COVID-19 pandemic

2022 - 9 - 16

Post cover
Image courtesy of "SBS"

The WHO says the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is 'in sight'. This ... (SBS)

The views among Australian health experts as to whether COVID-19 is close to becoming an endemic illness are mixed.

And in much of the world, from a social perspective, the pandemic is already over [socially]. COVID is still around, and it will be a disease that we'll need to deal with forever using clinical and public health means." "If we're going to end the pandemic, getting vaccinated with the existing vaccines and the new ones is absolutely crucial. That's the one thing that might just put a bit of a spanner in the works." So there's the purely numeric epidemiological point of view, which is number of cases. "We had about 2,000 people die in the previous two years. Pretty much the whole of the African continent is severely under-vaccinated and many are not vaccinated at all. I think people inherently understand that's just where we are at the moment. A new study commissioned by the World Health Organization estimates 17 million people in Europe are living with symptoms of long COVID. And we have a low number of average cases, although still a significant number of cases. So we would expect our caseload to come down," he said. "While the virus isn't gone, it's still there.

Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development: the COVID-19 ... (OHCHR)

Mr. Alfarargi said that the COVID-19 pandemic had triggered the largest global economic crisis in more than a century, leading to a dramatic increase in ...

The response to and recovery from COVID-19 and the execution of the right to development were intrinsically linked and should support the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, while the international community should work in concert to fill the existing equality gaps in respect of achieving the right to development for all. Challenges to recovery were greater, one speaker pointed out, when a country was subject to inhumane unilateral coercive measures, which impeded its achievement of the right to development, and made the vulnerable in its society even more endangered. The pandemic had impacted the lives of people across the globe, especially in developing countries, reversing progress made in human rights, bringing new challenges, and impeding States’ achievement of the right to development and the Sustainable Development Goals. The fair distribution of vaccines, in the context of the right to development, could have saved many lives in developing countries. SAAD ALFARARGI, Special Rapporteur on the right to development, said that some of the biggest challenges for developing States were the limited fiscal capacity and lack of data. It was up to States to ensure that, even in the toughest times, human rights were maintained and protected. Alfarargi said that COVID-19 response and recovery plans were ultimately development plans, and as such they needed to be in line with the right to development. In the discussion on the right to development, some speakers said the right to development was rooted in the universality, indivisibility, interrelation, and interdependence of all human rights, and human rights and good governance were key to the achievement of inclusive and sustainable development. Human rights such as democracy, human dignity and the rule of law should be respected in all countries. It will then hold an interactive dialogue with the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development, followed by an interactive dialogue on the right to privacy. One could not hope for the full realisation of human rights without achievement of the right to development. COVID-19 response and recovery plans were ultimately development plans, and as such they needed to be in line with the right to development.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Health Digest"

Are We Getting Close To The End Of The COVID-19 Pandemic? (Health Digest)

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that a finish line is now in sight for the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[weekly press briefing](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-15/who-tedros-adhanom-ghebreyesus-end-covid-19-pandemic-in-sight/101441898) that a finish line is now in sight for the end of the [COVID-19](https://www.healthdigest.com/988650/what-the-covid-19-pandemic-has-done-to-american-life-expectancy/) pandemic (via [The Australian Broadcasting Company](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-15/who-tedros-adhanom-ghebreyesus-end-covid-19-pandemic-in-sight/101441898)). The lowest COVID death rate recorded was a weekly average of 168 deaths per day in July 2021; the latest data indicates that the U.S. Additionally, the plan includes doubling down on protecting high-risk individuals and forging stronger relationships with local community organizations to improve the dissemination of factual information, among other strategies. Underscoring the continued importance of vaccinations, the Biden Administration recently announced a plan to attack COVID this fall. Tedros added that we are in the strongest position to end the pandemic since WHO first declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/covid-pandemic-who-says-end-in-sight-deaths-drop-rcna47680) reports that deaths in the U.S.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Cosmos"

Covid19 pandemic end “in sight” says head of the WHO (Cosmos)

A group of experts takes on the trick science of forecasting possible futures of the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Nuthawut Somsuk / iStock / Getty Images.

