saharan Africa, some authors have suggested that it could be a ‘stepping stone’ for health-system strengthening and broad health-financing reforms. However, so far, few studies have looked at whether and how PBF is aligned to and integrated with national health-financing strategies, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings. This study attempts to address the existing research gap by exploring the role of PBF with reference to: (1) user fees/exemption policies and (2) basic packages of health services and benefit packages in the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria….”
Globalization & Health – Review of the reverse innovation series in globalization and health – where are we and what else is needed?
M Harris et al; https://globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12992-020-00555-6
“
Following advances in industrial strategy and organizational behaviour, as well as post-development debates in international relations, Globalization and Health launched the Reverse Innovation series in 2012, in order to forge an agenda to promote not just the innovativeness of low-income country health systems but to recognize current and advocate for future strengthened knowledge flow between the global south and global north. It was considered to be a timely antidote to a knowledge flow that has traditionally been characterised by unidirectionality of innovation and expertise. Since then, the series provides a repository of research, theory, commentary and debate through which a collective community of practice in Reverse Innovation might emerge and provide an evidence base to promote, support and mainstream this type of knowledge flow. In this Commentary, we review the series as a whole, explore what has been learnt and what needs to come next in terms of empirical research, business models, processes and theoretical contributions to inform reverse innovation.”
Some blogs and mainstream articles of the week
Development International - Lessons from coronavirus for the future of ‘aid’
J Glennie; «
https://devinit.org/blog/lessons-from-coronavirus-for-the-future-of-aid/
“
How a coordinated and well-funded global response is needed to combat health crises.”
“…The ‘aid’ mentality is holding us back. We don’t have the language to explain what is happening in front of our eyes, or respond to modern challenges. We need a bigger picture understanding of concessional international public finance fit for the 21st century. It’s time for a new approach − Global Public Investment….”
Brookings - Figure of the week: African citizens’ views of basic health services
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2020/03/19/figure-of-the-week-african-citizens-views-of-basic-health-services/
Based on the latest
Afrobarometer survey. “…Africans view their national health systems very differently according to a 2016-2018 Afrobarometer survey examining citizens’ opinions on improvements in basic health services across the continent….”
Ben Phillips – You’re not being bold enough
https://www.globaldashboard.org/2020/03/25/youre-not-being-bold-enough/
Must-read. “
This requires a bold response”. Put differently - “
Radicalism has just gone mainstream”.
ODI (blog) - How coronavirus is accelerating a new approach to international cooperation
https://www.odi.org/blogs/16794-how-coronavirus-accelerating-new-approach-international-cooperation#disqus_thread
Just in case you didn’t have your fill of Covid-19 reads yet : ) Still, this is a nice reflection.
A few tweets of the week
Anthony Costello
“
The definition of 'science' for epidemic control goes beyond virology, mathematical modelling + behavioural science. We need public health science, (+ from WHO, China and Korea), social + community mobilisation science, implementation science, communications and citizen science.”
R Horton
“
The countries that will be most resilient to COVID-19 will be those with the most universal, equitable, responsive, and well-financed health systems. Never have three simple words—health for all—meant so much.”