Planetary Health
With some of the latest dire warnings coming from
Siberia and more in general, the
Arctic circle this week. If we don’t change tack soon, humanity is “toast”.
Nature Communications (Perspective) - Scientists’ warning on affluence
T Wiedmann et al;
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-16941-y
“
For over half a century, worldwide growth in affluence has continuously increased resource use and pollutant emissions far more rapidly than these have been reduced through better technology. The affluent citizens of the world are responsible for most environmental impacts and are central to any future prospect of retreating to safer environmental conditions. We summarise the evidence and present possible solution approaches. Any transition towards sustainability can only be effective if far-reaching lifestyle changes complement technological advancements. However, existing societies, economies and cultures incite consumption expansion and the structural imperative for growth in competitive market economies inhibits necessary societal change.”
“…
This perspective synthesises existing knowledge and recommendations from the scientific community. We provide evidence from the literature that consumption of affluent households worldwide is by far the strongest determinant and the strongest accelerator of increases of global environmental and social impacts. We describe the systemic drivers of affluent overconsumption and synthesise the literature that provides possible solutions by reforming or changing economic systems. These solution approaches range from reformist to radical ideas, including degrowth, eco-socialism and eco-anarchism. Based on these insights, we distil recommendations for further research in the final section….”
For some coverage, see
Medium - Capitalism is destroying ‘safe operating space’ for humanity, warn scientists
“
The paper notes that the richest 10 percent of people are responsible for up to 43 percent of destructive global environmental impacts.”
International Yoga Day (21 June)
UN News - On International Yoga Day, UN spotlights power of ancient practice to help ease COVID stress
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1066742
“
The UN celebrated the sixth annual International Day of Yoga on 21 June, recognizing the ancient practice as a holistic approach to health and wellbeing, and a powerful tool for dealing with the myriad stresses brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Not quite sure whether it also works against the Chinese at the Indian border. But who knows, perhaps if Mr. Modi leads the yoga exercises of the Indian troops in person? 😊
Public Service Day (23 June)
UN News - Frontline public servants lauded for ‘remarkable acts of service to humankind’
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1066922
“As the world continues to grapple with the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday paid tribute to frontline public sector workers for their “remarkable acts of service to humankind”, marking Public Service Day.”
Action Aid international - Covid-19 crisis: IMF told countries facing critical health worker shortages to cut public sector wages
https://actionaid.org/news/2020/covid-19-crisis-imf-told-countries-facing-critical-health-worker-shortages-cut-public
“New analysis by ActionAid and Public Services International (PSI) reveals how International Monetary Fund (IMF) austerity policies restricted critical public employment in the lead up to the Covid-19 crisis. The analysis, released to mark UN Public Service Day (23 June), shows that every single low income country which received IMF advice to cut or freeze public employment in the past three years had already been identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as facing a critical health worker shortage.”
“Key findings include:
Of the 57 countries last identified by the WHO as facing critical health worker shortages, 24 received advice from the IMF to cut or freeze public sector wages. When countries are told to contain wage bills – it means fewer doctors, nurses and frontline workers in countries already desperately short of medics. All but one of the 18 low-income countries advised by the IMF to cut or freeze public sector employment funding, are currently below the WHO’s recommended nurse-to-population threshold of 30 per 10,000. The WHO predicts that these countries will experience a collective shortage of at least 695,000 nurses by 2030.”
Finally, a
tweet (Amina Fefe Dia) (on a
quote by Jim Campbell (WHO)):
“
We must be all shocked by the number of infections among health workers” said @JimC_HRH and “Political will is necessary to invest on a public sector fit for achieving the #SDGs””
Olympic Day (23 June)
IOC Joins Forces With WHO And The UN To Promote Health During COVID-19
HPW - IOC Joins Forces With WHO And The UN To Promote Health During COVID-19
After FIFA, WHO now also partners with the IOC.
“
To mark Olympic Day, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) launched a partnership with the WHO and the UN to inspire healthy behavior around the world, announced a WHO statement on Tuesday.” … … In a global collaboration with athletes during the pandemic, the WHO will bring tailored health messages to people around the globe through digital platforms….”
Global health governance
Reuters - Europeans working with U.S. to restructure WHO, top official says
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-eu-who-exclusive-idUSKBN23Q17L
From late last week. “
European governments are working with the United States on plans to overhaul the World Health Organization, a top health official for a European country said, signalling that Europe shares some of the concerns that led Washington to say it would quit.”
“
The European health official, who spoke on condition of anonymity while discussing initiatives that are not public, said Britain, France, Germany and Italy were discussing WHO reforms with the United States at the technical level. The aim, the official said, was to ensure WHO’s independence, an apparent reference to allegations that the body was too close to China during its initial response to the coronavirus crisis early this year. “We are discussing ways to separate WHO’s emergency management mechanism from any single country influence,” said the official. Reforms would involve changing the WHO’s funding system to make it more long-term, the official said. The WHO now operates on a two-year budget, which “could hurt WHO’s independence” if it has to raise funds from donor countries in the middle of an emergency, the official said….”
Trilateral meeting WHO, France & Germany (Geneva, 25 June)
PS: as you know by now,
next week, Germany will assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union. A key focus: Covid.
Reuters - Germany, France shore up political, financial aid to beleaguered WHO
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-who-idUSKBN23W1PX
“France and Germany expressed political and financial backing for the World Health Organization in its fight against the coronavirus on Thursday, with Berlin saying it would give a record half billion euros in funding and equipment this year.”
“… Spahn announced additional donations of funds and medical equipment to WHO that would bring Germany’s total support to 500 million euros ($561 million) this year, the “highest amount ever”, as it assumes the EU presidency. “Germany will do its part to give the WHO the political, financial and technical backing that is needed. This comes with the expectation that remaining challenges are adequately addressed and needed reforms are pushed forward.” … France said it would give 90 million euros to a WHO research centre in Lyon as well as an additional contribution of 50 million euros. “I truly believe the world needs, more than ever, a multilateral organisation,” French Health Minister Olivier Veran said. “I believe the world cannot get rid of partners. We need a global answer (to COVID-19) and only the WHO can provide that answer.”…”
See also
HPW - Germany Makes € 500 Million Pledge To WHO – Plug For ‘Major Funding Gap’ Left By United States
“…
The German contribution, equal to about 20% of WHO’s annual budget, plugs the major funding gap left by United States,…”
“…it is the breathtaking German contribution, which equals about US$ 561 million, that will put WHO on a more solid financial footing for the second half of 2020, which will be a critical period in the pandemic battle and for the organization’s leadership of the global response effort. In fact, the German funding will provide in 2020 alone an amount comparable to what the United States had pledged for the entire 2020-2021 period – in which US contributions had already been sharply reduced by the Trump Administration over previous years. …”
Propublica - Inside the Trump Administration’s Decision to Leave the World Health Organization
Propublica;
“
Despite Trump’s declared exit from the WHO, officials continued working toward reforms and to prevent withdrawal. This week, they were told they must justify any cooperation with the WHO on the grounds of national security and public health safety….”
“
On Monday, the administration made it clear there would be no backing down. At a meeting at the White House, a director with the National Security Council told diplomats and health officials that they must now justify any engagement with the WHO as being necessary for national security and public health safety, senior government officials told ProPublica. In addition, the State Department has begun preparing formal paperwork to declare the official withdrawal of the United States from the WHO, officials said. “The president is moving toward a fast withdrawal,” a senior administration official said in an interview this week. Another administration official said on Friday that the White House does not plan to reconsider the decision. National security and health officials confirmed those assertions….”
WP Monkey Cage - Trump’s decision to pull U.S. out of WHO will boost China’s influence
Y Huang;
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/06/23/trumps-decision-pull-us-out-who-will-boost-chinas-influence/
« While there is no strong evidence substantiating President Trump’s claim that the WHO has become “China-centric,” the U.S. pullout may actually push the organization in that direction.”
“The organization will probably look to Beijing for funding and leadership support.”
Yanzhong Huang explores how China currently engages with WHO, under three subheadings: Beijing isn’t a top contributor of WHO funding or personnel; China’s influence within the WHO has grown; China has important — but not decisive — influence over the WHO leadership.
Lancet Comment - Solidarity in the wake of COVID-19: reimagining the International Health Regulations
A Taylor et al ;
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31417-3/fulltext
“…
It is time to reimagine the IHR as an instrument that will compel global solidarity and national action against the threat of emerging and re-emerging pathogens. We call on state parties to reform the IHR to improve supervision, international assistance, dispute resolution, and overall textual clarity….”
But see this Comment on Twitter from
I Kickbusch:
“
Quite a lot of consensus has developed over the last 10 years on these suggested revisions of the #IHR - the concerns are #geopolitical- what happens if the instrument is reopened in politically volatile times @WHO #COVID19.”
Save the Children (blog) - Everybody loves a good pandemic – The shrinking of civil society’s space to hold governments accountable
https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/blogs/2020/everybody-loves-a-good-pandemic
Must-read blog by
Tara Brace-John.
“…
amid the pandemic, governments are taking unprecedented measures with very little consultation. The space for civil society to hold them accountable is shrinking….”
This
also goes for global health policy making & governance, she argues. Check out the recent examples she gives of this worrisome trend, like the virtual WHA and GAVI replenishments.
