CNBC: Investors in World Bank’s ‘pandemic bonds’ face big losses due to the coronavirus outbreak
“Investors are looking at big losses in two World Bank-issued ‘pandemic bonds,’ which have fallen under the spotlight as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread worldwide. … Growing fear about the economic fallout of the outbreak has driven a sell-off in risk assets as investors seek the perceived safety of government bonds like [the] U.S. Treasury’s…” (Tan, 3/17).

Devex: World Bank Group increases COVID-19 funding, outlines lending plans
“The World Bank Group has announced an additional $2 billion in funding to help with the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing its commitment to $14 billion in funds that will support national health systems, disease containment, diagnosis, treatment, and the private sector…” (Saldinger, 3/17).

NPR: ‘A Socio-Economic Tsunami’: How The World Is Dealing With Pandemic
“…Developments in the past 24 hours came as the worldwide total of confirmed infections from the virus was set to top 200,000, with some 8,000 dead from the resulting COVID-19 disease. Here’s a look at developments by region…” (Neuman, 3/18).

Reuters: Global powers unleash trillions of dollars to stem spiraling coronavirus crisis
“The world’s richest nations prepared more costly measures on Tuesday to combat the global fallout of the coronavirus that has infected tens of thousands of people, triggered social restrictions unseen since World War Two and sent economies spinning toward recession…” (Shepardson/Milliken, 3/17).

USA TODAY: These countries are doing the best and worst jobs fighting coronavirus
“…The majority of global public health experts believe that countries need to act quickly and decisively to reduce what Robbert Muggah, a leading Brazil-based risk and security specialist, said ‘represents the most significant threat to population health and political and economic stability in a generation.’ These measures include easy and efficient access to testing and results, rigorous contact tracing, consistent science-based messaging, quarantines, and a genuine commitment to clamping down on socializing…” (Hjelmgaard, 3/17).

Additional reporting on countries’ responses to COVID-19 and impacts is available for the U.S. (POLITICO), Middle East (New Humanitarian), Latin America (AFP and The Guardian), Europe (The Atlantic, CNBC, U.N. News), Asia (Nature, New York Times [2], Reuters, Science, TIME, and U.N. News), and Africa (Quartz Africa, Reuters, Washington Post).