Devex: WFP chief warns of ‘hunger pandemic’ as COVID-19 threatens food security
“An already bleak global food security picture will be compounded as the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic destroy livelihoods, disrupt supply chains, strain national budgets, and restrict trade, the Global Network Against Food Crises has warned. The concerns were raised Tuesday as the group released its annual ‘Global Report on Food Crises,’ which calculated that 135 million people in 55 countries and territories were suffering from acute food insecurity. That number could double as another 130 million are impacted by the pandemic, World Food Programme Executive Director David Beasley told the U.N. Security Council…” (Welsh, 4/22).

The Guardian: ‘Millions hang by a thread’: extreme global hunger compounded by Covid-19
“The warning from the World Food Programme (WFP) that 265 million people could be pushed into acute food insecurity by Covid-19, almost doubling last year’s total, is based on a complex combination of factors. WFP’s latest warning underlines the increasing concern among experts in the field that for many the biggest impact will not be the disease, but the hunger hanging off its coat tails…” (Beaumont, 4/21).

U.N. News: As famines of ‘biblical proportion’ loom, Security Council urged to ‘act fast’
“The world is not only facing ‘a global health pandemic but also a global humanitarian catastrophe,’ the U.N. food relief agency chief told the Security Council on Tuesday via video link. Noting that the global spread of COVID-19 this year has sparked ‘the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two,’ Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) David Beasley pointed to deepening crises, more frequent natural disasters and changing weather patterns, saying ‘we’re already facing a perfect storm’…” (4/21).

Additional coverage of the hunger warnings is available from AP, The Guardian, NPR, Reuters, and U.N. News.

Link to individual story

U.N. News: Onset of COVID-19 pandemic boosts support for international cooperation
“Initial results of a U.N. initiative to help decide the future direction of the Organization have revealed overwhelming support for international cooperation, which has grown significantly since COVID-19 began spreading around the world. The data, gathered from hundreds of conversations, and an online survey involving some 186 countries, form part of the United Nations’ 75th anniversary initiative (UN75). Launched in January 2020, this is the largest exercise mounted by the Organization to gather public opinion and crowdsource solutions to global challenges…” (4/20).

Link to individual story

AP: Lack of virus testing stokes fears in world’s refugee camps
“There are over 70 million people worldwide who have been driven from their homes by war and unrest, up to 10 million are packed into refugee camps and informal settlements, and almost none have been tested for the coronavirus…” (Krauss et al., 4/22).

NPR: How Do You Do Contact Tracing? Poor Countries Have Plenty Of Advice
“…Contact tracing is used all over the world, including in the U.S. The idea is to track down anyone in recent contact with a newly diagnosed patient, then monitor the health of these contacts. In the developing world, it’s been a valuable tool in fighting infectious diseases like Ebola and tuberculosis. Public health workers there have lots of experience. So as the U.S. hires potentially hundreds of thousands of contact tracers to contain the coronavirus, health departments could be looking to models from such regions as Africa, South Asia, and Latin America on how these teams will do their work…” (Beaubien, 4/22).

Additional coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on refugees and the world’s poorest countries is available from Al Jazeera and IPS.

Link to individual story

AFRICA

The Guardian: Zimbabwe faces malaria outbreak as it locks down to counter coronavirus (Chingono, 4/21).

Washington Post: South Africa is hunting down coronavirus with thousands of health workers (Mogotsi/Bearak, 4/21).

ASIA

Devex: COVID-19 halts Northern Triangle migration, but deportations continue (Welsh, 4/21).

New Humanitarian: Bracing for the coronavirus in Myanmar’s rebel-held borderlands (Htusan, 4/21).

New York Times: How Coronavirus Infected Some, but Not All, in a Restaurant (Chang, 4/20).

Reuters: India presidential palace isolates 500 over virus scare, Pakistan’s Khan to be tested (Miglani et al., 4/21).

Reuters: Vietnam’s leadership, public showing strong response to contain coronavirus: WHO (Petty, 4/21).

Washington Post: Singapore Lost Control of its Coronavirus Outbreak, and Migrant Workers are the Victims (Mahtani/Chowdhury, 4/21).

EUROPE

The Guardian: Boy with Covid-19 did not transmit disease to more than 170 contacts (Sample, 4/21).

NPR: Italy Finally Sees Its 1st Drop In Active Coronavirus Cases (Chappell, 4/21).

POLITICO: Moscow’s coronavirus offensive (Roberts, 4/21).

LATIN AMERICA

AP: Brazil’s government, states fight for pandemic supplies (Jeantet, 4/22).

Reuters: Masks reused and bodies mount as Peru strains under coronavirus (Aquino, 4/22).

