GAVI Replenishment (4 June, virtual, hosted by UK)
https://www.gavi.org/investing-gavi/resource-mobilisation-process/gavis-3rd-donor-pledging-conference-june-2020
We start with some reads, advocacy & analysis ahead of the summit, then we focus on the summit itself, and the main announcements. It was a dazzling success.
Reads, analyses & advocacy ahead of the summit
HPW – GAVI – The Vaccine Alliance Receives Big Private Industry Funding Commitments – Ahead Of Pledging Summit
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/gavi-the-vaccine-alliance-receives-big-private-industry-funding-commitments-ahead-of-pledging-summit/
Great overview (&must-read) read & analysis, as the Replenishment started (published in the morning, 4 June).
Just ignore the ‘Big’ in the title 😊. That’s just a silly joke, popular in PPP circles.
Among others,
Pharma leaders say They’ll Sell a “No-Profit” Vaccine.
Guardian - UK chairs vaccine summit against backdrop of US-China battle
P Wintour; “
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/04/uk-chairs-vaccine-summit-against-backdrop-of-us-china-battle
More analysis ahead of the summit, from the Guardian’s diplomatic editor. “
Virtual summit almost certain to reach global vaccine alliance target to combat disease over five years”
“… Meeting the target, Johnson said ahead of Thursday’s summit, would show that humanity could finally come together on global health after months in which it has become contested diplomatic terrain, mainly between the US and China.”
“…
The UK alone has promised $1.65bn over the next five years. The US has set aside $1.2bn over three years, Norway $1bn and Japan $100m. The Gates foundation will unveil its contribution at the summit due to be attended by over 30 heads of state….” “…The summit will see the launch of a so-called advanced market commitments (AMC), a means by which a signal can be sent to industry to scale up for a coronavirus vaccine….”
MSF Access: Any future COVID-19 vaccines must be sold at cost and accessible to all
https://msfaccess.org/msf-any-future-covid-19-vaccines-must-be-sold-cost-and-accessible-all
Advocacy ahead of the replenishment. “Governments must attach strings as they pledge billions to pay for vaccines in developing countries”
“Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) urged leaders to demand pharmaceutical corporations commit to selling any potential future COVID-19 vaccines at cost, as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, prepares to launch a global mechanism to negotiate with corporations on such vaccines, and appeals to governments to set up a fund to purchase them for developing countries. The fund will be launched on the sidelines of Thursday’s third pledging conference for Gavi, which was set up 20 years ago to pay for vaccines for the world’s poorest countries….”
“…
To date, governments and philanthropies have given over US$4.4 billion to pharmaceutical corporations for research and development for COVID-19 vaccines. However, by and large no conditions for access or affordability have been included as a precondition to any of that funding. The COVID-19 vaccines fund that is being mapped out by Gavi aims to raise billions to pay for increased production capacity for future vaccines, and to secure a price, but there is no guarantee whatsoever that pharmaceutical corporations will charge affordable prices….”
Read
the MSF brief -
COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility: Key considerations for Gavi’s new global financing mechanism
“…
This briefing document presents some of MSF’s concerns around access for future COVID-19 vaccines and a new global financing mechanism coordinated by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, called the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility. This document offers MSF’s perspective on key considerations and next steps that Gavi, partners and potential funders of the COVAX Facility should undertake to support the development and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines that are accessible and affordable for everyone.”
And a
Devex Op-ed by Kate Elder (MSF Access)
- Government leaders and Gavi must do something new for equal access to COVID-19 vaccines
The summit itself (and main announcements)
GAVI press release -
World leaders make historic commitments to provide equal access to vaccines for all
“
The Global Vaccine Summit, hosted by the UK, raises US$ 8.8 billion from 32 donor governments and 12 foundations, corporations and organisations to immunise 300 million children and support the global fight against COVID-19. US$ 567 million also raised for new innovative financing instrument to provide access to COVID-19 vaccines for low- and middle-income countries.”
FT - Donors pledge $8.8bn for global vaccination programmes
https://www.ft.com/content/4a3b502d-ceae-4109-b21c-e54769bac7df
“Global donors have pledged more than $8.8bn to fund vaccination programmes for children in low-income countries over five years, in a move projected to save up to 8m lives from diseases such as measles and cholera. The funding,… … exceeded the event’s target of $7.4bn. … … The support is intended to reinforce routine immunisation programmes, which have suffered in recent months as health workers have been diverted to fight Covid-19 and families stay away from vaccination clinics by fear of catching the virus. At the conference, Gavi also launched a new advance market commitment (AMC) for vaccines developed successfully against coronavirus. It is designed to ensure allocations for developing countries, some of which fear being left behind should manufacturers give priority to wealthy countries. The first AMC deal is a $750m agreement between Gavi, UK drug company AstraZeneca, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to manufacture 300m doses of the Covid-19 vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and distribute them in low- and middle-income countries, starting before the end of this year….”
“…Mr Johnson maintained the UK’s position as the biggest contributor to Gavi, pledging £1.65bn over five years. “… … The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was the second-biggest contributor, with a $1.6bn five-year commitment. The US government pledged $1.16bn….”
Norway had already committed 1 billion. The
European Commission put in 300 million.
“Amid a backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions, Boris Johnson heralded a “new era of global health collaboration … … In total $8.8bn, close to £7bn, was pledged by more than 50 countries and organisations - well over the initial target of $7.4bn. The funding will be used to vaccinate an additional 300 million children against deadly diseases such as polio, typhoid, measles and cholera, saving around eight million lives over the next five years. … But Gavi is also set to play a significant role in efforts to distribute a future Covid-19 vaccine in developing countries. During the summit the organisation launched a new initiative, with the backing of pharmaceutical giants, to counter so-called “vaccine nationalism”. ..”
“…Eight nations - including Finland, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Iceland and New Zealand - also announced their first contributions to Gavi in its 20 year history, while a record proportion came from developing countries, roughly 40 per cent of the total raised….”
“…The US & China “were at the table on Thursday and said they were committed to global collaboration. Onlookers have suggested that Gavi is more neutral than the WHO and that the UK was able to leverage support from the US and China.”…”
“…Unlike a patent pool initiative launched by the WHO last week, which was immediately dismissed as “nonsense” by pharma giants, the Covax AMC was launched with the backing of the industry. “
“Among other major pledges, Germany committed €600 million; Canada committed CAD $600 million, Australia, and Japan pledged US $300 million, and Italy upped it’s pledge to €287.5 million. China, meanwhile, contributed US $20 million, in stark comparison to its massive US$2 billion contribution to the WHO last month….”
As for Modi’s
India: 15 million.
Telegraph - Cervical cancer vaccine boost increases supply for up to 84 million girls worldwide
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/cervical-cancer-vaccine-boost-increases-supply-84-million-girls/
On the eve before the summit. “
Five drug manufacturers have committed to increase supply after a global shortage.”
“At least 84 million girls living in some of the world’s poorest countries will now have access to a vaccine which prevents cervical cancer after five drug manufacturers committed to boost global supplies. Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, said the deal on the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine means around 1.4 million cervical cancer deaths could be avoided in the future. It comes on the eve of the virtual Global Vaccine Summit, which aims to raise $7.4 billion over the next five years to provide vaccines, including any potential coronavirus inoculation, to some of the poorest countries in the world. With the commitment from vaccine manufacturers including UK giant GSK and the Serum Institute of India to increase supply over the next five years, the organisation said it can vaccinate an additional 34 million girls….”
GAVI - Private sector partners strengthen Gavi programmes with more than US$ 70 million in contributions
https://www.gavi.org/news/media-room/private-sector-partners-strengthen-gavi-programmes-more-us-70-million-contributions
“A broad range of corporations, foundations, initiatives and individual philanthropists pledged more than US$ 70 million in contributions supporting Gavi’s efforts to modernise, streamline and strengthen its delivery of life-saving vaccines to children in the world’s poorest countries….”
Check out who they are, and the incredible amount of money they put in. As mentioned, see also
HPW -
GAVI – The Vaccine Alliance Receives Big Private Industry Funding Commitments – Ahead Of Pledging Summit.
GAVI – Gavi launches innovative financing mechanism for access to COVID-19 vaccines
https://www.gavi.org/news/media-room/gavi-launches-innovative-financing-mechanism-access-covid-19-vaccines
More info on GAVI Covax AMC: “
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance today launched the Gavi Advance Market Commitment for COVID-19 Vaccines (Gavi Covax AMC), a new financing instrument aimed at incentivising vaccine manufacturers to produce sufficient quantities of eventual COVID-19 vaccines, and to ensure access for developing countries. The Gavi Covax AMC is being launched with an initial goal of raising US$ 2 billion; enough for Gavi-supported countries to immunise health care workers as well as high-risk individuals, and create a flexible buffer of doses to be deployed where needed most. It will not be a stand-alone financing instrument but rather represents the first building block in broader efforts to develop a COVID-19 Global Vaccine Access Facility (Covax Facility) aimed at ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries, at all levels of development, that wish to participate….”
“…PCV AMC donors Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have agreed to commit US$ 177.5 million in unused funding remaining at the close of the PCV AMC to the newly launched Gavi Covax AMC. AstraZeneca today became the first vaccine manufacturer to sign up to the Gavi Covax AMC. Under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding signed today, AstraZeneca will guarantee 300 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine it is developing in collaboration with the University of Oxford. These doses will be supplied upon licensure or WHO prequalification…. Gavi’s funding of procurement through a volume guarantee is being carried out alongside efforts by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), who have announced a funding award to support manufacturing for the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine candidate….”
Stat - Bill Gates expresses disappointment with Trump’s WHO decision — and hopes it can be walked back
Stat;
“…Gates met with reporters to discuss the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s five-year, $1.6 billion commitment to Gavi, the vaccine alliance….”
“
The Gates Foundation on Thursday also pledged $100 million to a separate fund Gavi has created to finance the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines for low- and middle-income countries. Of that amount $50 million is new funding; the remaining money was pledged in May. The money is being contributed to Gavi’s advanced purchasing commitment, a tool to incentivize vaccine manufacturers to ensure access for low- and middle-income countries to eventual Covid-19 vaccines. Gavi is initially hoping to raise $2 billion to purchase vaccines for health worker and other high-risk individuals….”
Some
first reactions on Gavi’s launch of a COVID vaccine initiative for developing countries
Anna Marriott Oxfam's Health Policy Manager: "
Their response must avoid repeating costly mistakes of the past where they subsidised pharma rather than bringing prices down"
And a few
more news snippets & links:
“
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has just announced that it will award part (US$75 million) of the remaining $262 million of the Advance Market Commitment (AMC)—a $1.5 billion fund that was launched in 2009 to pay for the introduction of the pneumonia vaccine in developing countries—to the Serum Institute of India, which in December 2019 received quality approval for the pneumonia vaccine. Until now, the only two producers of the pneumonia vaccine have been Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), who already had pneumonia vaccines at the brink of market entry when the AMC was launched, and have received the bulk of the $1.5 billion subsidy pot, on top of the base price for the vaccine that they charge Gavi….”
Call to action re attacks against health workers
Devex - With attacks against health workers on the rise, advocates call for action
https://www.devex.com/news/with-attacks-against-health-workers-on-the-rise-advocates-call-for-action-97354
“
Attacks against health workers have increased under the strain of COVID-19, according to a cohort of medical and humanitarian organizations. In a joint declaration, they call for governments to do more than talk about it. The 13 organizations, which include the International Committee of the Red Cross, International Council of Nurses, and Physicians for Human Rights, say they collectively represent more than 30 million health care professionals. They are pushing for countries to implement domestic laws against such attacks, provide safer working environments, offer mental health support, and tackle the misinformation that can lead to fear and stigmatization….”
Trump “declaration” to terminate WHO relationship
Stat – US To ‘Terminate Relationship’ With The World Health Organization – Announcement Coincides With WHO’s New ‘COVID-19 Technology Access Pool’ Launch
https://www.statnews.com/2020/05/29/trump-us-terminate-who-relationship/
Bet you know this by now.
“President Trump said Friday the U.S. would halt its funding of the World Health Organization and pull out of the agency, accusing it of protecting China as the coronavirus pandemic took off. The move has alarmed health experts, who say the decision will undermine efforts to improve the health of people around the world. In an address in the Rose Garden, Trump said the WHO had not made reforms that he said would have helped the global health agency stop the coronavirus from spreading around the world….”
And some first analysis
: “…Experts say that if the U.S. leaves the WHO, the influence of China will only grow….”
“Global health was our bipartisan moral leadership that had been preserved through this administration,” said Amanda Glassman, executive vice president of the Center for Global Development. “And right now … that falls apart. It’s really to me tragic that this one space that was really about our moral leadership and our convictions and soft power … that we’re now going to let that go in the midst of a pandemic.” “… Glassman said there are thousands of U.S. employees at the WHO and its regional body for the Americas, and that the U.S. is home to 82 WHO collaborating centers….”
WHO’s plea to Trump: We ‘wish’ for collaboration with U.S. to continue
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/01/whos-plea-to-trump-we-wish-for-collaboration-with-us-to-continue.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.PostToTwitter
Tedros reacted, as usual, very diplomatically, some days later
. “The World Health Organization’s top official said Monday that he hopes the agency’s partnership with the United States can continue, even after President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. will cut ties with the international aid group. “The world has long benefited from the strong collaborative engagement with the government and the people of the United States,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press conference at the agency’s Geneva headquarters. “The U.S. government and its people’s contribution and generosity over many decades have been immense.” “It is WHO’s wish for this collaborations to continue,” he added….”
