Protect children and relief workers caught up in conflict, urges UN rights envoy

Special Representative Virginia Gamba stated that “once again children paying the highest price and the COVID-19 pandemic has put an additional burden on them, their families and communities all over the world”.

“Now more than ever we must all act to protect children and support all international efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, particularly in situations of armed conflict”, she asserted.

“I join the UN Secretary-General in his appeal for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world — UN envoy

Needing cover

Ms. Gamba pointed to several incidents, including in Libya, where “the few functional health facilities engaged in the COVID-19 response in Tripoli and Benghazi were repeatedly hit and damaged by shelling”.

And last week in Cameroon, she recalled that “several children were reportedly killed, and several others wounded when a school was attacked in the South-West Region”.

Meanwhile in Somalia, attacks against schools and hospitals by Al-Shabaab continue at “an alarming rate, often in conjunction with other grave violations, such as the abduction and recruitment of children”, added the Special Representative.

“In Afghanistan, indiscriminate attacks on schools, universities and other educational facilities are taking place despite the beginning of historic peace talks”, she continued.

Just today, gunmen disguised as police officers stormed Kabul University, taking hostages, and killing and wounding people. 

Keep schools safe

Parties to conflict, whether Governmental forces or non-State armed groups, must keep schools and hospitals safe and not use them for military purposes, urged the UN envoy. 

“I join the UN Secretary-General in his appeal for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world and, once again, call upon all parties to conflict to abide by their obligations under international law and prevent attacks against education and health facilities, as wellas other civilian infrastructure and protected personnel”, she concluded.
 

‘If we invest in health systems, we can bring this virus under control’ – WHO chief

“Public health is more than medicine and science and it is bigger than any individual and there is hope that if we invest in health systems…we can bring this virus under control and go forward together to tackle other challenges of our times”, UN World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists in a regular press briefing.

‘Seize the opportunity’

Speaking via video conference from self-quarantine, having himself been in recent contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, the symptom-free WHO chief noted that over the weekend cases spiked in some countries in Europe and North America.   

“This is another critical moment for action…for leaders to step up…for people to come together for a common purpose”, he said. “Seize the opportunity, it’s not too late”.

He also flagged that where cases are going up exponentially and hospitals reaching capacity “patients and health workers alike” are at risk. 

“We need countries to again invest in the basics so that measures can be lifted safely and Governments can hopefully avoid having to take these measures again”, the UN agency chief asserted.

As some countries are putting in place measures to ease the pressure of health systems, he attested that building “stronger systems ensuring quality testing, tracing and treatment measures are all key”.

“WHO will keep working to drive forward science, solutions and solidarity”, the WHO chief concluded.

Battling COVID

To understand more about how hospitals can prepare and cope with COVID-19, three guests spoke about how their countries were coping with the pandemic.

The Republic of Korea went from the second highest caseload of coronavirus patients globally to one of the lowest – without having to lock down the country – by drawing on lessons it learned from the 2015 MERS COVID outbreak, according to Yae-Jean Kim, Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunodeficiency Department of Pediatrics, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine.

In addition to rapid PCR swab testing and rapid isolation, she explained that physicians for the Republic of Korea, among other things, developed “drive-through testing facilities”; had a community treatment centre for milder cases; prepared public hospitals for high-risk communicable diseases; and had private hospitals pick up overload cases.   

From South Africa, Mervyn Mer, Principal Specialist at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, University of the Witwatersrand, said they worked within their capacity to reach the greatest number of people.

Since the pandemic struck South Africa months after other countries, they used their time to draw up a protocol to maximize “everything we feasibly could”, including expanding the capacity of existing hospitals as opposed to putting up field hospitals, he said. 

Meanwhile, new WHO staff member Marta Lado, an infectious disease specialist and chief medical officer of Partners In Health in Sierra Leone, underscored that the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak had that country how to manage infectious diseases through contact tracing, surveillance, critical care and PPE use.

