Borgen Magazine: Four Companies in Developing Countries Contributing to the SDGs (Cade, 12/17). Devex: Q&A: The need for more early stage investment in RMNCAH solutions (12/18). Devex: Q&A: The value of the private sector in health system strengthening (12/18). Devex: If COVID-19 changes finance, will that help development funding? (Saldinger,…

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…

STAT: One-quarter of the world may not get a Covid-19 vaccine until 2022, experts warn “As wealthy governments race to lock in supplies of Covid-19 vaccines, nearly a quarter of the world’s population — mostly in low- and middle-income countries — will not have access to a shot until 2022,…

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…

Bloomberg: The Coronavirus Vaccine Could Be the Ultimate Gateway Drug (Baker/Patel, 12/16). Bloomberg: Southeast Asia Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker: Who Gets What, When (Sayson/Jiao, 12/16). Borgen Magazine: America’s Role in the Fight Against Global Poverty (Wallman, 12/14). Devex: Fragile countries are ‘backdoors’ for Russian attacks, says former Trump official (Igoe, 12/15).…

Al Jazeera: COVID cases skyrocket in Brazil with no vaccination start date “…Long queues for intensive care beds are forming outside public healthcare systems across Rio de Janeiro with wait times of more than 15 days for some COVID-19 patients. … Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been at odds with…

The Guardian: Australia’s initial vaccine rollout unlikely to stop Covid transmission, study finds (Davey, 12/14). The Hill: U.S. begins COVID-19 vaccinations in moment of hope (Hellmann, 12/14). The Hill: Health official warns Brazil may not get mass vaccinations until March (Coleman, 12/14). New York Times: ‘Playing With Lives’: Brazil’s Covid…

AP: Ethiopia returns refugees who fled Tigray fighting, to alarm (Anna, 12/11). AP: India’s pandemic recovery plan could cost air quality goals (Ghosal, 12/11). Devex: U.S. election marks return to ‘climate responsibility,’ says Paris Agreement architect (Abrahams, 12/10). Devex: Q&A: Investing now in preparation for COVID-19’s successor (12/11). Forbes: A…

AP: Argentina’s lower house approves bill legalizing abortion “Lawmakers in Argentina’s lower house on Friday passed a bill that would legalize elective abortions to the 14th week of pregnancy, a proposal from President Alberto Fernández in response to long-sought demands from women’s rights activists in the homeland of Pope Francis.…

AP: South Africa sees sharp rise in virus, part of African wave (Magome, 12/10). Borgen Magazine: Dr. Joseph Hogan on Pooled Testing for HIV/AIDS (Hogan, 12/9). Devex: What should change after COVID-19, according to the stars of Netflix’s ‘Pandemic’ series (Ravelo, 12/10). Devex: U.K. Parliament’s International Development Committee saved (Worley,…