O’Neill Institute for national and global health law – A post-covid-19 global health infrastructure, part I: civil society calls for right to health capacity fund
Eric Friedman;
https://oneill.law.georgetown.edu/a-post-covid-19-global-health-infrastructure-part-i-civil-society-calls-for-right-to-health-capacity-fund/
“…
In this and my next postings, I will offer three proposals that should be core parts of an improved post-COVID-19 global health architecture, one based in the right to health. Next time I will write about how the Framework Convention on Global Health and heath equity programs of action should be established as integral aspects of post-COVID-19 global and national health law and policy. Here, I focus on a new initiative, the Right to Health Capacity Fund (R2HCF).
The R2HCF is a newly launched global civil society-led initiative. The fund would fill two critical financing gaps. First, it would fund right to health advocacy, supporting civil society organizations in everything from right to health-related community organizing to policy analysis and litigation. Second, it would provide grants to mechanisms for accountability and participation. These are structures and initiatives such as right to health education, health facility monitoring, access to justice programs, and participatory community design. …”
UNAIDS Board meeting (23-25 June)
Report of Executive Director
https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/documents/2020/PCB46_EXD_Report
Cfr tweet:
“@Winnie_Byanyima addressed the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board on 4 main issues: UNAIDS' work on HIV & #COVID19. The state of the AIDS response. The next Global AIDS Strategy. Progress on management issues.”
UNAIDS (press release) - UNAIDS Executive Director sets out HIV/COVID-19 landscape at opening of PCB meeting
https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2020/june/20200624_opening-pcb-meeting
Short report of opening session. “
The 46th meeting of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board commenced on 23 June 2020. Held for the first time as a virtual meeting, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting will see three days of discussion and reflection on the HIV response, the interconnectedness between the twin pandemics of HIV and COVID-19 and the work of the Secretariat and the Joint Programme.”
“
In her opening address to the PCB meeting, Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, presented an overview of the HIV/COVID-19 landscape in mid-2020 and told the online audience that the HIV epidemic is still urgent, unfinished business. “Even before COVID-19 we were not on track to meet our targets for 2020. Now the COVID-19 crisis risks blowing us way off course…”
“Ms Byanyima urged countries to learn the lessons from a history of unequal access to HIV services and apply them to the fight against COVID-19. She noted that millions of people died from AIDS-related illnesses while there were medicines available that could have saved their lives—leaving access to medicines to pharmaceutical companies resulted in prices that were too high for people in developing countries. In the same vein, Ms Byanyima reiterated her call for a People’s Vaccine for COVID-19, with an international agreement that any vaccines and treatments discovered for COVID-19 be made available to all countries. “Developing countries must not be priced out,” she said….”
- And a link on a new UNAIDS study:
COVID-19 could affect the availability and cost of antiretroviral medicines, but the risks can be mitigated
“
UNAIDS study shows that the impact on production and logistics caused by COVID-19 could have a significant effect on antiretroviral therapy supply worldwide, but steps taken now could lessen the damage done.”
Coverage via
UN News - Countries urged to act over potential HIV drug shortages, within next two months
“Stocks of medication for HIV patients could run out in the next two months, because of higher costs linked to lockdowns and COVID-19 border closures, UNAIDS said on Monday.”
Publish What You Fund - Aid transparency index 2020
https://www.publishwhatyoufund.org/the-index/2020/
Check out the latest results.
For coverage, see
Reliefweb
“
Significant improvements in donor transparency undermined by lack of impact evidence, according to new Aid Transparency Index.”
“
The 2020 Aid Transparency Index highlights: Significant improvement in aid donors’ overall transparency compared to 2018, with over half of the 47 assessed donors now ranked as ‘good’ or ‘very good’. Only a minority of donors are publishing project results with fewer still publishing project reviews and evaluations, limiting the ability of stakeholders to gauge the effectiveness and value of aid spending. The Index is driving behaviour towards greater transparency and openness among aid donors.”
“Donors are publishing increasingly more, better quality data in the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) Standard. … … However, there are persistent gaps in publication of performance data. While more donors are now publishing objectives, only a minority are publishing results of their projects. Fewer still are publishing project reviews and evaluations. Without this information, stakeholders monitoring donor projects have no way to gauge the effectiveness and value of aid spending, assess the impact of projects or to extract learning from successful and unsuccessful projects….”
PS: on the category ‘
Very good’ in particular
: “Eleven donors reached the ‘very good’ category in the 2020 Index, four more than in 2018. We ranked Global Affairs Canada and Gavi ‘very good’ for the first time. UNICEF and the Global Fund returned to the ‘very good’ category, having dropped down into ‘good’ in 2018. Multilateral development banks dominated the top five spots in the Index. The Asian Development Bank – Sovereign Portfolio topped the Index, the World Bank - IDA increased its score by 11 points compared with 2018 to reach second place, while UNDP and the African Development Bank – Sovereign Portfolio took third and fourth place, respectively. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) came fifth. The US’ Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), the two highest-ranking bilateral donors, remained in the ‘very good’ category.”
PS: and a link via
Devex - DFID merger causes 'serious transparency challenge' for UK aid
“Research shows a vast discrepancy in the transparency of aid spending by the U.K.’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development.”
Access to Covid vaccines, medicines, …
As “access” is a key issue re Covid-19 (perhaps even thé key issue?) we thought it’d be good to dedicate a separate sub-section to this, from now on.
WHO - WHO member states briefing (18 June) – A Global framework to ensure equitable and fair allocation of covid-19 products
https://apps.who.int/gb/COVID-19/pdf_files/18_06/Global%20Allocation%20Framework.pdf
WHO published its proposed allocation framework to ensure equitable and fair distribution of #covid19 vaccines. (ppt)
The briefing presents the major elements of
WHO’s proposal for a Global Allocation Framework for COVID-19 products, and illustrates the potential use of this framework to allocate vaccines.
Coverage via
Politico -
WHO sets out vaccines allocation plan
“
The World Health Organization has set out its proposal for the distribution of future coronavirus treatments and vaccines, with over four billion doses needed to vaccinate the world's priority populations. In a document presented to its member countries on June 18, the WHO writes that the goal of its Global Allocation Framework should be to reduce Covid-19 mortality and protect health systems. Accordingly, three groups should receive priority vaccinations: Health care workers; adults older than 65; and adults with comorbidities such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and obesity….”
MSF Access (Open Letter) – Open letter to Gavi Board Members: Urgent changes to COVAX Facility design required to ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines for all
MSF Access;
Ahead of the
GAVI Board meeting, >40 civil society orgs sent a letter calling for urgent action to address concerns on a global mechanism for buying future #COVID19 #vaccines.
The letter highlights
seven urgent recommendations that should be incorporated into the next phase of the Facility’s design.
For the moment, the risk is very much that we’re heading for a “two-tiered” system, and with Big Pharma cashing in once again. Just like the Germans always tend to win in the 90th minute of a football game at the World cup 😊 (see Gary Lineker).
Guardian - How will the world's poorest people get a coronavirus vaccine?
A Prabhala & Kate Elder;
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/24/worlds-poorest-people-coronavirus-vaccine-gavi?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Hard-hitting (and must-read) op-ed by
MSF Access staff which more or less summarizes their Letter (above). “
Rich countries’ governments are putting all their trust in a marriage of markets and philanthropy called Gavi.”
Quotes: “…Seth Berkley, the Gavi CEO, cannot claim to want “the world to come together” with “no barriers” while failing to tackle both rich country nationalism and pharmaceutical industry greed.”
“… Gavi can change the rules of the game and turn the Covid-19 vaccine into a global public good. It can ask far more of the pharmaceutical companies it is funding, and it can force the entire vaccine ecosystem to join a cooperative, collaborative and monopoly-free mechanism like the WHO’s Covid-19 Technology Access Pool. This would be the right move to make, and in doing so, Gavi could finally deliver on the promise it made to the world 20 years ago.”
Blog - Jumping the queue : Who will get the vaccine first?
https://www.access2healthcare.net/post/jumping-the-queue-who-will-get-the-vaccine-first
Also, absolute must-read, by
Mogha Kamal-Yanni. “Helicopter view” on the current situation, including on C-Tap, COVAX, first deals of COVAX etc. She then
stresses three actions in order to make sure that we will get indeed a ‘People’s vaccine’.
Development Today (Editorial) - Coronavirus vaccine, ODA and the need for transparency
https://development-today.com/archive/dt-2020/dt-4--2020/coronavirus-vaccine-oda-and-the-need-for-transparency
“
Plans are underway for an aid-financed mechanism, the Gavi Covax Advance Market Commitment (AMC), that would provide free or subsidised COVID19 vaccine to almost half the world’s population. Discussions about how it will work and how much it might end up costing have taken place largely behind closed doors. For an initiative that could well claim a significant share of a shrinking global ODA pot, necessarily taking funding away from other needs, the lack of transparency is worrying.”
Concluding paragraph: “
The Gavi leadership and the Gates Foundation, which has been deeply involved in this process, should keep in mind that this AMC mechanism will be largely funded by voters in Western countries and requires a democratic process to build the necessary support and legitimacy.”
Bill & Melinda Gates on the vaccine access issue
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferwang/2020/06/23/bill-and-melinda-gates-have-sharp-words-for-us-lack-of-leadership-in-fighting-pandemic/#51fe4b572e8c
“
Speaking at the Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy, the couple discuss plans to make sure that Covid-19 treatments and vaccines don’t just go to the highest bidding nations but are distributed equitably.”