“One of the most important lessons learned is how we were able to develop a critical care training” that covered monitoring patients vital signs and for shock as well as ventilation and oxygen, she detailed. 

First Person: supporting migrants on the COVID-19 frontline in Myanmar

Myanmar has been preparing for the return of hundreds of thousands of workers – some 650,000 are in Thailand alone – and one of the key tasks was to set up quarantine facilities for those returning migrants. Sandi Swe, who has been working in a quarantine facility since March 2020, shared her experience with UN News. 

April should have been a month of festivities, celebrating Thingyan – the Burmese New Year – but this year has been unlike any other, because of the measures Myanmar has taken to curb COVID-19. As the news of the global pandemic spread, Myanmar’s migrant workers began to return home, and the country has prepared for mass returns by providing safe quarantine facilities. 

Many were established in the border town of Myawaddy, in Kayin State; men and women sheltered in different facilities, and I volunteered to support women migrant returnees. 

I work for a local Myawaddy-based organization, Migrant Monitoring Group (MMG) and, before the pandemic, I had provided awareness-raising training to migrants. I decided to volunteer, even though I was worried, because it didn’t feel right to let fear get in the way. It was simple: everyone needed help, and I could provide that help. 

I started working in the quarantine facility in March and at the beginning, I admit, I took this pandemic very lighly. But day by day, month by month, it is still here. The protective measures are becoming part of our daily routine and we can’t even guess when it will be over.

The number of migrants decreased significantly in the last few months, so aside from cleaning the facilities, we were not that busy and I thought this pandemic was almost over: until now, that is. The rate of return is increasing again, and 100 to 200 migrants are arriving every day. 

In the minds of many people, the issue of migration and returning migrants has  been linked to COVID-19. This job has allowed me to understand the migrants at a deeper level, the challenges they face currently, their anxieties about the present and the future. I believe I understand their situation more clearly and I certainly feel empathy for them. I want to support these people.

It feels good when they ask me for my help, when people need me, especially since I know I can be of assistance and make a difference.

Empowered by helping others

Before the pandemic, I didn’t have any experience of this type of work, but the fact remains that nothing could have prepared me or anyone else for this global emergency. 

I have found time to contemplate how the job empowered me and enriched my life, emotionally, physically and mentally. I have more energy now, and I have to learn to take care of myself and my health, especially if I am to provide more help to others. Before COVID-19, I stayed home most of the time, but working in this environment has shown me that I like to work with other people. 

I pray every day for the pandemic to end quickly. I know I am okay, and it has not affected me too much, but there are others who have lost income and opportunities. I pray for them as well.
 

Long-term symptoms of COVID-19 ‘really concerning’, says WHO chief

“Although we’re still learning about the virus, what’s clear is that this is not just a virus that kills people.  To a significant number of people, this virus poses a range of serious long-term effects,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking in Geneva on Friday during the UN agency’s latest virtual press conference. 

The situation also underscores how herd immunity is “morally unconscionable and unfeasible”, he added. 

Vast spectrum of fluctuating symptoms 

The WHO Director-General described the vast spectrum of COVID-19 symptoms that fluctuate over time as “really concerning.” 

They range from fatigue, a cough and shortness of breath, to inflammation and injury of major organs – including the lungs and heart, and also neurological and psychologic effects. 

Symptoms often overlap and can affect any system in the body. 

“It is imperative that Governments recognize the long-term effects of COVID-19 and also ensure access to health services to all of these patients,” he said. 

“This includes primary health care and when needed specialty care and rehabilitation.”  

Seven months ‘evaporated’ 

Three patients – an epidemiologist, a nurse and a 26-year-old software engineer – shared their experiences with COVID-19 and its long-term consequences. 

Professor Paul Garner, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in England, was “fit and well” when he fell ill with the disease in March.  

For four months, he battled cyclical bouts of fatigue, headaches, mood swings and other symptoms, followed by three months of complete exhaustion. 

