Category: Development

The Secretary-Generally has repeatedly called for the vaccines to be “a global public good”, accessible to all people, everywhere. All UN staffers at UN Headquarters are waiting their turn for the vaccine based on the local rollout plan, and Mr. Guterres is among the first in the Big Apple-based UN family to receive a jab, based on his eligibility – he’s over the standard UN retirement aged of 65.   The UN chief spoke to the site manager, Yaeshea Braddock, while getting his second innoculation about the importance of fair access to…

Read More

The delivery of AstraZeneca/Oxford jabs, following the first historic shipment to Ghana earlier this week, showcases an unprecedented international parternship to provide at least two billion doses of coronavirus shots by the end of this year. The vaccine doses were shipped by UNICEF from the Indian metropolis of Mumbai, via its regional supply centre, Dubai, to Côte d’Ivoire’s capital, Abidjan, as part of the first wave of vaccines headed to several low and middle income countries. Equitable shots “Today is an important first step towards achieving our shared vision of vaccine equity,…

Read More

The document summarizes what is known so far about “long COVID” and how countries are addressing the condition, whose troubling symptoms include severe fatigue and increased damage to the heart, lungs and brain.  The policy briefwas published by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Office for Europe and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.  Struggling to be taken seriously  Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO’s Regional Director, said long COVID is an extra cause for concern amid the pandemic, which has already caused immense suffering.  “It’s important that patients reporting…

Read More

So far, nine cases have been reported in Guinea, leading to five deaths. While there have been no confirmed cases beyond the West African nation so far, the outbreak’s epicentre, Gouecke, N’Zerekore prefecture, is close to the borders of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire, according to the UN health agency. Scaling up response Despite limited border controls, all six neighboring countries – Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone – are urgently updating national response plans using the WHO readiness assessment tool, to detect, isolate and manage…

Read More

Confirming the news on Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that further supplies of the AstraZeneca/Oxford jab will reach Côte d’Ivoire later this week. These are the first coronavirus shots from the COVAX scheme to be distributed outside India, where the vaccine is being produced under licence. Further supplies will be shipped to the other members as the global rollout gathers pace, when readiness criteria have been met and the doses produced. Only the beginning Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director General, welcomed the development, along with COVAX partners…

Read More

According to WFP’s report, State of School Feeding Worldwide, 370 million children in 199 countries and territories were suddenly deprived of school meals, when schools closed due to the pandemic. That meal was for many their only nutritious food of the day.  #DYK In some countries school meals are the only food a child receives in a day? During the pandemic WFP has supported over 57 governments to provide take-home rations or cash-based transfers so that #remotelearning doesn’t stop nutritional growth. 🏠🥘💪 pic.twitter.com/hgmABLsCoH — World Food Programme (@WFP) February 15,…

Read More

The shipment is part of “the first wave” of syringes and safety boxes organised by the agency, which over the next few weeks, plans to dispatch more than 14.5 million single-use needles to more than 30 countries, including Côte d’Ivoire and São Tomé and Principe. Last year, we began buying 1 billion syringes for COVID-19 vaccinations. Today, the first deliveries arrived in countries ahead of vaccines – a major moment in global efforts to end the pandemic.https://t.co/KfDcK3Q3B6 — UNICEF (@UNICEF) February 23, 2021 These include the 0.5 millilitre syringes which…

Read More

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was speaking at WHO’s regular bi-weekly briefing for journalists on the latest efforts to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic. He began by praising Friday’s pledge from leaders of the seven leading industrial nations, the G7, to intensify cooperation and increase their overall contribution to the international effort under the so-called ACT Accelerator programme, to around $7.5 billion. COVAX is working to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics to end the crippling march of the coronavirus, and Tedros expressed his thanks to the G7, together with European Union…

Read More

“Our global tests and challenges are getting bigger and more complex. Yet our responses remain fragmented and insufficient”, Secretary-General António Guterres said via videoconference.  “2021 must be the year to get back on track. Pandemic recovery is our chance”.  Global Vaccination Plan  The UN chief stressed the need for available and affordable inoculations for everyone, everywhere.  “Vaccine equity is crucial for saving lives and for saving economies”, he said. “Countries need to share excess doses and provide the billions needed for the COVAX initiative to be in full swing”.  The UN-led vaccine initiative, COVAX, is part of the Access…

Read More

The strategy follows the initial plan last year that outlined the path countries should take to suppress transmission of the new coronavirus.  “Fully funding the SPRP is not just an investment in responding to COVID-19, it’s an investment in the global recovery and in building the architecture to prepare for, prevent and mitigate future health emergencies”, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking during his routine press conference.  Six main objectives  The 2021 plan will have six objectives: suppressing transmission, reducing exposure, countering misinformation and disinformation, protecting vulnerable people, reducing…

Read More