MIDDLE EAST

Washington Post: Lebanon is in a big mess. But on coronavirus, it’s doing something right (Sly, 4/22).

NORTH AMERICA

AP: Timeline reset: CDC confirms weeks-earlier California deaths (Beam, 4/22)

The Atlantic: Let Volunteers Take the COVID Challenge (Friedersdorf, 4/21).

The Hill: CDC director warns second wave of coronavirus might be ‘more difficult’ (Budryk, 4/21).

POLITICO: ‘A crippling blow to America’s prestige’: The government struggles to meet the moment (White, 4/21).

Reuters: CDC chief warns second COVID-19 wave may be worse, arriving with flu season (Gorman, 4/21).

Science: United States should allow volunteers to be infected with coronavirus to test vaccines, lawmakers argue (Cohen, 4/21).

Link to individual story

AP: Tensions arise as E.U. leaders mull huge virus recovery plan
“European Union leaders are preparing for a new virtual summit to take stock of the damage the coronavirus has inflicted on the lives and livelihoods of the bloc’s citizens and to thrash out a more robust plan to revive their ravaged economies…” (Cook, 4/22).

Financial Times: U.K. ministers struggle for control of coronavirus strategy
“Ministers on Tuesday attempted to get a grip on the government’s coronavirus strategy following confusion over efforts to obtain life-saving medical equipment and the revelation that fewer than one-fifth of virus tests promised by the end of the month were being carried out…” (Parker et al., 4/22).

POLITICO: E.U. leaders draft coronavirus recovery plan
“Europe’s recovery from the coronavirus should focus on strengthening the ‘strategic autonomy’ of its industry to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers, according to a ‘roadmap’ from E.U. leaders. Leaders of the European Council and the E.U.’s executive arm put the plan together ahead of a video conference on Thursday of the bloc’s 27 government chiefs, who are due to sign off on a €540 billion aid package aiming to safeguard companies, workers, and governments from economic ruin…” (Smith-Meyer, 4/21).

POLITICO: Coronavirus won’t kill globalization, but will clip its wings
“…Fearing they have undermined their security through overreliance on China, European politicians are stressing that manufacturing must return to the E.U. … For the self-sufficiency hard-liners, that means rolling back globalization. Armed with new technologies like 3D printers, they see a prime opportunity to rein in supply chains for machinery that stretch out to East Asia…” (Vela, 4/22).

Link to individual story

The Hill: Trump speaks with Boris Johnson as U.K. leader recovers from coronavirus
“President Trump on Tuesday spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was recently discharged from the hospital after being treated for the coronavirus. The two leaders discussed global efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic as well as efforts to secure a trade agreement between the United States and United Kingdom, according to spokespeople from the White House and 10 Downing Street…” (Chalfant, 4/21).

The Telegraph: British scientist to head U.N. task force distributing Covid-19 vaccine as U.S. blocks G20 agreement
“One of Britain’s most influential pharmaceutical bosses has been appointed to lead a global task force which is hoped will speed the equitable distribution of a Covid-19 vaccine around the world. Sir Andrew Witty, former chief executive of the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), is set to lead an expert body which will organize the global effort to boost vaccine manufacturing capacity and ensure it is effectively and fairly distributed. … On Sunday G20 Health Ministers came within a single vote of publishing a detailed agreement, seen by The Telegraph, outlining a ‘global response’ to the pandemic. But the 52-paragraph communique remains a draft after its publication was scuppered by the United States due to wording in support of the WHO’s role as coordinator of a global response…” (Newey/Nuki, 4/22).

Link to individual story

POLITICO: Trump, the ‘King of Ventilators,’ may donate some machines to African countries
“U.S. officials are drafting a plan to donate ventilators to African countries battling the novel coronavirus, an effort that comes as President Donald Trump boasts of how recently ramped-up production has made him the ‘king of ventilators.’ The still-preliminary plan, confirmed by two Trump administration officials, could save lives on a continent sorely lacking such machines and enhance America’s standing in the face of Chinese efforts to gain diplomatic dominance across Africa…” (Toosi, 4/21).

Reuters: U.S. readying ‘substantial’ aid to help Yemen fight coronavirus
“The United States is preparing a ‘substantial contribution’ to help Yemen combat the coronavirus, but it may have to find alternatives to the World Health Organization (WHO) to spend it, a senior U.S. official told Reuters, days after President Donald Trump slammed the U.N. agency’s handling of the pandemic…” (Pamuk/Nichols, 4/21).