“When I overdid things, the illness would echo back, it would come back. And it was completely unpredictable,” he said, speaking via videolink. 

Professor Garner reported that his health has only begun to improve within the past two weeks. 

“I never thought I would have seven months of my life wiped out by this virus,” he said. “It has just gone, evaporated.”

Against herd immunity 

Stories like this underline how people facing the long-term effects of COVID-19 must be given the time and care they need to recover fully, according to the WHO chief. 

“It also reinforces to me just how morally unconscionable and unfeasible the so-called ‘natural herd immunity’ strategy is,” he said, adding, “not only would it lead to millions more unnecessary deaths, it would also lead to a significant number of people facing a long road to full recovery.”

He explained that herd immunity is only possible when a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine has been distributed globally, and equitably. 

“And until we have a vaccine, Governments and people must do all that they can to suppress transmission, which is the best way to prevent these post-COVID long-term consequences,” he stated. 

Kenya relief bid begins to avert ‘hunger crisis’ among poor workers hit by COVID 

“COVID-19 has caused untold suffering especially to families living in the poor urban areas who normally rely on informal day-to-day employment; many families in the coastal region are struggling just to feed themselves”, said Lauren Landis, WFP’s Kenya Country Director. 

With the help of local and national authorities in Kenya, the World Food Programme (WFP) has begun rolling out aid for more than 400,000 urban poor in COVID-19 hotspots. 

In addition to the 300,000 people in Nairobi receiving aid for the next four months, around 100,000 more in Mombasa will receive three months’ assistance in the coastal city.

“WFP’s support complements other social protection programmes run by the national and county governments”, Ms. Landis explained. “Together, we can avert a hunger and nutrition crisis among poor communities living in urban areas”. 

Monthly support 

Throughout Kenya, some 1.7 million people living in informal settlements have been affected by the COVID crisis amidst surging infection numbers, according to WFP. 

The unemployment rate has doubled to 10.4 per cent, from 5.2 per cent in March when the first cases of COVID-19 were reported, according to the national statistics office. 
 
Once a month, each selected family in need will receive around $40 in local currency, enough to cover half of the monthly food and nutrition needs for a household of four.

Coastal crash 

Travel restrictions and partial lockdowns have devastated Mombasa’s coastal economy, which relies heavily on tourism. 

Mombasa County, which is Kenya’s second largest urban area, accounts for 12 per cent of the number of coronavirus infections in Kenya, the second highest number after the capital, Nairobi, WFP spokesperson Tomson Phiri said. 

“As a result of rising infections, most of the tourism sector was forced to cut its workforce and many businesses either closed entirely or are struggling to stay afloat”, he told journalists via an online briefing in Geneva.  

The UN agency is also partnering with the national and local government to support malnutrition treatment for some 6,000 children and women in Mombasa. This involves providing a nutritious peanut-based paste for children and fortified flour for malnourished mothers.   

Tough neighbourhood 

Outside Kenya, which is Africa’s third-largest economy, WFP warned that countries with large numbers of urban poor living in crowded slums were also vulnerable. 

These included Nigeria, Africa’s wealthiest nation, where the agency only recently announced measures to help struggling families to cope with the economic fallout of the pandemic in the three urban pandemic hotspots of Abuja, Kano and Lagos.  

In Somalia, where WFP already supports 125,000 in urban areas, the agency plans to assist up to 450,000 internally displaced people who are likely to be impacted by COVID-19. 

WFP has also increased its overall relief plan in response to the triple shock of COVID-19, the desert locust invasion and flooding. 

In South Sudan, on top of regular assistance provided to five million people a month, WFP intends to assist an additional 1.6 million individuals in mainly urban settings who face rising food needs linked to COVID-19. 

COVID-19: ‘Little or no’ benefit from trials of anti-virals, says WHO 

 The Solidarity Therapeutics Trial, overseen by the World Health Organization (WHO), shows that medications Remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir and interferon, repurposed to treat new coronavirus infections, “appeared to have little or no effect on 28-day mortality or the in-hospital course of COVID-19 among hospitalized patients”, WHO said in a statement on Friday. 

