The costs of the COVID-19 pandemic are going to be monumental. Africa alone is estimated to need US$100-$200 billion to address the impact. In higher income countries, governments have stepped forward with trillions in economic stimulus packages. But the majority of developing countries do not have the money to cover the costs of this pandemic.
Debt relief is one of the fastest, most effective means of freeing up cash in developing country budgets. The recent G20 agreement to suspend debt...
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Developing a vaccine is key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are currently almost 100 COVID vaccine candidates under development.
During a recent press briefing, Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, explained that “in an extraordinary time like this is the world coming to fully appreciate the need for vaccines … people understand more why it’s so important.”
“If we want to end this pandemic, minimise the loss of life, and return to some semblance of normality …...
Mrs. Amira Elfadil Mohammed Elfadil is the African Union commissioner for social affairs.
With COVID-19 transcending borders and spreading at an alarming rate, this pandemic serves as a valuable reminder that we are one world, one humanity. In Africa, COVID19 has placed health, health systems, primary healthcare, and universal healthcare access squarely on the agenda of health and non-health actors at the highest policy levels of the continent. The pandemic has overwhelmed advanced health facilities, and experts predict it could...
Bryan Ceronie is a medical doctor in the UK.
We are living in unprecedented times. The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched across the world in a matter of months, affecting virtually everyone.
But just because we’re in a pandemic does not mean the risk of other diseases goes away. In fact, there is a real risk of routine immunisations being sidelined in favour of resource reallocation for the pandemic.
Vaccinations are one of the single most important public health interventions in protecting the...
The world has recently been plunged in the deep end of this temporary but indeterminate new way of life. The pandemic has forced adjustments not only at institutional levels but in our personal day-to-day lives. Although a sense of an undetermined future has made the world feel unsettled, we cannot lose hope in fighting the virus.
It is also important to acknowledge and appreciate those taking the big bold steps in ensuring, individually or as a community, that humanity doesn’t...
A video was recently circulated showing people in overcrowded slums in Lagos, Nigeria resisting lockdown. In the video, people expressed their dissatisfaction with the lockdown, citing their inability to meet their food and energy needs as a major concern.
In Kenya, commuters at a ferry received a bout of tear gas as the police tried to disperse a crowd of ferry commuters in Mombasa trying to escape the impending curfew the next day. We should expect to see more of...
During the COVID-19 pandemic, people all over the world are increasingly standing in solidarity with each other to beat the virus. But as we live through this, the cold hard fact about the COVID-19 pandemic is clear – it will inevitably wreak its worst on the people, communities, and countries that are least able to withstand the shock. Where you live shouldn’t determine whether you live.
If the virus is moving faster than we are, it’s winning. But, the good...
In truth, none of us are safe until all of us are safe. The COVID-19 pandemic paints this in living colour. Nigeria faces the same challenges as the rest of the world. But in our case, Nigeria has far more people living in poverty and a lot of people working in the informal economy. They are harder hit by the pandemic and most impacted by the measures that work to mitigate the pandemic, such as staying at home, social...
The COVID-19 pandemic is arguably the biggest challenge facing humanity today. More than 440,000 cases have been confirmed in 196 countries and territories, and almost 20,000 people have died.
Beyond the health impact, the spread of the virus is hurting the global economy. The impact is already visible in China and across Europe, where travel restrictions and distancing measures have disrupted global supply chains and reduced economic activity. But the good news is that world leaders are working hard to...
A question for all women: if you were to create an invoice for all the unpaid and unrecognised work that you do, how much more would you earn daily? Weekly?
Every day, millions of women globally engage in activities that they are not financially remunerated for. From cooking to cleaning to showing up at children’s school activities, women are responsible for 75% of all unpaid care and domestic work, which is far more than their male counterparts.
It is estimated that...