More analysis of the Trump announcement
FT - Trump declaration to terminate WHO relationship puzzles experts
https://www.ft.com/content/93a3a24c-184f-4d12-8799-d6f39d4d739d
“
Donald Trump’s announcement on Friday that the US would break its ties with the World Health Organization was characteristically blunt. But it left diplomats and legal experts wondering how the president’s pledge would be put into practice. Mr Trump said on Friday: “[The US] will be today terminating our relationship with the World Health Organization and redirecting those funds to other worldwide and deserving urgent global public health needs.” But he did not say exactly how, when or on what terms the US would extricate itself from an organisation of which it has been a member since 1948, let alone what the consequences might be for either side. “It’s a classic Trump move,” said Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group. “This man is not a connoisseur of international treaty law. He frequently makes this sort of statement and then it’s left to his officials to work out what it means in reality.”
“… One question posed by Mr Trump’s statement is exactly what he meant by “terminating”. Did he intend a full withdrawal, or something less drastic, such as a halt in funding and co-operation, which might be easier to achieve legally? “We are mindful of the language that was used,” said Kate Dodson, vice-president for global health at the UN Foundation. “He did not use the word withdraw.”
Just Security - Trump’s Empty “Withdrawal” from the World Health Organization
H H Koh;
https://www.justsecurity.org/70493/trumps-empty-withdrawal-from-the-world-health-organization/
The
legal point of view. In-depth analysis (and thus recommended)
“
For now there are two immediate legal questions: first, has Trump actually withdrawn the United States from the WHO? The answer is no. Second, if Congress or public health advocates see things differently, are they powerless to prevent WHO withdrawal from happening? Again, the answer is no. There is much they can and should still do….”
See also
Just Security (G Galbraith) The US cannot withdraw from the WHO without first paying its dues.
Devex - How could the US withdraw from WHO?
https://www.devex.com/news/how-could-the-us-withdraw-from-who-97379
Recommended analysis also by J L Ravelo
. “…Experts are asking whether he can unilaterally do that, what exactly is the procedure for severing membership with the U.N. health aid agency, and what that means for the U.S.’s position in global health governance.”
“… But first, the U.S. government needs to clarify what it meant by the statement of “terminating” its relationship with WHO. Gian Luca Burci, WHO’s former legal counsel and adjunct professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, told Devex that Trump did not specifically say the U.S. will be withdrawing from WHO. “He said we are terminating today, any relationship with WHO. So that's a usual bombastic statement. But what does it mean? It can mean two things. First, it can actually mean that the U.S. intends to withdraw. But it can also mean, for example, that the U.S. will continue ... its funding freeze of WHO and will somehow disengage, would be less active, but short of a withdrawal,” he said.
“…But if the intention is to withdraw membership from the U.N. health body, the procedure is full of questions and uncertainty….”
Foreign Policy - Trump Scapegoats China and WHO—and Americans Will Suffer
L Garrett;
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/05/30/trump-scapegoats-china-and-who-and-americans-will-suffer/
Lovely “I take no hostages” analysis, as usual, by Laurie Garrett.
Quotes:
“
Top Republican leaders have told me that party polling consistently reveals that China-bashing is immensely popular among Trump supporters and that the “blame China” theme can help reelect the president in November, offsetting some of the disdain many Americans have for his handling of the country’s COVID-19 crisis. …”
“…Public opinion about WHO is more complicated. A Politico/Morning Consult poll in late May found 43 percent of Americans surveyed rating the agency’s performance poor or “just fair” versus 48 percent rating it good or excellent. Asked to assess the U.N. agency’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, 35 percent judged it insufficient, 40 percent thought it adequate, and 9 percent said WHO was doing “too much” to fight the virus….”
“… Chinese authorities most certainly did downplay the Wuhan epidemic in December and January, grossly understating case numbers in daily reports to WHO; insisting the virus was only spread from animals in a market, which they closed; and denying that human-to-human transmission of COVID-19 was possible. … … … the president’s accusations come despite ample evidence that the U.S. intelligence community provided the White House with detailed, urgent assessments of the Chinese outbreak in December and January and that U.S. personnel assigned to WHO continually fed detailed reports from Geneva.
… if the Worobey analysis holds up—and he is a scientist who has built his career on similar genetic mapping of HIV and influenza outbreaks—most hard-hit nations got slammed with the coronavirus after travel restrictions were instituted and after WHO issued its PHEIC. And that includes the United States….
… In all likelihood, Trump can’t legally pull the United States out of WHO without giving the agency a large amount of money and can’t unilaterally do so without a vote of approval from Congress, according to the global health legal expert Alexandra Phelan of Georgetown University. Though the WHO constitution does spell out how a nation may withdraw, Phelan says, it is clear that a departing country must settle all its debts with the agency. And joining WHO required U.S. Senate ratification. Exiting would require Senate approval, payment of all debts, and a full year’s notice….”
Stat News - Experts warn of dire global health consequences if U.S. withdraws from the World Health Organization
https://www.statnews.com/2020/05/30/who-withdrawal-dire-consequences/
“An American withdrawal from the World Health Organization could wreak profound damage on the global effort to eradicate polio and could undermine the world’s ability to detect and respond to disease threats, health experts warned.”
Nature – What a US exit from the WHO means for COVID-19 and global health
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01586-0
“As President Trump terminates the US relationship with the agency, experts foresee incoherence, inefficiency and a resurgence of deadly diseases.”
TGH - Why the WHO? The World Health Organization is essential to convening scientific experts and the world’s best thinking on COVID-19
C Clinton, E Friedman, L Gostin & D Sridhar;
https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/why-who
“The World Health Organization is essential to convening scientific experts and the world’s best thinking on COVID-19.”
Forbes – U.S. Withdrawal From WHO Is Sad For Global Health And Bad For America
M Pai; https://www.forbes.com/sites/madhukarpai/2020/06/03/us-withdrawal-from-who-sad-for-global-health-and-bad-for-america/#14574fa1327a
Among others, exploring the question:
“Time for other countries to step up?”
“…
Ilona Kickbusch, a global health professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva thinks so. “No matter how this plays out in the end - the US move provides the opportunity for other alliances of countries to reform the WHO, make it stronger and less dependent on one large contributor - multilateralism should be just that. Think India, European Union, South Africa and the alliances of smaller states,” she said. Clare Wenham is optimistic that funding and leadership gaps can be plugged. “Since the talk of US halting funds to WHO in April, we have seen moves by other governments and donors to fill the gap. Simultaneously, the normative leadership gap can also be plugged. What legitimacy does the US have to contribute to leadership in global health security anyway, given its abysmal response to Covid-19? New leaders are emerging; both from other Western Governments, such as Germany, and LMICs, such as Nigeria, Uganda – who have all manged to keep a handle on this outbreak where the US has failed,” she said….”
IHP - Public health implications of Trump’s decision to terminate the US relationship with WHO in sub-Saharan Africa and how to mitigate them in the short term
Hiwote Solomon & Salma Abdalla;
IHP;
The authors suggest both a way forward in the short term, and in the longer term. “…
One option to fill the funding gap, in the short term at least, is for philanthropic entities and billionaires, including African philanthropists, to match the suspended funding….”
And some links:
Among others, “……
the president’s move distracts and weakens the WHO when the U.S. and the world most need it to be effective….”
Official launch of C-TAP (29 May, Geneva)
HPW - WHO’s New ‘COVID-19 Technology Access Pool’ Launch
https://healthpolicy-watch.org/37-countries-back-whos-new-covid-19-technology-access-pool/
On Friday 29 May, WHO launched a
new ‘Solidarity Call to Action ,’
urging countries to make patents and data for COVID-19 treatments and vaccines freely available as ‘global public goods.’ Some 37 countries have supported the call. The Solidarity Call-to-Action drummed up support for the
COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), “
an initiative to make vaccines, tests, treatments and other health technologies needed to fight COVID-19 accessible around the world, that received immediate support from some 37 countries. “
…
Seven more countries confirmed their support for the initiative on Friday, on top of the 30 countries that had backed C-TAP by Thursday. The bloc of countries included many of the small island nations, Latin American countries, Southern and Northern African countries. Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Oman and Lebanon also announced their support.
“But along with the US, major countries such as the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and other key countries in the EU, which house many of the world’s pharmaceutical giants, have not yet publicly supported the C-TAP call. Heads of States of France, Germany, and Italy had previously made strong calls for solidarity and any COVID-19 vaccine to be treated as “a global public good.” … … China and India have likewise yet to pledge their support. Leaders in the pharma industry, which hold the reins on much of the research and development information key to developing tools for COVID-19, have largely been dismissive of the initiative. “
PS: C
-TAP Isn’t Just an IP Pool, but a Knowledge Sharing Initiative.
……
“The call is far broader than in scope than patents, calling for sharing essentially everything that is necessary for additional companies to also produce those products that are found to be effective against COVID-19,” said a spokesperson from Unitaid, founder of the Medicines’ Patent Pool and one of WHO’s major partners on the initiative….”
WHO - International community rallies to support open research and science to fight COVID-19
https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/29-05-2020-international-community-rallies-to-support-open-research-and-science-to-fight-covid-19
Official
press statement.
“… There are
five key elements to the initiative:
Public disclosure of gene sequences and data; Transparency around the publication of all clinical trial results; Governments and other funders are encouraged to include clauses in funding agreements with pharmaceutical companies and other innovators about equitable distribution, affordability and the publication of trial data; Licensing any potential treatment, diagnostic, vaccine or other health technology to the Medicines Patent Pool - a United Nations-backed public health body that works to increase access to, and facilitate the development of, life-saving medicines for low- and middle-income countries. Promotion of open innovation models and technology transfer that increase local manufacturing and supply capacity, including through joining the Open Covid Pledge and the Technology Access Partnership (TAP).”
“…
With supportive countries across the globe, C-TAP will serve as a sister initiative to the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator and other initiatives to support efforts to fight COVID-19 worldwide. … … WHO, Costa Rica and all the co-sponsor countries have also issued a “Solidarity Call to Action” asking relevant stakeholders to join and support the initiative, with recommended actions for key groups, such as governments, research and development funders, researchers, industry and civil society….”
- For the Solidarity Call to Action, see here.
For more
coverage and analysis, see:
FT – Poorer countries join WHO call for virus patents to be shared
https://www.ft.com/content/b964cfb2-5f2e-4cb7-b9ad-535481495eaa
“
Initiative lacks support from powerful governments and large pharmaceuticals.”
Quote on Big Pharma’s stance: “…
No pharmaceutical groups have yet agreed to share any technical information on the platform. Some large drugmakers have pushed back against the idea that intellectual property should be pooled. Patents, which the pharmaceuticals industry says are necessary to protect risky investments made to bring new molecules to market and to innovate, have always been a moot point in discussions over access to medicines. In a Thursday briefing hosted by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, a lobby group, chief executives from Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, which are developing vaccines and treatments, all sought to distance themselves from the pooling initiatives….”
Stat - The WHO launched a voluntary Covid-19 product pool. What happens next?
https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2020/05/29/who-covid19-coronavirus-patents/
“Although more countries are expected to join the initiative, experts say a lack of too many countries with large economies and populations could undermine efforts to ensure Covid-19 products are available widely enough to eradicate the virus….”
“…If this is a voluntary project, why is the pharmaceutical industry opposed? … … industry is suspicious that countries will eventually be allowed to trample on patent rights. … .. Some industry executives have noted an existing nonprofit called the Medicines Patent Pool is already in place. So why create a new pool…”
Stat News - Pharma leaders shoot down WHO voluntary pool for patent rights on Covid-19 products
https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2020/05/28/who-voluntary-pool-patents-pfizer/
“The heads of some of the world’s largest drug makers expressed a mix of confusion and resistance to a World Health Organization voluntary pool to collect patent rights, regulatory test data, and other information that could be shared for developing Covid-19 therapies, vaccines, and diagnostics. … … “At this point in time, I think it’s nonsense, and… it’s also dangerous,” said Pfizer (PFE) chief executive Albert Bourla in remarks at a forum Thursday organized by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations. Companies are “investing billions to find a solution and, keep in mind, if you have a discovery, we are going to take your (intellectual property), I think, is dangerous.”
See also
Cidrap News -
Pharma execs say several COVID vaccine options needed
“Claiming not to be in competition with each other but rather with time and the coronavirus, top executives from the world's leading pharmaceutical companies said yesterday they're working as fast as they can to develop, scale up, and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine. At a media briefing organized by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA), executives from AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer also said they were committed to making coronavirus vaccines safe and ensuring equitable access….”
Economic Times - India called for effective use of flexibilities inherent in the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) to ensure access to essential medicines, treatments and vaccines to all at affordable prices, especially in the context of the Covid-19.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/india-for-trips-flexibility-to-ensure-drugs-access/articleshow/76124654.cms?from=mdr
“India called for effective use of flexibilities inherent in the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) to ensure access to essential medicines, treatments and vaccines to all at affordable prices, especially in the context of the Covid-19. … … India has pitched for flexibility in global intellectual property rights (IPR) agreements, in order to ensure access to essential medicines and vaccines at affordable rates to all as the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the virtual General Council Meeting of the World Trade Organization on Friday, New Delhi also said there was an “urgent need” to build the digital capacities of developing countries and least developed countries (LDC) so that they benefit from e-education and tele-medicine. Highlighting its five priorities at the WTO, India called for effective use of flexibilities inherent in the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) to ensure access to essential medicines, treatments and vaccines to all at affordable prices, especially in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic….”