The study, which began in March and spans more than 30 countries, looked at the effects of these treatments on overall mortality, initiation of ventilation, and duration of hospital stay in hospitalized individuals.  

Other uses of the drugs, for example in treatment of patients in the community or for prevention, would have to be examined using different trials, the WHO explained. 

Associated blood pressure risks 

In a related announcement, the UN health agency said that COVID-19 had also highlighted the increased vulnerability of people with high blood pressure to the coronavirus. 

The warning is based on data from more than 120 countries showing significant COVID-related disruption to treatment for people suffering from chronic health conditions, with findings showing these patients make up 50 to 60 per cent of all deaths from COVID. 

Dr. Bente Mikkelsen, Director of WHO’s Department of Noncommunicable Diseases, said that more than 1.13 billion people around the world suffer from hypertension. 

Of this number, 745,800,000 live in low and middle-income countries and 80 per cent of these nations have fewer than 50 per cent of people on treatment. 

Many unaware they are sick 

On average, one in four men suffer from the condition, compared with one in five women, according to WHO data. In addition, two in five people are not aware that they even have hypertension. 

“When it comes to COVID-19 and hypertension, the 122 countries that have reported tells us that in over 50 per cent of the countries their health care services is disrupted fully or partially…In addition, we see a high number of fatalities”, Dr. Mikkelsen told journalists in Geneva. 

Noting that global figures have yet to be calculated, she added that for those countries where data was available, “we see in the range of 50, 60 per cent of the people that are severely ill and die in hospitals from COVID have hypertension, diabetes”, and other non-communicable diseases. 

Pandemic resurgence 

Highlighting how the pandemic has made a resurgence in many countries across all continents after the easing of restrictions, and the additional health threat posed by the impending influenza season in the global north, the WHO official appealed to governments everywhere to address hypertension urgently. 

She also cited growing evidence that poor and salty diets along with rising inactivity, have contributed to worsening hypertension rates globally. 

To coincide with World Hypertension Day on 16 October, Dr Mikkelsen unveiled a series of recommendations and products developed by the WHO to promote action on hypertension “during and beyond the pandemic”. 

By doing so, health authorities can help people to keep their blood pressure under control and prevent stroke, heart attack, and kidney damage, the WHO believes. 

The new protocols are based on successful patient blood pressure management in 18 countries involving more three million people. 

Today, only 20 per cent of the world’s nations are on track to reduce hypertension by 25 per cent by 2025, a global target set by the World Health Assembly in 2013, according to the UN health agency. 

COVID-19 rise in Europe a great concern, says WHO regional chief

Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge said the tightening up of restrictions by governments is “absolutely necessary” as the disease continues to surge, with “exponential increases” in cases and deaths. 

“The evolving epidemiological situation in Europe raises great concern: daily numbers of cases are up, hospital admissions are up, COVID-19 is now the fifth leading cause of death and the bar of 1,000 deaths per day has now been reached,” he reported. 

Cases reach record highs 

Dr. Kluge said overall, Europe has recorded more than seven million cases of COVID-19, with the jump from six million taking just 10 days. 

This past weekend, daily case totals surpassed 120,000 for the first time, and on both Saturday and Sunday, reaching new records. 

However, he stressed that the region has not returned to the early days of the pandemic. 

“Although we record two to three times more cases per day compared to the April peak, we still observe five times fewer deaths. The doubling time in hospital admissions is still two to three times longer,” he said, adding “in the meantime, the virus has not changed; it has not become more nor less dangerous.” 

Potential worsening a reality 

Dr. Kluge explained that one reason for the higher case rates is increased COVID-19 testing, including among younger people. This population also partly accounts for the decreased mortality rates.  

