Amidst COVID surge, Asia-Pacific region needs ‘immediate and stronger support’ 

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UN chief underlines need to step up COVID-19 vaccine production, equitable distribution

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Step up global plan for COVID-19 vaccines, UN chief says in message to World Health Assembly

In a video message to the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of UN agency WHO, Mr. Guterres warned against the dangers of “a two-speed global response”, a concern he has frequently expressed. 

“Sadly, unless we act now, we face a situation in which rich countries vaccinate the majority of their people and open their economies, while the virus continues to cause deep suffering by circling and mutating in the poorest countries,” he said.  

“Further spikes and surges could claim hundreds of thousands of lives, and slow the global economic recovery,” he added. 

Action on vaccine access 

The UN chief called for coordinated action in three areas that will pave the way to recovery and a sustainable future for people and the planet, starting with solidarity to stop the virus. 

“World leaders must urgently step up with a global plan for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments,” he said, emphasizing the need to fully fund established mechanisms for equitable vaccine distribution. 

Adding that “we are at war with a virus”, Mr. Guterres reiterated his appeal for G20 nations to establish a Task Force “able to deal with the pharmaceutical companies and other key stakeholders.”  The goal would be to at least double vaccine manufacturing capacity through means such as voluntary licenses and technology transfers. 

Bolster health care 

For his second point, Mr. Guterres focused on boosting primary health care and universal health coverage. 

 “COVID-19 cannot be seen in isolation from the fundamental problems with our health systems: inequality, underfunding; complacency, neglect. With the right primary health care systems in place, we will recover more quickly from this pandemic, and prevent the next before it takes hold,” he said. 

But while robust health systems are a start, they are not enough, he added, and countries must prepare for the next global health emergency.   

Prepare for the next pandemic 

The Secretary-General underlined support for the recommendations made by the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness, which this month called for overhauling the current warning systems. 

He said high-level political commitment is needed to transform the existing system, and that the World Health Organization (WHO) must be at the centre of global preparedness.  The agency also must have adequate resources and be fully empowered to do its job. 

Not yet out of the woods 

In his address to the Assembly, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported that there have been more COVID-19 cases so far this year than in the whole of 2020. 

“Almost 18 months into the defining health crisis of our age, the world remains in a very dangerous situation,” he said.  “On current trends, the number of deaths will overtake last year’s total within the next three weeks.” 

Regardless of vaccinate rates, “no country should assume it is out of the woods,” he added.  And although none of the COVID-19 variants has significantly undermined current vaccines, the virus is constantly changing. 

Vaccines: “A scandalous inequity’ 

Tedros said every country can do more, including in increasing surveillance and testing, protecting health workers, and fighting against misinformation.  They can also implement national vaccine programmes, and donate excess doses to the global solidarity initiative, COVAX. 

He described the ongoing vaccine crisis as “a scandalous inequity that is perpetuating the pandemic” as most doses, or 75 per cent, have been administered in just 10 countries. 

“There is no diplomatic way to say it: a small group of countries that make and buy the majority of the world’s vaccines control the fate of the rest of the world.” 

COVAX has shipped roughly 72 million doses to some 125 developing nations, but those vaccines represent barely one per cent of their combined populations. 

Millions more doses needed 

Tedros pushed for countries to vaccinate at least 10 per cent of the global population by September, with a drive to reach 30 per cent by December.  

“Sprinting to our September goal means we must vaccinate 250 million more people in low- and middle-income countries in just four months, including all health workers and the most at-risk groups as the first priority,” he said. 

The WHO Director General also highlighted a proposal by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to vaccinate 40 per cent of the world’s people by the end of the year, and 60 per cent by 2022.  Discussions are underway on how to make these goals achievable. 

Tedros also welcomed countries’ commitment to donate doses, including announcements made by G20 nations at their health summit last Friday. 

“But to achieve the goals for September and the end of the year, we need hundreds of millions more doses, we need them to go through COVAX, and we need them to start moving in early June,” he said. 

Tedros urged vaccine manufacturers to ensure countries can quickly share their doses through COVAX.  They should also give the mechanism first right of refusal on new volume of vaccines, or to commit 50 per cent of their volumes to COVAX this year. 

“And we need every country that receives vaccines to use them as quickly as possible. No dose can lay idle, or worse, be thrown away,” he said.   

“The bottom line is that we need a lot more doses, we need them fast, and we must leave no stone unturned to get them.” 

Tribute to health workers 

Both the Secretary-General and the WHO chief dedicated parts of their speeches to pay tribute to the world’s health workers. 

Tedros opened his remarks with stories of some of these professionals, who “have stood in the breach between life and death.” 

WHO estimates around 115,000 health and care workers have also died while working to save lives and serve others. 

“Health and care workers do heroic things, but they are not superheroes. They are humans like the rest of us,” Tedros said, noting that many feel frustrated, helpless and unprotected in the pandemic. 

“We owe them so much, and yet globally health and care workers often lack the protection, the equipment, the training, the decent pay, the safe working conditions and the respect they deserve.”