PS: Check out also
KEI - EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan issues statement on European Union compulsory licensing in context of COVID-19, makes important statement about TRIPS Article 31bis
MedicalXpress - Dutch, French, Germans and Italians form virus vaccine alliance
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-dutch-french-germans-italians-virus.html
“France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands have forged an alliance to speed up the production of a vaccine "on European soil" against the new coronavirus, Dutch officials said Wednesday. Four of Europe's largest economies "are jointly exploring various promising initiatives and are in discussion with various pharmaceutical companies," the Dutch Health Ministry announced.The aim of the "Inclusive Vaccine Alliance" was to allow for vaccine production on European soil wherever possible, the department said in a statement issued in The Hague….”
“
While the aim is to secure access to a vaccine for Europe, de Jonge said the alliance would seek ways to use the available capacity to secure access for more vulnerable countries such as those in Africa….”
“
The European Union is looking to join the global race to secure early access to future coronavirus vaccines, seeking deals to share the cost of development with pharmaceutical companies. The EU’s executive arm has asked the bloc’s 27 governments for a mandate to negotiate with the companies for advance contracts and reservations for doses of promising candidates, according to an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg. Health ministers will discuss details of the plan in a video conference next week….” “There is growing concern in Europe that the region will fall behind the U.S. or China in obtaining supplies of any shot that proves successful.
In the memo, the European Commission warns that the move is necessary after the U.S. struck similar agreements….”
“The European Union is preparing to use an emergency 2.4-billion- euro ($2.7 billion) fund to make advance purchases of promising vaccines against the new coronavirus, EU officials told Reuters. The move was discussed at a meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday, after Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands said they were speeding up negotiations with pharmaceutical companies to secure access to vaccines currently under development. The EU rainy-day fund, known as the Emergency Support Instrument (ESI), would also be used to increase vaccine production capacity in Europe and offer liability insurance to pharmaceutical companies, officials said, confirming a Reuters report in May….”
Meanwhile, “
vaccine sovereignty” remains a major threat, see for example this
Stat op-ed -
Oxford, AstraZeneca Covid-19 deal reinforces ‘vaccine sovereignty.’ We need a people’s vaccine instead
And in
Time Magazine,
Dr. Raj Panjabi even warned of an Impending 'Viral Apartheid' If We Don't Change Our COVID-19 Approach We should avoid that the poor will be excluded from accessing vaccines, tests & treatment.
Covid 19 key news & updates
As usual, with a focus first on
WHO key news, messages, new guidelines, … but then also the other key news.
AP - China delayed releasing coronavirus info, frustrating WHO
https://apnews.com/3c061794970661042b18d5aeaaed9fae
Very cool reporting and without any doubt, one of the reads of the week.
Excerpts:
“
Throughout January, the World Health Organization publicly praised China for what it called a speedy response to the new coronavirus. It repeatedly thanked the Chinese government for sharing the genetic map of the virus “immediately,” and said its work and commitment to transparency were “very impressive, and beyond words.” But behind the scenes, it was a much different story, one of significant delays by China and considerable frustration among WHO officials over not getting the information they needed to fight the spread of the deadly virus, The Associated Press has found.”
“… Despite the plaudits, China in fact sat on releasing the genetic map, or genome, of the virus for more than a week after three different government labs had fully decoded the information. Tight controls on information and competition within the Chinese public health system were to blame, according to dozens of interviews and internal documents. … … The new information does not support the narrative of either the U.S. or China, but instead portrays an agency now stuck in the middle that was urgently trying to solicit more data despite limits to its own authority. Although international law obliges countries to report information to WHO that could have an impact on public health, the U.N. agency has no enforcement powers and cannot independently investigate epidemics within countries. Instead, it must rely on the cooperation of member states. The recordings suggest that rather than colluding with China, as Trump declared, WHO was kept in the dark as China gave it the minimal information required by law. However, the agency did try to portray China in the best light, likely as a means to secure more information. And WHO experts genuinely thought Chinese scientists had done “a very good job” in detecting and decoding the virus, despite the lack of transparency from Chinese officials….”
“… Adam Kamradt-Scott, a global health professor at the University of Sydney. But he added that a delay of just a few days in releasing genetic sequences can be critical in an outbreak. And he noted that as Beijing’s lack of transparency becomes even clearer, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s continued defense of China is problematic. “It’s definitely damaged WHO’s credibility,” said Kamradt-Scott. “Did he go too far? I think the evidence on that is clear….it has led to so many questions about the relationship between China and WHO. It is perhaps a cautionary tale.”
“…
The AP report provides a fresh narrative of the China-WHO dealings, one which ultimately left the global health organization trapped in a bitter United States-China rivalry – even though its own collaboration with China was laced with internal frustrations, which officials were loathe to express publicly at the risk of information flow further drying up. … … … the fundamental weakness by the AP report uncovered is not any active collusion, but rather WHO’s lack of enforcement power in health emergencies. This means that WHO must rely entirely on voluntary cooperation from countries. It does not have the power to compel nations to do what it says, nor to independently investigate outbreaks in countries. …”
“
The Chinese government has said today that a report widely circulated yesterday that said it delayed sharing information about Covid-19 with the World Health Organization (WHO) is totally untrue. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the remarks during a daily briefing in response to a question about the report by the Associated Press, which said the WHO was frustrated by significant delays in information sharing by Beijing as the coronavirus outbreak took hold in China in January….”
Cidrap News - Pandemic total passes 6.5 million fueled by multiple hot spots
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/06/pandemic-total-passes-65-million-fueled-multiple-hot-spots
Global update as of
5 June. “
Global COVID-19 cases topped 6.5 million today, fueled by brisk activity in Latin American countries such as Brazil, Mexico, and Peru, and in hot spots in other parts of the world, such as India and Iran, a country that is experiencing a second spike in infections.
The global total today rose to 6,588,761 cases, and deaths reached 388,416, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard.”
Cidrap News - Latin America carries rising burden of global COVID-19 cases
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/06/latin-america-carries-rising-burden-global-covid-19-cases
(June 2) As mentioned before, Cidrap News has great (daily) global updates. “
The head of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said that about 250,000 of the world's 732,000 COVID-19 cases reported last week were from Latin America, which is concerning and underscores a need to double down on efforts to battle the virus, including ramping up testing….”
“…
In the WHO's African region, cases increased markedly last week, by 26%, with 25 countries experiencing community transmission, the WHO's African regional office said today in its weekly emergencies and outbreaks report. As of today, the region has 108,121 cases, the lowest of the WHO's six regions. The WHO noted that imported cases, clusters in quarantine centers, and cases in prisons are on the rise….”
Cidrap News - COVID-19 outbreaks surge in Central, South America
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/06/covid-19-outbreaks-surge-central-south-america
(1 June) “Countries in Central and South America are the most intense COVID-19 transmission zones, driven by complex factors such as crowded urban settings, and concerns are rising about the pandemic's impact on the treatment of noncommunicable diseases, World Health Organization (WHO) officials said today. … … … At a media briefing today, Mike Ryan, MD, who heads the WHO's health emergencies program, said over the past 24 hours, 5 of the 10 countries reporting the highest numbers of new cases are in the Americas: Brazil, the United States, Peru, Chile, and Mexico….”
See also
Cidrap News (3 June) -
WHO is worried about accelerating epidemics, especially in Central and South America.. “…
Over the past 5 days, the WHO has received reports of 100,000 cases a day, and countries in the Americas account for most of the cases, Tedros said. "For several weeks, the number of cases reported each day in the Americas has been more than the rest of the world put together," he said, noting that the WHO is especially worried about Central and South American countries such as Brazil and Peru that are experiencing accelerating outbreaks.”
Reuters - WHO director for Americas urges U.S. help as coronavirus surges in region
Reuters;
“The World Health Organization’s regional director for the Americas urged the United States on Tuesday to keep helping countries in the region to fight the novel coronavirus even as the Trump administration leaves the U.N. agency….”
“…Carissa Etienne said in a virtual briefing that the United States provides 60 percent of the WHO’s regional branch, the Washington-based Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which she heads….”
Some more global updates
Guardian (5 June) -
Global report: South Africa records biggest jump in Covid-19 cases since pandemic hit
HPW - COVID-19 Is Exacerbating Antibiotic Use – And Antimicrobial Resistance Is Rising Fast, WHO Warns
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/covid-19-is-likely-to-worsen-antimicrobial-resistance-but-innovation-of-effective-antimicrobials-is-declining-reports-who/
“
As the COVID-19 pandemic spawns increased antibiotic use all over the world, more drug-resistant microbes are bound to bite us back , said Dr. Tedros at a WHO press conference on Monday. The repercussions on disease treatment and deaths will be severe, given that the world is running out of effective ways to treat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). “COVID-19 has led to an increased use of antibiotics, which ultimately will lead to higher bacterial resistance rates that will impact the burden of disease and deaths during the pandemic and beyond,” Dr Tedros said. He was referring to the fact that patients seriously ill with the SARS-COV-2 virus are often receiving antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial lung and other infections….”
…. the picture painted by the latest data updates of WHO’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Use Surveillance System (GLASS). The trends reflect ‘”disturbing” rates of increases in antimicrobial resistance, WHO says. On the positive side, participation in the surveillance has grown exponentially since the system was created in 2018. … … Despite the looming threat of antimicrobial resistance, a record number of countries are now monitoring and reporting antibiotic resistance through WHO’s GLASS system – marking a major step forward in the global fight against drug resistance. …”
See also the Guardian -
WHO warns overuse of antibiotics for Covid-19 will cause more deaths
“… ….
Meanwhile the WHO said the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) had been severely disrupted since the Covid-19 pandemic began in December, following a survey of 155 countries. “This situation is of significant concern because people living with NCDs are at higher risk of severe Covid-19-related illness and death,” it said….” (for more on this, see the section ‘Impact Covid-19 on other global health programs’)
“…
The WHO warned about the dangers of mass gatherings, as protests rage in the United States and elsewhere over the killing of unarmed black man George Floyd, and as sports events begin a tentative resumption. … “Mass gatherings have the potential to act as super-spreading events,” warned Tedros, highlighting WHO guidance designed to help organisers determine how such events can be held safely...”
For the latter, see
WHO (Interim Guidance) - Key planning recommendations for Mass Gatherings in the context of the current COVID-19 outbreak
WHO (new publication) - Maintaining essential health services: operational guidance for the COVID-19 context
https://www.who.int/publications-detail/10665-332240
Update to
COVID-19: Operational guidance for maintaining essential health services during an outbreak: Interim guidance, 25 March 2020.
“
Countries around the world are facing the challenge of increased demand for care of people with COVID-19, compounded by fear, misinformation and limitations on movement that disrupt the delivery of health care for all conditions. Maintaining essential health services: operational guidance for the COVID-19 context recommends practical actions that countries can take at national, subregional and local levels to reorganize and safely maintain access to high-quality, essential health services in the pandemic context. It also outlines sample indicators for monitoring essential health services, and describes considerations on when to stop and restart services as COVID-19 transmission recedes and surges. This document expands on the content of pillar 9 of the COVID-19 strategic preparedness and response plan, supersedes the earlier Operational guidance for maintaining essential health services during an outbreak, and complements the recently-released Community-based health care, including outreach and campaigns, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is intended for decision-makers and managers at the national and subnational levels.”
HPW - WHO Technical Group Advises Public Mask Use To Prevent COVID-19 Transmission – Particularly In ‘Closed’ Environments
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/world-health-organization-poised-to-recommend-wider-public-mask-use-to-prevent-covid-19-transmission/
“
The World Health Organization finally appears poised to recommend wider public use of masks as an additional measure to prevent transmission of COVID-19 – after months of hesitation while countries took unilateral action mandating face coverings, particularly for busy shops, transport systems and public settings. The WHO move follows new recommendations by its Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards (STAG-IH), supporting ” mask use by the general public in the community to decrease the risk of infection.” The advisory group recommendations were released shortly before a WHO-sponsored meta-analysis published by The Lancet, concluded that public use of masks could be an effective infection control measure – although there remains a dearth of robust studies on the topic. …”
Guardian - Governments and WHO changed Covid-19 policy based on suspect data from tiny US company
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/03/covid-19-surgisphere-who-world-health-organization-hydroxychloroquine?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
A major shock, for science, high-profile journals like the Lancet & NEJM, and also WHO
: “Surgisphere, whose employees appear to include a sci-fi writer and adult content model, provided database behind Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine hydroxychloroquine studies.”
“
The World Health Organization and a number of national governments have changed their Covid-19 policies and treatments on the basis of flawed data from a little-known US healthcare analytics company, also calling into question the integrity of key studies published in some of the world’s most prestigious medical journals. A Guardian investigation can reveal the US-based company Surgisphere, whose handful of employees appear to include a science fiction writer and an adult-content model, has provided data for multiple studies on Covid-19 co-authored by its chief executive, but has so far failed to adequately explain its data or methodology….”