“These figures say that the epidemiological curve rebound is so far higher, but the slope is lower and less fatal for now. But it has the realistic potential to worsen drastically if the disease spreads back into older age cohorts after more indoor social contacts across generations,” he warned. 

Looking ahead, Dr. Kluge admitted that projections are “not optimistic”.  

Reliable epidemiological models indicate that prolonged relaxing of policies could result in mortality levels four to five times higher than in April, with results visible by January 2021. 

He stressed the importance of maintaining simple measures already in place, as the modelling shows how wearing masks, coupled with strict control of social gathering, may save up to 281,000 lives across the region by February. 

This assumes a 95 per cent rate for mask use, up from the current rate, which is less than 60 per cent. 

Restrictions ‘absolutely necessary’ 

“Under proportionately more stringent scenarios, the model is reliably much more optimistic, still with slightly higher levels of morbidity and mortality than in the first wave, but with a lower slope – as if we should rather expect a higher and longer swell instead of a sharp peak, giving us more reaction time,” said Dr. Kluge. 

“These projections do nothing but confirm what we always said: the pandemic won’t reverse its course on its own, but we will.” 

The WHO bureau chief underlined the importance of targeted national responses to contain COVID-19 spread. 

“Measures are tightening up in many countries in Europe, and this is good because they are absolutely necessary,” he said. “They are appropriate and necessary responses to what the data is telling us: transmission and sources of contamination occur in homes and indoor public places, and within communities poorly complying with self-protection measures.” 

Three billion people globally lack handwashing facilities at home: UNICEF

According to new estimates from UNICEF, 40 per cent of the world’s population – or 3 billion people – do not have a handwashing facility with water and soap at home. The number is much higher in least developed countries, where nearly three-quarters of the population lack such facilities. 

Kelly Ann Naylor, Associate Director of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene at UNICEF, said that it is “unacceptable” that the most vulnerable communities are unable to use the simplest of methods to protect themselves and their loved ones. 

“The pandemic has highlighted the critical role of hand hygiene in disease prevention. It has also stressed a pre-existing problem for many: Handwashing with soap remains out of reach for millions of children where they’re born, live and learn.”  

“We must take immediate action to make handwashing with soap accessible to everyone, everywhere – now and in the future,” she urged. 

The situation is also alarming at schools: 43 per cent of schools globally (70 per cent in least developed countries) lack a handwashing facility with water and soap, affecting hundreds of millions of school-age children, according to the estimates.  

 ► See also: Everything you need to know about washing your hands to protect against coronavirus  

‘Hand Hygiene for All’

Against this backdrop, UNICEF, along with the UN World Health Organization launched the “Hand Hygiene for All” initiative to support the development of national roadmaps to accelerate and sustain progress towards making hand hygiene a mainstay in public health interventions. 

This means rapidly improving access to handwashing facilities, water, soap and hand sanitizer in all settings, as well as promoting behavioural change interventions for optimal hand hygiene practices, said UNICEF. 

The initiative brings together international, national, and local partners, to ensure affordable products and services are available and sustainable, especially in vulnerable and disadvantaged communities. 

The estimates were released on Thursday, coinciding with Global Handwashing Day, which serves as a platform to raise awareness on the importance of handwashing with soap. 

Progress against tuberculosis ‘at risk’: WHO

According to the UN health agency, though TB cases fell by 9 per cent and deaths by 14 per cent between 2015 and 2019, access to TB services remains a challenge. 

“Equitable access to quality and timely diagnosis, prevention, treatment and care remains a challenge”, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, said in a news release announcing the findings. 

“Accelerated action is urgently needed worldwide if we are to meet our targets by 2022,” he urged. 

Caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis and most often affecting the lungs, TB spreads through the air when people with the disease cough, sneeze or spit. In spite of being a curable disease, many people die from TB and it is a leading cause of death of people living with HIV. 