Bhutan, the vaccination nation: a UN Resident Coordinator’s blog

“Bhutan has been exemplary in the way it has responded to COVID-19. Practically the entire eligible adult population of more than 530,000 people (anyone in Bhutan with no history of allergic reaction to the COVID-19 vaccines is eligible) have received the first dose. The initial batch of AstraZeneca doses were a gift from India, and the UN assisted with advocacy and cold chain support.

One of the features of Bhutan is the fact that there are so many communities living in remote geographical areas. The government coordinated its approach and reached out to all of these remote communities often by helicopter, with vaccines, which were then often distributed on foot by health workers, sometimes walking from village to village, through ice and snow.

Volunteers are a very important element in Bhutan’s success. They support the Ministry of Health, for example, with logistical support for vaccination programmes, and they man quarantine facilities. They were also very effective in implementing the lockdown, and also helped with the distribution of food and vital supplies during that period.

Bhutan’s national volunteer scheme (De Suung, or ‘Guardians of Peace’), was already running for around four years before the pandemic. Then, with the onset of COVID-19, people realised the volunteers could support the Ministry of Health and the other ministries, and so they strengthened and beefed up the scheme. As a result, they have become one of the key success factors in Bhutan’s ability to respond so effectively to COVID.

A time of heightened quarantine

Bhutan has had some 1,300 confirmed cases, with only one death, according to figures released on 19 April. Not one health worker has been infected.

In normal times, there is a fair bit of movement across the border but the Government is currently ensuring incredibly tight borders: anybody coming into the country needs to do a quarantine of 21 days.

Within Bhutan, there is a real commitment to social distancing. PPE is provided everywhere, and gatherings are kept small. Whenever there are even small breakouts of virus, those specific areas go into lockdown.

Supporting the vunerable

While Bhutan has managed to avoid a health crisis, the economic impacts have been very tough. The country depends significantly on tourism, and we know recovery in the sector is going to be slow: unemployment has risen to 14 per cent.

In the meantime, the UN is supporting the most vulnerable and looking for ways to build self-reliance and resilience: we support the government strategy to increase home food production; we have programmes that address the challenges around gender-based violence and mental health; and we are supporting the government strategy to become financially sustainable by, for example, introducing a smarter taxation system.

Bhutan is the land of ‘Gross National Happiness’. This is a core value of this country, and the moral and practical compass that the country follows. It often means that Bhutanese look after each other, including the most vulnerable.

Constant vigilance

During the period of lockdown, we have seen this strong element of community support, as well as common sense on the part of the population: they have accepted that there are good reasons for the lockdown, and that everyone has to pull together.

Despite the success we’ve had so far in coping with the pandemic, with very low rates of transmission and high rates of vaccination everyone understands the need to stay vigilant. Bhutan has a limited number of ventilators and oxygen: the Bhutanese have seen what is going on in the rest of the world, and they don’t want to get into that type of a situation, so there is a very strong willingness by everybody here to maintain this constant vigilance against COVID complacency.”

COVID-19: UN chief calls for G20 vaccine task force, in ‘war’ against the virus

Stressing that no one is safe until everyone is safe, the UN chief told the G20 Global Health Summit in Rome “it is time for decisive action.” 

Mr Guterres repeated his call for the G20 to establish a Task Force “able to deal with the pharmaceutical companies and other key stakeholders”, which would address equitable vaccine distribution through the COVAX global initiative.  

‘We are at war’ 

The goal would be to double manufacturing capacity using all options such as voluntary licenses, technology transfers, patent pooling and “flexibility” on intellectual property. 

“Let’s be clear, we are at war with the virus,” the Secretary-General said. “And if you are at war with the virus, we need to deal with our weapons with rules of a war economy, and we are not yet there. And this is true for vaccines, and it is true for other components in the fight against the virus.”   

Pledging the UN’s full support for the effort, the Secretary-General said the G20 Task Force “should be co-convened at the highest levels by the major powers who hold most of the global supply and production capacity.” 

Support COVAX initiative 

Membership would comprise countries that can produce vaccines, the World Health Organization (WHO), financial institutions, and the multi-sector partners behind the ACT Accelerator, the global collaboration to develop and equitably distribute COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. 

COVAX, its vaccine arm, should have delivered 180 million doses worldwide by now, but Mr Guterres said just 65 million have been distributed due to “vaccine nationalism”, limited production capacity and lack of financing. 

He called for G20 countries to “lead by example” by contributing their full share of funding. 

The only way out 

The Secretary-General said vaccinating quickly and thoroughly, combined with continued public health measures, are the only way to end the global pandemic and prevent more dangerous COVID-19 variants from emerging.   

However, more than 80 per cent of vaccines have gone to rich nations, with poorer countries receiving a paltry 0.3 per cent. 

“Grossly unequal access to vaccines, tests, medicines and supplies, including oxygen, have left poorer countries at the mercy of the virus,” he said. 

“Recent surges of COVID-19 in India, South America and other regions have left people literally gasping for breath before our eyes.” 