Reuters: Afghan prisoner exchanges, U.S. peace plan threatened by coronavirus
“The coronavirus pandemic threatens to unravel a U.S. effort to end the war in Afghanistan if Taliban and government prisoners die in custody before they can be exchanged, four sources familiar with the matter said on Monday. Keeping the U.S. peace plan on track has acquired particular urgency as the spring fighting season nears, two sources said, given the danger that accelerating violence could make it harder to contain the COVID-19 respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus…” (Landay, 4/21).

Washington Post: U.S. is deporting infected migrants back to vulnerable countries
“…Since the coronavirus struck the United States, immigration authorities have deported dozens of infected migrants, leaving governments and nonprofits across Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean struggling to respond. When some countries resisted continued deportations, U.S. officials said they would screen migrants slated for removal. But they did not commit to administering coronavirus tests. In many instances, the screenings, which consist primarily of taking a person’s temperature, have failed to detect cases. Even though overall deportations declined this month, the United States has returned thousands of people across the Western Hemisphere in April…” (Sieff/Miroff, 4/21).

Link to individual story

Devex: Sen. Coons: Convincing lawmakers to support global COVID-19 response is a ‘struggle’
“Some U.S. lawmakers are working to include $12 billion in support for the global COVID-19 response in a future funding package, but it’s not easy. ‘It has been a struggle in calls with a number of my colleagues to get them to embrace and respond to the idea that this is a critical international moment for the United States to show its engagement, its effectiveness, and its compassion for the rest of the world,’ Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, said Tuesday at a briefing organized by CARE. Americans and U.S. lawmakers are focused almost exclusively on the domestic response to the pandemic, Coons said, adding that 90% of the conversations he is having with other senators are about domestic response…” (Saldinger, 4/21).

Link to individual story

AP: China calls virus lawsuit brought by U.S. state ‘very absurd’
“China on Wednesday slammed a lawsuit brought against it by the U.S. state of Missouri over the coronavirus pandemic as ‘very absurd.’ Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the legal action has ‘no factual and legal basis at all’ and repeated China’s defense of its response to the outbreak, which has largely subsided in the country where it was first detected…” (4/22).

AP: Missouri lawsuit alleges China caused coronavirus pandemic
“The state of Missouri filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Chinese government over the coronavirus, alleging that nation’s officials are to blame for the global pandemic. The lawsuit, filed in federal court by the state’s top lawyer, alleges Chinese officials are ‘responsible for the enormous death, suffering, and economic losses they inflicted on the world, including Missourians’…” (Ballentine, 4/21).

Link to individual story

STAT: Director of U.S. agency key to vaccine development leaves role suddenly amid coronavirus pandemic
“Rick Bright, one of the nation’s leading vaccine development experts and the director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, is no longer leading the organization, officials told STAT. The shakeup at the agency, known as BARDA, couldn’t come at a more inopportune time for the office, which invests in drugs, devices, and other technologies that help address infectious disease outbreaks and which has been at the center of the government’s coronavirus pandemic response. Bright, whose departure was confirmed by three industry sources and two current Trump administration sources, will instead move into a narrower role at the National Institutes of Health. Gary Disbrow, Bright’s former deputy at BARDA, will serve as the acting director of the office, an HHS spokesperson confirmed to STAT…” (Florko, 4/21).

Additional coverage of Bright’s departure from BARDA, as well as reporting on U.S. scientists Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and NIH Director Francis Collins, is available from The Atlantic, The Hill, Reuters, and STAT.

Link to individual story

POLITICO: NIH panel issues first guidance on coronavirus drugs
“Coronavirus treatment guidelines issued by a government panel conclude there is not enough data on some of the most touted drugs — including hydroxychloroquine, which the panel said should not be used outside clinical trials when paired with antibiotics. The group, organized by the National Institutes of Health, includes physicians, statisticians and other experts from both government agencies and health organizations. Its guidelines break potential Covid-19 treatments into two categories: antivirals such as the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and Gilead’s experimental drug remdesivir, and immune system-focused therapies like convalescent plasma or certain arthritis medicines. There is not enough data for or against the vast majority of the medicines, the panel said in its ‘living document’, while warning against using some outside of clinical trials…” (Owermohle, 4/21).

Reuters: Drug championed by Trump for coronavirus shows no benefit, possible harm in study awaiting validation
“An old malaria drug touted by U.S. President Donald Trump as a ‘game changer’ in the fight against the coronavirus provided no benefit and potentially higher risk of death for patients at U.S. veterans hospitals, according to an analysis that has been submitted for expert review…” (Beasley, 4/21).

Additional coverage of the NIH guidelines and the hydroxychloroquine study is available from AP, Financial Times, The Hill (2), and Science.