For more detail, see also
Science News -
A mysterious company’s coronavirus papers in top medical journals may be unraveling
“
Scientists and journals express concern over influential studies of COVID-19 patient data that evaluated possible treatments such as hydroxychloroquine.”
Quote at the end of the piece
: “Chaccour says both NEJM
and The
Lancet
should have scrutinized the provenance of Surgisphere’s data more closely before publishing the studies. “Here we are in the middle of a pandemic with hundreds of thousands of deaths, and the two most prestigious medical journals have failed us,” he says.”
And some
neat analysis by Sarah Boseley in the Guardian -
How were medical journals and WHO caught out over hydroxychloroquine?
She concludes: “…
But most importantly, observational studies have serious weaknesses and should never deliver the final verdict on drug treatments. This was a very big observational study, which could show trends, but there is always a danger it was not comparing like with like. The patients given hydroxychloroquine in India may not have been treated in the same way as those given it in France. The gold standard is the randomised controlled trial, set up purposefully to answer the question. The Recovery trial, with more than 11,000 patients enrolled in every acute hospital in the UK, is the biggest such trial in the world. It is testing seven treatments including hydroxychloroquine. By July, we should have a genuine answer – not one that merely muddies the waters.”
Stat - WHO resumes hydroxychloroquine study for Covid-19, after reviewing safety concerns
https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/03/who-resuming-hydroxychloroquine-study-for-covid-19/
“The World Health Organization is resuming a clinical trial exploring whether the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine can effectively treat Covid-19, after pausing enrollment in the study to review safety concerns about the drug. The hydroxychloroquine investigation is just one arm of the agency’s Solidarity Trial, which is testing different therapies to determine which are beneficial in the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The WHO last week temporarily suspended the hydroxychloroquine arm after a separate study published in the Lancet raised warnings about the drug’s safety….”
“…At a press briefing Wednesday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director-general, said the board reviewed the available mortality data and found “no reasons to modify the trial.” He said the WHO was telling the investigators involved in the study to resume their work….”
PS: by now, the
Lancet also announced a retraction
“
Today, three of the authors (Mandeep R. Mehra, MD, MSc, Frank Ruschitzka, MD, Amit N. Patel, MD) of the paper “Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without a macrolide for treatment of COVID-19: a multinational registry analysis” have retracted their study.”
See
HPW: “
In the wake of the criticism, three of the authors requested an independent, third-party peer review of the data collected by Surgisphere, with the consent of Sapan Desai, second author on the paper and CEO of Surgisphere. The independent review aimed to evaluate the origin of the database elements, to confirm the completeness of the database, and to replicate the analyses presented in the paper. However, Surgisphere refused to transfer the full dataset, client contracts, and the full ISO audit report to the independent reviewers, citing confidentiality and client agreements prevented them from sharing. As such, an independent peer review could not be carried out, and the three remaining authors chose to retract the study.”
NEJM did the same – see
also Stat News - Lancet, New England Journal retract Covid-19 studies, including one that raised safety concerns about malaria drugs
Reuters - Trump postpones G7 summit, seeks to add countries to invitation list
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g7-summit-usa/trump-postpones-g7-summit-seeks-to-add-countries-to-invitation-list-idUSKBN23700B
One of the many blows these days for the US president. “U
.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would postpone a Group of Seven summit he had hoped to hold next month until September or later and expand the list of invitees to include Australia, Russia, South Korea and India….”
Reuters - COVID-19 death toll among nurses doubled in past month, says nurses group
Reuters;
“More than 600 nurses worldwide are known to have died from COVID-19, which has infected an estimated 450,000 healthcare workers, the International Council of Nurses said on Wednesday….”
“The death toll among nurses more than doubled in the past month from 260 on May 6, according to its figures, which are based on data from more than 30 countries. … On average, 7 percent of all cases of COVID-19, the lung disease caused by the novel coronavirus, are among healthcare workers, which means that nurses and other staff are at great personal risk “and so are the patients they care for”, it said. … … Extrapolating from more than 6 million reported cases gave its estimate of some 450,000 infections among healthcare workers. … … Infection rates among healthcare workers vary greatly between countries … … … “Why do the rates of deaths among nurses appear higher in some Latin American countries?” it asked, referring to the region that the World Health Organization (WHO) says has emerged as the new epicentre for the pandemic. … … “Why are some countries reporting disproportionate deaths among black, Asian and minority ethnic HCWs (healthcare workers)?...”
GFO – Head of Policy, Health Diplomacy and Communication for the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says testing and supplies remain African countries’ top challenges in fighting COVID-19
A Sulcas;
https://www.aidspan.org/node/5322
“
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was created in 2016 as a specialized technical institution of the African Union, to support member states in their ability to detect, prevent, control and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats. Since the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization has been in high gear to help African nations manage their public health measures to deal with their national novel coronavirus epidemics. We spoke to the CDC’s Head of Policy, Health Diplomacy and Communication, and acting Head of the Division of AIDS/TB and other Infectious Diseases at the Africa Union Commission….”
“…our overarching question was for him to describe in concrete terms what the CDC’s capacity-building role looks like, practically, as part of the pan-African response to COVID-19….”
Excerpts:
“…Challenge number one is shortages in terms of global supplies – it is not only to do with ventilators. … … But we have to have basic supplies, like infection-control materials, masks, personal protective equipment (PPE), etc. Even if countries have [financial] resources, the issue is where to procure supplies. Another challenge is the closure of the borders because of travel bans. It is very difficult to move supplies. Unless cargo contain only supplies for the response, cargo flights do not allow all shipments to go. … … Testing is also a challenge. When this was declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 30 January, there were only two laboratories in Africa that were able to diagnose COVID-19 – the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) in South Africa and the Institut Pasteur de Dakar in Senegal – but we quickly expanded the [continent’s] testing capability. In three weeks, we were able to train 48 countries within their own facilities. Another challenge is the limited capacity for production of some items. Kenya started producing enough PPE for Kenya and the East African region, and Morocco is producing a high number of masks. Many countries, including Ethiopia, are producing the basic things that we need to face COVID-19. This will be the trend since we may not have the capacity to produce specialized items on the continent….”
And some news snippets & links:
“
James Chau was involved in airing of allegedly forced confession on state television.”
“
The World Health Organization has launched an internal review into the position of one of its celebrity ambassadors who was involved in the airing of an allegedly forced confession on Chinese state television. The UN agency told the Financial Times it was reviewing the role of James Chau, a high-profile television news anchor with China’s state broadcaster who has been a goodwill ambassador since 2016. Mr Chau presented a programme on state-owned China Central Television that in 2013 aired a confession by British businessman Peter Humphrey, which he alleges was filmed under duress. Mr Humphrey was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after becoming embroiled in an investigation into pharmaceuticals group GlaxoSmithKline….” “… … London-born Mr Chau, a goodwill ambassador for sustainable development goals and health, is one of a select group of WHO brand ambassadors. It also includes Michael Bloomberg, the media billionaire; Alisson Becker, the Liverpool footballer; and Peng Liyuan, wife of China’s president Xi Jinping…. …”
“
The UN Secretary-General has expressed hope that the COVID-19 crisis will lead to a rethinking of how the world supports refugees, migrants and internally displaced people. António Guterres on Wednesday launched the latest UN policy briefing on the pandemic, which reminds countries of their obligation to protect people on the move, who number more than 70 million globally, according to data from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR….”
(2 June) “
Since 20 April 2020, through a global survey, the COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor (DRM) has been gathering data to conduct rapid independent monitoring of state measures concerning persons with disabilities in the context of the pandemic. Today, the initiative reaches a new milestone with the launch of the COVID-19 DRM Dashboard that allows the public to explore the survey’s preliminary results. The Dashboard highlights the voices of persons with disabilities and provides a vivid picture of the extent to which countries have responded to the specific impacts of the virus on persons with disabilities. With over 1,600 responses already received from more than 120 countries worldwide, the information shows a failure by many States to adopt disability-inclusive responses to the pandemic and guarantee protections for fundamental rights to life, health, safety, information and support as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)….”
“Shift comes as Stockholm promises a commission to investigate approach to pandemic”.
“
The architect of Sweden’s controversial lighter lockdown policy for dealing with coronavirus has for the first time conceded the Scandinavian country should have imposed more restrictions to avoid having such a high death toll. Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s state epidemiologist, agreed with the interviewer on Sveriges Radio that too many people had died in the country. “If we would encounter the same disease, with exactly what we know about it today, I think we would land midway between what Sweden did and what the rest of the world did,” Mr Tegnell said in the interview broadcast on Wednesday morning. … … “
Covid-19 Funding/advocacy/new initiatives
CGD (blog) - As Global Health Players Pivot To COVID-19 Responses, We Need Coordinated, Real-Time, Formative Evaluations
P Page et al ;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/global-health-players-pivot-covid-19-responses-we-need-coordinated-real-time-formative
“
An estimated $15.9 trillion has been mobilised to respond to the health and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of this has gone to multilateral and bilateral funders to support low- and middle-income countries’ (LMIC) governments. But how is this money being spent, and how is it impacting country budgets and expenditure more broadly?...”
“Of the total $15.9 trillion mobilised for COVID-19, multilateral funders—including the IMF, UN, EU, Gavi, and the Global Fund—have committed $4.2 trillion, with a further $600 million from bilateral funders. Clear standards for tracking, reporting, and evaluating the uses of new financial commitments is critical. Real-time, formative impact evaluation can provide timely information on what is being funded and paint a picture of “what works” to inform policy approaches in real time and avoid duplication, improving the overall efficiency of response funding. Furthermore, these evaluations can and should play a pivotal role in informing the response to future pandemics and crises. In this blog, we set out three big challenges for programming, monitoring, and evaluation during a pandemic, highlight ways in which these challenges can be overcome, and explore the long-term humanitarian consequences that will be left in the wake of funding decisions being made now….”
They start with the first challenge, “
Impact of Covidisation on health systems and policies”: “Health systems in LMICs are being influenced by “Covidisation”—the increased focusing of global policy and research on COVID-19….”
The Conversation - Low-income countries’ bids for World Bank funding raise serious concerns about their coronavirus strategies
Y Zhao et al;
https://theconversation.com/low-income-countries-bids-for-world-bank-funding-raise-serious-concerns-about-their-coronavirus-strategies-138628
Recommended analysis.
“…The World Bank intends to give out loans and grants totalling US$160 billion (£132 billion) to lower-income countries. The aim of this funding, to be disbursed over 15 months, would be to “help countries respond to immediate health consequences of the pandemic and bolster economic recovery”. … … But while the World Bank’s quick response to help the world’s weaker health systems has been entirely appropriate, we think more balance is needed. Applicants plan to spend more on infrastructure than human resources, despite not having enough healthcare workers in many cases, and the wealthier countries have asked for the most money. There isn’t a common approach, and countries are not using the evidence available from their own health systems to inform their decisions...”
The Jacobin - We Can’t Trust the IMF and World Bank to Lead the COVID-19 Recovery
Lara Merling ;
https://jacobinmag.com/2020/05/world-bank-imf-coronavirus-covid-structural-adjustment
“Despite decades of protests against them, the IMF and World Bank continue to force the same discredited neoliberal policies on poor governments and their people. Countries in economic distress desperately need alternative sources of aid that won't demand adherence to free-market orthodoxy.”
Lancet Global Health (Letter) - Decolonising COVID-19: delaying external debt repayments
M Khan et al ;
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30253-9/fulltext
“
In response to the timely editorial by The Lancet Global Health reflecting on the ongoing colonisation of medicine, economics, and politics, we highlight an important mechanism through which the COVID-19 pandemic is allowing external agencies to gain more control over the health-care financing in low-income countries. There is currently unprecedented political momentum for low-income countries to achieve essential reforms by investing 1–2% of their gross domestic product from 2021 to 2023 towards building universal, publicly financed health systems that cover their entire populations. However, external debt repayments that are currently being negotiated are threatening this opportunity to realise universal health coverage (UHC), and will weaken the health systems in many countries….” “ … …To free up financial resources to address COVID-19, these countries can apply for the postponement of their principal debt and interest payments from May 1 to Dec 31, 2020. However, their debt will not be cancelled and will become due between 2022 and 2024. In fact, deferred payments will be adjusted to ensure creditors face no losses at the time of repayment; therefore, countries will have to repay more at the end of the suspension. This means that countries that take up the offer of postponed repayments now—in order to invest in COVID-19 control measures that will ultimately protect all countries—will be penalised through larger debt repayments at a crucial time for investing in health systems. Furthermore, low-income countries that enter into the DSSI will be subject to conditionalities on their budget allocation decisions from external agencies, and there is clear evidence from previous debt relief initiatives that conditionalities impede progress towards UHC…”
The authors conclude
: “There is a strong movement to decolonise global health. We must not let debt repayments become a mechanism through which the COVID-19 crisis strengthens the influence of external forces on low-income countries.”
Devex – Coronavirus vaccine research doesn't count as ODA, says OECD
https://www.devex.com/news/coronavirus-vaccine-research-doesn-t-count-as-oda-says-oecd-97359
“
Funding research into a COVID-19 vaccine cannot be counted as official development assistance, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee. Donors have spent billions from public budgets on research for a coronavirus vaccine, particularly with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, as well as on diagnostics and therapeutics. At least some of that has been advertised as coming from aid budgets. But the OECD DAC, which sets the rules on how ODA can be spent, said on Thursday that donations to CEPI for a coronavirus vaccine do not meet its ODA criteria. This money will instead be “earmarked” for CEPI’s work in developing and testing a COVID-19 vaccine….”