The Secretary-General emphasized that although global action on vaccines can end this pandemic, it will not help prevent the next. 

 “The bedrock of the recovery from COVID-19, and of preventing and addressing future health crises, is universal health coverage, and robust primary health care systems,” he said. 

 ‘The world cannot wait any longer’ 

Addressing the summit, the head of UN health agency, WHO, warned that people will continue to die if global disparity in vaccines persists. 

“Yes, the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines is a triumph of science. But their inequitable distribution is a failure for humanity”, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director General.  

“We can only end the pandemic if everyone has the tools to stop it.” 

Tedros called on G20 countries to fully fund the ACT-Accelerator, share more doses through COVAX, and waive intellectual property for vaccines, particularly for Africa. 

“The G20 has all the means to vaccinate the world, and the world cannot wait any longer,” he said. 

Death toll likely higher 

There have been more than 165 million recorded cases of COVID-19 worldwide, but WHO said on Friday that the true number of deaths could be two to three times higher than the officially reported figures. 

Although 3.4 million deaths were reported in the first year of the pandemic, its latest report found these “are likely a significant undercount” when based on deaths that were either directly or indirectly attributable to the disease. 

Last year, more than 1.8 million deaths were reported to the UN agency but WHO’s State of the World’s Health report indicates there were “at least three million”.  

The 1.2 million more deaths include people who died from coronavirus infection, and others who were unable to access health care because resources were diverted to deal with the pandemic. It is likely that the finding will be repeated this year due to data gaps in reporting.

UN agencies appeal for funds as COVID-19 surge eclipses South Asia

Across the region of almost 2 billion people, more than three new COVID-19 infections are being recorded every second, while over three lives are lost every minute to the disease, according to UNICEF.

George Laryea-Adjei, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, warned that the scale and speed of the COVID-19 surge is “outstripping” countries’ abilities to provide life-saving treatment for their populations.

“Hospitals are overwhelmed, there is an acute lack of oxygen and other critical medical supplies, and there is a real risk of fragile health systems collapsing.”

This week saw India record daily deaths at 4,529, the highest ever number since the pandemic erupted last year.

Neighboring Nepal is also experiencing case positivity rates as high as 47 per cent, while Sri Lanka and the Maldives are recording new highs in cases and deaths on a daily basis, according to UNICEF. Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bhutan could all face similar devastating surges, it cautioned.

‘We must do everything in our power’

UNICEF also warned of the impact of the crisis on the region’s children and mothers, as already fragile health systems reel under the acute and severe burden of COVID-19.

“We need to do everything within our power to prevent and treat COVID-19 while keeping the critical health care services that children and mothers so heavily depend on running”, Mr. Laryea-Adjei said.

UNICEF’s regional appeal identifies urgent requirements for oxygen equipment, including on-site oxygen-generating plants for hospitals, portable oxygen concentrators and cylinders; medical and diagnostic equipment including RT-PCR and RNA extraction machines; personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to keep health & frontline workers safe.

It also highlights the need of infection prevention and control including, such as hand washing stations, sanitizers and hygiene supplies; as well as therapeutics and medical supplies, including nutrition support.

‘Breaking point’ in Nepal

Meanwhile, UN agencies in Nepal issued a separate emergency response plan, as part of a national effort with partners, to address immediate needs and assist 750,000 of the most vulnerable people affected the pandemic.

After several months of relatively low daily cases, infections began to rise rapidly in mid-April – 150 cases per day to over 8,000 cases per day, within a matter of weeks, according to the UN Country Team in Nepal (UNCT). In addition, with almost half of the COVID-19 tests nationally reporting positive, there are fears that the actual number of infections are much higher than reported.

The surge in cases has overwhelmed hospitals in capital Kathmandu and other cities, with many having to turn away patients due to a shortage of beds, and gaps in vital supplies, including oxygen, are reported across the country. The situation in rural areas is especially worrying, with health facilities facing staff shortage to operate ventilators and provide ICU case management.

The Nepal Covid-19 Response Plan calls for swift action and international solidarity, which are “desperately needed to save lives” and prevent unnecessary suffering today, tomorrow, and in the weeks to come, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal said in a statement.

“The current outbreak is having a devastating impact not just on health but across all sectors, hitting the poorest and most marginalized people in Nepali society the hardest … We have no time to lose.”

Share excess COVID-19 vaccines now, UNICEF chief says ahead of G7 summit

Henrietta Fore, the agency’s Executive Director, issued the statement from New York as G7 leaders gear up for their summit next month in the United Kingdom, and as vaccine producer India continues to confront the rapid surge.

Heed the warning

UNICEF is a partner in COVAX, the global vaccine equity mechanism, which is set to deliver its 65 millionth dose this week.  However, Ms Fore said “it should have been at least its 170 millionth.” 

The shortfall will be closer to 190 million doses by the time the G7 meet, she added, and as a deadly second wave of COVID-19 will likely continue to sweep across India and many of its neighbours.