Approximately 90 percent of those who fall sick with the disease each year live in just 30 countries. Most people who develop the disease are adults, and there are more cases among men than women 

Challenges  

In 2019, approximately 1.4 million people died from TB-related illnesses, and of the estimated 10 million people who developed the disease that year, some 3 million were not diagnosed or were not officially reported to national authorities, according to WHO. 

The situation is even more acute for people with drug-resistant TB. About 465,000 people were newly diagnosed with drug-resistant TB in 2019 and, of these, over 60 per cent were not able to access treatment.  

There has also been limited progress in scaling up access to treatment to prevent TB, said WHO, adding that funding is a major challenge. In 2020, funding for TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care reached $6.5 billion, about half of the $13 billion target agreed by world leaders in 2018. 

In addition, disruptions in services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have led to further setbacks, said the UN health agency. 

In many countries, human, financial and other resources have been reallocated from TB to the COVID-19 response, while data collection and reporting systems have also been impacted. 

COVID-19 and TB 

In line with WHO guidance, countries have taken measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on essential TB services, including by strengthening infection control.  

A total of 108 countries – including 21 with a high TB burden – have expanded the use of digital technologies to provide remote advice and support. Countries are also encouraging home-based treatment, providing all-oral treatment as well as preventive treatment, to reduce the need for patients to visit health facilities.  

Countries, civil society and other partners have joined forces to ensure that essential services for both TB and COVID-19 are maintained for those in need, said Tereza Kaseva, Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme. 

“These efforts are vital to strengthen health systems, ensure health for all, and save lives,” she added. 

‘Time for global solidarity’ to overcome COVID’s health, social and economic challenges

In a joint statement, the International Labour Organization (ILO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted that tens of millions are at risk of falling into extreme poverty.

“Now is the time for global solidarity and support, especially with the most vulnerable in our societies, particularly in the emerging and developing world”, the statement said.

“Only together can we overcome the intertwined health and social and economic impacts of the pandemic and prevent its escalation into a protracted humanitarian and food security catastrophe, with the potential loss of already achieved development gains”.

Jobs decimated

The pandemic has decimated jobs and placed millions of livelihoods at risk, the UN agencies attested.

Pointing out that “millions of enterprises face an existential threat”, they indicated that nearly half of the world’s 3.3 billion workforce risks losing its livelihood.

Unable to earn an income during lockdowns and without sufficient social protections or health care, informal economy workers are particularly vulnerable – many powerless to feed themselves and their families. 

Agricultural workers 

At the same time millions of wage-earning and self-employed agricultural workers face high levels of poverty, malnutrition and poor health.

With low or irregular incomes and no social support, many are spurred to continue working in unsafe conditions, exposing themselves and their families to additional risks. 

Moreover, amidst income losses, the agencies flagged that they may resort to unwise strategies, such as panic-selling of possessions, predatory loans or child labour. 

“Migrant agricultural workers are particularly vulnerable, because they face risks in their transport, working and living conditions and struggle to access support measures put in place by governments”, the statement detailed. 

Food systems

The pandemic has also laid bare the fragility of the entire food system. 

Border closures, trade restrictions and confinement measures have disrupted domestic and international food supply chains and reduced access to healthy, safe and diverse diets.

The UN agencies underscored that long-term strategies must be developed to “address the challenges facing the health and agri-food sectors” with priority given to underlying food security, malnutrition challenges, rural poverty and social protections, among other things. 

Coming back stronger, together

The UN is committed to pooling its expertise and experience to help countries respond to the crisis and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“We must recognize this opportunity to build back better”, the statement stressed.

The only way to protect human health, livelihoods, food security and nutrition while ensuring a ‘new normal’, is to “rethink the future of our environment and tackle climate change and environmental degradation with ambition and urgency”, the joint statement declared.

Herd immunity, an ‘unethical’ COVID-19 strategy, Tedros warns policymakers

“Herd immunity is a concept used for vaccination, in which a population can be protected from a certain virus if a threshold of vaccination is reached”, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), told the agency’s regular press briefing in Geneva.

