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COVID-19

COVID-19

Photo: Children fill their cups at a water point built by UNICEF at Kanyosha III primary school in Bujumbura, Burundi. Credit: UNICEF/UNI180029/Colfs

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Africa's infection rates are still relatively low to the wonderment of some in the western world who predicted infection rates in the billions. In fact, African governments in many cases took preventative steps – from closing borders, social distancing, shutting educational institutions and banning mass gatherings.

By April 19, the Africa CDC reported that 34 countries had gone further and brought in night-time curfews or partial lockdowns. Eleven brought in rules requiring people to wear face masks in public.

SUSTAINABILITY
Peace & Justice

Image credit: The German Medical Association

The what, where, when, why, who, and how of the coronavirus pandemic

Viewpoint by Dr. Dilkhush Panjwani *

TORONTO (IDN) – Humanity is facing close encounters with the unfolding crisis of the novel coronavirus SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. Doctors, nurses, paramedics, and many other essential service providers are on the frontline, risking their lives to save lives through their selfless and dedicated service in their communities and hospitals. These frontline heroes are facing many challenges in performing their noble tasks. Notwithstanding the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), and ventilators in intensive care units (ICUs), they face the risk of contracting the COVID-19 disease due to extensive exposures in their line of duty.

OPINION

Image: Collage of pictures about biomedical research. Source: Delhi Posr

Viewpoint by Sreenath Namboodiri*

The author is Assistant Professor of Law at School of Ethics, Governance, Culture & Social Systems, Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth (deemed to be university), Ernakulam, Kerala, India. He can be reached on twitter @SnathNamboodiri

NEW DELHI (IDN) – Failures of the patent system to meet the public health priorities demand a new approach in research and development (R&D) financing and incentive to pharmaceutical innovations. An R&D model delinking the cost of R&D from the price of the product is the way forward.

OPINION

Image: Abstract image of the impact of covid-19 on the economy. Source: SciencesPro

By Santo D. Banerjee

NEW YORK (IDN) — The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to deal a huge blow to global efforts for eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, two of the vital goals of the 17 SDGs. A new UN report expects more than 34 million people to fall below the extreme poverty line in 2020. 56 percent of them will be in African countries. An additional 130 million people may join the ranks of people living in extreme poverty by 2030.

COVID-19

Photo: A detention camp for immigrants and asylum seekers in Greece. Source. Human Rights Watch.

Viewpoint by Eva Cossé, Human Rights Watch

The writer is Western Europe researcher, works on issues related to discrimination, migration, asylum and minority rights, with a focus on Greece. This article first appeared on Human Rights Watch, and is being reproduced with the author's permission.

LONDON | ATHENS (IDN) – The Greek government has begun easing lockdown measures, given the country’s success in keeping Covid-19 under control. Starting last week, people could leave their homes without authorization, most shops have re-opened, and older students have returned to the classroom.

OPINION

Photo: Collage with images from Ghana and Sierra Leone.

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – A new fact-checking industry had its hands full recently in Senegal when a fake news post on social media claimed that children were “dying on the spot” from vaccines against the corona virus.

The post, titled “Scandal in Senegal”, was shared thousands of times on Facebook even as the fact checkers insisted it was a hoax.

"There is a big scandal in Senegal,” the misleading news spot was heard to say on a Facebook video in Wolof. “There is a guy who came into a house to vaccinate kids for coronavirus. He vaccinated seven children who died on the spot."

SUSTAINABILITY
Health & Well Being

Image credit: Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York.

By Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sr Lanka President

The following is the text of the Sri Lankan President's address on May 4 to the online summit meeting of the 120-member Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) under the theme "United Against COVID-19":

COLOMBO (IDN) – I am pleased to be participating at this Summit, in support of global solidarity, unity and renewed multi-lateral cooperation in overcoming COVID-19.

Sri Lanka firmly believes that this Summit will serve as an important platform for the NAM Member States to support collective global action in combating this deadly virus and sharing best practices and lessons learnt.

OPINION

Image: Collage of images of biomasks and COVID-19 with graphics from Internet.

Viewpoint by Jayasri Priyalal

SINGAPORE (IDN) – Weapons of Mass Destructions (WMD) were something that USA and UK coalition forces were trying to find in the armouries of Saddam Hussain in Iraq in March 2003. Anglo-Saxon media was painting the fears of death, destruction and sufferings to humankind unless those weapons were destroyed – justifying the illegal invasion of the allied forces into a sovereign Iraq, violating all international laws and order.

They found neither any evidence of WMD nor chemical weapons for justifying the invasion. Will the COVID-19 too, become an invisible WMD with the ongoing global pandemic which has locked down nearly the entire world economy?

OPINION

Photo: Demonstrators filled the sidewalk and part of 10th Street in Sacramento during the "Operation Gridlock" stay-at-home protest at the Capitol Monday, April 20, 2020. Photo by Andrew Nixon, CapRadi

Viewpoint by Cees Jan Hamelink*

This article was originally published on Other News, a vehicle for "voices against the tide" and is being reproduced with thanks.

AMSTERDAM (IDN) – As a scientist it is of course gratifying for me to hear that government policy on Covid-19 takes science seriously. And it is gratifying when press conferences of the prime minister and other authorities refer to scientific research. However, if it is not immediately mentioned by whom these studies were carried out and by whom they were critically assessed, I, as a scientist, become restless.

OPINION

Photo: An air and missile defense crew member loads a Stinger missile onto an Avenger short-range air defense missile system on Shipton Kaserne, Ansbach, Germany, during training, April 30, 2020. Credit: Dani Johnson, U.S. Army

By Dani Johnson

The writer is assigned to United States Army Garrison Ansbach in Germany's southern state of Bavaria. This feature first appeared on U.S. Defense News on May 9. While the global media is focused on the impact of the disastrous impact of the corona virus on the U.S. and elsewhere around the world, the American Air Defense Artillery Battalion is maintaining "combat proficiency".

ANSBACH, Germany (IDN) – With the mission of providing short-range air defense, the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, or 5-4 ADAR, continues to train to maintain combat proficiency on Shipton Kaserne, Ansbach, Germany, during the COVID-19 pandemic. [Shipton Konzerne is a small United States Army post outside of Ansbach, Germany.]

COVID-19

  1. We Are Fighting Two Enemies at the Same Time: a Deadly Virus and a Deadlier Hunger
  2. COVID-19: An Open Letter from African Intellectuals to Africa’s Leaders
  3. Pandemics: Lessons Looking Back from 2050 – Part 1
  4. Sri Lanka Has Been Successful in Countering COVID-19
  5. Fake News Is 'Infodemic' That Puts Lives at Risk

Page 5 of 16

UN News

This interactive WHO dashboard/map provides the latest global numbers and numbers by country of COVID-19 cases on a daily Basis.

Newsletter

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