“We have issued repeated warnings of the risks of letting down our guard and leaving low- and middle-income countries without equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics. We are concerned that the deadly spike in India is a precursor to what will happen if those warnings remain unheeded,” she said.

India crisis ‘not unique’

Although tragic, Ms Fore said the situation in India “is not unique”.  Countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Argentina and Brazil have seen an explosion in cases, and health systems are struggling.  She also pointed to the threat of the emergence of more deadly or contagious variants if the virus continues to spread unchecked.  

While COVAX represents a pathway out of the pandemic, it is undersupplied, in part due to the crisis in India. The country is a leader in vaccine production, but the situation at home has led to a severe reduction in supplies for the solidarity scheme.

“Soaring domestic demand has meant that 140 million doses intended for distribution to low- and middle-income countries through the end of May cannot be accessed by COVAX.  Another 50 million doses are likely to be missed in June,” she said.

“This, added to vaccine nationalism, limited production capacity and lack of funding, is why the roll-out of COVID vaccines is so behind schedule.”

Share your doses

Ms Fore said G7 leaders will be meeting in June “with a potential emergency stop-gap measure readily available.”

New data analysis indicates that the bloc, together with European Union countries, could donate around 153 million vaccine doses if they shared just 20 per cent of their available supply over June, July and August. Governments would still be able to vaccinate their populations.

“While some G7 members have greater supplies than others, and some have further advanced domestic rollouts, an immediate collective commitment to pool excess supplies and share the burden of responsibility could buttress vulnerable countries against becoming the next global hotspot,” Ms Fore said.

The UNICEF chief stated that “the global vaccination race” will only be won when countries fully fund and supply COVAX, while also supporting vaccine production through Intellectual Property licensing and technology transfers.

“These measures are critical, but they won’t change anything overnight,” she said. “Sharing immediately available excess doses is a minimum, essential and emergency stop-gap measure, and it is needed right now.”
 

COVID-19: Wealthy nations urged to delay youth vaccines, donate to solidarity scheme

Speaking during WHO’s bi-weekly media briefing, agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated his warning against “vaccine nationalism”, as  low-income nations currently receive a paltry 0.3 per cent of supply. 

‘Trickle down’ strategy 

“In a handful of rich countries, which bought up the majority of the vaccine supply, lower risk groups are now being vaccinated”, he said.

“I understand why some countries want to vaccinate their children and adolescents, but right now I urge them to reconsider and to instead donate vaccines to COVAX.”   

Tedros reported that vaccine supply in low and lower-middle income countries has not been sufficient to even immunize health and care workers.

“Trickle down vaccination is not an effective strategy for fighting a deadly respiratory virus”, he said.

This year could be deadlier

As of Friday, there were more than 160.8 million cases of COVID-19 globally.

The disease “has already cost more than 3.3 million lives and we’re on track for the second year of this pandemic to be far more deadly than the first”, Tedros told journalists.

India remains “hugely concerning”, he said, with several states continuing to see a worrying number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Egypt are also among countries that are dealing with spikes in cases and hospitalizations. 

“Some countries in the Americas still have high numbers of cases and as a region, the Americas accounted for 40% of all COVID-19 deaths last week. There are also spikes in some countries in Africa.” 

Welcome developments

Tedros stressed that the only way out of the pandemic is through a combination of public health measures and vaccination, not one or the other.

While vaccine supply remains a key challenge, he pointed to new developments this week to address surrounding issues.

Several countries have announced they will share vaccines with COVAX. Other measures include new deals on tech transfers to scale-up vaccine production, and calls by world leaders to lift trade barriers. 

Unmasking the pandemic 

With some authorities, including in the United States, lifting policies on wearing masks in public, WHO continues to recommend their use as part of a comprehensive strategy for controlling coronavirus spread.

Dr. Maria van Kerkhove, WHO Technical Lead on COVID-19, explained that mask mandates depend on key factors, principally the intensity of virus transmission in any given area.

“It’s about how much virus is circulating around in a country.  It’s about the amount of vaccines and vaccinations that are rolling out.  It’s about variants of interest, the variants of concern, that are circulating,” she said, responding to a journalist’s question on the updated guidance in the US, issued on Thursday.

“We have to keep all of this in mind when thinking about how to adjust the policies associated with the use of masks.”

Keep masks in the mix 

Dr. Michael Ryan, WHO Executive Director, echoed her statement, adding that “even in situations where you have high vaccine coverage, if you have got a lot of transmission then you wouldn’t take your mask off.” 

While high vaccination coverage should also mean low community transmission of the virus, he said “we are at a point where many countries are facing a situation where the transmission hasn’t completely ended, and people aren’t completely vaccinated.”  

Dr. Ryan said as long as authorities sustain public health measures as they work to increase vaccination, “countries will be in a much stronger position when they do get to high vaccine coverage levels to start saying to people ‘You don’t have to wear a mask anymore.’”

First Person: ‘God save us from famine’

“At the beginning of the war, my children and I were forced to flee our home, and move in with relatives in another part of Aden. The conflict affected all of us: my community, my family, and me. It took many people I was close to. It took away our youth and made our children grow up too soon. 