Check out how they see the vaccines in the pipeline & how to scale them up in an equitable way.
Quote: “…
Though the virus will remain a threat until the majority of the globe is inoculated, Gates says he is optimistic about the initial results from three coronavirus vaccine candidates (made by Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson). But the real test will be in the manufacturing and distribution of the eventual product, because the world needs more than 10 billion doses to vaccinate 80% of the population (the current estimate of percentage needed to achieve herd immunity) with a two-dose vaccine. The tech visionary estimated that it’s a doable task over two years if both AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson’s candidates are successful, but the prolonged manufacturing process means there needs to be coordination in how the vaccine is distributed.”
Guardian - 'The power of volume': Africa unites to lower cost of Covid-19 tests and PPE
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jun/22/the-power-of-volume-africa-unites-to-lower-cost-of-covid-19-tests-and-ppe
“
Online marketplace for medical supplies will allow continent to buy in bulk and lower costs, says South Africa’s president.”
“… The platform is set to be run as a non-profit by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Ethiopia and Afreximbank in Egypt, which is already managing a $3.8bn Covid-19 fund for the continent. This fund would be used to cover freight costs so that small and remote countries such as the Seychelles would pay the same prices as Senegal, Masiyiwa said. Ethiopian Airways and South African Airways will help with shipments to hubs like Addis Ababa and Johannesburg so that volumes can be leveraged to lower costs, Masiyiwa said…”
Science News - Drug recently shown to reduce coronavirus death risk could run out, experts warn
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/corticosteroid-drug-recently-shown-reduce-coronavirus-death-risk-could-run-out-experts
“Supply of intravenous version of dexamethasone, preferred by doctors, is especially at risk”.
Telegraph - WHO calls for increased production of steroid after successful trial drives surge in demand
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/calls-increased-production-steroid-successful-trial-drives-surge/
But Tedros sounded fairly confident on this, also on Monday: “Global demand for dexamethasone has surged since British researchers found the common steroid radically improves the chances of survival for critically ill Covid-19 patients, the World Health Organization has warned. The UN agency has called for a rapid increase in production of the drug, an anti-inflammatory that has been on the market for some 60 years and is used to treat conditions including arthritis and severe asthma. “Although the data are still preliminary, the recent finding that the steroid dexamethasone has life-saving potential for critically ill Covid-19 patients gave us a much-needed reason to celebrate,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO, told a virtual press briefing on Monday.
“The next challenge is to increase production and rapidly and equitably distribute dexamethasone worldwide, focusing on where it’s needed most. Demand has already surged, following the UK trial results showing dexamethasone's clear benefit.” But Dr Tedros added that the WHO is “confident we can accelerate production” as the steroid is an inexpensive drug - it costs just £5 for a full course of treatment - and is produced by many manufacturers across the globe. …”
Africa’s Leadership in Covid-19 vaccine development and access ( virtual conference, 24-25 June)
https://africacdc.org/event/africas-leadership-role-in-covid-19-vaccine-development-and-access/
“Recognizing the urgent need for collaboration, cooperation, and coordination to ensure that Africa plays a leadership role in the development and access to potential vaccines,
this two-day virtual conference, under the leadership of H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the
African Union Commission (AUC), will bring together healthcare professionals, researchers, public health experts, policy makers, media, civil society, community and religious leaders, and industries to explore this topic and help develop a framework for COVID-19 vaccine development and access in Africa.”
Among others, with Africa CDC, WHO (and WHO Afro), African Union …
For the
full programme, see
here
Some
reporting & coverage from this summit:
Quote Tedros: “
All African countries have now developed laboratory capacity to test for the coronavirus, the head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. during a virtual conference on COVID-19 vaccine development and access across the continent.”
Quote John Nkengasong: “ …
The head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control called on countries to secure sufficient vaccine supplies to avoid Africa being left out. “Unless we act now Africa is at risk of being left behind in the global vaccine race,” John Nkengasong said. Nkengasong suggested a key step would be for Africa to partner with the GAVI vaccines alliance which has raised $2 billion from international donors for an Advanced Market Commitment to buy future COVID-19 vaccines for poor countries….”
“African leaders and health experts have called for equitable and fair access to any approved vaccine against the coronavirus. As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has surpassed 300,000, governments across the continent are organizing themselves to manufacture any vaccine quickly….”
Lack of oxygen
NYT - In Poor Countries, Many Covid-19 Patients Are Desperate for Oxygen
Donald McNeil Jr.;
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/health/coronavirus-oxygen-africa.html
“
Aid agencies are scrambling to get oxygen equipment to low-income countries where the coronavirus is rapidly spreading.”
“
Many patients severely ill with Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, require help with breathing at some point. But now the epidemic is spreading rapidly in South Asia, Latin America and parts of Africa, regions of the world where many hospitals are poorly equipped and lack the ventilators, tanks and other equipment necessary to save patients whose lungs are failing. The World Health Organization is hoping to raise $250 million to increase oxygen delivery to those regions. The World Bank and the African Union are contributing to the effort, and some medical charities are seeking donations for the cause. By a stroke of luck, the W.H.O., UNICEF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2017 began searching for ways to increase oxygen delivery in poor and middle-income countries — not in anticipation of a pandemic, but because oxygen can save the lives of premature infants and children with pneumonia. The organizations began ordering equipment in January, but within weeks suppliers were swamped by the sudden surge in demand created by the pandemic….”
See also
AP -
Scarce medical oxygen worldwide leaves many gasping for life. (story produced with the support of the
Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.)
“…
For many severe COVID patients, hypoxia — radically low blood-oxygen levels — is the main danger. Only pure oxygen in large quantities buys the time they need to recover. Oxygen is also used for the treatment of respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, the single largest cause of death in children worldwide. Yet until 2017, oxygen wasn’t even on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines. In vast parts of sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Asia, that meant there was little money from international donors and little pressure on governments to invest in oxygen knowledge, access or infrastructure. “Oxygen has been missing on the global agenda for decades,” said Leith Greenslade, a global health activist with the coalition Every Breath Counts….”
HPW – Shortage Of Oxygen In Low- & Middle-Income Countries Leaves COVID-19 Patients Gasping For Breath
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/global-shortage-of-oxygen-leaves-covid-19-patients-gasping-for-breath/
With
the view from WHO. “
As new coronavirus cases surge around the world, shortages of supplemental oxygen, a crucial treatment for people suffering drastically low blood oxygen levels due to COVID-19, have left patients in many low- and middle- income countries gasping for breath. “WHO estimates that at the current rate of about 1 million new cases a week, the world needs about 620,000 cubic metres of oxygen a day, which is about 88,000, large cylinders,” World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on Wednesday. “Many countries are now experiencing difficulties in obtaining oxygen concentrators. Some 80% of the market is owned by just a few companies; demand is currently outstripping supply,” said Dr Tedros. … … WHO has procured 14,000 oxygen concentrators for use in 120 countries in recent weeks. Talks to buy some 170,000 more machines are in the works. The agency has also bought 94000 pulse oximeters, small monitors used to measure a patients’ blood oxygen level. Without access to such monitors, patients’ blood oxygen levels can drop precipitously low before telltale symptoms such as blue lips appear. … However, patients with critical COVID-19 put on ventilators require higher flow rates of oxygen than commercially available oxygen concentrators are able to supply, said Dr Tedros. … “WHO is supporting several countries to buy equipment that will enable them to generate their own concentrated oxygen in larger amounts,” he added. But there is also a huge shortage of staff to operate these machines, according to news reports….”
Covid 19 key news – Still accelerating pandemic & heading for 10 million (next week)
With, as usual, first a focus on some of the main trends and key WHO messages from this week, then the other key news.
The latest
global update (via
Cidrap News) (25 June) -
Global COVID-19 cases top 9.5 million; Europe reports uptick
“
As the global COVID-19 total exceeded 9.5 million cases today, fueled mainly by surges in the Americas and South Asia, cases in Europe rose for the first time in months, the head of the World Health Organization's (WHO's) European regional office warned today. The global total today climbed to 9,506,788 cases, along with 484,406 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard.”
Cidrap News - Global COVID-19 total quickly tops 9 million
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/06/global-covid-19-total-quickly-tops-9-million
(22 June) “
Fueled by surges in countries with large populations such as Brazil, the United States, and India, the global COVID-19 total jumped to 9 million cases today, as the world registered its highest 1-day total of 183,000 cases. It only took 6 days for the pandemic total to rise from 8 million to 9 million cases, 2 days less than it took for the number to rise from 7 million to 8 million. …”
Dr. Tedros said we’re probably
heading for 10 millions cases by mid-next week or so.
“
A record level of new daily COVID-19 cases worldwide could suggest the pandemic is peaking in some large countries, even as the coronavirus has become “well established” in some regions, the World Health Organization’s emergencies chief said Monday. At a media briefing on Monday, Dr. Michael Ryan said “the numbers are quickly rising because the epidemic is developing in a number of populous countries at the same time,” even as it appears to be stabilizing and even reducing in parts of Western Europe….”
(June 23) “
COVID-19 cases and deaths in the African region increased last week, though most of the activity is driven by 10 countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office said today in a weekly update. As a region, cases increased 30% over the past week, about the same as the previous few weeks. South Africa consistently had the highest increase, reporting about 3,000 cases a day for the last 2 weeks. Both South Africa and the region as a whole reported daily highs on Jun 20. Through Jun 21, the region had reported 222,074 cases.
