Bloomberg: Asia Trounces U.S. in Health-Efficiency Index Amid Pandemic “As a pandemic ravaged the world, Asian economies led by Hong Kong and Singapore topped a ranking of most-efficient health care systems. The Bloomberg Health-Efficiency Index, first conducted in 2013, tracks life expectancy and medical spending to determine which health-care systems…

CIDRAP News: COVID-19 surges stretch health systems in U.S., elsewhere “COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States continue to climb, with some declines seen in some Upper Midwest states, but surging activity in states such as California. In Europe, some countries are struggling with slowing their activity in…

New York Times: Paul Farmer Is Awarded the $1 Million Berggruen Prize “Paul Farmer, a medical anthropologist who has fought for stronger public health care infrastructure around the world, has been named the recipient of the 2020 Berggruen Prize. The $1 million prize, which is awarded annually to people who…

UNAIDS: Coming together to address the cost of inequality “…Although the colliding pandemics of HIV and COVID-19 are hitting the poorest and the most vulnerable the hardest, through national resource mobilization the COVID-19 crisis has created an opportunity for partners to mobilize in support of the communities they serve. The…

U.N. News: World must invest in strong health systems that protect everyone — now and into the future “The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed just how important it is for all countries to have strong health systems that provide the entire population with quality services when and where they need them,…

U.N. News: Water, hygiene woes at health facilities putting lives at risk: U.N. report “Lack of basic water and sanitation services at health facilities has put around 1.8 billion health workers and patients at higher risk of COVID-19 infection and other diseases, the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.N. Children’s…

WHO: Universal Health Coverage Day 2020 For Universal Health Coverage Day, recognized on Dec. 12, WHO states, “This year’s UHC Day theme reminds us of our most urgent priority: Health for All: Protect Everyone. To end this [COVID-19] crisis and build a safer and healthier future, we must invest in…

U.N. News: Human rights must be ‘front and center’ of COVID-19 response: Secretary-General “U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has called for human rights to be put ‘front and center’ of COVID-19 response and recovery globally in order to achieve a better future for people everywhere. The U.N. chief made the appeal…

CDC: Updates from the Field: Protecting Health and Building Capacity Globally The latest issue of the CDC Division of Global Health Protection’s Updates from the Field focuses on responding to COVID-19 through strengthened public health systems and includes articles on investing in laboratory capacity, Africa CDC’s continent-wide response, and the…

AP: ‘Route out’ of pandemic: U.K. gives 1st COVID-19 vaccine doses “A retired British shop clerk received the first shot in the country’s COVID-19 vaccination program Tuesday, signaling the start of a global immunization effort intended to offer a route out of a pandemic that has killed 1.5 million. Margaret…