There’s never been a more important time to explain the facts, cherish evidence-based knowledge and to showcase the latest scientific, technological and engineering breakthroughs. “We are going to have to maintain high levels of vigilance. Please support us by making a donation or purchasing a subscription today. But the end is in sight,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday local time. Other WHO experts recommended governments begin scenario planning for future outbreaks of COVID-19, but also other potential disease outbreaks. [Cosmos](https://cosmosmagazine.com) as [COVID-19 pandemic end “in sight” says head of the WHO](https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/covid19-pandemic-end-in-sight-says-head-of-the-who/)

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Net Newsledger"

NetNewsLedger - Lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic (Net Newsledger)

WHO welcomes the Commission's endorsement of a pandemic agreement, strengthening the International Health Regulations (IHR), and enhancing financing. These ...

WHO is leading and coordinating a multi-agency, multidisciplinary, international technical consultation process to discuss and reach a consensus on pathogens that transmit through the air, with a wide range of global experts and international and national agencies. [nine cases and no deaths](https://worldhealthorganization.cmail20.com/t/d-l-fudftk-tjdrddktli-a/)reported outside China, the Director-General convened the Emergency Committee (EC) under the IHR to meet, and advise whether the event constituted a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). [guidance published on 10 January 2020](https://worldhealthorganization.cmail20.com/t/d-l-fudftk-tjdrddktli-ju/), outlined respiratory precautions – including airborne precautions – in health-care settings. As we are a learning organization, we established a [dashboard of recommendations](https://worldhealthorganization.cmail20.com/t/d-l-fudftk-tjdrddktli-c/) from these initiatives and others to track their implementation by WHO and others. The Director-General [said](https://worldhealthorganization.cmail20.com/t/d-l-fudftk-tjdrddktli-f/)publicly: “Make no mistake. WHO issued guidance and enhanced surveillance protocols early in the pandemic to identify contacts among people prior to the development of symptoms. The World Health Assembly agreed a [historic decision](https://worldhealthorganization.cmail20.com/t/d-l-fudftk-tjdrddktli-j/) in May 2022 to sustainably finance WHO.This year will see two rounds of [public hearings](https://worldhealthorganization.cmail20.com/t/d-l-fudftk-tjdrddktli-t/) for a pandemic accord take place. WHO’s early priority was getting access to masks for those most at-risk around the world; we initially recommended the use of medical masks for anyone with symptoms, anyone caring for someone sick, and frontline health workers. - On 9 January 2020, WHO convened the first of many teleconferences with established global expert networks, to discuss all available information on the cluster reported from China. WHO welcomes the Commission’s endorsement of a pandemic agreement, strengthening the International Health Regulations (IHR), and enhancing financing. [five priorities](https://worldhealthorganization.cmail20.com/t/d-l-fudftk-tjdrddktli-y/) for his second term. WHO places similar emphasis on the importance of multilateralism, solidarity and cooperation when facing pandemics.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Advocate"

University of Tasmania report details food insecurity among state's ... (The Advocate)

There's no better time to subscribe - 3 readers will WIN $10,000 this Spring! Your digital subscription includes access to Today's Paper to access our weekly ...

This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: "The increased experience of food insecurity that we have described in this study is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels without intervention," they said. The report's authors stated an increase in food insecurity after the withdrawal of government fnancial payments introduced because of COVID-19 suggested that young Australians may be particularly reliant on this support to afford food.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Modern Diplomacy"

The end of the COVID-19 pandemic is in sight (Modern Diplomacy)

As the number of weekly reported deaths from COVID-19 plunged to its lowest since March 2020, the head of the WHO.