The 10 countries with the highest totals include South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, and Kenya….”
And via
Africa CDC (23 June) -
COVID-19 Scientific and Public Health Policy Update
AP - WHO chief warns world leaders not to ‘politicize’ pandemic
https://apnews.com/3a3642cb4b7244665dda34c437c87988
“World leaders must not politicize the coronavirus pandemic but unite to fight it, the head of the World Health Organization warned Monday, reminding all that the pandemic is still accelerating and producing record daily increases in infections. … The comments by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has faced criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, came as the number of reported infections soared in Brazil, Iraq, India and southern and western U.S. states, straining local hospitals. It took over three months for the world to see 1 million virus infections, but the last 1 million cases have come in just eight days, Tedros said during a videoconference for the Dubai-based World Government Summit….”
PS: UN SG Guterres expressed himself pretty much along the same lines, in an
interview with AP -
criticizing the lack of global cooperation on COVID-19.
WEF (blog) - There are no silver bullets: WHO briefing
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/who-briefing-covid-june-24
“There are no easy answers in reducing transmission and reducing peaks, says Dr Michael Ryan.”
“The scale of the challenge was made clear by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "In the first month of this outbreak, less than 10,000 cases were reported to WHO," he said. "In the last month, almost 4 million cases have been reported."…
WEF (blog) - The world's most vulnerable must be protected: WHO briefing
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/covid19-filippo-grandi-unhcr-vulnerable-must-be-protected-who-briefing/
(19 June) “
The World Health Organization held a media briefing on 19 June, to update the public on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Ahead of World Refugee Day, calls were made to protect the world's most vulnerable populations during the pandemic. ….”
See also HPW -
Increase In Forced Displacement Raises Pandemic Fears About Vulnerable Refugee Populations
Worries about covid-19 in refugee camps are increasing.
HPW - Africa Must Develop Its Own Solutions To COVID-19, Say Experts Across The Continent
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/75242-2/
“
We are at war with COVID-19, a war we must win to survive, said Dr John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control, on Friday at a workshop on “Home-Grown Solutions to the COVID-19 Health Crisis,” hosted by the United Nations Development Programme….”
“… But four months into the pandemic, the Africa CDC Director noted that current measures including social distancing, wearing face masks, handwashing and movement restrictions will be inadequate in curbing the virus on the continent. “We have to innovate ourselves out of the war,” Nkengasong said….”
Telegraph - A 'second pandemic': African countries hit by a wave of sexual violence
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/women-and-girls/second-pandemic-african-countries-hit-wave-sexual-violence/
“Lockdowns and economic hardship have unleashed a wave of attacks against women but many cannot get the help they desperately need.”
Politico - Trump team weighs a CDC scrubbing to deflect mounting criticism
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/23/trump-cdc-overhaul-coronavirus-335039
“Trump team weighs a CDC scrubbing to deflect mounting criticism.” That’s becoming a very large list of scapegoats for Donald: China, WHO, democratic state governors, CDC, … (and we’re only June).
FT - IMF downgrades are a warning to the world
https://www.ft.com/content/f639a334-b623-11ea-8ecb-0994e384dffe
“
Fund’s forecasts reflect the fact that the pandemic is not under control.”
“The IMF has provided a stark warning that the damage coronavirus has done to the global economy is worsening. With the world failing to keep a lid on infections and the focal point of the crisis moving from Europe to the Americas, the fund has lowered the growth forecasts it made in April — which even then forecast the worst contraction since the Great Depression….”
See also
UN News -
COVID-19: Recovery will be slower following ‘crisis like no other’, IMF predicts
“
Economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is projected to be more gradual than previously forecast, according to a report published on Wednesday by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It estimates growth this year at -4.9 per cent, or nearly two percentage points below projections in April, indicating that the recession will be deeper and recovery slower. The latest World Economic Outlook is an update to data published two months ago. Subtitled A Crisis Like No Other, An Uncertain Recovery, it warns that gains made over the past two decades in driving down extreme poverty could be in peril….”
And hear, hear, … “
All countries—including those that have seemingly passed peaks in infections—should ensure that their health care systems are adequately resourced,” the agency said….”
UN News – UN tallies action so far to fight COVID-19, and roadmap out of the pandemic
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1067132
“
Amid the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN has mobilized to save lives, control transmission of the virus and ease the economic fallout, Secretary-General António Guterres told journalists on Thursday, speaking at the virtual launch of his report on the Organization’s response to the crisis. Not only does the report outline actions taken since the pandemic was declared, he said, it also offers a roadmap for building back better through greater global solidarity and unity….”
“
The report was launched on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Charter, the founding document of the Organization….”
And a few links:
ABC News -
Strained supply chain for glass vials could delay coronavirus vaccine
Covid 19 funding, debt relief, …
World Bank - Operational Response to COVID-19 in Health Sectors
https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/health/coronavirus
This page highlights some of the health operations financed under the
COVID-19 Fast Track Facility.
CGD (blog) - Welcome Transparency on Debt from the World Bank
M Ahmed;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/welcome-transparency-debt-world-bank
“
The World Bank has just released country-by-country data on the debt owed to individual creditors by the 73 countries eligible to participate in the G20-sponsored debt service suspension initiative.”
Bloomberg - World Bank Sees Private Lenders Joining G-20 in Debt Relief
https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2020-06-22/world-bank-expects-private-creditors-to-join-g-20-in-debt-relief?sref=RGkt8hNg&__twitter_impression=true
“
Malpass says private lenders need to join on comparable terms; China’s commitment to loan repayment suspension is encouraging (according to Malpass)”
“World Bank President David Malpass expects private creditors to work out a methodology to join the Group of 20 in providing debt relief for the world’s poorest economies to help them fight the global pandemic….”
Coming up – final pledging event EC – Global Goal: Unite for our future (27 June)
https://global-response.europa.eu/outbreak-coronavirus-president-european-commission-ursula-von-der-leyen-has-rallied-international_en
“
On 28 May President von der Leyen launched a new campaign with international advocacy organisation Global Citizen, “Global Goal: Unite For Our Future”. It will culminate in a major global event on 27 June seeking to raise the considerable resources needed to accelerate the development of new solutions and ensure their universal and inclusive access.”
Global artists include Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Shakira & Miley Cyrus.
Global Policy (Briefing) - “TEAM EUROPE” Corona package for partner countries: More honesty and fresh money needed
B Ellmers;
https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/158-general/53210-team-europe-230620-.html
“
The figure sounds impressive: With a total amount of 36 billion euros the EU wants to help its partner countries in the Global South to deal with the economic and social consequences of the Corona virus crisis. This is the result of the recent meeting of EU Development Ministers which took place virtually on Monday, 8th June 2020. This figure is a substantial increase compared to the 20 billion euros of the so called “Team Europe” package presented in April. The European Commission is supposed to contribute 14 billion euros to the package. Another 11 billion should come from the European Investment Bank and European Bank Reconstruction and Development, the remaining 11 billion from EU Member States. However, the official communication by the EU no longer discloses which part of the package is fresh money and which part is reallocated from existing programs….”
Quote: “…
When the European Commission presented the original Team Europe Package, it disclosed that it consists entirely of reallocated funds as the EU lacks the flexibility to mobilize fresh money in the final year of a multiannual financial framework, the six-year EU budget. “The 36 billion figure presented to the public after the Development Minister meeting is financial wizardry”, concludes Bodo Ellmers, Director Sustainable Development Finance Program at GPF Europe. “There is currently not much fresh money available, the EU should be more honest about that.””
Covid 19 Science
Reuters - China to run human coronavirus vaccine trial in UAE
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-china-vaccine/china-to-run-human-coronavirus-vaccine-trial-in-uae-idUSKBN23U2H8
“ China National Biotec Group (CNBG) has won approval to run a large-scale “Phase 3” clinical trial of its novel coronavirus vaccine candidate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the company said on Tuesday. China is seeking to trial potential vaccines overseas because of a lack of new patients at home. Over a dozen experimental vaccines are being trialled around the world. None of them has yet successfully completed a late-stage “Phase 3” test to determine efficacy in shielding healthy people from the virus…”
WEF (blog) - An expert explains: Why it's wrong to talk about a second wave of COVID-19
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/coronavirus-covid19-second-wave-infections/
“
Jeremy Rossman, an expert in virology at the university of Kent, explains that, unlike influenza, there’s no evidence of a seasonality effect with Covid-19. “
Lancet Offline: The second wave
R Horton;
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31451-3/fulltext
Different view by Horton this week on this issue of (preparing for) a possible second wave.
“…
The spectre of a second wave of COVID-19 hangs over us. Some infectious disease specialists believe that SARS-CoV-2 might be losing virulence. Most are less sanguine…. … The past century has incubated the idea that a second wave should justify mortal fear. Whether true or not, it is right to ask: what should we do to prepare?...”
“…Prolonged lockdowns are certainly not the answer to future waves of COVID-19. School closures are not sustainable. The economy cannot be refrigerated again. Risks to mental health are real. Work at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in Seattle suggests that SARS-CoV-2 displays strong seasonality. In the Northern Hemisphere, IHME scientists predict that a second wave will arrive in September, peaking by the end of 2020. They expect the public will have less tolerance for future government mandates to shut down societies. So what if local outbreaks do take off?...”
