Virtual Symposium announcement: New Realities in Times of COVID-19: A Humanistic Response

This might be of interest to our reader: a free virtual symposium on “New Realities in Times of COVID-19: A Humanistic Response,” part of the “Doctor as Humanist” Series. Saturday, November 21. Start: 2pm GMT/9am EST | End: 8pm GMT/3pm EST, registration required | Event page. From the organizers: Join our virtual symposium New Realities […]

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Images of vaccination

In the coming months, one of history’s most ambitious vaccination campaigns will begin in earnest. Complex political, social and cultural factors will shape public reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine, and communication surrounding the vaccine’s arrival will be as critical as its underlying efficacy. Before entering the fray, reflecting on some powerful vaccination images can help […]

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Science, Society & Politics : being future ready

  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 […]

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COVID-19 guidelines for reopening schools: policy considerations for children with special education needs

  The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significant consequences on all aspects of society and greatly impacts health and education systems worldwide. A recent article in the Lancet evaluates the measures necessary to prevent a second COVID-19 wave in the United Kingdom (UK) and explains that easing of physical distancing, including reopening of schools, […]

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Building Back Better – a new hybrid approach to neglected tropical diseases in the COVID-19 era

  COVID-19  established its foothold in Africa in April 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) issued interim guidance which encourage  neglected tropical disease (NTD) elimination programmes to temporarily suspend community-based activities where COVID-19 transmission had begun. Governments responded and interventions, including population-based surveys, mass drug administration (MDA), and active case finding, were soon suspended.  This […]

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How COVID-19 Fractured Medical Aid Delivery

  COVID-19 has fundamentally changed our understanding of many aspects of health care, and offers us a different lens through which to view medical humanitarianism. The pandemic has had a significant impact on medical aid; going beyond the obvious financial implications of an economic crisis and extending to personnel, supplies, and disease control. Foreign-aid budget […]

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Africa Amid Growing Vaccine Nationalism

  Among potential vaccines on clinical trials for the SARS-CoV-2 virus globally, the Ox1CoV-19 VIDA-Trials in Johannesburg is the sole candidate in Africa – a collaboration between Oxford University and University of Witswatersrand. This is worrisome despite capacities to conduct clinical trials in other countries including Senegal, Egypt and Algeria. Determined to increase this number, […]

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The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on BAME communities in the UK: An urgent research priority

  COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting people from ethnic minorities in the UK and other high‑income countries, exposing longstanding inequalities for minority and marginalised communities. These disparities have been particularly evident in the UK, where Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities are bearing the brunt of the pandemic. An official inquiry commissioned by the UK […]

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Historic Economic Downfalls and Cancer Care: The forecast post-COVID

  The coronavirus pandemic, a global fight we have not seen since the previous century, undoubtedly has resulted in disastrous effects on the UK and global economy. On 12th August, the UK economy declared an official recession for the first time in 11 years as the economy shrank by 20.4%, the biggest reduction ever seen. […]

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