The agency is also providing essential medicines and medical supplies to functional health facilities treating affected communities. Our key priorities now are to ensure rapid access to essential health services to the flood-affected population strengthen and expand disease surveillance, outbreak prevention and control, and ensure robust health cluster coordination,” said Dr. There is a strong business case for nearly every country in the world and Egypt has shown that even the highest-burden countries can make incredible progress in a very short timeframe with enough political commitment.” The world has everything it needs to eliminate the disease. “Hepatitis C is a disease that can be beaten,” said Shyam Bishen, Head of Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum, and one of the co-authors of the report. The FIF is one of those key measures, and WHO looks forward to fulfilling its technical leadership role in advising the FIF Board on where to make the most effective investments to protect health, especially in low- and middle-income countries.” [Health & Wellness](https://moderndiplomacy.eu/category/newsdesk/health-wellness/) Despite the scale of the problem, it is one of a few major endemic diseases that could be eliminated by 2030. The new fund is overseen by a Governing Board, which will set the overall work program and make funding decisions. The World Bank will serve as the FIF’s trustee and host the Secretariat, which will include technical staff seconded from the World Health Organization (WHO). “Investing now will save lives and resources for the years to come. The fund will draw on the strengths and comparative advantages of key institutions engaged in PPR, provide complementary support, improve coordination among partners, incentivize increased country investments, serve as a platform for advocacy, and help focus and sustain much-needed, high-level attention on strengthening health systems.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Clinical Advisor"

Suicide Awareness During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Clinical Advisor)

A 22-year-old man presents to the outpatient office following an overdose of antihistamines and alcohol following the COVID-19 lockdown.

[Trends in suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic](https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4352). [Aggregated COVID-19 suicide incidences in India: fear of COVID-19 infection is the prominent causative factor.](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016517812031489X?via%3Dihub)Psychiatry Res. [Suicide risk and prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(20)30171-1/fulltext). Does the patient feel that he can stop drinking or has he tried to stop drinking on his own? If the patient does not follow up with a mental health professional, it is appropriate to have him return in 2 weeks. Other factors that can increase the risk for suicide include hopelessness, substance abuse, genetic factors, violent relationships, isolation, lack of support, financial stressors, lack of access to mental health professionals, and stigma regarding seeking help for mental health (Table 3).3 The patient presents to the primary care office 3 weeks after hospitalization and reports that he has continued the medication as ordered but he has not kept any of the outpatient appointments and is drinking alcohol daily. The patient was encouraged to follow up with an outpatient psychotherapist and a mental health provider for medication management. Of note, the patient has been noncompliant with the prescribed follow-up treatment. He had been working extra hours to resolve some of the debt that he incurred when he was not working during the COVID-19 lockdown. In this installment, we will discuss identifying and treating an attempted suicide by a patient with major depressive disorder exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Once he was medically stable, the patient was transferred to an inpatient psychiatric facility for continued care.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "NEWS.com.au"

China shuts down WHO's major Covid call (NEWS.com.au)

A WHO statement about the pandemic is within reach has been censored in China, the only major country still trying to stop the spread of the virus.

But, she added, “those future waves of infection do not need to translate into future waves of death”. “Even as the pandemic wanes, and as the number of cases may drop, we are going to have to maintain high levels of vigilance,” he told reporters. A World Health Organisation statement this week that the end of the pandemic is within reach has been censored in China, the only major country still trying to stop the spread of the virus. However, the news has been censored in China — which is still using aggressive lockdowns in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus. A WHO statement about the pandemic is within reach has been censored in China, the only major country still trying to stop the spread of the virus. “We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic,” he told reporters.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "SBS"

End of COVID-19 pandemic is in sight, says WHO (SBS)

However, it has also urged countries to continue fighting the virus. Some have viewed the announcement as positive, but others, including the Australian Medical ...

'End Is in Sight' for COVID-19 Pandemic, WHO Chief Says (WebMD)

“We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said in a news ...

New cases fell by 28%, continuing a decline in recent weeks in each part of the world. “Now is the worst time to stop running,” he said. “We’re not there yet, but the end is in sight.”

Explore the last week