Horton concludes: “…
The lesson from the HIV pandemic is that no single preventive measure is adequate to control virus transmission. What matters is combination prevention—in the case of coronavirus, a mix of measures that include handwashing, respiratory hygiene, mask wearing, physical distancing (as much as is reasonably possible), and avoiding mass gatherings. So far, politicians and public health officials have not advocated the idea of combination prevention—they should. Another lesson from HIV is the importance of protecting key populations. COVID-19 is not socially neutral. SARS-CoV-2 exploits and accentuates inequalities. And on the dangers of a second wave to the most socially vulnerable, there has been not a word.”
Journal of Global Health Science - Equal risk, unequal burden? Gender differentials in COVID-19 mortality in India
https://e-jghs.org/DOIx.php?id=10.35500/jghs.2020.2.e17
Coverage via a
WEF article :
“
Early evidence indicates that males have higher overall burden, but females have a higher relative-risk of COVID-19 mortality in India. … … But in India, although more men are infected with the virus, the risk is of death is greater among women, according to a new study in the Journal of Global Health Science. As of 20 May, the case-fatality ratio (the number of people who die compared to those infected) for men was estimated at 2.9% and 3.3% for women. In particular, the risk of mortality for women was higher among three age groups: 5–19 years, 30–39 years, and 40–49 years. Poor nutrition could play a role in the gender difference, as the authors note: "A significant proportion of women in the age group 15–49 years are undernourished and this also leaves them vulnerable to an elevated risk of COVID-19 infection and severe outcomes." They said the gendered impacts of COVID-19 outbreak in India "needed to be effectively analysed for potential public health and policy inferences".
Cidrap News - Chinese study: Antibodies in COVID-19 patients fade quickly
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/06/chinese-study-antibodies-covid-19-patients-fade-quickly
“
A new study from China showed that antibodies faded quickly in both asymptomatic and symptomatic COVID-19 patients during convalescence, raising questions about whether the illness leads to any lasting immunity to the virus afterward. The study, which focused on 37 asymptomatic and 37 symptomatic patients, showed that more than 90% of both groups showed steep declines in levels of SARS-COV-2–specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies within 2 to 3 months after onset of infection, according to a report published yesterday in Nature Medicine….”
See also
HPW:
“Immunity to the novel coronavirus may not be as complete and long lasting as hoped for, according to new 2 studies—1 with a small number of participants and another that hasn’t been peer reviewed. Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 may last only 2 to 3 months, especially for asymptomatic people, according to a new study published yesterday in Nature Medicine as reported by The New York Times….”
Lancet Microbe – Host range of SARS-CoV-2 and implications for public health
J Santini et al ;
Lancet Microbe
See also a
UCL press release -
SARS-CoV-2 transmission to animals: monitoring needed to mitigate risk
“
As evidence mounts for the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 infecting various animals, scientists at UCL say a global effort is needed to reduce the risk of the virus later returning to people.”
“In a comment piece for The Lancet Microbe, researchers write that if the virus becomes common in an animal population that lives near people, such as pets or livestock, there would be a risk that another outbreak could occur even if the virus is eradicated in people in the area. The authors call for more research into which animals are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the Covid-19 disease, and suggest implementing surveillance programmes to regularly test animals that could pose the highest risks of transmission….”
Science (news) - ‘It’s a nightmare.’ How Brazilian scientists became ensnared in chloroquine politics
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/it-s-nightmare-how-brazilian-scientists-became-ensnared-chloroquine-politics
“Researchers accused of killing patients after using a high dose to treat coronavirus infection.”
Vox - How superspreading is fueling the pandemic — and how we can stop it
https://www.vox.com/21296067/coronavirus-trump-tulsa-oklahoma-rally-superspreaders-superspreading-bars-restaurants
Interesting read.
CNN - People in their 20s and 30s are spreading the virus
CNN;
“…
But the emerging data about the infection rate for those under 50 years old is revealing that the 20- to 40-year-old segment of our population may in fact be the force driving this pandemic….”
Nature News - Mounting clues suggest the coronavirus might trigger diabetes
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01891-8?utm_source=twt_nnc&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=naturenews&sf235376952=1
“
Evidence from tissue studies and some people with COVID-19 shows that the virus damages insulin-producing cells.”
NYT – Study raises concerns for pregnant women with the coronavirus
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/24/health/coronavirus-pregnancy.html?smid=tw-nythealth&smtyp=cur
Based on US study. “
Pregnant women infected with the coronavirus are more likely to be hospitalized, admitted to an intensive care unit and put on a ventilator.” But data are not conclusive. In other words: “more research is needed” 😊.
NPR – We Still Don't Fully Understand The Label 'Asymptomatic'
NPR;
“A
new study reveals that even patients who are reportedly asymptomatic -- no fever, cough, fatigue or breathing issues -- could sustain temporary lung damage from the novel coronavirus.”
And a few links:
“
The drug maker Sanofi Pasteur has been more cautious than some of its rivals in projecting when its Covid-19 vaccines might be ready. Now, it’s announcing an acceleration of clinical trials to reach the market faster — and striking a $425 million deal to broaden its partnership with a smaller biotech company to develop one of them. The start of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for a vaccine that Sanofi is developing with GSK has been pushed up to September from December. And a first-in-human study of the vaccine it is developing with Translate Bio, based on mRNA technology, will begin in the fourth quarter, Sanofi said Tuesday. Sanofi, which has deep experience in vaccinology but has had one of the more conservative timelines of the major players in the race to develop Covid-19 vaccines, is now predicting it will be able to catch up to competitors that got off to an earlier start in clinical trials than it did….”
PS: and a quote at the end re possible treatment: “ … Dr
. Jeffrey Aronson, a clinical pharmacologist at the University of Oxford and president emeritus of the British Pharmacological Society, shared that very few infectious virus diseases can be treated effectively. “Once you've got the infection, you just have to wait for it to go. There's very little you can do about it, apart from supportive measures,” he said. "Although the recent results with dexamethasone look encouraging for treating severely ill people." He explained that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is “very clever” and has got “all kinds of mechanisms for protecting itself,” making it difficult to treat the virus with just a single agent. “I think what we're going to have to do, if we want to treat this properly, is to use two, three, or possibly more drugs at a time,” he said, similar to current treatment for HIV and AIDS….”
Covid 19 analysis
From various angles.
Paper - The COVID-19 Pandemic: Diverse Contexts; Different Epidemics—How and Why?
Wim Van Damme et al;
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3622324
“…
in different countries, the COVID-19 epidemic takes variable shapes and forms in how it affects communities. Until now the insights gained on COVID-19 have been largely dominated by the COVID-19 epidemics and the lockdowns in China, Europe, and the United States. But this variety of global trajectories is little described, analysed, or understood. In only a few months, an enormous amount of scientific evidence on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 has been uncovered (knowns). But important knowledge gaps remain (unknowns). An important missing piece of the COVID-19 puzzle can be solved by learning from the variety of ways the COVID-19 epidemic is unfolding across the globe. This paper tries to make sense of this variability—by exploring the important role that context plays in these different COVID-19 epidemics; by comparing COVID-19 epidemics with other respiratory diseases, including other coronaviruses that circulate continuously; and by highlighting the critical unknowns and uncertainties that remain. These unknowns and uncertainties require a deeper understanding of the variable trajectories of COVID-19. Unraveling them will be important for discerning potential future scenarios, such as the first wave in virgin territories still untouched by COVID-19 and for future waves elsewhere.”
See also
Research Gate; With
30 contributors from all over the globe.
Globalization & Health (Commentary) - Globalisation in the time of COVID-19: repositioning Africa to meet the immediate and remote challenges
S Yaya, R Labonté et al ;
https://globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12992-020-00581-4
Insightful & recommended read. « …
In addressing the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on African nations, we argue that governments should prioritize social protection programmes to provide people with resources to maintain economic productivity while limiting job losses. International funders are committing assistance to Africa for this purpose, but generally as loans (adding to debt burdens) rather than as grants. G20 agreement so suspend debt payments for a year will help, but is insufficient to fiscal need. Maintaining cross-border trade and cooperation to continue generating public revenues is desirable. New strategies for diversifying African economies and limiting their dependence on external funding by promoting trade with a more regionalised (continental) focus as promoted by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, while not without limitations, should be explored. While it is premature to judge the final economic and death toll of COVID-19, African leaders’ response to the pandemic, and the support they receive from wealthier nations, will determine its eventual outcomes. »
Global Public Health - The comparative politics of COVID-19: The need to understand government responses
Scott Greer et al;
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17441692.2020.1783340
“…
We argue that there will be no way to understand the different responses to COVID-19 and their effects without understanding policy and politics. We propose four key focuses to understand the reasons for COVID-19 responses: social policies to crisis management as well as recovery, regime type (democracy or autocracy), formal political institutions (federalism, presidentialism), and state capacity (control over health care systems and public administration). A research agenda to address the COVID-19 pandemic that takes politics as a serious focus can enable the development of more realistic, sustainable interventions in policies and shape our broader understanding of the politics of public health.”
See also this blog (18 May) by
H Jarman & Scott Greer:
Why is governance important for responding to Covid-19 ?
“…
As we get deeper into our analysis of government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s becoming clear that governance is a key factor in predicting the success or failure of governments’ plans. …”
WB (blog) - Beyond COVID-19 (coronavirus): What will be the new normal for health systems and universal health coverage?