I worked as a nurse from 2003 to 2011, and then I trained in nutrition, specialising in breastfeeding. Since then I have been able to return home to Al Tawahi, to work in the nutrition clinic, and for about eight years I have been working in the malnutrition unit.

Life is getting harder

Malnutrition in Yemen has increased dramatically since the beginning of the war. Food prices are increasing with each new day, diseases are everywhere, life is becoming harder every day.

In the current situation the cost of food is very high, and there are people who can’t buy cheese or eggs for their children, or can’t find anything to eat at all. 

Those of us who are lucky enough to have salaried work can’t cope with the situation: I can’t imagine what it’s like for those who don’t get a monthly pay cheque.

We pray to God to save us from famine. All those who face poverty and hunger are exhausted. When I see a child, who is suffering from malnutrition, I find them very weak, in the beginning. When a child has malnutrition, they become less active and lethargic, and they lag behind others in their education level. 

If you could see them, your heart would break. When I look at them, I imagine my son in this position. Imagine having a seven-month-old child weighing just three kilograms. When I try to weigh them, I find it difficult to carry them. I ask the mothers how they are managing, and they tell me that they rely on God. 

Doing something good for humanity

When a mother brings in a child suffering from malnutrition, I provide nutrition treatment, and advise her to bring them back the following week. When she returns, and I see the child has gained weight, and is looking healthier with filled out cheeks, I feel relieved.

I love working in the clinic. My heart aches when I see children crying from pain or hunger, but I can make a positive difference, helping the mothers, and put a smile on the face of the children. 

On Tuesday, UN chief António Guterres called Ms. El-Sayeed Ali, in a bid to highlight the dire situation in Yemen with the looming famine and to call for increased international support especially with the lack of funding to humanitarian efforts in Yemen.

Top COVID probe urges bold overhaul of pandemic prevention measures 

“Our message is simple and clear: the current system failed to protect us from the COVID-19 pandemic”, said former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. “If we do not act to change it now, it will not protect us from the next pandemic threat, which could happen at any time.” 

Launched by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the independent panel issued its findings and recommendations after an eight-month review of lessons learned from the past year. 

Insufficient protection 

“The tools are available to put an end to the severe illnesses, deaths, and socio-economic damage caused by COVID-19”, said panel co-chair Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, insisting that leaders “have no choice but to act” to stop such a catastrophe happening again.   

 “The current system – at both national and international levels – was not adequate to protect people from COVID-19. The time it took from the reporting of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown origin in mid-late December 2019 to a Public Health Emergency of International Concern being declared, was too long,” the panel said in a statement on its report, COVID-19: Make it the Last Pandemic.  

‘Lost month’ 

The panel – whose report contains “the authoritative chronology of what happened” – also insisted that February 2020 was “a lost month”. 

This was because “many more countries” could have done more to contain the spread of the new coronavirus after the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January, after the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China. 

“The shelves of storage rooms in the UN and national capitals are full of reports and reviews of previous health crises. Had their warnings been heeded, we would have avoided the catastrophe we are in today. This time must be different,” said Johnson Sirleaf. 

Unfit for prevention 

Quicker action “would have helped to prevent the global health, social, and economic catastrophe that continues its grip”, the panel noted, adding that “the system as it stands now is clearly unfit to prevent another novel and highly infectious pathogen, which could emerge at any time, from developing into a pandemic”. 

Among its recommendations – and after highlighting how the coronavirus crisis continues to devastate communities – the panel urged Heads of State to take the lead in supporting proven public health measures to curb the pandemic and implement reforms “to prevent a future outbreak” from spreading globally. 

One billion dose call 

The panel also advised high-income countries with adequate vaccine supply to commit to provide “at least one billion” doses to the 92 low and middle-income countries in the UN-led equitable vaccine scheme, COVAX, by September 2021. 

Major vaccine-producing countries and manufacturers should agree to share intellectual property rights on their jabs, it said, guided by the UN health agency and the World Trade Organization (WTO). 

“If actions on this don’t occur within three months, a waiver of intellectual property rights under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights should come into force immediately”, the panel insisted. 

Turning to the world’s wealthiest countries, known as the G7, the panel of leading experts recommended that they should “immediately” stump up 60 per cent of the $19 billion required for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator for vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, and strengthening of health systems. 

Summit call 

Heads of Government should commit to these reforms at a global summit, the panel continued, by adopting a political declaration under the auspices of the UN General Assembly. 

Describing its recommendations as potentially “transformative”, the panel highlighted that those least capable of withstanding the pandemic’s myriad shocks had been the worst affected.  

“Up to 125 million more people are estimated to have been pushed into extreme poverty, while 72 million more primary school-age children are now at risk of being unable to read or understand a simple text because of school closures,” the experts maintained.  

Women have also borne a disproportionate burden, they continued, with gender-based violence at record levels and child marriages on the increase.  

