COVID-19 is a stark reminder of the deep interconnections between natural systems and human health. For decades, scientists have raised concerns about urban sprawl changing natural ecosystems and increasing contact between animal species and humans: the perfect scenario for a zoonosis. Add to the mix characteristics associated with cities, such as air pollution, high […]
Month: May 2020
Abortion Care during COVID-19 pandemic
Blog by Neha R. Pidatala During the current COVID-19 pandemic, many states in the US have ordered or supported the cessation of both medical and surgical abortion, while few have directed only the surgical abortion to halt. Some states have threatened jail times and massive fines if the laws are not upheld. Ohio singled out […]
A Story of Kindness during the 2020 Coronavirus Crisis
Visual Audiobook by Luca M. Damiani View the audiobook on Issuu in English, French, Italian and Spanish here. With so much worry, hardship and for some deep sorrow everywhere, it can feel useless and even unnecessary to keep making art; but maybe it is even more important than usual, that we do so. This is […]
Compulsory treatment or vaccination versus quarantine
By Thomas Douglas, Jonathan Pugh and Lisa Forsberg. Governments worldwide have responded to the Covid-19 pandemic with sweeping constraints on freedom of movement, including various forms of isolation, quarantine, and ‘lockdown’. Governments have also introduced new legal instruments to guarantee the lawfulness of their measures. In the UK, the Coronavirus Act 2020 gives the government […]
COVID-19 in Guinea: The first line of health care in South and North get ready for action!
This blog is a part of # COVID19Africa Series. Click for French version. Despite the rhetoric and the experience gained during the Ebola epidemic, the implementation of these (hard) lessons learned in the Guinean health system still leaves a lot to be desired. Although all Ebola treatment centres are still in place, the number of […]
COVID-19 in Mauritania: Has the battle already been won?
This blog is a part of # COVID19Africa Series. Click for French version. Does COVID-19 seem like a bad dream in which a significant number of people worldwide are killed, and drastic lockdown measures have a profound impact on the daily lives of millions of citizens? In our region, the virus is also affecting some […]
Clinical and laboratory characteristics of Chinese Covid-19 patients
FMCH Editorial office Reference: Zhu J, Zhong Z, Ji P, et al Clinicopathological characteristics of 8697 patients with COVID-19 in China: a meta-analysisFamily Medicine and Community Health 2020;8:e000406. doi: 10.1136/fmch-2020-000406 What are the clinical and laboratory characteristics of Chinese patients affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)? By the progress of the pandemic and […]
How much certainty is enough? Immunity passports and COVID-19
By Rebecca brown, Julian Savulescu, Bridget Williams and Dominic Wilkinson. There is significant debate about whether or not ‘immunity passports’ are a viable tool to use in responding to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Much of this has focused on the lack of a sufficiently reliable antibody test, and uncertainty about the immune status of individuals […]
PPE may protect us, but it harms the sweatshop workers who make it
Arianne Shahvisi and Mei Trueba. One of the greatest controversies of the UK coronavirus crisis is the shortage of PPE for NHS workers. Yet most PPE is made in sweatshops, and its production endangers the health of those who make it. Ironically, workers who produce personal protective equipment for others invariably have inadequate protection themselves. […]
The COVID-19 lockdown is accelerating the shift toward online and remote health to meet women’s reproductive health needs
By Emma Rezel-Potts, Melissa J Palmer, Caroline Free, Paula Baraitser The lockdown measures issued by the UK government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have transformed all aspects of healthcare delivery, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Remote and online solutions, that were already developing as alternative options to some traditional, face-to-face SRH services, have […]