A Soucat et al;
World Bank;
Blog related to UHC 2030’s discussion paper (see previous IHP newsletter issue):
“ UHC2030’s new discussion paper on UHC and emergencies examines the implications of COVID-19 for health systems and highlights key areas where we can take joint action. Its main conclusions are: 1. The new normal for UHC includes greater emphasis on common goods for health … ; 2. Invest more and better in health – for both health and economic reasons… ; 3. Seize the moment: opportunities for change can benefit both health security and UHC; … 4. Local and global movements for shared health goals…”
Foreign Affairs - When the System Fails - COVID-19 and the Costs of Global Dysfunction
Patrick Stewart https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/world/2020-06-09/when-system-fails?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_posts&utm_campaign=tw_daily_soc
(gated) ““
The pandemic has revealed both the limits of the existing multilateral system and the horrific costs of the system’s failure. “”
Undark - Coronavirus Coverage and the Silencing of Female Expertise
https://undark.org/2020/06/22/coronavirus-coverage-silencing-female-expertise/
“
With male voices dominating the pandemic narrative, female scientists are lamenting the loss of diverse perspectives.” Starting with a take on a recent article by the NYT Global Health journalist, Donald McNeil, and the consultation round he did.
Devex - Opinion: Let the learning begin — a WHO open-access platform could transform COVID-19 response
L Gostin & E Friedman;
https://www.devex.com/news/opinion-let-the-learning-begin-a-who-open-access-platform-could-transform-covid-19-response-97529
“…
As the world’s global health agency, the World Health Organization should bring meaning and order to this information by establishing an open-access online platform for sharing and accessing lessons on responding to all dimensions of the coronavirus pandemic. This lifesaving, relatively low-cost service to the world is eminently achievable — a global “best buy.” It could avoid politics and geopolitical rivalries while demonstrating the value of global cooperation in the midst of a pandemic marked by destructive competition. The natural body to develop this platform is WHO, already the world’s go-to source for COVID-19 information, from its science and technical guidance to daily situation reports. The information portal would complement WHO’s technical guidance and gateway for coronavirus-related scientific findings….”
CGD (blog) - To Bolster Global Health Security, What About IMF Gold?
N Birdsall & A Glassman;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/bolster-global-health-security-what-about-imf-gold#.XvC4AoKf6mI.twitter
“
A simple way to guarantee an adequate flow of long-run, sustained funding for health surveillance and disease control, and to prepare for the next novel virus in the world’s poor countries, is to create an endowment dedicated to that purpose. A $10 billion endowment could generate income of $500 million a year.” The authors come up with an ingenious solution to
let the IMF finance health security.
International Food Policy Research institute (issue brief) - Gender-sensitive social protection: A critical component of the COVID-19 response in low- and middle-income countries
M Hidrobo et al ;
https://www.ifpri.org/publication/gender-sensitive-social-protection-critical-component-covid-19-response-low-and-middle
«
As social protection programs and systems adapt to mitigate against the COVID-19 crisis, gender considerations are likely to be overlooked in an urgent effort to save lives and provide critical economic support. Yet, past research and learning indicates that small adaptations to make program design and implementation more gender-sensitive may result in overall and equality-related gains. We summarize some of these considerations for LMICs across five areas: Adapting existing schemes and social protection modality choice, targeting, benefit level and frequency, delivery mechanisms and operational features, and complementary programming. »
Open Democracy - Apocalypse, restoration and emergence: three myths to help us navigate a crisis
Alex Evans;
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/transformation/apocalypse-restoration-and-emergence-three-myths-help-us-navigate-crisis/
“
During protests and pandemics, the shared stories we use to make sense of the world become even more important.”
NYT - Tsunami or Ripple? The Pandemic’s Mental Toll Is an Open Question
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/21/health/coronavirus-mental-health-anxiety.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nythealth
“Some health officials have forecast a steep rise in new mental health disorders. Others say the impact isn’t likely to last.”
Excerpt:
… But when it comes to collective trauma of the chronic, disabling kind, many experts remain skeptical. Studies done in the wake of hurricanes, earthquakes and floods find that no more than 10 percent of people develop such prolonged reactions — and those are the people directly and intimately hit by the destruction. The other 90 percent pick up the pieces, and in time the nightmares and surges of panic recede. … … Living through a pandemic is nothing like surviving a natural catastrophe such as those: it’s less visible, less predictable, a creeping threat rather than flying debris — a marathon, psychologically, rather than a sprint to safety. A wave of new mental health disorders may indeed be on the way, especially if Covid-19 cases explode again late in the year, or the economic downturn deepens. But the evidence so far says nothing persuasive about whether it will be a tsunami or a ripple….”
ODI (Briefing paper) - Dealing with Covid-19 in rural Africa: lessons from previous crises
Steve Wiggins et al;
https://www.odi.org/publications/17047-dealing-covid-19-rural-africa-lessons-previous-crises
“
This note summarises insights from a study commissioned by DFID, which examines the lessons that can be drawn from previous crises to inform responses to Covid-19 in rural Africa. Most of the evidence comes from a review of seven viral health crises: HIV/AIDS; H5N1 (avian influenza); Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS); H1N1 (swine flu); Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo; and Covid-19 in China. Two economic shocks were also considered: the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the 2007/2008 food price spike. It addresses two main questions: What might the consequences be of disease, and responses to it, on agriculture, rural livelihoods, food systems and food security? What lessons on dealing with those consequences can be drawn from previous crises?”
Devex - Opinion: NGOs are withdrawing from Africa when surge capacity is needed most
H Maalim;
https://www.devex.com/news/opinion-ngos-are-withdrawing-from-africa-when-surge-capacity-is-needed-most-97528
“
Communities across Africa urgently need additional medical professionals, technical assistance, and financial support as COVID-19 continues to spread in places with high rates of malnutrition and fragile health systems. However, nongovernmental organizations have withdrawn out of concern for the safety of their staff members, creating a life-threatening gap in support when and where it is needed most. … … An East African coalition of humanitarian NGOs recently surveyed our members — including a few United Nations representatives — to learn more about how they are responding to the current situation. The results are not scientific, but they are telling….”
BMJ GH (Analysis) - Modelling the pandemic: attuning models to their contexts
Tim Rhodes et al ;
https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/6/e002914
“
The evidence produced in mathematical models plays a key role in shaping policy decisions in pandemics. A key question is therefore how well pandemic models relate to their implementation contexts. Drawing on the cases of Ebola and influenza, we map how sociological and anthropological research contributes in the modelling of pandemics to consider lessons for COVID-19. We show how models detach from their implementation contexts through their connections with global narratives of pandemic response, and how sociological and anthropological research can help to locate models differently. This potentiates multiple models of pandemic response attuned to their emerging situations in an iterative and adaptive science. We propose a more open approach to the modelling of pandemics which envisages the model as an intervention of deliberation in situations of evolving uncertainty. This challenges the ‘business-as-usual’ of evidence-based approaches in global health by accentuating all science, within and beyond pandemics, as ‘emergent’ and ‘adaptive’.”
Economist - Alan Doss and Mo Ibrahim on preventing covid from killing democracy in Africa
Economist;
Cfr a tweet
: “Suspending elections amid the pandemic could erode democracy unless proper laws are in place. In Africa, covid-19 is not just a health crisis, it’s a political one. @AlanCDoss and Mo Ibrahim argue that governments must act to protect people's freedoms.”
Excerpts: “
The pandemic in Africa will not be just a crisis of public health or the economy. It risks becoming a political emergency that threatens the democratic progress that countries across the continent have made in recent years. … … Africa is poorly placed to deal with the situation. Only a few countries have social safety nets and fiscal space to cushion the impact of the severe economic recession that both the IMF and World Bank forecasts. Millions of people may lose their jobs or other sources of income. This will cause widespread social distress and possibly political upheaval, especially among young people who lack work and opportunity more than ever. This convergence of economic, social and political crises threatens stability. Ironically, democratic elections will be the match that lights the fuse. At least 18 African countries including Ethiopia, Ghana and Ivory Coast are expected to hold national elections in 2020. The majority of them are in the midst of conflicts or are just emerging from them, such as Niger, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic. The governments face a tremendous challenge: impose strict social restrictions to prevent contagion, while at the same time let citizens meaningfully participate in the electoral process….”
Lancet Comment - Reordering gender systems: can COVID-19 lead to improved gender equality and health?
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31418-5/fulltext
by Tania King, A Kavanagh et al.
Lancet Letter - Lockdown is not egalitarian: the costs fall on the global poor
A Broadbent, D Walker, K Chalkidou, A Glassman et al;
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31422-7/fulltext
“
We support Richard Horton's call for a post-COVID-19 health recovery programme, but his lack of attention to so-called lockdown victims is disappointing….”
NYT - ‘They Just Dumped Him Like Trash’: Nursing Homes Evict Vulnerable Residents
NYT investigation
Just when you think capitalism can’t sink any lower, in the US: “
Nursing homes across the country are kicking out old and disabled residents and sending them to homeless shelters and rundown motels.”
Aim:
“ to clear out less-profitable residents to make room for a new class of customers who would generate more revenue: patients with Covid-19.”
Project Syndicate - What the Global Pandemic Response Is Missing
A Krueger; https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/allocation-mechanism-for-medical-supplies-to-developing-countries-by-anne-krueger-2020-06
“While developing countries' debt levels have received ample attention in recent months, little has been said about a more immediate problem: their inability to acquire the medical supplies needed to fight COVID-19. To minimize the negative impact, a non-market allocation mechanism must be quickly established.”
