Tag: COVID
World News in Brief: COVID risk still high, massive Congo flood displacement, concern over Sri Lanka drugs crackdown
The virus is still circulating globally but relatively few countries are following infections closely, meaning the actual threat due to the coronavirus and its variants could be anything from two to 19 times higher than what is being reported to WHO. The agency’s COVID focal point, Dr Maria Van Kerhove, told journalists in Geneva that…
Read MoreWorld News in Brief: Gaza relief ‘an impossible mission’, COVID spreading fast again, food prices fall
“Its people are witnessing daily threats to their very existence – while the world watches on”, warned Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths in a statement, adding that “hope has never been more elusive” amidst deteriorating conditions. “The humanitarian community has been left with the impossible mission of supporting more than two million people, even as…
Read MoreWHO: ‘Long COVID’ may obstruct return to normal life for 36 million Europeans
This summer will be “the first in more than three years that many of us will enjoy without the looming threat of COVID-19”, but the life-threatening virus has not gone away completely, WHO’s regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, told reporters at a virtual press conference from Copenhagen. Each week, the coronavirus still causes at least…
Read MoreWHO launches new pandemic prevention plan, as COVID deaths fall 95 per cent
The guidance provides a joined-up approach for responding to the threat or arrival of any respiratory pathogen such as flu or the range of coronaviruses, that have the ability to rapidly mutate into different variants. The new Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats Initiative, or PRET, incorporates the latest tools and approaches for shared learning and collective action established…
Read MoreMillions of children deprived of life-saving vaccinations amid COVID pandemic, misinformation surge
In its State of the World’s Children 2023 report, UNICEF says that vaccination coverage levels decreased in 112 countries during the pandemic, “the largest sustained backslide in childhood immunization in 30 years”. According to the agency, a rise in misleading information on vaccines is one of the factors at play. UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell…
Read MoreCaribbean carnival performers take stage to fight COVID disinformation
Dressed in black with a flowing cape and extravagantly oversized hat, performer Kurt Layne’s distinctive macabre ensemble blends influences from film depictions of the American wild west with West African culture. He cuts an imposing figure as he struts along a road bringing to life a traditional Carnival character, the Midnight Robber. He recently performed…
Read MoreCOVID in Europe: China’s surge not a cause for concern ‘at this time’ says WHO, as XBB.1.5 virus spreads
Dr. Hans Kluge, head of the World Health Organization for Europe, explained that this is because the two variants circulating in China are already present in European countries, according to data provided by the Chinese authorities. “We share the current view of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) that the ongoing surge in…
Read MoreWHO’s Tedros recaps challenging year, appeals for more information on COVID spread in China
To make a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation on the ground, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu told journalists at a regular briefing in Geneva that WHO needs more detailed information on disease severity, hospital admissions and requirements for ICU support. “WHO is supporting China to focus its efforts on vaccinating people at the highest risk across the…
Read MoreYoung workers have been hit hardest by COVID fallout, says UN labour agency |
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the pandemic has caused many additional problems for 15 to 24-year-olds who’ve experienced “much higher” unemployment losses than older workers since the global health emergency was declared in early 2020. Young women have struggled more than their male counterparts to find work, while Arab nations are expected to…
Read MoreTedros urges Pfizer to make oral COVID antiviral available more widely |
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s appeal comes as confirmed coronavirus cases jumped nearly 30 per cent in the past two weeks, with increased infections in four out of six regions of the world. Agreeing terms “Our organizations are still trying to finalize with Pfizer the appropriate terms and conditions for low and middle-income countries”, he told journalists,…
Read More