“Research for a vaccine for COVID-19 would not count as ODA as such a vaccine would benefit developed countries as much as developing countries, and should therefore be considered as contributing to addressing a global challenge,” an OECD spokesperson wrote to Devex….”
PS: some reactions via Twitter, by
Jonathan Glennie “
Good - should never have been in question. Wealthy countries need to support development in poorer countries AND invest in global goods” and
Amanda Glassman “
Likely to be problematic for @CEPIvaccines as funded from many countries’ #aid budgets”.
NYT – Poor Countries Face a Debt Crisis ‘Unlike Anything We Have Seen’
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/01/business/coronavirus-poor-countries-debt.html
“Dozens of countries that borrowed from private investors have debt payments coming due as their economies have crashed because of the coronavirus.”
“… A group of 77 poor countries are scheduled to make interest and principal payments of $62 billion on their debts this year, according to calculations by Ugo Panizza, an economics professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, who published them in a joint research paper with six other economists and bankruptcy lawyers. A portion of that is due in June….”
UN News - ‘Unprecedented’ financing needed to halt recession of ‘unparalleled proportions’: Mohammed
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1065332
“
As COVID-19 has halted economic activity and threatens social wellbeing across the globe, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) held a wide-ranging policy discussion on Tuesday, exploring financing options to address the pandemic and mobilize the resources needed for a proactive recovery. “By all measures, we are in a recession of unparalleled proportions”, Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed told delegates gathered by webcast for an informal meeting of the Council’s Financing for Development Forum. How to make the financing available to help Governments close the fiscal gaps is “a tough question that demands tailored responses.”
Guardian - The G20 should be leading the world out of the coronavirus crisis – but it's gone awol
Gordon Brown et al;
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/02/g20-leading-world-out-of-coronavirus-crisis-gordon-brown
A big group of world leaders (mainly former ones), economists & health leaders
calls for an emergency G20 meeting and a
$2.5 billion coronavirus package for developing countries.
See also
here. And:
Project Syndicate - What the G20 Should Do Now
Reuters – Debt relief for poorest countries could extend beyond 2020, G7 says
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-debt-g7/debt-relief-for-poorest-countries-could-extend-beyond-2020-g7-says-idUSKBN23A3EE?
“
Group of Seven finance ministers on Wednesday said a debt relief initiative for the world’s poorest countries could be extended beyond the end of the year to help deal with economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic….”
EC - Coronavirus Global Response: kick off of new campaign with support of Global Citizen
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_952
(28 May) “[
Today], the Commission announced the next steps in the Coronavirus Global Response, the global action for universal access to affordable coronavirus vaccination, treatment and testing. The pledging marathon that started on 4 May will now see the launch of a new campaign with the international advocacy organisation Global Citizen, “Global Goal: Unite For Our Future”, that will culminate in a Global Pledging Summit on Saturday 27 June. Together with Global Citizen, the Commission will step up the mobilisation of funding to enable the world to overcome this pandemic – and avoid another. This is a new stretch in raising support for the ACT-Accelerator, launched by the World Health Organization with governments and partners through a global call for action on 24 April 2020…”
“…
Global Citizen will lead the “Global Goal: Unite for our Future” campaign, with the European Commission as patron and Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust as partners….”
New Humanitarian - COVID-19 aid funding: The many pots and pitfalls
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2020/06/03/keeping-track-coronavirus-aid-funding
“All the different COVID-19 aid funding streams, and how to miscount them.”
And some more links:
(28 May) “World Bank President David Malpass on Thursday suggested the Bank and donor countries should explore a possible supplemental replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA) concessional lending arm if the coronavirus crisis deepens. In a letter to U.S. and international lawmakers, Malpass said the huge scale and depth of the new coronavirus pandemic had already rendered a record $82 billion IDA19 replenishment finalized in December too small to help crisis-hit countries. But he rejected a call by over 300 lawmakers from around the world for the Bank and the International Monetary Fund to cancel the debt of the poorest countries, saying it was more important to preserve the Bank’s ability to be able to continue to provide grants or low-interest loans to those countries….”
“… Marked by close proximity to and — to varying degrees — dependency on neighboring China, the low- and middle-income nations of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific have experienced a range of responses to the COVID-19 pandemic from bilateral donors in line with their different political and geopolitical objectives…. … In this article, Devex is exploring the support and investments the most influential bilateral agencies in the region are providing….”
Covid 19 Science
In no particular order. In steno-style mostly (given that this is not our niche)
WB (policy research working paper) – COVID-19 Mortality in Rich and Poor Countries A Tale of Two Pandemics?
P Schellekens et al;
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/559181590712052524/pdf/COVID-19-Mortality-in-Rich-and-Poor-Countries-A-Tale-of-Two-Pandemics.pdf
Dire prediction: “…
Developing countries represent 85 percent of the global population, but only 21 percent of the pandemic’s death toll. This unusual inequality creates the impression that the world is subjected to two different pandemics in terms of their impact. This paper documents the observed inequality with a new indicator that expresses severity relative to pre-pandemic patterns. It argues that the excessive skew towards rich countries is inconsistent with demography. Simulations based on reasonable ranges for infectivity and fatality suggest that the developing country share in global fatalities could rise by a factor of three (from 21 to 69 percent). Environmental and host-specific factors will influence these results but are unlikely to overturn them. While data quality has a role in explaining ‘excess inequality’, the more compelling explanation is that the pandemic has yet to run its course through the age distributions of the world.”
CNN - The US should have a "couple hundred million" doses of a Covid-19 vaccine by start of 2021, Fauci says
CNN;
Fauci sounds optimistic on vaccines
““
I’m cautiously optimistic that with the multiple candidates we have with different platforms, that we are going to have a vaccine that will make it deployable,” Fauci said. He is optimistic, he said, because, while the number of deaths from Covid-19 are “profound,” largely people recover from this disease. Recovery shows that there is an immune response that can clear the virus. “Which tells us, that if the body is capable of making an immune response to clear the virus of natural infection, that’s a pretty good proof of concept,” Fauci said. “Having said that, there is never a guarantee.” He said he is a little more concerned about what the durability of the response will be. People develop antibodies to fight common colds caused by other strains of coronavirus, but that protection generally only lasts about a year. That might mean people would need a fresh vaccine every year, as is the case with influenza.”
Science News - Blood vessel attack could trigger coronavirus’ fatal ‘second phase’
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/blood-vessel-attack-could-trigger-coronavirus-fatal-second-phase
“Damage to vessel lining may drive mysterious clotting disorders, inflammation.” On a new hypothesis explaining why some patients slip into a fatal “second phase” of COVID-19, 1 week or so after hospitalization.
See also
Medium (D Smith) -
Coronavirus May Be a Blood Vessel Disease, Which Explains Everything
Quote: ““
The concept that’s emerging is that this is not a respiratory illness alone, this is a respiratory illness to start with, but it is actually a vascular illness that kills people through its involvement of the vasculature,” says Mehra….”
NYT - Six Months of Coronavirus: Here’s Some of What We’ve Learned
https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-facts-history.html
“
Much remains unknown and mysterious, but these are some of the things we’re pretty sure of after half a year of this pandemic.” Nice summary, only partially focused on the US. Most is globally relevant.
Guardian - Risk of infection could double if 2-metre rule reduced, study finds
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/01/risk-of-infection-could-double-if-2-metre-rule-reduced-study-finds
Coverage of a
new study in the Lancet. “
Reducing physical distancing advice from 2 metres to 1 metre could double the risk of coronavirus infection, according to the most comprehensive study to date. The research was part-funded by the World Health Organization (WHO) and published in the Lancet…”
Cfr. The Lancet press release
: “Most comprehensive study to date provides evidence on optimal physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent spread of COVID-19
First review of all available evidence including 172 observational studies looking at how physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection affect the spread of COVID-19, SARS, and MERS in both community and healthcare settings across 16 countries. Physical distancing of at least 1 metre lowers risk of COVID-19 transmission, but distances of 2 metres could be more effective. Face coverings and masks might protect both healthcare workers and the general public against infection with COVID-19, and protective eye covering may also provide additional benefit—although the certainty of the evidence is low for both forms of protection. Importantly, even when properly used and combined, none of these interventions offers complete protection and other basic protective measures (such as hand hygiene) are essential to reduce transmission.”
“… The study, conducted to inform WHO guidance documents, is the first time researchers have systematically examined the optimum use of these protective measures in both community and healthcare settings for COVID-19. The authors say it has immediate and important implications for curtailing the current COVID-19 pandemic and future waves by informing disease models, and standardising the definition of who has been ‘potentially exposed’ (ie, within 2 metres) for contact tracing….”
HPW – Masks Are Necessary To Reduce Asymptomatic Transmission Of COVID-19 Through Aerosols And Droplets, Say Health Experts
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/masks-are-necessary-to-reduce-asymptomatic-transmission-in-aerosols-and-droplets-say-health-experts/
“Aerosol transmission of COVID-19 is looking to be more significant, and it is ‘essential’ to introduce widespread mask use to reduce COVID-19 transmission by that route – aerosol chemists and infectious disease researchers wrote in a commentary published in Science. The authors refer to a growing body of evidence on aerosols and masks that runs counter to the WHO’s advice – which has not recognized aerosols as a key driver of COVID-19 transmission and has warned against widespread mask use….”
“The WHO has maintained that contact with people or contaminated surfaces is the main route of transmission, rather than aerosols. However, a ‘large proportion’ of COVID-19 spread appears to occur through ‘airborne transmission of aerosols’, especially in asymptomatic individuals when they breathe and speak, suggest researchers from the University of California and National Sun Yat-sen University in China and Taiwan. Two of the authors of the commentary, Kimberly A.Prather and Chia C. Wwang, study aerosolization of chemicals – and the third author, Robert T. Schooley, is affiliated with the infectious disease department at the University of California. … … … The commentary could also shed light into why some individuals have severe COVID-19 while others do not. Given that aerosols are below 1 micron in size – as compared to respiratory droplets which range between 0.1-1000 microns – aerosols could reach deeper parts of the lungs, where immune responses are ‘temporarily bypassed.’…”
Science News - Why coronavirus hits men harder: sex hormones offer clues
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/why-coronavirus-hits-men-harder-sex-hormones-offer-clues
“Data on prostate cancer patients, bald men suggest existing drugs could fight COVID-19.”
FT Health - Scientists probe link between high altitude and low coronavirus cases
https://www.ft.com/content/15d8dac6-b3d4-4b6b-b128-70f99bef3c36
“Bolivian team seeks to understand why low-lying areas have been hit harder than cities on higher ground.”
HPW - Dogs Could Detect Coronavirus in 250 People Per Hour, Reports New Study
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/74861-2/
“
Dogs could be trained to discern COVID-19 in humans, reported researchers from The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Medical Detection Dogs and Durham University in a podcast last Wednesday. The study has received £500,000 from the UK government and hopes to be able to train dogs for rapid virus detection in airports and other ports of entry….”
Reuters – WHO and other experts say no evidence of coronavirus losing potency
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-who-transmission/who-and-other-experts-say-no-evidence-of-coronavirus-losing-potency-idUSKBN23832J?
“
World Health Organization experts and a range of other scientists said on Monday there was no evidence to support an assertion by a high-profile Italian doctor that the coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic has been losing potency….”
See also
the Washington Post - Experts dispute reports that coronavirus is becoming less lethal
Science (News) – NIH-halted study unveils its massive analysis of bat coronaviruses
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/nih-halted-study-unveils-its-massive-analysis-bat-coronaviruses?rss=1
“But survey in China doesn’t pinpoint animal source of COVID-19.”
“
An international team of scientists whose funding for research on bat coronaviruses was recently yanked by the U.S. government has published what it calls the most comprehensive analysis ever done of such viruses. In a preprint posted yesterday on bioRxiv, the researchers examine partial genetic sequences of 781 coronaviruses found in bats in China, more than one-third of which have never been published. Although the analysis cannot pinpoint the origin of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, it does single out one genus, Rhinolophus, also known as Chinese horseshoe bats, as crucial to the evolution of coronaviruses….”
Guardian - Could nearly half of those with Covid-19 have no idea they are infected?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/30/could-nearly-half-of-those-with-covid-19-have-no-idea-they-are-infected
“As
studies confirm many infected people show no symptoms, contact tracing and face masks assume even greater importance.”
“… Epidemiological studies are now revealing that the number of individuals who carry and can pass on the infection, yet remain completely asymptomatic, is larger than originally thought. Scientists believe these people have contributed to the spread of the virus in care homes, and they are central in the debate regarding face mask policies, as health officials attempt to avoid new waves of infections while societies reopen….”
TGH - Ten Million Tests in Ten Days
Yanzhong Huang ;
Think Global Health ;
“Inside Wuhan’s massive COVID-19 testing campaign, which China is expected to repeat elsewhere—just not with antibodies.”
NYT - Coronavirus Epidemics Began Later Than Believed, Study Concludes
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/health/coronavirus-spread-united-states.html
“
In Washington State and Italy, the first confirmed cases were not linked to the outbreaks that followed, the analysis found. The epidemics were seeded later.”
