In the last nine months, COVID-19 has proved to be unlike any other outbreak the world has seen in the past century. Its impact is beyond health and is expected to last years – if not more. We saw first-hand how ill-prepared we were to deal with the pandemic. Even countries like USA and […]
Category: Health system
“I can’t breathe” in Kurdistan: Oxygen shortage & COVID-19
On the early hours of June 10th, a nine-year-old boy from Kifri in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) died from apparent respiratory distress. His family told media outlets that the district general hospital he was taken to did not have enough oxygen supplies to save his life. They also claimed that his father had to […]
COVID-19 Testing in the Philippines: Enhancing Testing Productivity
The Philippines moved quickly to expand COVID-19 testing capacity, but much of this new capacity remains idle. Emphasis must now shift to increasing productivity, particularly by improving the flow of samples to the laboratories. Preceding entry: Scaling Up Capacity for COVID-19 Testing in the Philippines When the first COVID-19 case was detected in […]
The COVID-19 tracking apps ecosystem unraveled: critical issues for global health
In March and April 2020, an ecosystem of tracing apps suddenly emerged, presenting digital solutions as indispensable for winning the battle against Covid-19. A few months later, the techno-optimism has subsided drastically, ranging from a perception that apps are problematic surveillance tools (Russia, Bahrain and Kuwait) or ineffective (Singapore, France and Iceland) to the […]
COVID-19 in Kurdistan: Health system vulnerabilities in a fragile setting
As of May 01, 2020, The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq has confirmed 381 COVID-19 cases and five deaths. The low number in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) is not dissimilar to trends in The Middle East and North Africa (MENA). However, there are concerns that the numbers might be higher than official […]
COVID-19 response in Uganda: notes and reflections
This blog is a part of #COVID19Africa Series Uganda typically experiences recurring disease outbreaks throughout the year is in a state of continuous alerts (1). The country has invested in the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system which has helped to mitigate numerous outbreaks. Despite our fairly advanced surveillance system, the threat of an […]
Elder Care during COVID-19 : Reflections from Shanghai
On January 23, 2020, Wuhan, a Chinese city with over 10 million people, was locked down due to COVID-19. Subsequently, all cities in China instituted the highest level emergency response. The response mandated home isolation, reduced unessential hospital visits, restricted social activities, and the use of personal protection equipment (e.g., face masks) outdoors. We […]
COVID-19 and the Global Health Workforce
Following the second meeting of the Emergency Committee convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, the novel Corona virus or COVID-19 outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This has negatively impacted the global economy and global travel, with growing concerns for preparedness of health systems worldwide and its […]
Protecting China’s healthcare workers during COVID-19
With over a hundred thousand COVID-19 cases across 100 countries , the World Health Organization (WHO), has declared the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (1). COVID-19 originated from Wuhan in the Hubei Province in China, the epicenter of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak since December 2019. COVID-19 is highly contagious and […]