Link to individual story

POLITICO: U.N. chief says there’s a bigger threat than coronavirus
“United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will use a speech marking the 50th Earth Day on Wednesday to confront President Donald Trump and directly link coronavirus with climate change. The stark language of Guterres’ prepared remarks, obtained by POLITICO, marks a new willingness by the U.N. chief to challenge the Trump administration, which recently halted funding to the World Health Organization, the U.N. health agency, and formally withdrew from the U.N.’s landmark 2015 Paris climate change agreement last year…” (Heath, 4/21).

Devex: What does COVID-19 mean for climate action? (Igoe, 4/22).

Link to individual story

Al Jazeera: Can the tuberculosis vaccine help save coronavirus patients? (4/20).

AP: N. Korea silence on Kim’s health raises succession speculation (Kim, 4/22).

Homeland Preparedness News: Preclinical tests demonstrate potential vaccine’s capability to fight all four Ebola species (Galford, 4/21).

Science: Coronavirus found in Paris sewage points to early warning system (Lesté-Lasserre, 4/21).

Science: Antibody surveys suggesting vast undercount of coronavirus infections may be unreliable (Vogel, 4/21).

Scientific American: Jane Goodall: We Can Learn From This Pandemic (Mirsky, 4/21).

Undark: To Fight Locusts, Historic Rivals India and Pakistan Team Up (Del Bello, 4/20).

U.N. News: Assistance ramped up to DR Congo’s South Kivu as floods kill dozens (4/21).

Vox: The coronavirus pandemic has people rethinking their plans for having kids (North, 4/21).

Washington Post: Around the world, the devout are adapting their rituals to fit life under the coronavirus (Berger, 4/22).

Link to individual story

The Conversation: What if the vaccine or drugs don’t save us? Plan B for coronavirus means research on alternatives is urgently needed
Tammy Hoffmann, professor of clinical epidemiology, and Paul Glasziou, professor of medicine, both at Bond University (4/21).

The Conversation: The five criteria low-income countries must have in place for lockdowns to work
Sam Jones, Eva-Maria Egger, and Ricardo Santos, all research fellows at the World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) at the United Nations University (4/20).

The Conversation: Five ways collective intelligence can help beat coronavirus in developing countries
Kathy Peach, head of the Centre for Collective Intelligence Design at Nesta, and Ian Gray, PhD candidate at the University of Exeter (4/20).

Devex: Opinion: Why a strong cold chain is more critical than ever to defeat COVID-19
Raja Rao, director of cold-chain strategy and markets at B Medical Systems (4/21).

Forbes: What The 1918 Pandemic And The Great Recession Can Teach Us In Responding To COVID-19 Today
Bill Frist, heart and lung transplant surgeon and former U. S. Senate Majority Leader (4/21).

The Guardian: Coronavirus is the biggest disaster for developing nations in our lifetime
Ian Goldin, professor of globalization and development at Oxford University and author (4/21).

The Hill: Even without our leaders, Americans can lead on coronavirus
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) (4/21).

IPS: Reimagining a Post-COVID World: Key Principles for the Future
Mandeep Tiwana, chief programs officer at CIVICUS (4/21).

The Lancet Global Health: Answering the right questions for policymakers on COVID-19
Ellie Graeden, founder and CEO of Talus Analytics and center affiliate and adjunct faculty; Colin Carlson, assistant research professor; and Rebecca Katz, director and professor, all at the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University (4/20).

Mother Jones: Why Will It Take So Long to Develop a Coronavirus Vaccine?
Kevin Drum, political blogger for Mother Jones (4/21).

New York Times: Failing the Coronavirus Test
Editorial Board (4/21).

New York Times: What Is the Coronavirus Doing to North Korea?
Nicholas Eberstadt, political economist at the American Enterprise Institute and founding director of the United States Committee on Human Rights in North Korea (4/22).

New York Times: The World Has a $2.5 Trillion Problem. Here’s How to Solve It.
Maitreesh Ghatak, Xavier Jaravel, and Jonathan Weigel, all professors at the London School of Economics (4/20).

Project Syndicate: Shelter from the Middle East’s Perfect Storm
Bassem Awadallah, CEO of Tomoh Advisory, and Adeel Malik, associate professor of development economics at the University of Oxford (4/21).

Project Syndicate: Don’t Waste the Pandemic Response
Bertrand Badré, CEO of Blue like an Orange Sustainable Capital and author (4/21).

Project Syndicate: Averting a COVID-19 Security Crisis in Africa
Abebe Bekele, founding dean and deputy vice chancellor of academic and research affairs at the University of Global Health Equity, professor of surgery at Addis Ababa University’s School of Medicine, and fellow of the College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa and of the American College of Surgeons (4/21).