Cfr a tweet: “
The larger point here is that, as @AdamJKucharski and others have pointed out, this pattern of introductions that die out is exactly what you would expect of a virus with overdispersed (‚very patchy’) transmission, since most infected people do not infect anyone else.”
NYT - Genes May Leave Some People More Vulnerable to Severe Covid-19
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/health/coronavirus-blood-type-genetics.html
“
Geneticists have turned up intriguing links between DNA and the disease. Patients with Type A blood, for example, seem to be at greater risk.”
Guardian - Hydroxychloroquine no better than placebo, Covid-19 study finds
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/03/hydroxychloroquine-no-better-than-placebo-study-finds
“
Taking hydroxychloroquine does not protect people who have been close to someone with coronavirus from becoming infected, a study suggests. …… a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests the drug is no more effective in protecting people exposed to the virus than a placebo….”
Vox – Why a vaccine may not be enough to end the pandemic
https://www.vox.com/2020/6/3/21258841/coronavirus-vaccine-covid-19-testing-usa-china-moderna
“
We need to plan for many different Covid-19 vaccine scenarios. These four factors will influence the outcome.”
Cidrap News - No benefit of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 patients, study finds
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/06/no-benefit-convalescent-plasma-covid-19-patients-study-finds
“
Convalescent plasma therapy didn't help 52 seriously ill COVID-19 patients recover in the first known randomized study of its kind, although it was stopped early because of low enrollment. The study, published yesterday in JAMA, involved coronavirus patients with severe illness (respiratory distress and/or low oxygen levels) or life-threatening disease (shock, organ failure, or the need for mechanical ventilation) in seven medical centers in Wuhan, China, from Feb 14 to Apr 1, with final follow-up on Apr 28….”
Lancet World Report – COVID-19 vaccine development pipeline gears up
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31252-6/fulltext
“
Vaccine makers are racing to develop COVID-19 vaccines, and have advanced ten candidates into clinical trials. But challenges remain. Asher Mullard reports.”
Covid19 Analysis
From a variety of angles, as usual. You also find some more reads in the Miscellaneous (extra) section.
F2P blog - Beyond the Western Gaze: How should we talk about Covid and Africa?
G Kibala Bauer ;
https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/beyond-the-western-gaze-how-should-we-talk-about-covid-and-africa/
Brilliant post. Must-read, arguing for a lot more nuance than usual, in the binary storytelling you see too often.
«
Ultimately, following nuanced perspectives, engaging with local realities, and transcending the Western gaze is more interesting and rewarding for anyone involved. This entire back-and-forth “Africa needs help” vs. “No! Africa can teach you lessons!” is tiring, and other than benefiting a few pundits on both sides of the debate—are we deriving any value from it?...”
“…Ultimately, COVID-19 is a powerful reminder that we must reclaim African reality in all its forms in order to adequately define and respond to the challenges we face and imagine African futures, which transcend the Western gaze….”
Open Global Rights - Post-pandemic collective action for health rights and social justice is essential
Alicia E Yamin;
https://www.openglobalrights.org/after-the-pandemic-what/?lang=English
“
The pandemic shows the need for post-crisis collective action, and rising to the task will be essential if we are to realize a new global economic order—with human rights and health rights at its core.”
Quote : «…
this crisis is so widespread, and the upheaval so massive for tens of millions of people across the globe that far more people have become convinced that we desperately need to change course as a collective “global community”. Tax, anti-trust, intellectual property, financial regulation and other laws, and an antidemocratic global economic order, evolved over decades to increase private capital, shrink public resources and capacities, and make governments seem irrelevant. The global economic order became a playground for elites. None of that was inevitable; indeed, it was the product of orchestrated actions over years. And now—just as the New Deal emerged out of the Great Depression in the United States—we can organize to collectively insist on legal and policy changes to provide dramatically different distributional consequences, not just within but also between countries….”
Lancet (Comment) - The right to health must guide responses to COVID-19
Dainius Puras (
UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health) et al ;
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31255-1/fulltext
“Human rights scrutiny in the COVID-19 pandemic has largely focused on limitations of individual freedoms to protect public health, yet it is essential to look at the broader relevance of realising human rights to promote public health in the COVID-19 response. The human right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health provides binding normative guidance for health-care systems, broader social responses, and global solidarity. …”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has been exacerbated by human rights failures, yet the right to health can provide a framework for assuring that the COVID-19 response serves to realise the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health for all.”
IPS - Is the Fight for Human Rights & Racial Justice Overriding the Coronavirus Risk?
T Deen;
IPS;
“
The deadly coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed the lives of over 372,000 people worldwide, has reinforced the concept of “social distancing” which bars any gathering of over 10 or 20 people – whether at a social event, a wedding, a political rally or even a funeral. … … But all those warnings have been unceremoniously jettisoned as hundreds and thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets in several cities, including in Hongkong, Argentina, Lebanon, Brazil, Israel, Ukraine and India, and most recently in the US and UK. … In the United States alone, where coronavirus deaths have exceeded 103,000, demonstrators in riot-torn cities in 31 States have openly defied edicts both from medical experts and city and State authorities resulting in curfews. The defiant stand has triggered the question: is the fight for human rights and racial justice overriding coronavirus threats — even as thousands have participated in demonstrations violating stay-at-home orders and stoking fears of a sharp increase in infections upending virus control efforts?...”
Lancet Offline: COVID-19 and the ethics of memory
R Horton;
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31279-4/fulltext
“…lessons have to be learned.
Governments of countries now emerging from the worst of their pandemics must urgently retain (or in some cases rebuild) public trust by
establishing independent mechanisms to review their responses…”
As for the
global response: “
There must also be an independent evaluation of the global response. …. … To protect (some may say restore, although no credible evidence against the agency has yet been presented) WHO's reputation, an independent COVID-19 Assessment Panel should be established as soon as possible. … Given the urgency of bringing the US Government back into the agency, it would probably be wise to choose a chair from the USA—a person with respected foreign policy credentials whose views will be listened to and trusted by the White House. Given the harm President Trump's announcement is likely to cause, this panel should be established before the end of June so WHO can signal the seriousness with which it takes this evaluation—and US re-engagement.””
African Center for Global Health and Social transformation - COVID - 19 exposes a global scramble for health workers
https://www.achest.org/index.php?option=com_zoo&task=item&item_id=279&Itemid=481
Cfr a tweet: “
Strong blog by @FrancisOmaswa of @ACHEST1 : "Classify health workers as a Global Public Health Good at par with or ahead of vaccines and drugs".”
“
The COVID -19 pandemic has once again exposed the global health workforce (HWF) crisis that is characterized by wide spread shortages, mal-distribution and poor working conditions. “…The HWF shortages have today resulted in a silent scramble to recruit health workers from poor countries by the richer countries. This scramble is inspired by the urgent needed to fill gaps in the scaled up COVID -19 responses and to address long standing HWF shortages. Visa requirements for health workers have been eased and I have seen recruitment agencies openly advertising for health workers from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean in web posts of some government agencies and in social media. These agencies are convening meetings in poor countries to pirate away health workers who are needed more in their home countries. Significantly, some African and Caribbean countries have formally protested against these clandestine recruitment but have been ignored. These countries have been left to appeal to the patriotism of their HWF to mitigate the dreaded exodus that would cripple health systems during these times of crisis. This piracy of health workers, left uncontrolled, carries a public health threat to all countries of the world and is untenable. The pivotal role played by the HWF in public health and health emergencies as exposed by the COVID -19 pandemic is sufficient to classify health workers as a Global Public Health Good at par with or ahead of vaccines and drugs….”
Devex - Why lockdowns aren't a one-size-fits-all solution to the pandemic
https://www.devex.com/news/why-lockdowns-aren-t-a-one-size-fits-all-solution-to-the-pandemic-97327
Excerpts: “
While countries in the global north were sluggish in responding to the coronavirus, governments in many lower-income countries were much faster to enact lockdowns. Particularly in parts of sub-Saharan Africa — with the memory of Ebola outbreaks in recent history — many governments moved swiftly, putting in place measures previously thought impossible and bringing societies to a halt….”
“questions have … been raised by some public health experts over the suitability of nationwide lockdowns in areas with weak health systems and fragile economies, where the possibility of working from home doesn’t exist for most people…. …. Collateral damage caused by lockdowns — enforced in some places with brute force — is a key concern, in part because some governments are unable to offer the kind of safety nets seen in the global north, more people work in the informal sector, and health systems are less resilient….”
“The mortality attributable to the lockdown itself [because of disruption to health services and the economy] … may overtake lives saved due to lockdown mediated slowing of COVID-19 progression,” according to a statement by India’s Joint COVID-19 Task Force, made up of 16 public health experts. The country shut down between March 25 and May 31. … … … … Collateral damage has also hit countries in sub-Saharan Africa hard. “ … “
“
This [pandemic] won’t be solved by a [purely] medical ... approach,” argued Dr. Mukesh Kapila, professor of global health and humanitarian affairs at The University of Manchester. He defined a medical approach to tackling disease as one that takes place in a controlled, institutional environment, whereas public health tries to achieve “the greatest good of the greatest number of people.” “We will need a combination of public health and social policy” to tackle the virus, he said. …”
“Kapila argued that a very institutionalized response was “the last thing you want in Africa,” since hospitals become “incubators for disease” without proper infection and sanitization controls and personal protective equipment for staff. The invasive treatments for COVID-19 with “poor outcomes” also take up valuable bed space for those who have suffered heart attacks or have other conditions that are better suited to a medicalized response, he added….”
See also
The Wire -
Had Govt Listened to Epidemiologists, It Would've Been Better Served: COVID-19 Task Force
On the
lockdown in India. “
According to the report, the lockdown was 'draconian' and was 'presumably' a response to a modelling exercise from an influential institution which presented a ‘worst-case simulation’.”
T Reuters - Hunger or murder': Lockdown poverty exposes African sex workers to more violence
https://news.trust.org/item/20200604011704-4gk53/
“Lockdowns are forcing Africa's sex workers to disregard usual safety norms exposing them to increased violence - and even murder.”
People’s Dispatch - Looking at healthcare workers only as heroes does them a disservice
WHO Watch team;
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2020/06/01/looking-at-healthcare-workers-only-as-heroes-does-them-a-disservice/
“
There is a huge lacuna in ensuring adequate compensation for health workers who acquire the illness, despite a broad based demand from the international trade union movement.”
The
resolution passed at the World Health Assembly largely failed to address the working conditions of health workers and other front-line workers, the WHO Watch team argues.
OECD - Realising the Potential of Primary Health Care
https://www.oecd.org/health/realising-the-potential-of-primary-health-care-a92adee4-en.htm
“
The rapid spread of COVID-19 added urgency to the need to address long-standing pressures on health systems, linked to growing citizens’ expectations, population ageing and more complex and costly health care needs. As the first point of contact, primary health care that provides comprehensive, continuous, and co-ordinated care is key to boosting preventive care, treating those who need care, and helping people become more active in managing their own health. It has the potential to improve health system efficiency and health outcomes for people across socio-economic levels, and make health systems people-centred. This report examines primary health care across OECD countries before the COVID-19 pandemic, and draws attention to how primary health care is not living up to its full potential. Doing things differently – through new models of organising services, better co-ordination among providers, better use of digital technology, and better use of resources and incentives – helps to improve care, reduce the need for hospitalisations, and mitigate health inequalities. This report identifies key policy challenges that OECD countries need to address to realise the full potential of primary health care, and reviews progress and innovations towards transforming primary health care.”
Plos Med (Editorial) - Pandemic preparedness and responses: WHO to turn to in a crisis?
https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003167
“The PLOS Medicine editors discuss the role of the World Health Organization in pandemic responses.”
Lancet Editorial – Salient lessons from Russia's COVID-19 outbreak
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31280-0/fulltext
This week’s Lancet Editorial concludes: “…
public trust in Putin appears to be eroding, with his approval rating tumbling in recent weeks. There is a sense that by leaving the difficult decisions about public health to the regions he will absent himself from blame for the toll of the pandemic in Russia. The USA, Brazil, and to an extent the UK, have seen how local government and the public often have to use their own best judgment when they do not receive direct, consistent messaging from the top. There are many unique factors at play in the Russian epidemic, but a lack of clear political leadership has become a common hallmark of countries that have suffered the most.”
Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law - Democracy, Capacity, and Coercion in Pandemic Response—COVID 19 in Comparative Political Perspective
M Kavanagh et al ;
https://read.dukeupress.edu/jhppl/article/doi/10.1215/03616878-8641530/165294/Democracy-Capacity-and-Coercion-in-Pandemic
“
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged governments around the world. It has also challenged conventional wisdom and empirical understandings in the comparative politics and policy of health. Three major questions present themselves: First, some of the countries considered to be the most prepared—having the greatest capacity for outbreak response—have failed to respond effectively to the pandemic. How should our understanding of capacity shift in light of COVID-19, and how can we incorporate political capacity into thinking about pandemic preparedness? Second, several of the mechanisms through which democracy has been shown to be beneficial for health have not traveled well to explain the performance of governments in this pandemic. Is there an authoritarian advantage in disease response? Third, after decades in which coercive public health measures have increasingly been considered counterproductive, COVID-19 has inspired widespread embrace of rigid lockdowns, isolation, and quarantine enforced by police. Will these measures prove effective in the long run and reshape public health thinking? This article explores some of these questions with emerging examples, even amid the pandemic when it is too soon to draw conclusions.”