Underscoring the economic shock of the past pandemic year, the experts also noted that the world “lost $7 trillion” in economic output – more than the 2019 GDP of the entire African continent ($6.7 trillion)”. 

Latest toll 

According to WHO there have been more than 159 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, including over 3.3 million deaths since the pandemic began. In its weekly epidemiological update, the UN health agency noted that some 1.2 billion vaccine doses have been administered. 

The number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths globally has slightly decreased in the past week, with over 5.5 million cases and over 90,000 deaths.  

But “case and death incidences…remain at the highest levels since the beginning of the pandemic”, the WHO bulletin cautioned. New weekly cases decreased in Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, while the South-East Asia Region continued its upward trajectory, reporting a further six per cent increase on the previous seven-day period.

What can the UN do to help Asia through its life-threatening COVID-19 surge?

‘We gave the virus a chance’

Dr. Roderico H. Ofrin, WHO representative to Asia: it is critical to remember that, by very early February for this year, the economy and social tasks reopened. We additionally saw that individuals were not behaving in a fashion that was proper to slowing COVID-19, and I also think that’s why we are where we’re. There are many reasons, but fundamentally, we offered the herpes virus to be able to keep transmitting.

Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque, UNICEF agent to Asia: In 2020 we had been working closely because of the Indian national on distributing health texting and stopping attacks. Life began getting to regular in 2010, and also this occurs when the second revolution struck.

A formidable trend

Dr. Ofrin: what sort of virus features spread is comparable to just what we’ve noticed in European countries or perhaps the US, nevertheless scale is extremely various. The density of this population might be additionally a factor, and we’ve seen that the spikes tend to be intense in metropolitan areas. Inside days as soon as the cases were increasing, the device managed to soak up patients, and additional bedrooms had been also becoming offered this past year. Therefore, it’s a scale problem: the scale for the rise additionally the scale of this response.

This virus is adjusting therefore quickly, that no model has-been in a position to anticipate how it will probably distribute. We must be ahead of the online game: it’s a cycle of preparedness, readiness, reaction and recovery. You can’t stop. 

However, we do know how to deal with it: consistent evaluation, contact tracing, energetic instance finding, early treatment, and delay premature ejaculation pills. Folks have to observe COVID-appropriate behaviours, just like the 3W’s – Wear a mask, Wash both hands, Watch your length – and vaccinate. This is actually the full arsenal of ammunition to fight herpes. it is currently a matter of employing these resources consistently, as well as scale. 

Listen below to our full sound interview with Dr. Ofrin:

All hands on deck

Dr. Ali Haque: Right now, we’re targeting getting important oxygen gear. We’re additionally working on procuring evaluating devices, and getting COVID vaccines sent to individuals. We now have countless experience vaccinating kiddies, and we’re adapting that experience to anticipate what type of bottlenecks we’re more likely to face, and problems of vaccine hesitancy or vaccine eagerness. We’ve administered close to 160 million amounts in about 110 times that will be probably the fastest in the world.

The task, obviously may be the numbers, how big Asia, the distances plus the landscapes that sometimes should be covered. It isn’t a straightforward task, but in my opinion that, if it is possible everywhere, it will be possible here.

Dr. Ofrin: Asia is one of the nations that does mass immunisation extremely, well. In the event that you examine how things were only available in the usa, they certainly were perhaps not used to mass vaccination promotions. Asia features a very good tradition and history of vaccinations, and that’s why the launch on January 16 went really. But to achieve herd resistance, we must get everybody else vaccinated but men and women should also respond in manners which can be proper.

We’ve been tapping our system of 2600 community health experts in Asia, and our experts in the industry happen promoting our response: it really is all hands on deck for us. A number of our concern places will continue to encircle the maintenance of important wellness services. Needless to say, disease avoidance and control is very important, nevertheless first priority is completing vital gaps.

Pay attention below to your full interview with Dr. Ali Haque:

Consequences lasts years

Dr. Ali Haque: The consequences with this pandemic is likely to be around for years. We are already witnessing the secondary effects, specially on kids additionally the poorest and most marginalised groups. 

When you look at the best-case scenario, we estimate that about 50 % of kids gain access to remote learning. Which means that around 150 million children of school-going age do not have accessibility. Our company is currently reading of stories of an increase in youngster labour, the first wedding of women particularly plus child trafficking.

We must address the psychosocial traumatization the kids are facing now, and be ready for the long term impacts. With so many people dying, kiddies are increasingly being remaining without parental care or without caregivers, so there has to be an investment in cultivating and alternative care plans of these kiddies. 

But i believe the way in which we have seen communities come together, as well as the extent that people is donating, has been unprecedented. This can be likely to be essential if we are to see the financial investment in crucial services that enable kiddies to stay healthier, to thrive, and to recover from the injury produced by this pandemic.
 

India’s new COVID-19 wave is spreading like ‘wildfire’, warns UN Children’s Fund

In the last 24 hours, India registered 3,915 coronavirus deaths and 414,188 cases “which is the highest daily case count recorded by any country in the history of COVID-19 pandemic”, said Yasmin Ali Haque, UNICEF Representative in India.