But, he explained, it is achieved by protecting people from the virus, “not by exposing them to it”.

“Never in the history of public health has herd immunity been used as a strategy for responding to an outbreak”, the WHO chief said, calling it “scientifically and ethically problematic”.

To obtain herd immunity from measles, for example, about 95 per cent of the population must be vaccinated. However, according to WHO estimates, less than 10 per cent of the global population has any immunity to the coronavirus, leaving the “vast majority” of the world susceptible.

“Letting the virus circulate unchecked, therefore, means allowing unnecessary infections, suffering and death”, Tedros said.

Cases on the rise

Tedros noted that in recent days, the world was seeing the most rapid rise in infections during the course of the whole pandemic, especially in Europe and the Americas. 

“Each of the last four days has been the highest number of cases reported so far”, he stated. “Many cities and countries are also reporting an increase in hospitalizations and intensive care bed occupancy”.

The WHO chief also reminded that, as an “uneven pandemic”, every country is responding differently, and stressed that outbreaks can be controlled using targeted measures, such as by preventing amplifying events, isolation and testing. 

“It’s not a choice between letting the virus run free and shutting down our societies” he declared.

Again: ‘No silver bullet’

WHO noted that many have harnessed their stay-at-home time to develop plans, train health workers, increase testing time and capacity, and improve patient care.

And digital technologies are helping to make tried-and-tested public health tools even more effective, such as better smartphone apps to support contact tracing efforts.

“We well understand the frustration that many people, communities and Governments are feeling as the pandemic drags on, and as cases rise again”, Tedros said.

However, there are “no shortcuts, and no silver bullets”, he added.

Only a comprehensive approach, using every tool in the toolbox, has proven effective. 

“My message to every country now weighing up its options is: you can do it too.” 

Greater equality a ‘prerequisite’ for overcoming global crises: Bachelet 

High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet said that in examining “the legacy of some of the most appalling chapters in human history”, the historic conference in South Africa, and resulting declaration inspired by the host nation’s struggle against Apartheid, is a work in progress, she reminded the Intergovernmental Working Group on the declaration’s Programme of Action. 

Durban was the first UN Conference to address the historical roots of contemporary racism and acknowledge slavery and the slave trade, as crimes against humanity. 

‘A long way to go’ 

Recent months, however, have been a reminder that “there is still a long way to go for human rights to be equally enjoyed by all”, flagged the UN rights chief, naming COVID-19 a “stark” example of a recent obstacle.  

Ms. Bachelet noted that the pandemic has taken more than a million lives, prompting the deepest economic recession since the Second World War. She said more than 100 million people may be pushed into extreme poverty, the first global rise since 1998. 

“As we have seen since the beginning of this crisis, while the virus itself does not discriminate, its impacts certainly do”, she attested, painting a picture of those whose voices are silenced and interests rarely served, as being worst affected by COVID-19, through health or socio-economic repercussions. 

Systemic discrimination 

Among them are the indigenous, people of African descent and those belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, whose rights have been denied by systemic racial discrimination. 

Ms. Bachelet emphasized that those suffering racial discrimination, more often work in the informal sector, many living in poverty and at risk of losing their jobs, with no social protection. 

 “Yet again, those facing racial discrimination are most often the ones with fewer conditions to study at their homes, fewer digital skills and limited or no access to the Internet. Some may even never return to school”. 

Still, despite overwhelming evidence, a lack of disaggregated data on how the COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting victims of racial discrimination are underestimating – or even denying – disparities and human rights violations.  MW 

Scapegoating migrants  

The pandemic has also revealed the additional vulnerability of migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and Stateless people, Ms. Bachelet pointed out.  

We have seen a rise in discriminatory and xenophobic attitudes — UN human rights chief

Without State protections and with serious restrictions on their rights, many are harassed, arbitrarily arrested and face mass deportation.  