CGD notes – COVID-19 & Violence against Women and Children: What Have We Learned So Far?
A Peterman et al ;
https://www.cgdev.org/publication/covid-19-violence-against-women-and-children-what-have-we-learned-so-far
“Six months into the COVID-19 crisis, thousands of news stories have been published warning of the increased risks of violence against women and children (VAW/C). Research from previous health, economic, and political crises supports this dynamic, predicting increases in multiple risk factors for diverse forms of violence. Yet most press coverage relies on month-to-month statistics from highly volatile single sources from high-income countries like helplines, hospitalizations, and police records. In this note, we review rigorous studies that have analyzed how COVID-19 and related policies are impacting rates of VAW/C and highlight more reliable methods, while acknowledging limitations of underlying data sources. We propose recommendations for how to both broaden and deepen our collective understanding of how COVID-19 is impacting these forms of violence, and what can be done in response….”
Reuters - In conflict-hit countries, coronavirus testing may not reach women
Reuters;
“
Big gaps between the number of male and female coronavirus cases in parts of Africa and the Middle East suggest that women may be struggling to access testing or care, an aid agency said on Wednesday. In Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen, more than 70% of reported cases were male, compared to a global average of 51%, and the same was true in Central African Republic, Chad and Somalia, said the International Rescue Committee (IRC)….”
CGD (blog) - Estimating the Indirect Health Impacts of COVID-19 in Ethiopia
D Walker et al;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/estimating-indirect-health-impacts-covid-19-ethiopia
“
Using our net health impact calculator and the limited publicly available data to guide the analysis, we find that Ethiopia likely faces significant excess non-COVID-19 deaths in the coming months—possibly more than the COVID-19 deaths avoided by the government’s robust response to the pandemic.”
F2P blog - How Important is the Weight of History in Shaping Covid Responses?
https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/how-important-is-the-weight-of-history-in-shaping-covid-responses/
“
There’s an interesting pattern that emerges from the coverage of how different countries have performed in their Covid-19 response: it is greatly influenced by their experience of previous disease outbreaks: Kerala had Nipah, which made all the difference according to this piece in The Guardian/ China had SARS and South Korea had MERS. West Africa, Uganda and DRC had Ebola. But the worst-hit areas – Europe and the US – have a collective narrative that has been shaped by the flu, a much more humdrum disease, with a vaccine. Could this be to blame for a laxer response in parts of both, with great costs?...”
“…
There’s also a temporal aspect – memories fade, but Nipah, SARS, MERS, Ebola etc are recent enough that health systems (formal/informal) and social norms are still highly activated in the policy and social consciousness – like a societal immune response. In contrast, Spanish Flu, which caused havoc in Europe after World War One, has since faded from the collective memory – society has lost its antibodies….”
Lancet Editorial – Generation coronavirus?
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31445-8/fulltext
This week’s Lancet Editorial wonders whether
“Gen C will stand for something more than
coronavirus.” Focus on children & adolescents in the UK, but probably relevant for the entire globe.
And finally, some links, on
national Covid pictures & responses, via
BMJ Global Health blog:
COVID-19 in Mauritania: The epidemic resumes?
COVID-19: A need to revalue the first line of care: notes from the Tshamilemba Health Centre , Congo
Covid-19 impact on other global health programs
Reuters - Exclusive: Women, babies at risk as COVID-19 disrupts health services, World Bank warns
https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKBN23V17D
On a GFF survey
. “Millions of women and children in poor countries are at risk because the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting health services they rely on, from neonatal and maternity care to immunisations and contraception, a World Bank global health expert has warned. Monique Vledder, head of secretariat at the bank’s Global Financing Facility (GFF), told Reuters in an interview the agency was gravely worried about the numbers of children missing vaccinations, women giving birth without medical help and interrupted supplies of life-saving medicines like antibiotics. “We’re very concerned about what’s happening - particularly in sub-Saharan Africa,” Vledder said as she unveiled the results of a GFF survey, one of the first seeking to assess the impact of COVID-19 on women’s and children’s health. … … From late March, the GFF has conducted monthly surveys with local staff in 36 countries to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on essential health services for women, children and adolescents.
“Sharing the survey findings with Reuters, GFF said that of countries reporting, 87% said the pandemic, fears about infection or lockdown measures designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, had led to disruptions to health workforces. More than three-quarters of countries also reported disruptions in supplies of key medicines for mothers and babies, such as antibiotics to treat infections and oxytocin, a drug for preventing excessive bleeding after childbirth. The number of GFF countries reporting service disruptions nearly doubled from 10 in April to 19 in June, and the number reporting fewer people seeking essential health services jumped to 22 in June from five in April. … Rapidly declining access to reproductive health supplies is also a key worry, Vledder added. The GFF estimates that if the situation does not improve as many as 26 million women could lose access to contraception in the 36 countries, leading to nearly 8 million unintended pregnancies.”
See also a
WB blog by Monique Vledder (GFF
) - The risks of a secondary health crisis for women and children: 3 things to know
Global Fund – Global Fund COVID-19 Report: Deaths from HIV, TB and Malaria Could Almost Double in 12 Months Unless Urgent Action is Taken
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/2020-06-24-global-fund-covid-19-report-deaths-from-hiv-tb-and-malaria-could-almost-double-in-12-months-unless-urgent-action-is-taken/
“A new report released by the Global Fund today estimates that countries affected by HIV, tuberculosis and malaria urgently need US$28.5 billion to protect the extraordinary progress achieved in the fight against the three diseases in the past two decades.”
“The report, Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19 on Countries Affected by HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria, was released today to highlight the impact of COVID-19 and resources needed to protect progress against HIV, TB and malaria – diseases that still kill more than 2.4 million people a year. Since 2002, the Global Fund partnership has helped save more than 32 million lives and cut HIV, TB and malaria deaths by nearly half since the peak of the epidemics. The COVID-19 pandemic now threatens to reverse that progress. Aside from the direct toll of COVID-19, which could be catastrophic in the most vulnerable countries, estimates suggest deaths from HIV, TB and malaria could as much as double if systems for health are overwhelmed, treatment and prevention programs are disrupted, and resources are diverted. Globally, that means the annual death toll from HIV, TB and malaria could be set back to levels not seen since the peak of the epidemics, wiping out nearly two decades of progress in the worst-hit regions….”
BMJ (blog) - Ensuring continuity of tuberculosis care during the covid-19 crisis
N A Vasquez, M Pai et al ;
BMJ blog;
Arguing for implementation of
10 strategies.
AMR
Devex - New partnership aims to increase antimicrobial resistance data in 4 African nations
https://www.devex.com/news/new-partnership-aims-to-increase-antimicrobial-resistance-data-in-4-african-nations-97545
“
A new partnership between Pfizer, Wellcome, and the governments of Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda aims to increase the amount of country-specific data on this issue so that health officials in those countries and around the world can better understand what sort of interventions are needed to tackle antimicrobial resistance….”
“This is the first major public-private partnership on antimicrobial resistance surveillance in Africa. Pfizer hosts the only industry-led, open-access database that tracks antimicrobial resistance globally. …”
Decolonize Global Health
Devex - Is COVID-19 magnifying colonial attitudes in global health?
https://www.devex.com/news/is-covid-19-magnifying-colonial-attitudes-in-global-health-97499
With quotes from
Seye Abimbola and
Renzo Guinto, among others.
Quote: “
The experience of racism and discrimination is not new in development, experts say, especially in global health, and the pace of the COVID-19 crisis is only exacerbating the situation. “COVID-19 is more of a mirror and a magnifying glass — it’s just reminding us and it’s just magnifying to us what is already defective in the system. French scientists insinuating that Africans should be the guinea pig for the new COVID vaccine? That’s not right and that has happened before and that’s still happening now and it just got magnified,” said Renzo Guinto, a Filipino physician and public health expert….”
Black Lives Matters
UN News - Human Rights Council calls on top UN rights official to take action on racist violence
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1066722
“
The UN’s top rights official, Michelle Bachelet, is to spearhead efforts to address systemic racism against people of African descent by law enforcement agencies, the Human Rights Council decided on Friday. The resolution – decided unanimously without a vote - follows a rare Urgent Debate in the Council earlier in the week, requested by the African group of nations, following the death of George Floyd in the US state of Minnesota….”
New Humanitarian – Médecins Sans Frontières needs ‘radical change’ on racism: MSF president
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2020/06/24/MSF-racism-black-lives-matter-debate
“‘We are taking a hard look at how to confront racism and discrimination within our organisation.’”
“
Médecins Sans Frontières has “failed people of colour, both staff and patients”, “failed to tackle institutional racism”, and is part of “white privileged culture”, according to a joint statement to staff from its president and an international board member obtained by The New Humanitarian. The 23 June message comes amidst heated internal debate in MSF about racism and the Black Lives Matter movement. One staffer, speaking to TNH on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issues involved, welcomed the statement as long overdue, but said it would be a “hard pill to swallow” for the white-dominated “old guard” of MSF.”
F2P blog - #PowerShifts Resources: Anti-Racism in Development and Aid
F Faciolince;
https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/powershifts-resources-anti-racism-in-development-and-aid/
Great resource.
