Dr. Isaac Olufadewa is the executive director of the Slum and Rural Health Initiative Network in Nigeria. We interviewed Dr. Olufadewa as part of our #PassTheMic series. Here’s some of what he had to say. Here in Africa not only do we have the coronavirus crisis, we also have health systems that are really struggling. Looking at some of the problems we are facing right now, one of the things that we are really battling against is misinformation and fake news....
What policy measures have African governments taken so far during the COVID-19 pandemic? How many ventilators, hospital beds, and intensive care units do countries currently have? What have the economic shocks from COVID-19 meant for food security and remittances? While the virus itself has been slower to impact Africa than other parts of the world, the drastic declines in global trade and travel — combined with measures like quarantines — are significantly impacting economies and well-being across the continent. To better...
Dame Minouche Shafik is the director of the London School of Economics. We interviewed Dame Minouche as part of our #PassTheMic series. Here’s some of what she had to say in the interview. The biggest challenge we currently face with coronavirus is — and it seems obvious to say this — that it’s a global pandemic. So unless we solve it everywhere, we will never solve it. On the health side, a global response is essential for solving this pandemic. Otherwise,...
Dr. Anthony Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Julia Roberts interviewed Dr. Fauci as part of our #PassTheMic series. Here’s some of what Dr. Fauci had to say in the interview.  We’re currently dealing with a public health crisis, and the most important thing that people can do right now is listen to the scientific evidence. At the moment, that clearly indicates that physical separation is working to a certain extent. So now...
The COVID-19 pandemic is dominating news channels, social media, and our daily conversations. With such an overwhelming amount of information, it can be hard to cut through the noise. That’s why we’re launching #PassTheMic, so that we can hear directly from the experts and frontline workers. Each day, celebrities including Julia Roberts, Danai Gurira, and Hugh Jackman will hand their social media channels over to medical experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, frontline workers like Dr. Tsion Firew of Columbia University,...
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...
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 …...
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 immunizations being sidelined in favor of resource reallocation for the pandemic. Vaccinations are one of the single most important public health interventions in protecting the...
COVID-19 is impacting our lives, our communities, and our economies. While the virus is affecting everyone, it will have the most significant impact on those most vulnerable, whether they live across the street or across the ocean. Viruses don’t pay attention to borders — and neither can the world’s response plan. We need to mobilize resources for a humanitarian response not seen in decades. We need to make sure that new medicines and a vaccine, once available, are distributed equitably....
As part of its COVID-19 action plan, the G20 has agreed to suspend debt repayments for the poorest countries who request relief, for the rest of 2020. They estimate this could free up to $12 billion in government debt payments. The G20 also calls on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and private lenders to provide comparable debt relief. This decision follows calls from the ONE Campaign and 200 other organizations to support the world’s most vulnerable nations during...