“UNICEF is of course very concerned about this deadly daily surge in new cases”, she added. “This wave is almost four times the size of the first wave and the virus is spreading much faster. On average, there were more than four new cases every second and more than two deaths every minute in the last 24 hours.”

Overwhelmed health centres

The UN official noted that health facilities have been overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients, amid reports that pregnant women have struggled to find the support they need to give birth.

“With 27 million births and 30 million pregnancies every year, life-saving services to help women give birth are critical in India” Ms. Ali Haque said. “What is happening in India should raise alarm bells for all of us. The pandemic is far from over. COVID-19 cases are rising at an alarming rate across South Asia, especially in Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.”

Very low levels of vaccination in most South Asian countries – less than 10 per cent in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal – were also adding to concerns of the virus spiralling even further, the UNICEF representative noted. 

Second wave impact

UNICEF is also concerned that the COVID-19 surge has also led to “dire consequences” for a greater number of children than during the first wave of infections, with access to essential health, social, protection and education services constrained.

“Children are facing mental health issues and are at greater risk of violence, as lockdowns shut them off from their vital support networks”, Ms. Ali Haque said.

Although there is no indication that the proportion of children getting infected is any different to the first wave, “the numbers are far greater”, she insisted. “We’re seeing the virus entering a household; it just takes one member of the household to be affected and it seems to spread like wildfire throughout the family.”

Illegal adoptions

This has been accompanied by a likely spike in illegal adoption pleas on internet platforms by families desperate to find homes for orphaned relatives, prompting fears of child exploitation, the UN official said.

Authorities were “beginning to pick up on numbers” of vulnerable children, the UNICEF official continued, in a call to promote family tracing and speedier help for destitute families.

“When we see that children are being orphaned and we do see that there is a lot of trafficking of children which is reported, children go missing, those systems are beginning to pick up on numbers”, she said.

There is a greater alertness around any family seeing that children (that) have been affected get reported…While there isn’t enough data yet, we can see that illegal adoption pleas have surfaced on social media, making these orphans vulnerable to trafficking and abuse.”

Early-warning ‘pandemic hub’ plan unveiled by WHO’s Tedros and Germany’s Merkel

Supported by the German Government, the centre will specialize in gathering epidemic intelligence, data, surveillance and analytics innovation.

It will open later this year, according to Chancellor Angela Merkel, who explained how she had first discussed the idea last autumn, with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Joint action

“The world has learned that we can only meet a global challenge such as the current COVID-19 pandemic through joint action,” said Chancellor Merkel, in a pre-recorded video message, broadcast during a press conference at the WHO in Geneva.

“Meanwhile, we have also realised that the WHO is the central global health institution in this effort. An essential basis for the fight against future pandemics is data. Data that, when bundled and processed with the correct analytical tools, yields insights that we could never discover on our own, or at least not so quickly.”

The WHO is the central global health institution in this effort Chancellor Angela Merkel

Echoing the need for greater cooperation and information-sharing between countries to complement existing international health regulations, Tedros underscored the likely recurrence of new global health threats:

“The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed gaps in the global systems for pandemic and epidemic intelligence. And it’s a fact of nature that there will more viruses that will emerge with the potential of sparking epidemics or pandemics. Viruses move fast, but data can move even faster.”

Stay ahead of the virus

Although “viruses move fast… data can move even faster”, the WHO chief insisted, adding that “with the right information, countries and communities can stay one step ahead of an emerging risk and save lives. Modern technologies give us unprecedented tools for collecting, analysing and disseminating data in real time around the world. That’s what the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence aims to do.”

A super-computer will help the new centre to “predict, prevent, detect prepare for and respond to pandemic and epidemic risks worldwide”, according to WHO.

Health Emergencies Programme Executive Director, Dr. Michael Ryan. highlighted the importance of taking immediate action and sharing information when tackling future public health threats:

“There are many problems to solve here and issues around transparency and accountability cannot necessarily be solved by new technologies”, he said, noting that “being able to generate early insights as to disease risk and vulnerability, and be able to take immediate action, has been a very important factor in being able to mitigate disease quickly.”

Epidemic ‘surveillance system’

Dr Ryan highlighted how the Berlin centre would help to identify “signals that may occur before epidemics happen”, as “there are risks that emerge at the animal-human interface, there is data on everything from climate to mobility, to as I said animal-related data that can give us pre-signals, signals before epidemics start of high risks and of high vulnerabilities.

“The hub will allow us to develop tools for that sort of predicted analytics, it will also give us tools for managing during epidemics, in terms of managing societal response.”

German Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn, noted that the WHO Hub would act as a “global early warning surveillance system”.

It will support the work of public health experts and policymakers in all countries, to help them respond rapidly to future public health emergencies, he added.

“Globally we all need to work together to be better prepared for the next pandemic and the second is that we must strengthen WHO’s leading and coordinating role, particularly in pandemic preparedness.”