And a link:
Devex -
Minorities less likely to get promoted in USAID civil service, watchdog finds
Ebola DRC
The Telegraph - World's second deadliest Ebola outbreak finally over, DRC declares
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/worlds-second-deadliest-ebola-outbreak-finally-drc-declares/
“
After 23 months, the longest and deadliest Ebola outbreak to hit the Democratic Republic of Congo has officially ended, Congolese authorities have announced. It is now 42 days – double the virus’s three-week incubation period – since the last patient was discharged from an Ebola treatment centre, signalling the end of an epidemic that has infected almost 3,700 people. …”
“Two thirds of those who caught the haemorrhagic fever died, with women and children worst hit – making up 56 and 28 per cent of the 2,280 fatalities respectively. … … This Ebola outbreak has not been the worst in global history. That grim title goes to the West African epidemic between 2014 and 2016, which saw more than 11,000 fatalities. But it has been the most challenging – North Kivu and Ituri are in the midst of humanitarian crises after decades of conflict. Despite two effective vaccines, new treatments and additional tools to protect health workers, including the ‘Ebola cube’, efforts to contain the virus were hampered by violence and mistrust. …”
At least 3,463 people have been infected, and 2,280 of them having died.
See also
WHO - 10th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared over; vigilance against flare-ups and support for survivors must continue
And via
HPW -
Two-Year Ebola Outbreak In Eastern DRC Declared Over, But New Flare-Up in Western DRC & COVID-19 Pose Challenges
Lancet Global Health - The colliding epidemics of COVID-19, Ebola, and measles in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30281-3/fulltext
Well worth a read, by
Jean B Nachega, Jean-Jaques Muyembe et al. On the triple whammy, and how the DRC is trying to deal with it.
NCDs
BMJ Global Health (Commentary) - Report of the WHO independent high-level commission on NCDs: where is the focus on addressing inequalities?
S E Perone et al ;
https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/6/e002820
“The current WHO independent high-level commission on non-communicable diseases’ report lacks clear focus on addressing the issues of inequalities in non-communicable diseases. Much stronger recommendations are needed to ensure appropriate investment in strengthening and improving the quality of health systems, especially at primary healthcare. Governments, the private sector and other actors all need to be involved in finding sustainable solutions to ensure access to medicines and technologies for non-communicable diseases. Non-communicable diseases in humanitarian emergencies need to be included in any global guidance on the issue. In all contexts allocation of resources needs to optimise access for long-term care and treatment, paired with population-wide prevention efforts in order to guarantee universal health coverage.”
LGBTQ
UN News - Global ban needed on bogus ‘conversion therapy’, argues UN rights expert
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1066652
From earlier this week
. ““Conversion therapy” is built on the false premise that it can alter the sexual orientation of gender diverse people, and many more countries around the world need to recognize its “dehumanizing” and deeply corrosive impact, according to a UN report that’s before the UN Human Rights Council this month. UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, [will] present his findings to the global human rights body, during what is celebrated across the world as LGBT Pride Month, calling for a global ban on the dangerous and deeply harmful practice….”
Some papers & reports of the week
CGD (Brief) – Commitment to Development Index 2020
I Mitchell et al;
https://www.cgdev.org/publication/commitment-development-index-2020
Recommended.
“The Commitment to Development Index (CDI) ranks 40 of the world’s most powerful countries on policies that affect more than five billion people living in poorer nations. Because development is about more than foreign aid, the Index covers seven distinct policy areas: Development Finance Investment; Migration; Trade; Environment; Security; Technology”.
Check out how your country is doing on the index.
In general “European countries are taking the lead”, this year, with the first five slots taken by European countries.
“
Sweden tops this year’s CDI, followed by France in second, and Norway in third place. …” … China, the world’s second-largest economy, ranks 35th overall in how its policies contribute to development relative to its size….” US: 18th.
Check out also more in particular: (blog) CDI 2020: Assessing Commitment to Global Health
“…
Specifically, we look at four health-related indicators: global health security, financing for international organisations, research and development, and trade openness….”
Lancet Commission - Institutionalisation and deinstitutionalisation of children
https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/deinstitutionalisation
In the
Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.
“
This Lancet Group Commission advocates global reform of the care of separated children through the progressive replacement of institutional provision with safe and nurturing family-based care. It provides essential information on both the global scale of institutionalisation and its physical, social, and mental health consequences. It presents a pragmatic roadmap for carefully managed change. Momentum to move children from institutions and into families is building, led by welcomed evidence and practical leadership from many sectors within child health, child protection, and social welfare. It is essential that governments, voluntary organisations, and health and social care professionals work together so that action is not taken precipitately, with potentially unintended adverse consequences, but is instead timely, sustainable, and child-centred.”
For
10 key messages, see this
Lancet Comment.
HHR - Special Section: Mental Health and Human Rights
https://www.hhrjournal.org/volume-22-issue-1-june-2020/
The latest (June) issue of Health and Human Rights has a special section on Mental Health and Human Rights.
Start with the
Editorial (by
A Chapman, D Puras et al) -
Reimagining the Mental Health Paradigm for Our Collective Well-Being
Other mainstream news & blogs of the week
UN News - 170 nations endorse UN ceasefire appeal during COVID crisis
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1066982
“
UN Member States, Observers and others, sent a strong political message this week, with the announcement that 170 signatories have now endorsed the UN’s call to silence the guns, and stand united against the global threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative, prompted by Malaysia, shows that a large majority of nations are now standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the global ceasefire call that Secretary-General António Guterres made back in March, when the pandemic was just picking up speed….”
Canada announces $93.7M funding for sexual and reproductive health
https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2020/06/23/canada-announces-93-7m-funding-for-sexual-and-reproductive-health/
“Aid
groups are praising Ottawas’s pledge to allocate $93.7 million to fund projects supporting sexual and reproductive health and rights for millions of women and girls in developing countries whose access to these services has been severely curtailed as a result of the pandemic. Canada’s International Development Minister, Karina Gould, made the announcement at the #SheDecidesNow Virtual Round Table on Monday….”
“Canada’s pledge is part of the commitments announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2019 and in 2017. It does not represent new funding but fleshes out the broad funding announcements made by the Trudeau government at the Women Deliver 2019 Conference in Vancouver in June 2019, where Canada pledged to increase its funding for women and girls’ health around the world to $1.4 billion every year starting in 2023, with half of this money dedicated to sexual and reproductive health projects….”
IHP (blog) - Can the private health market survive COVID-19? The case of private hospitals in Kurdistan
Goran Zangana (EV 2016);
https://www.internationalhealthpolicies.org/blogs/can-the-private-health-market-survive-covid-19-the-case-of-private-hospitals-in-kurdistan/
With focus on the International Finance Corporation (IFC)’s loan to Seema hospital in the KRI.
Science News - COVID-19 cancels charity galas and walks. Science is paying the price
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/covid-19-cancels-charity-galas-and-walks-science-paying-price
“
Nonprofits that fund research are delaying, trimming, or canceling grants to scientists.”
Not quite sure ‘nonprofits’ & ‘philanthropy’ refer to the same thing, but in any case, it’s probably time for fair taxation instead of relying on a philanthropy-based model for (some of the more “risk taking”) research. Just tax’em ! #coronamoment
Healthnewsreview - Pharma PR appears as unvetted COVID-19 vaccine news in STAT newsletter
G Schwitzer;
https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2020/06/pharma-pr-appears-as-unvetted-covid-19-vaccine-news-in-stat-newsletter/
“
I’ve written about STAT’s Morning Rounds newsletter in the past, and criticized how STAT accepts pharma sponsorship of the newsletter. In the last two weeks, for example, the newsletter has featured sponsored content from: drug company AstraZeneca; the Biotechnology Innovation Organization – whose biggest sponsors include drug companies Lilly, Merck, Amgen, Johnson & Johnson; biotech company Genentech; Blue Cross Blue Shield Association; drug company Bristol Myers Squibb. I believe that an ethical news organization that covers pharma and biotech full-time should not accept sponsorship from pharma and biotech….”
And a link:
Guardian -
Global economy will take $12tn hit from coronavirus, says IMF
“
In an update to forecasts published in April, the Washington-based IMF said it now expected the global economy to contract by 4.9% this year, compared with a 3% drop expected in the spring….”
Some tweets of the week
Mukash Kapila
“
It is rather telling that the expanding #COVID19 pandemic in #Africa is seen not as a matter of innate human concern for the vulnerable people there - and more as a threat to Europe incl UK. Same happened with #Ebola. This is not the value of solidarity, more the politics of fear.”
Ian Bremmer
“
Lack of politicization - not a country's wealth - is a key factor in successful #coronavirus responses. Contrast Vietnam, Argentina & Greece to the US, where wearing a mask is now a political statement, and cases are soaring. #QuickTake”
M Kavanagh
“On #COVID19 vaccine: lots of talk about equitable allocation, but I'm worried what's actually happening is powerful states, country-by-country pre-ordering much of supply. Need a serious political strategy to secure a global approach or else...”
“..we'll be "allocating" only the left-overs amongst most of the world. @WHO must focus on fair *global* distribution, not just on question of how to allocate supplies supported by aid funding or only in LMICs.”
Scott Greer
“Four months ago, globalization was the vector. Every day now, politics explains more of the mortality.”
Jason Hickel
“Patriarchy isn't some atavistic holdover. It is the ideology that capitalism deploys to systematically devalue care and social reproduction, in order to keep labour cheap. If our struggle for a post-capitalist world is not feminist, we have missed the point.”