“We have seen a rise in discriminatory and xenophobic attitudes affecting Asians and people of Asian descent, which often lead to violence”, Ms. Bachelet underscored.  “Even before the pandemic, we were witnessing a worldwide increase in negative stereotypes against certain groups”.  

Migrants and other racially discriminated groups are often the scapegoats for problems, particularly in relation to housing and employment shortages, according to the High Commissioner. 

Women facing ‘excessive burden’ 

The crisis is disproportionately impacting women as well, particularly those already facing gender, race and ethnic discrimination.  

“They are subject to an excessive burden of unpaid work, increased poverty, job insecurity and limited access to public services”, the UN rights chief said. “Women have also been on the frontlines of response to the health crisis and are more exposed to infection”. 

Greater equality is “an ethical obligation…a pre-requisite for overcoming these crises and a requirement to recover from COVID-19 and build back better”, she upheld.  

UN in Myanmar comes together to protect people from COVID-19

“I was concerned that I might get infected. Everyone was afraid,” says 32-year-old World Health Organization (WHO) data collector Myat Mon Yee.

Since March, Ms. Mon Yee, a computer studies graduate from South Dagon Township in Yangon, has been working at the South Okkalapa Hospital in the former capital. The hospital was planned as the Women’s and Children’s Hospital but has been transformed into a COVID-19 treatment centre.

Not surprisingly, she was initially quite concerned about working with an infectious disease about which very little was known, except that it was killing people and making others very sick: front line health workers throughout the world have been contracting COVID-19 at a higher rate than almost any other group, except perhaps the elderly. Many doctors, nurses and administrative staff have died.

“But I thought about other health personnel and charity workers who were willing to work, and even volunteer, and that took some of my fear away”, she continues. “And when I started work, I found that the facilities were very well taken care of, which allayed my fears.”

‘Data is the light at the end of the tunnel’

For a national health emergency plan to be effective, Government and health workers must have highly reliable data,which means staff such Ms. Mon Yee play a crucial role.

“Data is the light at the end of the tunnel”, says Dr Fabio Caldas de Mesquita, who heads up the WHO’s HIV, Viral Hepatitis and TB teams in Myanmar. “We need to know how many people are being treated and how many beds are available for new patients; a little about the patients’ gender, age, and the state of their illness, and of course where they live and who they have been meeting; and we need to know how many tests are being done, and how many test kits remain available.”

“We need to know what drugs are being used by the patient; what protective equipment is needed for health care staff; and how many staff are working on treatment and response: these may just seem like numbers, but they are key to decision-making during the crisis,” says Dr de Mesquita.

‘You need to be brave’

In February it quickly became apparent that the Ministry of Health and Sports did not have enough people to undertake this technical role, so WHO hired three people willing to run the risks associated with hospital work, including Ms. Mon Yee.

“You need to be brave to work in infectious diseases,” says Dr de Mesquita. “Many applicants for jobs in Myanmar refused the work when they discovered they were going to be working on COVID-19 at hospitals. It was the same in 1987 when I began working with HIV and we didn’t know exactly how it infected people.”

At work, Ms. Mon Yee wears a mask and face shield, carries sanitizer, and frequently washes her hands. She is provided with protective clothing, including a cap and gown, and the facilities are regularly disinfected.

But she also has to take precautions when she returns home, which she shares with her 95 year old grandmother, her 70 year old mother, her sister, and niece. “When I get home, I don’t talk to anyone. I immediately shower and soak my clothes in soapy water. I spray disinfectant on all my things, and I stay isolated for an hour”.

Preparing for the second wave

Despite her precautions, Ms. Mon Yee is very aware that there is no cure for COVID-19, and is concerned about a second wave hitting Myanmar.

“The recent increases in the infection rates have made me very anxious”, she says. “I am happy to be able to contribute to the Government and WHO’s response, and am grateful for this opportunity, but I worry about other health workers, who are becoming fatigued.

“We just hope the patients will recover quickly from COVID: I want the pandemic to be over soon, and for everyone to be safe.”