Science (News) - Japan ends its COVID-19 state of emergency
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/japan-ends-its-covid-19-state-emergency
Cfr a tweet: “
The success of Japan with a *unique strategy*, emphasizing attention to super-spreader venues and the 3 C's (closed spaces, crowds, and close-contact settings). Little testing, no lockdown.”
IJHPM - COVID-19 Pandemic: What Can the West Learn From the East?
M Shokoohi et al ;
https://www.ijhpm.com/article_3819.html
“Differences in public health approaches to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic could largely explain substantial variations in epidemiological indicators (such as incidence and mortality) between the West and the East. COVID-19 revealed vulnerabilities of most western countries’ healthcare systems in their response to the ongoing public health crisis. Hence, western countries can possibly learn from practices from several East Asian countries regarding infrastructures, epidemiological surveillance and control strategies to mitigate the public health impact of the pandemic. In this paper, we discuss that the lack of rapid and timely community-centered approaches, and most importantly weak public health infrastructures, might have resulted in a high number of infected cases and fatalities in many western countries.
NPR Opinion - he Ghosts Of Colonialism Are Haunting The World's Response To The Pandemic
NPR;
By
Abraar Karan. “
The era of colonial powers ended in the 20th century. But the legacy lingers on and can be seen in the way the West has reacted to the coronavirus crisis. Although there are some hopeful signs, too.”
Covid19 health diaries - A Route out of Dying Neoliberalism - 3/4 on COVID, Neoliberalism and Poverty
Owain Williams;
https://covid19healthdiaries.com/diary?did=253
“…
the last of my three-part posts on neoliberalism, poverty and COVID. I want to look at some of the already emerging secondary and downstream effects of COVID on the global poor, and will do so towards the back end of today’s long post….”
New Security Beat - Population Age Structure: The Hidden Factor in COVID-19 Mortality
R Cincotta;
https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2020/05/population-age-structure-hidden-factor-covid-19-mortality/
“…
In this brief note, I estimate the differences between the age-structural vulnerabilities to COVID-19 deaths of youthful countries and those of more mature populations in Europe and North America, and I discuss the demographic patterns in current data that highlight the importance of this factor….”
BMJ (blog) - Neglect of low-income migrants in covid-19 response
Anuj Kapilashrami, Anns Issac et al;
BMJ blog;
“A South Asian perspective on the failures of global and national public health policies.”
Lancet - Informal home care providers: the forgotten health-care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
E Ying Yang Chan et al;
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31254-X/fulltext
“
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed pressure on many national health-care systems worldwide. Due to the rapid surge in caseloads and resource constraints in health systems, in many high-income settings, the focus has been on disease screening, with those who have severe disease prioritised for hospitalisation. But the COVID-19 pandemic has also led to an unprecedented reliance on home care as one pillar of the health-care system to support people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. Meanwhile, informal home care provision and challenges faced by care providers, excluding those who are formal and paid, in the home context have largely been overlooked. In such population-wide public health emergencies, home care can be the only care option for people in low-income and resource-constrained settings who do not have access to health-care facilities due to such factors as distance, lack of transport, financial issues, or cultural–linguistic barriers. … … … … In public health emergencies, informal home care providers are a crucial human resource that improves the community's health-care capacity, especially in regions with an ageing population and areas with suboptimal health-care systems. …” “ Yet our knowledge of the characteristics of these informal home care providers and the challenges they are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic is limited. The physical, mental, and social wellbeing of home care providers has been largely overlooked in the research literature….”
International Journal for Equity in Health - COVID-19 and informal settlements: an urgent call to rethink urban governance
S Van Belle et al;
https://equityhealthj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12939-020-01198-0
“…
The question is, how can outbreaks of COVID-19 in informal settlements in the South be prevented from triggering even wider shocks? Informal settlements, in addition to making up not a substantial proportion of urban populations, also present all the conditions for rapid spread: very high population density, scant access to water and sanitation, widespread poverty and inadequate health infrastructure. Indeed, favelas, barrios, slums and shantytowns seem to be the Achilles heel of many health systems, yet, political leaders in low- and middle-income countries have largely been silent about how they plan to face this significant but extremely important challenge. …”
The authors conclude:
“…The COVID-19 pandemic is a wake-up call for city authorities to rethink their engagement with the people living in informal settlements. It highlights once again how governance, health and equity are intertwined, and demonstrates the fact that effective urban governance cannot be achieved without collaboration with and/or the engagement of residents and real governance actors. Neglecting public services and accountability in informal settlements and ignoring the insights of the real governors will be counterproductive both in the control of the current pandemic and the prevention and management of future epidemics.”
BMJ GH - Protecting hard-won gains for mothers and newborns in low-income and middle-income countries in the face of COVID-19: call for a service safety net
W J Graham et al ;
https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/6/e002754
“… In this commentary, we use insights from those on the ground in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) to highlight both the impact of COVID-19 on facility births and the innovative local solutions being adopted to mitigate these effects. We consider how in-country responses to the pandemic might also provide an opportunity to finally tackle key weaknesses in facilities, including low staffing, overcrowding, poor infection prevention and control (IPC), and disrespectful care. …”
IHP (blog) – Where is the Public Health in India’s Response to this Public Health Emergency?
https://www.internationalhealthpolicies.org/blogs/where-is-the-public-health-in-indias-response-to-this-public-health-emergency/
Sayan Das asks a pertinent question in this blog, drawing on Charles Winslow’s famous definition of Public Health, “…
as an amalgam of science and art for preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through social action”.
Covid 19 impact on other global health programmes
HPW - COVID-19 Has ‘Severely’ Disrupted Chronic Disease Care, WHO Warns
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/covid-19-severely-disrupted-treatment-of-chronic-diseases-who-warns/
“A new survey by WHO has found that the COVID-19 pandemic has ‘severely’ disrupted the delivery of services to prevent and treat non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in almost 80% of countries surveyed – or 122 out of 150 countries. This is of “significant concern” WHO said on Monday in a statement, because people with NCDs also are more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and death. And even prior to the pandemic, some three quarters of all deaths worldwide were due to NCDs….”
“…In the WHO’s rapid assessment, rehabilitation services were the most commonly disrupted NCD service – with a partial or total standstill in two-thirds of surveyed countries. Rehabilitation services often include physiotherapy, as well as other programmes supporting recovery from heart attack, stroke, surgery, amputations and COVID-19. … … … When outbreaks were more severe, NCD services were more likely to be disrupted – an ‘unsurprising correlation’, said the WHO statement. … And the standstill in chronic disease services is likely to disproportionately affect low-income countries as they struggle to incorporate these essential services into national COVID-19 plans….”
See the
WHO Statement -
WHO - COVID-19 significantly impacts health services for noncommunicable diseases
“
Prevention and treatment services for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have been severely disrupted since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to a WHO survey released today. The survey, which was completed by 155 countries during a 3-week period in May, confirmed that the impact is global, but that low-income countries are most affected….”
BMJ News – Covid-19: Millions of women and children at risk as visits to essential services plummet
https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2171
“The coronavirus pandemic is a “magnifier of inequality” that threatens the wellbeing of women, children, and adolescents worldwide, a roundtable of influential female leaders has heard.”
“The United Nations has predicted that 47 million women could lose access to contraception resulting in 7 million additional unintended pregnancies over the next six months1 because of “deadly and disabling” covid-19, the virtual event was told. There could also be 31 million additional cases of gender based violence in low and middle income countries. Policy makers have a clear duty to protect the most vulnerable and disadvantaged and to tackle the root causes of inequality with targeted policies and resources, the participants concluded. The high level meeting was organised by the UN’s Every Woman Every Child initiative and advocacy groups Women Deliver and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health. “
“ …. … The women leaders are calling for three priorities for the pandemic response. … … The meeting launched a social media campaign using the hashtag #RiseForAll to show the leaders’ commitment to protect and support every woman and to call on their fellow leaders and partners to do the same. … … After the meeting, Every Woman Every Child is producing a detailed report with 14 actions called
Immediate Steps to Safeguard Progress for Every Woman, Child and Adolescent….”
This includes concerns about severe and longstanding negative consequences in areas such as sexual and reproductive health (SRH), education and physical and emotional security.
See also
the Guardian -
Covid-19 crisis could set women back decades, experts fear
Guardian - ‘Many girls have been cut’: how global school closures left children at risk
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jun/01/many-girls-have-been-cut-how-coronavirus-global-school-closures-left-children-at-risk
“
Covid-19 school closures have exposed children around the world to human rights abuses such as forced genital mutilation, early marriage and sexual violence, child protection experts say.
Globally, the World Bank estimates that 1.6 billion children were locked out of education by Covid-19. As schools in England and around the world prepare to reopen this week, NGOs warn that millions of the world’s most vulnerable children may never return to the classroom, and say that after decades fighting for girls’ education the pandemic could cause gender equality in education to be set back decades. …”
Guardian - Pakistan polio fears as Covid-19 causes millions of children to miss vaccinations
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jun/02/pakistan-polio-fears-as-millions-of-children-miss-out-on-vaccinations-due-to-covid-19
“In April, almost 40 million children missed their polio drops in Pakistan after the cancellation of the nationwide vaccination campaign….”
NYT - In Some Nations, Coronavirus Is Only One of Many Outbreaks
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/30/world/americas/virus-central-america-dengue.html
“…As the coronavirus pandemic stalks the globe, some nations, particularly in the developing world, find themselves under extraordinary strain as they simultaneously contend with other outbreaks, chronic public health problems and challenges posed by government mismanagement, poverty and armed conflict….”
“… In Latin America, where the number of coronavirus cases has been rising sharply, governments are trying to contend with new dengue outbreaks while holding onto gains in the fight against other infectious diseases. But at least nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have paused some of their immunization activities, officials said, threatening efforts to control diseases such as polio, tuberculosis and measles. … … … Dengue is also bedeviling nations in Southeast Asia, like Indonesia, another country hard hit by the coronavirus. And in Africa, health officials are concerned about recent outbreaks of yellow fever, cholera, measles and Ebola, among other diseases. …. … “
BBC News - Why most Covid-19 deaths won’t be from the virus
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200528-why-most-covid-19-deaths-wont-be-from-the-virus?referer=https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FgCSApxCwhi%3Famp%3D1
“
From a famine of “biblical” proportions to a deluge of undiagnosed cancers, while we’re all worrying about the coronavirus, most fatalities could be collateral damage.”
Ebola DRC
FT - Democratic Republic of Congo declares new Ebola outbreak
https://www.ft.com/content/804de211-c28e-49aa-852e-bfeea3865c05
“
Democratic Republic of Congo has declared a new Ebola epidemic after it identified six cases of the haemorrhagic fever in the west of the country. The infections are the 11th outbreak of the virus in the central African nation since the first cases were detected in 1976 and the fourth occurrence in the past three years. … … “…A vaccine developed by Merck has been tested widely in eastern Congo and was granted approval for use by regulators in the US and Europe at the end of last year. A second vaccine manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, which was also tested in eastern Congo, was last week recommended for approval in Europe by the European Medicines Agency. Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told the Financial Times that both shots are needed to contain new epidemics and protect health workers. “Outbreaks of Ebola in central Africa are unavoidable and may be increasing in frequency as the population is growing and more in contact with nature,” Mr Piot said. “This is a strong case to deploy Ebola vaccines in the entire region.”…”
See also
Cidrap News (June 1) -
New Ebola outbreak detected in northwestern DRC
“
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) [today] announced a new Ebola outbreak in Equateur province, the same area hit by an outbreak in 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement….”
And as a tweet stated, accurately:
“…The country is also in final phase of battling Ebola in eastern DRC, #COVID19 & the world’s largest measles outbreak.”
See
the Independent - 'Race against the clock': How the Covid-19 pandemic threatens to undermine DRC's response to latest Ebola outbreak
HSG & Emerging Voices update
HSG (blog) – HSG 2020 Board election results
https://www.healthsystemsglobal.org/blog/427/HSG-2020-Board-Election-results.html
The HSG Secretariat announced the results of the 2020 HSG Board Election. Congratulations to all new members, and to Francisco Oviedo (EV 2012) and Stephanie Topp (EV 2013) in particular!
Dr Seye Abimbola (EV 2010, editor-in-chief BMJ Global Health) appointed to Prince Claus Chair
http://princeclauschair.nl/dr-seye-abimbola-appointed-to/?SSScrollPosition=0
“
As of 1 September 2020, Dr. Seye Abimbola will hold the Prince Claus Chair at Utrecht University on Justice in Global Health Research. He will hold the 2020-2022 "Prince Claus Chair in Development and Equity" on the intersections of #healthsystems governance & the ethics of #globalhealth practice.
Planetary health
Climate policy - A factor of two: how the mitigation plans of ‘climate progressive’ nations fall far short of Paris-compliant pathways
Kevin Anderson et al ;
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14693062.2020.1728209
New paper. Cfr a few
tweets by Jason Hickel: “
To be consistent with the principle of equity in the Paris Agreement, high-income nations need to reduce emissions by 14% per year, starting in 2020.”
“There is not a single high-income nation that is taking this seriously yet. The required mitigation rate is two times faster than what even the most progressive nations [including Sweden] claim they will do. To accomplish it will require a decisive shift to post-growth economic models.”