Project Syndicate: Dealing with China After COVID-19
Chris Patten, chancellor of the University of Oxford (4/21).

Project Syndicate: How Aging Societies Should Respond to Pandemics
Andrew Scott, professor of economics at the London Business School and consulting scholar at the Stanford Center on Longevity (4/22).

STAT: People are dying from coronavirus because we’re not fast enough at clinical research
Matthew Herper, senior writer for medicine at STAT (4/22).

STAT: If pharma helps quench the Covid-19 pandemic, what will it want in return?
Stewart Lyman, biotechnology consultant and vaccine advocate (4/21).

USA TODAY: Could an old vaccine be a godsend for new coronavirus?
Konstantin Chumakov, associate director for research in the FDA Office of Vaccines Research and Review and director of its Global Virus Network Center of Excellence, and Robert Gallo, Homer & Martha Gudelsky distinguished professor in medicine, co-founder and director of the Institute Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and co-founder and international scientific adviser of the Global Virus Network (4/21).

Washington Post: Trump and his allies are using the pandemic to push an unrelated agenda
Editorial Board (4/21).

Washington Post: The pandemic didn’t come out of nowhere. The U.S. ignored the warnings
Editorial Board (4/21).

Washington Post: Australia’s leader is winning the argument on the coronavirus
Richard Glover, presenter for the ‘Drive’ show on ABC Radio Sydney and author (4/21).

Washington Post: How to avoid a pandemic Patriot Act
David Ignatius, columnist at the Washington Post (4/21).

Washington Post: Letters to the Editor: Examining the WHO and the what-if’s of the pandemic
William B. Wood, former ambassador to Colombia and Afghanistan, former senior State Department official on Iran sanctions, and former head of the State Department U.N. bureau (4/21).

Link to individual story

BMJ Opinion: Covid-19 and addiction — a secret burden during this pandemic
Rachel Bannister, co-founder of the campaign group Mental Health — Time for Action (4/21).

World Economic Forum: This is why keeping global supply chains moving is key to overcoming COVID-19
Anabel González, non-resident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics (4/20).

World Economic Forum: Will COVID-19 lead to the global resurgence of other deadly diseases?
Sean Fleming, senior writer for formative content at the World Economic Forum (4/21).

Link to individual story

World Health Organization: WHO guidance helps detect iron deficiency and protect brain development
“Detecting iron deficiency early during pregnancy and in young children is crucial. Iron deficiency in children under two years of age can have significant and irreversible effects on brain development. This can lead to negative consequences on learning and school performance later in life. Cognitive development of a child can also be affected if a mother is iron deficient during her last trimester of pregnancy. New World Health Organization guidelines on the use of ferritin concentrations to assess iron status in individuals and populations will help health workers to detect iron deficiency early and avoid the most severe impacts…” (4/20).

Link to individual story

White House: Remarks by President Trump and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing
In this press briefing held Tuesday, President Trump and members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force discuss developments regarding the U.S. response to COVID-19 (4/21).

Link to individual story

USAID: COVID-19 Global Response — Fact Sheet #1 FY20
This fact sheet provides details on U.S. efforts to address COVID-19 globally, highlighting key developments in the U.S. response, the U.S. action plan to support the international response, and regional summaries (4/21).

Link to individual story

USAID: U.S. Government Provides Humanitarian Assistance in Response to Tropical Cyclone Harold in the Pacific
“The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing $400,000 in immediate assistance to support the response to Tropical Cyclone Harold, which unleashed severe destruction during its week-long path across the southern Pacific Islands. With this funding, USAID is working with partners on the ground in Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu to provide shelter assistance and critical relief items in affected areas…” (4/21).

Link to individual story

KFF, in partnership with the Global Health Council (GHC), presents a discussion on Tuesday, April 28 from 12:00-1:00 pm ET, on the challenges and opportunities of resource mobilization in response to COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Speakers will share updates on how COVID-19 is impacting global health programs and review recent data of COVID-19 funding trends. This is the third discussion in the GHC conversation series on COVID-19. Speakers include Jennifer Kates, senior vice president and director of Global Health & HIV Policy at KFF; Loyce Pace, president and executive director of the Global Health Council; and representatives from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF), Medtronic Foundation, and World Vision. Register here (4/21).

Link to individual story

KFF: COVID-19 Coronavirus Tracker — Updated as of April 22, 2020 (4/22).

KFF: The U.S. Government and the World Health Organization (4/16).

Additional KFF COVID-19 resources, including those focused on the response and impact within the U.S., are available here. KFF’s new blog series “Coronavirus Policy Watch” is available here.

Link to individual story