South Asia: ‘Real possibility’ health systems will be strained to a breaking point, UNICEF warns

In a statement on Tuesday, George Laryea-Adjei, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, called for “urgent action and steadfast leadership” to stop the catastrophe.

“Governments must do everything within their power to stop the devastation, and partners that are able to send assistance must do so immediately. The international community must step up without delay. This is not just a moral imperative”, he said.

Mr. Laryea-Adjei also reiterated the importance of individual responsibility.

“Every decision we make has the potential to alter the course of this surge – and to either safeguard or endanger the lives of those around us. We may be exhausted, but the virus is not”, he stressed.

He also reminded everyone to ensure they wear masks, wash hands thoroughly with soap, keep physical distances, and to get vaccinated if they have the opportunity to do so.

Sharp rises across the region

Countries across the region are witnessing rises in infections, with India accounting for over 90 per cent of both cases and deaths in the region, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). India accounts, as well as 46 per cent of global cases and 25 per cent of global deaths reported in the past week, WHO added.

Neighboring countries Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka also reported increasing caseloads.

The situation is particularly alarming in Nepal, where cases recorded a 137 per cent rise this week, reaching the highest levels since the pandemic started last year, severely straining its fragile health system and resulting in shortage of hospital beds, intensive care units and critical medical supplies, including personal protective equipment (PPE) and oxygen concentrators.

The Nepalese Government last week announced a lockdown in many locations across the country, including in Kathmandu valley, and suspended domestic flights to stymie the spread of coronavirus.

Pakistan is also experiencing a major surge in COVID-19 and the number of cases increased rapidly in recent weeks, with daily cases reaching a seven-day average of 5,500 cases per day, up from an average of 1,100 cases per day in February.

According to a humanitarian bulletin from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), healthcare system has been impacted in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with hospitals reporting shortages of available beds, oxygen, and other essential supplies.

Very low levels of vaccinations

The UNICEF official also warned that the very low levels of vaccination in the region could magnify the likelihood of the virus spiraling “even further out of control”.

According to UNICEF, in almost all countries in the region, with the exception of Maldives and Bhutan, fewer than 1 in 10 people have been vaccinated.

“Now more than ever, we must ensure vaccines equitably reach all populations. Manufacturing must be ramped up, technology transferred, and doses equitably shared. None of us are safe until all of us are safe”, said Mr. Laryea-Adjei. 

UN report sounds alarm on acute global shortage of midwives

The 2021 State of the World’s Midwifery report, launched on Wednesday by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Confederation of Midwives, said that fully resourcing midwife-delivered care by 2035 would avert roughly two-thirds of maternal, newborn deaths and stillbirths, saving 4.3 million lives per year.

Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), highlighted the “enormous impact” midwives have on women and their families.

“A capable, well-trained midwife can have an enormous impact on childbearing women and their families – an impact often passed on from one generation to the next.”

“At UNFPA, we have spent more than a decade strengthening education, enhancing working conditions and supporting leadership roles for the midwifery profession. We have seen that these efforts work”, she added.

The report called on governments to provide an enabling work environment for midwives, free from gender-related stigma, violence and discrimination. It also urged greater investment in the education and training of midwives and midwife-led service delivery, and midwifery leadership and governance.

Appointing senior midwives as leaders at country level would provide a significant lever for building capacity, it noted.

Providing health services, protecting women’s rights

Midwives do not just attend births, they also provide antenatal and postnatal care and a range of sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, detecting and treating sexually transmitted infections, and sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents, all while ensuring respectful care and upholding women’s rights.

As numbers of midwives increase and they are able to provide care in an enabling environment, women’s and newborns’ health improves as a whole, benefitting all of society.

The report’s 2021 edition – the third in the series – noted, however, that despite previous warnings and presenting a roadmap to remedy the deficit, progress has been very slow. According to latest analysis, at the current rate, the situation would improve “only slightly” by 2030.

Learn lessons from the pandemic

Against this background, the report called on Governments and stakeholders to “build back better and fairer” from the pandemic, forging stronger primary health-care systems as a pathway to universal health coverage and fostering a more equitable world for all.

“We must learn the lessons the pandemic is teaching us, by implementing policies and making investments that deliver better support and protection for midwives and other health workers”, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said.

“This report provides the data and evidence to support WHO’s longstanding call to strengthen the midwifery workforce, which will deliver a triple dividend in contributing to better health, gender equality and inclusive economic growth”, he added.

Follow the data, invest in midwives

The launch of the report coincided with the International Day of the Midwife, observed annually on 5 May. The Day recognizes the crucial role these essential healthcare professionals have in preventing maternal and newborn deaths and empowering women to make the best choices for themselves and their babies.

This year’s theme is Follow the Data, Invest in Midwives.

Franka Cadée, President of the International Confederation of Midwives, appealed to governments and policy makers to act on the report’s recommendations.

“As autonomous, primary care providers, midwives are continually overlooked and ignored. It’s time for governments to acknowledge the evidence surrounding the life-promoting, life-saving impact of midwife-led care, and take action on the State of the World’s Midwifery report’s recommendations.”