Guardian - Air pollution in China back to pre-Covid levels and Europe may follow
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/03/air-pollution-in-china-back-to-pre-covid-levels-and-europe-may-follow
“Air pollution in China has climbed back to pre-pandemic levels, and scientists say Europe may follow suit.”
Guardian - Coronavirus crisis could cause $25tn fossil fuel industry collapse
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jun/04/coronavirus-crisis-collapse-fossil-fuels-demand
“
The coronavirus outbreak could trigger a $25tn (£20tn) collapse in the fossil fuel industry by accelerating a terminal decline for the world’s most polluting companies. A study has found that the value of the world’s fossil fuel reserves could fall by two-thirds, sooner than the industry expects, because the Covid-19 crisis has hastened the peak for oil, gas and coal demand. The looming fossil fuel collapse could pose “a significant threat to global financial stability” by wiping out the market value of fossil fuel companies, according to financial thinktank Carbon Tracker….”
IPS - Two-thirds of Tropical Forests ‘Under Threat in Next Decade’
http://www.ipsnews.net/2020/06/two-thirds-tropical-forests-threat-next-decade/
“
Tropical forests can develop resistance to a warmer climate, but 71 per cent will come under threat in the next decade if global average temperatures reach two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a new study warns. Forest-dependent communities and the global climate will be affected if tropical forests are further degraded, experts say. Led by scientists at the University of Leeds and published in Science, the study involved 226 researchers from around the world. The cohort analysed carbon stock data in 590 permanent forest plots in South America, Africa, Asia and Australia, with most in the Amazon region….”
Guardian – Atmospheric CO2 levels rise sharply despite Covid-19 lockdowns
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/04/atmospheric-co2-levels-rise-sharply-despite-covid-19-lockdowns
“Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have risen strongly to a new peak this year, despite the impact of the global effects of the coronavirus crisis. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere reached 417.2 parts per million in May, 2.4ppm higher than the peak of 414.8ppm in 2019, according to readings from the Mauna Loa observatory in the US. Without worldwide lockdowns intended to slow the spread of Covid-19, the rise might have reached 2.8ppm, according to Ralph Keeling, a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography….”
WHO Bulletin – June issue
WHO Bulletin - Editorial - Mortality surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic
P Setel ( Vital Strategies Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative) et al;
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/98/6/20-263194/en/
Editorial of the new WHO Bulletin issue.
“…
Rapid mortality surveillance comprises both facility- and community-based components and depends on both data availability and transmissibility. Networks of community and health facility sites reporting deaths by age, sex and location on a daily or weekly basis provide an essential input to the outbreak response, including tracking the epidemic trajectory after adjusting public health and social measures. This type of rapid surveillance has been implemented in numerous settings, including in Europe and Africa, and its feasibility has been demonstrated even under difficult conditions, such as mass displacement… … Rapid mortality surveillance may provide policy-makers with up-to-date status reports, including spread into new areas or previously unaffected populations. This surveillance can also help target, prioritize and monitor the effectiveness of prevention and response strategies. Countries need real-time awareness of the distribution and magnitude of all direct and indirect health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Establishing, scaling and improving upon rapid mortality surveillance would contribute to fulfilling this need, as well as preparing for future outbreaks….”
Some papers & reports of the week
Lancet Comment – Healthier societies for healthy populations
Healthier Societies for healthy populations group;
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31039-4/fulltext
Report of the
Wilton Park meeting in February. “…
the Government of Sweden, WHO, and the Wellcome Trust convened a meeting on Healthy Societies for Healthy Populations with Wilton Park on Feb 10–12, 2020, at Wiston House in the UK. Nearly 60 participants working on health, climate, food, and urban planning issues from governments, the UN, civil society, academia, and the private sector joined a dialogue on ways to promote healthy populations. Together, participants examined determinants of health through a political economy lens; considered the importance of leadership, public demand, and social power; discussed how inclusive knowledge creation can strengthen the implementation agenda; and made commitments on taking the next steps….”
This Comment lays out their
vision for an agenda moving towards healthy populations.
HP&P - The distinctive roles of urban community health workers in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review of the literature
T Ludwick et al ;
https://academic.oup.com/heapol/advance-article/doi/10.1093/heapol/czaa049/5851119?searchresult=1
“
Addressing urban health challenges in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has been hampered by lack of evidence on effective mechanisms for delivering health services to the poor. The urban disadvantaged experience poor health outcomes (often worse than rural counterparts) and face service barriers. While community health workers (CHWs) have been extensively employed in rural communities to address inequities, little attention has been given to understanding the roles of CHWs in urban contexts. This study is the first to systematically examine urban CHW roles in LMICs. It aims to understand their roles vis-à-vis other health providers and raise considerations for informing future scope of practice and service delivery models. We developed a framework that presents seven key roles performed by urban CHWs and position these roles against a continuum of technical to political functions….”
“…Urban CHWs perform important roles that other health service providers are not well-positioned to deliver, including roles related to outreach, behavioural change, psychosocial support and managing chronic diseases….”
Health Research Policy & Systems (Commentary) - The crucible of COVID-19: what the pandemic is teaching us about health research systems
T Turner & F El-Jardali ;
https://health-policy-systems.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12961-020-00573-1
“The global health crisis created by COVID-19 is providing valuable insights into the strengths of our health research system and, perhaps even more clearly, displaying its weaknesses. Much of what is being shown so plainly in the current context is not truly new. We are being reminded that health research systems are slow and noisy as well as that there is a desire for research to inform decision-making, that researchers are great collaborators, and that the walls we are so quick to erect between health research and health practice are unhelpful facades. It is our hope that the clarity with which these issues are being demonstrated by COVID-19 might provide the impetus to address these challenges and seize these opportunities to improve our health research system, for the benefit for communities facing COVID-19 now, and for the benefit of us all in facing the further health challenges that are sure to come.”
SS&M - The Toxic Effects of Subjective Wellbeing and Potential Tonics
S Atkinson;
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953620303178
Focus on the UK here, but with broader relevance.
“
The dominant understanding of subjective wellbeing creates negative consequences. Direct effects reduce wellbeing; indirect effects neglect importance issues. This dominant approach reflects and supports a political economy of soft capitalism. Centring the relational, social and interdependent fails to gain policy traction. Struggling to reframe subjective wellbeing is an ethical imperative.”
PS: In case you wonder, like me, whether such a thing as ‘soft’ capitalism even exists: “…
The workforce, in what has been termed reflexive or ‘liquid’ modernity (Bauman, 2005), is no longer seen as occupational groups of labourers but as individuated human capital (…). As such, each of us is responsible for reflexivity and investment into the self to manage risks and uncertainties, albeit within a pre-defined and narrow set of goals (…). These shifts in organisational management, often captured under the moniker of ‘soft capitalism’ (Costea et al., 2008 …), mobilise wellbeing as part of performing a competent self….”
WHO Bulletin - Pharmacies and primary care: a global development framework
A Udoh et al ;
https://www.who.int/bulletin/online_first/BLT.19.248435.pdf
“
Pharmacists are a critical health-care workforce to attain the goal of universal health coverage (UHC) and the health-related sustainable development goal (SDG) 3 particularly in relation to optimizing safe, responsible and effective use of medicines. Pharmacists provide preventative and public health services and are a main access point to primary health care, particularly for people with acute and long-term conditions. The 2018 Astana Declaration emphasizes the importance of primary health-care services in achieving health for all and further underscores the key role pharmacists play in access and delivery of primary health care….”
The Authors conclude: “…
Pharmacists are a vital human resource for health care that is increasingly being harnessed to contribute to the global health agenda of UHC and equitable access to health services, particularly to primary care. Strengthening and advancing the capacity of the pharmacy workforce is therefore an integral strategy for enhancing health system performance and keeping with WHO’s strategy of no health care without a workforce. This strategy underscores the need for a capable and knowledgeable pharmacy workforce possessing the necessary skills relevant for population needs. The Global Advanced Development Framework provides a tool for professional development of the pharmaceutical health workforce and facilitates the availability of flexible, effective and advanced practice pharmacists equipped to meet the needs of UHC across countries.”
BMJ Analysis - Investing in the health of girls and women: a best buy for sustainable development
https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1175
“
Human rights, theory, evidence, and common sense all suggest that greater investment in women’s health could be among the “best buys” for broader economic development and societal wellbeing, say Michelle Remme and colleagues.”
SS&M- Documenting the financialisation of the pharmaceutical industry
Joan Busfield;
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953620303154
“
Financialisation has increased in the pharmaceutical industry since 1980. Maximising shareholder value is a key concern for pharmaceutical companies. Neoliberal economic policies support and protect the pharmaceutical industry. Financialisation has pushed up executive pay and drug prices…”
Good to keep in mind, certainly also in the current Covid-19 times.
Global Health Governance (Special Issue): Climate Change and Global Health Governance
GHG;
With a wealth of new articles.
PHM Annual report
https://phmovement.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/PHM-Annual-Report-2019_1-1.pdf
This annual report is
dedicated to the memory of David Sanders, founding member, inspiration and guide for the Peoples Health Movement.
Health Research Policy & Systems (Commentary) - Amplifying the role of knowledge translation platforms in the COVID-19 pandemic response
https://health-policy-systems.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12961-020-00576-y
By
Fadi El-Jardali et al. “…
Knowledge translation (KT) platforms, composed of organisations, initiatives and networks supporting evidence-informed policy-making, can play an important role in providing relevant and timely evidence to inform pandemic responses and bridge the gap between science, policy, practice and politics. In this Commentary, we highlight the emerging roles of KT platforms in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also reflect on the lessons learned from the efforts of a KT platform in a middle-income country to inform decision-making and practice during the COVID-19 pandemic….”
BMJ Global Health - Searching for accountability: can the WHO global action plan for refugees and migrants deliver?
K H Onarheim et al;
https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/6/e002095
“While the literature on the health of refugees and migrants is growing, the governance challenges on migration and health remain neglected. Drawing on a conceptual framework on accountability, we assess whether the first WHO global action plan addressing refugees and migrants’ health is equipped to fulfil its promise to promote their health and good migration governance. Looking beyond ethical and human rights-based ideas, the WHO global action plan relies on weak accountability mechanisms. Better global governance and accountability mechanisms are needed to promote action and accountability for refugees and migrants’ health.”
Some blogs & mainstream articles of the week
Devex - What's driving Rockefeller's new commission on data and health?
https://www.devex.com/news/what-s-driving-rockefeller-s-new-commission-on-data-and-health-97375
See also a previous IHP newsletter on this 3-D Commission. “
A new 25-member commission convened by the Rockefeller Foundation and Boston University will focus on how global decision-makers can better use burgeoning data on the wide range of factors influencing people’s health. The group, including representatives from IBM and Facebook, is designed to engage policymakers “to integrate data and social determinants into their decision-making.” The foundation explained in a press release that technological advances now allow for more data to be collected on the economic, social, and political factors that influence people’s health. The “3-D Commission” — on health determinants, data, and decision-making — partly aims to examine the social and economic levers that influence health outcomes. it will be funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, with Boston University overseeing the project and health strategy firm Rabin Martin serving as its secretariat. … … The group, which has already had its first virtual meeting, intends to submit a report to next year’s United Nations General Assembly, and then wind down at the end of 2021. Naveen Rao, senior vice president for health at the Rockefeller Foundation, told Devex that he hopes the report will provide “an action plan, a roadmap” for decision-makers, involving a “crisp set of actionable items” that the group can then advocate for….” The Commission is
led by Sandro Galea.
Devex – Taking stock of the Trump administration's Africa policy
https://www.devex.com/news/taking-stock-of-the-trump-administration-s-africa-policy-97386
“
The Trump administration’s Africa policy has had fits and starts, and while there are some promising developments, several experts told Devex that the framing of Africa policy as part of a U.S. competition with China and others is not winning it friends on the continent….”
TGH - Silenced Voices in Global Health
K Bertram, N Erundu & M Pai;
https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/silenced-voices-global-health
“
The field has come a long way from its colonial past, but global health still falls short of being diverse and inclusive.”
Cfr a
tweet M Pai: “
On the importance of using our privilege to serve as allies in the quest for a more diverse and equitable global health.”
And a
tweet by Sridhar Venkatapuram: “
White supremacy in global health is a real phenomenon. It is also true in bioethics and political philosophy. This essay is a good marker. Do not expect things to change smoothly. There is enormous self-interest at stake.”
F2P blog - How can Covid-19 be the catalyst to decolonise development research?
Carmen Leon-Himmelstine & Melanie Pinet (ODI)
https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/how-can-covid-19-be-the-catalyst-to-decolonise-development-research/
Very important piece. They first list what isn’t working with the current research cycle; and then reflect on Covid-19 as an opportunity for think tanks to change for the better.
Some tweets of the week
Richard Horton (after the news on Trump’s termination of the US relationship with WHO)
“Tony Fauci and Debbie Birx—You have to resign. You can’t lend your credibility to a President who is doing frightening violence to a system of international cooperation you have spent your lives working to protect and strengthen. Please resign now. Don’t support this President.”
Priti Patnaik
“Fascinating that at the presser by @IFPMA yesterday, industry leaders appear to love the ACT Accelerator where they are actively involved, but showed disdain for @WHO 's #covid19 voluntary tech pool.”
Neena Prasad
“We public health professionals commit to improving the #SDOH. Yet we don't give the social construct of race anywhere near the attention it deserves. This is hard work, requiring us to examine our own privilege & complicity. We must do better.”