State of the Pandemic, World Health Organization, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Lancet, Food Insecurity, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Spain, United States
development

Organisations. World Health Organization WHO, World Bank, International Monetary Fund IMF, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs UN OCHA, Lancet
Period. 6 – 12 April 2020

April 9 marks the 100th day since the WHO was notified of the first case of “pneumonia of unknown cause” in Wuhan, China.

As of April 12 at 10am EST, the total worldwide deaths from COVID-19 has surpassed 110,000, as confirmed cases approach 1.8 million. The actual number of dead and infected worldwide are believed to be much higher, but testing shortages, different counting practices and concealment by some governments limit detection and reporting.

The U.S. is the current global epicentre with over 530,000 confirmed cases and over 20,000 deaths, while the five worst affected countries (U.S., Spain, Italy, Germany, France) account for over 60% of all cases and almost 80% of deaths globally.

Community transmission is spreading, and the rapid increase of cases across low- and middle-income countries has become a critical global issue, as over 20 developing countries are reporting more than 1,000 cases. The number of African cases increased approximately by 40% over the past week, with all 55 countries reporting cases and 8 African countries seeing exponential rise. South Africa’s border controls and lockdown over the past two weeks have significantly reduced the number of new cases.

The economic fallout from the global pandemic could push 500 million people into poverty (8% of global population), according to a UN University report. This would be the first time that poverty has increased globally in over thirty years. The World Bank and IMF have scaled up and accelerated efforts to provide emergency funding to countries, while the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a US$2 billion appeal for a Coordinated Global Humanitarian Response Plan, which as of April 8, is only 20% funded.

As governments confront the dual challenge of containing the viral pandemic and economic crisis, public health experts warn countries that premature re-opening could lead to a second wave of outbreaks, echoed as well by modelling projections in a recent Lancet paper. Oxfam has urged world leaders to contribute to the $2.5 trillion economic rescue plan set out by the UN to “keep poor countries and poor communities afloat.” Mounting job losses and disruptions to global supply chains are also expected to result in chronic food shortages, as countries are urged to keep trade open and to protect farmers.

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